Blue Demons

Wintrust Arena

It's unfortunate that the treasure-hunting roller coaster of business in the NBA often leaves player development in the dust.
A rumor, a ping-pong ball or a phone call can accelerate a franchise's competitive life cycle out of nowhere. With just about every major leap, however, comes a squeeze, where young players suddenly find their professional lives dramatically altered.
Every fan has a "What if?" story of a player who felt close to figuring things out, but simply ran out of time as the next big move packed him up and sent him away. Maybe it's the Los Angeles Lakers and Brandon Ingram, or the Lakers and Lonzo Ball, or the Lakers and Josh Hart, or &mdash; you get it. My personal wistful regret is the Minnesota Timberwolves dealing specifically Kris Dunn (along with Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen, of course) in the 2017 trade that returned Jimmy Butler. Even if the trades and draft picks made sense, we still wish we could have just a small peek at the alternate universe.
It feels like Mo Bamba is about to fall into that category. The 2018 No. 5 pick struggled to find his place in the NBA while wading through myriad injuries over his first few years. Then, this past season, he finally started to lay down a pattern of production with his flashes of potential, even as the Orlando Magic languished at the bottom of the league.
The problem: Orlando has the No. 1 pick in a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft</a> with three game-changing bigs ranking among the consensus top prospects. Bamba, Wendell Carter Jr., Franz Wagner and *insert top pick* cannot all share a starting frontcourt now, in three years or in 10 years. Someone is probably getting squeezed out.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, Bamba appears to be on the outside looking in. And regretfully, it's understandable. Wagner had a <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA_University/status/1536109881853218816?s=20&amp;t=-gBn7I0iLjpdqhaqWAM2hQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">phenomenal All-Rookie First Team season</a> and Carter appears fully entrenched as a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wendell-carter-jr-dont-publish-yet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cornerstone big man</a>. Still, Bamba truly took a leap in his own right, and it's worth reestablishing what makes him such a promising young player.
Bamba appeared in a career-high 71 games and averaged a career-high 25.7 minutes per game in 2021-22. He started 69 of those contests after earning six combined starts across his first three seasons. The availability alone is a major positive; just look at <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/nba/mohamed-bamba-player-injuries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all of the injuries Bamba battled through four years.</a> With the increase in playing time came corresponding career highs in practically every major box-score category. But Bamba's most notable leap by far came from his deadeye perimeter shooting.
Bamba canned 38.1% of his 4.0 three-pointers per game, including a scorching 44.6% clip after the All-Star break. All of the sustainability indicators are there; Bamba hit 78.1% of his free-throws, improved from the arc as the year went on and proved himself on high volume.
According to Synergy, over 26.6% of Bamba's offensive plays last year were spot-ups. He also demonstrated comfort on pick-and-pop actions, where he cashed in plenty of open threes.
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Defenses dared Bamba to make them pay because he hadn't yet in his career, and the 24-year-old fired away. Opponents will likely pay more attention to him next season, but if you were to pair Bamba with scoring guards who can create advantages with his screens, he'll find open shots.
Bamba is a better screener than he gets credit for. The screen-assist stats from this season (1.7 per game) won't show it because Carter was the chief impediment, but Bamba averaged 3.0 screen assists per game in 2020-21 despite playing just 15.8 minutes per game. He's not a brick wall, but Bamba has greatly improved his build and strength since entering the league.
As a paint presence, Bamba is essentially a pure finisher at this stage. He made 70.4% of his shots in the restricted area, which is fine, but he doesn't create chances on his own and hasn't shown nearly enough as a passer or connector.
Then, you flip to the defensive end and you see why Bamba was so high-regarded before the 2018 draft. He contested over 46.7% of opposing shots at the rim this season, ranking in the 96th percentile at his position, according to The BBall Index. A whopping 29.5% of those contests resulted in blocks (93rd percentile), and opponents shot over 6% worse than expected at the rim when facing him (92nd percentile). Questions still remain about how he guards on the perimeter and how he handles 1-on-1 drives and post-ups. The bottom line is that few intimidate at the rim more than Bamba.&nbsp;
Despite the dissonance on paper, Bamba and Carter fared pretty well as a tandem. Together, they anchored Orlando to the 13th-ranked defense during the regular season. The five-man lineup of Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, Wagner, Carter and Bamba was a plus-5.8 per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. Not bad for a lineup that played a lot together on a 22-win squad.
The final pitch for Bamba is that he is an efficient low-usage scorer who you can trust to boost teammates as a screener and cash in on his perimeter and lob chances. He's not quite an "anchor" yet on defense, but he is a pillar. Do teams buy that he can grow as a switching player, and do they buy that he can stay on the floor enough to stack his bright moments into a foundation? Those are the major question marks.
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Fortunately, several NBA teams should take interest in a 7-foot center with valuable traits and an untapped ceiling. Bamba is a restricted free agent, which means a pursuing team has to overwhelm Orlando with a contract and, most likely, a trade package. But loads of avenues exist for a deal that benefits Bamba, the Magic and his possible new franchise.
So, let's look at where Bamba could end up this summer.
ORLANDO MAGIC
The Magic hold all the power at the end of the day. They can match any contract opposing teams try to throw at Bamba, and maybe they want to. Orlando isn't a probable playoff contender, so why lose a young talent when the current objective is to amass young talent? The guessing game comes down to what the contract extension looks like.&nbsp;
Bamba has the pedigree of a No. 5 overall pick and the trajectory of a sturdy starting center with a concerning injury history and still-unrealized potential. it's pretty difficult to estimate what his next salary could look like.&nbsp;
If&nbsp;(and it's a big if) I had to compare, the most similar scenario would be the Boston Celtics inking Robert Williams III to a four-year, $48 million deal last summer. Like Bamba, Williams had a prior history of ailments and flashed starter ability. Williams had shown a lot more for a competitive basketball team &mdash; but also didn't carry the same stature Bamba does. So I'd say those cancel out, and for visualization's sake, we can estimate his extension would look something like $12 million per year .
Should Bamba stay in Orlando, he likely won't have long as a starter if Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren or Paolo Banchero are waiting in the wings. But he'd absolutely continue as a high-end back big for an Orlando roster that boasted a pretty solid defense last year.&nbsp;
BROOKLYN NETS
Nic Claxton (restricted free agnet), Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge all hit free agency this summer. This is Brooklyn's chance to mold a center rotation that complements Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and (most likely?) Kyrie Irving. Those three, plus Bruce Brown (also a free agent), are all excellent playmakers and passers. Bamba would simply be asked to finish his looks, be it as a stretch-5 or a lob threat. He'd have no burden to create on offense and could fill similar rim-protecting roles as his predecessors on defense.
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How could a trade work? Let's stick with Bamba's current salary estimate of $12 million for at least next season. Fanspo's trade machine says a deal exchanging Bamba for Joe Harris, Kessler Edwards and a future first-round pick works financially.
I think this is a fair starting point. Harris is making just over $18 million for the next two years, but Orlando shouldn't be concerned with cap space, and I actually love the idea of the Magic adding a movement shooter on the wing. Orlando is going to have a tough defense again next season; this is an easy way to give its slashing guards an outlet.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Bamba is absolutely not Kristaps Porzingis, but he can take on some of the same responsibilities as an above-the-break shooter, screener and rim-protector while playing as a more versatile defensive center than Porzingis has ever been. The Mavericks desperately need size on the glass as well, and Bamba can grab rebounds while fitting into the team's overall spacing.
Dwight Powell is a solid NBA player. His minutes also decreased in every subsequent playoff series this spring, and he played just 9.8 minutes per game in the Western Conference Finals. Does Bamba have the two-way versatility to stick in these matchups against Golden State Warrior-like squads? It's difficult to say for certain, but I think he can get there.
Trading Bamba for Powell, Josh Green and/or the No. 26 overall pick works in the trade machine. It would be a complicated move to pull off because Bamba's restricted free agency begins after draft night, but this would be my guess at the framework.
MIAMI HEAT
How does Miami feel about Bam Adebayo as its long-term center? Obviously, he's a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pat-riley-like-most-of-us-wants-more-bam-adebayo-offense-too" target="_blank" rel="noopener">core piece to the overall team</a>, but is he best-equipped anchoring a smaller lineup or working alongside another big man? Bamba might be the ideal test.
Adebayo can operate as his All-Defensive self, taking on any matchup on the floor, while Bamba lurks as a shot-blocker and helper. Then, on offense, Bamba can space for Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. If the move doesn't work out, Bamba would at least be a significant upgrade over Dewayne Dedmon in a worst-case development scenario.&nbsp;
This deal, like with the Nets, starts with trading an elite movement shooter in Duncan Robinson. The Heat also have the No. 27 overall pick at their disposal and could add another flier prospect like Omer Yurtseven.
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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The Thunder have an exciting backcourt duo in Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who could both use a pick-and-pop big to heighten their impact. OKC does not yet (though the draft could change things) have a certified stopper in the frontcourt. Enter Bamba, who plugs the on-paper hole at center and could reasonably fit alongside any of the top picks in the draft.
With picks and prospects galore, OKC can kind of take this deal in any direction that gets Bamba to the city. Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins seem to fit some Magic needs at first glance.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
The Trail Blazers surprisingly have oodles of cap space this offseason and a vacant starting center spot with Jusuf Nurkic hitting free agency. It's certainly possible Portland re-signs Nurkic, extends Anfernee Simons and heads on its merry way. But we've all expected some roster overhaul, as the franchise tries to throw one last contender together around Damian Lillard. Bamba won't vault Portland to the playoffs on his own, but he might be a suitable replacement for Nurkic on a manageable contract with room to grow.
Keon Johnson feels like an obvious return target for the Magic as a long, athletic wing with two-way upside. Perhaps the trade conversations start there and include an additional rotation player, plus some draft compensation.
I do ultimately hope that Bamba lands in a situation that is willing to be patient with his development. He's hit some rotten luck with injuries and deserves a extended chance to shine &mdash; whether that's in Orlando or somewhere else.&nbsp;
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The Nets, Mavericks, Heat and Trail Blazers could be possible, logical landing spots for Mo Bamba. Ethan Fuller explains.

Examining potential destinations for Mo Bamba

For a third of the NBA, summer break comes early.&nbsp;
Though 10 teams didn't make the playoffs, it's not all doom and gloom. Several NBA bottom-feeders took tangible steps forward in their rebuilding efforts, while others &mdash; well, they're not supposed to be here.
Every franchise enters the offseason with summer plans. As teams get eliminated from the postseason, I'll be rounding up every team's offseason outlook and posing one question they must answer over the summer. You'll see each squad's 2022 NBA Draft chest, plus their potential free agents, along with the central question.&nbsp;
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Let's get started!
DETROIT PISTONS 
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick (via Brooklyn)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Marvin Bagley III (restricted), Cory Joseph (player option), Hamidou Diallo (team option), Frank Jackson (team option), Luka Garza (team option), Carsen Edwards (team option), Rodney McGruder 
Central question: How do the Pistons build an offense around Cade Cunningham?
This was a pretty solid season for Detroit as far as rebuilding efforts go. Cade Cunningham emerged as a Rookie of the Year front-runner and two-way centerpiece who has fans ecstatic about his ceiling. The Pistons finished a solid 10-14 after the All-Star break, and have shown flashes of an improving defense. They did still finish with the 28th-ranked offense, per Cleaning the Glass, and one of the worst shooting rates in the NBA.
Cunningham had to carry a ridiculous offensive load in the latter stages of the season. Detroit has the power to change that in 2022-23, starting with its high draft pick. Maybe Jabari Smith's lights-out scoring means he's an ideal secondary option? Perhaps Paolo Banchero thrives as an additional creator, or maybe Chet Holmgren makes sense as a finisher and spot-up threat? The fun part about Cunningham is that his versatility creates so many pathways for the Pistons in the draft &mdash; whether or not the ping pong balls fall their way.
Detroit wields a cap hold of approximately $28 million on Bagley, and once that lifts (either via a new contract or letting him walk), the Pistons should have a solid chunk of cap space to add to the supporting cast.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), better of Brooklyn/Miami first-round picks
Potential free agents: John Wall (player option), Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando (restricted), Jae'Sean Tate (team option), Anthony Lamb (qualifying offer), Trevelin Queen (qualifying offer)
Central question: How patient is the front office willing to be?
Houston's 2021 draft strategy of "draft talent, figure out the fit later" appears to be working out. Jalen Green demonstrated an Anthony Edwards-esque leap post-All-Star break, Alperen Sengun is already one of the NBA's best passing bigs, and guys like Josh Christopher and KJ Martin routinely hinted at upside. Houston gets another prime shot at a franchise cornerstone this draft cycle. We're approaching Stage 2 of the strategy, though: figuring out how the pieces fit.&nbsp;
The Rockets were one of two NBA teams with bottom-five ratings on offense and defense. They led the league in rim frequency and were fourth in three-point frequency, but posted mediocre shooting clips. Houston evokes memories of the rebuilding Nets, who played a similarly extreme brand of ball for a few years as the team slowly reshaped into a fun playoff squad. Does the front office have the foresight to let head coach Stephen Silas work things out with his roster of young guns?&nbsp;
INDIANA PACERS
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How is there a &ldquo;rebuild&rdquo; to afraid of if it isn&rsquo;t a rebuild? <a href="https://t.co/0pDD7E6Mss">pic.twitter.com/0pDD7E6Mss</a>
&mdash; Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1512127632758001664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (10.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick (if 15-30, via Cleveland), Second-round pick (via Houston), Second-round pick (via Phoenix)
Potential free agents: Ricky Rubio, T.J. Warren, Jalen Smith, Lance Stephenson, Nate Hinton (restricted), Oshae Brissett (team option)
Central question: How extreme is the incoming rebuild, and what veterans mesh with the future vision?
Notably unlisted among the potential free agents are Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and T.J. McConnell. All range from solid starters to rotational complements, and 3 of the 4 (not Turner) will be 30 next season. The Pacers are clearly retooling, as evidenced by their trade-deadline fireworks and Tyrese Haliburton's subsequent high usage. They also have publicly flip-flopped regarding the direction of the team; see the above Tweet.
Indiana doesn't have the pure depth of talent to straddle the line. The Pacers can trade many of these talented players and build up a chest of draft picks and young pieces, or they can charge ahead, turn their picks into win-now players and hope Haliburton is ready for the playoff push. But a middle ground doesn't exist in an Eastern Conference where just about every team has solidified its direction.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Draft assets: None
Potential free agents: Russell Westbrook (player option), Kendrick Nunn (player option), Austin Reaves (team option), Stanley Johnson (team option), Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, D.J. Augustin, Wenyen Gabriel, Mason Jones (restricted)
Central question: What does team-building around two injury-prone superstars look like?
LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-i-dont-have-a-cap-on-how-long-i-want-to-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turns 38 next season</a>, and has played 60-plus games just once in the past four seasons. Anthony Davis has now missed more than half the season in back-to-back years. Sure, the Lakers were a mess regardless of their stars' health, but going forward, is pursuing fits next to James and Davis even worthwhile if the two won't consistently be on the court?
With just three players under contract (the aforementioned stars, plus Talen Horton-Tucker), the Lakers enter another offseason of a roster overhaul. This time, I'd recommend almost entirely forgetting about James and Davis when building the squad and simply try to assemble units that make sense together.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, could change based on Play-In results), Second-round pick via Boston and Charlotte (if 56-60)
Potential free agents: Mitchell Robinson, Ryan Arcidiacono 
Central question: What's going to happen with the veterans?
The top six moneymakers for the Knicks next season are all 27 or older, and I think many fans would say that out of the group, only Julius Randle should have started &mdash; and he seriously regressed this season. The young Knicks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-young-knicks-playing-chess" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clearly showed they're ready to take the mantle</a>.
So what happens with Randle, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker? Is Tom Thibodeau prepared to reduce their (their meaning Burks specifically in this case) minutes and usage, will trades be coming, or will Madison Square Garden burn when Immanuel Quickley opens the season by playing 16 minutes off the bench? New York has drafted extremely well in recent seasons, but the ceiling of the young core is capped if these youngsters don't get a chance to prove themselves in meaningful situations.
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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 
Draft assets: First-round pick (12.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via Clippers, First-round pick via Phoenix, Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Derrick Favors (player option), Mike Muscala (team option), Lu Dort (team option), Isaiah Roby (team option), Melvin Frazier (restricted)
Central question: What is the pathway in the frontcourt?
I've stanned Sam Presti's team-building strategy for years now, and I still think it's on track for a serious payoff. Josh Giddey slots in somewhere on your All-Rookie ballot, and draft classmates Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins flashed rotation-caliber play as well. It is simply a joy to watch a random young player have a breakout game on any given night, and OKC has already shown the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early stages of a prominent defense</a>.
Next up: Capitalize on a draft loaded with intruiging frontcourt players. Banchero, Holmgren and Smith are obviously the best of the best. But even if the Thunder slide in the lottery, they could pounce on an athletic shot-blocker like Jalen Duren, or use one of their later picks on a center like Mark Williams. I'm just spit-balling, but the point is that OKC has plenty of chances to find its big-man anchor and further flesh out its core.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Indiana
Potential free agents: Gary Harris, Robin Lopez, Bol Bol (restricted), Ignas Brazdeikis (restricted), Admiral Schofield (restricted)
Central question: How do the offensive pieces fit together?
Orlando quietly logged a 17th-ranked defense this season, and an 11th-ranked unit since Feb. 1. A dismal offense ultimately doomed the Magic, who were riddled with inconsistent shotmaking and poor team efficiency marks throughout the half-court. We don't need to sound any player alarms; it takes time for young guards in particular to grasp the responsibilities of running NBA offenses.&nbsp;
But what if I told you Orlando has wielded bottom-10 offensive ratings every season for the last decade?&nbsp;
Change can start in the draft, again with some of the top offensive forward options like Banchero or Smith. Adding another ball-dominant guard in Jaden Ivey might be overkill, but AJ Griffin and Bennedict Mathurin feel like good wing fits at first glance. Spotrac estimates the Magic could have up to $30 million in practical cap space, leaving plenty of room for veteran players to accentuate the young talent.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
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THE D IN DREW STANDS FOR DUNK DO NOT GOOGLE THIS <a href="https://t.co/2AojdAskYV">pic.twitter.com/2AojdAskYV</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1508636734900166659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (9.0% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via New Orleans (if 5-14), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Memphis
Potential free agents: Joe Ingles, Jusuf Nurkic, Ben McLemore, Anfernee Simons (restricted), CJ Elleby (restricted), Elijah Hughes (restricted), Keljin Blevins (restricted)
Central question: Is Portland actually trying to win "now" or win soon?
Some really great development happened for the Blazers during the "wash" portion of the season in the form of players like Trendon Watford, Keon Johnson and Drew Eubanks. Add them to Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and the incomng draft picks, and Portland suddenly has... kind of a sneaky-deep prospect pool? There's real potential to mold this group into a rotation cast that gives Portland one of its deepest rosters in years.
That's why these <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jerami-grant-trade-rumors-portland-is-still-the-frontrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant trade rumors concern me</a>. Giving up a possible lottery pick to try and piece together a short-term playoff team risks too much and keeps the Trail Blazers in the limbo they have lounged in for several years. Understandably, the franchise wants to build a contender while Damian Lillard is invested and in his prime. With some patience, Portland can without sacrificing sustainibility.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Draft assets: First-round pick (7.5% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick (via Chicago)
Potential free agents: Jeremy Lamb, Josh Jackson, Damian Jones, Donte DiVincenzo (restricted), Neemias Queta (restricted), Trey Lyles (team option)
Central question: How does Sacramento turn into a competitive NBA defense?
The Kings have trotted out lackluster defenses for as long as I can remember. In fact, they haven't ranked above 20th in Defensive Rating since 2005-06 &mdash; notably, the last time they made the playoffs.
And that didn't change under interim head coach Alvin Gentry. (Gentry will not return as head coach next season, but is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-alvin-gentry-no-longer-interim-coach-of-the-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in talks for a front-office role</a>, per ESPN.) However, the on-paper roster actually shines some hope. Davion Mitchell made highlight reels out of his "Off-Night" defense. Justin Holiday is a solid individual defender, as is Harrison Barnes, and even De'Aaron Fox has his sporadic moments.&nbsp;
Can Sacramento find a head coach who turns a group of intriguing players with defensive potential into even an average squad? What draft and free agency options exist? Of course, the Kings would like to end their NBA-leading playoff drought. That'll come with changing the culture on defense.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, depends on Play-In results), Second-round pick (via Dallas)
Potential free agents: Bradley Beal (player option), Thomas Bryant, Raul Neto, Tomas Satoransky, Anthony Gill (restricted), Cassius Winston (restricted)
Central question: What style of guard play is a feasible best fit?
Okay, so obviously the biggest question mark surrounds Bradley Beal's free agency. But from a conceptual standpoint, Washington has tried and failed over the past few seasons to find Beal's best-fitting partner in crime. John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Spencer Dinwiddie were each supposed to provide the downhill juice Beal lacks. The Wizards either did this at serious expense of another skill area (Wall, Westbrook), or it just didn't translate their at-rim ability (Dinwiddie). All battled injuries as well.
"I think we need bigger guards," <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/bradley-beal-outlines-what-wizards-need-build-contender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beal said in March</a>. "We need more guys that can get in the paint for us, more ball-handlers, more guys that can really create and get two feet in the paint, but also who can knock down threes."
I mean, Beal's needs make total sense. The problem is that every other basketball team on Earth also wants this type of guard.
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Ethan Fuller sets the offseason stage for each team that missed the NBA playoffs.

Summer plans for the NBA's 10 non-playoff teams

Let's start here: We don't know if Damian Lillard wants out of Portland.
There have been recent reports, notably from Henry Abbott of the True Hoop network, that Lillard is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-damian-lillard-plans-to-request-trade-from-blazers-in-next-few-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on the verge of asking out</a>. The Blazers' stretch of good-but-not-good-enough productivity has begun to weigh on Lillard; a first-round loss to the injury-riddled Denver Nuggets may very well have been the final nail in the coffin.
Lillard has denied wanting to leave, for the most part. Following a recent Team USA practice, Lillard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/damian-lillard-says-report-he-plans-to-request-a-trade-is-not-true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denounced the wanting-out rumors</a>. What he didn't do, however, was give the Blazers a strong vote of confidence.
"The best way to put it is be more urgent about our next step and how we move forward,&rdquo; Lillard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/damian-lillard-says-report-he-plans-to-request-a-trade-is-not-true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>.
&ldquo;We made [the] playoffs a lot of years in a row. We&rsquo;re not a bad team. We&rsquo;re a winning team. We got a great environment, great city, great fans. But we&rsquo;ve reached that point where it&rsquo;s not enough. Do we actually want to win it all? Is that what we&rsquo;re shooting for? We have to do things to show that. We got to put action behind that desire to win at that level."
Lillard has been steadfast in his desire to stay in Portland throughout his career, but it does seem that the wall the Blazers hit this past postseason is weighing on him. If the Blazers aren't able to follow through with a strong summer, they risk falling (further) behind in the Western Conference hierarchy. Any slip may be enough for Lillard to push his way out.
In the event that Lillard does ask out, you'd be hard-pressed to find many teams that wouldn't check in on his availability. We're talking about one of the most dynamic pull-up threats the NBA has ever seen, a strong finisher and a proactive passer with the vision necessary to make scrambling defenses pay.
Shot creation reigns supreme in today's NBA, particularly in a playoff setting. Adding a guy like Lillard, an offense in and of itself, could boost quite a few teams into legitimate contention.
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Beyond that basic premise, The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/sixers-knicks-heat-among-five-aggressive-suitors-for-damian-lillard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that five teams in particular -- the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets (I would assume they're more likely to be a third team than a landing spot, but who knows?) and Sacramento Kings -- have been the most aggressive in their pursuit of Lillard.
None of this guarantees that the Blazers will make a move, but there's enough smoke to examine what a potential Lillard deal would look like. Here are a few teams that are -- or at least should be -- in the mix for the six-time All-Star.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
We can dub this, "the Ben Simmons section." Simmons-to-Portand has been a popular rumor for a while now; the quibbling is over which backcourt mate he'd be moved for.&nbsp;
If it's for Lillard, more than Simmons would be required. One of Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle. One of Seth Curry or George Hill. Multiple firsts. It'd take a haul, but it'd be difficult to think of many better duos than Liillard and Joel Embiid.
The half-court scoring prowess of Lillard, Embiid and Tobias Harris could go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in the Eastern Conference. Replacing what Simmons brings defensively would be tough; honestly, it's been a bit undersold when brought up on the interwebs. Retaining Thybulle would help. Bringing back Danny Green, slip as he may, would also help. Scouring the free-agent market for wings and bigs would become a priority.
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For the Blazers, you'd get a strong building block in Simmons. That's slightly different than being a centerpiece; Simmons may not be as bad as his showing in the Atlanta series, but his half-court limitations are real. Still, he remains a transition demon, a strong finisher, one of the best passers in the sport and an elite multi-positional defender.&nbsp;
The Sixers could replicate the James Harden/Brooklyn Nets package in terms of draft picks and swaps with the Blazers. In Maxey or Thybulle, you're either getting a speedy guard with budding pull-up and point-of-attack chops, or one of the most absurd off-ball defenders to hit the league in quite some time. Curry could replace a portion of Lillard's pull-up/movement shooting equity, while Hill could provide a steadying presence on both ends.
NEW YORK KNICKS
The Knicks have all of their picks, plus an extra first from the Mavericks (2023 top-10 protected, extends thorugh 2025 before turning into two second-rounders). They have interesting prospects, headlined by burly wing RJ Barrett.&nbsp;
If they <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-knicks-should-prepare-to-go-allin-for-damian-lillard-new-york-trade-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">want to go all in</a>, they very well could: picks and swaps through 2027, Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin. Kevin Knox if the Blazers want him. A literal all-in move could make fans and the front office alike a bit queasy, but that can be alleviated by the cap space the Knicks would still have this summer.&nbsp;
A Randle-led team gritted its way to a first-round appearance, then sputtered when forced to play more half-court basketball. Adding Lillard would change the math in a very real way. With those two in tow, I find it hard to believe that the Knicks would struggle to attach vets to fill things out.
Barrett began to pop this season, improving as a rim threat while making incredible strides as a spot-up shooter. Being able to force close-outs will only complement the rim pressure he already provides; that added rim volume will open more windows to showcase his underrated passing chops. The Blazers can work with that.
Beyond that, Quickley has already flashed #FloaterGawd potential, and a quick-trigger from deep if defenders don't track him closely enough over screens. I'm intrigued by Toppin playing one, with more pull-up shooters, and two, playing the 4 -- his best position. His upside is a bit lower to me because of where he is defensively, but there's a productive NBA player in there with a better roster construction around him.
OTHER LANDING SPOTS
MIAMI HEAT
The Heat are always sniffing around these kind of rumors, even when they don't have the assets on the surface.
If Portland wants to blow things up, the Heat will be at a massive disadvantage in terms of pick capital. They could get creative and work out a side deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder to try to free up some of their future picks.
Beyond that, the Heat are a bit stuck. Tyler Herro is intriguing, but falls a bit short of "blue chip" status. Precious Achiuwa had an uneven rookie season, though some of his Olympic exhibition flashes should raise some eyebrows.
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What makes the Heat intriguing in the Lillard sweepstakes is that they have the true trump card. They may be stuck if their goal is to create a Big Three with Lillard, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
If the Heat prioritize maximizing Butler's window, however, then the option of using Adebayo as a centerpiece becomes available. And if that big red button is pressed, it's hard to imagine there being a better centerpiece on the table.
DENVER NUGGETS
The Nuggets are likely content with their core. They have the MVP in Nikola Jokic, an All-Star caliber guard with high-level playoff flashes under his belt in Jamal Murray and a bona fide shot-creator in Michael Porter Jr. that can't really be defended when he has it going.
They're mentioned here because Lillard is flat-out better than Murray, and you'd need a 99th percentile outcome from Porter Jr. to reach Lillard status. With Murray coming off an ACL injury and Porter Jr. having questions about his back -- and quietly approaching his pay day -- this would be a unique opportunity for the Nuggets to cash in those chips for a legitimate All-NBAer.
Of course, those health (and money) concerns could turn off the Blazers.
Also, hey, the Nuggets just beat the Blazers and potentially pushed the Lillard situation to the brink to begin with. It's probably nothing; I'm just intrigued by this possibility.
TORONTO RAPTORS
It's worth the call if you're the Raptors. They have their picks moving forward, including the No. 4 pick in this year's draft. The fourth pick, two of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet or OG Anunoby and swaps is a (starter) package that could be eclipsed by... how many teams, exactly?
BOSTON CELTICS
The Celtics don't have the pick bounty they had a couple of years ago. They do, however, own their picks from 2022 onward. They also have Jaylen Brown, one of the best wings in the NBA on a contract that would classify as a steal at this point.&nbsp;
Portland would ask for more -- I'd guess one of Marcus Smart or Robert Williams plus Payton Pritchard at least -- but the Celtics have enough to make talks interesting.

Nekias Duncan explores potential landing spots for Damian Lillard if he's officially put on the trading block.

Examining potential trade destinations for Damian LIllard

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly demonstrated interest in Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker.
Source: <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2021/2/20/22293444/lakers-trade-rumors-pj-tucker-rockets-draft-picks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Miami, Milwaukee and Brooklyn have also shown some interest in the 35-year-old Tucker, a glue-guy player who has taken on a variety of roles with the Rockets. Tucker is currently averaging 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.
According to Wojnarowski, the Rockets would prefer to get a player that is rotation-ready back in a trade versus draft picks and future assets.

Miami, Milwaukee and Brooklyn have also shown interest in Tucker.

Lakers reportedly interested in trading for P.J. Tucker

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

NBA Sour Rankings: New Year, New Problems

This year&rsquo;s NBA Draft was always going to be a fun one. There was no clear-cut superstar prospect in the class, which led to a lot of uncertainty at the top. There was plenty of noise that virtually every team in the top five was looking into trading their pick, though ultimately none of those rumors came to fruition.
Still, we had plenty of movement in terms of trades, and we got the usual brand of surprise swings (hi, Jalen Smith to the Phoenix Suns at No. 10) and somewhat inexplicable slides from players that will outperform their draft slot (more on that shortly).
Is it too early to dub teams winners and losers of a draft that we won&rsquo;t have a real handle on for half a decade?&nbsp;
Yes.
Will that stop me from doing so?
Absolutely not.
Without further ado, here are some of the winners and losers from last night&rsquo;s action:
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
Have yourself a night, Daryl Morey.
It&rsquo;s hard to argue that any team addressed their needs in the manner that the Sixers were able to. They land Tyrese Maxey, one of the best guard defenders in the draft with some on-ball chops. He had an underwhelming shooting season during his lone stint at Kentucky, but his lower-level sample -- AAU, high school, etc -- leaves room for optimism that his Kentucky year was the outlier, and that he should settle in as a plus-shooter in the future.
It doesn&rsquo;t stop there, of course.
Isaiah Joe was a steal at No. 49, even more so considering the Sixers basically told anyone who would listen (and even those who wouldn&rsquo;t) that they planned on taking Joe at some point. Joe is one of the best shooters in the class, so his role on a team with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons couldn&rsquo;t be more obvious.
The big move was turning Josh Richardson -- a talented defender and jack-of-all-trades offensive piece that has been miscast into a somewhat heavy creation role for two consecutive seasons -- and the pick that became Tyler Bey into Seth Curry, one of the league&rsquo;s most lethal shooters and an underrated pick-and-roll initiator. The dribble-handoff sets that JJ Redick and Embiid infuriated defenses with should be replicated easily with Curry, with even more on-ball creation available.&nbsp;
The Sixers are dangerous - on paper, at least - and there&rsquo;s still time for them to make moves this offseason.&nbsp;
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Loser: New York Knicks
It&rsquo;s fun to crack jokes at the Knicks&rsquo; expense. I do it, and you probably do too. Your favorite tweeter probably does it. It&rsquo;s low-hanging fruit, but an apple a day keeps the doctor away. You know the vibes.
And as much as I would like to give the Knicks a little leeway with their draft, I just can&rsquo;t get there with the Obi Toppin pick. There are ways to talk yourself into it. He&rsquo;s an absurd pick-and-roll finisher, decent enough shooter, and has shown hints of short-roll passing ability. Mitchell Robinson is one of the best rim protectors in the sport; surely he can cover for some of Toppin&rsquo;s defensive shortcomings, no?
Well &hellip; I kinda lean no.
Toppin is an incredible offensive talent. Most of his skills should translate. But to be a pick-and-roll menace, you need someone to feed you the ball; at the very least, you have to have someone that can draw attention so somebody else can feed you the ball. The Knicks don&rsquo;t really have that. RJ Barrett has a ways to go as a lead ball-handler, and teams are going to duck under his picks until he proves he can shoot anyway.
I don&rsquo;t really see any upside with Toppin defensively. He doesn&rsquo;t have the length to play small-ball 5; his hip movement is awful (to be kind), which limits how well he moves laterally. What exactly is the hope there, playing almost exclusively ICE defense (hi, Thibs) and hoping he can funnel drivers to Robinson, who famously doesn&rsquo;t have issues with fouls whatsoever?&nbsp;
Can you feel the sarcasm?
I like the addition of Immanuel Quickley, a solid shooter with some defensive upside. But the Knicks desperately need to get someone that can set up their offense. Free agency is going to be huge for them. Address that need, and their draft selections will look a little better. For now, though, it&rsquo;s hard to be a fan.
Winner: Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton not going in the top five isn&rsquo;t a surprise. His lack of scoring aggression and physical strength made his statistical profile a little less impressive than it looks on the surface. There are real questions about him being a lead guard or a top-end on-ball defender because of those limitations. Landing on a team with an actual point guard would be huge for Haliburton, because it would allow him to slot in as a secondary creator and defend wings, unlocking his strength as an off-ball/team defender.
Enter the Sacramento Kings, who have their franchise point guard in De&rsquo;Aaron Fox.
Fox can get to the rim whenever he wants. Haliburton is a reliable spot-up threat, and has the passing chops to beat an already-bent defense as a close-out attacker or someone that can navigate a secondary pick-and-roll. The Kings still have work to do on the perimeter; it doesn&rsquo;t appear Buddy Hield wants to be there, and there&rsquo;s no telling where Bogdan Bogdanovic is going to end up at this point (if the sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks is, in fact, dead). But for Haliburton, it&rsquo;s hard to think of a much better on-court fit among teams in the lottery.
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Loser: Patrick Williams
Williams going No. 4 to Chicago was the first surprise of the draft. He was a late riser in the process, with his age (the youngest guy in the draft), physical tools and versatility on both ends providing plenty of intrigue to evaluators. The Bulls taking a swing is very good for Williams&rsquo; bank account, but I&rsquo;m not sure if I love the basketball fit.
The frontcourt is a bit jumbled with Wendell Carter Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and vets like Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young that will have a claim to minutes at the 4 as long as they&rsquo;re on the roster. Williams doesn&rsquo;t quite have the ball skills or defenses-have-to-account-for-you shooting ability to survive at the 3. There also isn&rsquo;t a true tablesetter to get Williams easy looks; Zach LaVine and Coby White are talented scorers, but they aren&rsquo;t the kind of gravitational forces to make life easier on their frontcourt partners.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs did pretty darn well for themselves, landing Devin Vassell at No. 11, then snagging Tre Jones at No. 41.&nbsp;
Vassell can slot in now as a genuine 3-and-D piece, though he&rsquo;s shown enough flashes at Florida State with the ball in his hands to believe he could grow into a more complete player. Jones is a tremendous decision maker and point-of-attack defender. How you feel about his jumper - improving but still a tad underwhelming - will shape how you feel about his long-term prospects, but he adds point guard depth to a team that has to make some decisions pretty soon.&nbsp;
Patty Mills&rsquo; name has been swirling in trade rumors over the past couple of weeks. Bryn Forbes is set to hit free agency. Derrick White is going to be up for a payday pretty soon, and the extension of Dejounte Murray just kicked in. If the Spurs decide to make some changes, there will be room for Jones to provide value in Year 1.&nbsp;
Loser: Lonzo Ball&rsquo;s future at point guard
If acquiring Eric Bledsoe and George Hill as part of the Jrue Holiday package wasn&rsquo;t enough to seal Lonzo&rsquo;s fate as a lead ball handler, drafting Kira Lewis Jr. at No. 13 was surely the last blow. During <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-2020-basketball-news-show-live-stream-alex-kennedy-matt-babcock-fran-fraschilla-derek-murray-jason-filippi-doc-martin">BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s NBA Draft Show</a>, our Matt Babcock said that the Pelicans view Lewis Jr. as their point guard of the future and that the team will likely trade Ball.
Lewis Jr. is an absolute speed demon with complementary passing and off-the-bounce shooting chops. The common De&rsquo;Aaron Fox comparison falls apart because they use their speed to win in different ways - Lewis Jr. with his shot, Fox with his rim finishing - but Lewis Jr. has the profile of a half-court creator that Lonzo just doesn&rsquo;t.
I&rsquo;m not sure what Lonzo&rsquo;s future in New Orleans is, but he&rsquo;ll definitely be off the ball more if he stays. That should be good for him, should he accept it. He&rsquo;s at his best as a connector in the half-court, making the first swing in a swing-swing sequence, or capping off possessions with catch-and-shoot opportunities. If he still fancies himself as an actual point guard, it wouldn&rsquo;t shock me to see him push for greener pastures elsewhere via trade, or once he hits restricted free agency next summer.
Winner: Draft Twitter&nbsp;
And by Draft Twitter, I mean the Memphis Grizzlies for apparently being secret members of Draft Twitter.
Their 2019 draft saw them land the electric Ja Morant, then nab Brandon Clarke late in the first (HOW DID THIS HAPPEN). Morant would of course go on to win Rookie of the Year, while Clarke had a strong case for being the second-most productive rookie in the league last season. Clarke&rsquo;s slide was infuriating to watch during last year&rsquo;s draft. He was arguably the best non-Zion player in college basketball that year, showcasing elite movement skills, vertical pop, intermediate and paint touch, and IQ on both ends of the floor. But because of his age and wingspan, teams talked themselves out of him. Memphis swooped in and the rest was history.
Desmond Bane and especially Xavier Tillman fit the bill as upperclassmen with NBA-ready games that had no business sliding to the 30s in terms of their skill level. They went a step further after the draft, adding the super talented but oft-injured Killian Tillie.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies now have Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Clarke, Tillman, Bane, Tillie, John Konchar (post-draft addition), Jontay Porter, and other funky guys like Justise Winslow and DeAnthony Melton on their roster or books. They are very, very high on my League Pass list this year and moving forward.
Loser: LaVar Ball
I mostly like the LaMelo Ball pick for Charlotte. He has arguably the highest ceiling in this year&rsquo;s class, a virtuosic passer at 6&rsquo;8 (!!!!) who can and will fling shots from anywhere on the court. The Hornets need star talent and a star personality; Ball can provide both.&nbsp;
It was also pretty clear that LaMelo&rsquo;s father, LaVar, was, uh, less than enthused about ending up in Charlotte. I&rsquo;m not sure he&rsquo;s unfolded his arms yet. As someone that basically lives in the area, I think the Hornets have a pretty underrated and devout fanbase. They&rsquo;ll take to the Ball Family if the family takes to them. One trip to Cook Out should boost morale for everyone.
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STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">I love that the entirety of the Precious Achiuwa-to-Miami analysis was some variation of &ldquo;this is a Heat pick.&rdquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Provided he stays healthy, Josh Richardson will probably have the best season of his career next year. He&rsquo;s never been surrounded by this level of playmaking and shooting, and should slot in rather easily as Dallas&rsquo; best perimeter defender.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Malachi Flynn to Toronto is a fun selection, with a smidge of writing on the wall about the Fred VanVleet free agency. Let&rsquo;s say the writing is in pencil; the Raptors are still the favorites to bring him back.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Simply can&rsquo;t believe Grant Riller almost went undrafted. The College of Charleston guard will head a couple hours north to Charlotte, finally giving them a guard who CAN GET TO THE FREAKING BASKET</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">I was honestly surprised the Thunder didn&rsquo;t cash in some of their chips to move up for LaMelo, but landing Aleksej Pokusevski (Poku!) is still quite the upside swing. There&rsquo;s no telling how bad the Thunder will be next season, if at all, but they&rsquo;re set up nicely for the Cade Cunningham Sweepstakes next year.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Seriously, how the heck did Xavier Tillman not go Round 1?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">RJ Hampton to Denver is one of my favorite on-court pairings in the draft. Hampton being coached by Mike Malone is something I&rsquo;m a little uneasy about. I wonder how much leeway he&rsquo;ll get to make some mistakes and grow. If he&rsquo;s afforded a little freedom, the rim pressure he can provide in lineups alongside Jamal Murray could be pretty darn valuable.</li>
</ul>

Nekias Duncan shares his early winners and losers from the 2020 NBA Draft (including the Knicks, Spurs and 76ers among others).

Early winners and losers from the 2020 NBA Draft

If the kiss of death in the NBA is being under 6-feet tall, Markus Howard of Marquette is a dead man walking. 
No matter that he led the NCAA in scoring last season at 27.8 points per game, or that he finished last season with five-straight games scoring at least 30 points, or that he dropped 51 on USC last Thanksgiving and had two other games with at least 40.
He measured just 5-foot-9 &frac12; without sneakers and weighed 170 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine, which hurts his stock because NBA scouts shy away from little guys.
Howard is currently ranked No. 62 on ESPN&rsquo;s latest draft board, which means he could go undrafted on Nov. 18. If so, that would make it two years in a row that the NCAA&rsquo;s leading scorer was not selected.&nbsp;Last year, Chris Clemons from Campbell University was not drafted, but he was signed afterward by the Houston Rockets and eventually had his two-way contract converted into a regular NBA contract.
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Trae Young of Oklahoma was the last No. 1 NCAA scorer to get drafted, going fifth overall to the Atlanta Hawks in 2018. He finished last season as the No. 4 scorer in the league (29.6 PPG), and he is the most untouchable player on Atlanta&rsquo;s roster -- despite being 6-foot-1, short by NBA standards.
James Daniel III led the nation in scoring as a junior at Howard in 2016. He transferred to Tennessee, but got injured, went undrafted in 2018 and ended up playing professionally in Cyprus.&nbsp;
As we count down the days to the 2020 NBA draft while simultaneously <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-nbpa-players-association-executive-director-michele-roberts-2020-2021-season-collective-bargaining-agreement-cba-revenue-meetings-black-lives-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wondering what the 2020-21 season will look like</a>, front-office executives around the league are in the difficult position of having to make judgments on players without seeing them at an in-person NBA Draft Combine (as they would under normal circumstances).&nbsp;
That makes most of the mock drafts we are all seeing even more of an educated guessing game than usual, and more astute front offices are seeking diamonds in the rough who will drop lower than they should, often for fairly benign reasons (like not being 6-feet tall).
Simply being able to put up points is not enough when it comes to playing in the NBA, where what you can do defensively is almost as important as what you can do offensively. And if a first-rate scorer is someone an opponent is going to exploit on the other end of the court, the guy will probably end up eating pasta (basketball parlance for playing professionally in Europe) before too long.
We are now in early November, and there will be more than two weeks of risers and fallers in a variety of mock drafts found on the Internet, some better than others. (Our Matt Babcock, for example, knows what he's doing and posted his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-2020-draft-rumors-mock-draft-projection-top-pick-trade-matt-babcock-anthony-edwards-lamelo-ball-timberwolves-warriors-hornets-bulls-cavaliers-hawks-lakers-pistons-knicks-lottery-analysis-select" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest mock draft today</a>). But keep in mind that front offices often leak misinformation to draft pundits in order to confuse opposing teams. If "Team X" is said to be especially intrigued by "Player Y," take it with a grain of salt.
With that being said, here are three players that NBA consultant Ryan Blake of "Marty Blake and Associates" believes may be undervalued on draft night. All three players will have their phone ringing off the hook with training-camp invites right after the draft if they are not selected 1-60.
Markus Howard, Marquette
He spent four seasons at Marquette, and his junior season included a 53-point night against Creighton, and 45-point nights against Kansas State (ranked 12th at the time) and Buffalo (ranked 14th at the time). He also went for 38 points against 14th-ranked Villanova. The prior season, as a sophomore, he had a 52-point game against Providence.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an unbelievable athlete, has a fire in his belly and plays hard on both ends of the floor,&rdquo; Blake said of Howard. &ldquo;He has a fearless mentality, and scouts will not ignore that. 
"He shot over 42 percent for his career in a big-time conference, but he is going to have to prove that he can defend NBA guards and is not prone to turning the ball over.&rdquo;
Babcock&rsquo;s prediction: Drafted in the 50s or undrafted. 
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_14017688-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
Sam Merrill, Utah State
As somewhat of a combo guard for the Aggies, Merrill started all 32 games and averaged 19.8 points while shooting 41 percent from the three-point line. A four-year starter, he led the Aggies in assists all four seasons and was named &ldquo;Best Defender&rdquo; by his teammates as a freshman. Merrill also won Mountain West Tournament MVP in back-to-back seasons. A graduate in business administration, he has been married for two-and-a-half years and spent two years in Nicaragua as a Mormon missionary.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He has a calm intensity, which is sort of an oxymoron, but you watch for someone like this who truly competes for 40 minutes whether his team wins or loses," Blake said. "Coaches know he wants the ball in his hands at the end of games and will either shoot or make the right play."
Babcock&rsquo;s prediction: Drafted in the low 50s or undrafted. 
Paul Reed, DePaul
Coming out after his junior season, the 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 15.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and nearly three blocks per game for the Blue Demons. Reed shot nearly 52 percent from the field while also averaging almost two steals per game. 
&ldquo;He makes a huge impact at both ends of the floor, although he didn&rsquo;t shoot it great from deep (30.8 percent),&rdquo; Blake said. &ldquo;But he made plays for others and defended, and he just crashes the glass. But he can immediately come into the league and make an impact, because everyone knows you can&rsquo;t play NBA basketball if you can&rsquo;t play defense. He has an awkward jumper, but he can become a better shooter in time because he has the work ethic. And at 22 years old, he is mature.&rdquo;
Babcock&rsquo;s prediction: &ldquo;A good intangibles guy. A motor guy. I have him going No. 45 (to Orlando)."

