Patriots

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WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant said Friday the Brooklyn Nets could have handled this tumultuous week a bit differently &mdash; a week in which his coach was fired and teammate Kyrie Irving was suspended for posting a link to an antisemitic work.
Then Durant clarified on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1588549639191818240?s=20&amp;t=WSOsLWtBWyk3WhGm45cMyw">that he doesn't condone hate speech</a> and &ldquo;is about spreading love always.&rdquo;
Durant spoke Friday at the Nets' shootaround in Washington ahead of the evening's game against the Wizards. When asked what he thought of Irving&rsquo;s recent conduct, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-basketball-9967fe0a7d519ec88bb69653903269a3">which landed the guard a suspension of at least five games</a>, Durant said: &ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t here to judge nobody or talk down on nobody for how they feel, their views or anything. I just didn&rsquo;t like anything that went on.
"I felt like it was all unnecessary. I felt like we could have just kept playing basketball and kept quiet as an organization.&rdquo;
Within an hour, Durant followed up <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1588549639191818240">via a tweet</a>.
&ldquo;Just wanna clarify the statements I made at shootaround, I see some people are confused,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t condone hate speech or anti-semetism (sic), I&rsquo;m about spreading love always. Our game Unites people and I wanna make sure that&rsquo;s at the forefront.&rdquo;
Irving did apologize in <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckhj8iIu0HN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">an Instagram post</a> for not explaining the specific beliefs he agreed and disagreed with when he posted about the documentary.
Nets general manager Sean Marks said Friday that the team has had some dialogue with Irving, but not enough given the circumstances.
&ldquo;The organization has made multiple attempts to get with Kyrie and his representation and to have them clarify his feelings and put out a sense of remorse for this, and that obviously didn&rsquo;t happen, and he refused to disavow that until his tweet last night,&rdquo; Marks said.
Marks said Irving&rsquo;s apology was a step, but actions will speak louder than words. He also said the team is not considering releasing Irving at this time.
&ldquo;There is going to be some remedial steps and measures that have been put in place for him to obviously seek some counseling ... from dealing with some anti-hate and some Jewish leaders within our community,&rdquo; Marks said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to have to sit down with them, he&rsquo;s going to have to sit down with the organization after this, and we&rsquo;ll evaluate and see if this is the right opportunity to bring him back.&rdquo;
Irving's reluctance to apologize came hours before the FBI said it had <a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-new-jersey-46e3d27517e58fffb3ec446e8cbf2d88">received credible information about a &ldquo;broad&rdquo; threat</a> to synagogues in New Jersey, Irving&rsquo;s home state.
In Florida on Saturday, the phrase &ldquo;Kanye is right about the jews&rdquo; was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kanye-west-aaron-donald-brooklyn-nets-new-england-patriots-nfl-b77fc5d2a9196b3b9f5992f139d4915a?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=AP_Sports&amp;utm_source=Twitter">projected on the outside of one of the end zones</a> at the TIAA Bank Field stadium in Jacksonville during the Florida-Georgia football game &mdash; a reference to recent antisemitic comments that the music mogul formerly known as Kanye West has made on social media and in interviews. The incidents come four years after the deadliest attack on American Jews, when 11 people were <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kanye-west-entertainment-music-religion-dfaf38656f6e50469d353c8af10e4b41">killed at a synagogue</a> in Pittsburgh.
The Nets also parted ways with coach Steve Nash this week and despite the star tandem of Durant and Irving, the team has a 2-6 record. Durant said the team has the ability to tune out all the turbulence.
&ldquo;It's just the way of the NBA now. So many outlets now and their stories hit pretty fast now. That's where all the chaos is coming from," he said. "Everybody's opinions, everybody has an opinion on the situation, we're hearing it nonstop, but once the ball starts bouncing and we get into practice, none of that stuff really seeps into the gym.&rdquo;
___
Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister

Durant clarified on Twitter that he doesn't condone hate speech and “is about spreading love always.”

Durant: Nets 'could have kept quiet' about Irving, tumult

Damian Lillard&rsquo;s defiance has made him a social-media punching bag, as his Portland Trail Blazers are dissolving around him and looking like a completely different team.
Lillard hasn&rsquo;t played since New Year&rsquo;s Eve, and as he recovers from abdominal surgery, he watched his team <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/breaking-down-why-the-blazersclippers-deal-works-for-both-sides" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deal Norman Powell and Robert Covington</a> to the Los Angeles Clippers while the best player coming back is Eric Bledsoe. Keon Johnsn was also included in the trade and while Portland hopes he pops off, he's only 19 years old, so who knows how soon he can make an impact? The Blazers also received a 2025 second-round pick &ndash; the year Lillard turns 35.
Then, on Tuesday, Lillard watched his Blazers acquire Josh Hart, Didi Louzada, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tom&aacute;&scaron; Satoransky and draft picks in exchange for Larry Nance Jr., Tony Snell, and the reason we&rsquo;re gathered here today: CJ McCollum.
#Narratives are already in motion. The jokes have been flying on social media about how people are, in hindsight, underwhelmed by the run that Lillard and McCollum had. But before we stomp on their Basketball-Reference pages and laugh in their comments about &ldquo;not having won anything,&rdquo; we should offer a massive amount of respect for what they accomplished in Portland.
You&rsquo;ve probably seen the photo of a 5-foot-2 McCollum as a freshman in high school, but even that symbolizes so much here.
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CJ McCollum was really 5&rsquo;2&rdquo; playing Varsity basketball as a freshman lol <a href="https://t.co/ukPiVyOUYC">pic.twitter.com/ukPiVyOUYC</a>
&mdash; Nothing Matter3D (@HiDefDee) <a href="https://twitter.com/HiDefDee/status/1376562700440965131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The parallels Lillard and McCollum maintained were astounding; they were the reason the backcourt became divisive among NBA consumers &mdash; with some loving them and thinking that the Blazers could build a contender around them, while others refused to believe that a pair of 6-foot-3 scoring machines could lead a team to a title, even in this guard-friendly era.
These things need to be delivered out loud and thoroughly processed.
Lillard went to Weber State, and McCollum went to Lehigh. Both played in mid-major conferences, and they are two of the better mid-major players we&rsquo;ve seen this century. But really, the Big Sky and Patriot League are closer to the bottom of the NCAA&rsquo;s Division I conference rankings; take it from a Northeast Conference alum.
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Lillard was drafted No. 6 overall in 2012; the only Weber State player drafted in the first round, period. McCollum was taken No. 10 overall the following year and is <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/draft.fcgi?college=lehigh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still the only Lehigh player to be selected in an NBA Draft</a>. One of the first things that people noted when Lillard got drafted was that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXXXDlzv0-U" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he never played against a top-25 team while in college</a>. And Bill Simmons <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJBwqmwfQbg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">couldn&rsquo;t believe a Patriot Leaguer was selected</a> in the top-10 in 2013.
Suddenly, we looked up and Lillard was the NBA's Rookie of the Year, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_2013.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">receiving every single first-place vote</a> over perennial favorite Anthony Davis, who won a gold medal with Team USA during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.&nbsp;And then, in 2013-14, Portland was in the playoffs, where they&rsquo;ve been every year since Lillard and McCollum became teammates &ndash; the longest active streak in the NBA. Even then, McCollum didn&rsquo;t have his coming out party until 2015-16, when he immediately filled an All-Star sized scoring role vacated by LaMarcus Aldridge (who left for San Antonio) and won the NBA's Most Improved Player award.
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They played similarly and complemented each other exceptionally. Lillard and McCollum would each produce 20 points a night, occasionally going off for 30 each, and in a brutal Western Conference, return to playoffs no matter what was around them. And then they&rsquo;d lose, which led some to dismiss them.
In 2015, it was a five-game gentlemen&rsquo;s sweep as a No. 4 seed against the Grit N&rsquo; Grind Memphis Grizzlies, who went up 2-1 on the Golden State Warriors in the semifinals before losing to the eventual champions. In 2018, as a No. 3 seed, it was that memorable sweep against the same Pelicans that McCollum now joins, who were the sixth seed.
Then, in 2019, we finally saw a breakthrough: a run to the Western Conference Finals. Thanks to a legendary 37-point performance from McCollum in Game 7 of the semifinals, the Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets on the road &ndash; still CJ's paramount performance to date. Portland met up with the Warriors in the Conference Finals, and Golden State ultimately swept them (even though they were missing Kevin Durant, who was out due to a calf strain).
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The Blazers followed up that Conference-Finals appearance with consecutive first-round exits. With that said, Portland's failures can't be blamed on Lillard and McCollum alone.
Their fellow starters and key teammates include Al-Farouq Aminu, Mason Plumlee, Meyers Leonard, Noah Vonleh, Jusuf Nurkić, Evan Turner, Mo Harkless, Jake Layman, Zach Collins, Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Hassan Whiteside and Norman Powell. Despite having one of the best backcourts we&rsquo;ve seen in generations, the Blazers could never figure out how to properly surround them with talent. (And honestly, doing is probably harder in the real world than we realize).
But in spite of their nitpickable shortcomings, their rigorous conference, their identical 6-foot-3 statures, their style of play and the lack of an ideal supporting cast, Lillard and McCollum co-engineered (along with Aldridge the first two years) the NBA&rsquo;s longest playoff streak. And they did so defiantly, as underrecruited long-time college players who stunned scouts by becoming top-10 picks and high-end NBA talents.
They led five 50-plus-win teams and two No. 3 seeds out West. Lillard is a <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/nba-75th-anniversary-team-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-76 NBA player ever</a>, and McCollum is one of the best active NBA players to never make an All-Star team (and he probably would've made multiple appearances had he been in the Eastern Conference instead).
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People have been trying to separate this duo for years via trade machines, NBA 2K, forums, social-media posts, comments under those posts, text threads, direct messages, barbershop debates, radio call-ins, post-sex conversations, you name it. Finally, that day is here, and the circumstances suck.
Lillard <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/damian-lillard-loyalty-over-everything" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continually preached loyalty and wanting to win the hard way</a>. McCollum <a href="https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2021/2/3/22263991/brooklyn-bliss-draymonds-dip-and-cj-mccollum-stops-by" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked us to stop putting him in trade rumors</a>.
The parallels between the two are why many loved them, and the parallels proved to be their demise. But dammit, they accomplished a lot. We could say that they were ultimately underwhelmed by their surroundings, but let&rsquo;s also acknowledge how hard this damn thing is. You can&rsquo;t take playoff streaks for granted &ndash; look at what the Pelicans, Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings are doing this week in hopes of ending their postseason droughts.
This could&rsquo;ve had a happy ending, and it still might, but it doesn&rsquo;t appear that it&rsquo;ll be with Lillard and McCollum together. They didn&rsquo;t fail, and they probably didn&rsquo;t live up to your (or their own) expectations, but that&rsquo;s usually how our experiences on Earth go. Regularly, even if we don&rsquo;t want to admit it, that&rsquo;s OK, because more often than we acknowledge, that&rsquo;s life.

Bryan Fonseca looks back on what Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum accomplished together with the Portland Trail Blazers.

End of an era: Saluting the defiance of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum

The NBA has fined Meyers Leonard $50,000, the maximum allowed by league policy, and suspended him from using all Miami Heat facilities and activities for one week in response to his use of an anti-Semitic term.
Commissioner Adam Silver, in announcing those sanctions, also said that he believes Leonard &ldquo;is genuinely remorseful" for using the slur.
&ldquo;Meyers Leonard&rsquo;s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society,&rdquo; Silver said.
Leonard will also be required by the league to participate in a cultural diversity program. He has already met with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish organization that works to stop extremism and delivers anti-bias education.
&ldquo;We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league &mdash; equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect &mdash; at all times moving forward,&rdquo; Silver said.
Under the league's collective bargaining agreement, Silver could not exceed $50,000 as a fine for &ldquo;any statement having, or that was designed to have, an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of basketball" He is permitted to combine the fine with a suspension, and since Leonard is already out for the remainder of the season with an injury his salary will not be affected.
It was not immediately clear how the penalties issued by the NBA would affect Leonard's standing with the team going forward. The Heat, within hours of the video coming out, said Leonard would be away from the team indefinitely.
Leonard apologized Tuesday for using the term, insisting he did not know what it meant when he used it one day earlier. The video drew sharp rebukes from league officials, members of other teams, celebrities and even athletes from other sports.
&ldquo;He said something that was extremely distasteful and hurtful,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;re left with the aftermath of that.&rdquo;
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who has openly embraced his Jewish heritage, posted a letter to Leonard on social media earlier this week and said he did so to offer perspective. Edelman also said he is in Miami often, and invited Leonard to meet for a Shabbat dinner with friends.
&ldquo;I get the sense that you didn&rsquo;t use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance,&rdquo; Edelman wrote. &ldquo;Most likely, you weren&rsquo;t trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That&rsquo;s what makes it so destructive."
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Leonard has also been barred from team activities for one week.

Meyers Leonard fined $50,000 for anti-Semitic language

Patriotism prevails for Lebanese star Wael Arakji as Al Riyadi Beirut&rsquo;s journey continues in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024 in Singapore.
First going up vs Spain&rsquo;s Unicaja filled with American and European imports, Al Riyadi lost by 37 points 59-96 in their opening match of the tournament and was outmatched talent-wise and height-wise.&nbsp;
Unicaja outplayed Al Riyadi on both ends of the floor, getting deflections, and made more than 50 percent of their shots from the field &ndash; and Arakji could not help but voice out his disappointment after the tough loss.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We had a pretty decent start, to be honest &ndash; pretty decent first half. They definitely have a deeper team. The rules of this tournament are already in their favor &ndash; they have more foreigners and they have mixed nationalities in their team.
The man awarded the &lsquo;best point guard in Asia&rsquo; put in some notable highlights throughout the game, scoring 11 points on 5/11 shooting, but it just wasn&rsquo;t enough against the European champions.
Despite losing big against the Spanish side, Arakji remained steadfast in his goal of playing and representing their country Lebanon with utmost pride across their chests.
&ldquo;Playing here (FIBA ICC) is way different for us [compared to these teams]. For us, we are playing for Lebanon &ndash; we&rsquo;re doing our best for our country.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Yeah there&rsquo;s a huge difference with the score but I&rsquo;m really happy and proud of our performance,&rdquo; Arakji said.
Al Riyadi quickly got down to work and displayed that pride when they produced a tough win in their second game against African reps Petro de Luanda from Angola, winning 80-75. Arakji was not able to contribute much after going scoreless in 6 minutes of action, but he&rsquo;ll take a win any day of the week over personal stats.
The Lebanese, who are the Asian representatives in the Intercontinental basketball meet, will now play tomorrow against Australia&rsquo;s Tasmania JackJumpers for a chance to secure the consolation third-place match.
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Asia&rsquo;s best PG Wael Arakji of Al Riyadi Beirut sounds off after tough loss but insists team is &ldquo;playing for Lebanon&rdquo;: The Lebanese lost big vs Spain&rsquo;s Unicaja but bounced back vs Angola&rsquo;s Petro de Luanda to book their third-place bout vs Australia&rsquo;s Tasmania // <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/idcYQYXKE4">pic.twitter.com/idcYQYXKE4</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1834976894464540875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Patriotism prevails for Lebanese star Wael Arakji as Al Riyadi Beirut’s journey continues in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024.

Al Riyadi’s Wael Arakji: “We’re doing our best for our country"

This article was originally published on BasketballNews on July 20, 2022.
Impact Basketball's facility sits inside an unassuming section of an unassuming plaza on Dean Martin Drive in Las Vegas.
The gym contains two light-colored hardwood basketball courts with a small scoreboard, a weightlifting area, a makeshift stretching room, a kitchenette for meals and snacks and a small office. It's no place for vanities. The only flexes are the dozens of white banners hanging on the right wall, listing names upon names of distinguished players who have come through during the gym's 25 years of existence.
Among those players: Kevin Garnett, Kawhi Leonard, Chauncey Billups, Kyle Lowry, Kelsey Plum, Tayshaun Prince, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Al Harrington, Kristaps Porzingis, Nassir Little, Saddiq Bey and Ziaire Williams.&nbsp;
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Kevin Garnett stopped by <a href="https://twitter.com/impactbball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@impactbball</a> and offered some advice to Blazers guard Keon Johnson, Mavericks wing Josh Green and 16-year-old prospect Dayan Nessah.<a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Abunassar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Joe_Abunassar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinGarnett5KG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KevinGarnett5KG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/iamkeonjohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iamkeonjohnson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshBGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoshBGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/fwRjAM2WHJ">pic.twitter.com/fwRjAM2WHJ</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1548046089877524482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Impact Basketball, founded by trainer Joe Abunassar in 1997, has a reputation for its star-studded, closed-door pickup games that take place during the NBA offseason. In the spring, it's also where some of the top NBA Draft hopefuls join Abunassar's pre-draft "boot camp" and commit themselves to an intricate world of sports training and nutrition.
The timeline is simple: arrive by April, revamp your training lifestyle and find your professional pathway &mdash; either via the NBA Draft, an undrafted free-agent deal or another contract &mdash; afterwards. The work is not flashy, isn't always fun and, if you want to stick as a pro, never ends.
But the results can change lives.
"It's not about W's or L's, it's about M's &mdash; M's being millions of dollars," said Isaac Mourier, Impact's Director of Performance Nutrition and Sport Science. "Once you say that to a guy like that, that's all they need in terms of motivation."
Mourier is a key cog in Impact's program. He's from the United Kingdom and played professional basketball in England and Germany before starting his own sports nutrition consulting business. Mourier has worked for the University of Georgia and Sacramento Kings as a nutritionist and consultant, and joined Impact in 2020 during the spring.
During his two-and-a-half years and three draft cycles with the company, Mourier has filled his laptop with infographics and progress charts for Impact athletes. They include individualized goals for each player; an example involves raising one prospect's weight by 20 pounds, lowering his body fat by 2%, increasing his bench press weight by 50 pounds and adding two inches to his vertical.
Mourier feels privileged to work with athletes at this stage of their careers. To him, the noise of team ecosystems and outside expectations all fade away. He can clearly define goals, and players know exactly what success will look like.
"This is the first time, maybe ever in their life, where they have a team of people that are only worried about them," he said. "Now, I'm just trying to get you to the NBA and keep you there. I don't care whether you win or lose games right now. This is you. All the focus is on you."
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Boot camp begins as soon as players are done with their respective prior seasons. They arrive at Impact and take part in comprehensive body testing to establish a full physical profile. The technology includes a bioelectrical impedence analysis that uses electrical currents to scan body composition. Sweat patches can read how much sodium athletes need in their system.
Variables such as blood work, stress hormone levels, nutrient deficienies, pre-workout hydration levels and post-workout hydration levels, body composition and body fat percentages all help establish a baseline of strengths and needs.
From there, each prospect receives an individualized growth roadmap. Skill development makes up one component. Players often train together in small groups, but they receive specific plans that prepare them for team pre-draft workouts and the NBA level.
"We're looking and analyzing and making assessments on the court; if guys are getting bumped off their cuts, if guys don't have enough lower-body power in their jump shot and guys seem like they need to get stronger, if guys aren't fast enough, [we'll consider], 'Okay, what do we need to do in the weight room or from a nutrition standpoint to correct that?'" Abunassar told Basketball News. "So, that's why every guy has his own program, because every guy has different goals."
Hydration and dieting are also central pieces. Mourier oversees the implementation of dietary plans through Impact's local chef connections, and says he outlines each meal, snack and supplement. Along the way are regular check-ins on body metrics, sleep schedules, mood and motivation among other factors. Mourier estimated that about 20-to-25 Impact staffers are involved with a player's development.&nbsp;
But Mourier repeatedly emphasized that the technology, food and workouts aren't what takes players to the Association. One of his most important jobs is reframing their habits and instilling discipline toward health.
"When an athlete gets to the elite level with bad habits, it's, 'Well, I'm already one of the best in the world at what I do, so why would I change?' So it's changing that mindset, and then when we've done that, it's about understanding that doing small things consistently is what gets us the results, as opposed to trying to do extreme things," Mourier said.
"The way that the structure of basketball [is] from AAU to college to the pros, a lot of the power is in the athlete's hands, where it's almost like, 'Who are you to tell me what to do?' So I think one of the main things that we have to do is cut through that barrier. And again, when our goals are the same as theirs, it becomes a little bit easier. But again, it's, 'Well, you've gotten to this level despite your bad habits. How good could you be if we instill some good habits?'"
Good habits, however, can be inconvenient and awkward. For NBA players to maintain their places in the league, they have to stick with those routines well past a pre-draft boot camp.
Dallas Mavericks wing Josh Green joined Impact's program ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft cycle. He's still entrenched with Impact today, and has been working out in Las Vegas this offseason. Part of his nutrition plan includes avoiding butter, which can be a particular hurdle when eating out at restaurants.
"I have to be the guy who requests light virgin oil, whatever it is," Green told Basketball News. "I think that's the hardest part about it. I'm about to go to Australia for three weeks, and all I'm gonna want to do is eat all the food, but I'm gonna have to stay disciplined. I want to have a big year, so my goal is focusing right now, but just taking it one day at a time."
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👀 <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshBGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoshBGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/pX0fkZzCBZ">pic.twitter.com/pX0fkZzCBZ</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1547655829431525383?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Green said he started prioritizing nutrition after his second shoulder surgery in April 2019. Since joining Impact, Green has been floored by how much nourishment the human body loses during workouts. He has an app that lays out meal calories and hydration plans, and his goal this offseason is to skip carbohydrates, even from snacks like a simple bag of chips.
"When you're young, whatever you see in front of you is what you want," Green said. "I [was] able to start here early and realize, if I want to play ball for a while, it's important to put the right things in my body and stay healthy. It's the same thing as seeing your physical therapist and getting treatment, if not more important for your body."
Abunassar has a plethora of stories about players who embraced the importance of nutrition at the pro level. Garnett has talked about taping his meal-plan menus on the cabinets of his Minnesota home.&nbsp; Lowry, Haliburton and Serge Ibaka are examples of guys who transformed their bodies under Impact's guidance too.
Gym time and workouts are obviously valuable, but to Abunassar, nutrition is what sparks physical development.
"The nutrition is really the basis of body change &mdash; for anybody, not even just for a basketball player," Abunassar said. "You can go to the gym every day, but if you're eating cheeseburgers and fries, you're just not going to lose weight."
Mourier has his own trail of success stories. He's worked with dozens of players, including Haliburton and Green. Zeke Nnaji, another 2020 draftee, was an especially interesting case as the only plant-based-dieting prospect Mourier has guided at Impact.
Mourier does not advise athletes to follow a plant-based diet solely for performance. However, Nnaji had chosen to be a vegan for ethical reasons, which Mourier respected, and the two worked together to create a nutrition plan despite the constraints. One of Nnaji's pre-draft goals was to add muscle, and he succeeded with rigorous attention to detail.
"He gained 20 pounds and everyone was like, 'Who the hell is this?'" Mourier said. "So that was really good, just being tactful with the timing and quantities of that stuff. And [Nnaji] was really diligent with it. He nailed every single aspect of it down to the gram... He was a really easy one. I really can't take credit for all that stuff. I just put the blueprint down and he just rolled with it."
This year, Impact has worked with several 2022 draft prospects, including MarJon Beauchamp, Blake Wesley and Michael Foster Jr. among others.&nbsp;
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San Antonio Spurs rookie Blake Wesley (<a href="https://twitter.com/blakewesley0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@blakewesley0</a>) working out at <a href="https://twitter.com/impactbball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@impactbball</a>: <a href="https://t.co/9lfkFikWsP">pic.twitter.com/9lfkFikWsP</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1547643918904217604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Wesley has been an Impact athlete since he was 17, meeting Abunassar for the first time as a junior in high school. Wesley would come in occasionally for workouts, staying on the far court and watching as NBA players like Leonard and Paul George would get their reps in. He returned in offseasons and locked in for his own pre-draft boot camp.
Mourier praised the Spurs rookie for his attention to detail regarding nutrition. Wesley frequently FaceTimed Mourier while at restaurants and stores, and asked questions about what he should eat. He's also a staunch advocate of Herbalife's CR7 Drive sports drink mix, and even has an endorsement deal with Herbalife.
As part of his pre-draft plan to put on weight, Welsey would cook three eggs, plus have oatmeal, milk and orange juice for breakfast.
"[Changing my nutrition] helped my body a lot," Wesley told Basketball News over the phone. "I kept doing this, so I kept getting better on the court and did everything good on the court. So yeah, my nutrition helped me a lot."
The result: Wesley turned himself from a relatively unheralded four-star recruit into Notre Dame's first one-and-done player &mdash; then bulked up to 190 pounds in the spring and became a first-round NBA draft pick.
"I met [Wesley] a year ago, before he went to Notre Dame, and his transformation from then to the start of the pre-draft [process] to now &mdash; it's phenomenal," Mourier said.
The next challenge is to maintain discipline once that contract gets signed.&nbsp;
"You gotta stay focused; the NBA is totally different from college," Wesley said. "I mean, you're getting paid, you got a high profile [and] a lot of people are watching you &mdash; &nbsp;watching how you move, who you hang out with, stuff like that. So it's a whole different lifestyle."
Abunassar, Mourier and the Impact staff are hands-on with their players during the offseason and pre-draft process. But what happens when those players head back to their respective NBA franchises?
"For the most part, from a strength-and-conditioning standpoint [and] from a player development standpoint, the NBA teams have stuff really dialed in," Mourier said. "From a nutrition standpoint, for the most part, they do not."
Mourier estimated that there are only six full-time nutritionists and dietitians in the entire NBA. The Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA) lists <a href="https://sportsrd.org/career-development/full-time-sports-rds-working-with-usas-top-institutions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nine full-time registered dietitians.</a> Mourier said that teams often have physicians and trainers covering several responsibilites, including nutrition, due to budget restrictions and front-office priorities. This means some athletes, specifically reserve players, receive less health guidance.
"We're kind of the ones who are the last for the front office to see the value in it, so a lot of times we're really just a check-box," Mourier said. "So especially for those lower-order guys that are maybe No. 7, 8, 9, 10, all the way through to 15 on the roster, they're not really receiving any support at all. They're receiving provision. They're receiving meals and supplements. But in terms of education and behavior change, they're really not receiving it."
Over the last 25 years, Abunassar has seen sports nutrition dramatically change, with data and technology more interwoven into practice than ever. He thinks there are positives and pitfalls to the advancements.
"From a nutrition standpoint and strength-and-conditioning standpoint, it's clearly useful information to help prevent injury, to increase lean body mass, etc.," he said. "All of the technology that has come out has been very helpful for us, but you do have to watch that you don't get too reliant on it. Sometimes, you gotta watch the games and see how guys move and that kind of thing. But a combination of the two is very effective."
Impact Basketball is one progressive frontrunner in the field of sports science, but Mourier emphasized that, at this point, all basketball pros should be setting themselves up for success with some sort of offseason developmental map. Pre-draft prospects especially cannot afford to lose that critical period before team workouts to maximize their appeal.
"It's like doing the SAT without looking at the study guide," Mourier said "...I think it's definitely a standard. There's people doing this all over the country, really. Nobody does it like us, and nobody's been doing it for as long as us, but people are seeing the value."

A behind-the-scenes look at how Impact Basketball helps players realize their full potential by focusing on their training and nutrition.

How sports nutrition and biometrics are evolving NBA training

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Derrick White had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, and the Boston Celtics dominated the Miami Heat 110-97 on Thursday night in Game 5 to extend the Eastern Conference finals.
Marcus Smart had 23 points and five steals. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finished with 21 points apiece as the Celtics claimed their second straight win and trimmed Miami&rsquo;s series lead to 3-2.
It keeps alive Boston&rsquo;s hopes of becoming the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a series. Teams previously in that position are 0-150 all-time.
Game 6 is Saturday in Miami.
A day after the Florida Panthers punched the franchise&rsquo;s first ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1996, for the second straight game the Heat were denied a spot in the NBA Finals.
Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 18 points. Bam Adebayo added 16 points and eight rebounds. Jimmy Butler had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists but sat out the final 9:47 of the game. Caleb Martin finished with 14 points.
It was Butler&rsquo;s lowest-scoring game of the playoffs. He had 16 points in Game 3, a blowout win by Miami.
Miami never led and had 16 turnovers.
Boston entered the day just 4-5 at TD Garden this postseason. But with a raucous home crowd behind them, the Celtics thrived on their energy.
They dove for loose balls, outfought Miami for rebounds and found each other for layups and dunks in transition as they built as much as 20 points in the first half.
The Heat cut into it, but Boston kept knocking down 3s and grew its edge as high as 96-72 in the fourth quarter.
Boston&rsquo;s fans reignited a &ldquo;Beat the Heat!&rdquo; chant that hadn&rsquo;t been prevalent since Game 1.
The Heat started Kyle Lowry at point guard after Gabe Vincent was ruled out with a sprained left ankle earlier in the day. It was Lowry&rsquo;s first start since Feb. 2.
Vincent, the Heat&rsquo;s third-leading scorer this postseason, got hurt late in Miami&rsquo;s Game 4 loss when he landed awkwardly while trying to save a loose ball near the Heat bench.
His presence was missed as Miami struggled early on the offensive end, swarmed by a Celtics&rsquo; defense that forced the Heat into 10 first-half turnovers that led to 17 Boston points. Lowry played 31 minutes, scored five points and finished with four turnovers.
TIP-INS
Heat: Were outscored 13-0 in second-half points in the opening 24 minutes.
Celtics: Al Horford added six points and 11 rebounds. &hellip; The Celtics took a 61-44 edge into halftime. &hellip; Boston&rsquo;s first turnover of the game didn&rsquo;t come until the 8:16 mark of the second quarter.
FAST START
The Celtics got the fast start they had hoped for in front of their home crowd.
Smart stripped Adebayo on Miami&rsquo;s opening possession, igniting a fast break and layup on the other end by Tatum.
Then, with the game tied at 4, Tatum got free in the lane for a monstrous two-handed dunk. He hung on the rim afterward and continued his celebration when he landed, leading to a technical foul.
It didn&rsquo;t stop the Celtics&rsquo; momentum, as their first-quarter lead grew as high as 23-7. Boston ended the period with a 35-20 lead, punctuated by a 3-pointer by White at the buzzer.
Tatum had 12 points in the opening 12 minutes, with the Celtics outscoring the Heat 21-6 from beyond the arc. Boston hit 7 of its 12 attempts.
VIP WATCH
Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, NCAA president Charlie Baker and New England Patriots Matt Slater and Devin McCourty were among several celebrities in the Garden.

Derrick White had 24 points, including 6 threes, and the Boston Celtics dominated the Miami Heat 110-97 on Thursday in Game 5.

Celtics thrive on 3s, beat Heat 110-97 in Game 5 to extend East finals

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jimmy Butler scored 35 points, including 23 after halftime, and the Miami Heat rallied in the second half to beat the Boston Celtics 123-116 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night.
Miami trailed by nine at the half before turning it around with a franchise playoff-record 46 points in the third and outscoring Boston 66-50 over the final two quarters. It was Butler&rsquo;s fifth game with 30 or more points this postseason and he added seven assists, six steals and five rebounds.
Bam Adebayo added 20 points and eight rebounds. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent and Max Strus all added 15 points apiece. The Heat went 16 of 31 from the 3-point line.
The No. 8-seeded Heat have opened all three playoff series with road victories. Game 2 is Friday in Boston.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points, but didn&rsquo;t take a shot in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points.
The tip-off of Wednesday&rsquo;s series marked the third time in four seasons that the Heat and Celtics have met in the conference finals. Boston won last year&rsquo;s matchup in seven games.
Wednesday&rsquo;s opener felt every bit like a continuation of that most recent meeting. Boston dominated inside early on and led by nine at halftime.
Miami took a page out of the Celtics&rsquo; book and used a 13-1 run to quickly erase that gap and then nudged back in front in the third quarter, as Butler penetrated to create opportunities for his teammates.
The Heat outscored the Celtics 46-25 in the period and took a 103-91 lead into the fourth, prompting a few boos from the TD Garden crowd.
Boston responded, scoring the first seven points of the final period before a 3-pointer by Vincent ended the run.
Miami led 114-109 with just over three minutes to play when Brogdon was fouled by Butler. But he connected on just 1 of the 2 free throws. Butler was trapped on the next Miami possession before finding Martin for a corner 3.
Tatum travelled, giving the ball back to the Heat. A Miami miss gave the ball back to Boston, but Tatum was called again for travelling.
Miami wound the shot clock down before getting a 3-pointer to rattle in with 1:03 remaining.
The Celtics let Butler get loose early and he made them pay with 12 first-quarter points.
Boston&rsquo;s defense tightened in the second and Butler didn&rsquo;t take another shot until the 5:45 mark, an airball resulting in a shot clock violation. His second attempt of the quarter a few minutes later had the same result. He went into intermission with 15 points.
Meanwhile, the Celtics attacked the rim, outscoring the Heat 40-16 in the paint in the opening 24 minutes &ndash; the most allowed by Miami in a half this season. Boston also held an 11-2 advantage in second-chance points.
TIP-INS
Heat: Miami&rsquo;s previous high in the playoffs was 43 points against Charlotte in 2016. &hellip; Lowry hit 5 of his first 6 shots, scoring 13 points in his first nine minutes of action. &hellip; Butler (12) and Adebayo (6) combined for 18 of Miami&rsquo;s 28 points in the first quarter. It marked the seventh time Butler has reached double figures in the first period this postseason.
Celtics: Marcus Smart finished with 13 points and 11 assists. &hellip; Led 66-57 at halftime. With the score tied at 47, Boston outscored Miami 19-10 over the final 5:26 of the half. &hellip; Brown wore his black protective mask after going without it for the final two games of their semifinals matchup with the 76ers. He fractured a facial bone late in the regular season. &hellip; New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was in attendance.