Chris Sheridan takes a look at three undervalued NBA Draft prospects that could be picked late or go undrafted in 2020.

Top 2020 NBA Draft sleepers: Markus Howard may be undervalued

Following a slow start to this season, the Los Angeles Clippers have had an incredible turnaround.
 Immediately after acquiring star guard James Harden, the Clippers lost seven of 10 games, leading to some questions about Harden's fit and whether the team could right the ship.
However, since Harden&rsquo;s infamous &ldquo;give us 10 games and we&rsquo;ll figure it out&rdquo; statement, the Clippers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They have the best record in the NBA since Dec. 1, and they have won 15 of their last 18 games and 20 of their last 26.&nbsp;
Los Angeles has the fourth-best record in the Western Conference (23-13), while boasting the NBA's seventh-best offense (scoring 116 points per 100 possessions) and ninth-best defense (allowing 110.4 points per 100 possessions).
The Clippers have been rolling as of late, and here are several reasons for their recent success.
Kawhi Leonard is healthy again and having an MVP-caliber season
The Clippers&rsquo; undisputed best player is currently having his healthiest season in years, playing 31-of-35 possible games. Leonard is currently shooting a career-best 52% from the field and is the biggest reason for Los Angeles' surge. The Clippers have registered 12-straight wins with Leonard in the lineup, and he ranks 10th in the league in scoring over that stretch. Leonard's numbers &ndash; 28.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists &ndash; are impressive, and he recently became the first player in NBA history to shoot 60% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 90% from the free-throw line over a 13-game span &ndash; an astounding demonstration of his dominance and efficiency this season.
Paul George is playing as a second &lsquo;Batman&rsquo; rather than being a &lsquo;Robin&rsquo;
Rather than being Robin to Leonard&rsquo;s Batman, Paul George has proven he&rsquo;s more than just a second fiddle this season. The 6-foot-9 forward has a solid All-Star case so far, averaging 23.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.4 threes and 1.6 steals, while shooting 45.8% from the field, 40.8% from three-point range and 92.4% from the free-throw line. George has taken it upon himself to carry more of the offensive load thus far even when Leonard is playing, scoring at least 20 points in nine-straight outings. This aggressive approach has done wonders for the Clippers.
James Harden is playing efficiently and making sacrifices
With the Clippers, James Harden isn't in a primary-scorer role. Although his resume speaks for itself, the 10-time All-Star and three-time scoring champ has deferred the scoring duties to Leonard and George. Instead, Harden&rsquo;s main job is to distribute the ball and keep the offense running, which makes scoring a secondary goal at this stage of his career. Also, he's constantly finding center Ivica Zubac for lob opportunities and even Norman Powell off catch-and-shoot actions.
This has led to one of Harden's most efficient seasons, as he's shooting a career-best 42% from three and a True Shooting percentage of 65%. Harden has been at his best when he's playing alongside the Clippers&rsquo; All-Star forwards, as the three-man lineup of Harden, Leonard and George has a net efficiency rating of plus-17.8 and has outscored opponents by 143 points.
Furthermore, the trio ranks first among the NBA's three-man lineups in several different categories including net rating (25.6), offensive rating (131.7), defensive rating (106), three-point percentage (43%), True Shooting percentage (65%) and turnovers (10.6).
Tyronn Lue finally playing bigs and shying away from center-less lineups
But perhaps the biggest difference between this year&rsquo;s Clippers and previous versions of the team might be Tyronn Lue finally playing his centers and using them to their full extent. His usual obsession with small-ball lineups &mdash; with wings at the 4 and 5 spots &mdash; has been non-existent this season, particularly since the team moved Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris as part of the trade that netted Harden.
In previous seasons, Lue would close out games with Batum at the 5, or even at times playing George or Leonard there (which was kind of outrageous). Now, he utilizes his centers much better. On offense, Harden uses Zubac as a roller and rim threat for lobs, with Zubac catching and finishing easy buckets. Also, Russell Westbrook has good chemistry with backup center Daniel Theis in the second unit. Defensively, the Clippers no longer have a size disadvantage that leads to offensive rebounds by opposing players, as Zubac and incoming Mason Plumlee command minutes and bring physicality.
Using bigs has certainly changed the way Los Angeles plays. Everything seems to be going right for the Clippers, who will try to continue their strong play and contend for a championship.

The Los Angeles Clippers have been rolling as of late and Anthony Valmoria breaks down several reasons for their recent success.

The Los Angeles Clippers are rolling, and here are 4 reasons why

DENVER (AP) &mdash; The Miami Heat are searching for inspiration anywhere they can find it, including a tennis great&rsquo;s record-setting win at the French Open and even their&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/heat-mascot-conor-mcgregor-nba-finals-097557b5dd00685bb5cdc6d418f9bbe9">mascot&rsquo;s quick rebound</a>&nbsp;from a few punches to the face.
Jimmy Butler and the Heat might be down 3-1 in the NBA Finals against the Nuggets heading into Game 5 on Monday night in Denver, but they hardly consider themselves out.
&ldquo;(Our belief) is at an all-time high,&rdquo; said Butler, whose team is hoping to avoid watching the Nuggets celebrate their first NBA title. &ldquo;It always has been all year. It always will be.&rdquo;
From Day 1, the Heat have demonstrated their scrappiness. At first, it was in scrimmages against each other in training camp and later in earning the No. 8 seed into the postseason through a second chance in the play-in tournament. They knocked out Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee in the first round, then the New York Knicks, and rebounded in Game 7 in Boston after squandering 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Bottom line: They&rsquo;re used to doing things the hard way.
&ldquo;They love the ultimate challenges and the ultimate competition,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;The narratives are not going to decide it. Whatever the analytics are about 3-1, that ain&rsquo;t going to decide it. It&rsquo;s going to be decided between those four lines, whose game can get to whose game and ultimately win at the end. That&rsquo;s what our guys love.&rdquo;
A little motivation goes a long way, too. They drew encouragement from Serbian great Novak Djokovic&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/djokovic-ruud-french-open-roland-garros-final-d7bda9f570b010ea48cf8a05b397291e">earning his men&rsquo;s-record 23rd Grand Slam singles championship</a>&nbsp;Sunday with a victory over Casper Ruud.
The Heat are trying to channel the inner belief Djokovic displayed as they face another&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-french-open-jokic-djokovic-serbia-3a0349ae24e0c113869ee4d6df70fe7f">Serbian standout in</a>&nbsp;Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic.
&ldquo;(Djokovic) has talked about that mental side of the game,&rdquo; said Spoelstra, who had no update on the availability of Tyler Herro, the sharpshooting guard sidelined by a hand injury. &ldquo;We have a very stubborn and defiant group, and I think it&rsquo;s good to have a little bit of defiance from time-to-time.&rdquo;
For tenacity, the Heat don&rsquo;t need to look any farther than their mascot, Burnie, who took two punches from former UFC champion Conor McGregor in a skit that led to the person in the costume seeking medical attention. Burnie could be back on the court, though, should the Heat force a Game 6 in Miami on Thursday.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the Miami Heat toughness that we&rsquo;re talking about,&rdquo; Spoesltra said of the mascot&rsquo;s return. &ldquo;He should have been allowed to take the first swing. We won&rsquo;t reveal who that is, but yeah, he can take a punch and get back up.&rdquo;
The Nuggets have the Heat down on the canvas, with no desire to let them back up. Still, they realize it won&rsquo;t be easy.
Closeout games rarely are.
&ldquo;Obviously, they&rsquo;ve been doubted the whole year and they made it this far for a reason,&rdquo; said Nuggets guard/forward Bruce Brown, whose team is 9-1 at home, with the lone blemish in Game 2 against Miami. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be crazy. It&rsquo;s going to be loud. The fans are going to be here probably early. But I can&rsquo;t wait. I feed off their energy, so hopefully it&rsquo;s going to be a big night.&rdquo;
The Nuggets have history on their side. Of the 36 teams&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-b0f83f7baccd425dbf8aba440e3e210c">that have fallen behind 3-1</a>&nbsp;in the NBA Finals, the lone one to come back to win the title was the 2016 Cleveland team led by LeBron James against Golden State.
On that Cavaliers squad was Kevin Love, the 34-year-old Heat forward who&rsquo;s been preaching that anything can happen.
&ldquo;You really just have to take it one possession at a time,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just one possession, one quarter, half-to-half. Just get it done by any means necessary and figure the rest out.&rdquo;
Butler couldn&rsquo;t agree more. Just don&rsquo;t mention moral victories and how much they&rsquo;ve accomplished.
It&rsquo;s ring or bust.
&ldquo;All the odds, 8-seed &mdash; nah, none of that matters,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just two really good basketball teams. One has to get one win, and one has to get three. Let&rsquo;s just hope that the other that has to get three, gets three.&rdquo;

The Miami Heat are searching for inspiration anywhere they can find it, including a tennis great’s record-setting win at the French Open.

Down 3-1 in NBA Finals, Miami Heat looking for inspiration

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) &mdash; In an empty gym on a small campus deserted for spring break, one of the NBA&rsquo;s top future prospects receives shooting guidance from coaches on Stephen Curry&rsquo;s training team.
Scoot Henderson goes through some of the same drills as the Golden State superstar himself &mdash; one-footed free throws, catch-and-shoots from around the perimeter, two dribbles between the legs then let it fly from the top of the 3-point arc.
On the other end of the court in the Laney College arena is Henderson&rsquo;s younger sister, Moochie, who has committed to play guard for Georgia State.
The Hendersons, teenagers and the youngest of seven children, are receiving a one-of-a-kind opportunity partnering with Curry&rsquo;s company, SC30 Inc., to gain support and guidance as the family develops its brand &mdash; on and off the court.
&ldquo;Just getting this early training and early knowledge from Steph mentoring me and the people around him, it&rsquo;s a blessing,&rdquo; Scoot Henderson said. &ldquo;Me just turning 19, just getting that knowledge early, it&rsquo;s really cool.&rdquo;
Curry is helping Henderson build his business model and will offer his resources to the rising star and his family as the point guard makes the transition to the next level. He finished his high school coursework more than 1 1/2 years early to play two seasons for the G League Ignite and has established himself as a projected top-three draft pick.
Curry&rsquo;s involvement includes opening his network to connect Henderson with shooting coaches, the two-time MVP&rsquo;s strength and conditioning team and others leading up to the NBA draft next month.
They spent some time getting to know each other in late March, when Scoot and Moochie went through a training session with Curry&rsquo;s coaches for a morning at Laney College.
What appeals to Curry beyond Henderson&rsquo;s talent, which makes him one of the most athletic point guards in the 2023 class, is the commitment to community he has demonstrated at home in Marietta, Georgia.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve developed a perspective on the blessings from the game of basketball and the doors that it&rsquo;s opened and the platform that you&rsquo;re given. The resources you have access to can all lead to a sense of purpose outside of just putting the ball in the basket,&rdquo; said Curry, whose&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-2023-warriors-lakers-lebron-curry-470bae4da1526ce6b86be6b1bfb1b442">Warriors were eliminated Friday by the Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals</a>. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re obviously wise beyond their years on that front and understanding that you can do both.&rdquo;
Henderson is grateful he can lean on Curry, whose off-court work with children and aiding the less fortunate includes his Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation focused on fighting childhood hunger, supporting education and providing safe places for kids to be active.
Five years ago, Henderson&rsquo;s parents, Chris and Crystal, opened a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.nextplay360.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gym called Next Play 360</a>&nbsp;near their home to offer an inclusive space with an emphasis on academics, athletics, leadership and community outreach.
Henderson himself has helped plan holiday gift and food drives &mdash; aiding 75 families last year with the next goal being 360 families, then 3,600 and eventually 36,000 &mdash; among other projects, and he hopes to keep doing more.
The Hendersons partner with schools in Cobb County to identify those in need.
&ldquo;Helping my community strive, that was always the vision,&rdquo; Henderson said. &ldquo;If I was going up, my family was going up with me. That was the vision for all my siblings.&rdquo;
Moochie is also benefiting from having access to Curry&rsquo;s team of experts, acknowledging, &ldquo;Being a 17-year-old coming out here and getting this experience is really important.&rdquo;
The Hendersons realize how fortunate they are to be getting a head start thanks to Curry&rsquo;s resources.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost unreal, actually, Steph Curry is probably my favorite player in the world,&rdquo; said Chris, who has coached Moochie&rsquo;s teams teams for years. &ldquo;They benefit from it but I benefit, too. It&rsquo;s a blessing for my kids just to be a part of it.&rdquo;
They got connected through some of Curry&rsquo;s longtime colleagues who thought the two might make great partners given their shared commitment to balancing basketball and philanthropy.
&ldquo;To be a support system for that and how that&rsquo;s going to evolve over time, that&rsquo;s the exciting part and it reinvigorates another energy to what we&rsquo;re doing because you understand &mdash; I&rsquo;m the old guy &mdash; the next generation is about that life as well,&rdquo; Curry said.

Stephen Curry and his company, SC30 Inc., are providing support and guidance to top NBA prospect Scoot Henderson and his family.

Steph Curry offers support, resources to top NBA prospect Scoot Henderson

In January, the NBA and NBPA launched <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nba-all-world/id1632344574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA All-World</a> &ndash; an officially licensed geolocation augmented-reality basketball game with Niantic, the creators of Pok&eacute;mon Go.&nbsp;
Just like with Pok&eacute;mon Go, users are encouraged to explore neighborhoods around the world and encounter today&rsquo;s NBA stars. Users can challenge the NBA players one-on-one, add them to their team, level them up and compete to become the ruler of real-world courts, while also collecting gear from well-known brands (such as adidas, Puma and Todd Snyder).
BasketballNews recently caught up with Marcus Matthews, the senior producer of NBA All-World. Prior to joining Niantic, Matthews spent the last few decades working on various sports video games including the original NBA 2K, NFL 2K, NHL 2K and NBA Action 98.
In this Q&amp;A, Matthews opened up about the inspiration for the game, lessons that Niantic learned from Pok&eacute;mon Go, the future of video games, advice for anyone who wants to work on video games and more.
How did this idea come about and what was the inspiration behind NBA All-World?
Marcus Matthews: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been at Niantic for about two years now and the inspiration for the game came from our CEO, John Hanke, who is an avid basketball fan. He played high-school basketball in Texas and he&rsquo;d play pick-up regularly in college at Berkeley, and even now since he joined Google and Niantic. At NBA All-Star Weekend, we had a couple of pick-up games with Hanke and other employees. Overall, he&rsquo;s a huge basketball fan. And with Hanke&rsquo;s experience with Google Earth and map-based, location-based gaming, he was always just trying to find a way to bring his love and passion for basketball to this new platform. My background in sports games goes back more than 20 years including being the senior producer on the original NBA 2K and NFL 2K on the Sega Dreamcast. I&rsquo;ve always tried to look at the cutting edge with sports games and not just copy what&rsquo;s already here, but try to move the industry forward.&nbsp;
&ldquo;So when I heard about this opportunity, I was like, &lsquo;Wow, this is amazing.&rsquo; Here we are with this new way of gaming, of turning the real world into a gaming board, literally, and that&rsquo;s the future: connecting the real world with digital bits and integrating them and having all of these novel experiences. And I was like, &lsquo;Nobody has done that in sports. This is an opportunity to once again create a ground-breaking sports gaming experience.&rsquo; And those kinds of opportunities only come around every blue moon, with the right technology, funding, resources and team. And I was like, &lsquo;Yeah, let&rsquo;s jump in. Let&rsquo;s see what we can figure out.&rsquo; So I came in and it was in gestation for probably about a year or two before I got there. My role was just to bring that sports-gaming, basketball experience and merge that with what was already existing, so we could create a novel experience.&rdquo;
When Niantic created Pok&eacute;mon Go, it was a huge success and introduced AR games to a lot of people. Since this game is similar, were there any lessons that you all learned from Pok&eacute;mon Go that helped you while working on NBA All-World?
Matthews: &ldquo;Absolutely. Pok&eacute;mon Go was an absolute overnight success, but there were still some challenges that they ran into. We wanted to make sure that we took the good learnings (from Pok&eacute;mon Go) and try to avoid upfront the negative learnings that come with building something outdoors. Probably the biggest challenge of building any kind of outdoor experience is trying to break that obvious habit of just playing games where you&rsquo;re at. It&rsquo;s not a console, it&rsquo;s mobile, so you have access to the whole world and environment right there on your screen. And our game isn&rsquo;t really a screen-only experience, so we were just trying to get users out of the habit of just doing everything on the screen. We&rsquo;re really trying to connect real-world places with authentic experiences for your player. If there&rsquo;s a bank or ATM in your area, you can go get money for your player in our game. If there&rsquo;s a shoe store near you, you can go get shoes for your character. If there&rsquo;s a clothing store or department store near you, you can go get apparel, shirts and pants for your player. If you&rsquo;re out and about, you want to remember to open up this game because there may be some unique things out in the world that may not be available at your home or your job. There are different things you may discover. That&rsquo;s the main thing: (helping users understand that) it&rsquo;s a whole new way of interacting with the world. We really want to enhance and improve users&rsquo; experience by tying real-world locations to virtual-world locations. We just think that&rsquo;s so novel, so different and so new. I think that&rsquo;s going to be the foundation of a lot of games moving forward.
&ldquo;And the other biggest challenge that we had was probably just the randomness of the real world. With traditional games, when you lay out a world or environment, you have total control over where every object goes and how users are going to interact in it. We had to kind of abstract that out, like, &lsquo;Okay, well we&rsquo;ve got this city that has a lot of real-world game objects that we can use. But when you&rsquo;re in the suburbs or rural areas, there are fewer items for us to tag and for you to interact with &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s a court or a shoe drop or a boost or an energy or an arena pass. Now, we&rsquo;ve got to get a little more creative. How do we balance out the experience for people who live in different kinds of environments in terms of density? We&rsquo;ve been learning a lot and pulled a lot from Pok&eacute;mon Go on those items like real-world game boarding, how to (get) our players out into the world and how to balance that all out. There was definitely a lot that we learned from our other games.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
NBA All-World hosted some real-world events at All-Star Weekend like a pick-up game and meet-up, where attendees were able to access special content and drops in the game. In the future, I could see this becoming a cool way to reward users who attend NBA games and events. Are you planning to do more stuff like that in the future?
Matthews: &ldquo;Absolutely! That&rsquo;s an automatic in the playbook that we&rsquo;re going to use because that&rsquo;s what makes our game different &ndash; the fact that you can play our game in the world and you can get unique experiences. We can control the drops, and we can allow the user to do all kinds of cool things that you wouldn&rsquo;t normally be able to do in other locations. We want people to go outside and explore and game, so the more live events we can host and get people to engage in, the more powerful it&rsquo;ll be for our game and our audience.&rdquo;
Do you think these augmented-reality games are the future of video games? What do you see as the future of gaming?
Matthews: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s an awesome question. I think it is by far the most realistic, tangible new area of gaming. I think Pok&eacute;mon Go is a perfect example of what can be done because it can be well-monetized and create a great experience that literally hundreds of millions or even a billion people can enjoy. I really feel like AR is proving to be the next wave. But just like there were only console games before mobile games came out, console games are not going away (even though) mobile gaming is growing into its own thing. I think this will be like the third big wave or area of gaming, so we&rsquo;ll have console gaming, more mobile gaming and then this area that&rsquo;s going to expand over the next decade around exploration and connecting digital to the real world, and gaming is going to lead that charge. There will be other apps and experiences that will fall out of that, but the big, main utility that makes business sense is going to be gaming and it&rsquo;s going to become its own vertical. I don&rsquo;t see (AR) replacing anything or eliminating the other categories, I just think it&rsquo;s going to be its own thing alongside the other existing categories.&rdquo;
I know the game is still relatively new, but what&rsquo;s been the reception from the audience?
Matthews: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been actually pleasantly surprised with the initial media response and consumer response. We've been in the top five on the app stores for free-to-play sports games and we have a 4.8 rating in the app stores. There are numerous things and features that are coming in the future, and we&rsquo;re going to make a big push for next NBA season to really round out the experience, but we&rsquo;re very, very pleased with the initial response. For me, I think the biggest thing is that people realize that the sports-gaming world is different from the Pok&eacute;mon world. We&rsquo;ve made a game that was organically built from the ground up around basketball fans and basketball players, and we&rsquo;ve made that world work. It&rsquo;s not just a straight copy of another game; we&rsquo;ve built this game organically and from the ground up around that.
"And the beauty of basketball is that A) it&rsquo;s played outside and B) it&rsquo;s naturally played in groups of friends. Our game does both very well. When I was growing up in Jacksonville, FL, as a kid, me and my friends would walk to the neighborhood park and go play basketball for a few hours in the summer and hang out. Now, my son does that with his friends. But now, not only is there an opportunity to play real basketball, you can also play this game while you happen to be at the court and see what&rsquo;s around and maybe gain some new players. What we&rsquo;re hoping to do is get people, especially kids, back out to real-world courts to play not just our game but also real basketball. That would be the ultimate impact that I hope this game could have.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Are you ready to ball? Get into the gameplay of NBA All-World in episode 2 of &ldquo;Beyond The Game.&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/nbaallworld?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBAAllWorld</a> 🏀 <a href="https://t.co/6Q55ogVuAR">pic.twitter.com/6Q55ogVuAR</a>
&mdash; Niantic (@NianticLabs) <a href="https://twitter.com/NianticLabs/status/1617684389089136641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

You mentioned that some new features will be rolled out next season. Can you share any new features that are coming or things that you hope to add to the game?
Matthews: &ldquo;We have a lot of things on the list, but it&rsquo;s too early to say (when they&rsquo;ll be added) in the second half of the year, so I don&rsquo;t want to get into any specifics. We&rsquo;re working through all of the feedback and different ideas that didn&rsquo;t make it at launch. But one feature that we&rsquo;re going to ramp up before next season that&rsquo;s going to be a major push is camera-based AR experiences in the game. We&rsquo;re going to have some things coming down the pike later on this year that are going to expand what I like to call our &lsquo;basketball theme park.&rsquo; This is a platform that can be built on top of, so just like Disney World, we&rsquo;re always going to be expanding the experiences in our park. This game is really a virtual-world game at its core, so we&rsquo;re going to be adding on more pieces and just building on the experience as we go.&rdquo;
This is Niantic&rsquo;s first officially licensed sports game. Are there any plans to launch similar games with other sports leagues?
Matthews: &ldquo;I mean, I wouldn&rsquo;t rule out any expansion of this sports-gaming experience that we developed. To your point, expansion could include other sports. Right now, we&rsquo;re totally focused on making the basketball experience as great as possible, but we&rsquo;re definitely open to future opportunities and expansion.&rdquo;
I saw that Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordan Poole and other players were part of the game&rsquo;s launch. What has been the response or reception from NBA players?&nbsp;
Matthews: &ldquo;I think they&rsquo;re interested. Games like 2K and Madden have been around for 20+ years and the players who grew up on those are always looking for the next thing, and everyone was aware of Pok&eacute;mon Go and its success. So, yeah, Jordan Poole, Karl-Anthony Towns and those guys have been really interested in how their player looks, what their player&rsquo;s moves are, when we&rsquo;re going to update it to add more moves, so they&rsquo;re really interested in the world and how they&rsquo;re represented. Today, not only do people care about their real-world representation, they really care about their virtual representation. They want to make sure that the player looks and moves like they move. We&rsquo;ve gotten really good buy-in (from players) and I&rsquo;m very confident that as we add onto this game, we&rsquo;re going to get more and more players engaging and wanting their likenesses and movements to be part of the experience. And that&rsquo;s the beauty of this, it&rsquo;s a system that&rsquo;s set up to scale and be built upon, and we&rsquo;re going to relish that.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
You&rsquo;ve had a very successful career and worked on some incredible games. What advice would you give to someone who wants to work on video games?
Matthews: &ldquo;I give talks at high schools and colleges about breaking into the video-game industry and I went to Georgia Tech, even though Atlanta isn&rsquo;t known as a video-game hub. But ever since middle school, I was coding with friends and trying to make games on my own. When I got to college in the early &lsquo;90s, there wasn&rsquo;t any kind of video-game major or anything like that. This was actually before the internet really kicked in. But I was really passionate about making games, it was just something innate in me. So whenever I had a class project or assignment that was flexible, I would try to do it around video games. In my spare time, I would start designing sports video games because I love sports, I love games and technology. I would just play around with my own gaming ideas. Luckily, in Atlanta, there was an education games company there, so after I graduated, I figured, &lsquo;That&rsquo;s close enough. I&rsquo;d rather do that than be a consultant or an engineer at a plant or something.&rsquo; So I went with my passion; I didn&rsquo;t know where it was going to take me. Then, after work, I&rsquo;d just work on my own sports-game designs and I started working on a prototype with some friends.
"This is an entertainment business, so it&rsquo;s kind of like movies and music where you kinda have to do short films or demos to showcase your talent. And when people see that, they see that you can help them. So I was working on my designs and saw that there were some weaknesses with the current sports games. They didn&rsquo;t feel like the folks who actually played sports were programming and designing them. So, I did a lot of work and then got lucky. A friend of mine went from IBM to Sega and a couple years later, they needed a sports producer and he reached out: &lsquo;Hey Marcus, I know you&rsquo;ve been working on these sports-game designs and doing all of this stuff on the side.&rsquo; I sent my resume to the head of sports and got flown out for an interview. We talked for two-and-a-half hours and I told him everything that was wrong with the games and how I would improve them, and two weeks later, they hired me.
"But it took five or six years or more of working on designs on my own time and just diving into the space and waiting for the right opportunity. I was going to all of the conferences back then like GDC (when it had just started) and E3 and just networking to try and get that big break. It&rsquo;s a tough business to break into &ndash; especially being in Atlanta &ndash; but you have to do the extra work. Don&rsquo;t think you can just go to school, get your degree and then work on sports games. It&rsquo;s going to take more than that &ndash; whether you&rsquo;re an artist, a programmer, a producer or a designer.&rdquo;
<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nba-all-world/id1632344574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA All-World</a> is available now in the app store and it's free to play.

NBA All-World senior producer Marcus Matthews opens up about the game, lessons from Pokémon Go, the future of gaming and more.

NBA meets Pokémon Go: Inside the augmented-reality game NBA All-World

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Zia Cooke scored five of her 24 points in overtime to help No. 1 South Carolina remain unbeaten with a 64-57 victory over Mississippi on Sunday.
The defending national champion Gamecocks (27-0, 14-0 Southeastern Conference) got one of their biggest scares of the season before winning their 33rd straight game. The Rebels (20-7, 9-5) never trailed by more than six points in regulation and flirted with their first win over a No. 1 team in 46 years.
Cooke had six rebounds and four assists to help off-set a 7-of-18 shooting performance. Aliyah Boston added 13 points and 11 rebounds on 4-of-14 shooting and didn&rsquo;t score in the first quarter.
The deep Gamecocks didn&rsquo;t get their usual supply of scoring help for the two stars, though Kamilla Cardoso had eight points and 11 boards.
Angel Baker led Ole Miss with 17 points.
No. 2 INDIANA 83, PURDUE 60
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Mackenzie Holmes scored 20 points, Grace Berger added 14 points and 10 assists and Indiana beat Purdue to clinch a share of its first Big Ten regular-season title in 40 years.
The Hoosiers (26-1, 16-1 Big Ten) won their 14th straight, matching the second-longest winning streak in school history, before cutting down the nets in front of the program&rsquo;s first home sellout. Indiana has broken the single-game attendance mark four times this season, this time celebrating its 18th straight home win in front of 17,222.
Lasha Petree led Purdue with 23 points and Abbey Elliss added 12. The Boilermakers (17-8, 8-7). have lost nine straight in this rivalry.
No. 4 UTAH 74, ARIZONA STATE 69
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Gianna Kneepkens scored 22 points and Jenna Johnson added 15 to push Utah to a Pac-12 victory over stubborn Arizona State.
The Utes (23-3, 13-3), who had a seven-game winning streak stopped at No. 18 Arizona on Friday, struggled to put away Arizona State without post player Alissa Pili.
Pili, the Pac-12&rsquo;s leading scorer at 20.7 points per game, did not play after suffering an apparent right ankle sprain the final minutes of the loss at Arizona. Her ankle was re-taped on the bench after the first quarter but she never entered the game.
Sydney Erikstrup had 15 points, Treasure Hunt had 13 and Kayla Mokwuah had 11 for the Sun Devils (7-18, 0-16), who lost their 16th straight game despite leading most of the way.
No. 5 LSU 90, FLORIDA 79
GAINSVILLE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese had her ninth first-half double-double, Jasmine Carson had a career-high five 3-pointers before the break, and LSU raced past Florida.
Reese finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds for her 25th double-double of the season, two shy of Sylvia Fowles&rsquo; LSU single-season record. She also had five assists, three blocks and two steals.
Carson also scored 25 points, a career-high, as the graduate transfer from West Virginia went 7 of 14 behind the arc, helping the Tigers (25-1, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) to a season-best 11 3s on 20 attempts. The last time LSU had a player hit seven 3-pointers was in 1997.
KK Deans, a West Virginia transfer, matched her career high with 30 points, for the Gators (14-13, 3-11), who have lost five straight.
No. 9 DUKE 56, VIRGINIA 52
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Elizabeth Balogun scored 12 points, Taya Corosdale had 10 and Duke survived a stern test from Virginia.
The Blue Devils (22-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) led only 47-45 with just over eight minutes left, but Celeste Taylor hit a 3-pointer from right in front of the Duke bench to make it a five-point game, starting a 7-2 run that gave them some breathing room and they held on.
Taylor Valladay led Virginia (15-12, 4-12) with 19 points and McKenna Dale had 10. The Cavaliers had split their last six meetings with the Blue Devils after ending a 26-game losing streak in the series, but still lost for the 30th time in the last 33 meetings.
No. 10 NOTRE DAME 83, PITTSBURGH 43
PITTSBURGH (AP) &mdash; Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron scored 13 points each and Notre Dame used a huge first-quarter push to race by Pittsburgh.
The Fighting Irish (22-4, 13-3 ACC) went on an 18-3 burst over the final 6:47 of the opening frame to build a 16-point lead that the Panthers (10-17, 3-13) never really threatened.
Ten days after avoiding an upset at home against Pitt and three days after Olivia Miles hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer to top Louisville, the Fighting Irish made sure no such heroics were necessary this time around.
No. 11 VIRGINIA TECH 75, N.C. STATE 62
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) &mdash; Roommates Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore both had double-doubles and Virginia Tech won its fifth straight, defeating North Carolina State.
Kitley had 24 points and 10 rebounds for her 50th career double-double and had six blocks. Amoore had 15 points and 11 assists, which tied her career high.
Virginia Tech (22-4, 12-4 ACC) has won six straight, the previous three against ranked teams, starting with a 73-61 win over the Wolfpack. That marked the Hokies&rsquo; first-ever win in Raleigh and now they have their first-ever sweep of NC State.
Aziaha James scored 20 points in her first start for the Wolfpack (18-9, 8-8), who are out of the poll for the first time in 96 weeks dating to February of 2018.
No. 15 OKLAHOMA 86, KANSAS 80
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Madi Williams scored 23 points, Liz Scott had a double-double, and Oklahoma held off Kansas.
A free throw by Zakiyah Franklin drew Kansas within 82-80 with 3:12 remaining. Neither team would score another field goal as Kansas missed its last nine shots and Oklahoma&rsquo;s last field goal came with 5:12 remaining.
Williams made two free throws with 37 seconds left and Ana Llanusa added two more with nine seconds left to wrap up Oklahoma&rsquo;s sixth consecutive victory.
Scott had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners (22-4, 12-3 Big 12).
The Jayhawks got 73 of their 80 points from the trio of Franklin, Holly Kersgieter and Taiyanna Jackson. Franklin led with a career-high 30 points, Kersgieter added 24 and Jackson 19 for Kansas (16-9, 6-8). Jackson added 13 rebounds.
No. 17 TEXAS 74, WEST VIRGINIA 48
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Shaylee Gonzales had 18 points, Rori Harmon scored 16 and Khadija Faye added a double-double to power Texas to a romp over West Virginia.
Gonzales made half of her six 3-pointers and all seven of her free throws for the Longhorns (21-7, 12-3 Big 12 Conference). Harmon sank 10 of 12 fouls shots and added six rebounds and six assists. Faye finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 11 rebounds.
Ja&rsquo;Haiya Quinerly had 16 points before fouling out to pace the Mountaineers (16-9, 7-7). Madisen Smith hit three 3-pointers and scored 12. Jayla Hemingway pitched in with nine points and seven rebounds.
No. 18 ARIZONA 61, No. 21 COLORADO 42
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Shaina Pellington scored 19 points with five assists and Arizona smothered Colorado, ending the Buffaloes&rsquo; five-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (21-6, 11-5 Pac 12 Conference) held the Buffaloes to their lowest total of the season and their worst shooting game, 28.3% overall (15 of 53), 1 of 12 from 3-point range (8.3%).
Esmery Martinez had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, who were coming off a 10-point win over No. 4 Utah and have won five of six.
Tameiya Sadler led the Buffaloes with 12 points and Quay Miller added 10 with 10 rebounds.
No. 19 NORTH CAROLINA 71, WAKE FOREST 58
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Deja Kelly had 24 points, five rebounds and six assists to lead North Carolina to a victory over Wake Forest.
Destiny Adams added 11 points off the bench and Kennedy Todd-Williams scored 10 for the Tar Heels (19-8, 10-6 ACC).
North Carolina went up by 20 midway through the fourth quarter and cruised from there, making just two field goals and three free throws over the final 6 1/2 minutes.
Wake Forest (14-13, 5-11) shot 3 for 14 in the third quarter and was outscored 16-6. The shooting slump came after the Demon Deacons shot 50% in the first half and trailed just 40-36 at halftime.
No. 24 FLORIDA STATE 80, GEORGIA TECH 66
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Ta&rsquo;Niya Latson scored 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 9-of-10 free throws, leading Florida State to a victory over Georgia Tech.
Latson scored 24 points through three quarters and the Seminoles took a 63-57 lead into the fourth. Latson, a freshman averaging 21.8 points per game, had gone nine games without reaching 20 points.
Georgia Tech got within four points early in the fourth quarter, but the Seminoles responded with an 8-0 run that gave them a 73-61 lead with 4:11 remaining. Florida State added 3-pointers from Latson and Erin Howard to close out the victory. The Yellow Jackets made one of their last 12 shots from the field.
Sara Bejedi scored 14 points and O&rsquo;Mariah Gordon added 10 off the bench for Florida State (22-7, 11-5 ACC).
Cameron Swartz scored 17 points, Kara Dunn 16, and Kayla Blackshear 10 for Georgia Tech (13-13, 4-11).
CALIFORNIA 81, No. 25 USC 78, OT
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Jayda Curry scored 27 points and Michelle Onyiah had six points in overtime as California upended USC.
The Trojans (19-8, 9-7 Pac-12), back in the rankings for the first time since 2016, had their chances to win this one after falling to No. 3 Stanford 50-47 on Friday.
From the final four minutes of regulation until Destiny Littleton hit a 3-pointer with 1:08 to go in overtime, USC missed eight straight shots. After Littleton tied the game at 78 and Leilani McIntosh put the Golden Bears (13-14, 4-12) on top with two free throws with 44 seconds to go, the Trojans came up empty on their next possession despite two offensive rebounds.
Onyiah made 1 of 2 from the line with eight seconds to go and Littleton&rsquo;s late 3 was off the mark.

A recap of a busy Sunday in top-25 women's action includes a thriller between the Gamecocks and Rebels that had to go to overtime.

Top-ranked South Carolina edges Ole Miss in OT

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and overtime, and No. 6 Texas held off Oklahoma 85-83 on Saturday.
Rice&rsquo;s fourth 3-pointer of the game gave Texas an 84-77 lead with 2:26 left in overtime.
Oklahoma, however, had a chance to tie or win when Texas&rsquo; Tyrese Hunter missed one of two free throws with 6.8 seconds left. But Sam Godwin missed a shot from near the rim, and Texas extended its winning streak against Oklahoma to five games.
Marcus Carr added 17 points for Texas (21-6, 10-4 Big 12), and Timmy Allen had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Grant Sherfield led Oklahoma (13-14, 3-11) with 18 points, including a 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime. Milos Uzan scored 15 for the Sooners.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 108, GEORGIA 59
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Miller scored 21 points, Nick Pringle had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Mark Sears made five 3-pointers in the first half to lead Alabama.
The Crimson Tide (23-4, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) rebounded from their first SEC loss by racing to a 54-25 halftime lead and a season scoring high. Alabama was coming off a 68-59 loss at No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday night after rising to No. 1 for only the second time in program history and first in 20 years.&nbsp;
ustin Hill led Georgia (16-11, 6-8) with 17 points. Terry Roberts scored 11 and Braelen Bridges 10.
NO. 4 UCLA 78, CALIFORNIA 43
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 points and UCLA routed last-place California to improve to 15-0 at Pauley Pavilion this season and extend the nation&rsquo;s longest home winning streak to 23 games.
Amari Bailey added 16 points and nine rebounds for the first-place Bruins (23-4, 14-2 Pac-12), who clinched a first-round bye in next month&rsquo;s Pac-12 Tournament with their 11th win in a row over last-place Cal.
Kuany Kuany scored 14 points to lead the Golden Bears (3-24, 2-14), who dropped their 11th in a row. They fell to 0-3 against top-5 teams this season, having also lost a pair against No. 8 Arizona.
NO. 5 KANSAS 87, NO. 9 BAYLOR 71
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; DaJuan Harris scored all 14 of his points in the second half as Kansas stormed back from a double-digit halftime deficit.
The Jayhawks (22-5, 10-4 Big 12) outscored the Bears 55-26 in the second half. Jalen Wilson led Kansas with 21 points and 13 rebounds. KJ Adams added 17 points and Gradey Dick had 16.
The Jayhawks are tied with Texas for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference.
Baylor (20-7, 9-5) got nearly all of its scoring from its three-guard combo of Adam Flagler (22 points) Keyonte George (20 points) and LJ Cryer (15 points).
NO. 7 VIRGINIA 57, NOTRE DAME 55
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark scored 15 points, including a pair of critical free throws with 22.6 seconds left, and became Virginia&rsquo;s career assist leader in the narrow win over Notre Dame.
With Notre Dame closing to 55-54, Clark converted both ends of a one-and-one. Trey Wertz made the front end of a one-and-one with 3.9 seconds left for the Fighting Irish, but missed the second after a timeout. The ball was tipped out to Dane Goodwin for a potential game-winning 3-pointer, but his shot bounced off the rim.
Armaan Franklin added 12 points and Reece Beekman had 11 for Virginia (21-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Nate Laszewski led Notre Dame (10-17, 2-14) with 18 points and Goodwin had 12.
NO. 8 ARIZONA 78, COLORADO 68
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Oumar Ballo had 18 points and 16 rebounds, Cedric Henderson Jr. added 15 points and Arizona dominated inside to beat Colorado.
The Wildcats (24-4, 13-4 Pac-12) opened with a rash of turnovers, falling into an early 12-point hole. Arizona righted itself quickly with a big run and slogged through a slowed-down second half by shutting down the Buffaloes.
Tristan da Silva had 18 points the Buffaloes (15-13, 7-10), who shot 38%.
KENTUCKY 66, NO. 10 TENNESSEE 54
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Cason Wallace and Oscar Tshiebwe each scored 16 points and Kentucky rushed to a big lead and beat Tennessee.
The Volunteers (20-7, 9-5 SEC) trailed by 20 points at halftime and lost in their first game since toppling No. 1 Alabama.
The Wildcats (18-9, 9-5) earned their first regular-season sweep of Tennessee since the 2011-12 season. Kentucky defeated the Volunteers 63-56 on Jan. 14 in Knoxville.
Wallace had totaled nine points in the Wildcats&rsquo; previous two games. Chris Livingston added 12 points and Jacob Toppin had 11.
NO. 12 KANSAS STATE 61, NO. 19 IOWA STATE 55
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell hit a 3-pointer from near midcourt with 2:42 remaining to help Kansas State over Iowa State.
Nowell finished with 20 points. Keyontae Johnson had 15 points for the Wildcats (20-7, 8-6 Big 12).
Aljaž Kunc led Iowa State (17-9, 8-6) with 15 points. Without their 3-point leader Caleb Grill in the lineup, the Cyclones worked inside the paint. They had 24 points inside and relied on a balanced scoring line led by Kunc.
NO. 13 GONZAGA 97, PEPPERDINE 88
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half and Julian Strawther added 28 points to help Gonzaga extend its winning streak over the Waves to 45 games.
The Bulldogs (23-5, 12-2 West Coast Conference), who haven&rsquo;t lost to Pepperdine (9-10, 2-12) since Jan. 18, 2002 and have won 20 straight on the road against the Waves.
Timme moved past Bill Cartwright, who scored 2,116 points for San Francisco (1975-79), into eighth on the West Coast Conference&rsquo;s career scoring list with 2,117.
Houston Mallette led the Waves with 22 points. Jevon Porter and Maxwell Lewis added 20 points apiece.
NO. 14 INDIANA 71, ILLINOIS 68
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Hood Schifino made two free throws with 30.7 seconds left, and Indiana rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to beat Illinois.
Hood-Schifino had 13 points for the Hoosiers (19-8, 10-6 Big Ten), who have won nine of 11 overall and 15 straight on their homecourt.
Matthew Mayer scored 24 to lead the Fighting Illini (17-9, 8-7), who were without injured leading scorer Terrence Shannon.
NO. 15 MIAMI 96, WAKE FOREST 87
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Isaiah Wong scored 27 points and Nijel Pack finished with 24 in Miami&rsquo;s win over Wake Forest.
Norchard Omier had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while Jordan Miller added 14 points for the Hurricanes (22-5, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their sixth straight and improved to 15-0 at home.
Tyree Appleby scored 15 points and Damari Monsanto and Cameron Hildreth had 14 each for the Demon Deacons (17-10, 9-7). Andrew Carr and Mathew Marsh finished with 12 points each.
NO. 16 XAVIER 82, DEPAUL 68
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Jack Nunge had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Xavier bounced back from a pair of narrow losses to beat DePaul.
The Musketeers (20-7, 12-4 Big East) reached the 20-win mark for the 34th time in school history, 32 of which have come since the 1982-83 season. It was the 17th career double-double for Nunge, eighth this season. Adam Kunkel scored 16 points and tied a career-high with eight assists for Xavier.
Umoja Gibson had 17 points and De&rsquo;Sean Nelson 16 for DePaul (9-18, 3-13), which lost its eighth in a row.
NO. 17 ST. MARY&rsquo;S 71, BYU 65
MORAGA, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Logan Johnson scored 27 points and Aidan Mahaney delivered once again in the second half to lead Saint Mary&rsquo;s to its 15th win in 16 games.
Mahaney scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and Mitchell Saxen added 13. The Gaels (24-5, 13-1 West Coast Conference) won their 16th straight conference home game to maintain a one-game lead over Gonzaga in the standings.
Fousseyni Traore scored 16 points to lead the Cougars (16-14, 6-9). BYU has lost four straight and was swept in the season series by the Gaels.
NO. 18 CREIGHTON 77, ST. JOHN&rsquo;S 67
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Arthur Kaluma hit three straight 3-pointers down the stretch and Creighton overcame a second-half scoring drought to pull away from St. John&rsquo;s.
Creighton (18-9, 12-4) remained in a three-way tie for second place in the Big East after Providence and Xavier won earlier in the day. Marquette holds a one-game lead in the conference standings.
Ryan Nembhard scored 16 points for the Bluejays. Kaluma finished with 13 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 12 as Creighton won for the ninth time in 10 games.
Joel Soriano led St. John&rsquo;s with 15 points and eight rebounds. David Jones added 14 points off the bench but the Red Storm (16-12, 6-11) were unable to get their third straight win.
NO. 20 UCONN 64, SETON HALL 55
STORRS, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points and UConn used a big second-half run to beat Seton Hall.
Andre Jackson had a career high 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for UConn (20-7, 9-7 Big East).
Al-Amir Dawes and Tyrese Samuel each had 16 points for Seton Hall (16-12, 9-8), which trailed by 16 points with six minutes to play before a late run that fell short.
NO. 22 TCU 100, OKLAHOMA STATE 75
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles Jr. had 15 points in his first game in three weeks, five other TCU players also scored in double figures, and the Horned Frogs snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma State.
Emanuel Miller had 18 points to lead TCU (18-9, 7-7 Big 12), which shot a staggering season-high 68.4% (39 of 57) from the field. Damion Baugh had 16 points with 11 assists. Shahada Wells had 15 points, Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon 12 and Micah Peavy 10.
Bryce Thompson had 18 points and John-Michael White 15 for the Cowboys (16-11, 7-7).
NO. 24 PROVIDENCE 85, VILLANOVA 72
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Ed Croswell scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Providence earned its 20th victory of the season.
Bryce Hopkins added 19 points and 12 rebounds. Noah Locked finished with 16 points. Croswell connected on two late free throws to notch the 1,000th point of his career.
The Friars (20-7, 12-4 Big East) have recorded 20 or more wins in seven of coach Ed Cooley&rsquo;s 12 seasons. They improved to 15-0 at home, including 8-0 in conference play.
Eric Dixon had 18 points and eight rebounds and Justin Moore added 17 points for the Wildcats (13-14, 7-9)&nbsp;

A recap of Saturday's action in men's college basketball includes a full slate of top-25 teams in heavy competition.