Jimmy Butler and the Heat rallied in the second half to beat the Celtics 123-116 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Butler scores 35, Heat rally to beat Celtics 123-116 in Game 1

Professional basketball players are in a constant state of data collection. Al Horford's been logging tricks of his trade for 16 years, and it's helped him reinvent his game to suit a team in the title hunt.
Horford, age 36, will be the fourth-oldest starter and fifth-oldest rotation player in the 2023 NBA playoffs, behind only LeBron James, Chris Paul, PJ Tucker and Kyle Lowry. He has dramatically transformed his game to suit the era and needs of today's league, and the Celtics have taken note.
After a March 1 win against the Cavaliers, coach Joe Mazzulla alluded to Horford's evolution, heightened by his experience and attention to detail.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s massive,&rdquo; Mazzulla said postgame. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s done a great job this year in recognizing coverage and screening. ...And he recognized the coverage [the Cavaliers] were in and popped and shot it. The second time they tried to switch him, he created an advantage. He&rsquo;s constantly trying to find small ways to reinvent his game.&rdquo;
Horford is averaging his highest minutes per game (30.6) of the last five seasons, but his on-ball role has diminished to career-lows according to practically every go-to metric (usage rate, touches, touch time, etc.). He's played five total seasons with the Celtics across two stints; comparing his usage across those years is fascinating. Here's some touch data from PBP Stats highlighting three such years: his All-Star season in 2017-18, his first season back in Boston in 2021-22, and this current one.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 110px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Touches/game</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Frontcourt touches/game</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Elbow touches/game</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Post touches/game</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Seconds per touch</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2017-18</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">63.5</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">40.0</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">3.1</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">5.2</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2.20</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">49.2</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">29.4</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2.2</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">1.9</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">1.73</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">45.7</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">25.4</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">1.1</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">0.9</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">1.53</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
It makes sense that Horford would take a back seat in his return to the Celtics given that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had risen to stardom. But the elbow and post touch volume in particular is stunning &mdash; Horford is getting the ball in those spots not even half as much as last year, and fractionally compared to his last All-Star appearance. His days of facilitating and scoring out of the post are over.
We all know Horford has laid down a transcendant shooting year, but the scale of his shift to the arc cannot be overstated. Per Cleaning the Glass, a whopping 67% of Horford's total shot attempts have come from distance. That is a mind-boggling 23% increase from last year; to put that in context, Horford had never increased his three-point frequency by more than 12% year-over-year since he first started shooting them often in 2015-16.&nbsp;
To make this type of leap &mdash; and match it with a career-high 44.6% clip (an 11% jump from last year) &mdash; is one of the more astounding developments I've seen from a veteran in some time.&nbsp;
Boston needs Horford at this level for the playoffs. Last year, the Warriors gunked up the Celtics offense in the NBA Finals by shutting off driving lanes for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen. They were unafraid to let Horford and Grant Williams bomb away above the break, even as both shot the ball well, if it meant Tatum and Brown could not penetrate the defense.&nbsp;
But this year could be different. Horford can punish as a reliable outlet on his own or force opponents to stay home on him. He's also more than doubled his shot frequency in the corners and added an area defenses have to track.
Horford's evolving role means we see less of him as the facilitating big that has helped define his game in the past. But he's still a very good passer and the numbers (and tape) back this up.
The NBA Underground has a set of <a href="https://thenbaunderground.com/analytics/better-passing-stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statistics that help us understand passing impact</a> beyond basic assists per game. One interesting number: passing turnover to potential assist ratio, which basically says that for every 100 potential assists (pass leading to a shot attempt), a player is logging X amount of passing turnovers.
Horford is averaging 3.9 passing turnovers per 100 potential assists, putting him seventh-best among 364 players. It's not a perfect assessment of passing, but it shows he's making quality decisions when he does have the ball. Just under 10% of his total passes this year turned into assists or free throws, a mark that ranks ninth among bigs this year, per Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
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Plays like this are meaningful because Boston should want to get Tatum cutting and running without the ball. It keeps him from being the sole defensive focus and allows him to get up to speed more easily. Horford and Robert Williams III are both capable high-low passers, and while this isn't a jaw-dropping dime, it shows how either big can be leveraged effectively.
Horford isn't put in this position as often anymore, but he still gets plenty of assists by swinging the ball around at the arc and dishing short passes to Celtics guards and wings who use screens off the ball. There's schematic creativity on display around Horford and he's tasked with making the advantage pay off.
We could say the same for his defense. Derrick White has been Boston's best defender this season. Robert Williams is the team's most dynamic shot-blocker and Marcus Smart is the intense tone-setter. But I truly don't think this is a top-5 unit without Horford holding down his role as an individual stopper.
The Celtics typically task Horford with handling the opponent's best scoring forwards or bigs. Among the 20 players he matched up against for 20 or more possessions per game this season (per NBA Stats): Bam Adebayo, Deandre Ayton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Paolo Banchero, Nikola Vucevic, Myles Turner.
Many of these players are also heavily involved in pick-and-rolls, where the Celtics usually ask Horford to play some form of shallow drop coverage while the guard goes over the screen. The shallow drop big man is one of the toughest responsibilities in today's NBA; they have to contain the drive from a guard while keeping the roll man in front to remove a lob threat.
And that's not all he's doing &mdash; Boston switches a lot away from the ball, so Horford then has to slide onto wings and occasionally guards. He actually spoke about this a couple weeks ago with JJ Redick on The Old Man and the Three (start at 31:30).&nbsp;
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Horford's impact shows up in several of the defensive stats I've come to trust. BBall Index has created estimates for defensive positional versatility and role versatility based on what positions and usage rates players are guarding. Horford ranks in the 92nd and 85th percentiles at his position, respectively.&nbsp;
Also from BBall Index: Horford is contesting 38.1% of opponents' shots at the rim while he is on the court (89th percentile) and holding opponents to an at-rim efficiency 6.2% lower than expected (91st percentile). Those are particularly impressive numbers considering Horford is 36 and not a volume shot-blocker.
It will certainly help to have Rob Williams by his side. The two bigs have only played 330 minutes together this season, but the Celtics are outscoring opponents by 15.1 points per 100 possessions when they share the floor.
Still, Horford is going to take the primary frontcourt assignments before Williams. And this postseason run could be a gauntlet. The Celtics start by facing the Hawks' trio of John Collins, Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu. Win that series, and there's a good chance they meet Embiid in the second round. An Eastern Conference Finals trip could see Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, or Mobley and Allen. Then, should Boston make a return Finals run, they might run into any of Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, Jaren Jackson Jr., Deandre Ayton, or others at the big positions.&nbsp;
That's a monster workload for a 36-year-old trying to play into June for the second consecutive year.&nbsp;And&nbsp;he carries pivotal pressure as a spacer and ball-mover.&nbsp;
Horford's evolution has been commendable and his value to the Celtics far outweighs his spotlight. If Boston wants to win a championship, he can't let up on either end.

Horford will hold down key two-way roles for however far the Celtics advance in the postseason.

NBA Stats Notebook: Why Al Horford is the Celtics' playoff X Factor

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs Wednesday, but they had to do so without Giannis Antetokounmpo on the second night of a back-to-back.
No problem &mdash; Bobby Portis exploded for 27 points and 13 rebounds, Jrue Holiday racked up 20 points and 15 assists, and Brook Lopez tossed in 26 points to handle the Chicago Bulls. One neat postgame statistic from ESPN's Kane Pitman caught my eye:
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Brook Lopez now has 26 games with 20+ points this season. He had 26 games with 20+ points across his first four regular seasons in Milwaukee. He will be a DPOY finalist but his scoring has wound back the clock during his age 35 season.
&mdash; Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) <a href="https://twitter.com/KanePitman/status/1643788843479621635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Lopez is putting up 15.9 points per game, his highest since his All-Star days with the Brooklyn Nets, at the most efficient scoring clip of his career. He's helped the Bucks retake the top of the conference while remaining square in the middle of the Defensive Player of the Year race.
The award's front-runner, Jaren Jackson Jr., has also quietly ascended on the offensive end. Jackson is averaging a career-high 18.3 points per game (20.9 since the All-Star break) with a career-best 58.5% two-point shooting clip. He dropped 40 in Wednesday's overtime loss to the Pelicans and has helped the Grizzlies go 12-4 since March 9.&nbsp;
While the two bigs are duking it out for DPOY, their steps forward as scorers have put each team in the championship conversation.
Starting with Lopez, his output this season hasn't come with increased touches. A cursory glance through PBP Stats' tracking data shows the 35-year-old is hovering at similar rates in touches and volume touch time relative to his entire Milwaukee tenure. His low 16.7% usage rate follows the same trend. But Lopez has received a significant green light; his mark of 11.5 field goal attempts per game is the most in the last six years.
Those extra shots have been distributed relatively evenly across different spots on the floor, but Lopez's paint presence is perhaps the most notable change. Here's a look at his impact of scoring inside since joining the Bucks in 2018, using data from PBP Stats (scroll right to view full table on mobile):
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 154px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 44px;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 44px;">Touches/100 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 44px;">Paint touches/100 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 44px;">Paint touches FG% </td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 44px;">At-Rim FGA/game</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 44px;">At-Rim FG%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">59.6</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">2.8</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">65.3%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">1.8</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">75.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">57.5</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">5.2</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">61.7%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">2.5</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">66.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">49.4</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">7.0</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">70.3%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">2.7</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">74.4%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2021-22*</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">51.3</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">9.7</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">62.8%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">3.4</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">77.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">54.2</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">9.1</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">71.2%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">3.6</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">74.7%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Note that Lopez played just 13 games in 2021-22 due to injury.
Lopez's current paint diet builds off of his abbreviated 2021-22 campaign, and this time, he's consistently converting on his greatest volume as a Buck. In addition to the strong marks at the rim, Lopez is also hitting a blistering 56% of his short-mid-range shots, per Cleaning the Glass.
The 35-year-old scored his 26 points on Wednesday despite a quiet 0-for-2 night from distance. He made 10 of 17 attempts inside the arc. Some were confident driving layups where he powered through Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond. But this play highlights how his roll (heyo!) is changing:
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With the amount of drop coverage in today's NBA, plus the different downhill playmakers Milwaukee employs, Lopez has windows available as a roller. Here he stays in the passing lane during Joe Ingles' drive, seals off Derrick Jones Jr. and finishes the layup.&nbsp;
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This earlier bucket was the second of two near-identical makes in a row. Chicago sets its drop early in the action, but Vucevic is tighter on Holiday given the guard's threat to pull up. The window is open quicker for a short-roll pass that Holiday easily makes. Lopez then knocks down the soft-touch floater that the smaller DeMar DeRozan can't really contest.
According to play-type data from Synergy, Lopez is spending 21.2% of his possessions this season as a roll man. That's the highest frequency of his Bucks career, and it's steadily increased in each subsequent year from 14.1% in 2018-19. "Roll man" in Synergy terms can also include pick-and-pop plays, where Lopez often thrives, but he's also adding more classic rolls.
Tack on a career-high 37.4% clip from beyond the arc, and Lopez has found the pockets for him to excel within Milwaukee's offense without taking on a significantly larger workload.
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Lopez is making teams pay for how they defend guys like Holiday and Antetokounmpo. His buckets still mostly come via assists. Jackson, meanwhile, is stepping up as a self-creator.&nbsp;
The 23-year-old has cleared the 60% True Shooting mark for the first time in his five-year career. Yet, he's not shooting threes particularly well (34.4%) and his volume of attempts is down (4.5 per game). Jackson has instead boosted his two-point percentage to a career-best 58.5%. He can attribute that spike to a consistent assertion of getting to the basket.&nbsp;
According to PBP Stats, more than 40% of Jackson's total shots this year have been self-created twos within 10 feet of the basket. His 53.2% conversion rate on those looks is a whopping nine percentage points better than last season. Jackson's overall 67% clip at the rim is a serious bounce-back from a dreadful 2021-22, and his 47% mark in the short-mid-range area is another career high.
<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/2nevnr" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In his monster 40-point outing, Jackson showed off how he's leveraging his length and strength with confidence. He posted up Larry Nance Jr. twice for scores, and was unfazed even when plowing into Nance on the above drive. Jackson still had the balance to turn the moment into a floater. There are also these Giannis-esque moments with Jackson where he uses his long strides and length to glide past defenders. The overall quick decision-making has elevated his attacks.
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The lanky forward has traded in some perimeter looks for more aggressive attacks. In fact, Jackson ranks third in points per drive (0.94) among 180 high-volume drivers this season. He's scoring at a decent 50.5% clip and drawing fouls on 18% of his drives, which also ranks third.
Jackson didn't shoot particularly well (13-for-28) en route to his 40-burger on Wednesday, but did draw nine fouls and made 11 of 12 free throws.
Perhaps the most surprising stat: Jackson is one of 100 NBA players who have logged 50 or more isolation possessions this season, per Synergy. He's drawn shooting fouls on a whopping 32.1% of those possessions; that is the highest in the eight-year history of Synergy's play-type tracking.
With his foul-drawing and reliable free-throw shooting, Jackson has created a floor-raiser with his length and athleticism against opposing bigs. As his scoring efficiency comes along, he's looking more and more like a matchup nightmare.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Two extremely important concepts in today's NBA: Creating and preventing advantages. From SIS Hoops:</li>
</ul>
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In the stretch run of the MVP race, Joel Embiid has stepped up his advantage creation to separate himself as the favorite for the award. <a href="https://t.co/6lThkqTKVC">pic.twitter.com/6lThkqTKVC</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1644003730205843458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Post-NCAA men's tournament reflection. FAU baby!
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</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Take good shots ✅ Force tough shots ✅ Win more games ✅ <a href="https://t.co/xHczgYjpfo">pic.twitter.com/xHczgYjpfo</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1643379899129040897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>A few league-wide notes I saw as this season is wrapping up:</li>
</ul>
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Some NBA leaguewide trends as we approach the end of the season 🧵 - The NBA is shooting a base 47.5% from the field, which is its highest since 1989-90 - eFG% is 54.5%, which is the highest ever - 114.8 offensive rating is a massive all-time high, 2nd place is 112.3 (2020-21)
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1644020710753333249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Jackson and Lopez are leading the Defensive Player of the Year race, but have also made important offensive strides.

NBA Stats Notebook: Lauding Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brook Lopez's offense

If there is any singular number that has defined basketball in 2023, it might be 9.9 million &mdash; the viewership of Sunday's NCAA Tournament championship game between LSU and Iowa.
The figure isn't just the largest ever for a women's college game; it also flew past other audiences for some of American sports' marquee events.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The NCAA Women's National Championship's 9.9 million viewers are more than: ▪️ Any Women's CBB game ever ▪️ Any MLS game ever ▪️ Any Stanley Cup game since 1973 ▪️ The 2023 Orange Bowl ▪️ The 2023 Sugar Bowl ▪️ 2023 Thursday Night Football ▪️ The 2021 NBA Finals ▪️ The 2020&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/X6MGXYkflQ">pic.twitter.com/X6MGXYkflQ</a>
&mdash; Front Office Sports (@FOS) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1643051889846525953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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To say the game has "arrived" is disrespectful to the illustrious history of women in basketball. But Sunday was a stage unlike any other, and those who watched on TV or <a href="https://www.nola.com/sports/lsu/womens_basketball/ticket-prices-for-lsu-iowa-national-championship-jump/article_8f541656-d0d6-11ed-83a2-7fb0a63f33b8.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paid hundreds to attend</a> were awestruck by the outpouring of deserved fan support.
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I&rsquo;m completely blown away. The direction our game is going and the excitement surrounding it- I personally have never been more proud to be a part of it. ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/WjNZii3Vg1">pic.twitter.com/WjNZii3Vg1</a>
&mdash; Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) <a href="https://twitter.com/RachGall/status/1642976923193331713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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A poorly-officiated contest (Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic had <a href="https://theathletic.com/4377949/2023/04/03/womens-basketball-officials-clark-reese/?source=emp_shared_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some important thoughts on this</a>) and the trash-talking discourse that followed are problematic, but they won't taper our excitement for the trajectory of women's basketball. An influx of new, casual, uninformed fans are swarming into the sport, and we're ready for them because we've learned two important lessons in the last week.
One: This generation's stars are glimmering in the spotlight.
Two: The sport's core of diligent media members and passionate fans won't take any B.S.
Angel Reese surpassed a million Instagram followers after winning the national title, a result of her superstar season and her "Bayou Barbie" persona. But her name also dominated headlines because of her John Cena and ring-me gestures towards Caitlin Clark in the closing minutes of LSU's win, earning critical labels like "classless" and others that hinted at more serious racist undertones.
Reese didn't hold back in her initial response.
"I don&rsquo;t fit in the box that y&rsquo;all want me to be in. I'm too hood, I'm too ghetto, y'all told me that all year. When other people do it, y'all don't say nothing. This was for the people that look like me," Reese <a href="https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/1642671282767507456" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
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This is different from Reese "not caring" about the critics. She does care and is aware of her own aura, which she says has been criticized since high school. Reese cares that her image as a powerful, talented, confident Black woman resonates with younger girls who can relate to her, and that for so long, that combination of traits has been met with hate.
That Reese continues to quote tweet and subtweet, and take additional interviews on ESPN days after the game, shows she's not backing down from who she wants to be.
Clark is similarly aware of her standing as a figurehead for the sport. On Tuesday, she went on ESPN's Outside the Lines and basically ended the trash-talking discussion.&nbsp;
"I don't think Angel should be criticized at all," Clark <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1643311621861949441" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I'm always one that competes, and she competed. I think everyone knew there was gonna be a little trash talk the entire tournament; it's not just me and Angel."
Just as important was her full response on the importance of showing passion as an athlete:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"Men have always had trash talk. ... You should be able to play with that emotion. ... That's how every girl should continue to play." Caitlin Clark discussed if women are held to a different standard than men on <a href="https://twitter.com/OTLonESPN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OTLonESPN</a>. <a href="https://t.co/JY7MWlOuVq">pic.twitter.com/JY7MWlOuVq</a>
&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1643309736572616704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Clark is arguably the biggest trending name in basketball right now and a truly generational talent who helped drive this year's record-shattering ratings. For her to jump on ESPN two days after a heartbreaking loss and be explicit with her opinions shows that she recognizes the gravity of her voice.
The Iowa sharpshooter rightfully captured the country's attention for her NCAA Tournament heroics. According to one Google search analysis from World Sports Network, Clark's name saw a 476% search increase in the last week of March Madness.
New fans were quick to label her a "best-ever" of some sort. The social media response: Familiarize yourselves with the college careers of Cheryl Miller, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Maya Moore, Kelsey Plum or Sabrina Ionescu.&nbsp;
And when some <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann/status/1642649593140637706" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pretty loud voices</a>&nbsp;took aim at Reese on Sunday, the community quickly let them know it was unacceptable.
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As women's basketball has continued to rise, deserved passionate media coverage has reached the foreground.&nbsp;The Next Hoops, Winsidr,&nbsp;and Just Women's Sports&nbsp;are three of my personal go-to's, but these smaller (yet growing) independent outlets have helped legitimize and drive quality coverage. ESPN's television coverage is spectacular and&nbsp;The Athletic&nbsp;is another outlet with high-level storytelling. Arielle Chambers delivers phenomenal energy for HighlightHER, Mark Schindler does an amazing job at WNBA.com, and while I'm biased, our own Nekias Duncan's WNBA coverage is top-tier (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/south-carolina-dared-caitlin-clark-to-beat-them-and-she-did-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as was his Clark film dive!</a>).
We collectively know more about media and narrative than ever in our history. It allows these writers to make sure the sport is covered fairly and accurately at the college and pro levels, holding new, influential fans accountable.&nbsp;
The players and coaches have stories to share, personalities to gravitate towards and electric talent to entertain with. The WNBA still has so much growth potential; it logged a 20% increase in regular-season viewership on ESPN last year, and this spring's March Madness momentum can be a springboard for another leap. And with NIL-driven branding soaring at the college level, more players and teams can place themselves in front of new audiences.
Sunday felt like the quantitative peak for women's basketball in the national conversation &mdash; what's exciting is that there's so much mountain still left to climb.

Nearly 10 million people watched the national championship game, signaling that women's basketball is ready for a popularity explosion.

Women's basketball is well-equipped to shape its own narrative

Late January was probably the first time I looked at the jam-packed Western Conference standings and felt extra excited to watch how it would ultimately shake out. We're now about to reach April, and with 10 days left in the regular season, we're no closer to understanding the playoff picture.
This dogfight in the West has been&nbsp;insane. The fourth-place Phoenix Suns and 12th-place Utah Jazz are separated by just 4.5 games, with most teams only having five or six contests left on the schedule.
No team in this glob has been able to separate themselves. Any momentum generated in the final weeks of the season could be crucial for playoff positioning &mdash; which makes the New Orleans Pelicans' quiet resurgence significant.
New Orleans is eighth in the West at 38-38, but was rolling on a five-game winning streak before fumbling away a great start to Tuesday's game against the Golden State Warriors. The Pelicans have the best defensive rating (107.0) in the league across the last 10 games.
This team was atop the West standings on Dec. 12 and 11 games over .500 on Dec. 30. Then, injuries and simply poor play sent them tumbling; the Pelicans went 10-25 from New Year's Eve up until the current recovery.
Now, at the most critical point of the year, the Pelicans seem to be back on track.
Brandon Ingram missed all of December and most of January with a toe injury and it understandably took the star some time to regain form. But he's been electric since the All-Star break, averaging 26.7 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 49.3% from the field and 40% on threes. Zoom into the last six games and it gets even more explosive: 29.2 points, 8.3 assists (!) and 5.8 rebounds on a 51.6% shooting clip (47.4% from three).&nbsp;
Ingram's 40.4% overall efficiency from distance is a career-high even as he continues to glide his way inside. The 25-year-old is one of the premier mid-range maestros in the league, and he's still improving his presence closer to the basket. According to PBP stats, Ingram is driving the ball once every five possessions and making 52% of his shots via drives &mdash; both the highest rates of his career.
<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/cmv5kf" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This and-one from Tuesday's loss is simply tough. In the midst of his faceup touch, Ingram spins to drive right, but sees Stephen Curry has left his assignment to help on the right drive. So Ingram then twirls back, drives left, takes the contact from Anthony Lamb and has the touch to finish the floater. It's an impressive display of quick processing and calm determination.
Ingram's continued development as a fulcrum plus New Orleans' injury struggles have given him the largest on-ball role in his seven years as a pro. His usage rate (30.9), touches per possession (0.96), seconds per touch (4.02) and dribbles per touch (3.03) are all career-highs. The lanky forward has matched his 2021-22 playmaking breakout with those opportunities.&nbsp;
So far in March, Ingram has seen 18.7% of his total passes turn into assists. That rate ranks second in the NBA during that span, behind only Trae Young (19.4%). In the last six games, Ingram has led the league with a 22.6% assist-to-pass ratio. How is he doing it? Ingram dished out 4.6 three-point assists per game across those six contests, second in the league behind only Luka Doncic.
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Ingram's gravity as a mid-range scorer creates these types of plays. Trey Murphy III screens to get Ingram open and then clears out to the arc. The Warriors are anticipating an Ingram isolation and react as such, with Curry and Jordan Poole losing Murphy in the process. Ingram then applies pressure but doesn't overcommit himself, and kicks it out for the easy three.
<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/jhviq5" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Here's another example. The Houston Rockets are preparing to contain Ingram off of the high ball screen and it looks like CJ McCollum might help with a second screen, but then McCollum jets out to the perimeter. Houston is still focused on Ingram for just that split-second though, opening up another window. It's an easy pass to make, but it works because Kevin Porter Jr. overcommits to helping stop Ingram's drive.
Of course, it helps that the Pelicans' cast of shooters have caught fire all at the same time. Murphy is knocking down 48.1% of his 8.7 treys across the last six games. McCollum (44.7%), Josh Richardson (50.0%) and Herb Jones (41.7%) are each clearing 40% on at least two attempts per game.&nbsp;
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It's the right time for the supporting cast to heat up, but even if those clips regress slightly, a humming Pelicans offense should keep generating open looks with Ingram in control.
We don't know when Zion Williamson might be healthy, and we certainly don't know what the road in the West will look like. But with Ingram steering the ship, and backed by a top-notch defense, the Pelicans will be a tough out for any opponent come playoff time.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>I am a massive fan of Zach Kram's work at&nbsp;The Ringer, and as highlighted here, this is the Domantas Sabonis effect:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
So many great stats in this piece about the Kings' dominance from DHOs, but this might be my favorite <a href="https://t.co/sHXxQ6Qsqa">https://t.co/sHXxQ6Qsqa</a> <a href="https://t.co/19hbydtqOc">pic.twitter.com/19hbydtqOc</a>
&mdash; Div B (@statcenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/statcenter/status/1641113194625220622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Come for the Synergy Caitlin Clark shooting heat map, stay for the video where she breaks down how she slices the court in transition:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Iowa star Caitlin Clark shows <a href="https://twitter.com/debbieantonelli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@debbieantonelli</a> how she likes to slice the court in transition to get to her step-back jumper moving left. Awesome insight and a little shoutout for <a href="https://twitter.com/SynergySST?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SynergySST</a>, too 😁 <a href="https://t.co/2V7cfDop3A">https://t.co/2V7cfDop3A</a> <a href="https://t.co/awUXkSgC4X">pic.twitter.com/awUXkSgC4X</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1640789230225088513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Sure, the qualifiers are kind of random but Angel Reese is dominant:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Angel Reese is ONE OF ONE as she is now the only player across Division I basketball, WNBA, and NBA to record: 76 Points, 51 Rebounds, 12 Blocks and 7 Steals in the span of three games. <a href="https://t.co/0ljn9IWWdj">pic.twitter.com/0ljn9IWWdj</a>
&mdash; WSLAM (@wslam) <a href="https://twitter.com/wslam/status/1639429628736548864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller shows how Brandon Ingram has helped steady the Pelicans in a tense Western Conference playoff race.

NBA Stats Notebook: Brandon Ingram's steadying presence on Pelicans

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

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

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

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

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

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Kim English is just 34 years old, but has already moved around a lot in his coaching career, serving as an assistant at three schools over six years before landing his first head coaching job at George Mason in 2021.
It was going to take a special opportunity for him to pack up and move again.
&ldquo;Every place I&rsquo;ve been, I&rsquo;ve wanted to stay there forever. I really want to stay at a place for a long time,&rdquo; English said Thursday. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sick of moving,&rdquo;
He believes he has found that place in Providence.
English was named the Friars&rsquo; new basketball coach on Thursday, ending a fast search by first-year Providence athletic director Steve Napolillo that was created after Ed Cooley left to take the job at Big East rival Georgetown.
English becomes the 16th coach in school history. Cooley resigned on Monday following 12 seasons. He complied a 242-153 record with the Friars that included seven appearances, but just three March Madness victories.
English was 34-29 in two seasons at George Mason, leading the Patriots to a 20-13 record this past season. It was the first time the school reached the 20-win milestone since 2016-17.
George Mason president Gregory Washington said it would begin a national search to replace English.
In English, the Friars get a hungry, young coach who has built his reputation on recruiting. He said his secret sauce finding players is simple.
&ldquo;You work at it. You do it every day. You&rsquo;re relentless,&rdquo; English said.
He played college basketball at Missouri and was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the second round in 2012. But his NBA tenure was short and he was waived in 2013. He had a brief stint with the Chicago Bulls in 2014 and also played two years professionally overseas.
English began his coaching career as an assistant under Frank Haith at Tulsa in 2015 and spent two seasons there before being hired by Tad Boyle in 2017 as an assistant coach at Colorado. In 2019, former Friars coach Rick Barnes brought English to Tennessee as an assistant coach and he stayed until being hired by George Mason
He feels as if he has found a kindred spirit in Napolillo, who sold him on the passion the administration and community have for the Friars&rsquo; basketball program.
The intel he got about Providence and Napolillo aligned with what he observed when he got the chance to meet him.
&ldquo;His passion, his fire, his love for Providence basketball really speaks to me. It really spoke to me what he was looking for,&rdquo; English said. &ldquo;As a first-year athletic director to be in this situation and to go at it and not just do what other people may have been comfortable with. ... That&rsquo;s what you want in a partnership.&rdquo;
English also said he&rsquo;s impressed by facilities at Providence that he said are among the best he&rsquo;s seen.
Napolillo said the reason he was able to move so quickly on the hire was because he heeded the advice of his mentors who told him to always be prepared to have to fill a coaching vacancy.
&ldquo;You always need to have names in a drawer for any coaching situation. You never know what&rsquo;s going to happen,&rdquo; he said. &rdquo;This year, as noise kept growing and growing, I had a list in my drawer.&rdquo;
That list also included a Sports Illustrated article he saved from last year that listed some rising coaches. He can&rsquo;t recall why, but for some reason he highlighted English&rsquo;s name in the story.
English has already started working and began recruiting not long after signing his contract on Wednesday night, he said.
He also confirmed that Dennis Felton, one of his assistants at George Mason, will join him at Providence. Felton served as a Friars assistant under Barnes from 1992 to 1994.
In a Big East that is stacked from top to bottom with coaching talent, English feels as if the pieces are in place to build something special.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had no reason to take a bad job,&rdquo; English said. &ldquo;I was a 20-something-year-old assistant in the SEC. I didn&rsquo;t have to rush. If I&rsquo;m going to have interest in it, it&rsquo;s going to be really good.&rdquo;
For him, that translated into being in a position to bring the Friars a national championship.
&ldquo;If you want to win the big trophy, you&rsquo;ve got to be in the big dance,&rdquo; English said. &ldquo;At the mid-major level it&rsquo;s getting increasing harder to get to the big dance. This gives us an opportunity. If we are competing for Big East championships, we&rsquo;re going to be in the show.&rdquo;&nbsp;

English was 34-29 in two seasons at George Mason, leading the Patriots to a 20-13 record this past season.