No. 6 Texas needs OT at home to hold off Oklahoma 85-83

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; In the 1990s, Dallas Mavericks point guard Derek Harper famously shot down an offer to be traded to the Jazz, quipping to ESPN: &ldquo;You go live in Utah.&rdquo;
Two decades later, members of the Golden State Warriors squad&nbsp;mocked Salt Lake&nbsp;as a nightlife-free city that could &ldquo;lull you to sleep.&rdquo;
And two months ago, former Jazz star Donovan Mitchell,&nbsp;reflecting on his time in Utah, said it was &ldquo;draining&rdquo; being a Black man in the mostly white, deeply religious state.
As the spotlight turns toward Salt Lake City and Utah during&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/107533176444f092fed0c7996a8e328f">this weekend&rsquo;s NBA All-Star Game</a>, business and political leaders are seeking to chip away at long-held notions &mdash; in basketball circles and elsewhere &mdash; of the state as a peculiar, boring and homogenous place that lags behind on LGBTQ- and race-related issues.
Their push to showcase the city and state as increasingly diverse and vibrant has been complicated by Utah&rsquo;s enduring legacy as a religious conservative stronghold, coupled with recent political developments at the intersection of race, gender and sports.
Just a year ago, a statewide ban implemented on transgender kids playing girls&rsquo; sports raised&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-nba-sports-adam-silver-north-carolina-64a3f0f2d3b33bf9ccc806bcd6293997">worries</a>&nbsp;that organizers of some events like the All-Star Game would think twice about coming to Utah.
Still, political leaders see efforts to make businesses and tourists feel welcome as key to Utah&rsquo;s continued growth and ability to attract profitable trade shows and the&nbsp;Winter Olympics, which it is seen as likely to bid to host again in 2034.
&ldquo;What happens with those oddities that people think is, they&rsquo;re very quickly dispelled when people actually come to Utah,&rdquo; said Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican and avid Jazz fan.
Downtown, a pop-up liquor store has been erected to serve fans this weekend between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints&rsquo; flagship temple and the Jazz&rsquo;s home arena. Team owner Ryan Smith is&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-nba-sports-salt-lake-city-f458ade6c498f9d9e729b25f9e5a7ebb">telling</a>&nbsp;anyone who will listen about the state&rsquo;s robust tech sector and progressive thinking. And the NBA is heavily advertising a pregame performance featuring&nbsp;Post Malone, a Utah-based, heavily face-tattooed rap star popular among residents.
Salt Lake City has long been more liberal and religiously diverse than the rest of Utah, a blue island in a sea of red. A majority of members on the current left-leaning city council&nbsp;identify as LGBTQ and are people of color.
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In the three decades since 1993, the last time the All-Star Game last was here, the population has diversified and almost doubled, transforming it into a thriving metropolis complete with the politics and problems that plague many midsize cities including pollution, housing shortages and&nbsp;homelessness.
A skyline dense with apartments, office buildings and two downtown malls has sprung up between Temple Square and the nearby mountains. The 2002 Olympics brought an influx of funding that helped build a light rail system many visitors will use during All-Star festivities.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the counterculture that rose up in response and continues to thrive both contribute to the city&rsquo;s social fabric.
&ldquo;We may still be peculiar, but we&rsquo;re&nbsp;minority Mormon&nbsp;now,&rdquo; she said.
The extensive influence of the faith known widely as the Mormon church will still be apparent, yet changes within its culture and the influx of thousands of secular residents may complicate how the expected 150,000 All-Star visitors perceive Salt Lake City, said Patrick Mason, a professor of religious studies at Utah State University.
&ldquo;Anybody who visits &mdash; especially for the first time &mdash; is going to be immediately struck by the Salt Lake Temple and the church&rsquo;s holdings right downtown very close to the arena. This is, as a lot of people say, &rsquo;Mormonism&rsquo;s Vatican,&rdquo; he said.
High-profile church members also demonstrate how the image the faith projects has remained distinct while also becoming more assimilated into the mainstream, he said.
&ldquo;That really gets reflected in the younger generation of entrepreneurs and politicians,&rdquo; Mason added. &ldquo;People like Cox and Smith are Latter-day Saints who are committed to their faith but also are savvy people who grow up with the internet, plugged in to a global culture.&rdquo;
Hosting All-Star Weekend is a major opportunity in particular for Smith, who purchased the Jazz in 2020 after selling the survey-software provider company that he founded, Qualtrics, for $8 billion.
&ldquo;This is just a chance to really have a moment together. People definitely know that there&rsquo;s something here,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s absolutely unique in all the positive ways. I think the one thing that is beautiful about Utah, that the people keep telling me from a wellness standpoint, &lsquo;Utah is like where I&rsquo;m at my best.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Since Smith attended part of 1993&prime;s All-Star Weekend as a member of the Jazz&rsquo;s youth basketball program, the NBA has cultivated a reputation for embracing progressive politics and social justice to a greater extent than most other professional sports leagues.
The ban on transgender athletes in girls&rsquo; sports didn&rsquo;t end up costing Utah the All-Star Game. But some fear marketing efforts could face challenges as the state doubles down on socially conservative stances on matters of race, gender and sports. Last month lawmakers&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-health-children-utah-surgery-9d8b304aef5060a1e033416558c9d6f8">banned</a>&nbsp;gender-affirming care for transgender youth, a policy being considered by lawmakers in a number of states across the country.
Utah has among the highest white populations of any state at 78% of its 3.3 million residents, and less than 2% are Black. That lack of racial diversity is long believed to have hurt efforts by the Jazz to lure free agents and retain players.
Mitchell, after being&nbsp;traded&nbsp;to the Cavaliers last offseason, said it took a lot of energy to confront a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-nhl-ut-state-wire-utah-nfl-758cb7968d564893b57ca6d0a19777ce">series</a>&nbsp;of highly public race-related experiences and the pushback he received in response. They included incidents of bullying against Black students in Utah schools that he&nbsp;called&nbsp;&ldquo;demoralizing&rdquo;; a&nbsp;dustup&nbsp;between him and the state Senate president over new restrictions on how race and history could be taught; and the time Mitchell said he was pulled over and &ldquo;got an attitude from the cop&rdquo; until the officer saw Mitchell&rsquo;s ID and realized he was the Jazz player.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no secret there&rsquo;s a lot of stuff that I dealt with being in Utah, off the floor. ... I took on a lot because I felt like I could do it. But at some point, it became a lot to have to deal with,&rdquo; he&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://andscape.com/features/donovan-mitchell-thinks-the-cavaliers-can-be-a-pretty-scary-group/">told</a>&nbsp;the ESPN publication Andscape in December.
Some see All-Star weekend as a means of elevating social justice initiatives and changing Salt Lake City&rsquo;s image through showcasing oft-overlooked pockets of diversity. Sheena Meade, CEO of the Clean Slate Initiative, helped organize a expungement clinic with the NBA&rsquo;s social justice arm in the lead-up to the game, a year after Cox signed legislation to clear low-level convictions from people&rsquo;s criminal records. She said the NBA&rsquo;s presence in places regardless of the prevailing local politics has had&nbsp;tangible&nbsp;impacts.
&ldquo;They are doing more than lip service. They&rsquo;re putting out a host of events,&rdquo; Meade said. &ldquo;What it means for the All-Star Game to come to a state like Utah is it brings an immersion of culture and diversity and lifts up what&rsquo;s happening on some social issues.&rdquo;
</div>

With the spotlight on Salt Lake City for the NBA All-Star Game, local leaders are looking to chip away at long-held notions of the state.

In NBA All-Star spotlight, Utah looks to change perceptions

Kyrie Irving, who was just named an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference, shocked the NBA world this week when he reportedly asked for a trade. He informed the Nets that he prefers to be traded ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline or he will plan to leave via free agency in July, causing Brooklyn to lose him for nothing.&nbsp;
This trade demand was reportedly prompted by the fact that the two sides were unable to agree to the terms of a contract extension.&nbsp;
The Nets reportedly offered an extension to Irving; however, it included unprecedented &ldquo;guarantee stipulations&rdquo; tied to the team winning an NBA championship, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1621650393083281408" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report</a>. This appeared to offend Irving and his camp, thus resulting in the trade demand.&nbsp;
This trade demand has been met with much criticism throughout the entire NBA world.&nbsp;
While discussing Irving&rsquo;s trade request with Malika Andrews on NBA Today, Stephen A. Smith <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2023/02/04/kyrie-irving-trade-request-stephen-a-smith-comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Kyrie &ldquo;idiotic&rdquo; and added that &ldquo;he cannot be trusted; he just reminded the basketball world of that.&rdquo;
Kendrick Perkins <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2023/02/03/kyrie-irving-kendrick-perkins-comments-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went on a tirade</a> on ESPN when asked about the situation.
&ldquo;This is Kyrie Irving, a guy that you cannot trust,&rdquo; Perkins said. &ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t Kyrie Irving just say that Kevin Durant was his best friend? Right? So where is the loyalty? Right? If that&rsquo;s your best friend, I don&rsquo;t want that. Give me an enemy. For the simple fact that when you look at how Kevin Durant has been riding for Kyrie Irving since they arrived in Brooklyn&hellip; standing behind him through whatever his beliefs were, whatever he was doing, riding with him over James Harden.&rdquo;
I caught up with Caleb from <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNetcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn Netcast</a>, a site dedicated to covering the Nets, to discuss this situation, how the Nets handled this, the media backlash toward Kyrie and much more.
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Etan Thomas: I appreciate your content. I was one of the former players who retweeted your tweets after this story broke. You all do a great job of covering the Nets. To your knowledge, can you explain what exactly led to this trade request from Kyrie irving?&nbsp;
Brooklyn Netcast: I think it&rsquo;s more of a leverage move than anything. Mostly what led up to it were disagreements in the contract extension and certain details not being agreed upon as well as guaranteed money being a big issue in this whole thing. Chris Haynes reported yesterday about how there was a championship stipulation &mdash; like if you win a championship, then you receive X amount of dollars &mdash; and that&rsquo;s really where the disagreements and feeling of disrespect came. I definitely don&rsquo;t think there is a shared respect overall between Joe Tsai and Kyrie Irving and [there are] ethical disagreements, which is another huge issue that is being glossed over, as a point of contention between the two.&nbsp;
Etan: A few months ago, Joe Tsai and Kyrie Irving had the sit down and Tsai came out publicly and said, &ldquo;No, Kyrie is not anti-semetic, he&rsquo;s not a horrible person, etc.&rdquo; But do you think there was still friction between the two behind closed doors and that statement was mostly for show?
Brooklyn Netcast: There is definitely quite a bit of friction behind the scenes. I would say that it&rsquo;s a bit for show. I do believe that Joe Tsai and Adam Silver were both 100% correct when they said that Kyrie was not anti-semitic, but there is definitely a lot of friction that still exists between the two as far as values, who they are as people and, of course, the contract.&nbsp;
Etan: It was reported that the Nets wanted Irving&rsquo;s contract to be tied to winning a championship, and I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;ve ever really heard a stipulation like that before in an NBA contract. So, he will only get X amount of money if they win a championship? To my knowledge, that&rsquo;s really unprecedented.
Brooklyn Netcast: I haven&rsquo;t seen any specifics, but just seen reports that this was a point of contention for Kyrie and his team. There are leaks coming from both sides and it&rsquo;s hard to see the exact details of what exactly was disagreed upon because there are so many different leaks and takes. But it is clear that it does center around guaranteed money and that a championship would bring a substantial amount of money into the picture, and that&rsquo;s not something that Kyrie or his representatives feel is fair because a championship is a team achievement. Hypothetically, Kyrie could average 40, 5 and 5, but if they lose in the playoffs, then he wouldn&rsquo;t receive whatever amount of his contract? I don&rsquo;t see how any player would agree to something like that.&nbsp;
Etan: One of the tweets that I retweeted from Brooklyn Netcast, and again you all have done a great job in covering this, was: &ldquo;The annoying part too is the media is just gonna paint Kyrie Irving as the bad guy here while Marks and Tsai don&rsquo;t get trashed at all.&rdquo; And that&rsquo;s exactly what happened.
Brooklyn Netcast: It&rsquo;s important to note that Kyrie has had some things happen off the court in the past; you can go into the whole documentary thing and missing time throughout the years, so there is already a lot stacked against him and who he is. I think it&rsquo;s abundantly clear right now that Kyrie Irving is a very good person, and a charitable and giving human being, but for some reason the media as a whole consistently ridicules and demonizes Kyrie. But they don&rsquo;t even loosely examine or question the character of someone like Joe Tsai. They would rather attack Kyrie&rsquo;s character, but that shows the bias of many in the media.&nbsp;
And the media only tells one side of the story. They focused on, &ldquo;Oh, Kyrie requested a trade,&rdquo; or, &ldquo;Kyrie wants out,&rdquo; or, &ldquo;Kyrie is abandoning KD,&rdquo; or, &ldquo;He said he would never leave his friend,&rdquo; and they frame it as if it&rsquo;s all Kyrie&rsquo;s fault. But they won&rsquo;t go into the details of the insulting championship stipulation the Nets put in the contract.&nbsp;
Etan: Stephen A. Smith jumped out and his response to Kyrie requesting a trade was that he is &ldquo;idiotic&rdquo; and &ldquo;cannot be trusted&rdquo; and that he &ldquo;reminded the entire basketball world of that.&rdquo; I responded:
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No Stephen A Smith smh It&rsquo;s simple, if you feel you&rsquo;re not being paid what you&rsquo;re worth at your current place of employment or you&rsquo;re being disrespected, it&rsquo;s time to move on. Just like when you voiced that ESPN wasn&rsquo;t compensating you properly. It&rsquo;s not &ldquo;idiotic&rdquo; just business <a href="https://t.co/k08L7SL8hr">pic.twitter.com/k08L7SL8hr</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1621889146368266241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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And that&rsquo;s how I look at this situation. It&rsquo;s just business. It&rsquo;s not Kyrie being a &ldquo;diva,&rdquo; which many have called him, or him being &ldquo;idiotic.&rdquo; They didn&rsquo;t want to give him the number that he felt he had earned as an All-Star, and they added stipulations that he wasn&rsquo;t happy with such as the championship stipulation &mdash; which, again, I don&rsquo;t recall ever being done in the NBA &mdash; so he wanted to look for other options. But the media, people like Stephen A. Smith for example, immediately went to bashing Kyrie before they even knew the details.
Brooklyn Netcast: I agree with everything you just said. I wasn&rsquo;t surprised to hear Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins and so many others in the media jump to bash Kyrie. I know Stephen A. says that he is a fan of Kyrie&rsquo;s, but there has been a consistent bashing of Kyrie that he does and it seems almost personal and definitely unprofessional. This summer, Kendrick Perkins said he would not bash Kyrie as long as he was in the media, and he went back on his word is less than a few months. Dave Portnoy, who is a member of the media, <a href="https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1621585952752672768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>: &ldquo;You can make a legit argument Kyrie is the worst pro athlete who ever lived and top 100 worst human.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Etan: Lou Williams responded, &ldquo;Nah, we don&rsquo;t agree with you,&rdquo; and I retweeted that.
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Na. We don&rsquo;t agree with you. <a href="https://t.co/WyfQ17ODst">https://t.co/WyfQ17ODst</a>
&mdash; Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1621620298532495363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Brooklyn Netcast: Right! I saw that, and I&rsquo;m glad Lou Williams did that. That was really a disgusting tweet. Requesting a trade because of a contract dispute makes you the worst human being to ever walk the planet? And the amount of people who agreed with his asinine statement is just crazy. But yeah, that shows how Kyrie has been consistently painted as this horrible person by the media, and that&rsquo;s just irresponsible.&nbsp;
Etan: What are you hearing about the Brooklyn Nets and how they view Kyrie? I&rsquo;m sure some of the fans are split &mdash; some love Kyrie and some hate Kyrie, some are swayed by the media and some see through how the media portrays him &mdash; but what are you hearing from the team as far as their reaction to this? And I ask because I noticed that after the recent suspension, it seemed as though the team supported him &mdash; or at least didn&rsquo;t publicly bash him. I saw people in the media trying to almost coerce the players into ridiculing him. I saw them try to get Nic Claxton to say they were better off without Kyrie, and they tried to get KD to express frustration with Kyrie. It was like they went down the list, but none of them took the bait. Where do you think they are with Kyrie and if he were to come back &mdash; say they don&rsquo;t trade him &mdash;would they welcome him back with open arms?&nbsp;
Brooklyn Netcast: That&rsquo;s tough to say. I feel like it would vary from player to player. I&rsquo;m sure they understand the business aspect of this all and they don&rsquo;t look at this as a personal abandonment of the team or anything like that. I do think they are all well aware that their chances of being successful greatly diminish if Kyrie is not on the floor. But at the same time, from what I&rsquo;m hearing, or at least what they are expressing publicly, is that they understand that this is a business. But they know at the same time, they need him to be successful.&nbsp;
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Etan: I want you to expound on the media coverage of Kyrie. And of course not all media are covering him the same way, but I will say that there are quite a few in the media who are really taking turns bashing him. Do you feel that it&rsquo;s a little bit unfair or unwarranted or unprofessional? (Besides Stephen A. Smith; in his case, it definitely does appear to be just that). How would you describe the majority of the media&rsquo;s coverage of Irving?
Brooklyn Netcast: I think that a lot of it is personal and a lot of it is a collection of how they feel about past events, and that taints how they examine this current event. They aren&rsquo;t separating the two. For example, when James Harden asked for a trade, he didn&rsquo;t get bashed as heavily, and his was more of a giving up on the team. He had gained weight, was playing very bad basketball at the time and reportedly never wanted to be in Brooklyn in the first place as his first choice. Kyrie&rsquo;s request was definitely covered differently, and he has a valid financial reason to want out, in my opinion at least. And there have been other players who were just disgruntled or just unhappy with the system or not [getting] enough shots or playing time who asked for a trade, and they weren&rsquo;t bashed anywhere near as much as Kyrie. But like I said, a lot of that has to do with past situations that many people are lumping in with this situation, and one has nothing to do with the other. I&rsquo;m hoping the media, later on after he has retired, will look back and say, &ldquo;You know what, this was unfair treatment of a player and we viewed him incorrectly.&rdquo;
Etan: Yeah&hellip; I would say don&rsquo;t hold your breath on Stephen A. Smith or Charles Barkley ever coming to that realization.&rdquo;
Brooklyn Netcast: Oh, well not those two (laughing).
Etan: Oh ok (laughing), you just mean the media as a whole.
Brooklyn Netcast: Yeah, just collectively. But no, those two are probably not going to come to any realization.
Etan: I couldn&rsquo;t agree more. There is nothing wrong with having a professional critique of an athlete. I have no problem with that. But often, Stephen A. Smith&rsquo;s comments about Kyrie Irving are nothing more than personal attacks and attempts to disparage his character. He lobbies for him not to be signed to a long-term deal and puts notions out there that he can&rsquo;t be trusted. It comes across as a personal vendetta instead of a professional critique. And although my friend David Aldridge didn&rsquo;t agree with me when I debated him and Marc Spears about the impact of what the media says, it&rsquo;s been confirmed to be true.
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What the media says does affect the business side for players when it&rsquo;s time for teams, GMs, presidents, etc. to sign them &mdash; whether those notions are accurate or not. It&rsquo;s not about &ldquo;hurting a player&rsquo;s feelings.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s about having a direct impact on their professional career. I actually <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/former-nba-gm-confirms-false-narratives-hurt-kwame-brown-others" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed a former NBA GM, Pete Babcock</a>, who confirmed that false narratives put out by the media and Stephen A. Smith, in particular, did in fact hurt Kwame Brown financially. He discussed how NBA executives were, in fact, influenced by those narratives.&nbsp;
But thanks again for your content and covering this in a way that is different than many others in the media. This was a good discussion.
Brooklyn Netcast: Thanks for having me.

Etan Thomas examines how the media has covered Kyrie Irving's trade request from the Brooklyn Nets.

After trade demand, media bash Kyrie Irving but silent on management

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark had 28 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds for her eighth career triple-double, and No. 10 Iowa handed No. 2 Ohio State its first loss of the season, 83-72 on Monday night.
Monika Czinano added 22 points on 11-of-13 shooting for the Hawkeyes (16-4, 8-1 Big Ten), who won their fifth straight game, three of those on the road.
Cotie McMahon scored 21 points and Taylor Thierry added 20 for the Buckeyes (19-1, 8-1), who had been 4-0 against ranked opponents.
Ohio State trailed by 12 points midway through the third quarter and rallied within three early in the fourth, but the Hawkeyes responded by holding the Buckeyes scoreless for 2 1/2 minutes to pull away.
Clark, a preseason All-American who leads the Big Ten in scoring, extended her conference record for triple-doubles by women or men. She went 8 of 19 from the field &mdash; including 3 of 10 from 3-point range &mdash; and 9 of 10 on free throws.
NO. 4 LSU 89, ALABAMA 51
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Jasmine Carson scored 20 points and Angel Reese had 14 points and 14 rebounds for her school-record 20th consecutive double-double to lead No. 4 LSU to an 89-51 victory over Alabama on Monday night.
The Tigers (20-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) extended the program&rsquo;s longest winning streak to 20 games. The Crimson Tide (15-5, 4-3) had a three-game win streak snapped and produced a season low in points.
Carson made four first-half 3-pointers and fell one point short of her season high. Reese surpassed Sylvia Fowles&rsquo; previous school record of 19 double-doubles in a row set during the 2006-07 season.
Alexis Morris had 17 points, made three 3-pointers and had seven assists for LSU. LaDazhia Williams had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Brittany Davis led Alabama with 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
NO. 5 UCONN 94, DEPAUL 51
STORRS, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Aaliyah Edwards had 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading UConn to its 11th straight win, a rout of DePaul.
Lou Lopez Senechal scored 20 points and Dorka Juhasz had 19 for the Huskies (18-2, 11-0 Big East), who remained undefeated in conference play. Aubrey Griffin registered her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Edwards also the individual battle between two of the nation&rsquo;s top post players, outscoring Aneesah Morrow, who led the Blue Demons with 20 points and 12 rebounds. It was her 17th double-double this season and eighth in a row.
DePaul (11-10, 4-6) has lost three in a row and six of its last seven.
The game was supposed to be played on Jan. 8, but had to be postponed after injuries left UConn with only six healthy scholarship players.
NO. 6 INDIANA 92, NO. 13 MICHIGAN 83
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Mackenzie Holmes had 25 points and 10 rebounds as Indiana beat Michigan.
Sara Scalia added 19 points, Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sydney Parrish each scored 12, and Yarden Garzon and Grace Berger each had 10 points for the Hoosiers (17-1, 7-1 Big Ten), who won their sixth straight.
Leigha Brown scored 31 points to lead Michigan (16-4, 6-3). Laila Phelia added 21 points and Emily Kiser had 11 for the Wolverines, whose three-game winning streak ended.

A recap of Monday night's action in women's college basketball includes a top-10 upset on the road by the Hawkeyes.

Clark’s triple-double leads No. 10 Iowa women past No. 2 OSU

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Shahada Wells scored 17 points as No. 14 TCU beat No. 2 Kansas 83-60 on Saturday in one of the worst losses in Bill Self&rsquo;s 20-year coaching career with the Jayhawks.
The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak at home for Kansas and was the second-largest home loss under Self. The Jayhawks (15-3, 5-2 Big 12), who lost 83-82 in overtime at Kansas State on Tuesday, had not lost consecutive games in the state since 1989 &mdash; against K-State and Missouri.
Kansas trailed by 10 at halftime and never closed the gap within single digits. TCU extended the lead to as many as 24 points. The Jayhawks shot only 32.1% in the second half.
TCU (15-4, 4-3 Big 12), which shot 54.4% (31 of 57) from the field, got 15 points from Mike Miles Jr. and 11 from Damion Baugh.
NO. 4 ALABAMA 85, MISSOURI 64
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Noah Clowney and Mark Sears each scored 17 points, and Alabama remained undefeated against unranked teams this season.
Freshman Brandon Miller added 15 points and eight rebounds for Alabama (17-2, 7-0 Southeastern Conference), and reserve Jahvon Quinterly scored 13 points. Clowney also had 14 rebounds, and Sears finished with eight rebounds and three steals.
Isiaih Mosley led Missouri (14-5, 3-4) with 19 points. Mohamed Diarra had eight points and 12 rebounds.
NO. 11 ARIZONA 58, NO. 5 UCLA 52
TUSCON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Oumar Ballo scored 16 points, Azuolas Tubelis had a double-double and Arizona withstood a late rally to end UCLA&rsquo;s 14-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (17-3, 5-3 Pac-12) took a 56-44 lead on Ballo&rsquo;s alley-oop dunk with 2:07 left. But the Bruins (17-3, 8-1) fought back, creating four straight turnovers to pull within 56-52. UCLA then blocked consecutive shots but couldn&rsquo;t convert on two shots of its own. Arizona&rsquo;s Pelle Larsson hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds to close it out.
Tyger Campbell led the Bruins with 13 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 12 with 11 rebounds.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 99, PACIFIC 90
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 24 of his career-high 38 points in the second half, including 18 straight points during one stretch, and Gonzaga pulled away in the closing minutes.
Timme made 17 of 23 shots and almost all of them within a couple feet of the rim. Anton Watson added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Gonzaga (17-4, 6-1 WCC). Rasir Bolton added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who had won their previous three road games in conference play by a combined eight points, and Julian Strawther had 15.
Jordan Ivy-Curry led five Pacific players in double figures with 17 points. Nick Blake scored 16 before fouling out. Keylan Boone finished with 15, Luke Avdalovic added 13 and Judson Martindale finished with 12. Pacific (10-12, 3-4) made eight 3-pointers in the first half and was tied at 47 at halftime, but the Tigers were just 1 of 8 from deep in the second half.
NO. 7 TEXAS 69, WEST VIRGINIA 61
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Marcus Carr scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to lead Texas.
Dylan Disu added 13 points before fouling out, and Christian Bishop and Tyrese Hunter scored 11 apiece for the Longhorns (16-3, 5-2 Big 12), who bounced back from a double-digit loss at No. 12 Iowa State on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6) had several players in early foul trouble. Kedrian Johnson had a career-high 22 points, but his teammates fell flat in the second half against the Longhorns.
NO. 8 XAVIER 95, GEORGETOWN 82
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Zach Freemantle tied a career-high with 30 points and Colby Jones had 20 as Xavier handed Georgetown its 29th straight Big East loss.
Adam Kunkel scored 14 points to help the Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 Big East) bounce back from a 73-72 loss at DePaul on Wednesday.
Primo Spears scored a career-high 37 points and Akok Akok had 14 for the Hoyas (5-15, 0-9 Big East), who have lost 10 straight. Spears&rsquo; previous high was 34 against LaSalle on March 5, 2022.
NO. 9 TENNESSEE 77, LSU 56
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Josiah-Jordan James scored a season-high 22 points and Tennessee defeated LSU, which has lost six straight.
James, who missed eight games in November and December due to injury, made his second straight start for the Volunteers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). Playing 31 minutes, James was 9-of-16 from the field and matched his career-high with four 3-pointers.
Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler had 12 points and 10 assists, which tied his career high. Julian Phillips and Tyreke Key each had 10 points.
KJ Williams led LSU (12-7, 1-6) with 16 points. Trae Hannibal added 10 points. The Tigers committed 19 turnovers which resulted in 33 Volunteers points.
NO. 10 VIRGINIA 76, WAKE FOREST 67
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin scored 18 of his 25 points during the first half and Virginia survived blowing nearly all of a 19-point lead to beat Wake Forest.
Kihei Clark added 12 points despite getting into foul trouble for the Cavaliers (15-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). But it was a day of wild swings for Virginia, who went from missing its first eight shots to suddenly being unable to miss to go up 34-15 &mdash; only to see the Demon Deacons push back to within a single point with 8 1/2 minutes left.
Damari Monsanto had a career-high 25 points for the Demon Deacons (14-6, 6-3), highlighted by making 7 of 15 3-pointers.
OKLAHOMA STATE 61, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 59
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Avery Anderson scored 18 points, including the go-ahead free throws, and Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State for its first win over a ranked team this season.
Kalib Boone added 13 points for the Cowboys (11-8, 3-4 Big 12), who won their second straight game.
Osun Osunniyi scored 15 points and Gabe Kalscheur added 14 for Iowa State (14-4, 5-2), which had won seven of its last eight games. Cyclones sharpshooter Caleb Grill spent most of the second half on the bench wearing a back brace and wasn&rsquo;t in the game in the closing minutes.
NO. 13 KANSAS STATE 68, TEXAS TECH 58
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Kansas State&rsquo;s win over Texas Tech.
Keyontae Johnson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 Big 12), who won for the 11th time in 12 games. Ismael Massoud scored 12 points.
Pop Isaacs and De&rsquo;Vion Harmon each scored 13 points for Texas Tech (10-9, 0-7), which shot 32.4% (23 for 71) from the field.
NO. 16 AUBURN 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Johni Broome had a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn took control late in the opening half to run past struggling South Carolina.
Broome&rsquo;s performance helped the Tigers to their fifth straight win and offset a career-best 30 points from Gamecocks&rsquo; freshman Gregory &ldquo;GG&rdquo; Jackson II.
The 6-foot-10 Broome took full advantage of South Carolina&rsquo;s undersized interior for the Tigers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). He hit 12 of his 17 shots in 30 minutes for his sixth double-double this season and fifth against an SEC opponent.
Meechie Johnson was the only other player for South Carolina (8-11, 1-5) in double figures with 11 points.
DUKE 68, NO. 17 MIAMI
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jeremy Roach scored 14 points in his first game in more than two weeks to lift Duke over Miami.
Tyrese Proctor had 11 points and Dariq Whitehead added 10 points for the Blue Devils (15-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who played their first game of the season without a national ranking.
Jordan Miller&rsquo;s 19 points and Nijel Pack&rsquo;s 18 were tops for Miami (15-4, 6-3), which has lost three of its last five games.
NO. 18 CHARLESTON 87, NORTHEASTERN 61
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Ben Burnham scored 15 points, Pat Robinson III added 14 and Ryan Larson had 12 to lead Charleston to its 20th win in a row.
The Cougars (21-1, 9-0 Colonial Athletic Association) scored 13 straight points in the first half to pull away and extend the longest active winning streak in the nation. They have not lost since the second game of the season, to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11, climbing to their highest ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 since 1999.
Chris Doherty had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Jared Turner also scored 11 for Northeastern (8-11, 4-4). The Huskies haven&rsquo;t beat a Top 25 team since 2015.
NO. 19 CLEMSON 51, VIRGINIA TECH 50
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Tyson&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left lifted Clemson to a dramatic victory over Virginia Tech.
Tyson caught a pass just left of the key, took a look at at the basket and let it fly. The crowd exploded as the ball went through and the Tigers (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) continued their unexpected run atop the ACC.
PJ Hall led Clemson with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Grant Basile led the Hokies (11-8, 1-7) with 13 points.
NO. 20 MARQUETTE 74, SETON HALL 53
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones scored 22 points, Oso Ighodaro had 18 on 7-for-7 shooting and Marquette beat Seton Hall.
Marquette (16-5, 8-2 Big East) shot 54% (29 for 54) from the field in its second straight win since an 80-76 loss to Xavier last weekend.
Kadary Richmond led Seton Hall (12-9, 5-5) with 10 points and five assists. The Pirates committed a season-high 26 turnovers.
NO. 21 BAYLOR 62, OKLAHOMA 60
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Bridges scored 11 points and hit a trio of game-turning 3-pointers in the final five minutes as Baylor rallied to hold off Oklahoma.
Adam Flagler had 16 points and five assists, and Keyonte George added 11 points as Baylor (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) won its fourth straight game after opening conference play with three straight losses and briefly dropping out of The Associated Press Top 25.
Jalen Hill had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Tanner Groves added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Sooners (12-7, 2-5).
NO. 22 PROVIDENCE 75, DEPAUL 64
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Noah Locke had a career-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, to help Providence fend off DePaul.
Bryce Hopkins added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Friars (15-5, 7-2 Big East) snapped a two-game losing skid and improved to 11-0 at home. They are 2-2 without point guard Jared Bynum, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a torso injury.
The Blue Demons (9-11, 3-6) came in fresh off a home victory over eighth-ranked Xavier. But they dropped their sixth straight road game and are now 0-4 in conference games away from home. Umjoja Gibson had 16 points and five assists for DePaul and Da&rsquo;Sean Nelson added 13 points.
NO. 24 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 67, UTEP 59
EL PASO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Johnell Davis scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting and Florida Atlantic extended its program record for consecutive wins to 18.
Davis hit 2 of 3 attempts from 3-point distance and was perfect on six shots from the line for FAU (19-1, 9-0 Conference USA). Vladislav Goldin finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks for the Owls.
Calvin Solomon finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Tae Hardy also scored 16 points for UTEP (11-9, 4-5). Mario McKinney Jr. added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
NO. 25 ARKANSAS 69, OLE MISS 57
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Anthony Black scored 17 points, reserve Joseph Pinion had 13 and Arkansas snapped a four-game losing streak by topping Mississippi.
Only nine teams in Division I had made fewer 3-pointers than Arkansas (13-6, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) this season, but the Razorbacks tied a season high by making eight from beyond the arc. They led by as many as 21 points.
Pinion and Devo Davis each made three 3s. Davis had 16 points and Jordan Walsh finished with 13.
Ole Miss (9-10, 1-6) committed 17 turnovers. The Rebels had six giveaways in the first six minutes of the second half, helping Arkansas extend its three-point halftime lead to 11 at the first media timeout after the break.

A roundup of Saturday's top-25 action in men's college basketball includes a TCU rout of the second-ranked Jayhawks on the road.

No. 14 TCU blows out No. 2 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) &mdash; KC Ndefo grabbed a rebound and made a follow-up layup with 1.6 seconds remaining to give Seton Hall a 67-66 come-from-behind win over No. 15 UConn on Wednesday night.
Ndefo grabbed his eighth rebound of the game and scored the decisive points as he was fouled on the play. He missed the ensuing free throw, but helped Seton Hall rally from a 17-point first-half deficit. He finished with 14 points.
Kadary Richmond had a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for Seton Hall (12-8, 5-4 Big East)
Adama Sanogo had 16 points and five rebounds and Jordan Hawkins added 13 points and six rebounds for UConn (15-5, 4-5), which was without coach Dan Hurley and associate head coach Kimani Young due to the coronavirus.
DEPAUL 73, NO. 8 XAVIER 72
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Umoja Gibson scored 22 points, Javan Johnson added 16 and DePaul surprised Xavier.
The Musketeers (15-4, 7-1 Big East) came in rolling with 11 straight wins &mdash; their best run since the 2015-16 team got off to a 12-0 start. But they came up short against the Blue Demons (9-10, 3-5).
DePaul led by seven with about eight minutes remaining and made just enough plays to come away with its first win over a top-10 team since beating No. 5 Butler exactly three years earlier at Wintrust Arena.
Zach Freemantle had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Xavier. Jack Nunge finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. But Big East scoring leader Souley Boum scored a season-low four.
NO. 10 VIRGINIA 78, VIRGINIA TECH 68
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark had 20 points and became Virginia&rsquo;s career victories leader as a player with No. 111 as the Cavaliers handed Virginia Tech its sixth straight loss.
Armaan Franklin added 15 points and Jayden Gardner 12 for the Cavaliers (14-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Clark was tied with Mamadi Diane (2017-20) on the overall victories list and with 64 career ACC wins.
Darius Maddox led the Hokies (11-7, 1-6) with 13 points and Grant Basile had 12. Virginia Tech&rsquo;s losing streak has come winning 11 of its first 12 games.
WEST VIRGINIA 74, NO. 14 TCU 65
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Kedrian Johnson scored 20 points and West Virginia built a big early lead and outlasted TCU.
Jimmy Bell Jr. added 15 points and 12 rebounds for West Virginia (11-7, 1-5 Big 12), whose players slapped hands with the student section after breaking a five-game losing streak.
Mike Miles Jr. scored 21 points while Emanuel Miller and Damion Baugh had 13 apiece for TCU (14-4, 3-3), which has lost three of its last four after starting the season 13-1.
NO. 16 AUBURN 67, LSU 49
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. and Jaylin Williams each scored 14 points to lead Auburn to its fourth straight victory.
KJ Williams and Trae Hannibal scored 16 points apiece for LSU (12-6, 1-5 Southeastern Conference), which dropped its fifth straight conference game.
Auburn (15-3, 5-1) never trailed in the game and was only seriously threatened in the early minutes of the second half.
LSU never trailed by fewer than 12 points over the last 10 minutes of the game. After reducing its deficit to two points at 37-35, LSU made four field goals the rest of the game.
NO. 20 MARQUETTE 83, NO. 22 PROVIDENCE 75
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones had 21 points and Tyler Kolek scored 19 as Marquette defeated Providence for its sixth victory in seven games.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 13 points for Marquette (15-5, 7-2 Big East). Kolek also had eight rebounds and six assists.
Bryce Hopkins had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Friars (14-5, 6-2), who lost their second straight after a nine-game winning streak. Ed Croswell led Providence with 20 points, and Devin Carter had 18.
MISSOURI 79, NO. 25 ARKANSAS 76
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Kobe Brown scored 17 points and hit two free throws with 29 seconds to lift Missouri over Arkansas.
DeAndre Gholston added 16 points and Sean East II added 12 for the Tigers (14-4, 3-3 SEC), who avenged a 74-68 loss in Fayetteville on Jan. 4.
Davonte Davis scored 18 points and Ricky Council IV had 13 for Arkansas, which has lost four in a row. Anthony Black added 15 points for the Razorbacks (12-6, 1-5).

A recap of Wednesday night's men's college basketball action includes three top-15 upsets.

Seton Hall rallies from 17 down, beats No. 15 UConn 67-66

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 noon and spent 11 hours inside, sticking around until the penultimate contest. These standouts, among many others, caught my eye:
Boys &mdash; IMG Academy (FL) 61, Newton (GA) 52
Khani Rooths, IMG Academy &mdash;&nbsp;A 2024 wing, Rooths' impact on IMG's win far outshone his box score (11 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists). The 6-foot-6 wing kept the ball moving with some savvy passing versatility, making the right skip reads and interior decisions. He went 2-for-3 beyond the arc and seemed more comfortable spotting up and passing from a standstill versus attacking off the dribble.
Rooths also defended Newton star Stephon Castle for large portions of the game and made the 5-star guard's life pretty challenging. He can slide with relative success and deal with physicality without fouling. Rooths, a 4-star guard who is uncommitted, fits in all sorts of contexts and is a player who can thrive with today's direction of basketball.
Marcus Whitlock, Newton &mdash;&nbsp;Whitlock was one of the early head-turners of the weekend. He's a 6-foot-2 guard who plays with relentless confidence. The senior only made 4-of-12 threes but looked poised shooting off movement and spot-up attempts, finishing with 22 points.
He's not a half-court creator, but Whitlock did get chances to run and finish at the rim in transition. He also dove for loose balls on defense and wound up with three steals. Whitlock isn't ranked by most sites and hasn't chosen a school yet, so this effort might have put him on some college radars.
Girls &mdash; Sierra Canyon (CA) 67, Sidwell Friends (DC) 55
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The legend of Juju Watkins at Sierra Canyon continues to grow, as well. She missed a big stretch of the first half after tweaking her ankle, went down for a few moments again late on, and still put up 29/14/5/3/3 in 26 mins. Her physicality never wavered either. Generational. <a href="https://t.co/VGuq1TuqcT">https://t.co/VGuq1TuqcT</a> <a href="https://t.co/wVUIgv0fHd">pic.twitter.com/wVUIgv0fHd</a>
&mdash; Wilko (@wilkomcv) <a href="https://twitter.com/wilkomcv/status/1614365704995868673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Juju Watkins, Sierra Canyon &mdash; The No. 1 senior in the country had the performance of the day. Watkins missed time twice with injuries to both ankles, but you wouldn't notice from her final stat line: 29 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals. (She said postgame that she's feeling alright).
Watkins relished the chance to beat another nationally-ranked opponent and the challenge of matching up against 6-foot-1 junior Kendall Dudley.
"It's definitely an adjustment playing against other players my size, learning how and when to get to my spots," Watkins told Basketball News in her postgame presser. "I just had to make that adjustment mentally, but when I made it, it was easier."
Though Watkins battled for rebounds and showed off limitless range, she also demonstrated a unique blend of speeds and gears, often warping time around her defenders and finishing with a teardrop floater. That's one of the young star's newest weapons.
"I worked on it a lot this summer &mdash; just learning how to change pace better and get my defender on their heels. I've been working on that a lot, and I went out there and showed it today," Watkins said.
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Mackenly Randolph, Sierra Canyon &mdash;&nbsp;The 5-star junior finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds and was critical in helping Sierra Canyon close out a 67-55 win. Randolph dominated on the glass against a physically imposing Sidwell Friends squad; it's no surprise that her dad is Zach Randolph. She also slashed through the lane for some impressive interior buckets.&nbsp;
Kendall Dudley, Sidwell Friends &mdash;&nbsp;Dudley is the No. 13 player in ESPN's 2024 rankings and she showed off the versatility that earned her the billing. The 5-star talent was cool and collected driving the basketball and kicking out. She can play physically at 6-foot-1, but doesn't need to, and her comfort off the bounce was apparent. She also led the defensive attack and did about as well guarding Watkins as her team could ask.
Dudley hasn't chosen a college yet and should be one of the most highly-anticipated commits in the coming year. She finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals in the loss.
Boys &mdash; Long Island Lutheran (NY) 64, Oak Hill Academy (VA) 56
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FLOOR GENERAL 👏 Jayden Reid always in control as LuHi beats Oak Hill 64-56 <a href="https://twitter.com/LuHiBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LuHiBasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jaydenreid0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaydenreid0</a> <a href="https://t.co/PzVFy12thm">pic.twitter.com/PzVFy12thm</a>
&mdash; NIBC (@NIBCOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614391132728836097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Jayden Reid, Long Island Lutheran &mdash;&nbsp;A 5-foot-10 playmaker who shined is going to land on this list all day. Reid, a 3-star senior point guard, showed total command of the offense with wraparound dimes and pocket passes in the pick-and-roll. He knocked down a pair of threes and finished off one fast break with an impressive double-clutch layup. The guard play from both squads was really excellent, but Reid stood out with 16 points, 7 assists and 4 steals.
Kaden Magwood, Oak Hill &mdash; Magwood caught fire off the bench, going for 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He made both of his threes and finished <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614385220500725760" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a stunning layup on the fast break</a> to help keep Oak Hill in the game. Magwood is only a sophomore and not in the early class frontrunners yet; I expect that to change pretty soon. He plays with a ton of fight for a guard listed at 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds.
Boys &mdash; Montverde Academy (FL) 85, La Lumiere (IN) 63
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Cooper Flagg is that guy 😎 (No. 2 ESPN 25) put on a show in Montverde&rsquo;s 85-63 win over La Lu <a href="https://twitter.com/MVABasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MVABasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CooperFlagg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CooperFlagg</a> <a href="https://t.co/VGOxQpkMy7">pic.twitter.com/VGOxQpkMy7</a>
&mdash; NIBC (@NIBCOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614417408323723265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Cooper Flagg, Montverde &mdash;&nbsp;It's remarkable how polished Flagg plays despite being just a sophomore and in his first year with one of the most successful programs in the country. Flagg had 21 points in 25 minutes on 8-for-10 shooting (3-4 3PT). The shots came in all types: cutting via baseline out-of-bounds plays, spacing the floor in the corner and initiating the attack himself.&nbsp;
Then you add the defense, which included five steals and a few ticky-tack fouls that could have been blocks. Flagg is aware and active on both sides of the ball, and it's easy for him to string productive plays together regardless of whether he's getting buckets.&nbsp;
Flagg certainly matched the hype as one of the top players in the 2025 class. After leaving his hometown Nokomis High in Maine and transferring all the way to Florida, he's fit right in with the Eagles. He said approximately 100 friends and family made the four-hour drive down to western Massachusetts.
"I think it's kind of similar to my team back in Maine. We all trust each other. I think that's helped to elevate me too, is playing at the highest level and having a team [where] everybody trusts each other," Flagg said after his performance. "We know that every night it's gonna be someone else [stepping up]."
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KJ Evans, Montverde &mdash;&nbsp;The Oregon-bound senior quietly worked his way to 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, but punctuated his effort with a powerful putback slam. Evans found most of his success around the basket and demonstrated syngergy with Flagg and other playmakers when cutting. The 5-star forward thrived in his role as Montverde tore apart La Lumiere with its decisive passing.
Boys &mdash; Centennial (CA) 66, Camden (NJ) 62
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Off the screen. A little head fake frees up Jared McCain for a deep 3ball. It&rsquo;s his fifth 3 of the night. Corona Centennial leads Camden (NJ) 50-45 after three quarters. <a href="https://t.co/me3L1dEpYo">pic.twitter.com/me3L1dEpYo</a>
&mdash; Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tarek_Fattal/status/1614435225085304838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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DJ Wagner, Camden &mdash;&nbsp;It is all-but impossible to stop Wagner at this level when he bombards the basket. The 5-star senior slithered his way through space and sliced open double-teams with jump-stop attacks, finishing with 27 points. Though he struggled to shoot it from outside, his craft and touch around the rim are superb, and his functional strength is light-years from when I first got the chance to watch him at HoopHall as a freshman.&nbsp;
Wagner will team up with fellow 5-star classmate Aaron Bradshaw (15 points, 8 rebounds) at Kentucky, and he's excited to keep the momentum rolling with his 7-foot teammate.
"It's great. We've been playing together for a long time now," Wagner told reporters postgame. "Off the court, that's like my brother, so it's just fun to be able to go to the next level and play on the same floor with him in college."
Jared McCain, Centennial &mdash;&nbsp;McCain was money as a shooter and finished with 27 points, including six made threes. Centennial used him off of creative screening actions and as a spot-up threat, but the Duke commit also pulled up for a couple of self-created makes. He added an impressive driving layup and a fadeaway make from the free-throw line. A 4-star guard, McCain brought a really positive energy to Centennial's win with his confidence.
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Boys &mdash; Christopher Columbus (FL) 74, San Ysidro (CA) 67
Cameron Boozer, Christopher Columbus &mdash;&nbsp;Boozer was the second top sophomore to look far beyond his years on Saturday. The son of Carlos Boozer, Cameron finished with an effortless 33 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks &mdash; and still showed displeasure with his squad's defense &mdash; as Christopher Columbus led wire-to-wire. His twin brother Cayden, a guard, also had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Boozer is listed at 6-foot-9, 215 pounds online. He seems even more physically imposing in person. Yet he's not a bowling ball; Boozer calmly settled into three-pointers (3-for-5) and comitted just one foul while still battling around the basket.&nbsp;
"When I was younger, I got in foul trouble a lot swiping down," Boozer told Basketball News in his postgame scrum. "It's something I've learned: just stay vertical and contest guys so it's kind of tough to finish over me &mdash; using my size and my length to my advantage."
Boozer mentioned in the scrum that his favorite player is Anthony Davis, and he admires the Brow's full arsenal of two-way weapons.
"I feel like he can do it all," Boozer said. "He can rebound, he can pass, he can shoot it, he finishes well... When he's healthy, he's one of the best players in the league."

Ethan Fuller shares his scouting report from Saturday's action at the HoopHall Classic.

HoopHall Highlights: Top performances from Saturday's action

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Kentucky All-American forward Oscar Tshiebwe is wondering whether the Wildcats&rsquo; walk-ons should play at this point in a frustrating season, just to show some fire.
For college basketball&rsquo;s reigning player of the year to challenge his talented teammates speaks volumes of the crisis within one of the sport&rsquo;s most prestigious and successful programs.
&ldquo;Play the people who are willing to fight, even some walk-ons,&rdquo; the usually affable senior said after Tuesday night&rsquo;s 71-68 home loss to South Carolina. &ldquo;Put the people who try to look cute on offense where they don&rsquo;t want to play defense, put them on the bench. We&rsquo;re here to fight and to try to do something.&rdquo;
Kentucky began the season No. 4 and was favored to win the Southeastern Conference &mdash; along with its own usual high expectations of a national championship. At this point, the Wildcats have some work to do to even just get on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
The team&rsquo;s passionate fan base has unleashed hurt and anger on talk shows and social media, even calling for coach John Calipari&rsquo;s exit. Reports that Texas has reached out to the Hall of Famer for its coaching vacancy have only fueled that once-unthinkable sentiment to the point that one fan was escorted from Rupp Arena on Tuesday night because of a sign that said, &ldquo;Please go to Texas.&rdquo;
Yes, it has come to that within Big Blue Nation.
Calipari will earn $8.5 million this season with $53 million remaining on a &ldquo;lifetime&rdquo; contract through the 2028-29 season that doesn&rsquo;t have a buyout. He said this week he has not spoken with Texas, and insisted that he ignores the noise.
But Calipari knows the discontent is there and getting louder with each discouraging defeat.
&ldquo;And are fans mad? They should be,&rdquo; he said Tuesday after Kentucky&rsquo;s 28-game home winning streak was snapped. &ldquo;We lost at home. We don&rsquo;t lose at home. We lost at home.&rdquo;
Calipari also addressed the obvious: a 10-6 Kentucky team that&rsquo;s 1-3 in the SEC must improve, starting with himself.
The Wildcats are struggling with chemistry and consistency on both ends of the floor. Calipari&rsquo;s strategy and recruiting are enduring harsh scrutiny. Injuries haven&rsquo;t helped, though Tshiebwe is averaging 16 points and 13.1 rebounds per game after a preseason procedure on his right knee. Still, a physical Alabama squad limited him to six rebounds and four points in a 78-52 shellacking in which Kentucky&rsquo;s starters tallied just 27 points against the now-No. 4 Crimson Tide.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas believes it&rsquo;s too soon to panic, but noted that the Wildcats must step it up in the second half of the season.
&ldquo;This is not an X-and-O issue, this is a player issue,&rdquo; Bilas said in a phone interview. &ldquo;And the players have to bring more, do more collectively and individually than they&rsquo;ve done. Some players are going to be more capable of doing more than others. But this isn&rsquo;t an issue of run a different offense and all of a sudden everything gets better.&rdquo;
Whatever needs to be done, Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart expressed faith in Calipari&rsquo;s ability to fix it during an interview Friday on Kentucky Sports Radio.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve battled some injury bugs, we&rsquo;ve battled some confidence bugs and hopefully we can get those things put behind us,&rdquo; Barnhart said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got 14, 15 games left in the regular season and get where we want to get to postseason and make a run. We&rsquo;re famous for doing that and Cal&rsquo;s teams are famous for doing that.&rdquo;
In a hoops-mad state that expects championships and annual top-three recruiting classes, the problem is that Kentucky hasn&rsquo;t won an NCAA championship since 2012, made a Final Four since going 38-1 in the 2014-15 season or been a serious national title contender since an overtime loss to Auburn in the Elite Eight in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the Big Dance in 2020, and 9-16 collapse the next year left the Wildcats out altogether.
Tshiebwe&rsquo;s phenomenal breakout keyed last season&rsquo;s rebound, but the team was upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by No. 15 Saint Peter&rsquo;s &mdash; considered Kentucky&rsquo;s worst NCAA loss ever.
With the 6-foot-9 Tshiebwe returning, there were, again, high expectations. As of now, Kentucky&rsquo;s tournament resume lacks a Quad 1 victory after losses to Michigan State, Gonzaga, UCLA, &rsquo;Bama and now-No. 20 Missouri by double digits.
This week&rsquo;s loss to the Gamecocks demonstrated everything Kentucky has done wrong. The Wildcats never led against the SEC&rsquo;s lowest-rated team, and it took a furious rally to get within a point before missing attempts to tie it up in the final seconds. Afterward, Tshiebwe lamented.
&ldquo;Some of us coming in are taking things for granted,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just tell them, (that) the coaches, they cannot do it for us. They just come out with the game plan with who we are going to depend on and how we are going to play offense.
&ldquo;We come to Kentucky for a very good reason, we come chasing greatness. And if you come not willing to fight, it&rsquo;s going to be tough.&rdquo;
Kentucky&rsquo;s immediate outlook looks dire with a visit Saturday to No. 5 Tennessee, which won last year&rsquo;s meeting 76-63 in Knoxville and four of the last six matchups overall. Volunteers coach Rick Barnes nonetheless expects the Wildcats&rsquo; best this weekend and beyond with Calipari.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure he&rsquo;s had his whole team together all year,&rdquo; Barnes said Thursday. &ldquo;One thing I do know is his teams always get better and play their best basketball late in the year.&rdquo;
Then the Wildcats host No. 2 Kansas, the reigning national champions, on Jan. 28 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Jayhawks no doubt will aim to avenge last season&rsquo;s 80-62 rout at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kentucky also has two meetings against No. 15 Arkansas and a home rematch with the Volunteers.
Considering the Wildcats lost to a South Carolina team that got drilled by 43 at home by Tennessee, they can&rsquo;t afford to look past any SEC opponent. But right now, the concern is whether the Wildcats can beat one.
&ldquo;Every game we play is going to be a dogfight with us being Kentucky,&rdquo; forward Daimion Collins said. &ldquo;We just have to fight, work hard, rebound and defend. If we do those things we&rsquo;ll win some games.&rdquo;

Once a preseason No. 4 and SEC favorite, this point, the Wildcats have some work to do to even just get on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Kentucky, Calipari frustrated by season-long struggles

STORRS, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Joey Calcaterra scored all of his 14 points in the second half to help second-ranked UConn rally from its first second-half deficit of the season for an 84-73 victory over Georgetown on Tuesday night.
Tristan Newton had 17 points and seven assists, while Adama Sanogo added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Huskies (13-0, 2-0 Big East). Jordan Hawkins scored 15 points and Andre Jackson finished with seven points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Primo Spears had 19 points and Qudus Wahab 16 points and nine rebounds for Georgetown (5-8, 0-2).
UConn led by seven at halftime, but a dunk by former UConn forward/center Akok Akok gave Georgetown a 51-49 lead with 16:35 left to play. It was the first time this season that the Huskies have trailed in the second half this season.
NO. 5 ARIZONA 85, MONTANA STATE 64
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Kerr Kriisa scored 18 points, Cedric Henderson Jr. added 16 and Arizona pulled away in the second half to beat Montana State.
Arizona (11-1) pulled it out by wearing down Montana State and hitting 10 of 25 3-pointers for its 26th straight home win. Oumar Ballo had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and the Wildcats scored 20 points off Montana State&rsquo;s 20 turnovers. Kriisa went 6 of 9 from 3.
Jubrile Belo had 18 points and RaeQuan Battle added 17 for the Bobcats (7-6), who shot 3 for 24 from the 3-point arc.
NO. 22 MIAMI 66, NO. 6 VIRGINIA 64
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Isaiah Wong scored 24 points and Miami held on during a frantic finish to beat Virginia.
Jordan Miller finished with 11 points while Norchad Omier had 10 for the Hurricanes (12-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who snapped a six-game losing streak against the Cavaliers.
Miami led 61-51 on a free throw by Wong with 1:56 to play. Virginia (8-2, 1-1) went on an 8-0 run from there. Kihei Clark&rsquo;s layup with 26 seconds left made it 61-59, and Clark made three free throws with 5 seconds remaining to get the Cavaliers within 65-64, but Virginia couldn&rsquo;t finish it off and lost its second straight.
Ohio University transfer Ben Vander Plas scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half, his highest-scoring game for the Cavaliers. Clark had 13 points and Beekman finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
NO. 9 ALABAMA 84, JACKSON STATE 64
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Noah Gurley scored a season-high 16 points and Mark Sears had 15, all in the second half, to Alabama past Jackson State.
The Crimson Tide (10-2), coming off a 100-90 loss to No. 11 Gonzaga, struggled much of the way and even trailed a minute into the second half against the Tigers (1-11).
Nick Pringle had 14 points and nine rebounds for Alabama after coming into the game scoring less than one per game.
Ken Evans led Jackson State with 18 points.
NO. 11 GONZAGA 85, MONTANA 75
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored a season-high 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Gonzaga won its 72nd straight home game.
Gonzaga&rsquo;s home win streak is tied with UNLV (1974-78) for the ninth-longest in NCAA history. It&rsquo;s the longest streak since Lamar&rsquo;s 80-game run from 1978-84.
Timme started 4 for 9 from the free throw line but went 4 for 4 down the stretch to seal the game for the Bulldogs (10-3) after a late Montana rally. The Grizzlies (6-6) cut a 17-point, second-half deficit to five with 3:06 to play on Josh Bannan&rsquo;s jumper but couldn&rsquo;t get any closer.
Bannan scored 19 points for Montana.
NO. 12 BAYLOR 58, NORTHWESTERN STATE 48
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Jalen Bridges scored 12 of his 13 points in the second half, and Baylor pulled away from Northwestern State.
LJ Cryer and Dale Bonner added 11 points apiece for the Bears (9-2), who have won four in a row.
Baylor went on a 14-0 run to take control for good after Northwestern State&rsquo;s DeMarcus Sharp made a jumper to open the second-half scoring and tie the game at 24.
Sharp had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Northwestern State (8-4).
WAKE FOREST 81, NO. 14 DUKE 70
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Tyree Appleby had 18 points and eight assists as Wake Forest ended Duke&rsquo;s eight-game road winning streak.
Cameron Hildreth added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Demon Deacons (9-4, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who led nearly the entire game. Wake Forest led 39-30 at halftime, then pushed that margin to as many as 15 points. Wake Forest shot 49.1% and had five double-figure scorers.
Jaylen Blakes scored a career-high 17 points to lead Duke (10-3, 1-1), which never got closer than seven after the break.
DRAKE 58, NO. 15 MISSISSIPPI STATE 52
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Roman Penn scored 19 points, Sardaar Calhoun made four of his career-high five 3-pointers in the second half, and Drake handed Mississippi State its first loss.
Calhoun finished with 17 points and Tucker DeVries added 15 for Drake (9-3), which beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 2013.
Eric Reed Jr. scored all of his team-high 11 points in the first half for Mississippi State (11-1).
DeVries&rsquo; floater in the lane put Drake up 52-50 with 1:51 left in the neutral-site game, and Penn hit a jumper for a four-point lead with just over a minute left. Penn made four free throws in the last 10 seconds to secure Drake&rsquo;s first win over a Power Five opponent since it beat Kansas State in the 2020-21 season opener.
NO. 18 INDIANA 96, ELON 72
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Race Thompson had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and short-handed Indiana beat Elon.
The Hoosiers were missing their two leading scorers. Center Trayce Jackson-Davis (16.4 points per game) sat for precautionary reasons with nagging back and hand injuries, and point guard Xavier Johnson (9.9 points) was sidelined by a foot injury.
But the Hoosiers (9-3) had too much depth against the visitors from the Colonial Athletic Association as they ended a two-game skid. Freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino had 17 points and seven assists for the Hoosiers.
Max Mackinnon led Elon (2-11) with 19 points and Sean Halloran added 15.
PROVIDENCE 103, NO. 24 MARQUETTE 98, 2OT
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Bryce Hopkins had 29 points and 23 rebounds &mdash; both career highs &mdash; and grabbed the offensive board on a missed free throw with 15 seconds left in the second overtime to help Providence run out the clock and beat Marquette.
The Friars (10-3, 2-0 Big East) won their fourth straight game and improved to 4-0 in overtime this season. Devin Carter and Ed Croswell scored 20 points apiece for Providence, which beat a ranked team for the fourth straight season.
Native Rhode Islander Tyler Kolek scored a career-high 29 points before fouling out in the second overtime, and Kam Jones added 24 points for the Golden Eagles (9-4, 1-1).
Marquette blew a nine-point lead in the final minutes of regulation and rallied from an eight-point deficit in the first overtime.

A recap of Tuesday night's men's college basketball slate features a handful of top-15 upsets and a close one for the Huskies.

Calcaterra, No. 2 UConn pull away in second half to beat Hoyas

Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and Caitlin Clark of Iowa were unanimous picks for The Associated Press preseason women&rsquo;s basketball All-America team released Tuesday.
Boston led South Carolina to its second national championship and swept nearly ever major award last season. Expectations are high once again for the top-ranked Gamecocks and Boston, who was on all 30 ballots from the national media panel that selects the AP Top 25 each week.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think all the awards define who she is but also puts her in a position of she&rsquo;s in a more relaxed mode because she accomplished those things. She&rsquo;s still in a place of hunger,&rdquo; South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. &ldquo;She still wants to be the best. When you&rsquo;ve proven that at such an early stage of your career, you want more and more. She&rsquo;s entered a phase of wanting more yet is confident in who she is, since she was able to accomplish it.&rdquo;
Seniors Haley Jones of Stanford, Ashley Joens of Iowa State and Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech were also selected for the team as was sophomore Aneesah Morrow of DePaul.
Boston, who averaged 16.8 points and 12.4 rebounds, and Clark were both on the preseason team last year. Clark followed up a fantastic first season with an even better one as a sophomore, averaging 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Hawkeyes, who are ranked fourth in the preseason poll for their best mark since 1994.
&ldquo;She worked on a little bit more emotional control in her leadership. I think that&rsquo;s really important,&rdquo; Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. &ldquo;You want those officials to be your best friends let&rsquo;s treat them like that.&rdquo;
Bluder also said Clark has added some post moves to her game: &ldquo;That may sound silly with Monika (Czinano) on the block. She&rsquo;s almost 5-foot-10 and no reason she can&rsquo;t post up. She&rsquo;s looking for that a lot more.&rdquo;
Joens opted to stay at Iowa State for another year, passing up a chance to enter the WNBA draft. She averaged 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds last season and is the first preseason All-American in school history.
&ldquo;This is a great honor for Ashley and the entire Iowa State program,&rdquo; coach Bill Fennelly said. &ldquo;To be recognized with such a great group of players is an outstanding accomplishment. I know she will continue to work hard to play at an All-American level this season.&rdquo;
Jones helped Stanford go 32-4 before falling to UConn in the Final Four. She averaged 13.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Cardinal. Last season, coach Tara VanDerveer called her star the &ldquo;Magic Johnson of women&rsquo;s basketball.&rdquo;
Kitley had a stellar year, averaging 18.1 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Hokies. Her return is a big reason why the team is ranked No. 13 in the preseason, its best mark since the final poll of 1999 when the school was also 13th.
She is the first player from the school to be honored as a preseason All-American.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s the hardest working kid I&rsquo;ve been around,&rdquo; Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks said. &rsquo;If she doesn&rsquo;t do something, she has FOMO (fear of missing out). She&rsquo;s added so much to her game to make us the best we can be. My responsibility is to prepare her for the next level.&rdquo;
Morrow had an incredible first season, averaging 21.9 points and 13.5 rebounds for the Blue Demons. She is the first DePaul player to earn preseason honors since Latasha Byears did it in 1995.
&ldquo;She earns it through her daily work ethic and competitiveness,&rdquo; DePaul coach Doug Bruno said of Morrow.
All six players were honored last spring on the AP All-America teams. Boston, Clark and Jones were on the first team while Joens and Morrow were on the second. Kitley made the third team.
The AP started choosing a preseason All-America team before the 1994-95 season.
___
The Associated Press&rsquo; 2022-23 preseason All-America women&rsquo;s basketball team, with school, height, year and votes from a 30-member national media panel (key 2021-22 statistics in parentheses):
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina, 6-5, senior, 30 of 30 votes (16.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 2.4 bpg.)
Caitlin Clark, Iowa, 6-0, junior, 30 of 30 votes (27.0 ppg, 8.0 apg, 8.0 rpg)
Haley Jones, Stanford, 6-1, senior 28 of 30 votes (13.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.7 apg)
Ashley Joens, Iowa State, 6-1, senior, 24 of 30 votes (20.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, 6-6, senior, 9 of 30 votes (18.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.4 bpg)
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul, 6-1, sophomore, 9 of 30 votes (21.9 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 3.0 spg)
Others receiving votes: Cameron Brink, Stanford; Rori Harmon, Texas; Hailey Van Lith, Louisville; Olivia Miles, Notre Dame; Angel Reese, LSU; Maddy Siegrist, Villanova; Azzi Fudd, UConn; Jade Loville, Arizona State; Jordan Horston, Tennessee; Deja Kelly, North Carolina; Tamari Key, Tennessee.

Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and Caitlin Clark of Iowa were unanimous picks for the AP preseason women’s basketball All-America team.

Boston, Clark headline AP women’s hoops All-America team

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jayden Gardner heard the criticisms of the strength of the Atlantic Coast Conference last year, then felt the effect when his Virginia team joined league-mate Wake Forest on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
He figures there won&rsquo;t be a repeat this year, not after the way the league teams that did make it ensured the ACC outperformed its power-conference peers in March Madness.
&ldquo;It showed itself in the tournament,&rdquo; the forward said Wednesday of the league&rsquo;s strength, adding: &ldquo;They&rsquo;ll be expecting a lot because of most of the people are back.&rdquo;
It was a common vibe among league teams during the ACC&rsquo;s preseason men&rsquo;s basketball media day, a validation after landing three teams in the Elite Eight, rivals Duke and North Carolina in the Final Four and the Tar Heels coming within minutes of winning the national championship.
&ldquo;We were better than we got credit for,&rdquo; first-year Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
Yet there&rsquo;s also the reality that the league is coming off its lowest haul of tournament bids since expanding to become a 15-team league for the 2013-14 season. And it&rsquo;s up to the rest of the teams to restore the league&rsquo;s strong middle tier that has typically gobbled up bids every Selection Sunday.
&ldquo;I do believe the league is at its best when the depth is greater,&rdquo; commissioner Jim Phillips said in an interview with The Associated Press. &ldquo;And you can move around who&rsquo;s in what positions, but the strength of this league functions at its highest level when, 1 through 15, you don&rsquo;t have nearly the gaps that maybe we saw last year.&rdquo;
At minimum, it was an unusual year for the league.
The ACC had been on a strong run in the five seasons before the COVID-19 pandemic, with Duke (2015), North Carolina (2017) and Virginia (2019) all winning national titles while the Tar Heels played for another title in 2016. The league also twice set its high of nine bids in 2017 and 2018, approaching a long-stated and still-unfulfilled expansion goal of becoming a regular a 10-bid league.
Yet the ACC never quite looked on par with its tradition-rich history last year.
Rosters reshaped by the transfer portal and players who had only competed during the no-crowd days of the pandemic needed time to develop. League teams didn&rsquo;t perform particularly well in marquee nonconference games.
The league had just one team &mdash; Duke in the final season of retiring Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski &ndash; ranked in the AP Top 25 for much of the season while also finishing fifth in KenPom&rsquo;s conference rankings last season with its lowest-ever efficiency rating as a 15-team league.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to perform,&rdquo; Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. &ldquo;One thing we didn&rsquo;t do was perform in November and December. We made our bed.&rdquo;
And that set the stage for what came on Selection Sunday, which included Wake Forest missing the NCAAs despite 13 ACC wins, followed by Virginia with 12.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to tell you that the narrative doesn&rsquo;t matter, but we&rsquo;re all human,&rdquo; Demon Deacons coach Steve Forbes said. &ldquo;So you can&rsquo;t help it when you hear that over and over and over. That&rsquo;s what we heard in November. And you know what? Probably we didn&rsquo;t win the right games in November.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The hard part for me was not getting the bump in the league,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;The narrative, once it got going, there was no way to change it &mdash; until all of a sudden we went 14-5 in the tournament. ... And you&rsquo;re like, &lsquo;What are you going to say now?&rsquo;&rdquo;
Those 14 wins &mdash; most of any conference &mdash; came largely on UNC and Duke pushing all the way to New Orleans for the rivalry&rsquo;s epic first-ever NCAA Tournament matchup, as well as Miami reaching a regional final before falling to eventual champion Kansas.
Now the Tar Heels return four starters from the team that reached the final Monday night of the season in coach Hubert Davis&rsquo; first season as Hall of Famer Roy Williams&rsquo; successor. The Blue Devils are stacked with the nation&rsquo;s top-ranked recruiting class as Scheyer replaces Coach K.
And looking at ESPN&rsquo;s &ldquo;Bracketology&rdquo; preseason mock NCAA bracket, the league has five other expected tournament teams: Miami, reigning first-time ACC Tournament champion Virginia Tech, Virginia, Notre Dame and Florida State.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always felt like the ACC is the best college basketball conference in the country,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;I felt that way last year and I felt that way this year. ... I feel like we&rsquo;re at a really good point this year with our strength. And again, we&rsquo;ll prove it out there on the floor how strong our conference is.&rdquo;

The ACC never quite looked on par with its tradition-rich history last year.

ACC aims to build on ‘down’ year’s final NCAA flourish

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes how Chris Webber's decision-making unlocked the Kings' revolutionary offense.

Blazing the Trail: Chris Webber, the read-and-react king

Changing the way the so-called &ldquo;transition take fouls&rdquo; are officiated this season won&rsquo;t keep them out of the NBA game.
In fact, the league thinks that sort of play now may make the game better.
The long-awaited rule change &mdash; one of the points of education for the NBA going into this season &mdash; was a major talking point this week for referees, who gathered for their preseason meetings now that training camps around the league are about to open. There are other emphasis points, but the take-foul changes may be the most significant.
&ldquo;Some of our best play at the NBA is defensive basketball. We don&rsquo;t want to discourage that; in fact, we think this rule will encourage that because now we&rsquo;re asking you to make a legitimate play on the ball,&rdquo; said Monty McCutchen, the NBA&rsquo;s Senior Vice President overseeing referees and training. &ldquo;From that standpoint, we think more exciting basketball is on the horizon and these transition scoring opportunities &mdash; both defensively and offensively &mdash;can be highlight plays. We&rsquo;ve lost some of that and we think this rule is going to inject that exciting play back into our game.&rdquo;
The take foul &mdash; in which the defender does not make a play on the ball &mdash; is what the league classifies as one that occurs either &ldquo;during a transition scoring opportunity or immediately following a change of possession and before the offensive team had the opportunity to advance the ball.&rdquo; The exception is in the final 2 minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.
The new penalty for such a foul is one free throw, which may be attempted by any player on the offended team in the game at the time the foul was committed, along with continued possession by the offended team.
But the league also hopes that defenders making plays on the ball in those situations leads to exciting plays, whether the gamble leads to the offensive team getting an easy score or results in the defensive team cashing in a turnover.
&ldquo;Our players and our coaches, they&rsquo;re good at their jobs,&rdquo; McCutchen said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re good at their jobs, because they&rsquo;re committed at their jobs. They absolutely will stop doing this if we&rsquo;re consistent in our work, which I fully anticipate us being. They&rsquo;ll then know how to coach it properly. And therein lies the glory of transition basketball being reinjected into our game.&rdquo;
Other points of education this season are holdovers from recent years, such as players having freedom of moment in both the post and on the perimeter, setting proper screens, avoiding travels and having &ldquo;respect for the game&rdquo; &mdash; often meaning not being overly demonstrative toward referees or others when a call doesn&rsquo;t go their way.
Bench conduct will be more closely monitored as well, after an uptick in recent years of players standing in their bench areas during play and often encroaching on the sideline or baseline -- getting perhaps a bit too close to the action.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s going to be a little bit of a change,&rdquo; McCutchen said. &ldquo;We want players on the bench to be able to react spontaneously to exciting basketball play. But it&rsquo;s important that they not stand the whole game, because now you&rsquo;re getting into game integrity issues, injury possibility for game participants, we want to eliminate all that.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s another change coming, one where some teams won&rsquo;t like seeing the light come on.
When the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, makes a scoring change during play &mdash; typically whether a 3-point shot was really a 3 or a 2, or if a basket beat the 24-second shot clock or not &mdash; a blue light will flash at the scorer&rsquo;s table, indicating that a decision is about to be announced.
And that change will be announced at the first neutral opportunity, meaning a game could be stopped in certain situations to update the score.
It&rsquo;s designed to eliminate situations like the one in Game 7 of last season&rsquo;s Eastern Conference finals, when Miami&rsquo;s Max Strus made a 3-pointer early in the third quarter for the Heat in their game against the Boston Celtics. About 3 minutes of game time passed before fans in Miami were alerted that those three points were coming off the scoreboard, after the replay center said Strus stepped out of bounds &mdash; though the Heat argued that night that they had not seen any definitive angle saying he was clearly on the line.
Miami wound up losing 100-96.
&ldquo;The new interpretation is going to allow us to exponentially speed that up so everyone has the best information in as close to real-time as they can,&rdquo; McCutchen said.

“Some of our best play at the NBA is defensive basketball. We don’t want to discourage that," said senior VP referee Monty McCutchen.

Take fouls, score changes will be different in NBA this year

Unless you&rsquo;re an NBA junkie, you&rsquo;re excused if you&rsquo;re not familiar with Omer Yurtseven... for now.
Yurtseven is a 24-year-old big man entering his sophomore season in the NBA. He went undrafted in 2020 after playing three college seasons &mdash; two at NC State and one at Georgetown &mdash; but signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Oklahoma City before the 2020-21 season. During that campaign, Yurtseven averaged 15.2 points and 9.3 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game with the OKC Blue, the Thunder's G League affiliate, and caught the eye of decision-makers at the next level &mdash; particularly in South Beach.
In May 2021, Yurtseven signed a deal with the Miami Heat before the end of the season and inked a standard multi-year contract with the team before the 2021-22 campaign.
Though he hadn't yet secured a significant spot in the Heat's rotation, the rookie big man <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/yurtsom01/gamelog/2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stepped up in the winter months</a> when Miami needed him most last year.
His coming out party was on Dec. 26 against the Orlando Magic, a night where he scored 16 points and collected 15 rebounds in 33 minutes &mdash; the first double-double of his career.
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The momentum only continued from there.
In January 2022, Yurtseven nearly averaged a double-double (10.6 points, 9.9 rebounds) in over 22 minutes per contest. That stretch included a 22-point, 16-board performance in Sacramento, and, most impressively, going toe-to-toe with Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers; Yurtseven produced 22 points and 11 rebounds in a starting role for his eighth double-double in 10 games.
Yurtseven only received spot minutes following that contest, in both the regular season and the playoffs. However, that winter stretch taught him quite a bit about NBA bigs.
&ldquo;Going against bigs like Joel Embiid, [Jusuf] Nurkic &mdash; those heavy hitters taught me that I need to be stronger,&rdquo; Yurtseven told Basketball News in a phone interview. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the best part about basketball: There is no limit that you can cap yourself on if you keep working and keep believing.
&ldquo;I saw I needed to add strength. But you can&rsquo;t disregard agility because you have to keep up with the skinnier and faster bigs, too. Playing against Embiid, though, I think I made it hard for him and contested shots. But I know I can be stronger.
Yurtseven's highlights are impressive. He moves well without the ball, gets up and down the floor, screens and rebounds well, and demonstrates good moves in the mid-post and around the rim.
His playstyle is a bit of a throwback. Despite knowing that the game is more perimeter-oriented than ever, he only attempted 11 three-pointers last season. Standing 7-foot tall, being an active rebounder and performing at his best when catching the ball on the block, Yurtseven leans on the most natural parts of his game.
When asked about his first NBA season, he relays he learned a lot, and notes that there is still work to be done to improve.
"Last year was basically my rookie year, and that was my first time against Embiid. I had my first start last year, my first double-double," Yurtseven said. "So, this year, it&rsquo;s all something I&rsquo;ve done before. I&rsquo;ll be better prepared knowing what I&rsquo;ll face and knowing the ups and downs.
Looking ahead is a natural part of professional sports, and it&rsquo;s no different for Yurtseven. In speaking to him, it&rsquo;s evident that he&rsquo;s excited about what&rsquo;s to come, and he has set out many goals for himself in the near future. &nbsp;
&ldquo;No. 1 is getting that rotational spot during training camp and throughout the season. In order to do that, I need to be in the best shape I can, which I am [currently],&rdquo; Yurtseven said. &ldquo;Cutting down the body fat and increasing weight, it&rsquo;s been a grind. But it&rsquo;s an everyday thing. I&rsquo;ve been doing it non-stop for four years now.&rdquo;
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Yurtseven&rsquo;s success, at least this season, will be predicated on how well the lineups in which he's featured fare. Understanding that each play could impact his future, and that legends like coach Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley are directly involved, would rattle most of us, but Yurtseven isn&rsquo;t the least bit intimidated by it.
&ldquo;[It's] exciting more than anything because every day is a different challenge,&rdquo; Yurtseven explained. &ldquo;They demand a lot of you, but that also shows their belief. That&rsquo;s what a lot of players misinterpret. They think, &lsquo;Coach is yelling at me,&rsquo; and [will] be bummed about it. Or, [instead], they can say 'He believes in me and knows and wants that extra edge that he knows I can give him.'"
All NBA teams have strength and conditioning programs, but none are as notorious as Miami&rsquo;s. That program has led to some seriously impressive transformations. (Notably, former guard Dion Waiters, who was in good-but-not great shape before joining the Heat, sporting six-pack abs after landing in Miami.)
And while it involves treacherous preparation, it&rsquo;s all just part of Spoelstra&rsquo;s plan to be better prepared to run than the competition. However, it's Yurtseven&rsquo;s personal training regimen that makes him confident about winning his spot in the Heat's rotation come training camp.
&ldquo;All the coaches have been saying is, 'If you want minutes, come get them in training camp.' So, that&rsquo;s my focus,&rdquo; Yurtseven said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no such thing as over-preparation. So, I have to be in the best shape of my life and be ready &mdash; the rest will take care of itself. (The Heat coaching staff) is extremely demanding. Mondays are really tough in camp,&rdquo; Yurtseven continued. &ldquo;They know you got a little rest on the weekend. So, you go all out, and it takes everything out of you.&rdquo;
A major part of Miami&rsquo;s training camp is the &ldquo;10's," a timed test that players must pass. It involves running 10 baseline-to-baseline sprints in under a minute.
&ldquo;You do 10's, and before that, you do a lift, conditioning workouts,&rdquo; Yurtseven said. &ldquo;Personally, I go for extra vitamin sessions at night, too.&rdquo;
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Yurtseven is keen to point out that the adage about achieving success through goals and habits is accurate. In doing so, he revealed a lot about the dedication, on and off the court, that&rsquo;s necessary for success.
&ldquo;When you get your body fat percentage down, it gives you another gear. I&rsquo;ve realized that more since I&rsquo;ve dropped body fat,&rdquo; Yurtseven explained. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been amazing to feel that and get closer to [reaching] your potential or maximum speed. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a saying that you can&rsquo;t outwork a bad diet, and it&rsquo;s definitely true. I&rsquo;ve tried it both ways &mdash; I&rsquo;ve tried to outwork a bad diet, and it did not work. You just have to watch what you eat.
&ldquo;I have a chef now who takes care of my nutrition. He adds up my daily protein, carbs, calories, whatever. He knows what I&rsquo;m trying to do, and that helps me control energy levels and stay on top of body fat,&rdquo; Yurtseven continued. &ldquo;You see guys like Jimmy [Butler] with very low body fat and you see it in his reaction time, and speed and agility. Everything is more explosive because he doesn&rsquo;t have excess body fat that slows you down.&rdquo;
Dietary concessions are a necessary part of preparing for an NBA season, but those are usually difficult to make. Like the rest of us, Yurtseven struggles with cutting out foods. But he dropped some knowledge on how he approaches clean eating and exactly which foods he avoids.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long list. I think I have a sweet tooth. And overall, I love eating and trying different foods,&rdquo; Yurtseven said. &ldquo;Where I&rsquo;m from, I was introduced to a whole different array of flavors. No. 1, though, is sweets, which I&rsquo;ve had to cut out. There&rsquo;s no end to the amount of calories [that sweets add].
&ldquo;Trail mix, too, because they seem like an innocent snack. But [it&rsquo;s] all sweets: Cookies, ice cream, even cereal. It&rsquo;s just little changes that add up, eliminating 1,000 or more calories per day.&rdquo;
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Considering the reputation Miami has for its nightlife, you might imagine that a young and handsomely paid individual like Yurtseven might struggle with that side of the world, too. But fortunately for all involved, that&rsquo;s not a problem for Yurtseven.
&ldquo;The scene is always there. Overall, you have to put the horse blinders on," Yurtseven said. "There&rsquo;s no doubt that alcohol is not good for you, and guys do drink. I don&rsquo;t consume alcohol because of my religious beliefs, but it can make you retain body fat.
&ldquo;The party life can consume so much time and energy that you can otherwise invest in yourself. I think clubs are weird; I&rsquo;ve never been to one in Miami. I&rsquo;m trying to keep that streak going. I just stay in &mdash; play my video games if I need to, [take advantage of] pool time, [go to] the beach. There are a lot of distractions here, and it&rsquo;s a big challenge for anyone who comes here. It&rsquo;s just a sacrifice that you have to have in mind.&rdquo;
Ultimately, Yurtseven just wants to secure that spot with the Heat, though, and his mindset and worth ethic should aid him in securing it.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a little crazy, too,&rdquo; Yurtseven joked. &ldquo;I always do extra &mdash; extra reps or whatever it is that gives me an edge, I&rsquo;m going for it. The Heat culture is intense, but I&rsquo;m a little crazy (too), so I do more on top of the crazy.
&ldquo;I just have to play [in a strong manner] so they say, 'How can we not play him? He helps us in all these areas.&rsquo; And I will showcase that,&rdquo; Yurtseven continued. &ldquo;Np. 1 is defense, my change in agility, energy and focus; once I show that, it will give them the confidence to trust me and leave me out there, and that opens the door for me to showcase my offensive package.
&ldquo;The goal is having that role where I shoot the ball, rebound the ball, defend, and I&rsquo;m able to showcase my skill set more in the mid-post when I get a catch. Being able to have my go-to moves to shoot a high clip.&rdquo;
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Having reached the NBA Finals in 2020, appearing in the playoffs for three straight years and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Heat have had their fair share of success.
But Yurtseven hopes the team eclipses all recent outcomes in 2022-23.
&ldquo;One-hundred percent [the goal is a] championship,&rdquo; Yurtseven stated. &ldquo;I think we fell short last year because there were moments when the team needed another guy or two to step up in every area. Sometimes it was offense. Sometimes it was defense. And that&rsquo;s what I think we&rsquo;ll do this year.&rdquo;
Longer term, Yurtseven sees his future in Miami, too. And while many present-day athletes tend to stay mum on the subject of contract negotiations, Yurtseven seems to feel strongly about being with the Heat organization. Still, as an unrestricted free agent after this season concludes, he understands that where he plays is not entirely his decision.
&ldquo;Miami [is] a team that believed in me when a lot of teams did not," Yurtseven said. "And I would love to finish and retire and say that I started my journey here and ended my journey here. But you never know because it is a business.&rdquo;
While the 2022-23 season counts as Yurtseven&rsquo;s sophomore campaign, there&rsquo;s already a make-or-break feel to it, with nowhere to go but up. If he outperforms expectations, Yurtseven could secure a longer-term deal &mdash; with the Heat or elsewhere.
And if that happens, we're all more likely to get familiar with Omer Yurtseven.&nbsp;

Omer Yurtseven could be poised for a breakout season in 2022-23. And if he succeeds, he can thank his "crazy" work ethic.

Omer Yurtseven's 'crazy' work ethic fits perfectly with Heat culture

The Minnesota Timberwolves disturbed the basketball universe when they paid a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/timberwolves-continue-aggressive-push-for-greatness-with-rudy-gobert-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">premium price for Rudy Gobert</a>, sending back a package to the Utah Jazz that did not include Karl-Anthony Towns, who plays the same position.
Immediately, most people had questions. How will Gobert and Towns fit together on the court?
The short answer? Better than you may think.
In a world where small ball is king, Minnesota is going to join a handful of teams in the league that feature two 7-footers in their starting lineup &mdash; the Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are obviously an anomaly due since one of their 7-footers is two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, but both the Grizzlies and Cavaliers had surprising seasons last year due in large part to the size in their respective frontcourts.
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Looking at last season as a blueprint, the pairing of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams demonstrates the most comparable fit for KAT and Gobert. And going back to the 2019-20 campaign, the Los Angeles Lakers playing Anthony Davis with either Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee also shows it can work. The one caveat is that Minnesota will have two All-Star big men on the floor at the same time; neither the Grizzlies nor Lakers could claim that.
In this article, we're going to forecast how Gobert and KAT's roles will look on both ends of the floor while both are sharing the court.
Offense
Offensively, Gobert will likely function in the same role as he did in Utah, with some more time in the dunker spot. Towns will almost definitely see an uptick in three-point attempts, as he'll find himself floating around the perimeter more often.
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On this possession, JJJ sits on the perimeter while Adams is in the same-side dunker spot. Jaren's ability to shoot prevents Aaron Gordon from overhelping on the Ja Morant drive, while the positioning of Adams puts Nikola Jokic in no man's land. Will Barton also has to choose between cutting off the passing lane out to De'Anthony Melton on the perimeter or sealing off Adams.
Whether it is D'Angelo Russell or Anthony Edwards attacking off the drive, placing KAT and Gobert in this kind of set will generate easy buckets for the Timberwolves.
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The Timberwolves were limited with their spacing when Towns was the screener due to Jarred Vanderbilt's inability to shoot from the perimeter. On this possession, JJJ can overhelp and force a kick-out to Vanderbilt. Jaren does not have to close-out and sags in the paint defensively as Vanderbilt dribbles up.
This season when Gobert is the primary screener, teams will not be able to help off KAT on the perimeter, creating the space for a drive or an open three, making Minnesota's offense even more potent than it was a season ago.&nbsp;
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Picture KAT setting a screen and popping to the perimeter, while Gobert hides out on the weak-side dunker spot and Edwards makes like a freight train down the lane. Ant has not operated as a lob passer in the pick-and-roll, but neither did Mike Conley Jr. before he teamed up with Gobert in Utah.
Let Edwards and Gobert connect just a few times, and we'll wish the rest of the league luck as they attempt to defend that tandem.
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While KAT may not be the lob threat that AD is, Minnesota now has the ability to run the above set with Russell or Edwards as the ball-handler getting downhill. There is potential for Gobert to be the screen-and-roller and KAT hiding out in the dunker spot. Either way, the gravity of the big-man duo, plus a few perimeter shooters around them, will put a lot of stress on opposing defenses.&nbsp;
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This is an example of the lethal offensive potential the Gobert-KAT pairing creates.
Not only does Gobert commit devastating screens, but he is also an elite roller/lob threat. His gravity is going to force KAT's defender to be in the paint for help. In the video above, Avery Bradley's defender even steps in to chip McGee, leaving LeBron James plenty of space to hit a wide-open AD in the corner. KAT should get plenty of open corner threes off of Gobert rolls to the basket.
Defense
Defensively, the opportunity for either Gobert or KAT to be the weak side rim-protector is tantalizing.&nbsp;
Losing Patrick Beverley and Vanderbilt will surely impact the Timberwolves' perimeter defense this season, but, with the addition of Gobert, there simply needs to be a shift in defensive philosophy and game-planning. Teams with an elite shot-blocker tend to funnel the opponent toward that rim-protector. Lacking the perimeter prowess of Beverley, Minnesota still should not worry too much, as a three-time Defensive Player of the Year is anchoring the defense behind them.
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Here's an example of one of Gobert or KAT being able to play help-side defense and the value that provides. JJJ is defending his opponent on the block, while Adams is on the weak-side block. Both Gobert and KAT are better rim-protectors than Adams, and are likely to deter opponents from even attempting this shot.
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The marriage between Gobert and KAT will either crash and burn or be phenomenal; there is not much room for something in the middle of those two. The fit is counterintuitive with the modern NBA, but the modern NBA was counterintuitive at one point as well.
We likely won't see the return of traditional positions and lineups, but this group has the opportunity to be just as unique as the first small ball revolution lineups were.

Justin Lewis breaks down how Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns can best coexist on the floor together in Minnesota.

How Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns can work as Timberwolves' duo

Etan Thomas speaks with Dr. John Carlos, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Craig Hodges to memorialize the late, great Bill Russell.