Providence hires Kim English as next men’s basketball coach

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice, reflecting on the career-high seven 3-pointers he made for Texas, was asked by a reporter when he last felt that confident.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t necessarily feel hot, because I missed three,&rdquo; Rice said with a straight face as teammate Marcus Carr doubled over in laughter next to him at the podium. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m just trying to keep it going.&rdquo;
The No. 2 seed Longhorns are off to a strong start.
Rice scored 23 points and Texas shut down sharpshooting Colgate for an 81-61 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament&nbsp;on Thursday night.
Carr finished with 17 points and Dylan Disu had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Longhorns (17-8), who shot 13 for 23 from 3-point range to beat the Raiders at their own game. Texas will play 10th-seeded Penn State in the second round on Saturday in the Midwest Region.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re fortunate to get a real game the first game of the tournament. Colgate is an elite, legit team. We won by 20, but it felt like we really won by five or seven,&rdquo; said Timmy Allen, who returned from a leg injury that kept him out of the Big 12 Tournament.
In another inspired performance under&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-terry-texas-b5a4abdc1dee50bb96dfd70920d0b798" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interim coach Rodney Terry</a>, his first NCAA Tournament win as a head coach, Rice and the Longhorns picked the perfect time to get hot on the perimeter against the nation&rsquo;s leading outside shooting team. They matched their season best for 3-pointers made.
&ldquo;I just feel every single guy that walked on the court today had a game plan,&rdquo; Carr said. &ldquo;The coaches had us prepared, and we executed.&rdquo;
The Raiders (26-9) went just 3 for 15 from deep against a relentless and long-armed Longhorns defense. Colgate shot better than 40% before the tournament. The leading individual 3-point shooter in the country, Oliver Lynch-Daniels, went 1 for 4. He was a 50% shooter from long range this season.
&ldquo;They could beat us with 3s, but they were going to have a hard time beating us with 2s,&rdquo; Terry said.
Keegan Records and Ryan Moffatt each scored 13 points for the 15th-seeded Raiders, who have not won an NCAA Tournament game in six appearances. Tucker Richardson, the Patriot League Player of the Year, had nine points on 4-for-11 shooting.
&ldquo;Especially those guards when they&rsquo;ve got Rice in there as a third guard, they&rsquo;re just really quick,&rdquo; Richardson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of hard for us to get open.&rdquo;
With most of the fans in Wells Fargo Arena rooting for the upset, the Longhorns adjusted to Colgate&rsquo;s second-half zone defense and never let the lead get smaller than seven points.
About an hour before Texas took the court, No. 2 seed Arizona was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-ncaa-arizona-princeton-4b28e0acabe2b75ccdbac81d40a6fd66" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ousted by Princeton</a>&nbsp;in the West Region. The Tigers became the 11th team seeded 15th to win a first-round game&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2022-03-17/history-2-seeds-vs-15-seeds-march-madness" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in 149 tries</a>&nbsp;and the third in three years.
The Longhorns played hard enough &mdash; and shot well enough &mdash; to make sure they didn&rsquo;t land on that list.
After driving hard toward the block, Carr kicked the ball back out to the top of the key to set up&nbsp;Rice&rsquo;s fourth 3-pointer&nbsp;for a 29-17 lead. As the calm and deliberate Rice flashed a sheepish smile, Carr gave him an exaggerated hand slap as he jumped up and down on the retreat for defense.
Rice, the lanky super sub and graduate transfer from New Mexico State who is aiming to play in the Final Four in his native Houston, went 8 for 14 from the field.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s as good of an overall basketball player as I&rsquo;ve seen all year &mdash; his intelligence, his IQ, his poise, his defense, his recognition of his teammates, but his ability to step up,&rdquo; Colgate coach Matt Langel said.
The Longhorns have&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-midwest-texas-d2cf4f137d9cd1f2228b8bc9aa899942" target="_blank" rel="noopener">come a long way</a>&nbsp;since coach Chris Beard was arrested on a later-dropped domestic violence charge and fired soon after that.
They hit the NCAA Tournament in stride under Terry&rsquo;s even-keeled guidance with two decisive wins over Kansas, the regular-season Big 12 champion and No. 1 seed in the West Region, that included the conference championship.
These Longhorns have a strong bond that has carried them to the verge of a trip to the tournament&rsquo;s second weekend for the first time since 2008. The last Final Four for Texas was in 2003, when Terry was an assistant under coach Rick Barnes.
&ldquo;I think we prepare really well, better than a lot of teams in the country,&rdquo; Rice said. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re really locked into the details and locked into the things that we have to do to win.&rdquo;

Sir’Jabari Rice scored 23 points and Texas shut down sharpshooting Colgate for an 81-61 victory in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

No. 2 seed Texas tops Colgate 81-61 behind Rice’s 7 made 3s

Drake&rsquo;s Tucker DeVries was an interested spectator when the father-son team of Greg McDermott and Doug McDermott helped Creighton make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013 and 2014.
DeVries&rsquo; father, Darian, was an assistant on Greg McDermott&rsquo;s Creighton staff back then as Doug McDermott led the nation in scoring and earned national player of the year honors. Now it&rsquo;s Darian DeVries who will be coaching his son on the March Madness stage.
Tucker DeVries is the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year after turning down some high-major offers to enroll at Drake. DeVries said watching the McDermotts helped give him an idea of what it might be like to play for his dad.
&ldquo;I think there was a lot to be learned from, being able to experience and see how that relationship worked,&rdquo; the sophomore guard/forward said. &ldquo;Part of what went into me wanting to come and play for my dad here is being able to have a little taste of that myself.&rdquo;
So far, it&rsquo;s been just about everything DeVries could have imagined.
DeVries averages 19 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and he has shot 38.7% (87 of 225) from 3-point range. He was named the most outstanding player in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
&ldquo;I grew up at Creighton my whole life,&rdquo; DeVries said. &ldquo;When they decided to recruit me, it was tough to turn that down &ndash; playing in the Big East where I grew up. Iowa State, 45 minutes away. Oregon. Just some of those schools are obviously schools you grow up watching on TV, dreaming about playing for. But I don&rsquo;t think any of them had what was home for me here.&rdquo;
Now he has the chance to find out what it&rsquo;s like to play for his father in the NCAA Tournament. Drake (27-7) is the No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region and will face Miami (25-7) on Friday.
&ldquo;To be able to experience it with my dad as a coach is definitely pretty cool and special &ndash; to be able to experience it together,&rdquo; DeVries said.
DeVries is one of several players from one-bid conferences who bear watching this week. Here&rsquo;s a look at some others.
MAX ABMAS, ORAL ROBERTS
Abmas already has shown he can make an impact in March. Abmas averaged 26.8 points in the 2021 NCAA Tournament while leading Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16. This season, the 6-foot senior ranks seventh among all Division I players in points per game (22.2) and sixth in 3-pointers per game (3.5). The two-time Summit League player of the year has scored over 22 points per game each of the last three seasons. First-round game: Thursday vs. Duke.
JORDAN BROWN, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
Brown isn&rsquo;t the typical under-the-radar recruit who ends up at a mid-major program. The 6-foot-11 forward was a 2018 McDonald&rsquo;s All-American. He began his college career at Nevada and was a Pac-12 sixth man of the year at Arizona last season before transferring to his third school. Brown earned first-team all-Sun Belt honors while averaging 19.4 points and 8.7 rebounds, including 20 points in a loss to Texas. First-round game: Thursday vs. Tennessee.
SINCERE CARRY, KENT STATE
Carry has earned first-team all-Mid American Conference honors and has made the league&rsquo;s all-defensive team each of the last two seasons. He was named MAC player of the year last season. He has averaged over 17 &frac12; points each of the last two seasons at Kent State after transferring from Duquesne. The 6-1 guard has scored at least 21 points in four of his last five games. First-round game: Friday vs. Indiana.
RAY HARRISON, GRAND CANYON
Harrison helped Grand Canyon get here by collecting 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against Southern Utah in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship game. The 6-4 guard has scored at least 25 points in four of his last six games. Harrison, a Presbyterian transfer, has averaged at least 17 points each of the last three seasons. He has 17.7 points, 4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season. First-round game: Friday vs. Gonzaga.
DREW PEMBER, UNC ASHEVILLE
This Tennessee transfer has emerged as a star in two seasons at UNC Asheville. This year, he became the first player to lead the Big South in scoring (20.4), rebounding (9.2) and blocks (2.3) in one season. Pember leads all Division I players in free throws made (262) and attempted (314). The 6-11 forward averaged 29.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in three Big South Tournament games. First-round game: Thursday vs. UCLA.
TUCKER RICHARDSON, COLGATE
Richardson had a triple-double in the Patriot League Tournament championship game with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as Colgate defeated Lafayette, 79-61. The 6-5 guard was named the Patriot League&rsquo;s overall player of the year and defensive player of the year. He&rsquo;s the first player in league history to combine 1,600 career points, 700 rebounds and 600 assists. Richardson had 15 points and seven rebounds last year in an NCAA Tournament loss to Wisconsin. First-round game: Thursday vs. Texas.

Here’s a look a seven of the best players from mid-major schools participating in the 2023 Men's NCAA Tournament.

Drake’s DeVries among 7 under-the-radar March Madness stars

With five conference tournament finals capping a wild week of men's college hoops, Sunday afternoon officially marked the end of the 2022-23 men's college basketball regular season, which means only one thing: March Madness is upon us.
Princeton (Ivy), Virginia Commonwealth (A-10), Alabama (SEC), Purdue (Big Ten) and Memphis (AAC) punched their official ticket to the men's 2023 NCAA Tournament to round out the group of 32 receiving an automatic bid.
Those teams joined: Vermont (America East), Duke (ACC), Kennesaw State (ASUN), Texas (Big 12), Marquette (Big East), Montana State (Big Sky), UNC Asheville (Big South), UC Santa Barbara (Big West), College of Charleston (CAA), Florida Atlantic (C-USA), Northern Kentucky (Horizon), Iona (MAAC), Kent State (MAC), Howard (MEAC), Drake (Missouri Valley), San Diego State (Mountain West), Fairleigh Dickinson (Northeast), Southeast Missouri State (Ohio Valley), Arizona (Pac-12), Colgate (Patriot), Furman (Southern), Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi (Southland), Texas Southern (SWAC), Oral Roberts (Summit), Louisiana (Sun Belt), Gonzaga (WCC), Grand Canyon (WAC).
The selection committee revealed at 6 p.m. that the No. 1 overall seed is Alabama. The other three top seeds are Houston, Kansas and Purdue.
The First Four in Dayton will consist of a 16-seed matchup between Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi and Southeast Missouri State plus an 11-seed matchup between Mississippi State and Pittsburgh. In the other two games, there will be a 16-seed matchup between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson and an 11-seed matchup between Arizona State and Nevada.
Who else was invited to join The Big Dance on the road to the Final Four in Houston?
Following Selection Sunday, here is the official field of 68 in the men's 2023 NCAA Tournament:
South Region
(1) Alabama Crimson Tide vs. (16) Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi Islanders/Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
(8) Maryland Terrapins vs. (9) West Virginia Mountaineers
(5) San Diego State Aztecs vs. (12) College of Charleston Cougars
(4) Virginia Cavaliers vs. (13) Furman Palladins
(6) Creighton Blue Jays vs. (11) NC State Wolfpack
(3) Baylor Bears vs. (14) UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
(7) Missouri Tigers vs. (10) Utah State Aggies
(2) Arizona Wildcats vs. (15) Princeton Tigers
Midwest Region
(1) Houston Cougars vs. (16) Northern Kentucky Norse
(8) Iowa Hawkeyes vs. (9) Auburn Tigers
(5) Miami Hurricanes vs. (12) Drake Bulldogs
(4) Indiana Hoosiers vs. (13) Kent State Golden Flashes
(6) Iowa State Cyclones vs. (11) Mississippi State Bulldogs/Pittsburgh Panthers
(3) Xavier Musketeers vs. (14) Kennesaw State Owls
(7) Texas A&amp;M Aggies vs. (10) Penn State Nittany Lions
(2) Texas Longhorns vs. (15) Colgate Raiders
West Region
(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (16) Howard Bison
(8) Arkansas Razorbacks vs. (9) Illinois Fighting Illini
(5) Saint Mary's Gaels vs. (12) VCU Rams
(4) UConn Huskies vs. (13) Iona Gaels
(6) TCU Horned Frogs vs. (11) Arizona State Sun Devils/Nevada Wolfpack
(3) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. (14) Grand Canyon Antelopes
(7) Northwestern Wildcats vs. (10) Boise State Broncos
(2) UCLA Bruins vs. (15) UNC Asheville Bulldogs
East Region
(1) Purdue Boilermakers vs. (16) Texas Southern Tigers/Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
(8) Memphis Tigers vs. (9) Florida Atlantic Owls
(5) Duke Blue Devils vs. (12) Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
(4) Tennessee Volunteers vs. (13) Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
(6) Kentucky Wildcats vs. (11) Providence Friars
(3) Kansas State Wildcats vs. (14) Montana State Bobcats
(7) Michigan State Spartans vs. (10) USC Trojans
(2) Marquette Golden Eagles vs. (15) Vermont Catamounts
THE BRACKET
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THE BRACKET 🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/HZYnwD3s3x">pic.twitter.com/HZYnwD3s3x</a>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1635049575483580416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2023</a>
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</blockquote>

An overview of the official men's 2023 NCAA Tournament schedule and March Madness matchups on the road to Houston.

2023 NCAA Tournament: Men's field of 68 teams announced

On Saturday night, the Sacramento Kings have a chance to hit 40 wins for the first time since 2005-06 &mdash; also the last time they made the playoffs &mdash; and fulfill the prophecy from the superfans in this summer's viral video:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Tonight the Sacramento Kings go for 40 wins 👀 <a href="https://t.co/OgvlPN1MeC">pic.twitter.com/OgvlPN1MeC</a>
&mdash; Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) <a href="https://twitter.com/cameronsalerno1/status/1634614350030991360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The Kings are the feel-good team of the NBA season. De'Aaron Fox <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-sacramento-kings-deaaron-fox-early-frontrunner-nba-clutch-player-of-the-year-award-race-kevin-huerter-domantas-sabonis-luka-doncic-nikola-jokic-jalen-brunson-demar-derozan-shai-gilgeous-alexander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deserves the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award</a>. Domantas Sabonis has silenced doubts about last year's blockbuster trade. Sacramento has the top scoring offense in the league, and the best team True Shooting percentage in league history.
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As a team, the Sacramento Kings boast a 61.4 True Shooting percentage. That would go down as the highest True Shooting percentage of any team in NBA history. <a href="https://t.co/dEW1GaPAZa">pic.twitter.com/dEW1GaPAZa</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1634419080034766848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Fox and Sabonis seem to finally be receiving appropriate national recognition. Impact rookie Keegan Murray and Sixth-Man-of-the-Year dark horse Malik Monk still deserve more praise. But I'd like to spotlight two low-usage wings who have flown particularly under the radar in the Kings' 39-26 season. Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles might not create highlights at the same rate as Sacramento's stars, but they have each enjoyed a career-year and been critical to the franchise's 7-1 surge since the All-Star break.
Barnes is registering the lowest three-point percentage (37.1%) of his five seasons in Sacramento, yet he's still a key cog in the offense. Since the break, he's slumped to 34.4% from distance but is making an impressive 59.1% of his twos. His 55.9% two-point clip this season is the second-best of his NBA career.
With guys like Fox, Sabonis, Monk and Kevin Huerter doing most of the table-setting, Barnes' buckets are getting a bit easier. Approximately 71.7% of his made shots are coming via an assist, which is the highest since his 2015-16 season as a role-player on the Golden State Warriors.&nbsp;
According to PBP Stats, Barnes in on pace to approach his career-high of 206 paint touches in a season (he's at 170 right now). This year, he's crushing it with those touches, averaging over one point per paint touch for the first time in his career.
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Harrison Barnes with the slam!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeamTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BeamTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA</a><a href="https://t.co/MotBc69u6U">pic.twitter.com/MotBc69u6U</a>
&mdash; NBA Highlights (@NBATransaction7) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATransaction7/status/1632949774902231040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Plays like this catch-and-drive highlight Barnes' syngergy with Sabonis, who can draw in defenses and make the right kick-out plays. It's important that Barnes can use his length, long strides and touch to then attack space instead of settling because it often leads to higher-quality shots or extra-pass opportunities.
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This cutting score is largely a lapse by the Los Angeles Clippers' defense, but it still shows how Barnes has the freedom and wherewithal to attack space without the ball. He knows Sabonis can see the court and make these high-low feeds to cutters, so it gives Barnes confidence to move with purpose.
Barnes has also picked up a sneaky skill in the last two seasons: getting calls. He's been fouled on over 19% of his shot attempts in back-to-back seaons, placing him among the top 3% of all forwards, per Cleaning the Glass. Those additional free throws are a nice boost since, historically, Barnes has been reliable at the charity stripe.
Eventually, the 6-foot-8 wing will return to the upper echelon of perimeter threats too. He's making just 36.7% of his catch-and-shoot threes this year after shooting over 42% in the prior two seasons. With Sacramento's arsenal of creators and playmakers, Barnes will keep getting open looks to cash.
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The 30-year-old has long been the rock amidst some shaky wing depth in Sacramento. But Barnes finally has some reinforcements, including a comeback season from Trey Lyles.
Once the No. 12 overall draft pick in 2015, Lyles never found a groove with the Utah Jazz and bounced around to the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons before landing with the Kings at last year's trade deadline. Few expected much from the 6-foot-9 wing, a stretch forward who had lost the "stretch" aspect of his shooting game.
This year, the jumper is back. Lyles has reached a respectable 37.2% from distance on a career-high 3.1 attempts per game, and he is a deadeye in the corners (42%). As he's found life from long range, he's also spiked his two-point clip up to 64.7% &mdash; the first time he's ever cleared the 60% bar.
Lyles doesn't drive the ball a ton, but when he does attack closeouts and continues to apply pressure, he's effective. He's made 60.7% of his driving field goals; that ranks 12th among 232 players to attempt at least 50 driving field goals (admittedly a small sample size) this season.&nbsp;
Another small sample, yet impressive note: Lyles has made 18-of-20 cutting field goal attempts (90%!!) this season, per Synergy.
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Absolutely love the Trey Lyles backup 5 minutes. Ability to play 5-out and P&amp;P to stretch defenses is so valuable. <a href="https://t.co/nM6vizFhMG">pic.twitter.com/nM6vizFhMG</a>
&mdash; Kings Film Room (@SacFilmRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/SacFilmRoom/status/1634319597448089601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2023</a></blockquote>

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A sweet-shooting Lyles opens up more options for Sacramento, including a pick-and-pop game that can open up the floor even more for driving players. Then he can also fake and drive for some tough finishes, including this dunk:
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TREY LYLES POSTER ON MYLES TURNER. 🤯🔥 <a href="https://t.co/fIYwrNldSC">pic.twitter.com/fIYwrNldSC</a>
&mdash; Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1621694336110047232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Lyles is averaging 16.5 minutes per game on the season, but his playing time has increased in each of the last four months, and he's received 20.1 minutes per game since the All-Star break. Add in some solid work on the glass for a Kings team that needs its rebounders, and it makes sense why he's earning a larger role.
To maximize Fox and Sabonis, the Kings need their supporting cast of spacers and slashers to keep the offensive barrage up. With help from Barnes and Lyles, plus a host of other contributors, they're doing so while still trying to find their way on defense. Regardless of how far Sacramento goes in the postseason, this is new, exciting territory for the players and fan base.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Love this infographic from SIS Hoops, laying out how ball movement into shots changes over the course of a game for different teams:</li>
</ul>
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As the game winds down, let's see which teams turn to team-centric and individualistic offensive strategies. <a href="https://t.co/dSQEpXvZ8C">pic.twitter.com/dSQEpXvZ8C</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1633878060218064896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>It's March Madness time! Here's a neat look at the makeup of top men's teams:</li>
</ul>
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Which projected tournament teams are most reliant on upperclassmen versus lowerclassmen? This graph shows the predicted impact from each team's upperclassmen (blue bar, SR and JRs) and lowerclassmen (orange bar, FR and SOs) ⤵️ <a href="https://t.co/TaJ297aXia">pic.twitter.com/TaJ297aXia</a>
&mdash; Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanMiya/status/1633544387543339008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<li>Hi. Caitlin Clark is very good at basketball.</li>
</ul>
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Caitlin Clark is the FIRST-EVER player to drop a triple-double in the women's Big Ten title game 😱🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/HighlightHER?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HighlightHER</a> 30 PTS 10 REB 17 AST Her 10 triple-doubles are the MOST in conference history (men's or women's) <a href="https://t.co/Bp93385h6M">pic.twitter.com/Bp93385h6M</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1632561557535178758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2023</a>
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Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles have been underrated vital pieces to the Sacramento Kings' breakout season.

NBA Stats Notebook: The quiet importance of Harrison Barnes, Trey Lyles

March Madness is quickly approaching! Here is everything you need to know, including some key games to watch and who&rsquo;s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament:
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS</h2>
All eyes will be on the conference tournaments this week:
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://theacc.com/sports/2018/1/12/2017-18-new-york-life-acc-tournament.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The ACC Tournament is March 7-11</a>&nbsp;in Greensboro, North Carolina.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://admin.big12sports.com/tournaments/?id=1041" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Big 12 Tournament is March 8-11</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City, Missouri.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://bigten.org/sports/2022/10/20/2023MBBT.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Big Ten Tournament is March 8-12</a>&nbsp;in Chicago.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.bigeast.com/tournaments/?id=146" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Big East Tournament is March 8-11</a>&nbsp;in New York.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball-tournament-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Pac-12 Tournament is March 8-11</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.bridgestonearena.com/events/detail/2023-sec-mens-basketball-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The SEC Tournament is March 8-12</a>&nbsp;in Nashville, Tennessee.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">MARCH MADNESS</h2>
Selection Sunday is March 12, when&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bracket matchups will be set</a>&nbsp;for the First Four and first- and second-round&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-02-21/2023-march-madness-mens-ncaa-tournament-schedule-dates-times" target="_blank" rel="noopener">games that stretch from Florida to California</a>.
Sweet 16 weekend will see games in New York City (East Region), Las Vegas (West), Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest), and Louisville, Kentucky (South).
Where is the Final Four? In Houston, on April 1, with the championship game on April 3.
Basketball aficionados, take note:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-kansas-city-march-madness-264616d053a2dc26ccf1f59999c0ea5b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament</a>&nbsp;will hold its Final Four in Dallas, a four-hour drive from Houston.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">BETTING GUIDE</h2>
Who&rsquo;s going to win the national championship? With the regular season over, the betting favorites as of this week to reach the Final Four are Houston, Alabama, Kansas and Purdue, according to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaab?tab=final-four" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FanDuel Sportsbook</a>. That matches the top teams in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-02-18/division-i-mens-basketball-committee-reveals-top-16-seeds-three-weeks-selection" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the NCAA&rsquo;s initial seed watch</a>. UCLA is in the mix near the top in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the AP Top 25</a>&nbsp;too.
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<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">WHO&rsquo;S IN</h2>
These teams are already going dancing after landing their league&rsquo;s automatic bid:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kennesaw-state-liberty-asun-atlantic-sun-conference-5b09f7866f7c962b6240905cfb971449" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennesaw State</a>&nbsp;(26-8, Atlantic Sun),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/campbell-unc-asheville-big-south-conference-a41680d93065815045140d736d2929dc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNC Asheville</a>&nbsp;(27-7, Big South),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-ziggy-reid-javon-bennett-tanner-thomas-nico-galette-c22c114822b241c1990b7f789466574f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fairleigh Dickinson</a>&nbsp;(19-14, Northeast),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mvc-championship-drake-bradley-0cafbe568b4c18386c99944f407b2f1d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drake</a>&nbsp;(27-7, Missouri Valley),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chattanooga-furman-southern-conference-socon-f73c63056db9426a1cd7728db9cf86c7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Furman</a>&nbsp;(27-7, Southern),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sun-belt-south-alabama-louisiana-tournament-ncaa-560ca5dfbffdf02126b1aa254f5e50d1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louisiana-Lafayette</a>&nbsp;(26-7, Sun Belt),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/southeast-missouri-state-tennessee-tech-ovc-a1c488e92b79f977e42cb9a431f90c30" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Missouri State</a>&nbsp;(19-16, Ohio Valley),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/gonzaga-saint-marys-west-coast-conference-ncaa-tournament-8309d967f68424b76b6eb8d40e35babc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gonzaga</a>&nbsp;(28-5, West Coast),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/charleston-unc-wilmington-a5a96b049c0254c4e02e13b104f2583f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">College of Charleston</a>&nbsp;(31-3, Colonial Athletic Association),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/north-dakota-state-oral-roberts-d72cdca23a50685e2b63eca07e7f8ed9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oral Roberts</a>&nbsp;(30-4, Summit League),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/northwestern-state-texas-am-corpus-christi-b6bda8e49d4f699d690bbb8b318980dc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi</a>&nbsp;(23-10, Southland),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/northern-arizona-montana-state-big-sky-conference-c956fc0ad669863a5b90839c4b29f6d6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana State</a>&nbsp;(25-9, Big Sky),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/northern-kentucky-cleveland-state-75d8750c09d58ac260f2ab8469945170" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northern Kentucky</a>&nbsp;(22-12, Horizon League) and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lafayette-colgate-a865298447d891db81c6243f7f85902b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colgate</a>&nbsp;(26-8, Patriot League).
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">BUBBLE WATCH</h2>
Arizona State (22-12, 11-9 Pac-12):&nbsp;The Sun Devils could have strengthened their NCAA Tournament hopes by beating Arizona for a second time this season. Arizona State failed in that bid, losing to their rival 78-59 in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals, but still should be in good shape after beating Southern California in the tournament quarterfinals.
Oklahoma State (18-15, 8-10 Big 12): The Cowboys&rsquo; NCAA Tournament chances looked good not that long ago. Closing the season with six losses in eight games, including to No. 7 Texas in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, may dash their hopes.
Clemson (23-10, 14-6 ACC): The Tigers tied for third in the ACC regular season but will be sweating out Selection Sunday during a down year in the ACC. Clemson missed out on a big resume-booster by losing by 20 to No. 13 Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
Providence (21-11, 13-7 Big East):&nbsp;The Friars closed the season with three straight losses, which will lead to some tense moments on Selection Sunday. A close loss to No. 11 UConn after a huge rally in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, along with a solid resume, could nudge them into the bracket.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">GAMES TO WATCH</h2>
Florida Atlantic (30-3) vs. UAB (25-8), Conference USA championship, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. Eastern (CBSSN):&nbsp;Every team riding the NCAA Tournament bubble will be rooting for the Owls, who could slip into the dance as an at-large team if they lose to the Blazers in the finals. They would much rather FAU take the automatic berth and free up another spot for them.
Ohio State (16-18) vs. No. 5 Purdue (27-5), Saturday, 1 p.m. Eastern (CBS): The Buckeyes have been the biggest surprise of any conference tournament, but every team on the bubble will be pulling for the Boilermakers to knock them out. With two more wins, Ohio State would be swiping another bid from a potential at-large team.

Here's everything to know about March Madness, including games to watch, who’s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday and more.

March Madness 2023: Last chances arrive for bubble teams

March Madness is coming up fast. Here is what to know along with some key games to watch and who&rsquo;s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament:
KEY DATES
All eyes will be on the conference tournaments this week:
&mdash; The ACC Tournament is March 7-11 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
&mdash; The Big 12 Tournament is March 8-11 in Kansas City, Missouri.
&mdash; The Big Ten Tournament is March 8-12 in Chicago.
&mdash; The Big East Tournament is March 8-11 in New York.
&mdash; The Pac-12 Tournament is March 8-11 in Las Vegas.
&mdash; The SEC Tournament is March 8-12 in Nashville, Tennessee.
MARCH MADNESS
Selection Sunday is March 12, when bracket matchups will be set for the First Four and first- and second-round games that stretch from Florida to California.
Sweet 16 weekend will see games in New York City (East Region), Las Vegas (West), Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest), and Louisville, Kentucky (South).
Where is the Final Four? In Houston, on April 1, with the championship game on April 3.
Basketball aficionados, take note: The women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament will hold its Final Four in Dallas, a four-hour drive up the road from Houston.
BETTING GUIDE
Who&rsquo;s going to win the national championship? With the regular season over, the betting favorites as of this week to reach the Final Four are Houston, Alabama, Kansas and Purdue, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That matches the top teams in the NCAA&rsquo;s initial seed watch. UCLA is in the mix near the top in the AP Top 25, too.
WHO&rsquo;S IN
These teams are already going dancing after landing their league&rsquo;s automatic bid: Kennesaw State (26-8, Atlantic Sun), UNC Asheville (27-7, Big South), Fairleigh Dickinson (19-14, Northeast), Drake (27-7, Missouri Valley), Furman (27-7, Southern), Louisiana-Lafayette (26-7, Sun Belt), Southeast Missouri State (19-16, Ohio Valley), Gonzaga (28-5, West Coast), College of Charleston (31-3, Colonial Athletic Association), Oral Roberts (30-4, Summit League), Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi (23-10, Southland), Montana State (25-9, Big Sky), Northern Kentucky (22-12, Horizon League) and Colgate (26-8, Patriot League).
BUBBLE WATCH
Rutgers (19-13). The Scarlet Knights advanced in the Big Ten Tournament with a 62-50 win over Michigan, another bubble team. Rutgers had dropped five of seven heading into the tournament.
Iowa State (19-12). If the Cyclones still needed a win to crack the NCAA Tournament field, they got a big one, 78-72 over No. 11 Baylor in the Big 12 quarterfinals. It was their third win over Baylor this season and second in five days.
Mississippi State (21-11). The Bulldogs got a much-needed, 69-68 overtime win over Florida to boost their candidacy. Mississippi State has wins over No. 25 Missouri, No. 22 TCU and No. 18 Texas A&amp;M.
GAME(S) TO WATCH
No. 1 Houston (29-2) vs. East Carolina (16-16), American Athletic quarterfinals, Friday, 1 p.m. Eastern (ESPN2). League player of the year Marcus Sasser is trying to lead the Cougars to their third straight AAC Tournament title. East Carolina advanced with a 73-58 victory over South Florida.
No. 4 Alabama (26-5) vs. Mississippi State, SEC Tournament quarterfinals, Friday 1 p.m. Eastern (ESPN). The regular-season champion Crimson Tide have endured slow starts lately but are led by league player of the year Brandon Miller.
No. 5 Purdue (26-5) vs. Rutgers, Big Ten quarterfinals, Friday, noon Eastern (Big Ten Network). Led by 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, a favorite to win national player of the year, the Boilermakers are seeking their second Big Ten Tournament championship after winning in 2009.&nbsp;

What to know along with some key games to watch and who’s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday for the men's NCAA Tournament.

March Madness 2023: Tension climbing for bubble teams

March Madness is coming up fast. Here is what to know along with some key games to watch and who&rsquo;s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament:
KEY DATES
All eyes will be on the conference tournaments this week:
&mdash; The ACC Tournament is rolling March 7-11 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
&mdash; The Big 12 Tournament will be March 8-11 in Kansas City, Missouri.
&mdash; The Big Ten Tournament will be March 8-12 in Chicago.
&mdash; The Big East Tournament will be March 8-11 in New York.
&mdash; The Pac-12 Tournament will be March 8-11 in Las Vegas.
&mdash; The SEC Tournament will be March 8-12 in Nashville, Tennessee.
MARCH MADNESS
Selection Sunday is March 12, when bracket matchups will be set for the First Four and first- and second-round games that stretch from Florida to California.
Sweet 16 weekend will see games in New York City (East Region), Las Vegas (West), Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest), and Louisville, Kentucky (South).
FINAL FOUR 
In Houston, on April 1, with the championship game on April 3.
Basketball aficionados, take note: The women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament will hold its Final Four in Dallas, a four-hour drive up the road from Houston.
BETTING GUIDE
Who&rsquo;s going to win the national championship? With the regular season over, the betting favorites as of this week to reach the Final Four are Houston, Alabama, Kansas and UCLA, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That differs from the top teams in the NCAA&rsquo;s initial seed watch, which had Purdue in the top four, not UCLA. All of this matches many of the teams in the AP Top 25, too.
WHO&rsquo;S IN
These teams are already going dancing after landing their league&rsquo;s automatic bid: Kennesaw State (26-8, Atlantic Sun), UNC Asheville (27-7, Big South), Fairleigh Dickinson (19-14, Northeast), Drake (27-7, Missouri Valley), Furman (27-7, Southern), Louisiana-Lafayette (26-7, Sun Belt), Southeast Missouri State (19-16, Ohio Valley), Gonzaga (28-5, West Coast), College of Charleston (31-3, Colonial Athletic Association), Oral Roberts (30-4, Summit League), Colgate (28-5, Patriot) and Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi (23-10, Southland).
BUBBLE WATCH
Mississippi State (20-11). The Bulldogs closed the regular season by losing half of their final six games, including games at NCAA Tournament-bound Missouri and red-hot Vanderbilt that would have bolstered their resume. Now, sitting 46th in the NET rankings, they surely need to beat Florida in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday to at least avoid several restless nights before the Selection Show.
Utah State (24-7). The Aggies won five straight in lopsided fashion to close out the regular season and put themselves in position to land an at-large bid in the NCAA field. They rank 21st in the NET but have just one Quad 1 victory, so they probably can&rsquo;t afford an early exit in the Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.
Rutgers (18-13). The Scarlet Knights have dropped five of seven heading into the Big Ten Tournament, a shaky stretch that has them squarely on the bubble and in need of a win against even more desperate Michigan on Thursday.
GAME(S) TO WATCH
Providence (21-10) vs. No. 11 UConn (24-7), Big East Tournament quarterfinals, Thursday, 2:30 p.m. Eastern (FS1). The Friars had been in solid NCAA Tournament shape before closing the regular season with home losses to No. 15 Xavier and Seton Hall. Beating the Huskies would give Providence a huge boost. The teams split their matchups this season, each winning at home by 12.
Auburn (20-11) vs. Arkansas (19-12), SEC Tournament quarterfinals, Thursday, 7 p.m. Eastern (SECN). As statement wins go, the Tigers&rsquo; 79-70 takedown of No. 17 Tennessee in the regular-season finale was massive. Auburn faces another tough challenge in its SEC Tournament opener against Arkansas. The Razorbacks closed the regular season with three straight losses, so winning at least one game in Nashville would make them feel a whole lot better on Selection Sunday.