Dr. John Carlos, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Craig Hodges remember Bill Russell

We're entering the home stretch of Summer League in Las Vegas, and some players who are fighting for their NBA futures have maximized these final days.&nbsp;
Four undrafted players made the "studs" list from Friday's action. As teams continue to pull their top picks from the rest of the competition, these longshots are receiving the minutes and audiences they need to make a statement. I personally enjoy seeing new names pop up with a statement performance.
It may just be Summer League, but these efforts can propel players to training camp invites and positive impressions on coaching staffs.
Let's see which players made a name for themselves on Friday:
STUDS
Brandon Boston Jr., Los Angeles Clippers
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Another big game for <a href="https://twitter.com/bboston_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bboston_</a> 🏀 Brandon Boston Jr. powers the <a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAClippers</a> in their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> win with 22 PTS, 8 REB and 2 STL! <a href="https://t.co/hKRKMdRBBT">pic.twitter.com/hKRKMdRBBT</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1548083741532180481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
Box score stats: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 8/14 FG, 3/6 3PT
Boston has played through some growing pains as a lead option for the Summer League Clippers' offense. Friday felt like a noteworthy step forward for the 2021 second-round pick. Boston slid confidently into pull-up threes and mid-range shots, taking what the defense gave him. He also used his 10 added pounds of weight to absorb contact at the basket.
Boston's long arms and strides make him difficult to contain when he gets a driving lane. He dished out dump-off passes and corner kick-outs as well to complete the stellar offensive showing.
Trevelin Queen, Philadelphia 76ers
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Things the Summer <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sixers</a> did in Q3... 👀 (courtesy of Isaiah Joe, Trevelin Queen, and Grant Riller) <a href="https://t.co/otLR2mE8Wx">pic.twitter.com/otLR2mE8Wx</a>
&mdash; Lauren Rosen (@LaurenMRosen) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaurenMRosen/status/1548088438947098624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5/7 FG, 3/5 3PT
Queen earned G League MVP honors while with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers last season. This game helps build his case for a role at the next level. Queen drilled tough triples and took off on one driving layup with a nice hesitation crossover. He made some great passing reads when he drew two defenders, and displayed some apparent synergy with backcourt mate Isaiah Joe. Queen agreed to a two-year contract with Philly on the first day of free agency, so the 76ers obviously wanted to get the 25-year-old involved with the team.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Love the pass from J-Will here, incredible Jeremiah Robinson-Earl finish 👨&zwj;🍳 <a href="https://t.co/8J9VM9T43E">pic.twitter.com/8J9VM9T43E</a>
&mdash; Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rylan_Stiles/status/1548229417914155009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
Box score stats: 15 points, 14 rebounds, 7/11 FG, 0/1 3PT
A different Thunder player seems to step up in just about every Summer League game. This time, it was the 2021 second-round big man. Robinson-Earl gobbled up rebounds and outworked Golden State inside. His footwork and craft around the basket were extremely impressive. My favorite play came when JRE attacked a Jonathan Kuminga closeout and worked along the baseline all the way to a reverse layup. He might not be an overwhelming vertical athlete, but Robinson-Earl is quick and shifty for a shorter big man.
Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
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Just another bucket for Keegan Murray 😎 The buzzer-beater gives him 8 PTS to go with 6 REB as the <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SacramentoKings</a> lead after 1 on NBA TV! <a href="https://t.co/883Ij24TGI">pic.twitter.com/883Ij24TGI</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1548102627996491777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 8/14 FG, 4/8 3PT
Another day, another Keegan Murray showcase. The No. 4 pick pulled down his highest rebound total in a Summer League game to date, and once again demonstrated versatility as a scorer. Murray used screens and cuts to build downhill momentum and finish layups, but also took players off the dribble by himself. His highlight play came on the above shot, when Murray fired home a contested turnaround three-pointer to beat the first-quarter buzzer. Kings fans have received just about everything they could have hoped for in Murray's Vegas run to date.
Jordan Schakel, Washington Wizards
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Jordan Schakel (21 PTS) and Jordan Goodwin (19 PTS) lead the scoring charge in the <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WashWizards</a> dub 🪄 <a href="https://t.co/q8UQuXNxK8">pic.twitter.com/q8UQuXNxK8</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1548146150993080323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 7/12 FG, 1/5 3PT
Schakel logged his second Summer League outing of 20-plus points in Washington's win against the Pacers. The 24-year-old knocked down two floaters as he felt his way through Indiana's defense. He also cut and relocated expertly to find easy paint chances and drilled one step-back three-pointer. Schakel picked up one significant block where he switched inside and met Simi Shittu at the rim. A 6-foot-6 wing, Schakel played last season on a two-way contract with Washington. &nbsp;
Cole Swider, Los Angeles Lakers
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Cole Swider comes through with 21 PTS to pace the <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Lakers</a> in their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> victory! <a href="https://t.co/g0spJ502JB">pic.twitter.com/g0spJ502JB</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1548170565520830464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 8/15 FG, 5/11 FG
Swider caught fire from long range, leading the Lakers to a win with his perimeter prowess. His made threes mostly came off of movement and relocation. Swider can easily square himself up to the basket and has a quick, repeatable form. At 6-foot-9, he can also rise over smaller defenders and appears unfazed by contests. Movement three-point shooting will always be a need for today's NBA teams &mdash; particularly next to guys like LeBron James. Swider is a worthwhile flier as an undrafted rookie.
Jeff Dowtin, Toronto Raptors
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The <a href="https://twitter.com/Raptors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Raptors</a> hold on for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> win as Jeff Dowtin fills the stats sheet with 16 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST and 2 STL! Dalano Banton: 18 PTS, 6 REB Armoni Brooks: 17 PTS Ron Harper Jr.: 14 PTS, 7 REB <a href="https://t.co/6KnBfbdSPJ">pic.twitter.com/6KnBfbdSPJ</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1548156699827064832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4/9 FG, 1/2 3PT
I have waited so long to give Dowtin his flowers and now is my chance! The 6-foot-3 guard has been one of my favorite players to watch in all of Summer League, and on Friday he put down another rock-solid effort. Dowtin is just such a smart offensive player. He knows how to use his body to create and absorb contact, and shot 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in this one.
Dowtin is showing shooting improvement (36.4% on threes in Vegas) and makes quick, smart passing decisions (two turnovers in Vegas). I'm such a fan of the pace and poise at which he plays.&nbsp;
Other notable performers: Leandro Bolmaro (Jazz), Isaiah Joe (76ers), Grant Riller (76ers), Christian Braun (Nuggets), McKinley Wright IV (Suns), Isaiah Todd (Wizards), Jordan Goodwin (Wizards), Kendall Brown (Pacers), Kyle Allman Jr. (Heat), Dalano Banton (Raptors), Javante McCoy (Lakers), Jared Harper (Pelicans), John Petty Jr. (Pelicans), Tyrique Jones (Pelicans), Deividas Sirvydis (Pelicans)
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DUDS
Julian Champagnie, Philadelphia 76ers
Box score stats: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1/7 FG, 0/2 3PT
Champagnie was one of the more efficient all-around shotmakers in college at St. John's, but he hasn't found his touch at Summer League. The 21-year-old rookie mostly attempted spot-up looks near or beyond the arc, and only got one stop-and-pop attempt to fall. He was not a threat at the basket or as an off-dribble connector. Philly has inked Champagnie to a two-way contract, so he'll have time to settle in with the Delaware Blue Coats.
Peyton Watson, Denver Nuggets
Box score stats: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1/7 FG, 0/2 3PT
Watson has been a solid overall defender in my view, but his scoring efficiency is an eyesore. Outside of one 19-point game, the first-round pick is a combined 8-for-35 from the floor in his other contests. Here, he took some wild layup attempts and lost his mojo from beyond the arc. A lot of the correct processing and shot selection is there with Watson, but it's going to take time for him to iron out some consistency.
Louis King, Phoenix Suns
Box score stats: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3/11 FG, 1/5 3PT
This was another rough, inefficient performance from one of the last year's best Summer League players. King missed threes he needs to make and rarely attacked closeouts. When he did, King often didn't explode quickly enough, and defenders could catch up to force bad shots. He missed some passing reads I thought he should have made. It was difficult to watch because I've been a fan of King's game since he went undrafted in 2019. He's shown enough in past years to earn some shot at the NBA level, but this week has not helped his case.

Keegan Murray, Brandon Boston Jr. and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl starred in Friday's slate of games.

10 studs and duds from Day 9 of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas

Even though Friday's NBA Summer League slate techincally began at midnight, the second full "day" of competition brought 14 more teams into the mix as the week picks up steam.&nbsp;
The Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks set the tone early by taking each other to overtime, with Chicago hanging on for an exciting 100-99 win. Three players from that contest are highlighted below, along with several other standouts, plus players who left something to be desired.
I can't get to every notable performance; Cam Thomas and Blake Wesley, for example, did not make the cut, though they are listed as honorable mention at the bottom of the Studs section. Six players particularly caught my eye as outstanding, while four guys noticeably struggled in their first Vegas contests of the week.
STUDS
Marko Simonovic, Chicago Bulls
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Marko Simonovic led the <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chicagobulls</a> to the victory while dropping 27 points including the game-tying bucket and the game-winning free throw in OT! 🔥 27 PTS | 13 REB | 3 BLK <a href="https://t.co/0fA8yxCF2O">pic.twitter.com/0fA8yxCF2O</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1545542839915929602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 27 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks, 10/19 FG
I'll be honest, after the first half, I was considering marking this game as a "dud" effort from Simonovic. He was missing easy at-rim attempts and failing to impact the game defensively in the early goings. But man, did things change. Simonovic finished through contact several times, dominated the glass to the tune of six offensive rebounds and took a step up with his defense.
The pivotal play for Chicago in overtime was Simonovic's screen coverage that led to a steal, followed by him running the floor and converting the and-one to take a 99-96 lead. What an effort for the No. 44 pick.&nbsp;
AJ Lawson, Dallas Mavericks
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AJ Lawson poured in 28 PTS for the <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a> to open up their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA2K23SummerLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA2K23SummerLeague</a> schedule! 28 PTS | 5 REB | 6 3PM <a href="https://t.co/HSe8qYldF4">pic.twitter.com/HSe8qYldF4</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1545544957099909121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 28 points, 5 rebounds, 10/16 FG, 6/11 3PT
Jaden Hardy stole most of the show in the Mavericks' overtime loss, but Lawson was simply fantastic as an off-ball irritant on Friday. He had this one bucket that really wowed me where he cut across the middle of the paint, went to set a pindown, faked it and cut back to the basket to receive a pass and convert the layup. It was one of the highlight plays of the day for me.
Lawson also impressed with his shooting off movement and spaced the floor extremely well as Hardy and others drove to the basket. The 21-year-old went undrafted in 2021 and played 13 games with the College Park Skyhawks, but has not made his NBA debut yet. Hopefully that changes.
Jaden Hardy, Dallas Mavericks&nbsp;
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Jaden Hardy dropped BUCKETS in his <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> debut with the <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JadenHardy1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JadenHardy1</a>: 28 PTS, 4 REB 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/3meMrPUnho">pic.twitter.com/3meMrPUnho</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1545541921279549442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 28 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 9/19 FG, 2/7 3PT
Hardy has social-media buzzing after his performance and demonstrated the easy scoring confidence that has propelled the combo guard since high school. He had defenders guessing with how he changed speeds and directions attacking the rim. Hardy's body took contact extremely well, and if his opponent cut off a driving lane, he could turn it into a step-back or pull-up.&nbsp;
It wasn't an efficient performance by any stretch, but the poise was certainly there for Hardy in his Mavericks debut. He turned the ball over six times while trying to do too much at points, but also made some nice reads as a passer when he drew defensive attention. This was a great starting point for the bucket-getter to work from.
Josh Minott, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Josh Minott showed out for the <a href="https://twitter.com/Timberwolves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Timberwolves</a> tonight, notching 22 PTS, 10 REB, and 3 AST 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/Ilsr5maEWI">pic.twitter.com/Ilsr5maEWI</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1545611466845437953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 8/15 FG, 2/3 3PT
Minott entered the NBA Draft billed as a player with intriguing physical measurables and tools, but in need of serious development time. On Friday, he was much more polished than I anticipated. Minott attacked off the bounce, pulled up over defenders for three-pointers and pushed the pace in transition. The rebounding activity was awesome for someone with his size and experience. Minott has already canned as many threes in Las Vegas as he did his entire freshman year at Memphis.
Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks
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Quentin Grimes showed off his playmaking and scoring ability as he powered the <a href="https://twitter.com/nyknicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nyknicks</a> to the win in their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> opener!<a href="https://twitter.com/qdotgrimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@qdotgrimes</a>: 24 PTS, 8 AST, 2 STL, 4 3PM <a href="https://t.co/YeEMtOfE4c">pic.twitter.com/YeEMtOfE4c</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1545616354849456128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 24 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 8/21 FG, 4/14 3PT
We know Grimes can shoot it, and while he wasn't the most efficient as a scorer on Friday, that wasn't what caught my eye. The second-year wing dished out eight assists against one turnover with a variety of reads. Grimes connected multiple times with 2021 draft classmate Jericho Sims, both in the pick-and-roll and on dump-offs. I know I've got my own hopes for Deuce McBride-Grimes-Sims bench units this upcoming season, and I imagine Knicks fans feel similarly.
Moses Moody, Golden State Warriors
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Moses Moody going OFF in the first three quarters 👀 32 PTS 8/11 FG 3/5 3PT (via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBATV</a>)<a href="https://t.co/7a6sRM5mLz">pic.twitter.com/7a6sRM5mLz</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1545587910027739136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 34 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 8/13 FG, 3/6 3PT
The 2021 No. 14 pick never really took over the game against the Knicks, but Moody consistently capitalized on his moments in all the right places. He drew eight fouls and made 15-of-17 free throws, calmly knocked down some threes and tossed in a couple of putback buckets. Moody's two blocks came courtesy of impressive help defense and recover efforts that led to swats on Trevor Keels and Jean Montero.
The ease with which Moody impacted the game signaled that this second-year Summer Leaguer might have graduated from the competition. I'd also like to give a hat-tip to Joe Viray, who <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2022/7/8/23201290/warriors-knicks-summer-league-moses-moody-film-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">throughly broke down Moody's first game</a> for Golden State of Mind.
Other performances I liked: Dalen Terry (Bulls), Ochai Agbaji (Cavaliers), Blake Wesley (Spurs), Josh Primo (Spurs, RJ Nembhard (Cavaliers), Bryce McGowens (Hornets), Bennedict Mathurin (Pacers), Cam Thomas (Nets), Lindell Wigginton (Bucks), Feron Hunt (Knicks), Scotty Pippen Jr. (Lakers), Ish Wainright (Suns)
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DUDS
Robert Woodard II, San Antonio Spurs
Box score stats: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1/7 FG, 0/3 3PT
I've been a believer of Woodard since he entered the 2020 Draft, but yesterday showed he hasn't made the requisite offensive strides to be an impact player yet. He has yet to hit threes at a clip close to his last collegiate season with Mississippi State. Against the Cavaliers, Woodard didn't really impact the game off the ball other than as a spacer.
He did receive some reps initiating and attacking off the dribble. But Woodard doesn't have the burst to beat defenders and he doesn't use his strength to initiate contact. There was one play where he turned a corner and used a crossover to get downhill and finish a layup. But it's hard to imagine Woodard receiving these chances in whatever setting he joins next season.
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
Box score stats: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2/10 FG, 0/4 3PT
Unlike Moody's night, it seemed like everything went wrong for Kuminga. The 2021 No. 7 pick made several bad passing decisions and got stripped twice by Quentin Grimes when he tried to take Grimes off the dribble. He missed all of his perimeter looks and went 0-for-3 near the basket (props to Jericho Sims for the defense).&nbsp;
I do want to be fair to Kuminga. Golden State had him initiating the offense frequently, a role he scarcely played during the regular season. The Warriors clearly want to use this summer session as a trial-by-fire experiment for Kuminga on the ball. He's already proven himself as a valuable cutter with the full roster.
Kai Jones, Charlotte Hornets
Box score stats: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 5/15 FG, 0/10 3PT
The long-range goose egg is particularly egregious, and some attendees on social media even posted that fans were cringing by the end of the game. Pacers defenders did not close out on Jones, yet his misses were inconsistent and sometimes downright ugly. Jones shot seven of his 10 threes from a standstill, yet his landings were erratic.
Inside the arc, Jones was better than the final line shows. He had three impressive unassisted driving layups, and another hesitation drive that ended with a powerful slam dunk. The flashes of creativity off the dribble are there for this 6-foot-11 big. However, the perimeter game is not, yet.
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Kessler Edwards, Brooklyn Nets
Box score stats: 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1/6 FG, 1/3 3PT
Edwards' offensive performance felt disjointed. He would sometimes hesitate to make a decision with the ball in his hands. Other times, he'd drive hard, but he doesn't have the strength or vertical leap to be a threat around the basket. Edwards also missed one floater in the Nets' loss to the Bucks and didn't receive much time with the ball in his hands to dribble around. At this stage, the three-ball comprises a large part of his offensive strength, and the rest of his on-ball game remains a work in progress.

Moses Moody, Jaden Hardy and Quentin Grimes are among Day 2's NBA Summer League standouts.

10 studs and duds from Day 2 of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas

It's always refreshing to see a good ol' fashioned players-for-players exchange.
The Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets didn't play games in their 2-for-2 trade on Wednesday. According to the reports, Washington sent Ish Smith and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Denver, and the Nuggets dealt Monte Morris and Will Barton to the Wizards.
That's it. No pick protections, no draft swaps, and not even a "cash considerations" cameo. Two proven NBA basketball players moved to a new team for two proven NBA basketball players of loosely the same position and stature, all ranging between 27 and 34 years old. Of course, we don't know the full intent of the deal from each side, and the Gordian Knot that is offseason transactions hasn't even come close to untying yet.
For now, though, Washington and Denver have signaled with this trade that they recognize a need for stylistic change in the rotation. These four players are not the biggest names we'll hear about over the next couple of days, but they've been acquired to impact winning on two squads that should feel pressure to win.
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Let's deconstruct the deal team-by-team and player-by-player.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Bradley Beal declined his $36.4 million player option on Wednesday, but as <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10039985-espn-bradley-beal-very-likely-to-decline-option-sign-new-5-year-wizards-contract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday,</a> that was an expected move, as Beal can now sign a five-year supermax contract worth close to $248 million. So if his free agency plays out as expected, Beal is still entrenched as the steward of the Wizards, which means Washington is still trying to rebuild and contend on the fly.
The franchise has reenergized its pursuit of a stable backcourt surrounding Beal. The Wizards selected Johnny Davis with the No. 10 overall pick in last week's NBA Draft, and he projects as a seamless complement to Beal in time: a tough-as-nails defender at the point of attack and a scoring threat when attacking the basket.&nbsp;
Davis is not ready to be thrown into the fire as perhaps the second-leading touch-getter on the roster, though. Enter Monte Morris, who's quite a different player from Beal and Davis in all the right ways.&nbsp;
Morris is a career 39.4% three-point shooter from beyond the arc. Most of that clip comes from catch-and-shoot prowess, where Morris hit at 42.1% this season vs. just 32.4% on a much lower volume of pull-ups. There's been a fairly consistent gap in those categories for most of his career.
He also sported one of the better at-rim rates in the league last season, finishing 68% of his shots within 4 feet of the basket (90th percentile among point guards, per Cleaning the Glass). That percentage also comes with a caveat: Morris was assisted on a whopping 63% of his at-rim makes, which is by far the highest percentage among all point guards (and fifth among all guards who played at least 800 minutes this season).
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Having one of the world's best passers in Nikola Jokic on the Nuggets certainly changed Morris' role. He likely won't be in quite as many vertical cuts to the basket, waiting for a feed from a post-up big. The point is that Morris knows how to cut and space effectively, and next to a creator like Beal, should get his share of catch-and-convert looks.
He can still make some scoring plays happen on his own with his ability to change pace and direction quickly. Morris has also been lauded as an assist-to-turnover wizard, and it's true that his turnover rate is consistently among the best in the league. He doesn't exactly create assists, but Morris is at least a steady decision-maker you can trust as a secondary guard.&nbsp;
With that being said, Morris does not solve the creative playmaking gap that exists throughout this Wizards roster. Among the 10 players who logged at least 800 minutes in Washington, zero ranked in the top-25 percentile at their respective positions for assist-to-usage rate. Several were fairly close &mdash; Beal, Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija and Raul Neto were all above-average &mdash; but in the absence of a Tier 1 playmaker, it feels like this rotation could use one more person to open up the court.
Barton's assist rate (17.1%) and assist-to-usage rate (0.87) both slotted in the 87th percentile among wings last year, even as he played alongside Nikola Jokic and other great passers. I was personally suprised to find that Barton actually posted the highest adjusted assist-to-pass ratio on the Nuggets in 2021-22, even edging out Jokic. Amidst his streaky scoring and unfortunate injury history, Barton adds an underrated dimension as a passer.
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Barton adeptly keeps his eyes up when he drives and can hit popping players like Jokic, or finds the open man if his attack draws help. He's not a human highlight reel as a passer, but these are some quality finds for a player who makes his living as a scorer. Barton assisted on 12% of plays where he drove to the basket, per BBall Index, ranking in the 80th percentile at his position.
A trio of Beal, Kuzma and Barton threatening as drivers should open up options for Washington's array of complementary scorers.
Do Morris or Barton patch up the Wizards' 25th-ranked defense? Absolutely not. But as solid as Caldwell-Pope was, he was not holding together the defensive end, and parting with him makes sense for two well-fitting offensive pieces. Washington's guard rotation, long considered a weakness outside of Beal, now feels like an area of strength and relative upside.&nbsp;
DENVER NUGGETS
Let's get the financial incentive out of the way before looking on the court. According to the reports, this trade helps Denver sneak back under the luxury tax &mdash; not something to cheer about, but certainly beneficial for the future.&nbsp;
More importantly, the move showed Denver recognizes the limitations of its own roster, and has a plan to correct them.
Caldwell-Pope started all 77 games in his lone season with Washington, putting together a resurgent year by averaging 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game &mdash; all bests over the past four seasons.&nbsp;
Offensively, the fit is obvious: KCP should thrive as an outlet for Jokic. Caldwell-Pope canned 42.0% of his catch-and-shoot threes last season, and 14% of his halfcourt possessions involved cuts (97th percentile), per BBall Index. That was in Washington; imagine how he succeeds in some of those aforementioned scenarios in place of Morris.&nbsp;
The real kicker, though &mdash; Denver finally has a primary perimeter defender.&nbsp;
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Caldwell-Pope described <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/wizards-kentavious-caldwell-pope-explains-art-wing-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how he approaches defense</a> last fall, and you can see his work show up on film. He has to rotate over on this first play to cover Morris, and knowing that will open up a passing lane for a swing to Barton (how ironic is this first clip in hindsight), gets his arm in front of the ball for a steal.
Later in the reel: KCP knows Trae Young wants to get to his right hand to shoot or pass, and can poke away a steal before Young gets the ball there. He can make up for his smaller size by playing physically with larger wings like Jaylen Brown or Jonathan Kuminga. His foul rate of 2.5% is also surprisingly low for a player with such active hands.
Denver had the 15th-ranked defense in the regular season, but was 19th out of 20 Play-In and playoff teams in postseason Defensive Rating. KCP won't change that overnight, but he can be a spark where the Nuggets sorely need one.
At the same time, the Nuggets have Jamal Murray on his way back from a long ACL recovery, They also have Bones Hyland readying for a Year 2 leap after he averaged 12.8 points and 4.3 assists per game on a 63.8% True Shooting percentage post-All-Star break. Morris would have been crunched for minutes in the guard rotation, so it makes sense to replace him with a steady veteran in Ish Smith, who can hold down the remaining playing time.
And Smith is no throw-in, either. He's on his NBA-record 13th team and should provide a locker-room boost that cannot be quantified.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
When Ish Smith suits up for the Nuggets, he&rsquo;ll play for his 13th NBA team &mdash; the most ever by a single player 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/GcMA5yYhnY">pic.twitter.com/GcMA5yYhnY</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1542193390498054144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Smith doesn't project as quite the seamless fit as KCP should be. But this might actually force positive change from a player who has spent so much of his career trying to keep bench units afloat as an on-ball initiator.
Last season, 104 players played at least 50 games and averaged at least five drives per game, according to Second Spectrum. Smith passed the ball on 60.1% of his drives, more than any other player, and shot just 44.5% on his driving field goal attempts (ranked 84th).&nbsp;
Smith is a phenomenal passer and still one of the pure fastest players with the ball in his hands. But he also has had to rely so heavily on his own ability to create, and with Smith getting older (and the league getting longer and more switchable), the bar to clear goes up.
In this vein, I'd like to see if and how he is used off the ball in Denver. Smith is a capable shooter, and perhaps he can fit into some of the roles occupied by past Nuggets guards. At the minimum, he'll be a safer play at backup point guard than, say, Facundo Campazzo. But I think there's also some untapped room for growth.&nbsp;
The Nuggets have established themselves as contenders, but have gone backwards in the playoffs over the past three years. Caldwell-Pope and Smith won't drastically spring Denver's fortunes to crazy heights, but as we see every postseason, the complementary specialists can swing a game or series.
Sometimes, that's all a team needs to change.
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The Wizards and Nuggets helped each other by agreeing to a 2-for-2 trade on Wednesday.

NBA trade reaction: Breaking down the 4-player Nuggets-Wizards swap

We have fireworks, folks!
Our first star trade of the offseason cycle is here, with All-Star guard Dejounte Murray joining fellow stud Trae Young in Atlanta. The Hawks will be sending Danilo Gallinari in the deal but, with all due respect, that isn't the important portion for the San Antonio Spurs. They wanted pick equity and got it. The Hawks are sending three first-round picks &mdash; a protected 2023 pick via the Charlotte Hornets and their own unprotected first-rounders in 2025 and 2027 &mdash; as well as swapping firsts in 2026.
The Spurs' thinking is obvious, even if you disagree with their conclusion.
They want to reset, and moving Murray now was convenient for them. It helps them drop their win total next season ahead of a heralded draft class. On the financial side, moving Murray while he's <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/dejounte-murray-20234/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on a bargain deal</a> &mdash; he's owed roughly $34 million total over the next two seasons &mdash; and ahead of extension talks (technically eligible later this summer) allowed them to flip him at peak value.
As ESPN's <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/status/1542261543252807680?s=20&amp;t=nadQIBXaw9MWWSp90Ajguw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zach Lowe notes</a>, teams are pretty hesitant to flip deep-in-the-future firsts with no protections at all. It was a compromise the Hawks had to make considering Murray's talent, his contract and their desire to keep pieces like John Collins (bless his heart), De'Andre Hunter or even new draftee AJ Griffin out of the deal.
WHAT HE BRINGS
It's hard not to think about what this deal means for the Hawks' defense, first and foremost.
At his best, Murray is one of the NBA's premier options at the point of attack. His quick hands and limitless wingspan allow him to envelop opposing guards. He's even more of a menace off the ball, as his cornerback-like instincts work in tandem with his physical tools to create turnovers. Lazy passes and loose handles aren't safe when Murray's around.
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Last season, Murray wasn't at his best often &mdash; a natural trade-off to the offensive burden he carried &mdash; and he still&nbsp;managed to lead the NBA in steals (2.0, 138 total) and deflections (4.0, 278 total). It's a testament to the kind of havoc he can cause. In theory, we should see a more consistent version of Demon Dejounte with less responsibility on offense (more on that later).
The beauty of the Hawks' maintaining their core roster pieces in the deal is that Murray is truly an additive. Hunter is still on the roster to pick up tough wing assignments. Now, instead of Kevin Huerter taking on the guard assignments &mdash; and he was mostly fine last year for a guy punching above his weight &mdash; Murray can do it.
Offensively, Murray gives Atlanta some much needed juice as a secondary creator. He did a ton&nbsp;for the Spurs last season, posting career-highs in points (21.1, 20th in the NBA), assists (9.2, fourth), usage rate (27.3) and touches per game (87.5, fourth). His 53.3% True Shooting percentage was also the highest of his career, but it was well below league average (56.6). Murray did his best as The Guy, but he isn't quite on that level.
Playing alongside Young means he doesn't have to be. And for Young, he finally has a teammate who can take some of the creation burden off his plate.
The drop-off between Young and the rest of his teammates last season was stark. Young wasn't just the only player on the roster who could create for himself and others at a high level, he was the only guy who could get two feet in the paint on a consistent basis &mdash; or even tried to.&nbsp;
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Consider this: Young led the Hawks, and ranked <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CF=GP*GE*58" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fourth in the NBA among qualified players</a>, with 17.3 drives per game. Bogdan Bogdanovic was second on the team at 6.5. Young took 300 shots at the rim during the regular season; Hunter (146), Bogdanovic (105) and Huerter (101) took 352 combined.
Murray attacked the basket (17.9 drives) and took more shots at the rim (306) than Young did last season. His ability to do that should make life easier on Young, and allow him to play off the ball.
When I say that, or when anyone says that, don't assume Young will start flying off of staggers or <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/changing-of-the-guard-the-future-of-screening-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">setting screens like he's Stephen Curry</a>. It would be a welcome change, and Young has the skill set to do it, but that shouldn't be the expectation. Think smaller than that.
The Hawks didn't get much as you'd think out of Young being used as a spacer. Part of that is Young not doing the whole relocating thing &mdash; that's on him, and it's something he needs to commit to. But the other part is on the roster context, and that brings us back to the rim pressure issue. Who, among the Hawks' cast, could get into the paint and force rotations and create catch-and-shoot opportunities for Young?
Murray should help with that.
QUESTION MARKS
Murray should help the Hawks on offense, but that doesn't mean the fit will be seamless.&nbsp;
He shouldn't have the ball in his hands all the time, but the off-ball reps could get iffy. Murray has gotten more comfortable firing from deep, but he isn't particularly good at it. He shot just 32.7% from deep last season, including a 34.5% clip on catch-and-shoot opportunities.&nbsp;
Teams will help off of Murray when he doesn't have it. He'll have to prove that he can take advantage of the gaps he'll see, either by cashing home more jumpers or by chewing up that space with drives.
It wasn't pretty last season. Murray generated 0.96 points per possession when facing a closeout, 128th among 142 players to face at least 350 closeouts, per Second Spectrum. Some of that is the shaky jumper, but there's also a level of conservation in his game. It explains his sterling assist-to-turnover ratio for a guy with his usage, but the lack of decisiveness can stall out possessions.
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He can't be a shaky shooter&nbsp;and&nbsp;a hold-and-scan guy, especially alongside Young. Having a true No. 1 option to knock Murray down in the hierarchy should be a good thing, but only if he's able to capitalize on those openings.
Even on the ball, I'd argue there's room for him to turn up the aggression. It's telling that a guy who had that many touches, ran as many ball-screens as he did and racked up as many assists as he did only logged 99 skip passes all year long, per Second Spectrum. That ranked 37th in the league. And of 62 players to throw at least 75 skips, only four players have a shorter average pass distance than Murray.
In less nerdy terms: Stashing Young on the weak side will only have as much juice as Murray allows it to. Dial it up, young man!
Overall, it's hard not to like this for the Hawks. They went into the summer hoping to get a second star alongside Young, and they did it. It's not the perfect fit, but you can't always choose the star you want. Luckily, time is on their side. Young and Murray will be 24 and 26 respectively when the season starts. There's room for them to grow into one of the most dynamic pairings in the league.
I'd argue they're starting from a good place already.
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After Wednesday's trade, Nekias Duncan examines Dejounte Murray's fit on the Hawks.

NBA trade reaction: Analyzing Dejounte Murray's fit with the Hawks

TBT Record 71 Players with NBA Experience and 29 Alumni Teams to Compete
Jimmer Fredette, Projected 2023 Draft Top-10 Picks Ausar and Amen Thompson Highlight Field of 64 Competing for $1M Prize on ESPN
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) &ndash; the $1 million, winner-take-all, summer basketball event broadcast live on ESPN networks today released the bracket for this year&rsquo;s tournament. For the fifth year in a row, all games will feature TBT&rsquo;s Elam Ending&reg;.
Now in its ninth year, TBT 2022 will feature 71 players with NBA experience and 29 college alumni teams, both of which are TBT records. The field will once again feature 64 teams squaring off in a single-elimination format and will be supported by longtime partners PUMA, Zelle, and E&amp;J Brandy.&nbsp;
The field will be split into eight regions played over two weeks in July. Seven of those regions will be headlined by alumni teams, while the eighth regional will be played at Rucker Park&rsquo;s legendary Greg Marius Court in New York City.
One team from each region will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be split between Wichita, Kansas (July 27) and Dayton, Ohio (July 28-29). Dayton will also host TBT&rsquo;s semifinals (July 30), as well as TBT&rsquo;s $1 million winner-take-all championship game (Aug. 2).
&ldquo;This year&rsquo;s field is electrifying,&rdquo; said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar. &ldquo;Nine years ago, we set out to be the home for high stakes, open-to-all basketball, pitting people against one another from all walks of life. This year&rsquo;s field demonstrates how far we&rsquo;ve come. It is exceptionally diverse and talented. I can&rsquo;t wait to see what team wins six straight games.&rdquo;
The full TBT 2022 schedule includes:
Regional Host Cities
&nbsp; &nbsp; Omaha, Neb. &ndash; headlined by Omaha Blue Crew (Creighton) &ndash; July 16-19
&nbsp; &nbsp; New York City, N.Y. (Rucker Park) &ndash; headlined by Marcus Smart&rsquo;s YGC &ndash; July 16-20
&nbsp; &nbsp; Albuquerque, N.M. &ndash; headlined by The Enchantment (University of New Mexico) &ndash; July 28-21
&nbsp; &nbsp; Wichita, Kan. &ndash; headlined by AfterShocks (Wichita State) &ndash; July 22-25
&nbsp; &nbsp; Syracuse, N.Y. &ndash; headlined by Boehiem&rsquo;s Army (Syracuse) &ndash; July 22-25
&nbsp; &nbsp; Charleston, W. Va. &nbsp;&ndash; headlined by Best Virginia (West Virginia) and Herd That (Marshall) &nbsp;&ndash; July 24-27
&nbsp; &nbsp; Cincinnati, Ohio &ndash; headlined by Zip &lsquo;Em Up (Xavier) &ndash; July 24-27
&nbsp; &nbsp; Dayton, Ohio &ndash; headlined by Red Scare (Dayton) &ndash; July 24-27
Championship Week Schedule&nbsp;
&nbsp; &nbsp; Quarterfinals &ndash; July 27 (Wichita), July 28-29 (Dayton)
&nbsp; &nbsp; Semifinals &ndash; &nbsp;Saturday, July 30 (Dayton)
&nbsp; &nbsp; $1 Million, Winner-Take-All Championship &ndash; Tuesday, Aug. 2 (Dayton)&nbsp;
Highlights of this year&rsquo;s tournament include:&nbsp;
- New Look Boeheim&rsquo;s Army Set to Defend TBT Title &ndash; Boeheim&rsquo;s Army, who after seven years finally won its first TBT championship, is set to defend its title in Syracuse this summer. First-time TBT participants and Syracuse alums Tyler Ennis, Rakeem Christmas, and Marek Dolezaj join a core that includes TBT legend D.J. Kennedy, who is seeking his sixth TBT title, and DeAndre Kane, who is going for his fifth.
- TBT Steps Outdoors at World Famous Rucker Park &ndash; TBT will be playing games outdoors for the first time in the event&rsquo;s history this summer at New York City&rsquo;s famed Rucker Park. The event, in partnership with Chick-Fil-A Tri-State and the NBPA, will be free and open to the public. Headlining the regional are YGC, a team backed by Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, and Skip To My Lou, named after and coached by former NBA player and streetball legend Rafer Alston.
- Jimmer Fredette Joins The Money Team &ndash; 2011 National college player of the year and NBA Draft lottery pick Jimmer Fredette will return to TBT this summer as a member of Floyd Mayweather&rsquo;s The Money Team. A quarterfinalist in 2021, The Money Team&rsquo;s roster also includes three other players with NBA experience: Trevor Booker, Jeremy Evans, Charles Jenkins, and Xavier Munford.
- Overtime Enters TBT&rsquo;s First Draft-Eligible Team &ndash; Media brand Overtime will enter its first TBT team, Team Overtime, which is slated to include four 2023 draft-eligible prospects from their new professional pathway program Overtime Elite. Twins Ausar and Amen Thompson, both projected top-10 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, will be joined by former five-star recruit Jazian Gortman and four-star recruit Jaylen Martin on a roster with several veteran professionals, including former NBA player Malcolm Thomas. Team Overtime will be competing in the Omaha Regional.
- Rivalries Renewed &ndash; Two brand new sets of bitter rivals could be facing off in TBT this summer. Xavier Regional headliner, Zip &lsquo;Em Up (Xavier Alumni), will be joined by crosstown rival Nasty Nati, a Cincinnati alumni team whose roster includes former first-round pick Jacob Evans. The Enchantment, a New Mexico alumni team, and Panamaniacs, a New Mexico State alumni team, will go head-to-head in the first-round of the New Mexico Regional in a battle for in-state supremacy. Best Virginia, the West Virginia alumni team, and Herd That, the Marshall alumni team, could both finally get their long-awaited matchup in the second round of the West Virginia Regional. Stillwater Stars, an Oklahoma State alumni team starring Markel Brown, will go toe-to-toe with Big 12 foes Air Raiders, a first-year Texas Tech alumni team composed mainly of their 2019 NCAA Tournament Runner-Up team that includes former first-round pick Zhaire Smith.
- Sideline Cancer&rsquo;s Big Offseason &ndash; TBT&rsquo;s runner-up in 2020 and a quarterfinalist in 2021, Sideline Cancer is gearing up for a championship run. They&rsquo;ll add Mike Daum, the NCAA&rsquo;s seventh leading scorer all-time, 16-year NBA veteran C.J. Miles, and former Iowa State star Diante Garrett to take some of the scoring load off explosive guard Marcus Keene.
Free Throws&hellip;
<ul>
<li>TBT&rsquo;s &amp; Puma&rsquo;s innovative 33-point contest, which pits two shooters head-to-head where the first to make 11 threes advances, will return. The final eight shooters who advance out of TBT&rsquo;s regional locations will compete live on Thursday, July 28 live on ESPN2 for a $33,333 grand prize. Winner-take-all.</li>
<li>NFT project Gutter Cat Gang has entered a TBT team in the Omaha Regional in collaboration with Kyle Hines, the most decorated American in European basketball history.</li>
<li>Notable boxer and Cincinnati native Adrien Broner&rsquo;s AboutBillions team will compete in the Xavier Regional for the first time.</li>
<li>Prominent content brand Friday Beers will make their first foray into TBT&rsquo;s field in 2022, taking over longtime TBT franchise Armored Athlete.</li>
<li>India Rising, TBT&rsquo;s first team of players entirely of Indian descent, will be competing in the Syracuse Regional. Their roster includes former Stanford big man Josh Sharma, and one time G League Ignite prospect Princepal Singh.</li>
</ul>
Tickets for all TBT game days and events are on sale now at www.thetournament.com. For more information, please contact <a href="mailto:info@thetournament.com">info@thetournament.com</a>.
About The Basketball Tournament
The home of the Elam Ending&reg;, The Basketball Tournament has grown from a unique idea among friends to one of the most exciting and engaging events on the summer sports calendar, with worldwide exposure on ESPN and events across the country - culminating in a winner-take-all $1 million game. Every year it attracts some of the best players in the world. For more information on TBT&rsquo;s ninth season, visit www.thetournament.com

Now in Year 9, TBT will feature 71 players with NBA experience and 29 college alumni teams, both of which are TBT records.

Record 71 players with NBA experience headline 2022 TBT event

With a win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Dallas Wings recorded their first victory over the Sun in 1,064 days and snapped a seven-game losing streak against them in the process.
The Wings have put together solid games already this season, splitting a pair of games with the Washington Mystics and getting out to their best start of the season (4-2 prior to Tuesday) since 2015.
I had this matchup circled for the past week. Every Wings game this season has provided bright flashes and glimpses of what they can be. Yet, outside of the two games with the Mystics, the Wings hadn&rsquo;t quite faced one of the elite tests in the league, and Connecticut provided that and then some.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve seen intrigue and enticement from this young roster for a few seasons now, and often the flashes have been ousted. Dallas was the youngest team in the league last season, and it often played out that way with exuberant highs and dreary lows.
Down 39-27 at the half with the offense stuck in the mud, I contemplated whether or not this Wings team would be much the same as last year. Dallas went on to outscore the Sun 58-38 in the second half, including a remarkable run late in the third quarter with Arike Ogunbowale on the bench.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
WNBA average roster age (Multiple games played, still on roster, 10 mpg or more) SEA - 30.2 PHX - 29.78 CHI - 28.77 CON - 28.3 MIN - 27.6 LV - 27.6 WAS - 27.45 NYL - 26.1 ATL - 25.9 LAS - 25.64 IND - 24.8 DAL - 24.4
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1529467131066298368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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They&rsquo;re the youngest team yet again this season, but things feel different.&nbsp;
That second half was indicative of a team that finally was able to turn the page and cast aside some of the demons that plagued it last year. They didn&rsquo;t fold when they presented with perhaps their most difficult moment this year; down double-digits, on the road, against one of the best teams in the league.
Wings head coach Vickie Johnson echoed similar sentiments during her postgame availability.
&ldquo;The last five minutes, we are valuing the basketball more," Johnson said. "We have the patience to run our sets, to get good looks, we are not one pass, shot, like before. We have the patience to move the basketball and give up a good shot for a better shot. And now, we are knocking down open shots.&rdquo;
The Wings currently have the third-lowest turnover rate in the WNBA, per HerHoopStats. Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey were dynamic Tuesday night by getting into their pull-up games out of pick-and-roll, but also blending their ability to get into the paint and collapse the defense.
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This play was huge last night and speaks greatly to what Coach Johnson discussed after the game. Not that this pass wasn&rsquo;t made last season, but it feels like trust is there more. This could have been a contested layup, and heck, Arike may have hit it because she&rsquo;s that nice. But to fully collapse the defense and then make them pay with the wide-open three was an awesome process.
On that aforementioned third-quarter run (with Arike on the bench), Johnson went to a lineup of Mabrey-Allisha Gray-Kayla Thornton-Satou Sabally-Isabelle Harrison, and it outscored the Sun by 8 points in a five-and-a-half-minute stretch, per InStat.
The Harrison-Sabally frontcourt has really impressed since the latter returned from overseas play. Per PBP Stats, in the 18 minutes the duo has shared the court, the Wings have a 35.3 Net Rating, absolutely blitzing opponents on offense and stifling them on defense. They both have intriguing skills and coordination off the bounce. They can run dribble handoffs and make quick passes.
Harrison&rsquo;s confidence and aggression has her top-20 in the league in free-throw attempts per game, and 12th in makes at the line on the season.
&ldquo;Playing for AU (Athletes Unlimited) in Vegas helped her to become more of a leader, to think through the game a little more&hellip; I expect a lot from her. I put a lot of pressure on her and she is doing an amazing job," Johnson said of Harrison.
"She&rsquo;s getting to her spots and finishing in the paint and... In the first half she took three jump shots, and I ripped her kind of hard because they don&rsquo;t fear her outside the lane, they fear you when you get to the lane and make your move. She is one of the players who has multiple moves inside, so now she just has to use it and not settle for jump shots.&rdquo;
Harrison and Sabally got to the line seven times in that third-quarter stretch, and their mobility and quickness really gave Brionna Jones and the Sun's frontcourt problems. Catching on the perimeter or out to the high post gave them enough space to slice to the interior and draw fouls or finish at the rim.
The defense of this unit was the icing on the cake, however.
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Just bask in and admire that activity. This Dallas team relies heavily on timely and proper peel switches, along with activity and mobility from the bigs playing the screen. They shrink the court to minimize interior penetration.
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The Sun go to empty pick-and-roll, and Jones pops after the screen for Williams. Harrison stunts and shows to stop a drive, Mabrey gets back in front and the ball is contained.
Note how Sabally also steps in on the back end to contain a potential drive from Jonquel Jones. Harrison then recovers out, and Jones takes the shot. It's not perfectly contested, but that's also part of the point; don't give up the middle.
Speaking of that peel switching, watch this.
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Alyssa Thomas sets a back screen on Harrison as Jones wheels to the opposite corner. Harrison calls for the peel switch, Mabrey takes Jones and Harrison takes Mabrey's assignment in Courtney Williams. The play with multiple back screens flattens out, but the Sun get the switch they're looking for with Jones on the much smaller Mabrey. Gray rotates over to help, forcing the rotation as the ball gets kicked to Natisha Hiedeman.
Harrison is already peeling to Hiedeman, and Williams relocates to the slot while DeWanna Bonner sinks to the corner and gets the ball on a skip. Sabally avoids the Thomas pin-in, closes to Bonner and stays in front, and Gray has already recovered back across the court to take Williams. Jonquel still has Mabrey isolated, and as soon as she gets the post-entry pass, the Wings sink in to help (probably a slight overhelp off of Thomas, part of why the rebound gets into her hands) and Gray zones up on the back end as the Wings end up forcing a turnover.
That is a stellar defensive possession. The amount of things going on in unison and as the play develops highlights how in sync this Wings team has been on that end. They certainly can still make mistakes, but they're becoming less frequent, and when it mattered most last night, they put together a dominant defensive stand.
Gray is coming for an All-Defensive Team, both in her own mission expressed this season and with her play. She's been forceful pressuring on the ball, developing into Dallas' go-to stopper. Her recovery skills have been arguably as, if not more, impressive. She took the primary assignment of an All-Star forward in Bonner, and, in spite of a sizable height disparity, routinely forced her into awkward shots and contested her well.
Gray is 4th in The W in blocks per game (1.9), a ridiculous number considering every player in the top 10 besides her plays the 4 or 5.
Johnson called Gray "probably the best two-way player in The W right now," and while I can't quite get there, she's making a case for certain as she puts together her best all-around season.
Everything is clicking, everyone is finding some sort of footing in the rotation, and the Wings are out to a great start.
It's early in the season to be sure, but this Dallas team has a different verve and readiness in Year 2 under Vickie Johnson, and Tuesday night was fully emblematic of it.
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The Dallas WIngs are now 5-2 after a signature win over the Connecticut Sun. Mark Schindler analyzes their hot start.

Great start by young Dallas Wings signals improved readiness

The NBA Playoffs can initially seem like a statistical nightmare littered with small sample sizes, outlier performances and a lack of context. Those challenges also make the postseason one of the most exciting sandboxes for analysis &mdash; a place to marvel at a player's career-defining games and wonder: Is this replicable?
That's what I thought as I watched Jalen Brunson's dynamic 41-point explosion unfold in Monday's 110-104 win over the Jazz in Game 2. Brunson was simply unstoppable, stepping up in the absence of Luka Doncic to turn a series that felt like a lost cause into a very winnable matchup. He's currently tied for the second-highest scoring outing in the 2022 playoffs with DeMar DeRozan.
More interesting to me, though, are Brunson's two games in attack mode. His mark of 24 drives to the basket per game leads all postseason players, and his average of 13.5 field goal attempts per game via drives ranks second behind Donovan Mitchell. Brunson toasted a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/utah-blues-whose-fault-is-it-anyway-jazz-fourth-quarter-game-2-mavericks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disjointed Utah defense</a> in Game 2, blowing by opponents 1-on-1 and dissecting them with his shifty ball-handling.
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So to my question: Is this sustainable enough to propel the Mavericks to the next round, with or without Doncic? Though 40-point games might be a tall ask, Brunson has already proven himself to be one of the premier driving threats in the entire NBA.
Let's travel back to the regular season. According to Second Spectrum, Brunson drove toward the basket 13.6 times per game, good for 17th in the NBA but well under his current playoff pace. However, Brunson was not the lead ball-handler or driving catalyst for most of the season. Those responsibilities belonged to Doncic, who was second at a whopping 22.2 drives per game.
That being said, Brunson's 13.6 drives were the second-most in the league among secondary options, behind only Caris LeVert, who split time with the Pacers and Cavaliers. So he did attack with high frequency relative to his role, and when Brunson did, he was extremely effective.
The 25-year-old drilled 56.7% of his driving field goal attempts, eighth among 112 players averaging at least 5 drives per game. His 4.5% turnover rate was the seventh-lowest in that group.&nbsp;
What makes Brunson so successful? Though he doesn't get all the way to the rim very often (40th percentile at his position), he is simply an elite finisher around the basket. This regular season, the 6-foot-3-inch combo guard finished 68% of his attempts within 4 feet of the cup, per Cleaning the Glass &mdash; fourth among all guards.
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Brunson's acceleration and deceleration skills are eye-catching. He can use a quick crossover or between-the-legs dribble to instantly get up to speed and blow past defenders. Then, he gets the ball high early on his layup attempts, and has the strength to deal with contact from contesting opponents. There's nifty footwork in the above clips too, reinforcing that Brunson is not just a straight-line player.
While Brunson is strong at the rim, he is&nbsp;lethal&nbsp;just beyond it. A whopping 36% of his field goal attempts came in the "short mid-range" area between 4 and 14 feet from the basket. He knocked down 51% of those attempts, which is fifth among guards with at least 800 minutes played, per Cleaning the Glass.
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Here, you see the same on/off-speed changes, plus a methodical probing of the defense to find floaters and mid-range pull-ups.&nbsp;
These are some of the plays that stood out to me from the first two playoff games. Not all of the shots go in, but they demonstrate the confidence Brunson has in his ability to generate open looks. Brunson can turn the corner on opponents who switch or show aggressively on ball-screens, and pin defenders on his back and rock into a floater. He also has flashed a liking to attacking Rudy Gobert in deep drop coverage, getting the center on his heels and pulling back out for a mid-range jumper.&nbsp;
Utah can't really counter. Gobert is going to be a drop defender for the rest of the playoffs, and defenders like Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, Royce O'Neale and Bojan Bogdanovic just don't seem to have the strength or lateral quickness to keep Brunson in front. That's especially devastating in pick-and-roll actions, where Brunson was frankly dominant in the regular season. Take a look at his numbers among the 99 players who logged at least 150 possessions as a pick-and-roll ball-handler:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.03%;">P&amp;R Stats</td>
<td style="width: 6.61578%;">Playtype Freq.</td>
<td style="width: 11.1552%;">Points Per Poss. </td>
<td style="width: 7.49058%;">eFG%</td>
<td style="width: 10.8284%;">TOV%</td>
<td style="width: 11.4959%;">FT Rate</td>
<td style="width: 14.9672%;">Score Freq.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.03%;">Number</td>
<td style="width: 6.61578%;">32.4%</td>
<td style="width: 11.1552%;">1.06</td>
<td style="width: 7.49058%;">54.3%</td>
<td style="width: 10.8284%;">9.2%</td>
<td style="width: 11.4959%;">9.2%</td>
<td style="width: 14.9672%;">51.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.03%;">NBA Rank</td>
<td style="width: 6.61578%;">39th</td>
<td style="width: 11.1552%;">T-1st</td>
<td style="width: 7.49058%;">7th</td>
<td style="width: 10.8284%;">6th (Best)</td>
<td style="width: 11.4959%;">39th</td>
<td style="width: 14.9672%;">3rd</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Mobile users scroll right to view full table
*Data via Synergy
Brunson is a poster child for reliability and soundly moves the ball, boasting an assist rate of 23.8% (75th percentile at his position) and an overall turnover rate of 9.4% (77th percentile). But that often overshadows his untapped upside as a scoring engine, which we saw in Game 2. Brunson did knock down 6 of his 10 pull-up attempts from long range in the victory. That likely won't sustain; he shot just 31.0% on pull-up threes on low volume in the regular season.
If Doncic returns soon, Brunson's life as a driver should become easier with the defense's focus shifted towards the Mavericks' superstar. Until then, Brunson has shown he's more than capable of holding down the fort as the top scoring option. Hopefully, offseason spenders recognize Brunson's malleability and pay the upcoming free agent accordingly.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>I'm going to throw some more super-small-sample early playoff stats at you that are nonetheless interesting. First: Pascal Siakam is leading the postseason in passes per game (69.3) and is second in touches per game (95.0).</li>
<li>Jayson Tatum (5.0) and Jaylen Brown (4.5) both rank in the top-five in deflections per game so far. Tatum in particular stood out to me as an individual and team defender in Boston's Game 2 victory.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-no-devin-booker-the-phoenix-suns-will-need-a-lift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As our Nekias Duncan wrote</a>, the Phoenix Suns generated 1.5 points per possession on plays with Chris Paul utilizing a ball screen in Tuesday's loss to the Pelicans. CP3's pick-and-roll mastery will be a focal point for the Suns offense without Devin Booker.</li>
</ul>
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Jalen Brunson's 41-point game Monday highlighted his prowess as a driver and pick-and-roll playmaker.

NBA Stats Notebook: Jalen Brunson is in the driver's seat

Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues is a man of many things.&nbsp;
He was the drink stirrer of one of the greatest high school basketball teams <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evrEKGZl_kQ">ever</a>, a victim of the Monstars' <a href="https://youtu.be/pbnyVj2iVlw">banditry</a> and, most notably, the <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/who-are-10-shortest-players-nba-history-mugsy-bogues-spud-webb-boykins/zjapq718gzek16uxepv5w284r">shortest</a> player to ever don an NBA uniform.&nbsp;
His professional life resembles the six degrees of Kevin Bacon in how intertwined it is with so many iconic players and moments in league history. He was on the Hornets when the <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/406279-the-vlade-divac-effect-analyzing-the-ground-breaking-trade">infamous</a> Vlade-Divac-for-Kobe-Bryant transaction went down. He was in the gym the day Latrell Sprewell got <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egvyGi61exo">physical</a> with Coach P.J. Carlesimo. And he had a backstage pass to the rise of one of the most <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq6AAD53_uM">transcendent</a> players in league history, Stephen Curry.&nbsp;
And now, he&rsquo;s finally decided to chronicle his tale in his upcoming book, "Muggsy: My Life from a Kid in the Projects to the Godfather of Small Ball."
&ldquo;I wrote [a book] early on in my life in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Land-Giants-My-Life-Basketball/dp/0316101737">1994, </a>&nbsp;but this one has a lot more substance. [It&rsquo;s] a lot more about the way I impacted some of the players I played with, as well as some of the current players that [are] playing today,&rdquo; Bogues said.
But time has a way of muddling our ability to recall the past, and those unfamiliar with Bogues&rsquo; game may not realize that he was far more than a funhouse mirror phenomenon. He was a damn good professional basketball player for almost a decade and a half.
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Many critics point to his existence as a referendum against the talent pool of the Jordan era, but Bogues&rsquo; skillset &mdash; a game predicated on pushing the pace, passing and hounding people on defense &mdash; actually makes him a solid fit for the way the game is played today.
When asked how he would fare in 2022, Bogues acknowledged the tendency of humans to overestimate their own individual abilities. &ldquo;I think any NBA player feels like they can play in any era.&rdquo;&nbsp;
However, even with that caveat, his conviction was unwavering, culminating his response with an emphatic, &ldquo;Oh, absolutely!&rdquo;
At his best, Bogues was the quarterback of one of the fastest offensive attacks of the early 1990s. Under his guidance, the Charlotte Hornets finished top-four in pace every season from 1991 to 1994, per Basketball Reference.&nbsp;
Bogues wasn&rsquo;t just a speed demon zooming down the court with his head cut off. He was a steadying force capable of maintaining a well-oiled machine (the Hornets were <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHH/1997.html">fourth</a> in offensive efficiency in 1996-97).
In terms of individual numbers, Bogues ranked top-nine in Cerebro Sports&rsquo; Floor General Skills metric, a metric that explores passing ability while also factoring in usage, athleticism and feel, and he did that every year from 1989 to 1995.&nbsp;
And for the creation stans out there, he ranked in the top-10 in Ben Taylor&rsquo;s <a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/box-creation/">Box Creation</a> metric (an estimate of open shots created for teammates per 100 possessions) every year during that time, except for 1991, when he finished 11th.&nbsp;
In Bogues' new book, Charles Oakley said this of his playmaking abilities: &ldquo;[I]n the pick-and-roll, he could turn the corner, get into the paint and drive.&rdquo; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
In his heyday, Bogues leveraged his blink-and-you-might-miss-it speed to knife his way into the paint, force a collapse and ping-pong the ball over to his open teammates.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Penetration always hurts the defense," Bogues said. "I always had the understanding of how to get guys to think one way when I want to go the opposite.&rdquo;
That offensive aggressiveness was a big part of what made Bogues so valuable to his teams.
&ldquo;One of the things coaches always emphasized is that [they] don&rsquo;t want anyone getting in the heart of our defense. [So, as an offensive player], if you are able to do that, it puts your team at an advantage, and I was fortunate enough to be a penetrator my entire career."
An avid chess player nowadays, Bogues was playing a chess game of sorts on the basketball court long before he executed his first checkmate, treating his opponents like pieces on the board he could manipulate as he pleased:
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&ldquo;To me, it&rsquo;s just that simple. If I drive hard this way, I&rsquo;m going to make the defender have to collapse, and then that man right there is going to be open.&rdquo; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
His 4.75:1 Assist-to-Turnover ratio is sublime and gives him a <a href="https://twitter.com/RobKSports/status/1100866647055831051?s=20&amp;t=BTkD4d0h9AIxVE3htZzNsA">higher mark</a> in this category than many of the all-time great facilitators.&nbsp;
He managed this ratio without having the elevated sight lines of a Magic Johnson or Oscar Robertson. Instead, Bogues used his physical dimensions to create a different type of ocular advantage.
&ldquo;They say Magic sees over top. [Well], I see around and through.&rdquo;
Despite his stature, his defense may have been the perfect counter to today&rsquo;s pace-and-space era because his main goal was to evaporate as much space as possible. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;One thing about guards, they like a cushion. They don&rsquo;t like anyone crowding their space. I knew that drove folks crazy, so I became that pest on defense.&rdquo;&nbsp;
He likens his game on that end of the floor to Patrick Beverley in their shared ability to jam opponents up and annoy them for 94 feet:&nbsp;
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&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to see anyone out there of myself, but Patrick Beverley on defense is probably the closest. The way he irritates the players and gets all up in them, picking them up 94 feet and getting under their skin. He, defensively, is probably the only [comparison].&rdquo;&nbsp;
But like all people, Bogues is far more than his former job title. He is a multifaceted individual rich with layers of wisdom and life experience.&nbsp;
One thing that will dawn on readers is the candidness in Bogues&rsquo; storytelling approach. He never once holds back as he navigates readers through the various losses he&rsquo;s endured, the conflicts that persist in his most intimate relationships and his own most deep-seated insecurities.
Growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Baltimore with a father struggling to provide for his family as a stevedore in a dying industry, Bogues' early life runs parallel to many of the storylines discussed in the widely-popular Baltimore-based television show, "The Wire." Interestingly enough, his wife, Kim Bogues, later worked on the show and filled in as Kima&rsquo;s body double.&nbsp;
Bogues uses his narrative as an opportunity to outline the race dynamics that exist within American professional sports, highlighting all of its glaring hypocrisies.&nbsp;
&ldquo;How can they cheer me on the court and deride me off of it?&rdquo; Bogues asks in his book.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I always looked at this world as a human race as opposed to all the racial components that come with it. When you play sports, and you become teammates with people that don&rsquo;t even look like you, they become your brothers/sisters. You have the same goal/task at hand, and you're fighting the same fight. How can you have that affection for them and then not [have that same affection] for someone who is on the same side, just not in sports? A title should not be what makes a person like/accept you in the way you want to be accepted.&rdquo;
Even with his frustration, Bogues is optimistic about our potential as a society to correct the indifferences that have permeated from generation to generation.&nbsp;In the end, Bogues&rsquo; hope is that people will walk away from this novel with a thorough understanding of the power of resilience.
&ldquo;[In its essence], this book is about someone that had a passion and just chased it each and every day.&rdquo;
Through the name-calling, the physical limitations, the trades and the losses of loved ones, Bogues preserved and kept pushing forward.&nbsp;
&ldquo;In fifty-seven years of life, I&rsquo;ve had an opportunity to see quite a bit and experience quite a bit. [I] look at life in a light where we only get one, and we have to make the best out of it, each moment we have. Nothing is promised, nothing is given, and even if it was, we wouldn&rsquo;t want it anyways. We love earning it, we love working towards it and we love making it better, not only for [ourselves], but for others.&rdquo;
&ldquo;[It&rsquo;s about] having that resilience to where anything you feel you can accomplish, you should be able to go out there to accomplish. The only person holding you back is yourself. For me, being able to see it, and live it, and be a winner from it, I&rsquo;m always going to be able to embrace that and share that with others.&rdquo;
&ldquo;[I just want to] make sure we all know how important life is.&rdquo;
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Want to hear more from Muggsy Bogues? Check out his appearance on The Rex Chapman Show from June 2021. 
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZSQ2iuiosV8" width="100%" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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Muggsy Bogues is most famous for his small stature, but in his new book, he discusses the journey that made him a huge star.

The Godfather of Small-Ball: Muggsy Bogues dishes out on new book

Featuring four sure-fire Hall-of-Famers, the Los Angeles Lakers flamed out and ended up not living up to the expectations.
Unfortunately, the additions of Karl Malone and Gary Payton just weren&rsquo;t enough to get it done.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal joined forces with the legends during the 2003-04 season, and sought to win a fourth title in five years, but the Lakers ultimately fell short against Larry Brown and his Detroit Pistons in what was one of the biggest NBA Finals upsets in history.
You know how they say history always repeats itself? It&rsquo;s true. So it should come as no surprise to recall that the ensuing offseason, the Lakers found themselves looking for a new head coach. The search led to Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s living room.
Coach K would famously turn down a five-year, $40 million offer from the Lakers, which would have amounted to an annual salary raise of about 700%.
After a lost season, the Lakers (and Kobe) would eventually patch things up with Phil Jackson, and Bryant would lead the Lakers to two more championships in 2009 and 2010.
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Unfortunately for Frank Vogel, that bit of history doesn&rsquo;t seem likely to repeat itself.
Now, in 2022, the Lakers find themselves on the lookout for a new head coach to lead their locker room. Let's take a look at five candidates who may fit the bill.
Juwan Howard
Before his February <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ray-jackson-i-was-afraid-juwan-howard-was-going-to-be-fired" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confrontation with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard</a>, Juwan Howard&rsquo;s name was mostly mentioned in the press for the right reasons.
Since taking over for the Michigan Wolverines in 2019, Howard helped the university maintain its status as one of the premier basketball programs in the country &mdash; his Wolverines have reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2019 and 2022, as well as the Elite Eight in 2021.
Although it would be difficult to pull Howard from his alma mater, especially when he&rsquo;s enjoyed success thus far, the Lakers head coach job wouldn&rsquo;t be an easy one for a toiling coach to turn down. Despite all the Lakers have been through, it remains a dream job for many in the profession. Aside from that, Howard&rsquo;s connections to both Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and LeBron James is hard to ignore.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_7788283_lg.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="413" />
Pelinka and Howard were teammates at Michigan for Howard&rsquo;s three seasons there, and although Howard and James' paths diverged, those two would eventually unite in Miami. They played three years together as teammates before Howard retired and immediately moved into an assistant coach role, the first of which coincided with LeBron&rsquo;s final season in Miami.
Howard spent the next five years alongside Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra before being tapped to assume the helm at Michigan.
Whoever the Lakers entrust with the tall task of getting them back on track, it would make sense that the candidate would need to have exhibited some level of success and also be able to earn the confidence of both Pelinka and James. It should also be noted that, in 2019, Howard was granted an interview for the Lakers&rsquo; head coach opening. The job, obviously, eventually went to Vogel.
Although Howard has been vocal in his love for his alma mater, he would appear to check the boxes. At a minimum, among the sea of potential candidates, he is one who should be watched closely.
Quin Snyder
Now in his eighth season with the Utah Jazz, Quin Snyder has overseen the organization's ascension after the departure of mainstay Jerry Sloan and three less-than-stellar years under Tyrone Corbin.
Although thanks in large part to the presence of Rudy Gobert, under Snyder&rsquo;s leadership, the Jazz have consistently ranked as one of the league&rsquo;s top-five defenses. His staff has also assisted the development and thriving of a number of young players who have found their way in the league.
As it stands, Utah is much closer to contention than the Lakers, but the Jazz themselves haven&rsquo;t exactly been trending upward. There has been consistent speculation as to whether Donovan Mitchell is destined to become the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/expect-the-knicks-to-make-a-real-run-at-donovan-mitchell-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">next superstar who lands on the trading block</a>, and according to veteran scribe Marc Stein, Snyder and his representatives have rebuffed Utah&rsquo;s attempts to extend his current contract.
If Snyder did sense that &mdash; as often reported &mdash; the marriage between Mitchell and Gobert wasn&rsquo;t one that would continue for the long term, he could be proactive about a fresh start elsewhere.
During the 2011-12 season, Snyder served as an assistant coach in Los Angeles under Mike Brown. At a minimum, he&rsquo;s no stranger to the franchise.
Mark Jackson
To this day, there are many who wonder if the Golden State Warriors could have fulfilled their dynastic potential if Mark Jackson remained coach. That&rsquo;s probably why there&rsquo;s a fair amount of people still hoping that one of the greatest point guards in NBA history gets another shot to lead an NBA team. There is another faction, however, that believes the Warriors may have actually been held back by their former coach.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
What can&rsquo;t be argued, however, is that in his three seasons in Golden State, Jackson led the Warriors to a 121-109 record and brought the team to consecutive postseason berths for the first time in over 20 years. He at least helped to lay the foundation of the team&rsquo;s championship trajectory.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_6942202_lg.png" alt="" width="585" height="329" />
It&rsquo;s also worth noting that LeBron has long been an advocate for Jackson. That may have something to do with the fact that Jackson &mdash; like LeBron and Anthony Davis &mdash; is represented by Klutch Sports, or it could be that LeBron just believes that he can coach.
Back in 2014, James reportedly pushed for Jackson as a candidate before the Cavs opted for Tyronn Lue to replace David Blatt, and according to The Athletic&rsquo;s Sam Amick, James could make a similar appeal on Jackson&rsquo;s behalf this time around. If he did, it could be quite meaningful.
John Calipari
If the Lakers are looking to make a splash, John Calipari would seem to fit the bill.
It&rsquo;s been more than 20 years since Coach Cal was head coach of an NBA team, but for the past 13 years, he&rsquo;s served as head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats &mdash; arguably the bluest of the blue-blood collegiate basketball programs. He led the Wildcats to the National Championship in 2012, and in that season, managed to unlock the potential of a talented freshman in Davis.
In all, Coach Cal has coached his teams to six Final Four appearances and has previously been linked to NBA openings, including with the New York Knicks.
The difficulty with pursuing collegiate coaches at big-time programs is stature. At the collegiate level, coaches are kings of their programs, particularly those with national championships and a track record of helping young players get to the NBA. In that regard, Calipari&rsquo;s record is unmatched.
According to CoachCal.com, Calipari is the only coach to have coached four No. 1 overall selections (Derrick Rose, John Wall, Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns) and the only coach to have five first-round selections in the same NBA Draft (2010).
In 2012, he also became the first coach to have two of his players go first and second in the draft. That year, Davis and teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist took that honor.
Cal probably knows that he can coach for as long as he wants to at Kentucky, just like Krzyzewski. But a 2021 report from Yahoo Sports cited Cal&rsquo;s believed ambition and wanting to prove that he can succeed at the NBA level as the thing that could push him back to the NBA.
That, and, of course, the right opportunity.
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Nick Nurse
It&rsquo;s hard to argue with Nick Nurse&rsquo;s success, and it&rsquo;s easy to see why a team like the Lakers could be interested. Nurse has earned a reputation for unorthodox methods and game planning, but it&rsquo;s impossible to argue with the success he&rsquo;s enjoyed as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
One of the biggest challenges that the Lakers face is with respect to its roster construction. If Russell Westbrook is to remain with the team, the franchise will need a coach who is capable of thinking outside the box and implementing systems and rotations that can maximize pieces that may not necessarily be an obvious fit.
It could be argued that these have been the hallmarks of his tenure in Toronto. That and, of course, winning. That may end up being the biggest obstacle for the Lakers if Nurse truly is the team&rsquo;s choice.
As the head coach who finally got Toronto over the hump, Nurse is beloved by the franchise, and the Raptors certainly seems to have more going for them than the Lakers do right now. Not the least of which is organizational leadership, which has proven to be competent and capable of developing players who can achieve at the highest level.
Leaving the Raptors for the Lakers in that regard would be a leap of faith for Nurse. Hailing from Iowa, Nurse isn&rsquo;t a natural-born Canadian, but he is currently serving as the head coach of the Canadian Men&rsquo;s National Basketball Team.
While that role wouldn&rsquo;t prevent him from making a jump to Los Angeles, it at least suggests a commitment to something bigger than simply being a coach. In the end, it may be a lot for the Lakers to overcome, especially since the Raptors&rsquo; ownership group has demonstrated it has deep pockets.
Nonetheless, it is possible that Nurse could view an opportunity to coach the Lakers as the one he has spent his entire career working toward. Having led the Raptors to a championship &mdash; similarly to Kawhi Leonard &mdash; he could perhaps be enthused about a new challenge.
----
Unfortunately for the community, we&rsquo;ve seen head coaches in the NBA become increasingly disposable. Just two years after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to its 17th championship in franchise history, Vogel was fired, and rather unceremoniously, at that.
If the Lakers are to win an 18th championship, it will be under new leadership.
Maybe one of the aforementioned five could be the answer.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Moke Hamilton takes a look at five candidates who could make sense as the Lakers' next head coach.

Five head coaches who could make the most sense for the Lakers

New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green could have been forgiven for wondering what he had gotten himself into early this season.
Star forward Zion Williamson was injured with no clear timeline for recovery, and the Pelicans started 1-12.
Rather than foreshadowing a long year at the bottom of the Western Conference, those setbacks set the stage for New Orleans to exemplify the benefits of patience and perseverance.
Williamson still hasn't played all season, yet the Pelicans have won more games than they've lost since last Thanksgiving. They finished ninth in the Western Conference and will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in the first postseason game played in New Orleans since 2018.
&ldquo;We definitely have resiliency," Green said. "It&rsquo;s a continuation of trying to build our program, starting with the beginning of this season and how difficult it was to be 1-12, and be at a point where we have this opportunity in front of us.&rdquo;
While Gregg Popovich is in his 26th season as Spurs coach, is the NBA's career leader in coaching victories and has five NBA championships to his name, his road to the 2022 postseason hasn't been much different from Green's.
The Spurs won just four of their first 17 games and were 16 games below .500 after a loss at Charlotte on March 5. Since then, they've gone 10-8 to sneak into the last Western Conference play-in spot as the 10th seed.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get better and better,&rdquo; said Spurs wing player Devin Vassell, now in his second NBA season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re growing as a team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of young players, but we&rsquo;re all developing right now.&rdquo;
Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has made major strides, becoming a first-time All-Star and averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds this season.
Brandon Ingram has been New Orleans' most productive offensive player, averaging 22.7 points, but he has gotten some help since the Pelicans acquired guard CJ McCollum in a multiplayer deal with Portland shortly before the NBA trade deadline in February.
McCollum, averaging 24 points since the trade, wasn't around for New Orleans' early season stumbles, but was well aware of them.
&ldquo;It shows you how they stuck together, how they continued to fight through adversity, how much growth the team has had,&rdquo; McCollum said. "I&rsquo;m happy I could help get us into this position where we have a chance to get some postseason experience.&rdquo;
To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, against the Los Angeles Clippers.
PRODUCTIVE LINEUP
Some recent lineup changes have yielded compelling results for New Orleans.
The 6-foot-11 Jaxson Hayes, drafted eighth overall in 2019, was inserted into the starting lineup at power forward, and McCollum took over at point guard following his trade. When those two have started alongside center Jonas Valanciunas, Ingram and defensive-minded rookie Herb Jones, the Pelicans are 7-3.
That is the likely lineup against San Antonio. Ingram, who missed the last three regular-season games with a sore hamstring, practiced Tuesday and declared himself ready.
While various injuries have limited that lineup's sample size to 10 games, Green said the way that group plays passes the &ldquo;eye test.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It looks right. It feels right,&rdquo; Green said. "The numbers kind of solidify what we&rsquo;re seeing, and we kind of go with that.&rdquo;
PERIMETER IMPROVEMENT
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson set career highs in points (17.0), rebounding (6.1), assists (2.1) and 3-point shooting (40%) in his third NBA season.
Johnson led the Spurs in 3-pointers, going 159 for 399 after making just 73 in his first two seasons.
The long-range scoring "frankly kind of surprised us all,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not what we expected him to improve on to that degree.&rdquo;
ROOKIE TRIO
During the final weeks of the regular season, the Pelicans relied on significant contributions from three rookies.
The 6-8 Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, has started much of the season after demonstrating he could defend many opposing teams' top scorers.
First-round pick Trey Murphy III and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado also have emerged during the latter portion of the season.
While Murphy has only scored 10 or more points eight times &mdash; seven of those instances came in the last 16 games, including a high of 32 points.
Alvarado seldom played prior to January, but now has 16 games with two or more steals, including a high of six. He has scored more than 10 points 12 times since Jan. 20, with a high of 23, and routinely plays meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;You see the strides throughout the year, especially Trey Murphy in these last few games,&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;Jose is getting more confidence shooting the basketball and Herb has been playing like a professional since he&rsquo;s been here.&rdquo;
CLOSING TIME
The Spurs say they have become more poised in late-game situations. They blew numerous fourth-quarter leads early this season, but have closed out some critical wins in recent weeks, including a 107-103 victory on March 23 in New Orleans.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve really been saying since Day One: We&rsquo;re young, we&rsquo;re still growing,&rdquo; fourth-year guard Lonnie Walker said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get used to (close games) and have that type of mindset &mdash; locked in &mdash; those final moments.&rdquo;

To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, in L.A.

Pelicans-Spurs Play-In Tournament matchup a study in resilience

March Madness indicates many things. Upsets, the overuse of the term bracketology, the start of spring, the beginning of pickup basketball games you promised yourself you'd get in shape for.
But for NBA fans, it&rsquo;s also a friendly reminder that the playoffs are only a stone's throw away. So, here at BasketballNews.com, we figured it was time to start preparing you for the game&rsquo;s second season.&nbsp;
And to do my part, I have decided to spend the next month studying some of the NBA's biggest stars and (hopefully) prescribing some tips for how teams can try to slow them down this postseason.&nbsp;
But remember, these suggestions are only for slowing them down &mdash; because you can never truly stop the best of the best.
Now, without further ado: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Almost three years ago, the Toronto Raptors infamously built a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-EPx-v1XIY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wall</a> in front of Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s path to the rim. The following season, the Miami Heat <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwVkriJPZ3Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reinforced</a> this structure on their way to a 4-1 gentleman&rsquo;s sweep.&nbsp;
Last season, however, Antetokounmpo was able to overcome his postseason demons on route to an NBA championship and Finals MVP award, prompting some to wonder whether past defensive tactics were growing outdated.
To answer this, let&rsquo;s think about why this barrier was concocted in the first place. Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s preferred scoring avenues &mdash; cutting, rolling, isolating and running in transition &mdash; all enable him to gain one thing: momentum. Once he has this kinetic energy, he becomes a nearly unstoppable locomotive.
The key here is the word &ldquo;nearly&rdquo; because, as a certain <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">smart person</a> once said, &ldquo;An object in motion stays in motion&hellip; unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Enter, The Wall.
Looking back at last postseason, while they ultimately fell short (or long), the Brooklyn Nets did a great job of deploying this defensive stratagem against The Greek Freak:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/zh7pqo" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This season, teams like the Heat, Celtics, Suns and Knicks have also experienced some success packing the paint in this manner and forcing him to settle for low-percentage shots:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/r5cxds" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The key here is you need need NEED the right personnel to make this work. Big, strong, physical guys who evaporate space and can&rsquo;t be moved by Giannis&rsquo; overwhelming force.&nbsp;
If you look at some of the guys who have given him the most fits over the last two seasons (keep in mind matchup data can be finicky), you notice a trend in body structure:
Giannis Antetokounmpo Matchup Statistics from 2020-22:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 56.7472%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.1489%;">
Player
</td>
<td style="width: 14.3568%;">
FG Attempts*
</td>
<td style="width: 17.5691%;">
Field Goal %*
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.1489%;">
Steven Adams
</td>
<td style="width: 14.3568%;">
39
</td>
<td style="width: 17.5691%;">
38.5%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.1489%;">
Bam Adebayo
</td>
<td style="width: 14.3568%;">
38
</td>
<td style="width: 17.5691%;">
42.1%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.1489%;">
Deandre Ayton
</td>
<td style="width: 14.3568%;">
39
</td>
<td style="width: 17.5691%;">
41.0%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.1489%;">
Blake Griffin
</td>
<td style="width: 14.3568%;">
46
</td>
<td style="width: 17.5691%;">
45.7%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.1489%;">
Julius Randle
</td>
<td style="width: 14.3568%;">
32
</td>
<td style="width: 17.5691%;">
37.5%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
See what I mean? These are probably the five guys in the NBA (other than Antetokounmpo) that I'd least want to upset. Having a player who fits this physical archetype gives you a great foundation for that unbalanced force Newton was talking about.
Of course, this gameplan is far less bulletproof than it once was. Giannis has added some graceful counters to his drive game (the one I hyperlinked <a href="https://streamable.com/tujkbl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> would make Baryshnikov proud). And the kickout has become a much more viable option for him these days &mdash; thanks to the improved outside shooting the team has surrounded him with. The Bucks are currently <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/17/team#tab-shooting_offense_accuracy">sixth</a> in the league in three-point shooting for the second-straight season after being 16th and 20th overall in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
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Even with these changes, I&rsquo;d still say The Wall is the weapon of choice for attempting to slow down Antetokounmpo. Despite being a great playmaker for his size, and adding in flying saucers like <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1486830638980284420?s=20&amp;t=w80AuxWhJVt2p9WEuhlz8g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this</a> to his game, his decision-making is still a bit inconsistent when he&rsquo;s navigating through traffic.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/3sgiga" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Playmaking/decision-making can be a difficult thing to quantify because of all the immeasurable variables that go into the practice, but from the metrics we do have available, Antetokounmpo doesn&rsquo;t look like a significantly different facilitator than he was in 2019 when the Raptors were able to capitalize on some of his lapses in judgment.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 97.1279%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
Year
</td>
<td style="width: 19.0601%;">
Passer Rating*
</td>
<td style="width: 18.0157%;">
Box Creation*
</td>
<td style="width: 23.2376%;">
Potential Assists
</td>
<td style="width: 25.9791%;">
Assist Points Created
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
2018-19
</td>
<td style="width: 19.0601%;">
5.8
</td>
<td style="width: 18.0157%;">
11
</td>
<td style="width: 23.2376%;">
11.5
</td>
<td style="width: 25.9791%;">
15.4
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
2019-20
</td>
<td style="width: 19.0601%;">
5.9
</td>
<td style="width: 18.0157%;">
12.1
</td>
<td style="width: 23.2376%;">
11.5
</td>
<td style="width: 25.9791%;">
15
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
2020-21
</td>
<td style="width: 19.0601%;">
6
</td>
<td style="width: 18.0157%;">
11.7
</td>
<td style="width: 23.2376%;">
11.4
</td>
<td style="width: 25.9791%;">
15.6
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
2021-22
</td>
<td style="width: 19.0601%;">
6.2
</td>
<td style="width: 18.0157%;">
12.1
</td>
<td style="width: 23.2376%;">
11.2
</td>
<td style="width: 25.9791%;">
15.9
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right for full table on mobile)
It&rsquo;s also worth mentioning here that, while Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s turnover rates are the lowest they have been since 2018 (a sign of improved control when navigating through the trees), his totals balloon back up to resemble his 2019-20 outputs when his co-star <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/julius-randle-and-the-george-costanza-problem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jrue Holiday</a> leaves the floor, per PBP Stats.
As I said, numbers can never fully explain the subtle intricacies of the art. But his stagnation in these stats at the very least suggests that the practice of packing the paint and forcing him to make correct reads should not be eradicated just yet.
Speaking of Holiday, opposing teams would do well to make Antetokounmpo forget how much of a revelation his go-to table-setter has been. When Antetokounmpo is playing off Holiday, it&rsquo;s way harder to load up your defense on him. When Antetokounmpo is initiating the offense, whether it be via post-ups or pick-and-rolls, it becomes easier to calibrate stunts, which can sometimes lead to The Freak picking up his dribble a step early or forfeiting the ball altogether.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/v6xuab" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Timing is so important when you are unleashing that second defender on him. If the defender digs too early, Antetokounmpo can calmly survey his options and locate the open man. If help comes too late, he&rsquo;ll have already barrelled his way through the seam. He&rsquo;s that damn good.
Even if your group is moving and communicating perfectly, you still need great personnel. His four lowest <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01/gamelog/2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Score</a> outputs this season came against three of the top-four defensive units in the league.
And guess what? Even then, he has counters of his own. He&rsquo;ll switch to full-on play-finisher mode. He&rsquo;ll freelance for putbacks. He&rsquo;ll <a href="https://premiumhoops.org/2021/04/06/evaluating-nba-perimeter-defense-establishing-and-using-a-rubric/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">create events</a> on defense to ignite the fastbreak. He&rsquo;s the ultimate scavenger of low-hanging fruit.&nbsp;
Such conditions project a bleak outlook for teams attempting to contain Antetokounmpo. But play your cards right, and you might shave a few points off his impact. And in a game dedicated by singular possessions, that might make all the difference.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Mat Issa breaks down Giannis Antetokounmpo's game and whether building a wall is still the best strategy to slow him down.

How to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo: Is The Wall still the way?

After seeing Zion Williamson, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/at-a-certain-point-well-have-to-mention-ja-morant-in-the-mvp-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ja Morant</a>, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/darius-garland-is-making-the-allstar-leap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Darius Garland</a> graduate to All-Star status &mdash; while also having to fathom <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/miami-heat-tyler-herro-is-pulling-up-to-the-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyler Herro</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dont-worry-about-paying-poole-hes-a-different-type-of-cat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jordan Poole&rsquo;s</a> rapid ascension in the league hierarchy &mdash; it's safe to presume that RJ Barrett is dissatisfied with his standing among his peers from the 2019 NBA Draft class.
As a result, he&rsquo;s decided to voice his frustrations about his ranking in the pecking order with his production.
In the month of February, Barrett's offensive tear was higher than any month of his career (albeit while only suiting up for six games), managing to surpass January's (his previous career-high for a month) while also maintaining similar efficiency across the board:
Barrett&rsquo;s Scoring (last two months)* 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.8695%; height: 162px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.1372%; height: 54px;">
Month
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 17.1123%;">
PPG
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 14.5722%;">
FGA
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 16.3102%;">
TS%
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 16.3102%;">
3P%
</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 54px;">
FT%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.1372%; height: 54px;">
January
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 17.1123%;">
21.8
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 14.5722%;">
17.6
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 16.3102%;">
53.8%
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 16.3102%;">
40.2%
</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 54px;">
68.1%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.1372%; height: 54px;">
February
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 17.1123%;">
28.3
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 14.5722%;">
22.2
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 16.3102%;">
53.3%
</td>
<td style="height: 54px; width: 16.3102%;">
39.0%
</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 54px;">
66.7%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right for full table)
* Data Provided by Basketball-Reference
Barrett was able to increase his scoring load without experiencing a meaningful dip in efficiency, which is a great sign that he can scale his volume up without bleeding too much value in other places. And although the sample may be small, it seems reasonably sustainable when you dive deeper into the progression of his shot diet this season.
Barrett Drives Per Game (by month)* 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 78.6153%; height: 324px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 20.8364%; height: 54px;">
Month
</td>
<td style="width: 27.4026%; height: 54px;">
Drives Per Game
</td>
<td style="width: 45.9171%; height: 54px;">
Points Off Drives Per Game
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 20.8364%; height: 54px;">
October
</td>
<td style="width: 27.4026%; height: 54px;">
7.2
</td>
<td style="width: 45.9171%; height: 54px;">
4.7
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 20.8364%; height: 54px;">
November
</td>
<td style="width: 27.4026%; height: 54px;">
7.5
</td>
<td style="width: 45.9171%; height: 54px;">
3.3
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 20.8364%; height: 54px;">
December
</td>
<td style="width: 27.4026%; height: 54px;">
10.3
</td>
<td style="width: 45.9171%; height: 54px;">
5.9
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 20.8364%; height: 54px;">
January&nbsp;
</td>
<td style="width: 27.4026%; height: 54px;">
14.6
</td>
<td style="width: 45.9171%; height: 54px;">
9.8
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 20.8364%; height: 54px;">
February
</td>
<td style="width: 27.4026%; height: 54px;">
15.8
</td>
<td style="width: 45.9171%; height: 54px;">
11.2
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-03-01-at-9-01-57-am_lg.png" alt="" width="650" height="393" />
* Data Provided by NBA.com
Barrett has more than doubled his number of drives per game from the start of the season to now. This upward mobility is important because it&rsquo;s easier to maintain efficiency when one is living off a meal plan of high-percentage shots in the paint as opposed to less nutrient-rich outside looks.
When paying attention to his drives from this month closely, you notice that a good chunk of them come in different ways.
- Attacking mismatches in the half-court
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
RJ Barrett's 46 point night - 9 things that stood out The most impressive part of RJ's game last night was his understanding of Miami's defense. He frequently sought out favorable matchups against Robinson and Herro. Watch him ask for a Burks screen knowing Miami will switch <a href="https://t.co/bZNjpqJhPj">pic.twitter.com/bZNjpqJhPj</a>
&mdash; Ariel (@APachecoNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/APachecoNBA/status/1497600691824734212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

- Leveraging ball-screens
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/fox3w3" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
- Getting after it in transition
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
RJ Barrett's growth in transition has been fun. <a href="https://t.co/LWLnGH0lXD">pic.twitter.com/LWLnGH0lXD</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1498025933520785408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Barrett's increase in drives per game has been accompanied by a gradual increase in free throws, which of course is another highly sustainable way to score at a higher volume while maintaining similar efficiency.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
RJ Barrett FTA per game by month October - 3.2 November - 3.1 December - 4.9 January - 6.1 February - 10 Per Basketball Reference.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1498446668500324352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

A promising sign regarding the stagnation of his three-point shooting (remember, no change is a good thing in this case) is that he&rsquo;s doing it without shooting at an absurdly high rate on pull-ups (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629628/shots-dash/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;Month=5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only 27.3%</a>). High pull-up shooting percentages for non-elite shooters are incredibly difficult to maintain over long periods of time. For instance, Julius Randle shot 40% on pull-up threes last season, and now this year, he&rsquo;s regressed down to a measly 29.9% (per NBA.com). So the fact that Barrett is shooting nearly 40% from downtown during his hot streak without nailing an insane amount of pull-up threes is welcome news.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
What Barrett did do well during the second month of 2022 was knock down open/wide-open three-pointers efficiently (defined as shots where the closest defender is at least 4 feet away) at a season-high volume:
Barrett Three-Point Percentage (by month)* 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 96.416%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1116%;">
Month
</td>
<td style="width: 27.5%;">
Open/Wide-Open
</td>
<td style="width: 49.7708%;">
Open/Wide Open Attempts Per Game
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1116%;">
October
</td>
<td style="width: 27.5%;">
46.5%
</td>
<td style="width: 49.7708%;">
4.3
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1116%;">
November
</td>
<td style="width: 27.5%;">
28%
</td>
<td style="width: 49.7708%;">
4.3
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1116%;">
December
</td>
<td style="width: 27.5%;">
35.6%
</td>
<td style="width: 49.7708%;">
5.9
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1116%;">
January
</td>
<td style="width: 27.5%;">
39.3%
</td>
<td style="width: 49.7708%;">
5.6
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1116%;">
February
</td>
<td style="width: 27.5%;">
42.6%
</td>
<td style="width: 49.7708%;">
6.1
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
* Data Provided by NBA.com
The beauty of this shot category is that it is typically of the catch-and-shoot variety, which usually comes with a lower degree of difficulty and a higher level of replicability than the previously discussed pull-up treys. And as long as these easy looks continue to generate themselves for Barrett (always a question with the Knicks' offense), the upward trend of his conversion rate since November indicates that he can be counted on to capitalize on these opportunities.
How to Keep Things Rolling 
Heat-check months are nothing new for Barrett. In fact, in six games in October, Barrett averaged a crisp 17 points per game on nearly 60% True Shooting (per Basketball-Reference). But for these heaters to become Barrett&rsquo;s new normal, systematic changes need to be made.&nbsp;
For starters, this can&rsquo;t be a thing, literally ever:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Knicks trailed 106 to 105 against the Sixers with 7:01 to go in the 4th. Only RJ Barrett scored in the remainder of the game. Against Miami two days earlier, the Knicks trailed 103 to 95 with 5:33 left on the clock. Again, RJ Barrett was the only Knick to score points..
&mdash; Ersin Demir (@EDemirNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/EDemirNBA/status/1498145805437394946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Barrett is a fine young scorer, but he&rsquo;s not someone who can drive an offense on his own. Even with all his growth this season, he&rsquo;s still shooting four points below the league average in True Shooting for the season (51.9%).
I already mentioned this before with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/julius-randle-and-the-george-costanza-problem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Randle</a>, but in an ideal context, you want a drink-stirring point guard mixing cocktails for Barrett like this
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/wwrhk3" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In that sequence, Kemba Walker begins the sequence by creating an advantage, and enables Barrett to cap it off with an exclamation-mark floater. (It also goes without saying that this version of Walker probably isn't the guard in our hypothetical ideal context.)
Barrett himself isn&rsquo;t devoid of blame for the present circumstances either. During his unforgivable assault of the rim in February, he only converted on 50% of his looks (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4574?season=2021&amp;start=02/1/2022&amp;end=10/15/2022#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7th percentile</a>), and for the entire season, he&rsquo;s only converted 57% of those particular chances (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4574#tab-shooting_accuracy">26th percentile</a>).
Being able to invade the paint at will is a luxury, but only coming away with points half of the time greatly neutralizes this superpower&rsquo;s effect. To cure this ailment, Barrett needs to be more confident finishing with his right hand:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/e0s5mg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The above clip demonstrates this issue perfectly. Barrett&rsquo;s masterful screen rejection gives him a step on the venerable Bam Adebayo. Now, all he needs to do is shield away from the ball with his left side and finish with his right. In that position, he&rsquo;s guaranteed an easy bucket or free throws (if Adebayo decides to reach across his body to try and contest the shot). Either way, it&rsquo;s a positive result.
Unfortunately, Barrett decides to switch to his left hand (his dominant hand) and, in the process, affords Adebayo a clean look at the ball. So instead of another bucket, Barrett gets put in the friendzone (yeah, I stole that from Mark Jones).
Even with the lackluster rim-finishing percentages, this stretch has been promising for the young forward, but there are still kinks to work out.
And RJ Barrett will need to solve that if he wants to keep pace with his rising peers and prove worthy of his high selection in the 2019 draft.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Mat Issa takes a deep dive into the most successful scoring month of RJ Barrett's career and how it happened.