March Madness 2023: Rutgers, Utah State need resume-boosting Ws

The NBA schedule naturally lends itself to several checkpoints throughout the season that serve as frames of reference to check a team's pulse. The trade deadline and All-Star break are typically viewed as the midseason opportunities to evaluate performance.
However, for some teams, there's a specific date when their season drastically changed. For this year's New York Knicks, that date is December 4, 2022.
That night, in a 92-81 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tom Thibodeau trimmed New York's rotation to nine players. Since making the tweak, the Knicks are 27-14 and one of three squads with top-10 offensive and defensive ratings, per Cleaning the Glass.&nbsp;
New York has bounced up to the fifth seed in a strong Eastern Conference and only gotten better since acquiring Josh Hart prior to the trade deadline. His addition, marking another important season benchmark, has coincided with a seven-game winning streak that has given this young squad a glow in the national spotlight.
The Knicks are fun because they don't have one cure-all player responsible for the surge. Sure, Jalen Brunson's off-dribble juice has changed the game, and Hart has been a seamless fit so far, but this squad really jells because of collective improvement and synergy across the rotation.
New York owns the second-best offensive rating in non-garbage-time minutes since Dec. 4, and they are No. 1 since the win streak began. But interestingly, their scoring distribution looks nothing like the pass-heavy green flags we associate with "good" offense. Look at some of these ball-movement numbers from the league's stats database since Dec. 4:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 154px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Stat</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Value (since Dec. 4)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">NBA Rank</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Offensive Rating</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">116.2</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">5th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Passes per game</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">265.5</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">25th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Assists per game</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">21.6</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">30th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Potential assists per game</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">38.9</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">30th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Assist-to-pass ratio</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">9.6%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">29th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">% of makes that were assisted</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">52.3%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">30th</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
So the Knicks are running an elite offense, yet their buckets aren't resulting from quality passes that make the box score. And without throwing another table at you, I'll add that these numbers rank similarly even when paring things down to the last seven games.
However, less passing does not necessarily indicate bad, or even unsustainable, offensive process. The Knicks might be iso-heavy, but they choose to be with purpose.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Clipped together the first 8 offensive possessions for the Knicks to start the 4th Q. Knicks are actively seeking out Hauser in matchups for both RJ and IQ to attack. There's a stark contrast in the quality of possessions initiated by both. <a href="https://t.co/TnDPTLpaRk">pic.twitter.com/TnDPTLpaRk</a>
&mdash; Ariel (@APachecoNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/APachecoNBA/status/1630603912536367106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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New York aggressively hunts mismatches so they can overpower defenses with drives. They're second in the NBA with 56.2 drives per game since Dec. 4 because they know they have several players &mdash; led by Brunson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley &mdash; who can score and pass out of attacks. Notably, despite logging low assist numbers in general as shown above, New York's 6.0 assists per game via drives actually rank second in the NBA, and the team's 5.5% turnover rate is tied for second-lowest.
There is so much chess that occurs on these perceived isolation plays that involve opening up other opportunities, even if it's not directly from a pass at first. Ben Ritholz encapsulated this in the below video thread that strings together some Knicks possessions against the Miami Heat:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🎥🏀Knicks Film Session🏀🎥 Today&rsquo;s Lesson: Herro Hunting How the Knicks used the RJ/Herro mismatch to their advantage to create looks down the stretch. Sound up 🔊 Featuring analysis by <a href="https://twitter.com/BenRitholtzNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BenRitholtzNBA</a>. <a href="https://t.co/zfhn4CYato">pic.twitter.com/zfhn4CYato</a>
&mdash; Knicks Film School (@KnickFilmSkool) <a href="https://twitter.com/KnickFilmSkool/status/1621525534336327680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Barrett is the focal point of the video, but similar approaches apply for Randle and Quickley. Brunson, meanwhile, is in his own stratosphere as the self-creating engine for the franchise. The marquee summer signing ranks third in the league with 21.1 drives per game since Dec. 4, and second in the league with 8.6 passes per game out of drives.
Brunson has been one of the league's premier driving threats over the course of his career; I wrote a whole <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-jalen-brunson-is-in-the-drivers-seat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stats Notebook about his attacks with the Dallas Mavericks last spring</a>. He doesn't need to get all the way to the rim to bend defenses because he has the strength and shake to control the mid-range areas. As SDPN's Esfandiar Baraheni notes in this well-timed breakdown, Brunson has also spiked his drawn-shooting-foul rate, up to 13.0% from 7.9% a year ago.
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With Brunson as the head of the snake, Barrett, Randle and Quickley (who is converting 56% of his driving field goal attempts!) each bring a different layer of difficulty off the dribble. And though he's only averaging 4.4 drives so far, Hart has done the same early on with the Knicks.
The 27-year-old is putting up 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in his seven appearances so far. Hart's immediate impact is helped by a ludicrous 60.0% three-point clip that will surely cool off. But he'll be a force off the bench for the Knicks either way with his straight-line drives and unique production on the boards.
Hart has made 14 of his 19 shots at the rim in this tiny sample size and nine of those buckets were unassisted. The success tracks. Take a look at what he's done on "self-created" shots (attempts taken after at least two seconds with the ball) over his career, via PBP Stats:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 176px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 44px;">Season</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 44px;">FGM</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 44px;">FGM</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 44px;">FG%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 44px;">Freq. (% of total shots within 10 ft.)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2017-18</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">47</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">70</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">67.1%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">19.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">39</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">77</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">50.7%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">16.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">74</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">113</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">65.5%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">21.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">46</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">84</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">54.8%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">24.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">139</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">215</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">64.7%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">38.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">101</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">167</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">60.5%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">40.2%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Hart has consistently been a high-level interior creator even as he takes on more volume. But so far, he's different from other Knicks players in his unabashed confidence to score in transition.
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Nothing schematic to break down here &mdash; Hart just takes the ball the length of the floor, puts his shoulder into one of the league's strongest players and finishes through Jonas Valanciunas for the and-one layup. He's already had several coast-to-coast scores with New York, and that's new for a team ranking 25th in transition frequency on the season.&nbsp;
Hart also fortifies one of the best rebounding units in the league. His 6.0% offensive rebounding rate and 18.8% rebounding rate with Portland this season are both top-2-percentile numbers among wings, per Cleaning the Glass. New York already has Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims as a trio with top-15-percentile splits among bigs, and Randle is top-20-percentile in these categories as a forward.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
New York's offense operates with the vibes of a heavyweight boxer. The mismatch-hunting and on-court positioning are all setting up for the big punches, or drives orchestrated by the Knicks' leading scorers. Controlling the glass, plus a top-10 defense worthy of a separate article, help build out the chiseled frame of the team.
The numbers might not make the offense seem impressive at first, but when you piece them together and pair them with tape, the Knicks look a lot more imposing as a playoff contender.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Antoine Davis is the man! The second note here blew my mind:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Incredible career for Antoine Davis <a href="https://t.co/rIwf0qu4Xc">pic.twitter.com/rIwf0qu4Xc</a>
&mdash; Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/1631649663735455756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">Lauri Markkanen has been one of the best scorers in the NBA this year, full stop:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Lauri Markkanen has been nothing short of special this year. He&rsquo;s now averaging 25.3 PPG, up from 14.8 last season, and while at an incredible level of efficiency. He&rsquo;s finishing WELL above league averages at the rim, in the midrange, and from 3. (53% on corner 3s 🔥) <a href="https://t.co/AmQwcSLodN">pic.twitter.com/AmQwcSLodN</a>
&mdash; Dom Samangy (@DSamangy) <a href="https://twitter.com/DSamangy/status/1631345431455178769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">Not quite like a full season triple-double average, but Nikola Jokic is making the case for his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/sportsbooks-view-nikola-jokic-as-a-lock-to-win-his-3rdstraight-mvp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third-straight MVP</a> look stronger every game:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic has averaged a triple-double in December, January and February. He is the 3rd player in NBA history to average a triple-double in at least 3 straight calendar months, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. <a href="https://t.co/3pQ0kAeNHY">pic.twitter.com/3pQ0kAeNHY</a>
&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1630762306253496321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller shows that there's more to the New York Knicks' low-passing offense than the numbers initially suggest.

NBA Stats Notebook: Why the Knicks' low-passing offense works so well

The most important word in NBA All-Star break might actually be "break."
For one week, the entire league recalibrates itself for the home stretch of the regular season and catches up on the aches, pains and more significant injuries that stem from competing hard every single day. Rookies can also breathe after being thrown into the fires of their first year as a pro.
Young talent can thrive coming out of the break. Bottom-feeding teams are ready to turn minutes over to those with less experience and more upside after the trade deadline. Contenders have a better understanding of how rookies could slot into a playoff-seeking rotation. And regardless of the ethics, a stellar final impression can heavily impact All-Rookie narratives.
So who might surprise us with a strong close to the season?
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Here are five under-the-radar rookies worth monitoring for a leap forward &mdash; "under-the-radar" excluding lottery draft picks and players already firmly in the Rookie of the Year conversation (i.e. Walker Kessler):
Malaki Branham, San Antonio Spurs
Malaki Branham is barely under the radar at this point; he's leading all rookies with 18.1 points per game in February. But he is one of my favorite players in this rookie class, and since he fits my criteria, I'm seizing the chance to spotlight him.
According to PBP Stats, 136 players have attempted at least 50 "self-created" mid-range shots this season (attempts after possessing the ball for at least two seconds). Branham is converting on a ridiculous 56% of those shots, ranking third behind only Kevin Durant and Seth Curry.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Malaki Branham logged his sixth consecutive start Monday at Cleveland and played well, scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 in the loss. Branham is a natural shot-creator who is also excellent moving off-ball. He&rsquo;s going to be a very good NBA player and an important piece for the Spurs. <a href="https://t.co/kbfm5KivkL">pic.twitter.com/kbfm5KivkL</a>
&mdash; Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UsherNBA/status/1625337236152799232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
The No. 20 overall pick hardly wastes time and effort when he attacks off the dribble. While Branham has showcased his chops as an on-ball scorer, he's also 26-for-29 on assisted shots within 10 feet of the rim this season, per PBP Stats, and Synergy says Branham is shooting 76.5% on cutting field goal attempts.&nbsp;
Branham's relatively low output from the perimeter at Ohio State drew question marks around the NBA Draft. Could he stretch his mid-range prowess beyond the arc? This season, Branham has made just 33.3% of his catch-and-shoot threes, but since February, he's at a scorching 18-for-41 (43.9%) on 4.6 &nbsp;attempts per game.&nbsp;
Right now, he's purely been a bucket. We're still waiting to see a bit more of the off-dribble playmaking, which I believe was underrated in college. Branham also is, well, a contributor to the Spurs' league-worst defense. But the 6-foot-5-inch wing is playing in a low-stakes environment by NBA standards and is clearly growing more comfortable with each passing game. If you told me he would lead rookies in post-All-Star scoring, I'd believe you.

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Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets
The No. 21 overall selection in this past year's draft hung around the back end of the Nuggets' rotation for most of the season, but has received 23.3 minutes per game this month. Christian Braun is averaging 7.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals across nine February contests on a scintillating 64.5% True Shooting clip.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Holy crap Christian Braun! The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nuggets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nuggets</a> rookie summoning his inner Nikola Jokic, on the baseline cut takes the entry pass from Joker and instantly dishes it back out to Michael Porter Jr. for the corner 3-pointer. Such a damn impressive heads up play.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MileHighBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MileHighBasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/p01V1g6PIi">pic.twitter.com/p01V1g6PIi</a>
&mdash; Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelRushNBA/status/1625539664571699201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Braun is a quintessential connector for the Nuggets right now. Over 53% of his shots have come at the rim, mostly off of secondary drives or cuts, and he'll also spot up from the corners frequently. He's not a lead playmaker, but he'll keep the ball moving; plus, he's had just six bad-pass turnovers all season, per PBP Stats.&nbsp;
The Nuggets also like to use Braun's size at 6-foot-7, 218 pounds to guard up the lineup. According to BBall Index, the Kansas product has spent over 62% of his playing time defending point guards and shooting guards. And, while he's not the point-of-attack defender, he's useful in taking away complementary options and being an additional pest.
Denver's lack of trade-deadline additions on the wing (and top billing in the West) means Braun is expected to contribute to a deep playoff run. A stable three-point shot would go a long way (46.7% in February, 37.1% on the season), along with continued growth on defense. But Braun is the rare rookie on a pressure-packed team, and thriving would say a lot about his impact.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Per Cleaning the Glass: only 5️⃣ NBA players have block and steal rates both above 1.5% 🏀 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) - Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM) - Larry Nance Jr. (NOP) - Kyle Anderson (MIN) - Tari Eason (HOU) <a href="https://t.co/Fi0pGOHnbL">pic.twitter.com/Fi0pGOHnbL</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1628828512206348291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tari Eason's 1.5% block rate and 2.2% steal rate place him in an elite group of defensive havoc-wreakers this season. He's averaging 4.52 bad-pass steals or deflections per 75 possessions, per BBall Index, which puts him in the 95th percentile at his position.
Eason is already a unique event-creator on defense with his length and mobility. He also inhales rebounds on both ends of the glass. The former LSU forward secures offensive boards on 10.6% of Houston's misses, a rate that ranks second among all non-bigs in the league.&nbsp;
Those two impact areas carry the weight for Eason's All-Rookie case; he's still finding his niche on offense. He has to create more for himself than expected, and he's making a paltry 40.7% of his unassisted shots at the rim. The Rockets' offense has been a mess all season long. Ideally, Eason could start his career capitalizing on more cuts, lobs and spot-ups, but it's unclear if he'll find that balance this season.
Still, his defensive impact and rebounding activity warrant a prime spot in the rotation of a young, losing team, and Eason is talented enough to make it work.
Jaylin Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
The pesky Thunder continue to stick around in the playoff race, and Jaylin Williams &mdash; not to be confused with Jalen &mdash; has been the most recent young head-turner with his charge-taking. Check out this graphic from Dom Samangy:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Former Razorback, Jaylin Williams, is currently LEADING THE NBA in charges drawn per minute played and has the highest charge rate in 7 years since the NBA started tracking &ldquo;hustle stats&rdquo; in 2016. He currently draws a charge every 22 minutes of play! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProHogs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProHogs</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/Jay_MWilliams_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jay_MWilliams_</a> <a href="https://t.co/bOM9XcqynU">pic.twitter.com/bOM9XcqynU</a>
&mdash; Dom Samangy (@DSamangy) <a href="https://twitter.com/DSamangy/status/1628448922770329601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Williams is such a fun, unique player. He's not racking up blocks or steals as a rim-protector, but he rebounds, takes charges and positions himself well on defense for a rookie.
Then, on offense, he's warped his impact from the pre-draft projections coming out of Arkansas. Williams' perimeter shot-making was more of an intriguing developmental pathway than a bread-and-butter skill entering the 2022 NBA Draft. The second-rounder is shooting a red-hot 47.7% from long range this season, including (checks notes) 55.6% since Jan. 1. In contrast, he's barely scoring around the rim; just 29% of his shots are coming within 4 feet of the basket.
Add in an 11.1% assist rate (66th percentile among bigs) and 3.1 screen assists per 75 possessions (80th percentile), and Williams is upending a lot of the traditional images for low-usage young centers.&nbsp;
OKC moved on from Mike Muscala and forward Darius Bazley at the trade deadline. Williams' playing time has fluctuated this season, but he's averaging 21.8 minutes per game in February and has started 11 of 17 games in the new year. He'll be a big part of this stretch run for a Thunder team capable of contending.
Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
mark williams size blk + lob radius, good stuff <a href="https://t.co/8lVqlyksUH">pic.twitter.com/8lVqlyksUH</a>
&mdash; ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) <a href="https://twitter.com/bjpf_/status/1627041357041897472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The Hornets traded away Mason Plumlee and are well out of the playoff picture. It's time to give the young guys some runtime, and that begins with Mark Williams, who has started the last four contests. The No. 15 overall pick is averaging 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 15.9 minutes per game this season.
Williams has thrived in more of the traditional finishing-center archetype. He's tallying 4.4 screen assists per 75 possessions (88th percentile) and posting a monster 3.7% block rate and 2.0% steal rate. (He missed the minute qualifier for Eason's previously mentioned stat). The 7-foot-1-inch center takes 78% of his shots around the rim, the majority via assists, and he makes 70% of those attempts.&nbsp;
Let's expand on the interior defense a bit because Williams' small-sample impact numbers are insane. Pulling from BBall Index's data, here's a look at how he's affecting shots around the basket.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Category</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;">Value</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;">Percentile rank (among C's)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">% of teams' at-rim shots contested by Williams</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.4714}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">47.14%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.96}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[134]:C[134],R[0]C[-1])">96th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">At-rim contests per 75 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10.82}">10.82</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.987}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[135]:C[135],R[0]C[-1])">99th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Blocks per 75 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2.63}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.0&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">2.6</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.97}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[136]:C[136],R[0]C[-1])">97th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">% of Williams' contests that become blocks</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.2429}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">24.29%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.857}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[137]:C[137],R[0]C[-1])">86th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Opponent FG% at rim vs. expected FG%</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:-0.116}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;+#,##0.00%;-#,##0.00%&quot;}">-11.60%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.987}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=1-percentrank('Data Pull'!C[138]:C[138],R[0]C[-1])">99th</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to view full table on mobile)
These are massive data points for any player, much less a rookie.
When Williams is on the court, Charlotte allows 6.6 fewer points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. He's already changing the tone for a squad that has historically had issues fortifying the floor. Hopefully we get to see more of that in this stretch run.
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THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Not a stat, but I do want to give honorable mention shoutouts to AJ Griffin of the Atlanta Hawks and AJ Green of the Milwaukee Bucks. Both are talented rookies ready to join their team's rotations; I just wonder what minutes are available. Griffin now has to compete with Saddiq Bey in Atlanta's wing room in addition to the other established talents on the roster. Green seems to take a back seat when the Bucks are fully healthy.</li>
<li>Synergy's Todd Whitehead made these neat visualizations of pick-and-roll defense that I highlighted at the beginning of the year, and he's got some interesting takeaways now:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
When I made this chart back in November, I was interested to see that the teams with the best process (ones taking away opponents rolls/cuts to the rim, corner 3s, and shooting fouls) weren't necessarily the ones with the lowest PPP allowed (👀Boston, for example). <a href="https://t.co/5VVpnVCyYW">https://t.co/5VVpnVCyYW</a> <a href="https://t.co/aWBfcmOA9T">pic.twitter.com/aWBfcmOA9T</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1626670052769669120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Another post-All-Star stats check-in courtesy of Tom Bassine:</li>
</ul>
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Updated starter and bench majority lineup team strengths. Denver still builds their leads through starter lineups with Jokic. Chicago bench stands out. <a href="https://t.co/1Uh8HSWSfs">pic.twitter.com/1Uh8HSWSfs</a>
&mdash; Tom Bassine (@tvbassine) <a href="https://twitter.com/tvbassine/status/1629102353210126336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller highlights five under-the-radar rookies who could make an impact in the NBA season's final months.

NBA Stats Notebook: 5 players who could break into the All-Rookie race

The Milwaukee Bucks enter the All-Star break as the hottest team in the NBA. They've won 12 straight games despite missing key contributors for parts of the surge, including Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and, most recently, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"There&rsquo;s 25, 26, I don&rsquo;t know, 28 games left and (all our players) need to shut it down for a little bit, and then, they also need to come back with some conditioning and ready to work and ready for the stretch run,&rdquo; <a href="&ldquo;There&rsquo;s%2025,%2026,%20I%20don&rsquo;t%20know,%2028%20games%20left%20and%20(all%20our%20players)%20need%20to%20shut%20it%20down%20for%20a%20little%20bit,%20and%20then%20they%20also%20need%20to%20come%20back%20with%20some%20conditioning%20and%20ready%20to%20work%20and%20ready%20for%20the%20stretch%20run,&rdquo;%20Budenholzer%20said%20before%20the%20Bulls%20game.%20&ldquo;Hopefully,%20we&rsquo;ll%20be%20playing%20our%20best%20basketball%20as%20the%20playoffs%20start.&rdquo;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Budenholzer said before Thursday's win against the Chicago Bulls</a> (and before Antetokounmpo injured his wrist). &ldquo;Hopefully, we&rsquo;ll be playing our best basketball as the playoffs start.&rdquo;
It'd be hard to notice the Bucks' injury struggles on the scoreboard though. They still took down Chicago by double digits to cap a perfect run since the surge began on Jan. 23. The All-Star break presents a much-needed window to get healthy, but even in the thick of a race for the Eastern Conference's top seed, Milwaukee is learning that its depth of impact players might be more impressive than most realize.
The Bucks' top-ranked defense is the backbone of its current 41-17 record. Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday deserve all of the praise for their All-Defense-caliber seasons, and Antetokounmpo still excels in his own right.
Since the streak began though, Milwaukee has catapulted its offense forward. The team's offensive rating was No. 22 in the league (112.9) before the stretch; it ranks eighth (119.8) since, per Cleaning the Glass. Over the past four weeks, when Milwaukee has called on ancillary scorers to step up, they have answered the call.
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The Bucks jack up a ton of threes. They're one of five NBA teams (plus the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz) who attempt more than 40% of their total shots from behind the arc. In the last 12 games, Milwaukee has increased the volume to more than 42 three-point attempts per game, and the shots are collectively falling (37.5%).&nbsp;
Yet, only four players on the team are knocking down above 36% of those tries during the streak&nbsp; Portis' one game notwithstanding): Jevon Carter, Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton and AJ Green.&nbsp;
Carter deserves a spotlight as perhaps the breakout player of the season for his team. Milwaukee scooped up Carter late last February after he was waived by the Brooklyn Nets, and played him sparingly in the 2022 postseason. This year, the 27-year-old has earned a career-high 22.5 minutes per game and responded with his most impactful pro season, which includes a 41.7% three-point clip that has ballooned to 55.1% during this winning streak.
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Just a couple of clips of Jevon Carter pull up 3&rsquo;s. Figured <a href="https://twitter.com/fmaddenNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fmaddenNBA</a> would get a kick out of it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fearthedeer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fearthedeer</a> <a href="https://t.co/a152ABLpHC">pic.twitter.com/a152ABLpHC</a>
&mdash; Steve Sabbatini (@ssabb05) <a href="https://twitter.com/ssabb05/status/1626337809689636867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2023</a>
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Carter has been all over the map as a shooter during his career, and he's finally blended volume, efficiency and shot variation together. He's hitting 41.2% of his threes when he needs less than two seconds to generate a shot, per PBP Stats.
More impressively? Carter has attempted 70 self-created threes this year, defined by PBP Stats as a shot that took more than two seconds to generate. Among 83 players who have tried 50 or more such shots this season, Carter's 42.9% shooting percentage ranks fourth behind only Malcolm Brogdon, Steph Curry and Desmond Bane.
That's stunning company to be in for a journeyman player whose calling card has historically been his defense. Milwaukee needs more individual creators; it's one reason Nekias Duncan mentioned Russell Westbrook as a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exploring-landing-spots-for-russell-wetbrook-nba-trade-deadline-buyout-buy-out-bought-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sneaky-interesting buyout option</a> (which I agree with, for the record). Carter is basically the opposite of Westbrook as a creator &mdash; Carter rarely gets to the rim by himself &mdash; but having a perimeter shot-maker with fewer peaks and valleys compared to, say, Holiday, is valuable.
And a quick sidebar on Carter: His defense has still fit right in. The 6-foot-1-inch combo guard is swiping 1.6 steals per 75 possessions, placing him in the 92nd percentile at his position, per BBall Index. He's defending players in BBall Index's highest usage tier on 32% of his possessions (99th percentile) and grading out highly both on tape and in the spreadsheet. Applaud this man.
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Back to the shooting &mdash; Allen, one of two Bucks players to start more than 50 games this season, has drawn ire for an apparent reluctance to bomb away when shooting is primarily why he starts. During the 12-game winning streak, he's increased his three-point volume by about one attempt per game while still converting at an elite rate. It's nothing substantial, but hopefully a sign of progress.
Connaughton, meanwhile, had shaken off a ghastly shooting start prior to missing Thursday's win with a calf injury. The 30-year-old was shooting just 29.6% beyond the arc by the end of 2022. Since the calendar flipped, he's up to 39.4%, including 44.1% during the current streak.
Though he pops in and out of the rotation, Green also deserves a shout-out. The undrafted rookie from Northern Iowa knocked down 5 of 7 triples Thursday night, and has hit half of his threes attempted in the last 12 games despite wild playing time inconsistencies. Green is an unabashed gunner, and microwave movement shooting is a fun skill to have in the reserve.
With these four mostly healthy and cooking, life has become a little easier for Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak is putting up a whopping 34.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game during the winning streak, even including his early exit against Chicago.
Antetokounmpo has dished out 3.8 three-point assists per game in that span. It's a rate that ranks second only behind Trae Young, and it's a full assist more than his rate prior to Jan. 23.&nbsp;
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The assist to make Giannis the all-time assist leader in Bucks franchise history!! <a href="https://t.co/nI2IsVc6gj">pic.twitter.com/nI2IsVc6gj</a>
&mdash; Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1626386416296132608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2023</a></blockquote>

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It's fitting an assist like this put Antetokounmpo atop the franchise leaderboard. He draws three defenders to him in transition with his downhill force and makes a high-level pass to the corner. With sharpshooters like Carter, Allen, Connaughton and Green around him, Antetokounmpo has options when he drives into traffic. The same goes for Holiday and Middleton.
The Bucks have the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/celtics-remain-nba-championship-favorite-suns-move-to-2ndbest-odds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third-best odds to win the NBA championship</a> and already deserve their slice of respect in the title conversation. But over the last 12 games, they continue to click offensive puzzle pieces into place even as they battle injuries.
Milwaukee goes from imposing to straight-up dangerous with a supporting cast firing on all cylinders.

Ethan Fuller highlights how the Bucks' scorching perimeter shooting has helped them in their 12-game winning streak.

NBA Stats Notebook: The Milwaukee Bucks are on a shot-making stampede

This year's NBA trade deadline challenged the glut of Western Conference contenders to test how far they would go to separate themselves from the pack.
Some teams, like the Phoenix Suns in their Kevin Durant blockbuster or the Dallas Mavericks in their Kyrie Irving acquisition, swung for the fences. Others &mdash; such as the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans &mdash; only nabbed a rotation player or two, opting to bet on their current core.
The Los Angeles Clippers appear to fall in the latter group, but we should not overlook their trade-deadline moves. With three separate trades, all in the final hours of dealmaking on Thursday, the Clippers added Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee. They took calculated risks and changed three important spots in their rotation, hoping the current stalwart defense insulates a boost of offensive juice.
Hyland was one of the hottest names in the rumor mill last week after his <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2023/02/09/nuggets-trade-deadline-bones-hyland-thomas-bryant-analysis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">falling out with the Nuggets</a>. Los Angeles pounced and dealt two second-round picks for the former No. 26 overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Hyland quickly becomes the most promising developmental talent on the roster at 22 years old. But more immediately, he brings a high-charged dose of long-range shotmaking to the Clippers' bottom-10 offense.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Bones Hyland hit a career-high 7 three-pointers to lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> to the win! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MileHighBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MileHighBasketball</a><a href="https://twitter.com/BizzyBones11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BizzyBones11</a>: 26 PTS, 7 3PM <a href="https://t.co/IkJU5Ajf0U">pic.twitter.com/IkJU5Ajf0U</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1586207446678138883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The combo guard profiles as one of the most extreme perimeter creators in the entire league. Some evidence: Hyland has attempted 118 self-created threes this season, according to PBP Stats, which would rank second on his new team behind Paul George (164) and far above the third-place guard he's replacing (Reggie Jackson, 66), in only 820 minutes this season. His 39.8% clip on those attempts ranks 13th among 81 players who have attempted at least 50 such shots.
To this point of his career, however, Hyland's primary impact has come from distance. He can attack the basket, but he's no more than a mediocre rim-pressure threat, and he's a very limited playmaker. Microwave shooting is an important skill that can swing a playoff series if active; it's unclear if Hyland can consistently impact the game this way.
That's why the Eric Gordon trade adds another level of intrigue. Gordon, a 34-year-old shooting guard, finally leaves a rebuilding Houston Rockets situation after years in and out of reported trade talks. He rejoins the franchise that drafted him seventh overall way back in 2008.&nbsp;
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Ty Lue on the <a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAClippers</a> new editions of Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon &amp; Mason Plumlee. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LAClippers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LAClippers</a> <a href="https://t.co/yxsD8SyutK">pic.twitter.com/yxsD8SyutK</a>
&mdash; Hoops &amp; Brews (@HoopsNBrews) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoopsNBrews/status/1624289182775656448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Gordon has a 15-year history of solid, albeit streaky, pull-up shooting, and he can still slice his way to the rim with ease. Gordon has converted 67% or more of his shots within three feet of the hoop in each of the last three seasons, per Basketball Reference &mdash; and that's in a Houston offense that has looked pretty wonky at times.&nbsp;
The Clippers acquired Gordon in a three-team deal with the Rockets and Grizzlies that ultimately sent John Wall to Houston and Luke Kennard to Memphis. They now have a reshaped guard rotation that includes Hyland, Gordon, Terance Mann and Norman Powell &mdash; four complementary scoring threats next to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.&nbsp;
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Entering Saturday, L.A. took just 30.2% of its shots at the rim, a 23rd-ranked rate, per Cleaning the Glass. Gordon's talents should directly help, and Hyland's perimeter prowess ideally opens up lanes for others to attack.
The four-man crew allows for some interesting lineup flexibility. Does head coach Ty Lue opt to keep Mann in the starting lineup and let Hyland bombard off the bench, knowing Gordon can also keep teams honest? Or can Hyland eventually work his way up to start and provide a more powerful perimeter impact than Reggie Jackson ever could &mdash; also leaving Mann to keep the heat on with the second unit?
With just those two, we already see that the Clippers want to apply more pressure from more angles, versus the stagnation that can arise with just Kawhi plus PG plus floor-spacers. Mason Plumlee continues the theme in his own way as a passing hub.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Pretty easy to see how Mason Plumlee's playmaking would fit seamlessly into Sacramento's offense. Lots of CHA's sets are similar to SAC's. Plumlee is averaging 4.6 assists per 36 mins and would probably be fairly cheap considering his expiring $9M deal. Davis + Len + two 2nds? <a href="https://t.co/U52qzH2vnd">pic.twitter.com/U52qzH2vnd</a>
&mdash; Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrendenNunesNBA/status/1617660314237145088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Los Angeles added the veteran center in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets that sent Jackson and a 2028 second-rounder to Charlotte. During our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/watch-basketball-news-2023-nba-trade-deadline-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 NBA Trade Deadline Show</a>, Nekias Duncan and I both commented on the parallels between Plumlee and the team's 2021-22 backup center, Isaiah Hartenstein.&nbsp;
Last year, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-isaiah-hartenstein-is-the-clippers-secret-weapon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hartenstein showed off his facilitation chops</a> by hitting cutters from the arc and operating out of some roll actions. He's in the sub-Nikola-Jokic tier of best big man passers in the NBA, and so is Plumlee.
For several seasons, the 32-year-old has consistently posted some of the best passing numbers in the league; his 18.0% assist rate is in the 92nd percentile among bigs this season, per Cleaning the Glass. Plumlee is assisting on 12.6% of his total passes, per Second Spectrum, which is the third-highest rate among centers.
Add in his stellar presence around the rim (73% shooting in that zone) and solid track record on the glass, and Plumlee seems about as ideal a fit at backup center as feasible. The healthy Clippers are looking at a Hyland-Gordon-Powell-Robert Covington-Plumlee second unit, with Nic Batum and Amir Coffey as additonal options. That is deep.
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The overarching worry: L.A. is tweaking the components of its top-10 defense &mdash; the backbone of its current fifth-place standing in the Western Conference. Hyland has serious defensive question-marks, Gordon is strong but undersized and Plumlee, while fundamentally sound, is by no means a rim-protector. Can the system and the prowess of the remaining players provide a stable floor? And if not, do the new pieces just fall out of the rotation, or do they unearth a new problem?
We likely won't know the final answer until the postseason. But the Clippers pointedly targeted several needs on Thursday, and the moves have more reward and more risk than they appear to at first. Even without adding a star, the Clippers have become another must-track team in the reshuffled West playoff race.

Ethan Fuller breaks down the Los Angeles Clippers adding Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee prior to the trade deadline.

Evaluating the Clippers' three NBA trade deadline moves

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly traded Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets for a package that includes Davon Reed and three second-round draft picks.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1623730406406213634?s=20&amp;t=9M5vt4gj7i0ZVqIUHOpiHw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Wojnarowski adds that the second-rounders acquired by the Lakers are for the 2025, 2026 and 2029 drafts.
Bryant had been averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 65.4% from the field with the Lakers in 41 games (25 starts). He figures to compete for backup center minutes in Denver behind Nikola Jokic.
Reed, a fourth-year veteran shooting guard, was playing just 9.0 minutes per game as a reserve with the Nuggets.

Bryant had been averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 65.4% from the field.