Examining RJ Barrett’s recent scoring surge for the Knicks

As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-wont-mortgage-future-for-lebron-this-is-the-bed-you-made" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramona Shelburne said</a> when she paraphrased the Los Angeles Lakers' front office stance: "You guys got yourselves into this; this is the bed that you made."
We're past the trade deadline and NBA All-Star weekend and into the season's stretch run. Aside from some leftover waivings and G League call-ups, teams have their rosters set. From here on out, it's about just playing with the guys you have.&nbsp;
For the teams in this week's Sour Rankings, there's still time to adjust season goals and find a measure of success. Young rosters might hope for promising player development instead of wins. Those on the fringe of playoff contention might have the Play-In Tournament or the traditional postseason as a benchmark. Disappointing title hopefuls can salvage positivity even if they don't go all the way.
I've listed a target for each squad on the list. It might not be the ideal outcome, but the bar can at least bring some level of satisfaction to a year gone awry.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder made a brief pit stop, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/josh-giddeys-rise-make-thunders-rebuild-even-more-intriguing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Giddey's brilliance</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">team-wide budding defense</a> launched them right back out.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
10. New Orleans Pelicans (23-36)
Zion Williamson's general situation has once again made things sour. CJ McCollum <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cj-mccollum-on-zion-williamson-i-havent-had-conversations-with-him-directly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said on TNT</a> that he has yet to speak with Williamson since being the blockbuster addition for the Pelicans at the trade deadline. The quotes raise serious questions about how Williamson and the Pelicans are handling his extended absence.
At this point, who knows if Williamson will return this season. New Orleans should be aiming to make the Play-In games behind Brandon Ingram and McCollum. The latter has gotten off to a hot start with his new team. The Pelicans are two games back of the Trail Blazers for 10th place in the Western Conference and have plenty of time to move up.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Utah Jazz (36-22)
The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns have asserted themselves as the favorites in the West. No other team, including Utah, is in a similar tier. The Jazz also didn't make any significant moves to inspire title hope at the trade deadline, and a recent five-game winning streak doesn't exactly turn the tables. Utah hasn't reached the conference finals since 2006-07, and that seems like a reasonable, yet valuable goal since the team will likely have to get through one of the two powers to get there.
(Last week: 8)
8. Portland Trail Blazers (25-34)
Anfernee Simons averaged 28.0 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 44.8% from long range over his last five games entering the break. He's been the breakout star of the 2022 calendar year, and has given a listless Trail Blazers team some life. Simons' development might be more important than any team outcome, especially if Damian Lillard does not return this season. If he can finish out the year as the dynamic offensive weapon he's becoming, Simons can show Portland why he's a long-term core piece for the next era.
(Last week: 6)
7. Sacramento Kings (22-38)
When the Kings swung on Domantas Sabonis (and to a lesser extent, Donte DiVincenzo), they basically set the goal: make the playoffs. Play-In exits won't do any good for a franchise that has not made a postseason appearance since 2005-06 and just dealt arguably its top young talent, however. Sacramento is tied with New Orleans and also two-and-a-half games out of 10th in the West. It's going to be a brawl for that last spot, but if the Kings do snag it and advance through the mini-bracket, that means the Sabonis-De'Aaron Fox pairing is worth building around.
(Last week: 5)
6. Charlotte Hornets (29-31)
Charlotte has a top-10 Defensive Rating over the past two weeks, part of this wild roller-coaster ride the Hornets' defense has been on throughout the season. The team's Offensive Rating, however, ranks 27th during that stretch. Gordon Hayward's absence dealt a tough blow to the lineup's synergy. Ultimately, this is still a young team growing into its potential. Remaining in Play-In and playoff contention is a given goal, but I'd also like to see the team find some consistency on both ends and shoot for league-average ratings or better for the rest of the schedule.
(Last week: 9)
5. Houston Rockets (15-43)
On a seven-game slide, Houston has give up a whopping 128.9 points per 100 possessions in February, nearly five points more than any other team. This is an extremely young roster that will take time to mesh on defense, but that's still extremely rough. Tanking outright is not a "goal," but record isn't exactly a concern at this stage.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
More of this, please. They&rsquo;re giving it to you. <a href="https://twitter.com/JalenGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JalenGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/zfRvLkunXL">pic.twitter.com/zfRvLkunXL</a>
&mdash; heypartner (@theheypartner) <a href="https://twitter.com/theheypartner/status/1495761190370353155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Jalen Green is averaging 16.5 points per game this month while canning 41.7% of his three-pointers. He's the face of the future in Houston, so his flashes are what the fans and front office should want to see. As long as Green demonstrates noteworthy growth this spring, things will look up for the Rockets.
(Last week: 7)
4. Washington Wizards (27-31)
Kristaps Porzingis has yet to make his Wizards debut. When he does, it marks the start of a desperate push for Washington to appease Bradley Beal and make the playoffs. The Wizards are in 11th place and currently out of the Eastern Conference postseason picture, but sit just a game back of Charlotte and the Atlanta Hawks. A Play-In appearance can't satisfy; but a playoff appearance is much easier said than done. If two of Toronto, Boston and Brooklyn don't make it to a top-six seed, making the traditional eight is going to be a tall order for the Wizards or any other team.
(Last week: 4)
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
3. Brooklyn Nets (31-28)
The Nets sorely needed this All-Star break to put the drama of the James Harden trade and the stench of losing behind them. Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons are still out for an indefinite period, and Kyrie Irving is still unvaccinated, so this current ragtag bunch will have to keep Brooklyn in the playoff hunt. (They did also just ink Goran Dragic to a rest-of-the-season contract on Monday as well.) This is still a title contender on paper... but so was the pre-deadline iteration of the Nets. However, the East is wide open, and fans should expect a healthy roster to go at least two rounds in the postseason. 
(Last week: 2)
2. New York Knicks (25-34)
New York went 3-13 in a one-month span before the pause and promptly decided to forge ahead at the trade deadline with no changes. This doesn't bode well for a team with several veterans, but almost no hope of extending its season at this time.
Since Jan. 17, the Knicks have a 25th-ranked defense and a 22nd-ranked offense. The defense especially needs to improve for the sake of Tom Thibodeau's viability as a head coach. If it's not league-average or better the rest of the way, New York's direction will start to look a lot like the Thibodeau era in Minnesota.
(Last week: 3)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-31)
In the latest Hollywood drama, LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-on-cleveland-return-the-doors-not-closed-on-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept things pretty wide open</a> when he chatted with The Athletic's&nbsp;Jason Lloyd about his future. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rob-pelinka-refused-to-trade-russell-westbrook-draft-pick-for-john-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report also wrote</a> that Rob Pelinka refused to trade Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick for John Wall. So yeah, there's a very obvious disconnect within this franchise.
The Lakers cannot be satisfied with stumbling their way through a Play-In bracket that James himself has gone on record hating. They have to be a top-six seed for the sake of roster durability and image. But being six games behind sixth-place Denver right now, Los Angeles may have already run out of luck.
(Last week: 1)
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Ethan Fuller gives end-of-season benchmarks for success to the league's disappointing teams.

NBA Sour Rankings: Can teams in the dumps still salvage success?

As we near the end of the NCAA regular season, let's take a dive into college basketball's Power Five conference standings, remaining matchups and teams to watch as we come down the stretch.
Today, we'll start with the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Here are the current ACC standings (table <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/standings/_/group/2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">via ESPN</a>):
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">TEAM</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
W-L (ACC) 
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
GB
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
PCT
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
W-L
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
DUKE (7)
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
9-3
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
-
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.75
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
19-4
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
ND
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
9-3
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
-
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.75
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
16-7
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
WAKE
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
9-4
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
0.5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.692
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
19-5
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
MIA
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
8-4
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
1
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.667
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
16-7
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
UNC
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
8-4
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
1
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.667
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
16-7
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
UVA
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
9-5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
1
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.643
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
15-9
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
FSU
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
6-6
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
3
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.5
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
13-9
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
SYR
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
6-6
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
3
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.5
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
12-11
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
VT
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
6-7
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
3.5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.462
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
14-10
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
LOU
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
5-8
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
4.5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.385
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
11-12
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
BC
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
4-7
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
4.5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.364
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
9-12
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
CLEM
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
4-7
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
4.5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.364
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
12-10
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
GT
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
3-8
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
5.5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.273
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
10-12
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
NCST
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
3-10
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
6.5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.231
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
10-14
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.964%;">
PITT
</td>
<td style="width: 22.5634%;">
3-10
</td>
<td style="width: 16.5554%;">
6.5
</td>
<td style="width: 16.422%;">
0.231
</td>
<td style="width: 21.3618%;">
8-16
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
FRONTRUNNERS: DUKE
The No. 7 Duke Blue Devils have set themselves apart and control their own destiny, although a big loss to Virginia on Monday night makes the margin for error razor thin. Led by their potential top NBA Draft picks in Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin, the Blue Devils control their own destiny in the conference, and are projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have some tough games coming up with Wake Forest, Virginia and North Carolina to round out the season, but if the team can take care of business, Duke will be a favorite to win it all in April.
Notable games remaining: Wake Forest (Feb. 15), North Carolina (March 5)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17511038_lg.jpg" alt="" width="586" height="391" />
ON THE HEELS: NOTRE DAME, WAKE FOREST
Notre Dame has won 12 of its last 14 contests, but following a 57-43 loss at home to Duke, the Fighting Irish will likely finish as the runner-up in the regular season.
After only winning 3 ACC games last year, Wake Forest has been rejuvenated by Oklahoma transfer Alondes Williams. The Demon Deacons are one to watch out for in the ACC Tournament, as they're only a half-game back from the top spot, and have a huge game against Notre Dame on Feb. 19.
Wake is projected as a No. 9 seed in March Madness, while the Irish are projected to be one of the "First Four Out."
Notable games remaining: Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest (Feb. 19), Wake Forest vs. Miami (Feb. 12), Wake Forest vs. Duke (Feb. 15) 
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17583151_lg.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="390" />
SLEEPERS: MIAMI, NORTH CAROLINA, VIRGINIA, FLORIDA STATE, SYRACUSE
The North Carolina Tar Heels are still a threat to jump up the ACC standings, but they have already lost to both Notre Dame and Wake Forest without an opportunity to even the score. They&rsquo;ll need to take care of business down the stretch and also get some help in order to make a push. The Heels project as a No. 10 seed in March.
Miami is currently projected as a No. 9 seed. Kameron McGusty, Isaiah Wong and Co. are 8-4 in ACC play and have a big matchup on Feb. 12 against Wake. With a win in Winston-Salem, the Hurricanes can set up for a run at a top seed.
After a huge win Monday at Duke, Virginia pulls within one game of the top seed and will get another shot at the Blue Devils later this month.
Notable games remaining: Miami vs. Wake Forest (Feb. 12), Florida State vs. Duke (Feb. 19), Florida State vs. Virginia (Feb. 26), UNC vs. Duke (March 5)
THE REST: 
Virginia Tech, Louisville, Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, NC State.
2022 NBA DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/paolo-banchero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paolo Banchero, Duke</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/aj-griffin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AJ Griffin, Duke&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/mark-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Williams, Duke</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/wendell-moore-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wendell Moore Jr., Duke</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/trevor-keels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Keels, Duke</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/blake-wesley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Wesley, Notre Dame</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/dereon-seabron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dereon Seabron, NC State</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/caleb-love" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caleb Love, North Carolina</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/alondes-williams">Alondes Williams, Wake Forest</a>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Nearing the end of the NCAA regular season, Derek Murray takes a dive into the state of the ACC.

State of the Conference: Evaluating the ACC

Civil Rights attorney Lee Merritt discusses the power and influence the NBA has, and can continue to have &mdash; if the NBA continues using its platform, voices and resources to fight for justice.&nbsp;
Lee Merritt is one of the attorneys for Ahmaud Arbery&rsquo;s family &mdash; a 25-year-old black man who was murdered while on a run near Brunswick, in Glynn County, Georgia. A verdict of life imprisonment was just announced in the case, in which three men were convicted of murdering Arbery. While Lee Merritt is definitely relieved about the verdict, we discuss the long road ahead to achieve justice and equality for all. Merritt is running for attorney general in Texas and I would love to see the NBA duplicate what the WNBA did, when they threw their support behind Raphael Warnock, an Atlanta-area pastor who was running as a Democrat at the time for (and would eventually win) one of Georgia&rsquo;s seats in the U.S. Senate.&nbsp;
This was a great discussion.
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Etan Thomas: So this time last year, I interviewed a group of WNBA players, [including] Renee Montgomery and Elizabeth Williams, who both played for the Atlanta Dream at the time, [as well as] Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, Angel McCoughtry &mdash; and Eric Garner's daughter, Emerald. And <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-nba-kelly-loeffler-atlanta-dream-renee-montgomery-elizabeth-williams-swin-cash-etan-thomas-activism-black-lives-matter-activist-movement-vote-warnock-shirts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we discussed what the WNBA did to galvanize support for Raphael Warnock, and ultimately get him in office and Kelly Loeffler out of office</a>. And it was really amazing. Because for one, Raphael Warnock was polling at 9% before the WNBA got involved. And he won &mdash; in Georgia, of all places.&nbsp;
So I want to see how we can galvanize the NBA to duplicate that with you, as you're running for attorney general in the state of Texas. So that's why I reached out to you to have this interview with you. I've been following you for a long time and I'm a big fan of the work that you do. And so, I'm going to send this interview to the NBA, to the <a href="https://www.thesocialchangefund.org">NBA Social Change Fund</a>.
Which, for those that aren't familiar, it was birthed out of the Bubble season. After the NBA players went on strike, after Jacob Blake was shot multiple times in broad daylight, in front of his children. The NBA Social Change Fund was formed by Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, and is aimed to support critical issues in the black community.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/img_7183_lg.jpg" alt="" width="501" height="282" />
So that's why after speaking to Allisa Charles-Findley, who is Botham Jean's sister &mdash; and I actually interviewed her for my new book, &ldquo;<a href="http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/police-brutality-and-white-supremacy-the-fight-against-american-traditions/">Police Brutality and White Supremacy: The Fight Against American Traditions.</a>&rdquo;
She was one of the people I interviewed, along with Atatiana Jefferson's family, who I know that you work with as well &mdash; so we came up with the idea of conducting this interview with you, to try to galvanize that support from the NBA. Some people are like, "Alright, you usually do basketball stuff. Why are you interviewing a politician right now?" But that's the reason why. So thank you for taking this time.
Lee Merritt: "Sure, I really appreciate that. During most of my career, I've enjoyed the support of the National Basketball Association. I can recall in 2017, a young man named <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2018/08/29/jordan-edwards-made-the-case-against-roy-oliver-unlike-any-murder-trial-dallas-had-ever-seen/">Jordan Edwards </a>was slain in Balch Springs, Texas.&nbsp;
"It was in the middle of the NBA playoffs &mdash; and Steve Kerr, who had suffered family tragedy as well, identified with that family, reached out, invited them to the playoff games [and] got his brothers to take their mind off of it for a bit.
"I actually used to coach basketball myself. I was a coach down at South Atlanta High School. I coached Derrick Favors, I coached against Cousins and Walls* when they were high school students. And I enjoy a relationship with them today, continuing to give back to the community of Atlanta.
"And yeah, the names that you mentioned that you work with, Chris Paul has supported the work and the families I represent. Dwyane Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, [have] been major, major supporters over the course of my career.
"And, just as I transition away from representing one family at a time and start talking about representing larger groups of people and going towards policies, I certainly think the NBA can play a major role &mdash; in not only the success of the campaign, but championing some of those issues that we're fighting for on a case-by-case basis, and taking it to one of the biggest states in the country and really impacting national policy."
Etan: So, let me ask you to review some of the cases that you've worked with before, and the people that you've represented. We could start off with Ahmaud Arbery.
Merritt: "Sure. I came to represent the Ahmaud Arbery family before the video was released of his brutal slaying in South Georgia. Many [...] will recall that he was a South Georgia jogger. On February 23, 2020, he was targeted by three white men who have now been each <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/jury-reaches-verdict-ahmaud-arbery-death-case/story?id=81353504">convicted of murder</a>, and are facing life sentences in the state of Georgia, as well as federal hate crime charges.
"I've also represented... Unfortunately, the list of families that I've represented is quite extensive. I represent over 67 families who have suffered misuse of force, that lost a loved one, as a result of the deadliest police culture in the world. Some of the names that your viewers may have heard of.
"You mentioned [...] <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article236198028.html">Atatiana Jefferson</a>.&nbsp;
"Of course, that case is ongoing. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/death-innocent-man-timeline-wrong-apartment-murder-trial/story?id=65938727">Botham Jean</a>, who was an accountant eating a bowl of ice cream in his own apartment complex.&nbsp;
"<a href="https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-illinois-police-shooting-guard-20181112-story.html">Jemel Roberson</a> was a security guard in Chicago. Had just stopped a mass shooting, and was shot in the back by a police officer who must have mistook him for a gunman.&nbsp;
"<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/13/us/california-attorney-general-sean-monterrosa-shooting/index.html">Sean Monterrosa</a> in California.
"But the bulk of my work has been in Texas. I represent <a href="https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/damian-daniels-family-responds-to-no-indictment-for-deputy-that-killed-him">Damian Daniels</a>, a veteran shot to death in his home.&nbsp;
"<a href="https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Family-of-woman-killed-by-Baytown-officer-13872709.php">Pamela Turner</a> in the Houston area.&nbsp;
"And like I said, we could probably spend the rest of this podcast going through the list of names."
Etan: Wow! So now you're running for attorney general in Texas. And for those that don't know, what exactly are the responsibilities of an attorney general?
Merritt: "The attorney general of Texas, and an attorney general in any state, is the legal voice for the people. They're supposed to serve as the spokesperson for what justice is in a municipality. And so we've seen it, in cases like Breonna Taylor, where we had a really bad attorney general interfere with accountability in that case, in the form of Daniel Cameron. We've seen the opposite end of that spectrum with Keith Ellison and the work that he's done in Minnesota. Prosecuting the officers responsible for the death of George Floyd and, most recently, Daunte Wright.
"But even beyond the criminal justice aspect, the attorney general&rsquo;s office, particularly in the state of Texas, impacts virtually every aspect of Texas life. So property taxes, school protection. And we've heard a lot recently in the news about the CRT [Critical Race Theory] scam, where they're trying to erase entire portions of our history in the name of not getting anyone upset.
"From the border crisis, to really economic empowerment in our schools. There's so many businesses that are attempting to get off the ground, but don't have access to the kind of governmental loans and support that our white counterparts do.
"All of those things run through the attorney general's office. It's a very, very influential office. More or less the second-in-command in the state of Texas."
Etan: Now, Ken Paxton, [is] who you would be running against, and who is the current attorney general &mdash; and has been since 2015. I want to talk about the stark differences between the two of you, because it's really night and day.
But I want to start off with this, because the Jan. 6 insurrection [anniversary] is upon us. And you know, I'm looking at him, looking at the footage, and I see him at a rally right before the insurrection, almost like leading the charge. Explain to me, let's start off with there, about the stark differences between you and Ken Paxton.
Merritt: "Well, there is a clear contrast. You know, Texas was in the national news because of [its] unique voter suppression laws. They passed some laws that would make it more difficult for the black and brown people in the state, people with disabilities and marginalized communities to vote.
"It was so upsetting that certain members of the Texas legislature left the state and went to DC &mdash; refused to participate in that session in order to fight for voting rights. Now, I was present with them. I thought that was a fight worth standing with people for, providing both legal advice and strategies, working with the labor community and others to take on voting issues in Texas.
"By contrast, the last sort of infamous trip of the attorney general, the current attorney general, to our nation's capital was on Jan. 6. And we don't know exactly what he did there, because he has not participated in an ongoing investigation in terms of his potential criminal liability for helping to incite a riot.
"But he was very publicly on camera, encouraging the soon-to-be riders and insurrectionists that the election was stolen, that they had a responsibility to fight. And he invoked the name of Texas when he did it. He said, "You all should fight, because Texans fight." And he laid out that he had fought to overturn the results of the free and fair election. And yeah, that's our top legal position in the state, advocating for the overthrow of our government."
---------------
We then went on to discuss particular differences between him and Ken Paxton such as his position on education, police reform, border, gun training before owning a gun, and we cleared up the misconceptions on CRT, being anti-police vs. anti-police brutality, Second Amendment rights, etc.
---------------
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: So let's go to the NBA, and how important it is for the NBA to continue to promote, to continue to use their platforms, to be able to &mdash; I mean, this is the thing. It's important to do that part. But now we have to take it a step further.
And I think the NBA has been doing a great job of promoting, raising awareness. You saw it all especially during the Bubble season, after the entire country was promoting and demonstrating and protesting what happened with George Floyd, what happened with Breonna Taylor [and] Ahmaud Arbery.
You saw John Wall and Bradley Beal here in D.C. leading protests. You saw all the Ball brothers, you saw Russell Westbrook in L.A. You saw Jaylen Brown and Enes Kanter Freedom too, in Boston &mdash; of course everything that LeBron was always doing.
But now it's like, it needs to be a step further, like the next step. And I think that you, with what you are trying to implement in Texas as the attorney general, is that next step. Because you have to be able to have someone in place that's on the right side of wanting to be able to create something that functions properly. So just talk about that, how this is like the next step that should happen. Along with [...] raising awareness and protesting and everything like that.
Merritt: "Yeah. I can recall, we were in the middle of the NBA playoffs when Jacob Blake was repeatedly shot in his back by a Milwaukee police officer. And I was watching the game, and Chris Paul had just gone off, sort of a historic performance.
"And <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxcNbbyg0ZI">they interviewed him</a> right after the game. And they said, 'You know, Chris, you were playing...' I think he was playing his old team, the Houston Rockets. He was with the Oklahoma City Thunder [...], where Derrick Favors is currently.
"And they said, 'Tell us about this performance against your old team. You had a chance to really show them that you still got it.' And he said, 'Yeah, I don't really care about that. That's cool. And that's what I'm paid to do. But a law enforcement officer in my community has just shot someone in their back several times. He was unarmed and nonviolent. Let's talk about that.'
"I think it's on the players to stand up like Chris Paul did, and like you said, like people have done, in a systemic way across the National Basketball Association &mdash; where the pundits and the media might tell you, 'Could you just shut up and dribble.' We've heard that refrain before.
"It's important for the players to say, "No, actually I won't. This is my community. What's going on in our community, it's urgent. It's a crisis. It's not something that we want to put off for a later conversation or for the offseason. But where it happens, I'm going to stand up to it. And I will get involved in elections. And I will use my resources and time and attention to shine a light on these issues that must be addressed."
Etan: You know, it's interesting. In my book, &ldquo;<a href="http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/we-matter-athletes-and-activism/">We Matter: Athletes and Activism</a>&rdquo; I interviewed Jahvaris Fulton, who is Trayvon Martin's brother. And in the interview, he told me how &mdash; and when he said this, it kind of threw me,&nbsp; because I didn't expect him to say it &mdash; he said that if it weren't for NBA players and celebrities and everybody like that, talking about his brother, he didn't think that anybody would know his name. And I was like, "Wow, that's kind of strong. Why do you say that?"
So then he explained to me how, when Trayvon Martin was first killed, his family was trying to get the local news people to cover it and they didn't want to cover it. They said, "Okay, another young black man was killed. That's not newsworthy."
And I was like, "That's what they told you?" He said, "Yeah," he was like, "We don't have no evidence. We don't have no video of it. Just your word saying that he [was] killed, that's not newsworthy." And he gave a shout-out to Roland Martin and some of the black news people, who were covering it. But he said, "But no local news people wanted to cover it."
So then he said, "But then, LeBron James started talking about it. And Dwyane Wade started talking about it. And then the entire Miami Heat team posed in the hoodies." So then he said, "So then you had everybody like, 'Okay, what is this that LeBron James is discussing? And why is Dwyane Wade feeling so passionate about this, and talking about his kids, and about this case?' Then everybody started to gravitate towards it and cover it and everything like that."
But he said [...] before, they couldn't get anybody to cover it. And that's just... It's unfortunate that it is that way, because people should have a regard for human life anyway, without an athlete having to speak about it. However, the athlete speaking about it is what drew the attention &mdash; and that just shows where athletes have to continue to do that, continue to use your voice and your platform to be able to speak to these causes.
And also to take it a step further by having laws being changed, and people who are in positions to fight for laws being changed, like [you are]. You know what I mean? And running for attorney general &mdash; [who] are in positions to actually implement some things so these things don't just continue to keep happening.
Merritt: "Yeah. I can remember in 2016, we saw two high-profile officer-involved shootings back-to-back, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. It was the same weekend, and it was almost like a dark cloud being hanged over impacted communities. And if you and I saw each other on the street, we would make eye contact and say, 'You know, man, this is becoming too much.'
"Dallas had a protest &mdash; I was living in Dallas at the time. And they had a protest downtown, where we marched and we discussed what happened, and started to talk about organizing police reform. And at the end of that protest, a vigilante named Micah Xavier Johnson, targeted law enforcement officers and shot five police officers and a couple of civilians as well. And you could imagine the national outcry about Black Lives Matter, and how they put law enforcement lives at risk.
"And everyone began to ignore the fact that people were there for protesting peacefully about police violence &mdash; that was back-to-back and overwhelming. And while it was a tragedy for our entire community that law enforcement officers were targeted by Mr. Johnson, there was also an ongoing crisis in our community, that was the reason that all those people had gathered and made targets of themselves.
"And it was Dwyane Wade. LeBron was still, I think, in 2016, with the Miami Heat. So it was Wade and LeBron who came forward at the ESPY Awards that weekend and re-centered the conversation. And said, 'That's terrible what happened in Dallas, and we back the blue. We stand for the law enforcement officers.'
&ldquo;But understand that our community is also under attack. And it's two sides of the same coin. We don't tolerate violence directed at law enforcement officers. And we cannot continue to tolerate violence directed at our community.
And it saved the national conversation so that we could get back to what had brought us all there in the first place. And so, yeah, members of the NBA have the opportunity, in [the] state of Texas, but [also] throughout the country, the voices of the NBA are critically important to that."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1_lg.png" alt="" width="666" height="333" />

Etan Thomas is joined by Lee Merritt on "The Rematch" to discuss social justice and the NBA's role in societal change.

Lee Merritt: The NBA could impact public policy and elections

Go ahead, pick out the meme if you want.
Matter of fact, I'll do it for you. Please hold.&nbsp;
[elevator music]
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-01-15-at-10-47-40-am_lg.png" alt="" width="325" height="386" />
We've got our funnies out of the way, I hope. Let's dig into the heart of this.
After a Jazz practice, Utah center Rudy Gobert was asked about some things. His health and pending return was at the top of the list.&nbsp;
Gobert was also asked about the state of the Jazz as title contenders. He <a href="https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1482075141374758915?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was pretty honest</a>, though still hopeful that the Jazz could turn things around. The major hold-up in his eyes: a lack of "winning habits" being established, particularly on the defensive end.
His stance, per Eric Walden of <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/01/14/rudys-return-utah-jazz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Salt Lake Tribune</a>:
<blockquote>
"When I watch some of these other teams, like the Suns or the Warriors, those guys are a step ahead of us in terms of winning habits. They take every game personally,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;Devin Booker is playing his a-- off defensively. I&rsquo;ve been watching him compared to two years ago. Guys like that, they buy in, and you can tell they take pride in playing defense and stopping their man, doing whatever they can defensively to stop the other team and be part of a winning culture. I just think we&rsquo;re not there yet, but I think we&rsquo;re gonna get there."
</blockquote>
First part of that seems pretty nondescript, right? The Suns and Warriors &mdash; two teams ahead in the standings, and two teams that have represented the Western Conference in six of the last seven Finals &mdash; seem to have a handle of the little things than the Jazz do.
Then it gets fun.
&nbsp;
That Devin Booker mention? The subsequent "you can tell they take pride in playing defense" line? I find it hard to believe that wasn't intentional phrasing from Gobert. At bare minimum, it reads as a shot at Donovan Mitchell, Gobert's teammate and Booker's peer among the premier shooting guard group. And if it is, it's well deserved.
Mitchell, as dynamic as he is offensively (psst,<a href="https://www.one37pm.com/strength/sports/donovan-mitchell-jazz-ceiling"> read this</a>), leaves quite a bit to be desired defensively. He remains poor as a screen navigator, either taking I-simply-cannot-recover wide angles or being wiped out by picks entirely. Dialed-in Mitchell is fine &mdash; he's finding comfort with a spin move when ducking under picks, for example &mdash; but we don't consistently see that on a per-possession basis. Combine that with struggles to stay attached to ball-handlers, and you get film that looks like this.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/s0liak" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
But this gripe of Gobert's goes beyond Mitchell. 
At this point, Mike Conley and Royce O'Neale (bless his heart) might be the only defenders on the roster that Gobert can trust to stay solid on-ball, give multiple efforts, and communicate a switch in a timely manner. That simply isn't good enough if the Jazz want to reach their ceiling.&nbsp;
The last five games without Gobert have highlighted his value. The Jazz have the second worst defense (120.3 defensive rating) in the league during this stretch. Opponents are generating nearly 1.14 points per possession on trips featuring a ball screen, the worst mark in the NBA by a decent margin per Second Spectrum.
All drop-defenders aren't created equal &mdash; Hassan Whiteside is no Gobert. But Gobert's absence further exposed just how much he was cleaning up, and how poorly the Jazz are doing the little things. It's been especially clear when they've had to go small, with Whiteside on the bench or with him simply not being available (take a look at the Cleveland game).
Without Gobert (and Whiteside), the Jazz have leaned further into switching. The gambit makes sense &mdash; flatten out the offense, keep the action in front, stay solid &mdash; but good lord have they done a poor job of it. To put a number on it: opponents are scoring over 1.19 points per possession on trips featuring a Jazz switch, per Second Spectrum.
There's only so much the Jazz can do from a personnel perspective. But they aren't even giving themselves a chance on most possessions.
If you're going to switch, there has to be some semblance of physicality. Against deadly pull-up shooters, you have to push up when switching so they don't have a gap to waltz into. Against dynamic rollers or post threats, it helps to get under them and cut off their roll &mdash; or you can go the other way entirely, getting on top early and fronting to take away an easy entry pass.
Lo and behold, the Jazz are doing [checks notes] neither of those things. Let's look at one glaring example from that Cavs game, shall we?
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Brandon Goodwin isn't a high level pull-up shooter, but this is a pretty clear demonstration of the lack of detail the Jazz are switching with. Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic switch this screen between Goodwin and Kevin Love. Mitchell isn't a good match-up against Love, of course, but look at the angle Love is able to take as he sets the screen.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-01-15-at-12-42-22-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="575" height="325" />
Mitchell doesn't get under him at all; Love has the inside track the entire way through. This is why, despite switching out to Goodwin, Bogdanovic sinks back to Love. He wants to cut off the flashing-red-sign passing window that Love has. But because of that, Goodwin is essentially given a practice jumper. You simply can't give an NBA guard that kind of space.
So, talk about Gobert The Personality all you want. Criticize the lack of offensive impact he's had against smaller units if that tickles your fancy. But he's 100% on the money about the Jazz defensively.
Their recent outings in the postseason have had more to do with their defense than their offense. And as convenient as it's been to put those shortcomings on Gobert, he's far from the primary cause.

Nekias Duncan digs into Rudy Gobert's recent comments about Utah's "winning habits."

Rudy Gobert has a point about Utah's defense

For many in the NBA, this season has been a battle of attrition. Whether it's been COVID protocols, injuries or other setbacks, teams have gone through the wringer.
The Miami Heat are one of those ball clubs suffering. Recently, All-Star big man Bam Adebayo had surgery to repair a torn UCL that will keep him out for a significant period of time. In addition, Jimmy Butler has missed 6 of the last 7 games due to a tailbone injury, while Markieff Morris has been sidelined with a hurt neck since mid-November. A few days ago, Caleb Martin was also placed into the NBA's health and safety protocols to boot.
However, the Heat have grinded this period out and won back-to-back games against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and ailing Chicago Bulls, and currently stand as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference in spite of all this. Much of this is thanks to the leadership of Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Dewayne Dedmon, plus a veteran coach in Erik Spoestra.
But there are a number of players on Miami who have stepped up to the plate during this crucial period. Max Strus is one of those key components, and the third-year sharpshooter has made his mark for the team as of late. In a season where he's averaged a career-high 20.2 minutes per contest, Strus is knocking down 40.6% of his treys (the second best clip for Miami, just behind Tucker's 42.6%).
Over the last eight games, Strus has averaged 12.0 points per game. He's had games with 19 points, 25 points and 16 points over that time, and has been a part of feisty second units featuring Gabe Vincent, KZ Okpala, Omer Yurtseven and Martin (with a vet or two on the floor with them).
BasketballNews.com sat down with Strus on Monday morning in Cleveland to discuss a number of topics:
Just in this stretch, winning the last two games, the never-say-die attitude that your team is showing down so many bodies &mdash; what's that say about this group?
Max Strus: "We've got a lot of guys that can play basketball at this level. We've got a lot of depth. [At the] beginning of the year, people didn't think we were going to have depth. And then, we've done a good job of showing, I think, the talent that we have on this team. Guys have had the resiliency to step up when we've needed them the most."
Obviously, you want this team to be at full strength, but how have guys like you, Gabe Vincent, KZ Okpala, Caleb Martin and Omer Yurtseven viewed this opportunity?&nbsp;
Strus: "That's the name of the game in the NBA is opportunities, and taking advantage of 'em can take you far places in this league. So whenever those opportunities arise, you've got to be ready for 'em. Like you said, it's next man up. You don't want those guys to be out, but if they're gonna be out, somebody's gotta play better and take advantage of it."
Even with that, you're averaging a career-high 20 minutes per game this year. How do you feel like this coaching staff has learned to trust you and what do you feel you've done to earn that trust?
Strus: "I think it's just all the work that I put in behind the scenes, and the trust that I've built up with the minutes in the past year. And then, throughout the summer and Summer League, and the things that I've done when I've been in the game this year. I think I've done enough to earn their respect and earn their trust by what I've been doing when I play every time. I think you just keep stacking up those good days, and the more and more you do that, the better off you're gonna be."
This past summer, you showed that quite a bit. You went off for 25 points about a week-and-a-half ago and had 16 the other night. Do you draw on any of that experience from the summer to help you in this particular situation?
Strus: "Nah. Summer League was more like a learning experience and something to build your confidence up, but the NBA's a whole different animal. We've got guys that could go for 25 at the end of our bench any night, so it's really about who's just gonna step up that night, and when the shots are falling, just keep feeding that guy. I think the Miami Heat do a good job of going with that guy and trusting their ability."
Is there anything other than reps and that experience that have helped build your confidence?
Strus: "Yeah, just the overall way my career has gone. Just keep knocking down the levels of getting to be a rotational player in the NBA. All the things that I've put in, the hard work behind the scenes and then everything I've done in the games. Obviously you're gonna be confident with everything you've done after you've continuously put in those efforts and done the main things on the court."
Do you look at what Duncan Robinson has done as an example of what you can kinda carve your career after? He kinda started off in the same position having to work his way up, and now you see the fruits of those labors.
Strus: "Right, yeah. I think that's just how it generally happens for anyone. Me and Duncan have a similar story, and coming from where we come from, you take any opportunity you can get just to be in this league. So the way he rose up along this process has obviously helped me, and he's helped guide me along that way. Do I want to be where he is? Obviously, yeah (laughs). I mean, the guy is doing everything I want to be doing. But I think we have a lot of similarities and a lot of differences in our games. So I think I have the capability to be that type of guy and play those minutes."
As far as your on-court game goes, is there an aspect you're hoping to show other than your shooting?
Strus: "I mean, not really. I'm not out here to show anybody what I can do. I just want to help do whatever I can do to help our team win."
What do you feel is the best way to do that?
Strus: "Shooting. Making shots, and then just making the right play every time. They've trusted me to put the ball in my hands, come off ball-screens, come off handoffs, get in the paint and make plays. So they've trusted me to make those things [happen] and I've worked on my ability to make those plays, so I just want to keep continuing to get better at that."

Spencer Davies sits down with the Heat's Max Strus to discuss Miami's bout with the injury bug, chances on the floor and more.

Q&A: Max Strus on Heat's next-man-up mentality, building confidence

Potential is a strange thing. It&rsquo;s not something tangible that you can hold in your hand, like a lightsaber or a McRib. Yet we tend to obsess over it. Sometimes, we even lend it more weight than observable talent.
The NBA and all those associated are not immune from this tendency. We circumnavigate the <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/nba-rosters-feature-109-international-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">globe</a> in search of the game&rsquo;s most fascinating prospects in the hopes that their unique skillsets will help deliver our favorite franchise to the promised land. However, all too often, we fail to stop and ask ourselves, "What are the limits of our imagination?"
Arguably no player exemplifies this pattern in human nature better than Anthony Edwards. On one hand, once you see the flashy, second-year guard showcase his frenetic athleticism and effortless charm, it&rsquo;s easy to come away convinced that he could be the one to pry the Minnesota Timberwolves out of the depths of playoff irrelevancy. On the other hand, it&rsquo;s hard to chalk up his funky shooting mechanics, questionable shot selection and tendency to lose focus on defense to mere growing pains.&nbsp;
This polarity leaves us in a state of basketball limbo. Anthony Edwards: Savior or bust? Which label (if either) is more appropriate? To frame it more pointedly: Just how high can Anthony Edwards fly?
In an attempt to examine Edwards' ceiling, I scoured NBA history to find players with a similar skillset and explored whether Edwards could follow a similar trajectory. I decided to look at five possible developmental outcomes for the young guard. For each player comparison, I've included that player&rsquo;s peak season in terms of Box Plus/Minus (using the <a href="https://backpicks.com/page/2/#RS%20BPM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BackPicks</a> version of the stat) and an explanation of what Edwards would need to add to his game to reach that level (except for the &ldquo;Pessimist Floor&rdquo; tier). Lastly, I offer my thoughts on which tier I think Edwards is most likely to reach.
Tier 1: Pessimist Floor - Andrew Wiggins (Starter)
Peak BPM (2020-21): 1.0 (T-150th that season)
Yep, I didn&rsquo;t wait long to start pissing people off. To avoid Timberwolves fans going into a state of existential dread, I won&rsquo;t spend too much time on this comparison. But you have to admit, these numbers (and the situations surrounding these two players) look pretty gosh darn similar.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 54px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.40354%; height: 10px; text-align: center;">Name</td>
<td style="width: 6.41956%; height: 10px; text-align: center;">Season</td>
<td style="width: 6.37182%; height: 10px; text-align: center;">Age</td>
<td style="width: 6.37155%; height: 10px; text-align: center;">USG%*</td>
<td style="width: 6.76034%; height: 10px; text-align: center;">PTS/75*</td>
<td style="width: 9.09119%; height: 10px; text-align: center;">rTS%**</td>
<td style="width: 11.4932%; height: 10px; text-align: center;">Passer Rating**</td>
<td style="width: 8.37598%; height: 10px; text-align: center;">BPM**</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 5.40354%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Edwards</td>
<td style="width: 6.41956%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">'21-22</td>
<td style="width: 6.37182%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">20</td>
<td style="width: 6.37155%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">27.5%</td>
<td style="width: 6.76034%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">22.1</td>
<td style="width: 9.09119%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">-1.6%</td>
<td style="width: 11.4932%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">3.5</td>
<td style="width: 8.37598%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">1.0</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 5.40354%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Wiggins</td>
<td style="width: 6.41956%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">'16-17</td>
<td style="width: 6.37182%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">21</td>
<td style="width: 6.37155%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">29.0%</td>
<td style="width: 6.76034%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">24.1</td>
<td style="width: 9.09119%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">-1.9%</td>
<td style="width: 11.4932%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">3.4</td>
<td style="width: 8.37598%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">0.3</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data provided by <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Basketball Reference</a>
**Data provided by <a href="https://backpicks.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Backpicks</a>
In all seriousness, though, you would need to have a major case of the Rust Cohle <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8x73UW8Hjk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;I&rsquo;m bad at parties&rdquo;</a> to believe that Anthony Edwards, barely a full calendar year into his career, won&rsquo;t get any better than he is right now at age-20.
Tier 2: Optimist Floor -&nbsp;Jerry Stackhouse (Fringe All-Star)
Peak BPM (2001-02): 2.1 (T-52nd that season)
The more optimistic among us will point to Edwards&rsquo; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZnOGXzUyi4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">violent athleticism</a> and penchant for invading the interior (79th percentile rim frequency, per Cleaning the Glass) to say that at the very least, he will match the production of the post-Jordan wave of athletic two-guards from the early 2000s &mdash; particularly Jerry Stackhouse.
In Stackhouse&rsquo;s two All-Star campaigns, he averaged <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stackje01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">23.2 and 28.1 points per 75 possessions</a>, respectively, and he did so on <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stackje01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">above-average efficiency</a> in part because of his ability to get easy points at the free-throw line (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stackje01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">averaging 9.5 attempts per 75 possessions during that span</a>).
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oOerr4FCZJE" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
With all his shots at the rim, you would think Edwards would produce more than the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/edwaran01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3.3 free-throw attempts per 75 possessions</a> that he&rsquo;s currently averaging. Yet watching him reveals that he struggles identifying when to slow down and deploy his strength on his drives. For instance, on this play, he should have utilized his size advantage on De'Aaron Fox by taking a power dribble and forcing Fox to foul him, rather than trying to zoom past Fox, pick up his dribble and give Fox an opportunity to rip the ball out of his hands.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kzDfsfHRMlE" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Edwards is already handling high-volume usage at near league-average efficiency. But to increase both those outputs further, he&rsquo;s going to need to use his physical tools to earn some more freebies at the line.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Tier 3: Median Outcome -&nbsp;Donovan Mitchell (Solid All-Star/Weak All-NBA)
Peak BPM (2020-21): 3.9 (T-19th that season)
One player whom Edwards garnered comparison to during the pre-draft process was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l46pqSeeA34" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donovan Mitchell</a>. Though I&rsquo;m not sure how similar their physical parameters are these days, the Spida trajectory is still instructive as it features an aspect critical in transforming an inefficient volume scorer to an offensive focal point: the pull-up jumper.
In 16 playoff games, from 2017 to 2019, Mitchell shot 29% on 75 pull-up jumpers. In the last two postseasons, he shot 47% on 117 pull-up jumpers over the course of 17 games (per NBA.com). This improvement helped catapult his True Shooting Percentage from an abysmal sub-50%, in the 2018 and 2019 playoffs, to a stellar 64% over the past two postseasons.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GVg65SDxHcE" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Conversely, in his young career, Edwards has shot 32.6% on his 248 pull-up jumper attempts, per NBA.com. While we&rsquo;ve yet to witness him in a playoff setting, his learning curve in that environment would likely be significantly less steep (and his ascension to All-Star status would likely come far more quickly) if he could start knocking down those types of shots at a mid-40% clip.&nbsp;
Tier 4: Reasonable Ceiling - Vince Carter (Solid All-NBA)
Peak BPM (2000-01): 4.7 (T-7th that season)
While Mitchell is one of the better shooters in today&rsquo;s game, peak Vince Carter had a case as the best in the league during his heyday. As <a href="https://premiumhoops.org/2020/12/17/how-good-was-vince-carter-in-his-prime-the-definitive-analysis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cody Houdek</a> pointed out in an article for Premium Hoops, Carter shot 34% of his team's threes in 2000-01 (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cartevi01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">converting nearly 41% of his attempts</a>), which matches Steph Curry&rsquo;s share in his famous 2015-16 unanimous-MVP season.
In the string of clips below, you'll get a glimpse of Carter&rsquo;s expansive shooting vocabulary. Like Mitchell, he had the pull-up jumper down pat, but he could also knock down shots off the catch-and-shoot, from the triple-threat position, while falling away and following a nasty stepback.
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For Edwards to reach All-NBA status without being a high-end contributor on defense (more on this in a bit), he will need to sport a similar cache of weapons to reach peak Carter-levels of volume and efficiency (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cartevi01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly 27.5 points per 75 possessions on +3.3% Relative True Shooting Percentage</a>). Luckily for him, he&rsquo;s got the bag in his hands; he just needs to deploy it more efficiently.
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Another thing that Edwards needs to take from Carter is his self-awareness. Even before his mature years in Memphis and Atlanta, Carter was wise enough to recognize his limitations as a primary ball-handler, so he made it a point to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible. That wisdom led to some nice feeds, like this one right here:
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Too often, Edwards falls prey to the &ldquo;let&rsquo;s-see-how-quickly-I-can-deflate-the-basketball-by-dribbling-it-excessively&rdquo; school of thought, and it leads to pointless sequences like this one here:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uPLDbBsBM4I" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Fortunately, he has moments of passing clarity where he analyzes the floor and quickly identifies the right play too:
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If Edwards can learn to get the ball out of his hands quicker, it will make it easier for the Wolves to insert a stronger ball-handler next to him (*cough* Ben Simmons *cough*), which increases the team&rsquo;s potential for building a high-level offense around him. Couple that with the outside shot-making mentioned earlier, and you have a recipe for how Edwards can develop into an All-NBA player.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Tier 5: Best-Case Scenario Ceiling - Dwyane Wade (MVP Candidate)
Peak BPM (2008-09): 6.5 (3rd that season)
You knew this was coming. Wade, for my money &mdash; the third greatest two-guard ever &mdash; is the apex of the Edwards&rsquo; archetype (because Michael Jordan isn&rsquo;t <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S9W9xZikkA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actually human</a>, and the level of technical soundness required to match Kobe Bryant isn't a reasonable expectation for someone who didn't commit to basketball full-time until high school).
With that said, Edwards even reaching Wade-level is a shot in the dark, in part because of Wade&rsquo;s status as one of the premier perimeter defenders of all-time. What distinguished him from others in this regard was his affinity for racking up &ldquo;stocks.&rdquo; He finished in the 86th percentile or higher in both block and steal percentage for his position every year from 2005-2013, per Cleaning the Glass. The Ant-man currently sits in the 80th and 79th percentile in those stats, which does bode well for his defensive impact moving forward.
Wade was also a strong man defender who used his strength, speed and savvy to keep other guards in front of him. Look here as Wade defangs the Mamba himself:
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Edwards has shown flashes of similar shutdown artistry (as in the first two clips below), but he&rsquo;s also had his fair share of &ldquo;ol&eacute;&rdquo; moments mixed in there as well (as in the last two clips below):
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On offense, Wade surpasses Stackhouse&rsquo;s free-throw drawing rates, Mitchell&rsquo;s playoff-scoring potency and Carter&rsquo;s best volume and efficiency outputs while somehow managing to blend that with strong playmaking.
Wade shares Carter&rsquo;s knack for making quick-time decisions as a secondary/tertiary playmaker, but when necessary, he&rsquo;s also able to flip the switch and operate as a high-level offense's lead initiator. For example, the 2005-06 Miami Heat finished seventh in the league in offensive rating with Wade as the team&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2006.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading assist man</a>.
Here are some clips that demonstrate Wade&rsquo;s playmaking abilities:
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His status as a passer is further solidified by Ben Taylor&rsquo;s <a href="https://backpicks.com/2018/07/15/nba-passer-ratings-since-1978/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Passer Rating</a> stat, where he scores over a 6 (which is a good score for guards) in 13 of his 16 seasons, including peaking at a rating of 8 in the 2008-09 season, per Backpicks.&nbsp;
To become an MVP-level impact player (which Flash was at his peak), Edwards will need to significantly improve his playmaking (his Passer Rating is 3.5 this season), become an All-Defensive-caliber contributor and increase his volume and efficiency to the numbers we discussed previously. A tall task indeed.
So can he ever reach that MVP level?
The Verdict: Tier 4
As of right now, I would have to say no.&nbsp;
I have a difficult time seeing him developing into the lead initiator that Wade was, which historically is a requirement for any on-ball/off-ball hybrid perimeter player to reach MVP-caliber production.
Watching Edwards play, you witness too many lost shot-creation opportunities because he&rsquo;s either missing open guys (as in the first clip) or delivering his passes inaccurately (as in the second clip):
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He&rsquo;s young and still has plenty of time to improvehis playmaking, but as I hinted at earlier, he started his full-time basketball journey a little later than most, and that means it will be difficult for him to develop the <a href="https://ezhoops.co/2021/01/04/feel-and-feel-accessories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feel</a> necessary to make the higher-level reads that someone like Wade was capable of executing.
Still, I think Edwards eventually masters the art of changing speeds to help increase his free-throw rates, becomes an efficient and versatile outside shooter, and creates enough havoc on defense to someday develop into an All-NBA-caliber player. And this means that the Timberwolves might have finally found the centerpiece they need to build a winner in Minnesota.