Lakers trading Thomas Bryant to Nuggets for Davon Reed, draft picks

Only 18 times in NBA history has a player averaged 20-plus points, 10-plus assists and 5-plus rebounds per game across an entire season. James Harden and Nikola Jokic are on pace to join the list this year.
Three NBA players &mdash; Russell Westbrook, Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas &mdash; have put up at least 20 points and 10 assists per game over four or more separate seasons in their career. Harden is on pace to be the fourth.
Harden missing out on his 11th NBA All-Star appearance is simply a travesty. Maybe it's because the scoring volume is down, or because he's no longer the top bucket-getting option on his team. Whatever the case may be, he deserves applause for the way he has adapted with age and in a new role to help Philadelphia reinvent its path to contention.&nbsp;
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6 threes for <a href="https://twitter.com/JHarden13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JHarden13</a> and call it a SZN HIGH! <a href="https://t.co/OZF4WCWR1i">pic.twitter.com/OZF4WCWR1i</a>
&mdash; Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers/status/1620969675780935684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a>
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Harden is currently posting 21.0 points, 10.9 assists and 6.4 rebounds per contest. His mark of 14.9 field goal attempts per game is the lowest since his days on the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his overall efficiency is on par with his prime years in Houston &mdash; albeit in different forms. And with a dominant scorer in Joel Embiid by his side, Harden has reached new heights as a table-setter.
At 33 years old, Harden doesn't attack the basket with the same ferocity as his peak years. Only 24% of his shot attempts are coming at the rim (career-low), per Cleaning the Glass, and he's driving the basketball 13.3 times per game (lowest since 2013-14), according to Second Spectrum. They're still high numbers for most NBA players, but low by Harden's standards. His straight-line speed, probably still underrated in his heyday, has been sapped a great deal.
That's okay. Harden has been&nbsp;relatively&nbsp;confined to the perimeter, and he's made it work with a 38.8% three-point clip, his best since 2011-12. One key reason for the jump: Harden is canning a red-hot 47.7% of his attempts off the catch, which make up over one-eighth (12.7%) of his total shot diet, according to PBP Stats. That's the largest share of catch-and-shoot treys he's logged since 2016-17 and almost double last year's frequency.&nbsp;
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James Harden&rsquo;s reaction to making three catch-and-shoot 3s was pretty funny. And then, more serious: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been working on it, so that&rsquo;s pretty exciting. You don&rsquo;t do too much, just catch-and-shoot it. You put the work in, I work on it every day.&rdquo; <a href="https://t.co/bH9p2iGTNX">pic.twitter.com/bH9p2iGTNX</a>
&mdash; Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) <a href="https://twitter.com/rich_hofmann/status/1620982628995448832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a>
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This isn't to say Harden has completely disavowed his iso-ball ways. According to Synergy, he takes the third-most isolation possessions per game (6.2) in the NBA. But those possessions are less taxing because he has a co-superstar beside him; Embiid actually logs a slightly higher isolation volume (6.3). And Harden doesn't have to will himself to the basket at his age &mdash; Embiid is also collapsing defenses.
The Harden-to-Embiid assist combination is the most popular connection in the league this season. The Beard has hit up The Process 150 times, per PBP Stats, including 71 Embiid buckets at the rim. Their 40-assist lead on the second-most prominent combo of Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield (110) is as large as that duo's edge between it and the 31st-ranked coupling (a tie between Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett, Killian Hayes and Bojan Bogdanovic, and Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton).&nbsp;
Meanwhile, though much less often, Embiid is the most frequent passer when Harden picks up an assisted bucket. They've teamed up 19 times this season, including 11 Harden makes from beyond the arc.
The Embiid-Harden pick-and-roll has boosted their ascension to perhaps the most dynamic two-man action tandem in the league. But Harden's comfort in Philly is also boosting the supporting cast &mdash; most exemplified in Tobias Harris.&nbsp;
Harris, now 30 years old, has quietly settled into an efficient complementary role while Harden, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton initiate most offensive possessions. He's shooting a career-best 58% from two-point range. Harris' at-rim frequency (34%), field goal percentage (69%) and assisted-make rate (62%) are all the highest of his four-plus seasons with the Sixers, according to Cleaning the Glass.
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Less than a minute into the second half, James Harden records his 71st career triple-double with this dime to Tobias Harris 🔥<a href="https://t.co/uC4MpbmmYv">pic.twitter.com/uC4MpbmmYv</a> <a href="https://t.co/VEgsAzQYG2">https://t.co/VEgsAzQYG2</a>
&mdash; ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1612200618436730880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The scoring opportunities get easier with Harden on the floor. The former MVP sends 18.1% of his passes to Harris, who in turn makes 59.2% of his ensuing twos and 37.7% of his threes. Harris has typically averaged 8-10 drives per game over the course of his prime years vs. his 6.7 drives this season. The creation burden has been lessened and the efficiency has increased.
It helps that the Sixers added De'Anthony Melton to space the floor and act as a secondary ball-handler, and Maxey certainly gives them another sharp driving punch. But Harden has made everyone, including Harris and Embiid, better since finding his comfort level on the team.
Harden's average of 92.7 touches per game ranks third in the NBA and is still on par with his typical touch rate throughout his career. He's still the ignition for Philly's ninth-ranked offense and a matchup nightmare when he's on the floor, even if the picture looks a little different.&nbsp;
Whether it's the lack of All-Star recognition or the general lack of buzz, Harden's superstardom has taken a back seat in the national consciousness. Don't make that same mistake.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>A cool blocked shot locations graphic from Edoardo Vergani. Look at Bol Bol!</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
NBA: Blocked shot location of the 12 players with most blocks during this season! What pops out? Let me know! <a href="https://t.co/shFXLWFonW">pic.twitter.com/shFXLWFonW</a>
&mdash; Edoardo Vergani (@ed_vergani) <a href="https://twitter.com/ed_vergani/status/1621863738931400705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Brandon Miller is such a fascinating NBA Draft prospect:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Brandon Miller is putting up unprecedented versatility and efficiency in his jumpshot diet for a college big wing. Here's how he compares to some other 6'7+ shooters - Jabari Smith, Keegan Murray, Saddiq Bey, Brandon Ingram, and Khris Middleton. <a href="https://t.co/DUNsKNXfb4">pic.twitter.com/DUNsKNXfb4</a>
&mdash; Mark (@MarkC_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkC_NBA/status/1621229412091039744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>The Pacers are an absolutely chaotic basketball team, as shown in this table from Tom Bassine:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Net rating in each quarter. Best by Q: 1 - Nuggets 2 - Pacers 3 - Thunder 4 - Cavs <a href="https://t.co/0dKf9ChDbI">pic.twitter.com/0dKf9ChDbI</a>
&mdash; Tom Bassine (@tvbassine) <a href="https://twitter.com/tvbassine/status/1622230703017525249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2023</a></blockquote>

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James Harden is on pace to be the third player to average 20 points and 10 assists in five seasons. Ethan Fuller praises his play.

NBA Stats Notebook: Giving James Harden the flowers he deserves

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

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

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

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

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and had nine rebounds and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 139-96 win over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.
Jaylen Brown added 26 points as both of Boston&rsquo;s stars knocked down seven 3-pointers in a game the Celtics never trailed and led by as many as 49 points. Boston dominated on both ends of the floor, shooting 60% through three quarters on the way to its largest victory of the season.
&ldquo;You can tell we were ready to go from the jump,&rdquo; Tatum said.
It marked the eighth time this season Tatum and Brown have each scored at least 25 points in the same game.
Robert Williams finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in his return from a sprained ankle. Derrick White added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re hungry,&rdquo; Williams said of Tatum and Brown. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re still (upset) about last year.&rdquo;
The NBA-leading Celtics have won all three meetings with the Nets this season.
Tatum began the night second in the NBA while averaging 37.5 minutes per game. He played just over 29 on Wednesday and was able to sit most of the fourth quarter. Coach Joe Mazzulla said it was nice to get him some rest, but isn&rsquo;t concerned about the load he has carried so far.
Tatum credits team trainer Nick Sang and the conversations they had since last season for helping him maintain his body this season.
&ldquo;I feel great,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;My body feels so much better at this time than it did last season.&rdquo;
Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and Cam Thomas added 19 for Brooklyn, which struggled throughout while shooting 41%, including 9 of 39 beyond the arc. The Nets dropped to 4-7 since Kevin Durant sprained his right knee on Jan. 8.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s clear as day that they want to win the championship, and they&rsquo;re not wasting any time in the regular season,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;Tonight I felt like we were just one of those teams in the way, and you know, we just can&rsquo;t be one of those teams in the way. We&rsquo;ve got to be one of those teams that stands up to them.&rdquo;
Brooklyn had managed to keep pace with Boston in the standings without Durant and through recent injuries to Ben Simmons (left knee soreness) and T.J. Warren (left shin contusion), who both sat for the third straight game.
The Celtics had their entire rotation available except for Marcus Smart, sidelined for the fifth straight game as he recovers from his sprained right ankle. Boston took advantage, racing to a 33-7 advantage as the Nets started just 2 of 14 from the field.
Irving missed four of his first five shots as Boston&rsquo;s crowd booed whenever he touched the basketball, mirroring the treatment he received during his most recent visits to TD Garden.
Tatum finished the quarter with 18 points, single-handedly outscoring the Nets as Boston took a 46-16 edge into the second quarter. The 30-point, first-quarter lead marked the first time in franchise history Boston outscored its opponent by 30 in the opening period.
The Celtics led 79-45 at halftime.
&ldquo;This was a night where they hit first, they hit hard and it hurt,&rdquo; Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
TIP-INS
Nets: Shot 6 of 21 (29%) in the first quarter. ... Neither Simmons nor Warren made the trip, but Vaughn said both are progressing and hope to return as soon as Saturday.
Celtics: It was Tatum&rsquo;s 29th game this season with at least 30 points. ... Boston outscored the Nets 22-1 in fastbreak points in the first half. ... Shot 18 of 29 (62%) in the first quarter, including 8 of 11 from 3-point range. ... Former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman sat courtside.
UP NEXT
Nets: Open five-game homestand Saturday against the Washington Wizards.
Celtics: Host the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and had nine rebounds and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 139-96 win over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum scores 31 points, Celtics sizzle in 139-96 rout of Nets

Few people probably expected the NBA at large to be focused on a Reddit conspiracy theory for most of Saturday, but here we are.
Reddit user u/AdMassive6666 posted <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/10nbau4/memphis_grizzlies_scorekeeper_posting_fraudulent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an elaborate investigation</a>&nbsp;into the validity of Jaren Jackson Jr.'s block totals at home so far this season. The SparkNotes: This poster essentially accused the Memphis Grizzlies' scorekeeper of artificially inflating Jackson's block counts at home, leading to a massive chasm between his home and away stats. They cited examples they believed backed up the claim and then tossed out accusations of personal bias or financial motive.
The conspiracy spread like wildfire Saturday morning and the post had over 44,000 upvotes by the afternoon. Meanwhile, NBA media members across Twitter were fact-checking the claim, which looks more and more like a&nbsp;theory&nbsp;than an actual conspiracy under further scrutiny.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I watched every block by Jaren Jackson Jr. in slow motion from alternate angles to investigate the NBA Reddit thread claiming the Grizzlies scorekeeper is "posting fraudulent numbers." But only 3 of his 66 home blocks are incorrectly labeled, a completely insignificant amount. <a href="https://t.co/84ZiE1rPVD">pic.twitter.com/84ZiE1rPVD</a>
&mdash; Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1619400282953359360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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There are already a&nbsp;lot&nbsp;of videos and threads like Kevin O'Connor's breakdown, including this one from <a href="&lt;blockquote%20class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot;%20data-theme=&quot;dark&quot;&gt;&lt;p%20lang=&quot;en&quot;%20dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;THEY%20ARE%20LYING%20ABOUT%20JAREN%20JACKSON%20JR.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The%20Hoop%20ReView%20presents%20a%20full%20stat%20audit%20on%20Jaren%20Jackson%20Jr&amp;#39;s%20home%20block%20numbers&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;spoiler%20alert:%20HIS%20BLOCKS%20ARE%20VERY%20REAL&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I%20went%20through%20every%20block,%20at%20most%20there%20were%204%20questionable%20or%20lacking%20video%20evidence.&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://t.co/w12jBHI8w6&quot;&gt;https://t.co/w12jBHI8w6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash;%20A:A%20(@Swarlayzers)%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://twitter.com/Swarlayzers/status/1619379441364533250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;January%2028,%202023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;%20&lt;script%20async%20src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot;%20charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@swarlayzers</a>, this one from <a href="&lt;blockquote%20class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot;%20data-theme=&quot;dark&quot;&gt;&lt;p%20lang=&quot;en&quot;%20dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Did%20some%20&amp;#39;investigative%20journalism&amp;#39;%20this%20morning%20into%20the%20Jaren%20Jackson%20Jr.%20scorekeeper%20saga%20(from%20this%20Reddit%20thread%20alleging%20his%20stats%20are%20padded%20at%20home:%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://t.co/XH6X5muYkP&quot;&gt;https://t.co/XH6X5muYkP&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Here%20are%20some%20of%20the%20more%20questionable%20blocks/%20steals%20JJJ%20is%20credited%20for%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://t.co/oeVKSJoImt&quot;&gt;pic.twitter.com/oeVKSJoImt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash;%20The%20Box%20and%20One%20(@TheBoxAndOne_)%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://twitter.com/TheBoxAndOne_/status/1619351079371829249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;January%2028,%202023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;%20&lt;script%20async%20src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot;%20charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Spinella</a>, this response from former stat-checker&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/findingneema23/status/1619365149902798848?s=20&amp;t=dHOSgXZXmSBeIIoZGaqgqw">Neema Djavadzadeh</a>.&nbsp;Most of the follow-ups reach the same conclusion: The initial poster either cherry-picked some narrative-suiting examples or was just plain wrong about their claims.&nbsp;
Furthermore, the post painted a picture that some corrupt mastermind is at the center of Jackson's absurd defensive season when that simply is not how NBA statskeeping works.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
This post is making its way around the league now, not just the internet. For what it's worth, I checked in, and the Grizzlies use the same official scorer this season as they used last season. <a href="https://t.co/DViGP4JMxO">https://t.co/DViGP4JMxO</a>
&mdash; Fred Katz (@FredKatz) <a href="https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/1619369038202953729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Fred Katz of&nbsp;The Athletic&nbsp;gets the ball rolling with this thread, explaining that recording stats is not a one-person job anymore. In 2018, <a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/04/how-nba-scorekeepers-track-player-stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spencer Lund of </a><a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/04/how-nba-scorekeepers-track-player-stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Complex</a>&nbsp;took a peek at the life of an NBA statistician and the evolution of the process. This segment offers a brief explanation of gameday protocols:
"The four-man statistics crews is divided into primary and secondary inputters and callers. The primary caller does just that: calls out each play using numbers instead of names. The primary inputter marks 'a touch screen of a basketball court,' the Brooklyn statistician says. That screen is connected to the screen of the secondary inputter, who edits mistakes and double checks iffy plays. The secondary caller works the DVR, and they&rsquo;re connected to NBA headquarters in Secaucus, NJ. That connection to Secaucus during the game is new this year, as is the mandate that every arena have four statisticians for a game.
Despite that connection, it&rsquo;s still up to the discretion of the statisticians to decide an assist. The primary inputter makes the first read, but if the stat is unclear 'it&rsquo;s kind of a consensus, majority rule,' the Nets&rsquo; statistician explains. The NBA says that they audit every stat, and they&rsquo;ve always done it that way since they went digital in the late ​&rsquo;80s; this season they&rsquo;re just connected during the game."
The NBA backed this up in its own counter to the Reddit post:
&ldquo;In order to ensure the integrity of our game statistics, auditors, independent of the statisticians on-site, review all plays and stats decisions in real-time during NBA games,&rdquo; <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2023/01/28/nba-refutes-viral-reddit-post-claiming-conspiracy-to-pad-jaren-jackson-jr-s-stats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">league spokesman Tim Frank told NBC Sports.</a> &ldquo;If changes are necessary, they are made at that time or following a postgame review. All of the plays questioned in the post on Memphis games were scored consistently within the rules set forth by the NBA statisticians manual.&rdquo;
Today's technology also puts the NBA light-years ahead of the human error from a single set of eyeballs. "Using cameras installed in the catwalks of every NBA arena, Second Spectrum software tracks the movements of every player on the court and the basketball 25 times per second," <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/help/faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the league's statistics database says on its tracking data.</a>&nbsp;
Still, some categories will involve judgement calls by nature. Even if some of Jackson's blocks are debatable, this isn't the first time the NBA fandom has questioned the integrity of the numbers. Matthew van Bommel and Luke Bornn <a href="http://www.lukebornn.com/papers/vanbommel_dmkd_2017.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conducted a massive study about scorekeeper bias in 2016</a>.&nbsp;The Athletic's&nbsp;Seth Partnow has pointed out repeatedly how the frequency of shot attempts at the rim are unusually low at Golden Warriors home games, while the volume just outside the restricted area is much higher, for both teams competing. It's not a result of some ulterior motive; there just appears a tendency by the Warriors' record-keepers to judge shot locations differently.
Assists are notoriously subjective. Folks often wonder if John Stockton really&nbsp;racked up his all-time record of 15,806 assists, and <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2019/05/17/its-an-nba-urban-legend/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andy Larsen looked into the total</a> for the Salt Lake Tribune in 2019.&nbsp;Larsen's work supports Stockton, but at the same time, he noted that the very definition of an assist leaves gray areas. <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/1/21/21074724/nba-home-court-assist-advantage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zach Kram wrote for The Ringer&nbsp;in 2020</a> about how even generous assist-crediting has changed in recent years.
So why is this suddenly captivating the league again? Three words: legalized sports betting.
Most basic NBA counting stats are now linked to video via the league's official database, with help from Second Spectrum. That opens up record-keeping to public eyes, including Redditors and people with money on the line.
Professional sports leagues, in marrying themselves to sports gambling, will face barrages of criticism about judgement calls because the stakes are higher than ever for viewers. The accuracy of block counts shouldn't be that big of a deal, nor should it factor so heavily into awards consideration as it is implied with Jackson. But it does now because millions of dollars can swing sides.
Maybe technological innovation renders human statskeeping obselete one day, and computers can track literal touches of a basketball with perfect precision. We're not there yet, though (and doesn't that get kind of creepy at a certain point?).
Defining assists and steals more clearly is one obvious pathway for improved transparency. For example, I firmly believe basketball should credit assists almost like hockey. Remove any subjective time measure or scoring difficulty component and automatically give an assist to the last passer of the score, provided the pass landed in the frontcourt. That's straightforward, and "good" assists are already up for debate anyway, so what would really change?
In general, today should really challenge the NBA fan base and betting base to understand the rulebook. At most, the major league analysts settled on 3-5 Jackson home blocks that were categorized questionably. The league itself backed up every swat. Amplifying a conspiracy theory like this one not only wastes a ton of time, but it means more ears will ignore future complaints, even if they do end up having merit.
It's great to hold pro sports leagues accountable, but you better be right when you do.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>For the record, <a href="https://twitter.com/SethPartnow/status/1619447671407738882?s=20&amp;t=V5yQjofyh8QAY1bsYGNRTQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaren Jackson Jr. is as good a defender as any and all numbers say.</a></li>
<li>Another data point for this season's ridiculous NBA scoring:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The number of players with a 30-point game in each NBA season. <a href="https://t.co/ur04gbctPu">pic.twitter.com/ur04gbctPu</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1617260889497047040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Caitlin Clark is one of the most mind-boggling scorers in the world:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The longest range shooters in women's college hoops: <a href="https://t.co/b5x7zc4FVV">pic.twitter.com/b5x7zc4FVV</a>
&mdash; Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) <a href="https://twitter.com/SynergySST/status/1617691933945782278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>This is just over a week old now, but a really interesting graphic from SIS Hoops. Lauri Markkanen stands out to me:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
A player's shot diet can shift meaningfully from year to year. Here's a look at the players who have experienced the largest changes in median shot distance this year compared to last: <a href="https://t.co/OK8BLRqwt0">pic.twitter.com/OK8BLRqwt0</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1616461874622513153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2023</a>
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</blockquote>

Ethan Fuller breaks down the realities of the Jaren Jackson Jr. stats conspiracy theory and its implications.

NBA Stats Notebook: What happens if you don't believe the stats?

As of Wednesday morning in late January, three games separate fifth place and 13th place in the Western Conference standings. We're more than halfway through the regular season and most of the West playoff spots are still completely wide-open.
Only one of those teams has put together a clean, inspiring month.&nbsp;
The Oklahoma City Thunder are 8-3 in 2023, and though they're tied for 10th in the conference at 23-24, they still sit just one game back of the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder join the Denver Nuggets as <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/fourfactors?season=2022&amp;seasontype=regseason&amp;start=01/1/2023&amp;end=01/25/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of two teams with top-five offensive and defensive ratings</a> (121.9/112.1) this month, per Cleaning the Glass, and they're up to the ninth-ranked DRTG (113.2) on the whole season.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OKC is far removed from the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes and too good of a basketball team to throw in the towel. Meanwhile, the rest of the West has been riddled with inconsistency, as some of the projected top teams battle injuries, manage rest and, more plainly, underwhelm.
Sneaking into the Play-In Tournament might be selling the youngest team in the league short. Why can't OKC bypass the preliminary round entirely?
The franchise has its superstar. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has maintained his 30-point-per-game pace in every month this season on remarkable efficiency splits for a high-usage point guard.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Here&rsquo;s the complete list of point guards that have averaged 30+ PPG on 50% shooting for a season: - Steph Curry (unanimous MVP season) - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (this season) That&rsquo;s it. <a href="https://t.co/dr1gn1H2r1">pic.twitter.com/dr1gn1H2r1</a>
&mdash; The Lead (@TheLeadSM) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLeadSM/status/1617564856051437575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Gilgeous-Alexander has knocked down 57.9% of his two-pointers this month and is a certified Tier 1 driving threat across the Association. We know that already, though, and instead of rehashing the same points, I'd like to direct you to <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2023/01/shai-gilgeous-alexander-oklahoma-city-thunder-all-star-and-on-the-verge-of-superstardom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mat Issa's excellent breakdown of SGA's unique driving gifts over at The Analyst.</a>
And though SGA is a proven finisher and pull-up scorer, he's actually had some more help this month. According to Cleaning the Glass, 42% of his at-rim buckets have been assisted, up from his 27% rate on the whole season.
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OKC has done a better job moving the ball around and kicking out to its centerpiece. In turn, he has made quicker decisions to catch and drive himself, which puts an all-world pressure point against a tilted defense. Josh Giddey has taken on more responsibility as a facilitator, but the help is really coming from everywhere, as shown above.
The results show in this table. Here's how often Gilgeous-Alexander has attempted shots at the rim with two dribbles or less, and his efficiency, per PBP Stats:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Season</td>
<td>FGM</td>
<td>FGA</td>
<td>FG%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Freq. (% of total FGA)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">64</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">100</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">64%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">13.99%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">93</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">155</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">60%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">15.33%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">21</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">37</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">56.76%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">6.56%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">55</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">79</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">69.62%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">7.52%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">59</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">82</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">71.95%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">9.47%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Those first two seasons, SGA was a complementary player with the Los Angeles Clippers and a second option in OKC next to Chris Paul. Then, he became one of the league's highest-usage No. 1 options. Now, in his third year with the role, Gilgeous-Alexander is having to create less with his dribble, and it's corresponding to an increase in efficiency.&nbsp;
You can even extend out to the mid-range, where he's taking 4.6% of his shots with two dribbles or less (highest of the past three years), and hitting a ridiculous 62.5% of those shots (by far a career-high). So though Gilgeous-Alexander is still doing the vast majority of his scoring work by himself, the supporting cast is starting to make life easier.&nbsp;
Giddey, as mentioned, has been a massive piece to the offensive improvement and the Thunder's overall rise. (Our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-josh-giddeys-rising-aggression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan detailed what's working for the second-year guard</a> and I highly recommend you check out his breakdown.)
Now, let's slide over to two game-changing role-players: Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams.&nbsp;
I wrote last summer that OKC <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-okc-oklahoma-city-thunder-shai-gilgeous-alexander-josh-giddey-luguentz-dort-chet-holmgren-tre-mann-jalen-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">needed to improve on its league-worst 32.6% catch-and-shoot three-point clip</a>&nbsp;to really help its offense around Gilgeous-Alexander. The team is up to 15th with a very capable 37.2% hit rate so far this season. Several Thunder players have improved, including significant leaps from Giddey, Lu Dort and (when healthy) Aleksej Pokusevski.
But Joe and Williams have truly turned the tide. They lead the squad in catch-and-shoot three-point percentage and are among the 15 best off the catch in the entire league, per Second Spectrum.
Joe, after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers in October, has increased his playing time in each subsequent month of the season. He's averaging 12.1 points in 21.1 minutes per game during January while canning 44.6% of his triples. I don't love playing the on/off stats game too often, but it's telling that the Thunder have been 19.9 points better than opponents per 100 possesssions with Joe on the court, per Cleaning the Glass. That ranks third among all NBA players.
The former Arkansas Razorback entered the NBA with perimeter marksmanship as his calling card, and it's unfortunate for the Sixers that they didn't see things through. Joe has very immediately become one of the best shooters in the league in his third season.&nbsp;
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These buckets might not look flashy, but they're invaluable to what OKC wants to accomplish. Gilgeous-Alexander will consistently draw help on his drives, and several other players like Williams and Darius Bazley can attack off the catch or leverage themselves on cuts. All Joe has to do is make the defense pay for helping by relocating and connecting. He's hitting 48.4% of his catch-and-shoot threes, good for fifth among all players with at least 75 such attempts.
Unlike Joe, Williams has not been quite the sure bet. He made 44.4% of his threes in 2020-21, but then just 33.9% in 2021-22, including 34.0% on catch-and-shoot attempts. This year, he's roared back with a 42.9% overall clip and is shooting an eye-popping 52.8% from distance in January.&nbsp;
Most of the resurgence comes via a massive bounce-back year from the corners. The 28-year-old is shooting 54.5% on corner threes after hitting just 35% last season. He's also a bigger threat than Joe to attack a closeout and make the right pass.
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Williams isn't some shifty advantage-creator, but he's confident in putting the ball on the floor to the point where he can compress sides of a defense. So far this month, Williams has 27 assists against just 5 turnovers, providing stability moving the ball in addition to his hot shooting.
It's fair to wonder about shooting regression for Williams, Joe and some of the other role-players on OKC's roster. But at the same time, this squad has a top-10 defense that builds on a solid 2021-22 year and gives some cushion if pieces of the offense hit a downturn.&nbsp;
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To reach a top-six seed, the Thunder would currently need to pass the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and at least one of the Mavericks or Clippers. That looks daunting on paper; most of those franchises are loaded with playoff experience and have proven themselves already.
The positive: According to Tankathon, Oklahoma City has the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA. The Thunder play the Houston Rockets three times and Los Angeles Lakers three times, plus the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors once each in their final 35 games. They only face one of the Tier 1 regular season squads in the Memphis Grizzlies. In addition, OKC has just three back-to-backs left and a massive six-game homestand at the end of February.&nbsp;
On top of that favorable schedule, those aforementioned foes in the playoff race have all been battling their own problems with injuries and inconsistent basketball. We don't need to wave Golden State or Phoenix or LAC through the regular season just because we know they'll be tough outs in the postseason. We also don't need to imagine what the youngest team in the NBA could be anymore.
The Thunder have a legitimate high-level defense, an arriving offense and a cast of supporters that is bolstering their superstar better than ever before &mdash; and they're still getting better.

Ethan Fuller explains why the Thunder have the pieces to bypass the NBA Play-In Tournament and make the postseason this year.

Making the Oklahoma City Thunder's case as a top-6 NBA playoff seed

LeBron James is on the verge of eclipsing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA scoring mark of 38,387 career points. At his current 29.3 point-per-game season average, James is nine games away from breaking a record that, for a long time, seemed close to untouchable.
James' transcendant greatness forces us to reevaluate what constitutes an "unbreakable" record. So what are some other examples across sports?
Starting with other basketball records, Abdul-Jabbar still boasts the NBA's all-time mark for made field goals with 15,837. James, despite his historic scoring, currently sits a whopping 1,882 made baskets behind Abdul-Jabbar. Even the Father Time doubters can't expect James to get there before he retires.
The career rebounding leaders are Wilt Chamberlain (23,924) and Bill Russell (21,620). No other player has ever reached 18,000 boards. Barring a drastic change to the game, it's safe to say those two marks will stand the test of time. Chamberlain's 100-point game, along with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-what-are-the-most-unbreakable-individual-records-in-nba-history-lebron-james-wilt-chamberlain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several other single-game and season-highs</a>, also seem untouchable.
Pete Maravich holds the NCAA record for most career points (3,667); he averaged over 40 points per game and set the bar in just three seasons. Antoine Davis of Detroit-Mercy is currently second and giving his best shot, but even at 3,274 points, he's well behind as he nears the end of a five-year college career.
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And Pistol Pete doesn't even come close to Pearl Moore, who holds the women's college all-time scoring mark with 4,061 career points &mdash; the vast majority coming during her time at Francis Marion University between 1976 and 1979. Here's why <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/pearl-moore-didnt-need-a-3-point-line-to-dominate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moore isn't shown on NCAA leaderboards.</a>
Lastly, while Abdul-Jabbar (and soon James) rest atop the NBA's scoring list, we simply cannot forget about Oscar Schmidt. The Brazilian legend is believed to be the leading basketball scorer of all-time across professional competition with a whopping 49,737 points. Go learn about Schmidt if you haven't yet.
Now let's switch gears and highlight other sports.
Even after the NFL's 21st-century passing surge, no receiver has come within 5,000 yards of Jerry Rice's 22,895-yard total. The San Fancisco 49ers legend holds several league records, but this one in particular feels unreachable.
Cal Ripken Jr.'s games-played streak (2,632 games) is one of Major League Baseball's most iconic records, spanning over 16 seasons. Modern sports science knows the value of rest during a long baseball season, so this record&nbsp;should&nbsp;stay forever. Another streak built to last: Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941.
On the other side of the plate, Nolan Ryan's 5,714 strikeouts dwarf any other pitcher and lead second-place Randy Johnson by 900 K's. Cy Young's whopping 749 complete games, like Ripken's appearance streak, is also immortalized with help from today's game. Young's dominance at the turn of the 20th century came at a time when pitchers breezed through complete games. That won't happen anymore &mdash; the active leader is Adam Wainwright with just 28.
Any hockey record associated with Wayne Gretzky is probably unbreakable &mdash; as Shoresy says, "Don't nickel-and-dime the Great One!" &mdash; but his hallowed 2,857 career points might be the most outrageous career tally in all of sports. Gretzky would still&nbsp;be the all-time points leader even if he never scored a goal thanks to his 1,963 assists. However, like with LeBron, the hockey world is on watch for Alex Ovechkin to overtake Gretzky's 894 career goals. Ovechkin, age 37, is 84 goals away.
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Motorsports can add an unbreakable record of its own. Richard Petty, driver of the famed No. 43, has 200 NASCAR wins to his credit, which is nearly double any other driver (David Pearson has 105). He dominated in an era during the 1960s and 1970s with uneven parity and a jam-packed schedule, so it's also illogical to think we'll see someone match his 10 consecutive victories in 1967.
Soccer has existed for so long and in so many places that all sorts of renowned records are scattered across the world. But two legends continue to be on top. Pele's 92 hat tricks are by far the most by a male player; Christiano Ronaldo is a distant second with 60.&nbsp;
Canadian legend Christine Sinclair has the most recorded international goals in soccer history by any man or woman. She surpassed the United States' Abby Wambach in 2020 and is still charging ahead, with 190 to her current total across over 20 years of international competition.
Michael Phelps is the most dominant Olympic athlete ever. His 28 gold medals are the most by any athlete by far &mdash; including 23 golds, the only person to ever eclipse double-digit gold medals. Additionally, Simone Biles' 19 world gold medals, including the Olympics and other competitions, more than double the next-closest gymnast.&nbsp;
Finally, we reach several records that seem impossible to break, unless the same record-setting athlete tops themselves. Katie Ledecky is the picture of pushing limits in the pool, setting so many fastest times that a tweet like this feels like the fairest way to sum up her stardom:
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15:37.99?!?<a href="https://twitter.com/katieledecky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katieledecky</a> just clocked the 14th-fastest swim in HISTORY, and now owns 18 of the top-20 times ever recorded in the event 😲<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TYRProSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TYRProSeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/v8VO3VVrbt">pic.twitter.com/v8VO3VVrbt</a>
&mdash; USA Swimming (@USASwimming) <a href="https://twitter.com/USASwimming/status/1614416917984595969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
And you can debate the validity of the sport all you want, but what Joey Chestnut has done in the world of competitive eating feels inhuman. He holds 55 records involving 55 food disciplines, including the 76 hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes during the 2021 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. He has not relinquished the hot-dog-eating crown since 2007.
Will LeBron James' final point tally reign like these records? It's too early to say, but by holding the honor, the King joins some of the pillars of American and international sports.

Ethan Fuller looks at some of the most untouchable records in sports, including marks held by Wayne Gretzky and Jerry Rice.

What are the most unbreakable individual records in sports history?

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 9 a.m. and watched all five contests. These standouts, among many others, caught my eye:
Girls &mdash; St. John Vianney (NJ) 81, &nbsp;Newington (CT) 38
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Zoe Brooks (NC State) went TRIPLE DOUBLE 🤩 The espnW 5 ⭐️ posted 25/14/10 with 4 steals in a St. John Vianney win. <a href="https://twitter.com/zoebrooks35?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@zoebrooks35</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HoophallClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoophallClassic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/espnW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espnW</a> <a href="https://t.co/ezCJ2CSEhh">pic.twitter.com/ezCJ2CSEhh</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1615010130252255232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Zoe Brooks, St. John Vianney &mdash; The ninth-ranked senior in the country put on a show with a monster 25-point, 14-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Brooks played decisively and confidently, never over-dribbling or wasting shot clock. She tossed a few high-level dimes from the perimeter right through the Newtington defense for cutting layups.
"I'm just waiting for somebody to get open," Brooks told Basketball News postgame. "We move a lot without the ball; obviously [after] three or four cuts, somebody's gonna get open eventually."
When Brooks did decide to score, she slashed past defenders and was unfazed by contact. She explained that developing her power drives has been a taxing process involving difficult bungee and medicine-ball workouts as part of her lifting and strength training routines.&nbsp;
"I lift a lot. This offseason I lifted a lot, so I think I got a lot stronger to take contact whenever I drive," Brooks said. "I do a lot of agility work and footwork to help me."
Those sessions are paying off in high school and will continue to in college when Brooks joins NC State.
Boys &mdash; Camden (NJ) 90, Bishop Gorman (NV) 54
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Billy Richmond and Dasear Haskins made big plays look EASY vs. Bishop Gorman 😳 <a href="https://t.co/Y1aYOg9AdJ">pic.twitter.com/Y1aYOg9AdJ</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1615047591527600130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Billy Richmond, Camden &mdash;Based on the final score, you wouldn't notice that Aaron Bradshaw spent much of the game in foul trouble and DJ Wagner struggled to make shots away from the basket. Camden still rolled to a win because other contributors like Richmond shined in big moments.
The 6-foot-7 wing led his squad with 18 points, added 5 rebounds and made both of his three-point attempts. He says he watches a lot of Paul George and studies how the Clippers star slides between on-ball and off-ball prowess.
"[My coaches say] just be aggressive and attack the defense," Richmond said. "[Wagner and Bradshaw] are doing their part, which makes the defense act a lot on them. So it just makes me flow more."
Richmond's highlight moment came with one posterizing dunk in transition; he even cut his wrist on the rim from throwing down too hard. After sitting for a short spell on the bench, he came back and added another unassisted driving score.&nbsp;
Wagner and Bradshaw rightfully take a lot of the defense's focus, allowing Richmond to capitalize on his advantages and show off his versatile game. He credits his competitive friendship with the two for helping build his status as a 3-star junior.
"We always compete, and I feel like in practice, they make me better and I make them better," Richmond said.&nbsp;
Dasear Haskins, Camden &mdash;&nbsp;Bradshaw picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and Haskins had to step in and play major minutes in his absence. The senior wound up with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench, outhustling a smaller Bishop Gorman team on the glass and logging a pair of timely blocks. He's a really powerful attacking player and that should lead to success when he does pick his college path.
Boys &mdash; Christopher Columbus (FL) 47, Sierra Canyon (CA) 46
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Cameron Boozer ➡️ Cayden Boozer to start this game <a href="https://twitter.com/HoophallClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoophallClassic</a>‼️ Tune in live on ESPNU 🏀🚨 <a href="https://t.co/K8LNXzUdgM">pic.twitter.com/K8LNXzUdgM</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1615049272206008320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Cameron Boozer, Christopher Columbus &mdash;&nbsp;After <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hoophall-highlights-top-performances-from-saturdays-action" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dominating Saturday against San Ysidro</a>, Boozer ran into a tougher physical matchup against Sierra Canyon. The superstar sophomore still managed to rack up 18 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists, and was the vocal leader for Christopher Columbus in its comeback victory.
Boozer challenged his team to be physical and even gestured for teammate Malik Abdullahi to "play big" while they waited to rebound a free throw before their final possession. Abdullahi would go on to score the winning put-back layup with three seconds left.
"[Physicality] was super important," Boozer said. "They're a team that crashes really hard, they're physical, they're big and strong, so for us to play physical is a huge thing."
Boozer was more of an interior presence in this contest and only shot 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, but his makes looked cool and comfortable. It's impressive to see his play style adapt to the opponent and result in two wins.
Cayden Boozer, Christopher Columbus &mdash;&nbsp;Cameron had the bigger stat line, but Cayden Boozer's 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists felt huge in the context of the game. He faced off against a tough Sierra Canyon guard rotation that included Bronny James and Isaiah Elohim. Boozer said facing that competition forced him to play smarter.
"The pick-and-roll really worked for me, especially trying to get that switch or just a little bit of an advantage," he said. "Those two guys are really good defenders, so I just had to try to confuse them a little bit and get to my spots."
Amidst those scores was a neat layup off of a spinning drive that got a deserved response from the crowd. Boozer splashed his lone three-point attempt while using a screen from his brother. At this point, their two-man synergy is natural, and they create easy chances for each other.
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Isaiah Elohim, Sierra Canyon &mdash;&nbsp;A 5-star shooting guard, Elohim turned on the heat when Sierra Canyon needed him to create as a scorer. He ran out in transition and finished off push-ahead passes from Bronny James. He slithered around in the half-court for mid-range pull-ups and hit a corner three off another James feed. Though he was 7-for-14 from the floor, Elohim was the only Sierra Canyon player to shoot over 50% on more than two shot attempts. He ended with 16 points.
Bronny James, Sierra Canyon &mdash;&nbsp;This matchup was a super intriguing mixed bag for the most popular player in the tournament. James scored 13 points on 17 shots and went just 1-for-9 inside the arc (and 3-for-8 on threes). He tried to score aggressively and though he could create space for himself on drives, he struggled to get all the way to the basket and finish.
At the same time, James was spectacular as a passer. His three assists harshly undersell how many needles he threaded to hit shooters and inside scorers. James wrapped this laser of a one-armed pass through two defenders in transition that went unrewarded. His active hands on defense also allowed him to aggressively guard the arc and jump passing lanes, leading to five steals. This was not the takeover game the Springfield crowd probably wanted, but it was nonetheless a fun outing to watch.
Boys &mdash; Montverde Academy (FL) 64, Sunrise Christian (KS) 51
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Liam McNeeley has one of the prettiest shooting strokes in the high school game. Great size at 6&rsquo;7&rdquo; / 6&rsquo;8&rdquo;. Stretch four big with a lot of skill. <a href="https://t.co/qK2s5OlePn">pic.twitter.com/qK2s5OlePn</a>
&mdash; Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) <a href="https://twitter.com/GlobalScouting_/status/1615085878556397568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Liam McNeeley, Montverde &mdash;&nbsp;Practically every member of the Eagles' rotation had at least a few standout moments. McNeeley was most impressive for how he created advantages off the dribble and made high-level passing reads as a 6-foot-6 wing. The 5-star junior picked up eight assists against one turnover with his 10 points.
His first step is legit, but he rarely drove into bad traffic without then hitting the appropriate cutter or shooter. McNeeley only shot 2-for-6 from the field (all threes), but he's proven himself as a perimeter threat throughout the weekend. He's one of the more fascinating fits on Montverde's loaded roster.
Miro Little, Sunrise Christian &mdash;&nbsp;Little helped Sunrise Christian rally to keep this game competitive with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from distance. The Baylor-bound point guard hit some quality shots off of movement when Sunrise Christian was able to settle into its offense. He's strong for his size and held his own against a big Montverde squad. Baylor's had a lot of recent success with its guards and Little seems like a perfect addition to the trend.

Ethan Fuller recaps his top performances from the final day of the HoopHall Classic.

HoopHall Highlights: Top performances from Monday's action

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

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

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

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

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

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

HoopHall Highlights: Top performances from Sunday's action

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

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; The home of the Miami Heat has yet another name: Miami-Dade Arena.
That will be the temporary moniker for the building where the NBA team plays its home games, while the search for a more permanent naming-rights partner commences.
The Heat and Miami-Dade County announced the new name Friday, two days after a bankruptcy court terminated the county's naming rights deal with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-england-patriots-business-fraud-recessions-and-depressions-bankruptcy-93cc19a4cd06e97a697bf86b010c94dc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX</a>. A county official had said earlier in the week that it would be referred to as &ldquo;the Arena," though those plans quickly changed.
&ldquo;Effective immediately, Miami-Dade County and the Miami Heat have agreed that, until such time as there is a new naming rights partner, to refer to the arena as Miami-Dade Arena," the parties said in a joint statement. &ldquo;The removal of the facility&rsquo;s existing signage and the changeover of branding elements will be ongoing in the coming weeks."
The process of removing FTX branding from all aspects of the arena will take some time. The company's logo appears on the court, is on many of the entrances, is embroidered on the shirts many security and in-game personnel wear, is on the arena roof and even was placed on the swipe cards that employees use to access the facility.
The county asked for the naming rights deal to be terminated in November, saying at the time that continuing to refer to the building as FTX Arena will only add to the &ldquo;enduring hardships&rdquo; brought on by the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange.
The county owns the arena and negotiated what was to be a 19-year, $135 million naming rights deal with FTX. The Heat &mdash; who have played in the building since Jan. 2, 2000 &mdash; were to receive $2 million annually as part of that deal, which went into effect in June 2021. The county and the Heat say they will work together to find a new naming partner.
Before the FTX deal, the building had been referred to as AmericanAirlines Arena since its opening in 1999. The airline giant, which has a hub in Miami, said in 2019 that it would not renew its deal past the expiration date of Jan. 1, 2020. The airline's name remained on the building until 2021.
FTX was the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange, though it ended up with billions of dollars&rsquo; worth of losses &mdash; estimates range from $8 billion to $10 billion &mdash; before seeking bankruptcy protection after a spectacular crash that took only a few days.
Its founder, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/manhattan-legal-proceedings-indictments-business-fraud-120cf18510ce329d759e2370f958a87c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sam Bankman-Fried, 30, was arrested last month</a> in the Bahamas and extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges in what U.S. Attorney Damian Williams has called &ldquo;one of the biggest frauds in American history.&rdquo; Bankman-Fried has been released on bail and is scheduled to go on trial in October. He has pleaded not guilty.

After the collapse of FTX, the Miami Heat's arena has a temporary new name: Miami-Dade Arena.

Miami Heat's arena gets temporary name after FTX collapse

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 41 points and had 12 rebounds and the Boston Celtics won their fourth straight game, holding off the New Orleans Pelicans 125-114 on Wednesday night.
Jayson Tatum added 31 points and 10 rebounds, Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points, and Al Horford had 14, making four 3-pointers. The Celtics have won their last five home games.
CJ McCollum had 38 points for New Orleans, his fifth consecutive game with at least 25 points.
He kept the Pelicans in the game throughout, going 6 of 12 from the 3-point line. They played without Zion Williamson for the fifth consecutive game as he continues to deal with a strained right hamstring.
Naji Marshall added 18 points and Trey Murphy III had 15 for New Orleans, The Pelicans have lost three of four.
The Celtics took a six-point lead into halftime and increased it to 104-89 with just under 10 minutes to play.
New Orleans got to 107-97 with 7:32 left. But Boston responded with a 11-3 run to get it back to 118-100.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: The Pelicans are 6-4 in games both Williamson and Ingram have missed. &hellip; Dropped to 8-12 on the road. &hellip; Went 9 of 15 overall from the 3-point line in the first half. &hellip; Jose Alvarado was called for a taunting technical foul with four minutes left in the third quarter after pointing at Luke Kornet after Alvarado drove past him and scored on a layup.
Celtics: Brown had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. &hellip; Red Sox star Rafael Devers, who recently signed a 10-year, $331 million contract to remain in Boston, sat courtside. New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty also was in attendance.
&nbsp;

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 41 points and the Boston Celtics won their fourth straight, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 125-114.

Brown scores season-high 41 points, Celtics beat Pelicans

If we know anything about Kawhi Leonard, it's that he certainly won't vocalize that he's "back."
He had this to say two weeks ago after posting his first 30-point game since tearing his ACL in the 2021 Western Conference Finals:
"That's just how the game played out," <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/kawhi-leonard-reacts-to-first-30-point-game-since-acl-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leonard said</a> after that win against the Wizards. "Was able to get to my spots, rose over the top, knocked down some shots. When it's that time of the game when you want to be as aggressive as possible, either you're gonna make shots or pass it to your teammates and they make shots. Just want to make a play."
Leonard details his psyche for the performance, but he's not exactly trumpeting his totals, so let's do it for him.
Leonard's long, slow reintegration from his injury really took until this past December for the weight to be fully lifted after he dealt with recurring stiffness in his knee, plus an additonal right ankle sprain. He played five games before Thanksgiving and never cleared 25 minutes.
But Leonard has played over 27 minutes a night since returning from the ankle injury on Dec. 5. He's averaging 20.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in that span.
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On the season, the 21-18 Los Angeles Clippers are 11-5 when Leonard makes an appearance. (He missed Monday's loss against Miami due to an illness). They're outscoring opponents by a staggering 16.7 points per 100 possession when Leonard's on the floor &mdash; a number that ranks in the 98th percentile among players this season, per Cleaning the Glass.
LA's leading man is doing nearly everything we've come to expect from one of the most well-rounded superstars of this generation: Creating as a scorer, facilitating when necessary and anchoring an elite defense.
The mid-range zone continues to be Leonard's home. He's taking over half of his shot attempts in the intermediate areas, and is currently drilling a career-best 52% of those attempts. The 31-year-old has also returned as a dominant isolation scorer in his limited action this season. He gets those buckets in classic Kawhi fashion &mdash; not with a viral handle or quick-twitch speed, but with precision, strength and touch.
<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/u4msx6" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Check out how Leonard's faring among 69 players who have logged 40 or more possessions in isolation, per Synergy:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Category</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Rate</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">NBA Rank</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Iso Points/Possession&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">1.15</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">11th</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Effective Field Goal Pct.</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">57.4%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">8th</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Turnover Rate</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2.4%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2nd-Lowest</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Score Frequency</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">56.1%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">6th</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
It's a relatively small sample, but then again, Leonard has only played 16 games all year. He goes to iso plays 15.1% of the time (a pretty high rate), and is succeeding as usual.
But Leonard is more than an iso scorer or mid-range maestro, and his surgical approach to offense manifests as an attacking and playmaking presence. He doesn't drive the ball that often &mdash; a modest 9.1 times per game &mdash; and less than a quarter of his shots come at the rim.
When Leonard does drive the basketball, he's tough to stop. He's scoring on 56.5% of his driving field goal attempts this is season, which is tied for 15th with Giannis Antetokounmpo, if that tells you anything. He gets an assist on 10.3% of his drives and turns the ball over just 2.7% of the time. The latter rate is the lowest among 100 NBA players averaging six drives per game this season.
The Athletic's Mike Prada brilliantly illustrated how Leonard's strength and processing speed make him a puzzle for opposing defenses:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kawhi Leonard, savant. This is reading the game, not just playing it. <a href="https://t.co/cGdBLSeE6l">pic.twitter.com/cGdBLSeE6l</a>
&mdash; Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikePradaNBA/status/1608882773351333890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I have more where that came from. Leonard dished out 7 assists in his last contest, a narrow 131-130 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Four of them were particularly remarkable:
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In this game, we see:
<ul>
<li>Quick recognition and feed to a cutting Paul George out of a post-up</li>
<li>A no-hesitation extra pass to a wide-open Reggie Jackson</li>
<li>A spin out of a post-up into a baseline drive, and then, an automatic kick-out to a drifting PG (this one's gotta be particularly fun for Clippers fans)</li>
<li>A face-up drive, engaging Myles Turner as the help defender, and pass inside to an open Ivica Zubac</li>
</ul>
None of these dimes are all that flashy, nor are all of them particularly mind-boggling. But they're further proof of Leonard's unparalleled sense of timing. Nothing looks like a big deal to him because, well, he just gets everything that's happening.
Of course, Leonard's reputation as one of the sport's all-time defenders is well-established. But it's worth highlighting one more time, because while he's not atop many steals leaderboards or metric quantifiers, the veteran's impact remains just as pivotal. The Clippers are 10.1 points stingier per 100 possessions when Leonard takes the court, a 97th-percentile difference.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kawhi Leonard's nail help remains elite <a href="https://t.co/rRQcroQKdn">pic.twitter.com/rRQcroQKdn</a>
&mdash; Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1608645130634006528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Here's one example where Leonard won't get credit for any specifc action, but he mucks up a Boston Celtics drive with his help from the nail. He's adept at covering just enough ground to get a giant hand on the ball, but not overcommitting to a play and losing control of his positioning.
At a time where superstar explosions are dominating NBA headlines, Leonard continues to fly under the radar just by being himself. He's still got more room for positive regression; his ice-cold 27.4% three-point clip will almost certainly improve.&nbsp;
We no longer need to wonder if Kawhi Leonard will ever make it back to his old self, though. He's back and fully capable of leading the Clippers in a frenetic Western Conference.

Kawhi Leonard is averaging 20.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game since returning to the lineup on Dec. 5.

Kawhi Leonard is quietly returning to his usual self for the Clippers

It's time to lay to rest any remaining doubts on the legitimacy of the 2022-23 Boston Celtics defense.
The Celtics and Phoenix Suns squared off in a battle of top seeds Wednesday night, but the ensuing contest was far removed from such a thriller. Boston took on Phoenix's humming offense &mdash; ranked second in the NBA entering the matchup &mdash; and held it to 65 points through three quarters as part of a 125-98 drubbing in Arizona.&nbsp;
This game was never close, and while Boston's historic scoring pace kept up, its defense also returned to its imposing presence we saw in the second half of last season.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Suns sported their worst single-game rates of the entire season in: Effective Field Goal percentage (40.0%), turnover rate (19.2%) and points per 100 plays (83.3). Those numbers do not include garbage time, which CTG categorized as... the entire fourth quarter.
Despite missing their top two bigs in Robert Williams III and Al Horford, Boston turned in its statement outing of the season. They had some help &mdash; Phoenix shot a ghastly 17% from beyond the arc and missed several makeable perimeter attempts &mdash; but the Celtics did what they have done most of this season: Dare teams to beat them in the mid-range and keep driving advantages at a minimum.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Celtics defense was quite good last night. Here&rsquo;s an example of how they approached Phoenix&rsquo;s base Booker-centric actions and what worked! Little breakdown with help from ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/NowOnAirr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NowOnAirr</a>⁩ 🎙 <a href="https://t.co/jQyySO3fHz">pic.twitter.com/jQyySO3fHz</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1600882128383770627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Celtics outscored the Suns 73-44 between the second and third quarters, and their onslaught began around the time of this defensive possession. Their key defensive mission was to make life uncomfortable for red-hot scorer Devin Booker and, in his first game back from injury, Chris Paul. In the above clip, we see how they key in on a Suns set designed to get Booker driving at high speed, and use their second-side help defender to muck up Booker's options (check out the video for a breakdown with sound).
A similar turnover unfolded soon after, and highlighted that the job wasn't done at the second-side help. Derrick White has been playing at an All-Defense level this season. Here's an example of his greatness:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Why is Derrick White so important to the Celtics defense? One reason: his ability to rotate, process, and intercept. I&rsquo;ve noticed him do this a few times in the corner recently and wanted to show how remarkable he is. Breakdown 🎙 <a href="https://t.co/Tyk6SPqtTk">pic.twitter.com/Tyk6SPqtTk</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1600888065450442753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Bringing help from the second side is a pragmatic way to stop a scorer from succeeding on an initial drive, but it only works if the surrounding defenders stay aware and rotate with urgency. The Celtics have reached that level of focus, spearheaded by the guard trio of Smart, White and Malcolm Brogdon.&nbsp;
However, the larger challenge for Boston would be: Can Blake Griffin and Luke Kornet contain the Suns when they get to the paint? The answer, impressively, was yes.&nbsp;
Let's spotlight Kornet for more than his polarizing "Kornet Kontests" (or Eclipses, whatever you want to say). The Celtics had both him and Griffin in the same basic defensive roles they've played all season &mdash; deep-drop-coverage big. As long as they kept driving Suns players and rolling bigs in front, they could stay in position for a contest. Deandre Ayton and Jock Landale don't shoot the three-ball particularly often, and Boston was perfectly happy to let them shoot mid-range jumpers.
<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/un18ym" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This was one particularly impressive play where Kornet perfectly reads Paul's intentions. He obviously has unique size and length at 7-foot-2 that makes opponents think just a bit longer. But Kornet never bites on CP3 shooting the ball and recognizes the lob when it's coming.&nbsp;
The above clip was an exemplary possession, but Kornet had several other moments where his presence alone convinced players to opt for mid-range pull-ups and floaters versus drives all the way to the basket.&nbsp;
The Suns took just 25.0% of their shots at the rim, though they're not a frequent interior scoring team anyway. However, they attempted 32.9% of their shots in Cleaning the Glass's "short mid-range" area between 4-to-14 feet from the basket &mdash; their third-highest frequency of the season &mdash; and made just 31.8% of those shots. It was an ugly performance that underscored what the Celtics have tried to do all season: Funnel teams into taking middies.&nbsp;
Boston wields the third-best Defensive Rating in basketball (107.2) in its 7-1 stretch over the last two weeks. That includes shutdown efforts against high-level offenses in Brooklyn, Sacramento and Phoenix. This unit knows how to contain some of the greatest scorers in the game and knows how to catch up when those scorers move the ball. That's a pretty scary combination.

Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Luke Kornet underscored a dominant defensive outing for the Celtics.

How the Celtics' blowout of the Suns shows their defense has arrived

College basketball season is off and running, and several NBA Draft hopefuls have already boosted their stock with meaningful performances.
Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock recently updated his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 NBA Draft Big Board</a>. While the top four candidates remain the same, Alabama freshman Brandon Miller has jumped up to the No. 5 spot as the top-ranked men's collegiate player.&nbsp;
It's still early in the scouting season though, with plenty of time to slide up and down in the eyes of pro teams. I checked in with Babcock to get some of his early takeaways so far and ask a bit about his process as an analyst.
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1. The top-four remain the same in this Big Board update. Specifically, with the Thompson twins, what makes you confident that they remain above the collegiate talents?
Matt Babcock: It's early in the process. There's a part of me that would prefer not even doing big boards this time of year because there is so much work to do between now and the draft, and naturally, I'm expecting my big board to look very different by the end of the season. Regarding the Thompson twins specifically, I'm very high on both of them. Like most scouts, I prefer Amen over Ausar, but I think it's close. But I'm still trying to figure out just how close. So like I said, I have a lot of work to do, and I will be heading back out to Atlanta to see them again.
2. What strengths does Brandon Miller possess to propel him to No. 5?
Babcock: I was in Portland over Thanksgiving for the Phil Knight Invitational, and that first night versus Michigan State, Brandon Miller was terrific! He's 6-foot-9 and is such a smooth shooter and scorer. I was also impressed with his ability to put the ball on the floor. He needs to get stronger, which I think will help him finish better at the rim and defensively, but he has a lot of offensive talent and upside, regardless.
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3. With no centers in the top 10, how wide open do you think the hierarchy is at that position?
Babcock: Traditional big men have continued to lose value in recent years, so that's a big part of it. And our top prospect this year, Victor Wembanyama, is 7-foot-4 with an 8-foot wingspan, but is not generally categorized as a center because he has much more of a perimeter-oriented game. The top big men prospects this year are true freshmen Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively from Duke, Kel'el Ware from Oregon, and Adem Bona from UCLA. It's early in the season, so we don't need to come to conclusive stances on prospects right now because there's plenty of time for these players to develop and progress throughout this season.
4. Which draft prospect has wowed you most as an in-person viewer so far?
Babcock: This is an easy one: Victor Wembanyama blew me away. His combination of length and skill is exceptional. Victor is a generational talent, and I expect him to become the No. 1 pick in the 20223 NBA Draft.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_19178492.jpg" alt="" width="651" height="434" />
5. Which prospects have gotten off to a slow start but should not raise serious concerns?
Babcock: Some of the freshmen are starting slow. Dereck Lively at Duke and Chris Livingston at Kentucky have started slow. And then Dariq Whitehead, also from Duke, and Nick Smith at Arkansas are just getting back from injuries, so they haven't done much yet. It's early, though; all these guys have time to rewrite their narratives.
6. What is most valuable about scouting games in-person vs. watching film?
Babcock: It's about seeing all the little stuff. I do my best to ensure I have a good seat for games. The closer to the court, the better. I want to learn about players' physical tools and movements, and figuring out a player's skill set is easier in person. However, the main reason for making such an effort to see prospects in person is to learn about players' personalities, attitudes, and coachability, for example. When evaluating players, I ask myself questions like: Is he a leader? Is he competitive? How does he handle physicality? Is he soft? Is he selfish? I could list off thousands of things like that, but the main point is that to get a firm grip on who prospects are as people and what makes them tick, you need to see them in person.
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7. Emoni Bates captivated social media with some of his early games &mdash; do you think he could return to first-round pick status?
Babcock: I've never questioned that Emoni had high-level talent; it's always been there from that standpoint. The biggest questions are his maturity and reliability. I saw some attitude issues in high school, and he has shown that he lacks composure and maturity at times. On top of all that, he's gotten in real trouble. So essentially, it comes down to the same question when evaluating prospects for the draft, are they a good investment for a team? I'm still trying to calculate the risk/reward ratio with Emoni. So we'll see how it goes.
8. What are you most excited about in the final weeks of nonconference action?
Babcock: I hit the scouting trail hard in November, so I'm shifting gears here the next couple of weeks by attending some high school events, including HoopHall West in Arizona and the City of Palms Classic in Florida. But I look forward to seeing some specific teams soon, including Arkansas, Creighton, Houston, and South Carolina.

NBA Draft expert Matt Babcock discusses Brandon Miller's early standout play, plus thoughts on the college season so far and more.

NBA Draft Q&A: Matt Babcock on early takeaways from scouting trail

For the last four years, Nikola Jokic has set a standard as the offensive fulcrum in the NBA.
The two-time Most Valuable Player led the league in touches per game from 2018-19 through 2021-22, according to data tracked by NBA Stats and Second Spectrum. He became the first player in tracking history (dating back to 2013-14) to average over 100 touches per game across an entire season in 2020-21, then did it again last year.
But for the first time in five years, Jokic isn't atop the leaderboard in that statistical category.
That spot currently belongs to Tyrese Haliburton.&nbsp;
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The dynamic young guard is averaging 97.1 touches per contest through his first 21 games &mdash; easily a career high, and even an uptick from his two-month stretch last spring after the Indiana Pacers acquired him before the trade deadline. That mark is on pace to be the fourth-highest non-Jokic touch diet recorded in 10 years of tracking.&nbsp;
At just 22 years old, Haliburton has rapidly ascended to his current status as the NBA's assist leader and one of its premier orchestrators. Just look at the latest history he made:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Tyrese Haliburton has posted 40 assists and zero turnovers across his last three games 🔥 Per NBA Stats, he&rsquo;s the first player to do that in a three-game span since individual turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/3EKLBYNd73">pic.twitter.com/3EKLBYNd73</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1597745470264131589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
&ldquo;I want to be a 20-and-10 guy and I want to be an All-Star,&rdquo; Haliburton <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-interview-tyrese-haliburton-indiana-pacers-chad-buchanan-bennedict-mathurin-myles-turner-sacramento-kings-domantas-sabonis-trade-drew-hanlen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told our Alex Kennedy before the season</a>.
So far, he's on track, posting 19.3 points and 11.2 assists per game, even after a dud outing against his former Sacramento Kings team. Many people, myself included, expected Haliburton to stuff the stat sheet this year on a bad Pacers team destined for the NBA Draft lottery.
Except... the Pacers haven't been bad. They're 12-9 and fourth in a crowded middle pack of the Eastern Conference. In that time, Haliburton has been the clear best high-volume passer in the league.&nbsp;
Seriously, pick a site and pick a stat. Haliburton is responsible for 51.3% of his team's assists, the best mark in the NBA, and his 1.76 assist-to-usage rate is also tops in the league, per Cleaning the Glass. He passes the ball more than anyone else (76.2 times per game) and 18.3% of those passes turn into assists or free throws (ranked 7th), according to Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
BBall Index has 11 listed metrics for playmaking traits; Haliburton is in the 98th percentile or higher in 10 of them. But I'd like to specifically highlight his 11.7 "high value assists" per 75 possessions, which track his rate of creation for three-point, at-rim and free-throw assists.
Haliburton leads the NBA by a significant margin with 4.76 three-point assists per game. His instinctual processing is otherworldly, as he'll show us:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Tyrese Haliburton takes us inside the mind of the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nba</a>&rsquo;s assists leader, sharing his thought process during the final play of last night's game when he found Andrew Nembhard for the game-winning three. <a href="https://t.co/u6D1McSmqD">pic.twitter.com/u6D1McSmqD</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1597663024386801666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The most popular assist combination in the league, according to PBP Stats, is Haliburton setting up Buddy Hield. He's done it 61 times; no other player has connected with a teammate more than 50 times this season. Haliburton also has another, quieter frequent-assist partner: Jalen Smith, who's been the beneficiary 44 times this season (seventh-most in the NBA).&nbsp;
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Haliburton recognizes that defenses don't fully respect Smith as a perimeter shooter yet. But the combo guard is still happy to hit up his teammate for an open shot, and Smith has lately been knocking them down as a trailing or spot-up shooter. Then Haliburton also capitalizes with his ball-screen savvy, drawing in defenders to hit Smith as the roller or as a separate cutter.&nbsp;
These dishes might not always seem flashy, but they reinforce two key developments: Haliburton's overall pristine court awareness, and his growing gravity as an individual scorer. Here's a snapshot of his presence at the rim in his career, per Cleaning the Glass:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 44px;">Season</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 44px;">% of FGA At Rim</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 44px;">% of Rim FGM That Were Assisted</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 44px;">At-Rim FG%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 22px;">16%</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 22px;">40%</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 22px;">67%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 22px;">2021-22 (SAC)</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 22px;">15%</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 22px;">28%</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 22px;">64%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 22px;">2021-22 (IND)</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 22px;">22%</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 22px;">49%</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 22px;">64%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 22px;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 22px;">30%</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 22px;">18%</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 22px;">67%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Haliburton is getting to the cup more than ever and doing some serious heavy lifting by himself to create those shots. Yet, he's experienced no falloff in efficiency whatsoever.&nbsp;
<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/sfpg1h" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
I mean &mdash; this just looks so easy! Haliburton is changing directions quickly into mismatches, getting low and turning corners with purpose, using changes in stride to decelerate, finishing off buckets with his length and touch, and, in the last clip, just making defenders look downright silly. He was not supposed to have this in his bag coming out of Iowa State. He just makes attacking with the basketball look effortless.
Haliburton is scoring on 51.7% of his driving field goal attempts; that's not a world-beating rate, but it's very good for his volume, and it sufficiently threatens opponents. This means more defenders stay focused on Haliburton, resulting in more passing lanes appearing on his internal radar.
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This glosses over Haliburton's perimeter shot-making, which has started cold, but is a hallmark of his game. The third-year guard has canned just 34.0% of his catch-and-shoot treys while keeping a better, 38.0% clip on pull-ups. The catch-and-shoot numbers are bound to improve; he's been over 43% in each of his prior two years and has a long track record of shooting prowess.&nbsp;
Revisiting Kennedy's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-interview-tyrese-haliburton-indiana-pacers-chad-buchanan-bennedict-mathurin-myles-turner-sacramento-kings-domantas-sabonis-trade-drew-hanlen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">summer feature</a>, Haliburton said that becoming an imposing scorer would allow both himself and his teammates to prosper:
"I think being more aggressive as a scorer will allow me to also open up more things as a facilitator; I think it boosts both things for me... [I&rsquo;ll] still be facilitating, but I&rsquo;ll also be looking for my own [shot], and that's gonna help everybody at the end of the day," Haliburton said.
It is remarkable that, in the span of 21 games, Haliburton has manifested these results. It's another testament to his vision, both on the basketball court and of his own stardom.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Returning to the touches leaders: Jokic ranks third currently at 93.1 touches per game. The slight dip makes sense; Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. have hit a string of consistent health, and Bones Hyland's role continues to grow. Don't let the change distract from Jokic remaining one of the sport's unique artists.</li>
<li>The Boston Celtics!</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jump Shooting By Team. <a href="https://t.co/DJav9GGB6d">pic.twitter.com/DJav9GGB6d</a>
&mdash; Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) <a href="https://twitter.com/kirkgoldsberry/status/1597984396732428293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>With the continued demise of mid-range shooting and a push towards creating quality shots at the rim, we might be hitting a math-breaking point for the league:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
eFG% on 2PAs has passed that of 3PAs as 2P% keeps climbing. <a href="https://t.co/lujr2qBEYy">pic.twitter.com/lujr2qBEYy</a>
&mdash; Tom Bassine (@tvbassine) <a href="https://twitter.com/tvbassine/status/1598314428042280961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Would like to give a shoutout to Jalen Williams, who just won NBA Rookie of the Month for November and has absolutely been one of my favorite rookies to watch all season long:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jalen Williams is shooting 62.1% on two-pointers this season and only 45% of those have been assisted. He's already got such a smooth ability to change pace, finish with strength and length, and use floater touch. Some great moments from his 27-point game: <a href="https://t.co/fZxV1Uuacx">pic.twitter.com/fZxV1Uuacx</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1598340267588861952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Tyrese Haliburton is the NBA's leader in touches per game and has made the most of his offensive impact.