What is Anthony Edwards' ceiling? Mat Issa examines the 20-year-old's potential and explores his possible developmental outcomes.

How high can Anthony Edwards fly? Examining the 20-year-old's ceiling

It's hard to maintain your place in the Sour Rankings.
Most teams come and go throughout the season, making spot appearances as they experience a slump or stumble into your run-of-the-mill NBA drama. The New York Knicks are making their first appearance in the Sour Rankings this week, but time will tell if the current underachievement is a blip or a theme.
The true stalwarts, however, are trapped in severe on-court disappointment and off-court turmoil. Our top (or bottom, depending on your point of view) squad holds down the fort for a third consecutive week. That's not an easy feat, and it's not exactly the recognition the franchise wants 14 games into the season.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher. Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well-under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will all be considered.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Some teams value wins this season and paths to a title, while others are looking down the road at long-term pieces. Let's get going:
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;Four teams broke free this week. The Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns are riding serious hot streaks, and have gone a combined 13-2 over the last two weeks. The Pistons may be losing, but Cade Cunningham's 20-point outing against the Rockets and 2021 No. 2 pick Jalen Green should inspire some confidence.
The Hornets also jumped back out after a thrilling 106-102 win against the Golden State Warriors. That alone is a feather in the cap for such a young team.
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10. Milwaukee Bucks (6-8)
Honestly, I don't know how to feel about placing Milwaukee in here. Bucks fans shouldn't be panicking; the team is still working its way through injuries to Brook Lopez and George Hill, as well as Khris Middleton's COVID-related absence and Donte DiVincenzo's long-term injury. But Milwaukee is under .500 and has struggled to generate positive momentum in the early season. The Bucks wield an 18th-ranked offense and 22nd-ranked defense. It's just been a slog to start.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Boston Celtics (6-7)
The Celtics have rather quietly locked down with the league's third-best defensive rating (102.3, per Cleaning the Glass) over the past two weeks. That comes without Jaylen Brown for most of the stretch, and also some missed time between Al Horford and Josh Richardson. The streaky shooting and general offensive inconsistencies are still confounding. But Ime Udoka has overhauled the defense in his first year as head coach, and things seem to be clicking into place relatively early.&nbsp;
(Last week: 3)
8. Houston Rockets (1-12)
Houston remains in about the same place as the past two weeks: a very bad basketball team with some, but not enough (yet) flashes of promise. The Rockets have lost 11 in a row, and it's tough to think about how the agreement to sit John Wall is costing the young players some on-court stability from a veteran.
Alperen Sengun has been a bright spot off the bench. He's 6-of-14 from three-point range to start the year, and recently had a 10-point, 10-rebound, 4-assist performance in Sunday's loss to Phoenix.
(Last week: 9)
7. New York Knicks (7-6)
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/knicks-to-begin-an-important-three-game-home-stand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tommy Beer has aptly summed up</a> the complete derailment of New York's defense and starting lineup. In general, the team's shooters have hit a massive dry spell. The Knicks are hitting 26.8% of their corner threes. RJ Barrett is 7-for-32 from long range in his last six games. Evan Fournier is 8-for-35 since the start of the month. There's reason to believe in positive regression, but that only takes the Knicks so far with a below-average defense.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Los Angeles Lakers (8-6)
Anthony Davis <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/anthony-davis-rips-76-lakers-a-championship-team-not-us-right-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept things pretty real</a> after a 107-83 loss to the Timberwolves last Friday:
&ldquo;We gotta decide who we want to be. A championship team? That's not us right now,&rdquo; Davis said.
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AD ... to AD! 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/eSKsNJDv1x">pic.twitter.com/eSKsNJDv1x</a>
&mdash; Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1459987246044512259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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L.A. did go 3-1 last week, narrowly beating the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Davis himself put up 34 points and 15 rebounds in the most recent victory over San Antonio. We'll see if his words and actions generate some meaningful change over the next week; the Lakers still have a bottom-five offense over the past two weeks.
(Last week: 6)
5. Sacramento Kings (5-8)
We have our first report of a coaching job in jeopardy! <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kings-losing-streak-could-have-luke-walton-on-hot-seat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic reports</a> that Luke Walton could be on the hot seat if the Kings keep adding to their four-game losing streak. In fairness, the current skid includes defeats of five points or less to the Pacers, Suns and Thunder. Sacramento has two very winnable games against the Pistons and Timberwolves coming up. At least for Walton's future, those matchups are becoming inflection points in the season.
(Last week: Unranked)
4. Memphis Grizzlies (6-7)
This might be the greatest free-fall of any NBA team right now. Last week, Memphis lost to the Hornets and Pelicans by 10 and the Suns by 25. Over the last two weeks, the Grizzlies are one of three NBA teams in the bottom-10 of both offensive and defensive ratings (you'll see the other two shortly). Opponents are shooting a league-high 41.3% from deep against the Grizzlies and 51.2% from the corners (?!?!) on the season.
Memphis is also second in transition frequency, but 24th in points per transition play. The team gives up the most points per play in the halfcourt among all its peers. The more I research, the worse it gets...
(Last week: Unranked)
3. Atlanta Hawks (5-9)
We arrive at the worst defensive team in the NBA over the last two weeks, and it just lost one of its better defenders in De'Andre Hunter for two months due to wrist surgery. The Hawks are giving up 118.2 points per 100 possessions since November began, which is far and away the worst mark in the NBA. They also force the fewest turnovers per game.
A 42-point barrage from Trae Young helped Atlanta finally end its six-game losing streak on Sunday against the Bucks.
(Last week: 5)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-8)
Remember that eye-popping Timberwolves defense? Me neither; Minnesota is 27th in defensive rating over the last two weeks. The Wolves randomly crushed the Lakers, but are 1-7 in their past eight games.
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From Wolves/Clippers Saturday night: KAT walks back on defense before Edwards takes a pull-up three 😳<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBATwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBATwitter</a> <a href="https://t.co/2Miy3dGO3P">pic.twitter.com/2Miy3dGO3P</a>
&mdash; 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣&rsquo; 𝙉𝘽𝘼 🗣️ (@_Talkin_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1460266347217174530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Amazingly, they not only get to the line at the third-worst rate in the league, but also give up the most free throws per 100 shots in the entire league. Malik Beasley has a horrendous 43.2% True Shooting percentage. Things are bad. But at least Minnesota got the front office drama out of the way before the season, unlike our No. 1 team.
(Last week: 4)
1. New Orleans Pelicans (2-12)
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report wrote last week that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pelicans-exec-david-griffin-on-hot-seat-after-slow-start-altercation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Griffin is on the hot seat in New Orleans</a>, and that the Pelicans president of basketball operations got into an altercation with former head coach Alvin Gentry. Zion Williamson is still without a timetable on his injury recovery pathway. The Pelicans are one of the worst teams in the NBA, and are demonstrating little in the way of prospect promise.
And that, folks, is how you lock up the No. 1 spot in the Sour Rankings for a third straight week!
(Last week: 1)

Ethan Fuller re-racks the Sour Rankings, with teams like the Knicks and Grizzlies floundering.

NBA Sour Rankings: Knicks, Grizzlies, Pelicans spiraling

Luka Garza, the 2020-21 NCAA Player of the Year, is showing his worth during 2021 NBA Summer League. After being selected with 52nd pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, Garza has become a folk hero in the Sin City thanks to his outstanding performances.
A four-year starter for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Garza was one of the most productive big men on the college level in recent years. With a non-stop work ethic, wanting to always expand his game to new heights, Garza became one of the best players in college basketball over the last few seasons, winning Big Ten Player of the Year in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Garza is on the roster bubble fighting for a permanent spot with the Pistons, but his Summer League outings should be turning heads within Detroit&rsquo;s front office. Garza is stuffing the stat sheet with supreme efficiency, shooting an impressive 42.9% on three-pointers while averaging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks in only 19.8 minutes per game. He&rsquo;s rehaped his own physique to make a strong first impression on the NBA level; Garza has lost over 20 pounds since leaving Iowa.
For a player with such an illustrious college resume, Garza feels an even bigger motivational chip upon his shoulders as he fights for a roster spot.
&ldquo;I know for sure that I&rsquo;m coming out here with one mindset [that] is to win -- help my team win in any way I can,&rdquo; Garza said after the Pistons&rsquo; win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. &ldquo;I want to show everybody that I&rsquo;m a guy who can help a team win in the NBA. Obviously this is Summer League, but I feel confident I can have this positive impact on my team in the regular season as well. So, whatever role it means, I know for me it doesn&rsquo;t matter. I&rsquo;m going to get to where I want to go because I&rsquo;m going to work as hard as I can. And I feel like I&rsquo;m just really grateful and blessed the Detroit Pistons took a chance on me when, obviously, 51 other picks passed on me.&rdquo;
As a late second-round pick, Garza will need to fight for a two-way contract or a spot on the bottom of the Pistons&rsquo; regular season roster. Either way, the results Garza is showing in Las Vegas demonstrate his college success is translatable to the pros, no matter the role. In Summer League action, Garza is showcasing his potential as a multi-faceted big man who can score in bunches off the bench.
Looking ahead to Garza&rsquo;s likely future in the pros, especially early on, he will be put into a 10-15 minute role as a backup center who can adequately space the floor and continuously make the smart read on the court.
When you compare Garza&rsquo;s per-36 minute stats in summer league to his final season at the University of Iowa, they&rsquo;re very similar. Translating his proficient production onto an NBA floor is an encouraging sign for Garza in terms of maintaining a long-term roster spot in Detroit or elsewhere:
Summer League (four games): 24.5 points, 15 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.3 blocks
Iowa Senior Season: 24.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 blocks
&ldquo;Good results happen when you put in the work,&rdquo; Garza said.
After the Pistons traded Mason Plumlee on draft night to the Charlotte Hornets, they drafted Garza at No. 52 overall as a depth big who will compete with Jahlil Okafor for backup minutes behind Isaiah Stewart and Kelly Olynyk.
Pistons GM Troy Weaver should give Garza a legitimate look at a small role within their rotation next season. For a team with little chance of making the playoffs, potentially right back near the top of the lottery odds, the Pistons have little to lose by seeing what they could have with Garza. We&rsquo;ve already seen what Okafor can provide, and it may not be enough for him to maintain a roster spot over Garza. This has the makings of a battle that will sort itself out throughout training camp and the preseason.
In the meantime, Garza is making it very interesting for Detroit. If the Pistons hit on a long-term reserve big, it&rsquo;s another feather in the cap of a strong offseason put together by Weaver.

NCAA National Player of the Year Luka Garza is showing his success in college was no fluke during NBA Summer League action.

Luka Garza is showing he belongs in the NBA

NBA Summer League rolls on, and after four days of action, 28 of 30 teams have competed in multiple games.&nbsp;
We're already seeing prospects figure things out in their second efforts. Viewers also tuned into the first sudden death overtime finish, seeing Max Strus ice things for the Miami Heat in a 97-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. We got another when the Utah Jazz beat the Dallas Mavericks, 81-80. In general, games were close and competitive on Wednesday.
Below are some stud and dud performances that defined Day 4:
STUDS
Miles McBride, guard, New York Knicks
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MILES MCBRIDE 🔥 22 PTS 7/9 FG 6/6 3PT 7 REB 5 AST In 28 MINS<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewYorkForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewYorkForever</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/deucemcb11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@deucemcb11</a><a href="https://t.co/mcO5xPJQBT">pic.twitter.com/mcO5xPJQBT</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1425780055716896770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-for-9 FG, 6-for-6 3PT
McBride was electric for New York in the 91-82 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The former WVU Mountaineer is already recognized as one of the best guard defenders in his draft class. But McBride is also an offensive threat, and he showed it Wednesday by hitting all six threes off the catch and off movement.
He also made smart passes as the secondary ball-handler next to Immanuel Quickley. McBride likely won't be a true point guard to start his career, but this type of performance shows he can earn playing time in a variety of different roles.
Max Strus, forward, Miami Heat
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MAX STRUS WINS IT IN DOUBLE OT 🥵 <a href="https://t.co/tAHP148iSo">pic.twitter.com/tAHP148iSo</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1425594821909958660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 32 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 9-for-22 FG, 7-for-17 3PT
Strus is a dynamic shotmaker, plain and simple. He obviously showed that on Wednesday. But this final shot &mdash; I mean, can we talk about the sense of swagger? To get the ball off the opening tip-off of sudden death double-overtime, stroll up to the three-point line and call game... That's cold. Strus made one of the highlights of NBA Summer League so far with that play.
Naji Marshall, forward, New Orleans Pelicans
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Naji Marshall with the perimeter lock-down defense on Mann! <a href="https://t.co/8D4aRVcqd3">pic.twitter.com/8D4aRVcqd3</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1425621246524465157?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Box Score Stats: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-for-12 FG, 3-for-5 3PT
The second-year Pelican did a little bit of everything in New Orleans' 80-65 win over the Thunder. Marshall has a nice handle and good vision as a 6-foot-7 wing. He also made open threes, attacked the basket and beat defenders off the dribble with impressive burst. Then he came back and guarded multiple positions on defense. I'm intrigued by the number of different solid skills the 23-year-old already has with his size and speed.
Ziaire Williams, forward, Memphis Grizzlies
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Ziaire Williams adjusts the ball mid-flight to get finish the baseline drive despite Yurtseven's contest. <a href="https://t.co/7X66aEaEhO">pic.twitter.com/7X66aEaEhO</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1425571726088343566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 6-for-10 FG, 4-for-6 3PT
The tenth overall pick in this year's draft demonstrated the shotmaking potential that helped enamor the Grizzlies. Williams canned four three-pointers off the catch &mdash; a major positive, considering he made just 29% of his threes at Stanford. He also attacked the basket, finishing with floaters and the nice contact layup shown above. One of the biggest pre-draft questions with Williams was if he could handle NBA physicality with his thin frame. He did a great job of addressing that on Wednesday.
Other notable performers: Omer Yurtseven (Heat), Cam Thomas (Nets), Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), Immanuel Quickley (Knicks), Jalen Suggs (Magic)
DUDS
Santi Aldama, forward, Memphis Grizzlies
Box Score Stats: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-for-9 FG, 0-for-5 3PT
Unlike Williams, Aldama did not take a major leap forward on Wednesday for the Grizzlies. He moved into the starting lineup and played 19 minutes, but again struggled with the oppposing strength and could not make his threes. Aldama is now just 2-for-16 from the field in summer league play and 0-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Theo Maledon, guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
Box Score Stats: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2-for-11 FG, 1-for-7 3PT
Just a tough off-day from Maledon, who couldn't buy a three-pointer in what was largely a team-wide slump against the Pelicans. Maledon did attack the basket with mixed success, and as one of the most experienced players on the team, looked comfortable running the offense with rookie Tre Mann. I'm not concerned about this dud; Maledon got to his spots on the court, but just didn't have the touch.&nbsp;
Brandon Knight, guard, Brooklyn Nets
Box Score Stats: 9 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3-for-12 FG, 1-for-6 3PT
Knight hasn't been a profound negative for the Nets, but he's not making the type of impact he needs to for him to claw back into the NBA. The 29-year-old was inconsistent around the rim and simply off from three &mdash; both areas of trouble as a pro. He is a cumulative 5-for-21 from the floor and 2-for-13 from long range through two contests. Knight has to turn things around in order to leave NBA teams with a positive impression.

Ethan Fuller rounds up the best breakouts and biggest letdowns of Day 4 at the NBA Summer League.

Studs and duds from the fourth day of NBA Summer League

As NBA Summer League gets into a groove, viewers should notice some players quickly outclass the environment.
Experienced sophomores and third-year players often "graduate" summer league early. You'll know these players when you see them -- simply playing with pace and awareness well beyond the rest of the players on the court.
On Monday, some of these players popped up with monstrous performances. As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-studs-and-five-duds-from-the-first-day-of-summer-league-action" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we wrote yesterday</a>, we've collected five "studs" and five "duds" and noted our observations from their individual games. Once again: this is not meant for drawing long-term conclusions. Rather, it sets a baseline for a prospect's strengths and weaknesses upon entering this next step up in competition.&nbsp;
On to the players:
STUDS
Immanuel Quickley, guard, New York Knicks
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32 for IQ 🔥 Immanuel Quickley drops 32 PTS and 8 AST to lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/nyknicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nyknicks</a> to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> win in Las Vegas! <a href="https://t.co/THXE64GJjX">pic.twitter.com/THXE64GJjX</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1424825144225173513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 32 points, 8 assists, 2 steals 11-for-21 FG, 4-for-12 3PT
Quickley piqued my curiosity on Sunday when the Knicks rolled him out at point guard. He did a much better job navigating the pick-and-roll on Monday, being more decisive with his passes and drives. The second-year guard attacked the basket and demonstrated an immaculate floater. His eight assists also came against just one turnover; he now has 16 assists and only four giveaways through two games. Quickley's offensive command was eye-popping, even when the jump shot didn't fall.
Trey Murphy III, forward, New Orleans Pelicans
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Sizzling at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> 🔥 No. 17 pick Trey Murphy drops 26 PTS with 6 3PM in his <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> debut! <a href="https://t.co/kId4rXieF2">pic.twitter.com/kId4rXieF2</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1424839063115374593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 9-for-15 FG, 6-for-9 3PT
Murphy laid down the best summer-league debut from any rookie so far. He splashed threes facing up and off the catch, making open and contested looks. On the defensive end, he rotated properly and remained engaged, living up to the 3-and-D archetype that he projects into as a prospect.
But then Murphy did more. He consistently ran the floor in transition and served as a lob threat and finisher. He was unafraid to put the ball on the deck, and hit a cutting Kira Lewis Jr. on one particularly nice bounce pass. Honestly, there was very little to dislike, and Murphy's high bar makes him a prospect to watch over the coming days.
Tyrese Maxey, guard, Philadelphia 76ers
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Yeah, Tyrese Maxey wasn&rsquo;t doing this last year. Very promising development to see him seeking out his own perimeter shots. He&rsquo;s already up to 19 points in the half. <a href="https://t.co/V6xHdLEQuB">pic.twitter.com/V6xHdLEQuB</a>
&mdash; Harrison Grimm (@Harrison_Grimm) <a href="https://twitter.com/Harrison_Grimm/status/1424836194681163777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 8-for-15 FG, 3-for-6 3PT
Maxey absolutely owned the Mavericks on drives. The 6-foot-2 guard slashed to the rim quickly and frequently for easy buckets. It shouldn't come as a surprise; Maxey has been burning defenders his entire basketball life.&nbsp;
The second-year Sixer also set the tone on the defensive end with on-ball pressure. Most notably, he looked confident attempting three-pointers, which is one key swing skill in his development. I'd also like to shout out teammate Isaiah Joe, who is not in this list, but who played a fantastic game of his own next to Maxey.
Desmond Bane, guard, Memphis Grizzlies
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Desmond Bane (<a href="https://twitter.com/DBane0625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DBane0625</a>) scores 32 PTS to fuel the <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> to the win at the MGM Resorts <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> League 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/5JSkJ2H7Dg">pic.twitter.com/5JSkJ2H7Dg</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1424876608729538562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 32 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, 10-for-19 FG, 6-for-8 3PT
To put it bluntly: Bane has very clearly outgrown NBA Summer League. After making the All-Rookie Second Team in 2020-21, the scoring guard owned his first game of the tournament. Bane drilled six long-range looks, and his form is as crisp as ever.&nbsp;
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said during the broadcast that he wanted to get Bane more reps as the primary playmaker. The 23-year-old ran the offense seamlessly and tossed some clean passes to the corners for open shooters. Bane's statement game was a plain reminder that he is a rotation staple for Memphis.
Jalen Suggs, guard, Orlando Magic
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Jalen Suggs said 🖐🚫 <a href="https://t.co/nTh83IUAUA">pic.twitter.com/nTh83IUAUA</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1424916922479497219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 9-for-22 FG, 3-for-6 3PT
Suggs' defense was the story of the game in Orlando's 91-89 OT win over Golden State. The rookie point guard came up with a number of big-time blocks down the stretch, including a two-on-one stop that essentially forced overtime. Suggs hounded his matchups and played above his size, frequently seen on the floor in pursuit of a loose ball.
Offensively, it was a mixed bag. The efficiency numbers don't look great, but Suggs was able to get to his spots in the mid-range and navigate some pick-and-roll opportunities. This was a question mark for him pre-draft, so it's good to see a somewhat promising start as a lead guard. Suggs also battled for quite a few rebounds and pushed the ball in transition.
Other notable performers: Jordan Nwora (Bucks), Jay Scrubb (Clippers), Obi Toppin (Knicks), Jaylen Nowell (Timberwolves), Devin Vassell (Spurs), Davion Mitchell (Kings)
DUDS
Santi Aldama, forward, Memphis Grizzlies
Box Score Stats: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1-for-7 FG, 0-for-4 3PT
We're a long way from Baltimore. Aldama was one of the surprise picks of draft night when Memphis selected him No. 30 overall. Aldama was chosen partially because of his complete dominance at Loyola Maryland. Making the leap from mid-major college hoops to the NBA is no easy task. Aldama didn't get a whole ton of touches in the early going and really struggled against stronger opponents.
James Bouknight, guard, Charlotte Hornets
Box Score Stats: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 4-for-11 FG, 1-for-5 3PT
The Hornets' lottery pick had to match up against Davion Mitchell on the second night of a back-to-back. So it's understandable that Bouknight struggled against one of the toughest defenders in NBA Summer League. He couldn't get shots to fall, and often tried to take Mitchell in isolation instead of calling for screens and running off of actions. Bouknight finished with five turnovers; the Hornets ended with a ghastly 22.
The shooting guard did have some nice moments, particularly on tough finishes at the rim. But overall, it was a down night from a scoring perspective -- even Bouknight's lone three-point make was after an odd hesitation.&nbsp;
Cole Anthony, guard, Orlando Magic
Box Score Stats: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-for-9 FG, 1-for-4 3PT
Viewers saw Orlando's first attempts at a three-guard lineup with Anthony, Jalen Suggs and R.J. Hampton. Anthony appeared to really struggle with the inconsistent responsibilites. He spent a good portion of the game running the offense, but danced around and didn't seem to find a rhythm. Then, he looked uncomfortable in catch-and-shoot situations. These lineups will obviously have a learning curve for all of the young Magic guards.&nbsp;
Jonathan Kuminga, forward, Golden State Warriors
Box Score Stats: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 6-for-16 FG, 0-for-4 3PT
The glimpses looked really&nbsp;good from Kuminga. He can thread passes to cutters. He can power through defenders to the rim. He can ignite a fast break by jumping a passing lane.
Unfortunately, those flashes were few and far between for the seventh overall pick. Kuminga typically steamrolled down the lane, tossing up a shot at the rim that either missed wildly or drew a forgiving whistle. He bricked each of his four three-point attempts and was never really a threat to make plays from the perimeter. Guards often breezed by him in defensive switches.
If Kuminga can be less predictable with his moves, he'll become a threatening offensive weapon. He has the tools; it's about learning how to use them.
Keon Johnson, guard, Los Angeles Clippers
Box Score Stats: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 4-for-16 FG, 0-for-5 3PT
Johnson's efficiency ultimately doomed him in his summer-league debut. The bouncy guard certainly displayed his athleticism on fast breaks, but ultimately missed a bunch of jumpers and took a couple of awkward shots. He was active and quick on defense, but did also get burned multiple times on backdoor cuts. Overall, this was by no means a concerning result from Johnson -- just a reminder that his offensive polish is generally a work in progress.
By the end of Tuesday, we'll have second samples to evaluate for nearly every player in summer league. I'll be excited to see who finds their groove and who learns from their debut game.

Some of the league's best sophomores showed out at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

5 studs and duds from the second day of NBA Summer League

On Sunday, NBA teams descended on Las Vegas for the first time in over two years for the 2021 MGM Resorts Summer League. And viewers got one of the greatest starts to a summer showcase in recent memory.
Almost every NBA prospect showed flashes of talent and long-term potential. Even the "disappointing" players showed glimpses and displayed foundations for growth. It makes breaking down prospects all the more fun.
With any type of summer league analysis comes a bold, italicized warning. This is a small sample of games in a unique environment with limited chemistry and a focused shifted away from winning. We'll be listing the five "studs" and "duds" from Sunday's slate, but by no means should this reflect a stance on a player &mdash; it's merely observing their current state as a player in summer league and a prospect in general.
Let's get into it.
STUDS
Jalen Green, guard, Houston Rockets
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Yeah you can't teach this. Jalen Green is how old, again? <a href="https://t.co/vHLJCYyYD1">pic.twitter.com/vHLJCYyYD1</a>
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1424509320138399747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 9-for-18 FG, 4-for-9 3PT
Green simply dazzled in his Rockets debut. The first G League Ignite alum to log summer league minutes, Green demonstrated the array of scoring moves that made him this year's second overall draft pick (see above). But he also operated as the lead ball-handler on most possessions for Houston, <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1424523845621325826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hitting some of the passing reads</a> he'll need to make in the future. That's a good sign for Green's continued growth as an offensive centerpiece.
Malachi Flynn, guard, Toronto Raptors
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Some solid defense from Deuce McBride, but Malachi Flynn still hits the tough step-back 3! <a href="https://t.co/uVeS3vzsrr">pic.twitter.com/uVeS3vzsrr</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1424486067634323458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 8-for-13 FG, 4-for-5 3PT
Leading the early voting for "guys who have outgrown summer league" is Flynn, who effortlessly carved up the Knicks on Sunday. He cruised to an efficient 23 points, knocking down floaters, pull-ups, step-backs and more in Toronto's 89-79 win. The second-year guard dealt with pressure from the Knicks' defense, but he seemed unbothered.
Scottie Barnes, forward, Toronto Raptors
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Scottie Barnes today: 18 points 10 rebounds 5 assists 2 steals Jumper looking smooth 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/xmNkmAvYgv">pic.twitter.com/xmNkmAvYgv</a>
&mdash; NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1424501730327384069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 7-for-18 FG, 1-for-4 3PT
Another Raptor? It's well-deserved for Barnes, who made quite the impression after surprisingly being chosen by Toronto with the fourth overall draft pick. The do-it-all forward filled up the stat sheet and left his mark on the game with relentless energy. His lone three-pointer looked solid off the catch, and along with some midrange touch, Barnes showed progress on his jump-shot, which was deemed "questionable" by many.
The rookie rarely appeared out of control, even when he dove for loose balls and whipped long passes. Barnes' debut should excite Raptors fans who see his potential as a versatile weapon on both ends.
Jalen Johnson, forward, Atlanta Hawks
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WHAT A BLOCK BY JALEN JOHNSON 🚫 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> <a href="https://t.co/hkomVGsPo8">pic.twitter.com/hkomVGsPo8</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1424483847475924993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats:&nbsp;20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 8-for-12 FG, 1-for-2 3PT
Johnson showed that he's ready for the NBA by exhibiting the strength and power needed to make an impact in the league. Atlanta's No. 20 overall pick consistently attacked the Celtics off the dribble, finishing through tough contact at times. He wasn't perfect on the defensive end, but the former Duke Blue Devil hustled, as demonstrated by the above highlight block on Carsen Edwards. Without even showing off his passing and vision &mdash; arguably his greatest strengths as a forward &mdash; Johnson made his mark early.
Antonio Blakeney, guard, Portland Trail Blazers
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Antonio Blakeney (27 PTS &amp; 9/10 FG) was DEEP in his bag against the Hornets 🎒 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> <a href="https://t.co/pLq3YFvwIM">pic.twitter.com/pLq3YFvwIM</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1424528749307985922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
Box Score Stats: 27 points, 1 block, 9-for-10 FG, 2-for-3 3PT
He's not a prospect, but Blakeney raised plenty of eyebrows with an electric performance that included 19 fourth-quarter points and 27 total in just over 18 minutes off the bench. The 24-year-old killed the Hornets off the dribble with change-of-pace moves and impressive touch. Blakeney has always been a scorer; he's averaged 26.3 points per game over his G League career. If he can keep things up in summer league, perhaps Blakeney finds another NBA opportunity.
DUDS

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Josh Christopher, guard, Houston Rockets
Box Score: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 5-for-15 FG, 0-for-4 3PT
It wasn't all bad for Christopher, who played solid defense and dished a couple of nice passes for the Rockets, but the rookie guard had some serious tunnel vision on Sunday, often driving into crowds and finding himself without an escape route. Christopher's strength is his scoring ability, but he has to work on playing within the flow of the offense and being more methodical against NBA size.&nbsp;
Tre Mann, guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
Box Score Stats: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3-for-14 FG, 0-for-4 3PT
When Josh Giddey went down with an ankle sprain, Mann assumed the lead ball-handler duties with Theo Maledon. But Mann couldn't buy a bucket in the 76-72 win. He created open looks with his handle and burst off the dribble, but missed a number of at-rim attempts and open perimeter shots.
Though Mann had zero assists, he made some smart passes that his teammates missed. He also threw away two quality alley-oop chances. The 18th pick of this year's draft will look to bounce back next game.&nbsp;
Aaron Nesmith, guard/forward, Boston Celtics
Box Score Stats: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5-for-14 FG, 1-for-8 3PT
Boston's resident sharpshooter was simply ice-cold in the summer opener. Nesmith took plenty of catch-and-shoot threes and just never found a rhythm. This shouldn't cause any type of long-term concern &mdash; Nesmith is a proven threat from long range. Slumps happen, and especially in this setting, a cold streak should not raise alarms.
Cade Cunningham, guard, Detroit Pistons
Box Score Stats: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5-for-17 FG, 2-for-7 3PT
I should be clear that this was far from a terrible game from Cunningham. He was active both on and off the ball defensively, creating transition opportunities that typically ended well. Cunningham's assist numbers were also limited by some poor finishes from teammates.
Still, the No. 1 overall pick delivered an inefficient performance. He cooled off from deep after a strong start and missed a critical (by summer league standards) fourth-quarter three-pointer. In the half-court, Cunningham lacked explosiveness off the dribble. He also logged five turnovers. There's definitely room for improvement here.
Bol Bol, center, Denver Nuggets
Box Score Stats: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 5-for-14 FG, 0-for-3 3PT
In this case, I actually think Bol's final stat line masks what was another frustratingly inconsistent performance. The third-year center had just eight points with eight minutes remaining in the game; overall, it was a tale of two Bols in the 97-77 loss to Miami.
When Bol was engaged &mdash; like in the fourth quarter &mdash; he threw down putbacks, altered shots and handled the ball in the full-court before using his length to attack the basket. When he wasn't, he disappeared for extended stretches. Eleven of Bol's 21 points came via free throws. At this stage of his career, it's time to start turning the flashes into full games of consistent production.
It's been a while since we've had summer NBA basketball. Fortunately, it's back... And not a moment too soon.

Plenty of prospects made a positive first impression on Day 1 of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Others struggled in their debut.

5 studs and duds from the first day of NBA Summer League action

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Russell Westbrook is a Los Angeles Laker.
We got draft night magic on Thursday, with the Washington Wizards sending Westbrook and two second-rounders (2024, 2028) to the Lakers for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and the 22nd pick of this year's draft (Isaiah Jackson). Jackson was later traded to the Indiana Pacers for Aaron Holiday and the 31st pick of the draft (Isaiah Todd).
But enough pick minutiae: Westbrook is slated to share the floor with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers entered the offseason looking to revise the roster, and kicked things off with one heck of a splash. Adding that level of star power without giving up a premier asset -- Kuzma is fine, but far from a blue-chipper -- is always a win on the surface.
But basketball teams aren't built on the surface, nor can they really be evaluated on paper.
Westbrook is, and has been for quite a while, a polarizing player in the league. If there's a list of surefire Hall-of-Famers that have been more heavily scrutinized than him -- including by your's truly -- then there's no way it's longer than, like, three people.
The early takes on the Westbrook-to-LA deal have been on opposite ends of the spectrum. It's either #GameOver for the rest of the league, with Westbrook expected to thrash teams as a theoretical third option; or, this is shaping up to be a utter disaster due to spacing and decision-making concerns.
Like most things in life, the truth is somewhere in the middle. There's reason to be excited for Westbrook's addition to this roster; concerns about the fit are also valid. Let's take a look at the specifics of what he brings to -- and takes off -- the table for the Lakers.
WHAT HE BRINGS
The Lakers' formula in the LeBron-Brow era has been simple: we will outsize you, rebound every miss, bludgeon you at the rim, and crowd the paint on the other end. On the surface, Westbrook fits the mantra.
He's a powerful (and explosive) 6-foot-3 at the 1, allowing him to generate advantages practically on a whim. The rim prowess remains, even at this stage of his career. He's averaged north of seven rim attempts per game in six-of-the-past-seven seasons; that number dropped to 5.0 last season, though that comes with the context of him working through a quad injury for a large chunk of the season.
At his best, Westbrook can still get downhill. He can come off a ball screen and kick things into high gear; he can clear a side after forcing a switch and get to the cup. He adds occasional value as a post-up threat against smaller defenders. In transition, Westbrook can push after outlet passes, or grab-and-go himself.&nbsp;
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For a Lakers team that struggled in the half-court last season -- they ranked 23rd in efficiency, per Cleaning The Glass -- one way to mitigate those concerns is to play a little faster. Westbrook's ability to generate early offense by his lonesome could be an asset.
He isn't just a threat to score, either. He's one of the league's most prolific playmakers, a skill accentuated by the attention he draws as a driver. There isn't a pass in the book that Westbrook can't make, though he's much more comfortable as an interior passer than a kickout artist. Get him downhill, and he'll feed bigs with an assortment of lobs, wrap-arounds, and traditional dump-offs.
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Westbrook should slot in nicely as an early offense playmaker. Early drag screens with Davis (or LeBron, for that matter) should be fruitful. There are plenty of transition hit-aheads in Westbrook's film, which should vibe with Davis' ability to run after misses and seal his defender early. If Westbrook could get Rui Hachimura and Daniel Gafford early buckets, LeBron and Davis will absolutely get some freebies.
Westbrook also adds juice as a live-dribble passer. The amount of velocity he places on his dimes unlock windows that aren't available to everyone. Placement can be an issue at times -- he'll go high when he isn't completely under control -- but he should help the Lakers generate more corner threes than they <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shooting/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DistanceRange=By%20Zone&amp;sort=Corner%203%20FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did last season</a> (8.1, 17th). In fact, Westbrook ranked fourth in <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/totals/nba/player?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">corner-three assists</a> (77) this season despite the injury woes and missed games.
But everything starts with the rim pressure with Westbrook. That's the primary appeal, and where the fit alongside LeBron makes sense. While LeBron is a top-three player in the league at worst, we've approached the point where he isn't a blow-by-literally-anyone guy anymore. At the very least, it's not fair to expect that from him on a game-by-game, possession-by-possession basis.
It's why the initial addition of Dennis Schroder was key for the Lakers; he was a guy who could get to the rack and take some of the on-ball burden off of LeBron. Replacing Schroder with Westbrook is a sizeable upgrade, even if there are shooting concerns present (more on that later).
Beyond that, the <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612747&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=2544&amp;OnlyCommonGames=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">non-LeBron minutes</a> were a bit of a mess last season. Injuries played a part in that, but even the good-and-healthy version of Schroder isn't quite offense-onto-his-own good. Westbrook is a lot closer to that status. Combine his singular talent with the shooters the Lakers have added thus far in free agency, and it's easy to see a pathway to Westbrook-led second units having success.
REASONS FOR CONCERN
Even with some workarounds, it's still hard to look past the shooting.&nbsp;
When factoring in volume, Westbrook is one of the worst three-point shooters the NBA has seen at the guard position. In a league that has become so dependent on shot creation -- and specifically, pull-up shooting -- it's fair to question what may happen to Westbrook's effectiveness once playoff time comes around.
The mid-range shooting isn't great, either. He <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shooting/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DistanceRange=By%20Zone&amp;sort=Mid-Range%20FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led the NBA</a> in attempts (6.1) last season, and only hit those at a 38.1% clip. Westbrook has knocked down 40.7%, 31.8%, 39.8% and 36.3% of his mid-range shots in the four seasons prior to this one, while ranking no lower than sixth in volume.&nbsp;
That, uh, isn't great.
It's one thing to be a poor shooter, with teams ducking under picks and hitting you with soft closeouts on the perimeter. It's another thing entirely for teams to practically ignore you from outside the arc. There are only so many empty-corner looks, dunker-spot relocations, and slot cuts you can muster to make that work.&nbsp;
The Lakers have done their part to add shooting -- Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, Carmelo Anthony just to name a few -- but none of those guys should be considered good defenders. Striking the shooting/defense balance around Westbrook will be key to the Lakers' postseason success.
(I should add: Monk quietly made strides defensively last season in Charlotte, but you get my overall point.)&nbsp;
Speaking of defense, Westbrook is a mixed bag -- and has been for quite some time. When locked in, he can be a legitimate positive. He possesses the lateral quickness to mirror guards, and the strength to absorb blows from all but the elite power wings in the sport. He can&nbsp;get in a stance, cut off drives, then finish possessions strong with a healthy contest.
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He just hasn't been able to consistently put those possessions together. Some of it is injury. Some of it is role -- it's hard to be a lockdown guy with a ton of offensive responsibility. But a lot of it is Westbrook.
Screen navigation is a problem for him. The angles he takes when defending ball screens can be described as adventurous; even when taking solid angles, he often fails to stay connected to the ball-handler.&nbsp;
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Off the ball, Westbrook can be a demon in the passing lanes. He attacks the ball with the same fervor that he attacks the rim. Errant passes can and will be picked off. And when engaged, he can occasionally provide value as a dig-and-recover guy (his hands are quick and&nbsp;strong, leading to strips) or a rim protector.
But Westbrook often gets caught ball-watching. Being an event creator on defense is nice, but not if it's offset by losing cutters and relocating shooters.
The Lakers are making a couple of bets with Westbrook here. They're hoping that with less of an offensive burden, Westbrook will be able to put more positive plays together at the point of attack. With Schroder and Alex Caruso gone, he will have to fill that void.
On the flip side, the Lakers are trusting their backline. In the event that Westbrook proves not to be up to task, having LeBron and Davis -- two of the best off-ball defenders in the sport -- should be quite the insurance policy.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>There will be some staggering at play with this sort of Big Three. All need their touches in different areas, so it'll be on Frank Vogel to shape the rotation in a way that maximizes everyone. One thing I would expect, however, is a lot of Westbrook-Davis minutes. Davis will need an on-ball creator to help him, and Westbrook will need that kind of security blanket on the other end.</li>
<li>The Lakers slipped from sixth to ninth in defensive-rebounding rate last season; let's just say Westbrook should help with that.</li>
<li>I'm interested to see what inverted ball screens with LeBron and Westbrook will look like. Do you trap those and give Westbrook some of the 4-on-3s he saw in the second half of his Houston stint? Space the floor right, and you may have a money combo to work with late in games. Add in Davis chilling in the dunker spot and... whew.</li>
<li>While I'm on the Westbrook-as-screener kick, the Lakers' Elbow action with LeBron at the elbow, and Westbrook screening for Davis cutting from the corner should be something they experiment with. If you aren't familiar, it's the play they ran for Davis to get him a go-ahead bucket against the Sixers before Tobias Harris hit the actual game-winner.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Laker fans, LeBron fans, and Westbrook fans under the same roof should make for an entertaining Twitter experience. And by entertaining, I mean absolutely awful.</li>
</ul>

Nekias Duncan digs into Russell Westbrook's fit with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Examining Russell Westbrook's fit with the Los Angeles Lakers

METAIRIE, La. (AP) &mdash; New Pelicans coach Willie Green sees New Orleans as a team on the cusp of contending &mdash; a conclusion he explains by referencing his past two years with the Phoenix Suns.
&ldquo;This situation actually reminds me a lot of Phoenix,&rdquo; Green said during his formal introduction on Tuesday, highlighting &ldquo;really high-talented players&rdquo; such as 2021 All-Star Zion Williamson and 2020 All-Star Brandon Ingram.
The Pelicans are &ldquo;really close to taking the next step,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;Going into next season, that&rsquo;s our goal. That&rsquo;s our mindset and that makes it a sleeping giant.&rdquo;
In Green&rsquo;s first season with Phoenix as an assistant to Monty Williams, the Suns narrowly missed the 2020 playoffs. This season, they advanced to the NBA Finals and won the first two games of that series before the Milwaukee Bucks stormed back to take the title.
A former NBA player who turns 40 on Wednesday, Green was hired last week to his first head coaching job. He emerged as a top candidate several weeks ago while helping the Suns advance through the playoffs.
David Griffin, the Pelicans&rsquo; executive vice president of basketball operations, said that while researching potential candidates, so many people around the NBA asked if he and Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon had spoken to Green that the question became &ldquo;almost a joke between Trajan and I.&rdquo;
Griffin added that when Green&rsquo;s name came up, he was repeatedly advised, &ldquo;That is the dude, and if you don&rsquo;t get him, you&rsquo;re an idiot.&rdquo;
Griffin said he heard similar things about Tyronn Lue before making him a first-time coach in Cleveland, where they won the 2016 NBA title together with a squad led by LeBron James.
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Green is the Pelicans&rsquo; third coach since Griffin took over the front office two seasons ago. Alvin Gentry lasted one season under Griffin and was fired last August. Stan Van Gundy, who was hired in October, left the club in June after the Pelicans again failed to make the playoffs.
Green said he was concerned about the recent rate of coaching turnover in New Orleans and made that known to Griffin during the interview process. Green said he was comfortable with the explanation he received and grew confident that he and New Orleans&rsquo; front office were philosophically aligned.
&ldquo;I was honest about things that I saw or things that happened here. Griff was straightforward with me,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;The different coaching changes &mdash; both coaches are really good coaches, but the fit was important. ... We left the room feeling confident that we all fit together and wanted the same things.&rdquo;
Last season, Van Gundy expressed frustration at his players&rsquo; lack of commitment to his scheme, particularly on defense. New Orleans went 31-41 and ranked in the bottom third in the NBA defensively.
Griffin, who'd hired the 61-year-old Van Gundy for his basketball knowledge, decided he wanted his next coach to be someone who could effectively get through to younger players. Green, now the third-youngest head coach in the league, played 12 NBA seasons, including one in New Orleans under Williams.
Griffin said Green, who also was part of two championship coaching staffs with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, has a &ldquo;demonstrated ability to galvanize a group and engender a spirit and a clarity of purpose that is needed to lead young men.&rdquo;
Green said the best head coaches are not necessarily those who specialize in &ldquo;the Xs and Os.&rdquo;
Rather, he said, &ldquo;The best coaches are people that you know care about you. And connecting with players is no different than just connecting with people. You realize really quickly that you have a lot more in common than you don&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
Green said he also had personal reasons for returning to New Orleans; he and his family enjoyed it during his lone season playing in the city.
His wife, Terrah, and children Ross, 21, Aaliyah, 14, and Mason, 9, were all with Green on Tuesday. Terrah Green said they were eager to revisit New Orleans' renowned restaurant scene and perhaps find a home in the historic, tree-shaded Uptown section.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think tourists really get a chance to understand this city unless you live here,&rdquo; Willie said. &ldquo;After living here for one year, it&rsquo;s impacted us.&rdquo;

After two years as an assistant with the Suns, Willie Green is now the Pelicans' head coach. He sees similarities between the teams.

DePaul Blue Demons