NBA Stats Notebook: Tyrese Haliburton arriving as an offensive engine

Luka Doncic carries the largest individual scoring burden in the NBA. It's barely even up for debate at this point. He leads the league in per-game scoring, ranks second in Basketball Reference's usage rate, and has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jason-kidd-concerned-about-luka-doncics-ridiculously-high-usage-rate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already sparked concern</a> about the effects of his workload from head coach Jason Kidd.
The most telling evidence, however, comes from Darryl Blackport and PBP Stats, which tracks "self-created" shots around the NBA &mdash; shots that took two or more seconds for an individual to generate. Of Doncic's 370 field goal attempts this season, 342 &mdash; a whopping 92.4% &mdash; have been self-created. That percentage leads the NBA by a wide margin and is on pace to be the highest in the last 10 years since NBA tracking data was implemented.
Only four other times has a player self-created over 90% of his shots in a season: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (twice, in 2020-21 and 2021-22), Trae Young (2021-22) and James Harden (2018-19). We can draw all sorts of takeaways from Doncic's pace regarding his own greatness, his usage and the support system of the Mavericks' offense. The central point is that Doncic has to conjure a level of bucket-getting creativity unlike almost anyone we've seen in recent years.
I examined some of this self-creation data over the summer, looking at <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-have-nba-superstars-changed-as-creators-over-time-lebron-james-kevin-durant-chris-paul-giannis-joel-embiid-nikola-jokic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leaguewide trends</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-have-nba-superstars-changed-as-creators-over-time-lebron-james-kevin-durant-chris-paul-giannis-joel-embiid-nikola-jokic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">player evolutions</a>. We're approaching the 20-game mark of the season for most NBA teams, and while that's still a small sample size, it's worth starting to unpack the landscape of the league.
Let's get back to Doncic and the burden of self-creation. Here are the top-10 leaders in self-creation frequency (min. 100 total shot attempts) so far this season, along with their effective field goal percentages on those shots:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 242px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">Player</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">% of FGA that are self-created</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">eFG% on self-created shots</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd" style="height: 22px;" role="row">
<td class="" style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">Luka Doncic</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">92.4%</td>
<td class="sorting_1" style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">54.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">87.6%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">54.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">Trae Young</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">86.1%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">45.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">Ja Morant</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">85.0%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">49.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">83.9%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">48.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">Jalen Brunson</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">81.2%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">54.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">Kevin Porter Jr.</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">81.0%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">44.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">DeMar DeRozan</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">80.8%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">56.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">Cade Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">78.1%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">47.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">De'Aaron Fox</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">77.7%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%; height: 22px;">56.4%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, considering their extraordinary creation burdens, have been quite effective. Jalen Brunson and De'Aaron Fox have also shined as individual creators this season, and we already knew DeMar DeRozan could get buckets himself.
Meanwhile, it's been tough sledding for Trae Young and Kevin Porter Jr. Young should bounce back given his track record, but Porter Jr. is regressing from his already-dismal 44.4 eFG% last season. Houston needs to find a way to make life easier for KPJ.
Fox and DeRozan rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in self-created eFG% among 85 players who have taken at least 100 such attempts. The four in front: Stephen Curry (62.7%), Donovan Mitchell (62.0%), Tyrese Haliburton (58.1%), and Tyler Herro (56.6%).&nbsp;
Add that stat to the index of support for one of Chef Curry's best seasons ever. He's only surpassed that mark once in tracking data history: his 2015-16 MVP season. And how about Mitchell and Haliburton thriving &nbsp;as lead creators despite a new role (Haliburton) and a new team (Mitchell)? Their electric starts are backed up by the numbers.
Though creative individual scorers help lead the entertainment aspect of the NBA, there's still the stigma that less ball movement means less success. Does that match up with how the season has played out to date?
Not really. The Los Clippers have self-created a league-high 54.1% of their shots this season and are 28th in Cleaning the Glass's offensive rating. Teams like the Rockets and Pistons are in a similar boat. But the Spurs only create 39.7% of their shots with individual efforts (2nd-lowest in the NBA), yet have the 26th-ranked offense. Charlotte, the worst offense in the league, is exactly in the middle at 15th-fewest in self-creation frequency. The below graph shows there isn't much of a trend:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-11-25-at-1-45-57-pm_690w.png" alt="" />
Self-creation efficiency, regardless of team volume, is a tad bit more telling, but still not super helpful. Many of the best offenses have also knocked down self-created attempts at a high clip, but there are also several notable exceptions, namely teams like the Raptors and Jazz:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-11-25-at-1-45-04-pm_690w.png" alt="" />
The moral of the story is: Basketball is complex! Maybe letting individual shot creators run free is good for the offense and overall team. Maybe it isn't. "Know your personnel" is not just about scouting opponents &mdash; it also can mean understanding one's own roster and the best ways to harmonize with each player.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Which player is self-creating the fewest percentage of his shots? That's Boston Celtics wing Sam Hauser:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Fun stats that shows how extreme Sam Hauser is leaning into the off-ball shooter archetype: He&rsquo;s taken 89 shots this season. ONE has been a self-created shot and it was near the basket. His 1.1% self-creation frequency is hilariously low and the lowest in the NBA
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1596196146309107712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>More fuel to the "Steph Curry is playing his best basketball ever" from Synergy's Todd Whitehead:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry is off to the hottest start of his career. <a href="https://t.co/S9QLlSJCwM">pic.twitter.com/S9QLlSJCwM</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1593696065907134465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Here's a neat visualization from SISHoops that highlights how this year's best perimeter shooters are finding their chances:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shot versatility is an underappreciated element of shooting ability, so we're taking a look at how the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA</a> top 3-point marksmen are getting their looks: <a href="https://t.co/OQUAp6ZaAx">pic.twitter.com/OQUAp6ZaAx</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1595108265670889473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller looks at the early landscape of shot creation around the NBA.

NBA Stats Notebook: Analyzing early self-creation trends around the league

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has been an eyewitness to the unique, confusing development of Aleksej Pokusevski. On Monday night against the Boston Celtics, Daigneault reveled in the symbolism of a breakthrough performance:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Mark Daigneault quote of the year: "(Poku) had Horford tonight, which, it's a great contrast. We obviously had Horford when Poku was a rookie. If you told me that two years later Poku would be playing 37 minutes and guarding Horford ... I would've checked to do a sobriety test."
&mdash; Joe Mussatto (@joe_mussatto) <a href="https://twitter.com/joe_mussatto/status/1592357433833553920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
Pokusevski, still just 20 years old, has entered his third NBA season with an increasing chorus of impatient critics clamoring for consistent outings. He's long been viewed as the wacky-gadget prospect on a Thunder team nowhere near contention &mdash; the ultimate wild card on a roster that might as well throw wild cards out on the floor while it loses.&nbsp;
Something feels different this year. Pokusevski has started 8 of his 12 contests (he started 12 of 61 last season) and OKC is a respectable 6-8 with additional valiant losses to the Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. He's averaging career highs in points (9.9), rebounds (5.9) and blocks per game (1.7). After ranking as arguably the league's most inefficient offensive player over the last two years, Pokusevski's 54.2% True Shooting clip is pretty solid &mdash; and a massive career-best.
It isn't just about the exciting new numbers. Pokusevski has been a notoriously rough, early-season player as he adjusted to a steep learning curve. This year, he's overextending himself less and playing with more confidence and more comfort. That showed up in Monday's 126-122 loss to Boston, where Pokusevski accumulated 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks.
<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/2znozm" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The swats stand out as significant developments. Pokusevski's current 3.4% block rate is double his career-high and in the 87th percentile among bigs, per Cleaning the Glass (and he's barely even a big!). That second rejection on Jayson Tatum is an improbable one coming at the last possible moment before moving into goaltending territory. Few players in basketball could pull it off.&nbsp;
Oklahoma City has been using Pokusevski frequently as a drop coverage defender. It allows him to be less of a physical chaser and more intimidating with his length in space. Against Boston, he contains Jaylen Brown's drive and blocks his shot, and later shuts down a rolling Al Horford's first attempt. Pokusevski is improved at dealing with contact. I wouldn't call him "good" at it yet, and he needs to be better about some of his second efforts after an initial block &mdash; but he's exhibited demonstrable progress.
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From the Nov. 11 contest against Toronto &mdash; look at some of these rotations and help blocks! Pokusevski can contain Fred VanVleet's drive, then adjust and recover all the way to the three-point line to block a Scottie Barnes three-point attempt. As long as the opponent isn't using a center as an offensive hub, OKC should feel confident that Pokusevski can hold down the fort as a lengthy, mobile nuisance in drop coverage.
Get this: According to PBP Stats, Pokusevski had 17 blocks at the rim in 61 games last season. He has 14 in 12 games so far this year.
On offense, he's starting to manifest some of the fantastical visions of a mobile, 7-foot shooter, and getting more active on the glass. Below are his 7 makes on 12 attempts from Monday:
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The Celtics were content to leave Pokusevski open in actions where he snuck out to the perimeter, and he made them pay twice on four attempts. Poku is up to a solid 37.5% clip on catch-and-shoot treys; he finished at 31.0% last season. He also radiated composed creativity with the ball in his hands on some other makes, and even followed up that missed floater attempt with a sweet putback dunk.&nbsp;
Approximately 40% of Pokusevski's shots are coming at the rim &mdash; again a career-high &mdash; and only 44% of those attempts have been assisted by a teammate. He's working for his own shot while still fitting into OKC's offense. Per PBP Stats, Poku had 48 putback points all last season. He's got 18 now and would surpass 48 less than halfway through this year.&nbsp;
Stability is driving the overall optimism surrounding Pokusevski's start. Yes, his track record of radical peaks and valleys mean we can't say he's arrived after just 12 games. But Pokusevski doesn't look like he's being forced into the Thunder lineup as a play-test. He's legitimately a positive two-way contributor for a pretty solid basketball team.
How many 20-year-olds can say that?

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Pokusevski racked up 16 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks against the Celtics on Monday.

Aleksej Pokusevski is putting the pieces together with the Thunder

This isn't the Boston Celtics offense that many have come to know and, at various points, loathe.
The Celtics wield the best offensive rating in basketball. They're off to a 10-3 start this season and have scored 110 or more points in 11-of-13 contests. And most impressively, in a year where transition play is on the rise and the leaguewide halfcourt offensive rating is actually down from the past two seasons, Boston has been historically unstoppable.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the C's are averaging 107.6 points per 100 possessions of halfcourt offense. That would be by far the highest number in the history of the site's database, which tracks back to 2003-04. The gap between Boston and second-place Dallas (101.7) is equal to the gap between the Mavericks and the 14th-place Chicago Bulls.&nbsp;
The Celtics are shredding opponents nearly every single night, even as their top-ranked defense from last season is still working out early-season kinks.&nbsp;
It's not like Boston completely overhauled its roster. Malcolm Brogdon was a key offseason signing, as was Sam Hauser (we'll touch on both of them), but the core of the rotation is the same. Payton Pritchard, the best shooter on last year's team, no longer receives regular minutes.&nbsp;
As far as passing &mdash; the Celtics hand out 275.5 passes per game, which ranks tied for 22nd in the NBA, according to Second Spectrum. They average 3.18 seconds per touch (ranked t-15th) and 2.41 dribbles per touch (ranked t-10th). So the ball isn't constantly buzzing around the court &mdash; instead, the Celtics are emphasizing purposeful ball movement with their spacing and driving.
&ldquo;We want to put pressure on the rim, we want to finish at the basket,&rdquo; Al Horford said <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/11/sports/celtics-set-tone-early-wire-to-wire-win-over-nuggets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">after Friday's win against the Denver Nuggets</a>. &ldquo;At the same time, we have to have good spacing around [Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown] in case that doesn&rsquo;t happen. We play inside-out. We get those threes. It&rsquo;s just the way our lineups are. We have five shooters out there, so we&rsquo;re really spreading it out.&rdquo;
The success obviously starts with Jayson Tatum's career year. The 24-year-old is in the midst of his most efficient season ever, averaging a career-best 132.1 points per 100 shot attempts to power his 31.4 points per game. He's shooting 38.7% from long range and decreasing his turnover rate despite being a notoriously slow-starting player.&nbsp;
Tatum's most eye-popping statistic so far is his absurd 79% finishing rate at the rim. Most of those buckets are self-created, where he has taken yet another step forward as a decisive driver while adding hints of a floater game. However, I'd like to steer over to his assisted attempts at the basket. Tatum is 25-for-29 (86.2%) on shots within 10 feet where he held the basketball for less than two seconds. That's unsurprisingly a career-high, per PBP Stats, and it also comes on his highest frequency of attempts in the last four seasons.&nbsp;
<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/seac2c" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
It is always easier to accelerate without dribbling a basketball. Boston has used that knowledge by giving Tatum off-ball screens to let him loose and having him surprise teams with delayed cuts (Adam Taylor of CelticsBlog <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2022/11/9/23448847/why-the-boston-celtics-utilized-delayed-cuts-against-the-memphis-grizzlies-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown?_gl=1*dkhxh0*" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote a nice article about those</a>). You'll also see him work as a screen-and-slipper in the above reel.
The goal is to either manufacture a driving lane for Tatum or force a switch onto a bad matchup in bad positioning. Jaden Ivey doesn't stand a chance in his effort against a speeding Tatum. Help defenders aren't even prepared to rotate in some of the other clips.
You'll notice one possession where Marcus Smart feeds a cutting Tatum out of a post-up &mdash; leading us to the next hidden offensive development.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Marcus Smart up to 48 assists and just six turnovers in his last five games. Easily the best stretch of his career on that front.
&mdash; Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1591619131719270400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Smart's point guard wizardry has been on full display this season. Quietly, he's also become a post hub for the Celtics. According to Second Spectrum, Smart is posting up 1.6 times per game this season. That might not seem like much, but it it's actually 44th among all NBA players and second among all guards. Also, it's close to double his volume from 2021-22.&nbsp;
What's happening on those plays? In 21 total post touches, Smart has converted 6-of-8 shot attempts, passed the ball 11 times for four assists, and coughed up a single turnover. His 19.0% assist rate out of the post is third among all players with at least 10 total post-ups this season.
<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/l4en1g" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Smart knows when to bully his way to the basket against weaker guards. He can then finish through them or turnaround and hit short jumpers. He's also more of a quarterback out of the post, directing cutters and disguising his true intentions, as shown when he hits Horford and Jaylen Brown for assists.&nbsp;
Speaking of Horford &mdash; his own marksmanship has made some of the spacing he spoke about particularly effective. He's taking over half of his shots from behind the arc and drilling them at a 48% clip. And, after scarcely shooting corner threes for most of his career, the 36-year-old has exploded to start the season:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Corner 3PT Frequency</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Corner 3PT%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2018-19 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">3%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">29%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2019-20 (76ers)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">5%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">27%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2020-21 (Thunder)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">5%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">22%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2021-22 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">13%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">40%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2022-23 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">27%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">48%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
According to PBP Stats, the Celtics lead the NBA with 13.5 three-point assists per game. Horford headlines the beneficiaries. &nbsp;
&ldquo;Mentally, I&rsquo;m getting in that mindset of I&rsquo;m shooting more threes and that&rsquo;s just what it is," Horford told Bobby Manning of <a href="https://www.clnsmedia.com/al-horford-thriving-in-shooting-role-as-celtics-offense-soars/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLNS Media</a>. "The game continues to change, and for me, it&rsquo;s just trying to find a way that I can change too.&rdquo;
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Boston's five-out sets turn Horford into a lethal corner weapon. The Celtics use guard and wing screens frequently (exemplified with Smart in the first clip) that give a plus passer the space to make reads in the middle of the floor. Defenses have to collapse to some degree, which means Horford gets more space.&nbsp;
Then, you have dynamic individual drivers like Tatum, Brown and Brogdon who can fold defenses on their own and make corner kick-outs to Horford. Even Tatum's off-ball gravity pays off for Horford; look at how he makes a mid-air exta pass off of his designed play to a Horford three-pointer in the third clip.
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Horford's success is a testament to Boston's ability to create open looks for their center, as well as his own improved consistency from long range. Brogdon's addition has helped generate those chances for Horford and others.
When the Celtics acquired Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers this summer, his swing skill for the franchise was his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/ethan-fuller?page=4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unstoppable driving prowess</a>. The trait has blended seamlessly into Boston's new-look offense. Brogdon leads the team in drives per game and is shooting a strong 53.8% on driving shot attempts. His 14.0% assist rate on drives places him eighth among 64 high-volume drives in the NBA (with at least eight drives per game).&nbsp;
<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/dk3tcf" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In these two examples, Brogdon draws in&nbsp;three&nbsp;Memphis Grizzlies defenders before making the appropriate kick-out. His physicality and ball control almost guarantees a paint touch. Then, he can get all the way to the basket if he has a lane, or send a pass back to the perimeter. Or option three: the Celtics continue to move well off the ball and he finds a cutter, like so:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Malcolm Brogdon automatic paint touch ✔️ Jaylen Brown read and react cut into a lane ✔️ This is what the Celtics should love to see <a href="https://t.co/KRebKViDXE">pic.twitter.com/KRebKViDXE</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1589010044456079360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Brogdon and the rest of Boston's attacking players need perimeter threats to make a driving, swinging offense hum. Grant Williams is a surefire sharpshooter at this point, and guys like Tatum, Horford and Derrick White have also started hot. But the latter three have a streaky history and are likely to cool off.
Sam Hauser might just be legit.
The second-year forward was a two-way player for Boston who primarily spent last season with the Maine Celtics (long live the Red Claws!). The franchise expressed confidence throughout the offseason that he could make the leap, though, and he slid right into the rotation spot that would have presumably been occupied by Danilo Gallinari.&nbsp;
Hauser has silenced all doubters so far. He's hitting 45.6% of his three-pointers, good for 15th in the NBA, and has canned some spectacular difficult shots. One of the key weaknesses Boston stumbled upon in last year's playoffs was that, despite Grant Williams shooting the lights out, defenses rarely keyed in on Celtics role-players beyond the arc. No one threatened enough to pull attention from Tatum and Brown.&nbsp;
This year, Hauser can build a resume worthy of defensive attention.&nbsp;
The 24-year-old is averaging 1.54 points per possession on spot-up plays this season, which slots him seventh among 220 qualifying players. Hauser exudes confidence, barely appearing to think before he pulls the trigger (in a good way):
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He's not really a Duncan-Robinson-type who flies around screens or a Payton-Pritchard-type who steps into pull-ups. Hauser just constantly relocates and capitalizes on the space he receives while Boston's other players bend the defense. Notice how several of these attempts are open &mdash; for now, defenses still would rather contain Boston's star drivers instead of Hauser's three-ball.
That's going to change if he keeps lighting up the arc. If Hauser can remain a playable defensive piece and be enough of a threat to attack closeouts, in addition to his volume and efficiency from deep &mdash; look out. Defenses will have no choice to play the numbers game and focus more on Hauser, and that will in turn make driving the ball easier for the Celtics.
Boston ultimately has so many critical offensive developments compounding on top of each other. The Celtics' juggernaut vibe exists because the players recognize each other's strengths and have learned how to reverberate off each other. It's still very, very early; defenses will build up a film database and send counters, and the true test for this team will be how it adapts throughout the year.&nbsp;
But a hot start under a new coach is always welcome, and the stampede of complementary successes makes this Celtics offense appear built for the long haul.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>I barely even mentioned Grant Williams! He deserves a shout-out because he is averaging a ludicrous 155.7 points per shot attempt, according to Cleaning the Glass. That's the best mark among 229 NBA players who have logged at least 200 minutes this season.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Yesterday, we ran a stats-based check-in with our followers on Twitter, offering up neat numbers for players who have not received enough love this year. Here are two highlights:</li>
</ul>
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Romeo Langford is crushing it in the short mid-range 🔥 He&rsquo;s taken 28% of his shots there and made 62% of them. Both rank in the top 10% among wings, per Cleaning the Glass. <a href="https://t.co/Jp2csrcbnB">https://t.co/Jp2csrcbnB</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1591442747948515329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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46 NBA players have self-created over 50 shots within 10 feet of the basket, per PBP Stats. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox is the only one making more than 70% of those attempts 😳 <a href="https://t.co/0mrPzObsVl">https://t.co/0mrPzObsVl</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1591443447755726849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-the-sun-is-still-rising-on-anfernee-simons-portland-trail-blazers-damian-lillard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last week's NBA Stats Notebook about Anfernee Simons' hot start</a>!&nbsp;

Ethan Fuller breaks down some of the statistics behind the Boston Celtics' league-leading offense.

NBA Stats Notebook: A deep dive into the Celtics' dominant offense

I'll be the first to admit I'm a numbers guy.
I mean, I write the Stats Notebook at Basketball News. The NBA Stats site is a top page in my browser, and PBP Stats, BBall Index and the like can become rabbit holes if I have too much free time. Statistics are a chronology of moments, making the past tangible and the future ever-so-slightly more predictable.
Stats also never tell the whole story. Ayo Dosunmu might be this year's case in point.
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The second-year Chicago Bulls guard has been one of my favorite individual players to watch in this early 2022-23 season. Dosunmu is averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and has seen his production rise in accordance with a slight minutes bump.
However, his 59.2% True Shooting percentage is a hair down from last year (still quite good by the way!), his assist and turnover rates have also dropped a bit, and he's recorded a -42 plus-minus on the season despite the 6-6 Bulls losing just one game by double digits.
People probably look at those surface numbers and shrug their shoulders. But watch Dosunmu and witness his versatility, creativity and electricity jump out of the screen.
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Watch only Ayo Dosunmu throughout this defensive play. This is the stuff you don't catch if you're only watching the ball, GREAT off-ball defense that blew up this possession. <a href="https://t.co/9LzLrUeZJv">pic.twitter.com/9LzLrUeZJv</a>
&mdash; Steph Noh (@StephNoh) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephNoh/status/1588694321427279873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
Dosunmu completes three significant actions here, and only one (the assist to Zach LaVine) lands in the box score. He slinks through the off-ball screens to cover Jaylen Brown and nullify a primary piece of Boston's set. Then, with Brown in a minimally-advantageous spot in the corner, Dosunmu helps out on Jayson Tatum's drive, effectively contesting the shot that ultimately gets blocked by Patrick Williams. Dosunmu then grabs the loose ball, immediately looks up and hits LaVine in transition.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Defensive processing by Ayo Dosunmu. DeRozan guarding Tatum in the corner. LaVine leaves his man to help. Ayo slides down to cover both his and LaVine&rsquo;s man. Brown cuts to the basket so Ayo covers him. Tatum beats DeRozan so Ayo helps by sliding down to protect the rim. <a href="https://t.co/m1DItCVSmm">pic.twitter.com/m1DItCVSmm</a>
&mdash; Hoop Informatics 🏀📊🎥 (@HoopInformatics) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoopInformatics/status/1588696454750957568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Hoops Informatics highlights another possession from the same game. Dosunmu starts this clip by covering two players on the weak side. When he sees LaVine slide back toward his corner and catches Brown cutting into the paint, Dosunmu shuts off the option. He stays engaged with the ball, though, and then helps again on Tatum's baseline drive.
Here's one more moment &mdash; this time from Chicago's first game against Boston, a 123-119 win:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Meanwhile first play for Boston: - Smart needs to pass the ball earlier than he did - Tatum actually does this well but at this point its to a worse above-the-break shooter - Bulls are helping aggressively and Boston isn't making them pay - Look at Ayo Dosunmu just flying around <a href="https://t.co/WDt5HQkKcD">pic.twitter.com/WDt5HQkKcD</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1584981009279246336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The multiple defensive efforts in myriad forms are remarkable, and they take a combination of schematic understanding, processing speed and, simply, quick legs. Dosunmu's internall throttle is always to the floor &mdash; even if it leads to the <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1588983680164589569" target="_blank" rel="noopener">occasional over-revving</a>.
"Ayo was, basically all last year, just playing off the feel," teammate Alex Caruso <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-alex-caruso-nailing-down-details-chicago-bulls-defense-lonzo-ball-ayo-dosunmu-golf-nutrition-tea-cooper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Basketball News over the offseason</a>. "Your first year in the league, you don't understand concepts really. You don't understand coverages. You're seeing guys play, and you're playing against guys for the first time. You're seeing their best moves for the first time; they're probably going to beat you most of the time. So for him to be able to compete the way he did last year on defense is a great sign for a guy in his first year."
Dosunmu's knowledge base is catching up in Year 2.&nbsp;
He molds his same spark to a different context on offense. He's been a second-side driving weapon since joining Chicago as a 2021 second-round draft pick, and has continued to flourish by <a href="&lt;blockquote%20class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot;%20data-theme=&quot;dark&quot;&gt;&lt;p%20lang=&quot;en&quot;%20dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Ayo%20Dosunmu%20threw%20a%20perfect%20pass%20here%20right%20through%20the%20teeth%20of%20a%20Celtics%20defense%20that%20was%20aggressively%20trying%20to%20pin%20him%20on%20the%20baseline.%20Also%20another%20well-timed%20cut%20from%20Goran%20Dragic%20who%20has%20been%20great%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https:/t.co/B63UMOTgFK&quot;&gt;pic.twitter.com/B63UMOTgFK&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash;%20Ethan%20Fuller%20(@ethman43)%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https:/twitter.com/ethman43/status/1584974536985874433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;October%2025,%202022&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;%20&lt;script%20async%20src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot;%20charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attacking off the catch</a>. Dosunmu's overall rim frequency is down a tad from last year, but don't let that fool you; he's still a force getting to the basket.
According to PBP Stats, 56 players have attempted over 40 self-created shots (when holding the ball for two or more seconds) from within 10 feet of the hoop so far. Dosunmu is hitting on 55.8% of those attempts, ranking 17th. Over 47% of his shots have been self-created compared to just 39.4% as a rookie. So while the efficiency has regressed slightly in this small sample, Dosunmu still shows plenty of promise.
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He's adept along the baseline, and defenders that force him there are only giving him space to attack and windows to hit teammates. Dosunmu almost always receives 1-on-1 matchups; how can a defense justify leaving LaVine, DeMar DeRozan or Nikola Vucevic?
The problem for those defenders, however, is that Dosunmu can beat individuals with an isolation drive. He's got a shifty handle, sneaky change-of-pace chops, length and touch.&nbsp;
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The 22-year-old can also break out a solid floater. He doesn't often &mdash; only 10% of his shots are in the short-mid-range area, per Cleaning the Glass &mdash; but against the Charlotte Hornets, Dosunmu used it with success.&nbsp;
Dosunmu guarantees spectators at least a handful of "Man, this guy is flying!" plays every game, whether it be via a transition push-ahead, a half-court drive or a defensive rotation.
Plus-minuses and box scores can shove it &mdash; this guy is undoubtedly a winning contributor.

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Ayo Dosunmu has been a steadying two-way force with his effort and pace in the Bulls' 6-6 start to the season. Ethan Fuller writes.

Don't overlook Ayo Dosunmu's brilliance with the Bulls

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum had 36 points and 12 rebounds, including some late free throws to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 123-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Malcolm Brogdon added 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Jaylen Brown scored 16 points for Boston, which has won two of three.
It was the eighth straight game this season that Tatum has scored 20 or more points. He also set new career highs for free throw attempts and makes, going 17 of 20.
But he said he was proudest of how they finished the game after failing to do so in two recent overtime losses to Cleveland.
&ldquo;That's something that we've talked about a lot recently,&rdquo; Tatum said. "We've had some tough losses. ... That's the sign of good team and we talked about that at shoot around. And to go out and do it on the same night shows our growth."
DeMar DeRozan had a season-high 46 points for the Bulls. Nik Vucevic added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Zach LaVine finished with 16 points. Chicago was denied its first three-game winning streak of the season.
&ldquo;I just felt like there was too many things we had control over that we needed to execute better and we didn't,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;That hurt us tonight.&rdquo;
Boston took a 93-87 lead into the fourth quarter and increased it to 105-91 with just over seven minutes to play.
A 3-pointer by Vucevic capped a 12-4 run to help the Bulls cut their deficit to 109-103.
Brogdon scored on a driving layup, was fouled and completed the three-point play to briefly give the Celtics some breathing room.
Chicago stayed close and another 3 by Vucevic trimmed it to 114-110, followed by a miss by Boston&rsquo;s Al Horford.
DeRozan was fouled by Derrick White and hit two free throws. White made a 3 from the wing with 1:06 remaining on Boston's next possession.
Vucevic was good again from 3 on Chicago&rsquo;s next trip to make it 117-115. Horford missed a corner 3, but Tatum pulled down the rebound and was fouled by LaVine.
Tatum made only one of his free throws, giving the ball back to Chicago. Tatum got a steal, but his outlet pass was picked off by LaVine. Patrick Williams misfired, it was gathered and tossed to Tatum, who was fouled.
This time he was good on both free throws and Boston closed it out at the foul line.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Reserve center Andre Drummond sat for the fourth straight game with a sprained right shoulder. ... Had 15 bench points after notching 49 in Wednesday&rsquo;s win over Charlotte. ... Ayo Dosunmu finished with 11 points, going 5 of 8 from the field. He entered the night shooting 90% (27 of 30), including 10 of 10 from beyond the arc, in four previous games against the Celtics. ... Led 31-26 at the end of the first quarter.
Celtics: Led 63-57 at the half, outscoring the Bulls 37-26 in the second quarter. ... New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick sat with Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens in his suite.
FRESH LEGS
Brogdon became the first Celtics guard to score 25 or more points on 90% shooting off the bench since the start of the 3-point era (1980).
Brogdon said playing a role in which he's not one of the top three scoring options has allowed him to have much fresher legs late in games. Having dynamic scorers like Tatum and Brown to distribute has also made those situations easier this season, he said.
&ldquo;I'm comfortable finishing games. I've been doing it my whole career,&rdquo; Brogdon said.
FAMILIAR BLUEPRINT
The Celtics ended Chicago&rsquo;s recent clampdown on the defensive end and avoided becoming the third consecutive opponent the Bulls held below the century mark.
The Bulls dominated underneath the basket in their first meeting with the Celtics last month, holding a 12-point scoring edge in the paint on the way to a 20-point victory in Chicago.
Boston used much of the same blueprint Friday, outscoring Chicago 52-34 in the paint. The Celtics&rsquo; bench contributed 41 points.

Jayson Tatum had 36 points and 12 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 123-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls

Tatum scores 36, Celtics rally to hold off Bulls 123-119

The Portland Trail Blazers already had enough questions entering the 2022-23 season.
Having missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years, they lost Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic and Nassir Little to injuries for large chunks of last season &mdash; and traded CJ McCollum.
To counter, the franchise geared up with some notable summer moves. They traded for versatile forward Jerami Grant and selected the 2022 NBA Draft's biggest unknown in Shaedon Sharpe with the seventh overall pick. Fast forward to Nov. 4 &mdash; Portland's injured players have come back healthy (though Lillard is now dealing with a calf injury), and the team has gotten off to a stellar 6-2 start.
Somewhat lost within the offseason retooling is that Portland's plan to replace McCollum was as critical of a question as any other pressing need. Anfernee Simons has been a gamble since he was a rare prep-to-pro draft pick from IMG Academy in 2018. Now, the Blazers are pushing their chips in with Simons, hoping the breakout he started in the lost 2021-22 campaign carries over to major minutes on a playoff contender.
So far, that bet is paying off.&nbsp;
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Simons is averaging 36.7 minutes per game &mdash; a season-by-season career-high and also more than any individual month from 2021-22 &mdash; and putting up a career-high 22.0 points as both a backcourt partner for Lillard and as the primary guard since Dame went down with his injury. Simons' base scoring efficiency numbers are about the same as last year and slightly down in some areas, such as his 37.1% three-point clip (down from 40.5%).
At first glance, Simons doesn't appear to have gained or lost much as a scorer from last year, and one could argue that's enough of a positive. But a closer look shows the 23-year-old has improved in important areas, and if sustained, he could be growing into more than a perimeter bucket-getter.
Historically, Simons has not been much of a rim-pressure threat. According to Cleaning the Glass, that's started to change during this (admittedly tiny) seven-game start to the season. 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 9.297486945169712%;">Year</td>
<td>Rim Frequency</td>
<td>Percentile Rank</td>
<td>Rim Accuracy</td>
<td>Percentile Rank</td>
<td>Short-Mid-Range Freq.</td>
<td>Percentile Rank</td>
<td>Short-Mid-Range Acc.</td>
<td style="width: 9.297486945169712%;">Percentile Rank</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 9.297486945169712%;">2020-21</td>
<td>12%</td>
<td>8th</td>
<td>57%</td>
<td>38th</td>
<td>10%</td>
<td>15th</td>
<td>24%</td>
<td style="width: 9.297486945169712%;">8th</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 9.297486945169712%;">2021-22</td>
<td>17%</td>
<td>25th</td>
<td>55%</td>
<td>37th</td>
<td>16%</td>
<td>39th</td>
<td>48%</td>
<td style="width: 9.297486945169712%;">79th</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 9.297486945169712%;">2022-23</td>
<td>21%</td>
<td>52nd</td>
<td>60%</td>
<td>48th</td>
<td>12%</td>
<td>18th</td>
<td>50%</td>
<td style="width: 9.297486945169712%;">70th</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to view full table)
Simons is taking just over one-fifth of his shots within 4 feet from the basket, which is a noteworthy jump up from his prior two seasons, and he's been more proficient in that range. That's come with the trade-off of fewer demonstrations of his high-level touch in the short-mid-range &mdash; but that's fine if it means getting to the basket.
His improvements near the hoop actually carry even more significance than this one table shows. To explain this, we're going to use the findings of Darryl Blackport and PBP Stats.
One of the subscriber features of PBP Stats includes a comparison tool that measures how a player is faring in different scoring ranges relative to their efficiency numbers from the past two seasons, as well as the league-wide average efficiency for the player's shot diet. In short: Is Player X shooting better in a space than he usually has, and is he shooting better in a space than the league usually does?
To this point, 137 NBA players have attempted at least 30 shots within 10 feet of the basket. Simons is making 54% of those shots in different contexts; according to PBP Stats, that's a whopping 11.4% better than expected given his last two seasons. The difference ranks third among the aforementioned 137 players, behind only Bobby Portis (13.6%) and De'Aaron Fox (15.9%).
Simons is also performing 5.8% more efficiently in this zone relative to the league-wide expectation &mdash; not quite as jarring of a difference, but a respectable one that ranks 36th out of 137.
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So what's been working?
Despite Lillard's presence in five of seven games, Simons has actually seen his frequency of self-created attempts close to the basket rise up. A career-high 22.2% of his field goal attempts are shots within 10 feet where he holds the ball for at least two seconds. Amazingly, he's making 60.7% of those looks, which shatters recent seasons.&nbsp;
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He's not a downhill athlete or an ankle-breaker. Simons has instead found comfort with his snappy ability to change speeds, often using some sort of in-and-out dribble, and then gliding to the basket. He's bouncy enough and strong enough to separate from even the best NBA defenders (take a look at Anthony Davis here) and layup shots with his arms extended well away from his body.&nbsp;
Simons also has some seriously impressive touch on his floater. This one came outside the 10-foot radius, but it's an example of what the young guard can do as he scans the floor and seeks out space.
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Several of these clips include straight ball-screen actions. Interestingly, Simons has struggled as a pick-and-roll ball-handler; Synergy says he's averaging just 0.79 points per possession and shooting 37.7% from the field.
However, a lot of these are actually plays where Simons is pulling up from long range. He hasn't shot the ball particularly well as a three-point creator and is generally much better off the catch. In fact, Simons is making a career-low 29.6% of his self-created three-point attempts so far this season. His catch-and-shoot rate is 43.6% &mdash; a stellar rate that is still actually low for him, and that includes three dud outings in seven games that undoubtedly affect a small sample.
When Simons can use ball screens to give himself space to probe, or when he finds a tasty 1-on-1 matchup, he continues to achieve more success getting to the basket. He's not an elite finisher by any means, but the numbers and tape show Simons is improving. A healthy Lillard return should only help his young partner find easier perimeter chances off the ball and more freedom in the open court.
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Look at what Simons can do as he flies around screens and shoots in the face of some tough contests. In fact, according to Synergy, Simons is third across the entire NBA in points per possession coming off of ball-screens. Defenders definitely key in on Simons as a shooter at this point, but with Lillard running the offense, they'll never be able to shift their entire focus to either player.&nbsp;
Simons is somehow in his fifth NBA season and still just 23 years old. He has a lot of growing left to do &mdash; we didn't talk about passing or defense at all here. But Blazers fans should feel optimistic. Simons is turning his tools and flashes into production while his team is winning, and this start is just another chapter in the young guard's ascension.&nbsp;
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>A mind-boggling stat from our own Nekias Duncan in his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-celebrating-bol-bol-start-to-the-season-orlando-magic-jamahl-mosley-anthony-davis-giannis-antetokounmpo-oregon-ducks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis of Bol Bol's breakout start</a>: Among 77 players that have defended at least 75 shot attempts, Bol's contest rate (92.59) ranks 12th on the list, per Second Spectrum. That puts him right behind players like Anthony Davis (93.59) and slightly ahead of guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo (92.51).</li>
<li>Always interesting to see how this levels out, but SIS Hoops reports that the general vibe around some impressive individual shot-making this season is backed up by data:</li>
</ul>
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So far, league-wide shotmaking is up year-over-year vs. last season. Early season blip or a relevant trend? <a href="https://t.co/KvSC7TMdMI">pic.twitter.com/KvSC7TMdMI</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1587843980229738496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Andre Drummond is apparently on pace to break our brains as a rebounder:</li>
</ul>
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Andre Drummond has been inhaling rebounds this season. <a href="https://t.co/6XGU9llHLM">pic.twitter.com/6XGU9llHLM</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1587646063174856704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller breaks down how Anfernee Simons is faring as Damian Lillard's backcourt partner.

NBA Stats Notebook: The sun is still rising on Anfernee Simons

This 2022-23 rookie class has been&nbsp;unreal&nbsp;so far.&nbsp;
Paolo Banchero is overwhelming opponents with his unique combination of power and touch. Bennedict Mathurin is slicing and swishing his way to the top of the bench-scoring leaderboard. Keegan Murray has canned nearly 40% of his threes and ascended to the Kings' starting lineup; they're quietly 2-1 in the early returns of his promotion.
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Those three standouts have paced the 2022 class through the first two weeks of NBA action. However, while he hasn't been in quite the same stratosphere, Jaden Ivey has also surged onto the scene. The fifth overall selection is putting up a cool 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game with the Detroit Pistons, and has reached double-digit points in each of his seven games played.&nbsp;
Detroit (2-6) might not be winning a whole lot &mdash; and backcourt partner Cade Cunningham has understandably received more shine for his oustanding start to his second season &mdash; but let's not overlook Ivey, who has bolted to the basket with the energy that sparked his rise to the upper echelon of the NBA Draft.
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Jaden Ivey finishing through Giannis (!!!) with his left hand (!!!!) <a href="https://t.co/J9mPoQHjJn">pic.twitter.com/J9mPoQHjJn</a>
&mdash; Will Morris (@w_a_morris) <a href="https://twitter.com/w_a_morris/status/1587292190341939201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ivey went 8-for-17 from the field en route to 19 points in Monday's narrow loss to the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks. He torched some of the best individual guard defenders and big-man helpers in the league, including Giannis Antetokounmpo as shown above.
Ivey's ludicrous burst, long-stride size and length were hallmarks of his pre-draft scouting report, and those traits are translating seamlessly. He's also got this remarkable ability to keep the ball low and out of a defender's blocking range until the last possible moments, where he can flip a shot up and finish. That takes serious focus and upper-body strength, in addition to the vertical explosion to get to these shots:
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Ivey is driving the basketball 11 times per game according to Second Spectrum, which is second among rookies behind Banchero &mdash; a bar cleared by 39 NBA players this season. Among the 65 high-volume attackers averaging eight or more drives per game, Ivey's 54.8% shooting efficiency ranks 13th and his 14.3% assist rate is 10th. Luka Doncic is the only other player in the top-15 for both categories, and RJ Barrett, Malcolm Brogdon and Spencer Dinwiddie are the only others in both top-20s.
He only had one assist against Milwaukee, but it was a notable one that showed he doesn't have to use downhill speed to create openings.
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Ivey probes here with an empty-corner drive and is looking to engage Brook Lopez. He knows the Bucks defend pretty conservatively off the ball, so he pins Jrue Holiday on his hip, wades in until he has Lopez's attention, and, then, hits Isaiah Stewart for the easy dunk. It's a simple play, but it shows Ivey is understanding how to attack and manipulate an opposing set defense.
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These downhill drives and dishes, however, draw remarkable contrast. Ivey gets a head of steam, but still has the wherewithal to notice a rotating defense and his sliding players. This leads to some highlight-reel assists; his 6.5% turnover rate on drives is also solid, particularly for a rookie.&nbsp;
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Jaden Ivey has been everything we could have expected as <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pistons?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pistons</a> fans through 7 games this season.....and the exciting thing is, he can get even better If he ever gets comfortable making these in between shots, an area he did struggle in college, good luck trying to guard him <a href="https://t.co/NBb7z3Ihtk">pic.twitter.com/NBb7z3Ihtk</a>
&mdash; Motor City Hoops (@MotorCityHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/MotorCityHoops/status/1587414152791719936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As Bryce Simon (@MotorCityHoops) points out, Ivey finding a mid-range rhythm is the next step to becoming a more well-rounded threat with the ball in his hands. He's just 5-of-22 in the mid-range so far and some of the misses look ugly. But Ivey fortunately doesn't have to carry a primary creator load &mdash; that falls on his partner Cunningham (and sometimes Killian Hayes), and allows him to devastate teams away from the ball.&nbsp;
In a very tiny sample size, Ivey is 7-for-10 shooting on cuts so far, per Synergy. The efficiency is nice, but more notable right now is how he's seeing spaces open up and attacking them. Ivey recognizes how a ball-handler will draw in the defense and create pockets of opportunity. In this way, he draws some similarities to Bruce Brown, a point guard who used his court mapping to morph into a dynamic cutter:
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Ivey probably won't follow the Bruce Brown track; he's far more dangerous with the ball in his hands. But cutting effectively gives him another way to play next to Cunningham while he's learning the ropes as a lead NBA guard.
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The 20-year-old has been streaky so far as a long-range shooter (though a 34.5% clip isn't so bad), and he's got plenty of room to improve on defense &mdash; like most rookies. But it's exciting to see some of Ivey's best attributes translating to the court right away, and it's promising that he's doing more than just charging into a crowd and hucking up shots. Approximately 47% of Ivey's total shots have come at the rim, per Cleaning the Glass, ranking in the 94th percentile among combo guards. He's finishing off a more-than-respectable 68% of those shots.
If Ivey is reading the floor this well, this early, imagine what he could look like by the end of the season. He's as much a frontrunner in the Rookie of the Year race as any other candidate, and is already part of what makes the Pistons a must-watch young team.

Jaden Ivey's ability to get to the rim at will has helped him average 15.7 points per game so far this season.

Jaden Ivey keeping up in high-octane NBA Rookie of the Year race

It's admittedly fun to ride the small-sample-sized wave of early NBA seasons.
We've already witnessed 58 individual 30-plus-point performances in eight days of action from dozens of different players. The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies atop the Western Conference standings. And early breakout games have dotted the league's landscape, making fans of all 30 teams (well...) hopeful for what could be on the horizon.
But while it's encouraged to enjoy success in the moment, as analysts, how do we temper expectations and forecast the future? Some players are bound to return to earth, while for others, this first week might truly be the start of something special.
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Here are five players who have caught fire so far, and whose environments make sustaining these heat waves a plausible reality:
LAURI MARKKANEN, UTAH JAZZ
We start with everyone's favorite "What the heck is happening right now?" team in the Jazz, who are 4-1 despite being a projected basement-dweller/Victor Wembanyama suitor/whatever you'd like to tactfully call a bad basketball team.
Markkanen is leading the charge in the box score with his 22.0-point, 8.8-rebound, 3.0-assist per-game averages. Two of those would be career highs (he averaged 9.0 rebounds per game in 2018-19), and his 64.2% two-point clip would be a career best by far. That's also despite him canning just 24.2% of his threes.
Markkanen turned heads at the end of the summer with his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/6-players-who-stood-out-from-eurobasket-2022-lauri-markkanen-alperen-sengun-lorenzo-brown-sasha-vezenkov-dzanan-musa-simone-fontecchio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EuroBasket onslaught for Finland</a>. We saw the 25-year-old in a primary scoring role during the tournament, and that's sort of translated to Utah. Markkanen's usage rate (22.6%) and drives per game (6.0) are his highest figures since 2018-19. He's making a stunning 68.4% of his shots when he drives to the basket &mdash; bound to recede, but definitely a positive sign when you look at the above footage.
And yet! He's also been used creatively without having to be individually creative, as highlighted by Mat Issa:
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Reason #1: Lauri Markkanen (cont.) And while he has made some strides as a self-generated scorer, he's doing a lot of his damage playing off of his teammates as a shooter, roller, and cutter. 71 of his 86 shot attempts (82.6%) have come off 2 dribbles or less. <a href="https://t.co/xrAUBCbGGm">pic.twitter.com/xrAUBCbGGm</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1585651902473068544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Regardless of how the Jazz progress as a team, Markkanen is going to be a featured player barring any sort of trade. He's also an easy bet to return to form as a perimeter shooter. Markkanen currently sports a 29.2% clip on catch-and-shoot threes; he typically hovers around 35%.
There's no one standing in the way of Markkanen leading the Jazz in shot attempts, and he's shown signs that he can take on such a responsibility.
TREY MURPHY III, NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
A literally perfect, 22-point, 8-for-8 shooting effort from Murphy helped the Pelicans win a game against the Dallas Mavericks without Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones. The second-year forward is shooting a lights-out 68.4% from long range and re-establishing himself as a premier young shooting talent in the league.&nbsp;
However, it's been his aggression attacking closeouts that has really helped Murphy propel his offensive game forward.
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We all know Trey Murphy is an amazing shooter. But him attacking closeouts like this is going to make him incredibly deadly <a href="https://t.co/AmJd9RiGfw">pic.twitter.com/AmJd9RiGfw</a>
&mdash; Shamit Dua (@FearTheBrown) <a href="https://twitter.com/FearTheBrown/status/1585139430259855360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trey-murphy-iii-wants-to-announce-presence-new-orleans-pelicans-zion-williamson-brandon-ingram" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Murphy explained to me this summer</a> that he's really worked on anticipating and absorbing contact. That showed up in NBA Summer League, and it's manifesting so far as you can see in the above clips. Murphy is only 3-for-8 on driving attempts so far, but that's already better than his abysmal 21.4% rate as a rookie. He's also been one of the most frequent transition finishers in the NBA, and is even averaging a league-best 1.92 points per possession in transition.
New Orleans hasn't gotten out and running too much, but they project as a team that can capitalize on fast breaks. Murphy is an improved at-rim finisher and can always leak out for threes. It makes him yet another unique weapon for the Pelicans' offense.
JAYLEN NOWELL, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Want to talk about a dark-horse candidate for Sixth Man of the Year? Nowell is putting up 16.2 points in just 21.8 minutes per game for the Timberwolves and has effectively filled Malik Beasley's spot in the rotation. The 23-year-old is knocking down just 32.1% of his threes, but he's a proven threat from distance who I expect to improve.
Mark Schindler has been all over the Jaylen Nowell breakout for practically the entire calendar year, so both deserve their flowers:
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Jaylen Nowell Hooper <a href="https://t.co/kIKFnyToFn">pic.twitter.com/kIKFnyToFn</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1584985123782811648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The third-year guard is prolific in the short-mid-range areas like above; this year, he's made a ridiculous (and unsustainable) 62% of his total mid-range looks. But he's been trading some of those shots in and getting even closer to the basket. Per Cleaning the Glass, Nowell's short-mid-range shot frequency has dropped by 12%, while his at-rim rate has climbed by 13%. That's a great sign since he's a capable scorer in both zones.
Nowell's per-game scoring average is fourth among NBA players with multiple games off the bench. The three in front? Christian Wood (a probably eventual starter), Bennedict Mathurin (a rookie and probable eventual starter) and Keegan Murray (same boat as Mathurin). It's entirely plausible that by the end of the year, this three-level bucket-getter emerges as a leading contender for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
NICK RICHARDS, CHARLOTTE HORNETS
A third-year center and former second-round pick, Richards has grinded away as a reserve for a Hornets team desperately in need of stopgaps in the frontcourt. Through four contests, he's averaging 13.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on a crisp 71.4% field goal clip (all twos).
According to Second Spectrum, Richards has either grabbed an offensive board or tipped one to a teammate on two-thirds of his offensive rebound chances &mdash; tied for fourth-best in the NBA among high-volume rebounders.
Within that pristine field goal percentage, Richards is 8-for-9 in scoring chances as a roll man. Now, we're really digging into some small samples here. But he's shooting 78% at the rim in total, which lines up with 75% from last year, and some of the plays look promising. Nothing too crazy, but Richards has finished with soft touch and some power over two of the better interior defenders in the league in Clint Capela and Jakob Poeltl:
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Richards' success is the most extreme small-sample-size bet in this notebook. He just has barely seen an NBA floor, so even looking at past seasons gets sketchy. I'm optimistic for two reasons: Charlotte has an obvious hole he is filling at center, and the team has some elite guard playmakers in LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier who he can work off of.
DEVIN VASSELL, SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Like Markkanen and the Jazz, Vassell and the Spurs are unburdened by expectations, which hopefully gives them the freedom to experiement throughout the season. Fans of the 2020 No. 11 pick have waited for Vassell's glimpses of pull-up prowess and overall scoring to coalesce, and 2022-23 might be the year.
Vassell is putting up 19.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while firing threes at a career-high volume (8.3 per game) and efficiency (39.4%). The long-range marksmanship has come and gone in waves, and yes, it's probably too early to assume Vassell has fully arrived as a pull-up powerhouse.
However, there's still a lot to love about his start &mdash; especially that assist number.
Vassell's 19.6% assist rate more than doubles either of his prior two seasons, while his 5.2% turnover rate is actually a career-low. There are 72 NBA players averaging more than 8 drives per game this season; Vassell's 15.9% assist rate on drives ranks ninth.
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He's not some highlight-reel passer, but Vassell displays some really impressive floor vision. He can enter a drive in attack mode and still have the wherewithal to monitor how the defense shifts and how his own teammates get open.
Vassell is off to a shaky start as a driving scorer &mdash; he's made just 28.6% of said shots &mdash; but he has a past history with better efficiency. I bank on that returning, and, coupled with his improving vision and enticing perimeter scoring, Vassell could really terrify opposing defenses as a young playmaking engine.
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THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Bennedict Mathurin has been electric as a rookie for the Indiana Pacers, and if you're wondering why his start feels unusually great, that's because it is:</li>
</ul>
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Bennedict Mathurin is only the fifth NBA player since 1980 to score at least 72 points in his first three career games&mdash;and the first since 1995: Isiah Thomas Dominique Wilkins Michael Jordan Jerry Stackhouse Bennedict Mathurin
&mdash; Zach Kram (@zachkram) <a href="https://twitter.com/zachkram/status/1583998848946827265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Synergy's Todd Whitehead has posted a ton of these starting lineup visualizations on his Twitter, and this one in particular caught my eye:</li>
</ul>
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17 teams in the league had 2 or 3 "homegrown" starters in their opening game last week. 6 teams had 4. 3 teams had 0. There are 8 players who made their NBA debut with the Lakers who are starting for somebody else this year, more than any other team. <a href="https://t.co/Kl9Qg0Oa0j">pic.twitter.com/Kl9Qg0Oa0j</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1584621844522729472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>This week's check-in on the Los Angeles Lakers (technically missing one game, but they shot 26.7% as a team, so I doubt this visual changes much):</li>
</ul>
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Dorktown: Los Angeles Lakers! <a href="https://t.co/c3JvICgyJm">pic.twitter.com/c3JvICgyJm</a>
&mdash; Secret Base (@secretbase) <a href="https://twitter.com/secretbase/status/1584584367283654662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Lauri Markkanen, Devin Vassell and Nick Richards are among the players Ethan Fuller believes can sustain their early success.

NBA Stats Notebook: 5 players who can sustain their early breakouts

If this month has given us any indication, the 2023 NBA Draft could be special.
Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson went head-to-head in two thrilling showcases to start October, exemplifying the potential greatness that could headline this prospect group.
Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has Wembanyama atop <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his initial 2023 Big Board</a>, with Scoot Henderson at No. 2. But they're just the headliners. Amen and Ausar Thompson, twin uber-athletes, are carving up the court with Overtime Elite. Then you get to the collegiate standouts, led by Villanova's Cam Whitmore and Arkansas' Nick Smith Jr.
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New on <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a>: this season's first 2023 NBA Draft Big Board.👇 Link: <a href="https://t.co/UD5Dv0rDJ2">https://t.co/UD5Dv0rDJ2</a> <a href="https://t.co/d6UEUTsjip">pic.twitter.com/d6UEUTsjip</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1584921955357990912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Babcock broke down the top names to monitor as the scouting season gets rolling. He also dove into his own scouting process and the challenges that come with criss-crossing the globe to watch basketball's best young talents.&nbsp;
How much did Victor Wembanyama's dominance in Las Vegas change his reputation as a generational prospect compared to before the exhibitions?
In my role as an NBA Draft Analyst, I do my best not to go too high or too low on guys based on individual performances. But to be in Las Vegas in person, sitting courtside to see Victor Wembanyama, an 18-year-old that's 7-foot-4 and has an 8-foot wingspan do the things that he did &mdash; it was remarkable. The combination of his length, coordination, and skill level is unbelievable. I don't know if we'll ever see a prospect quite like Victor Wembanyama again. He's so incredibly unique and has about as much upside as possibly imaginable.
What do you want to see from Wembanyama over this next season before making the likely leap to the NBA?
Although this may seem obvious, I'd like to see Victor stay healthy and out on the court this season. Considering that he has such a unique body type, I think that is very important. He's such an incredible prospect, but he needs to get stronger and take care of his body to maximize his potential.
How does Scoot Henderson compare to some of the dynamic guard prospects we've seen over the past decade?
Suppose we look at the top-tier guard prospects from recent years' drafts. In that case, we'd be talking about guys like LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, Darius Garland, Trae Young &mdash; and I guess you could put Luka Doncic in that group, too, since he's essentially a big point guard.&nbsp;
Well, I'm comfortable saying I'm just as excited about Scoot Henderson as I was about all those guys at the same stage. But, of course, Scoot needs to take care of his business to get to those players' levels. However, my point is I do think he has that type of talent and potential.
What makes Amen and Ausar Thompson special, and could the twins also be franchise-altering talents?
Although the Thompson brothers are identical twins, I do see differences in their games. For example, Amen seems to have better ball skills and a feel for the game, and Ausar is wired more as a scorer. However, they're both incredible athletes with so much versatility on both sides of the ball. Outside shooting is their swing skill, and their development in that area will likely determine how much career success they'll find. It seems as if both guys are about all of the right things and are serious about their craft, which tells me they'll continue to improve. I think they're both big-time prospects and worthy of being high lottery picks.
Wembanyama, Henderson and the Thompson twins come from unconventional pathways. How does that change your scouting process?
Well, first of all, I take a compartmentalized approach to evaluating prospects regardless of whether they take an unconventional pathway or not. Each evaluation presents unique challenges, so I don't think it changes things for me too much.&nbsp;
Players taking unconventional pathways sometimes allow me more direct access to them. For example, with these players, as mentioned earlier, it's been more advantageous for me because I have unique connections to them. Victor Wembanyama's agent, Bouna N'Diaye, is a good friend, and I collaborated with him and his agency, Comsport, for years when I was an agent.&nbsp;
Scoot's mentor in Atlanta, Desmond Eastman, aka "The General," has been my guy since I played high school ball in Atlanta. The General, Scoot, and his family invited me out to their family's gym, Next Play 360, a couple of years ago to watch Scoot work out, and I got a chance to spend some time with all of them. And I've kept in touch with them since then.&nbsp;
I've also had opportunities to spend some time with the Thompson Twins. Before Overtime Elite was publicly launched, I spent about six months as an advisor for them; I assisted in setting up their scouting operations. So naturally, I'm close with all of the folks out there. A little while back, Overtime Elite invited me to come to Atlanta to speak to their players about scouting, intel, and the business of the NBA. Of course, I'm not always connected to top prospects like I am with those guys, but my background and experience in hoops does tend to serve me well regarding access, which I certainly don't take for granted.
Which other 2023 draft-eligible players do you think have a chance at putting themselves in that Tier 1 prospect conversation?
I'm not sure if any other players will be able to crack that first tier. Still, I am excited to track some college freshmen like Cam Whitmore at Villanova, Nick Smith at Arkansas, Dariq Whitehead at Duke, Dillon Mitchell at Texas, and Keyonte George at Baylor, to name a few. I could list off a handful or so more, too, as I think the freshman class this year has a bunch of talented prospects.
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We hit the Main Line for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BIGEASThoops?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BIGEASThoops</a> Preseason Freshman of the Year, <a href="https://twitter.com/NovaMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NovaMBB</a>'s Cam Whitmore! Cam was the Most Outstanding Player on <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@usabasketball</a>'s FIBA U18 Americas Championship squad this past summer &amp; was the Gatorade Maryland POTY at Archbishop Spalding! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoNova?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoNova</a> <a href="https://t.co/s0JUUeqIPn">pic.twitter.com/s0JUUeqIPn</a>
&mdash; BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BIGEASTMBB/status/1582344744449019904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As a scout, how do you make sure you're being fairly critical of top prospects without overanalyzing their flaws?
My process for evaluating prospects is to ask questions constantly, whether by asking myself questions internally or blowing up my right-hand man, Derek Murray's phone, to ask him questions. A comprehensive evaluation or conclusion of the evaluation of a prospect before their draft ultimately comes down to the concept of the sum of all its parts.&nbsp;
Experienced scouts can gather comparable information on prospects, evaluating the players' on-court talent and gathering intel on their background, character, and personality. Generally, we all know a prospect's strengths, weaknesses, and questions that need to be raised at a certain point in the process. The most challenging part is how one weighs out all the different variables within the evaluation.&nbsp;
For example, maybe a player lacks physical strength, has character flaws, or is an inconsistent shooter. How big of a problem are specific players' "issues" compared to how much talent and upside they have, and how much could their issues limit their ability to maximize their potential? It's all about balancing out the risk versus the reward. It's certainly a juggling act, but you know what? I love it. I live for it. I wake up as a scout everyday seeking more information on prospects in hopes of figuring out the big puzzle, which is the NBA Draft.
Which top returning college players are you most excited to see make improvements in their games?
There are many returners I'm hoping will make a big jump in their development. Some players that come to mind first are Terquavion Smith from NC State, Marcus Sasser from Houston, Kris Murray from Iowa, Harrison Ingram from Stanford, Oscar Tshiebwe and Daimion Collins from Kentucky, Arthur Kaluma and Ryan Kalkbrenner from Creighton, Terrence Shannon and Coleman Hawkins from Illinois, and Caleb Love from North Carolina. 
Honestly, I could list off a bunch of guys. I love to see guys return to school and keep grinding. Having a front-row seat to watch young players' stories unfold as they chase their dreams is perhaps the best part of my job. I love it!
Beyond Wembanyama, what does this year's international prospect landscape look like?
Of course, Wembanyama is the big name this year. Some other internationally-born prospects that are playing overseas that I'm excited to track are Rayan Rupert with the New Zealand Breakers, Nikola Djurisic with Mega in Serbia, and James Nnaji and Ousmane NDiaye with Barcelona and Baskonia in Spain, respectively.
How do you set a roadmap for the early scouting season &mdash; do you prioritize geography, teams or specific players at first?
I first get my initial player rankings and priority watch list together, which helps me prepare and organize who I need to see. Secondly, I identify "must-see" games and events. For example, early this college season, I plan to attend the State Farm Champions Classic in Indianapolis, including Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan State. Then I plan to attend the Phil Knight Invitational and Legacy events in Portland, which include many talented teams. There are some other double-headers and unique matchups in neutral locations I have penciled in too.&nbsp;
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From there, I look at "low-hanging fruit" games. This would include games and events with NBA prospects that I can travel to cheaply and easily. I live in Denver, Colorado, so the drivable spots for me are mainly the University of Colorado, Colorado State, Air Force, and I drive to Wyoming here and there too. I also pencil in high-priority high school events into my schedule, like the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, City of Palms in Fort Myers, Florida. My tentative schedule is planned through March already. I still need to squeeze in a couple of trips overseas, and I will likely make some adjustments as we go, but I like to prepare ahead of time.
What are some of the challenges when it comes to planning scouting trips for a draft class that could have several special players at the top?
Having "special players" doesn't change scheduling much, or at all, honestly. However, I will say this; I generally go extremely hard in November and December to get my bases covered regarding scouting the higher-rated prospects. This is because I like to get a head start so that I can pick and choose my spots later.&nbsp;
Injuries can be a significant disruptor. It's impossible to predict who will be healthy throughout the season. Fortunately, my processes have served me well at times. For example, I went to see Vanderbilt play USC in LA a few years back for their season opener, and I'm sure glad I did because I got to see Darius Garland, who was terrific. Unfortunately, he got hurt shortly after and only played five games that entire season before becoming a high lottery pick.&nbsp;
Similarly, I watched Patrick Baldwin Jr. several times before him missing the bulk of the season with a foot injury. He only played in 11 games the entire season. Anyway, I don't underestimate seeing a top prospect while I can; you never know how things will unfold.
What under-the-radar college teams should NBA Draft enthusiasts make sure to watch?
Although they're ranked high, we don't usually see Houston and Creighton mixing it up with the blue bloods and top programs. However, I think both teams have a chance of doing big things this season.
Coach Kelvin Sampson has done a terrific job building up that program in Houston. I was a bit surprised that their stud guard, Marcus Sasser, decided to return to school after doing so well at the NBA Draft Combine, but I'm happy he did. I think he's poised for a breakout year. They have a lot of other talented players too. Most specifically, I'm excited to see five-star recruit Jarace Walker. I have had the chance to watch Walker many times at various high school events. His physical tools, toughness, and versatility are interesting.
I usually head out to Omaha, Nebraska, once or twice yearly to see Creighton games. It's an easy flight to Omaha for me coming from Denver, there is a fantastic Marriott hotel right across from Creighton's arena, and they take great care of the media, as they have always given me a seat courtside. I've seen some terrific games there in the last few years. I remember watching teams like Villanova, including Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Eric Paschall, and then a stacked Gonzaga team featuring Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke.&nbsp;
I will likely try to see Villanova play Creighton this season because they have highly touted freshman Cam Whitmore, who is projected as a lottery pick. Still, I will also focus on Creighton's prospects this year, as Arthur Kaluma, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Baylor Scheierman have been generating some buzz.
Has the success of some of last year's rookies changed your scouting philosophies at all?
The biggest thing for me recently is not necessarily adjusting to how individual players have performed but just keeping the pulse on the trends and how the game continues to evolve. For example, the idea that the NBA is moving towards a positionless game is becoming more apparent each year. Subsequently, players with decent size, well-rounded skill sets, and versatility on both ends of the ball have never held so much value.&nbsp;
On the flip side, undersized guards and traditional big men are not carrying as much value across the board as they once did. Of course, there are always exceptions to these rules, but it has certainly changed how I look at specific prospects.
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What is the most enjoyable part of this first month of college scouting for you?
I will be a little cliche here, but I just love getting back in the arena.&nbsp;
I'm a member of the staff for Damian Lillard's Formula Zero, a group of top high school and college prospects. One exercise we do as a group is having everyone take a turn to share one thing they have been doing well and one thing they have been struggling with or would like to improve on. It got me thinking about that recently regarding myself; I've gotten to a point in my career where I've developed to become very organized, detail-oriented, and prepared, which hasn't always been the case. Over time, I've turned these areas from my weaknesses into strengths. And I'm proud to be able to say that.&nbsp;
Alright, now my weakness. Of course, the offseason is a great opportunity to spend time with my family, which I do, and I love having that time! But the fact is, I don't have any real hobbies, and I essentially am obsessed with the game and what I do. So I get impatient and uneasy when I don't have a lot of basketball in my life &mdash; it happens every year. So naturally, when the season starts, it puts me at ease. There is so much great basketball to see in November and December, and I'm just ecstatic to get back out there and start chipping away, trying to figure out this year's NBA Draft.

Ethan Fuller previews the 2023 scouting season with BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock.

2023 NBA Draft: Previewing top prospects to watch with Matt Babcock

Has DeMar DeRozan felt overshadowed to you?
Maybe I need to add to my curated Twitter feed or take a step back from all of the storylines bound to come out of NBA tipoff. But amidst the many electric performances over the past three days, DeRozan's season debut &mdash; as dominant as any we've seen so far &mdash; hasn't appeared to elicit quite the same national praise as his peers.
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DeRozan dropped 37 points on 63.6% from the field and added 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals for the Chicago Bulls in their Wednesday night win against the reigning Eastern Conference top-seed Miami Heat. He's the second Bull to ever post a 30-5-5 game in a season opener; Michael Jordan did it three times. DeMar's 37 points are also the most by a Bull in a season opener since Jordan in 1995.
Yet, the 14-year veteran is not driving headlines like some other stars. Quincy Pondexter even <a href="https://twitter.com/QuincyPondexter/status/1583187609576407040?s=20&amp;t=tpLH2EtR7KArZks23dYtOQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>&nbsp;that DeRozan is the "most underrated player of this generation." While that's a separate conversation entirely, DeMar is definitely deserving of recognition, and as much more than the mid-range assassin he's come to symbolize.
Since joining the Bulls, DeRozan has eviscerated teams in late-game situations. Check this out, via Secret Base, one of the best follows in sports media:
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Dorktown: DeMar DeRozan! <a href="https://t.co/tU8hag1y7o">pic.twitter.com/tU8hag1y7o</a>
&mdash; Secret Base (@secretbase) <a href="https://twitter.com/secretbase/status/1583143183889801216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
And then, we get to the quote tweet from Basketball Reference:
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Highest FG% in the 4th quarter since the beginning of last season (Min. 100 FG): Kenyon Martin Jr.: .574% (105/183) Giannis Antetokounmpo: .561% (176/314) Jonas Valančiūnas: .551% (103/187) DeMar DeRozan: .546% (221/405) Chris Paul: .509% (115/226) <a href="https://t.co/qOS4tQ6mwd">https://t.co/qOS4tQ6mwd</a>
&mdash; Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) <a href="https://twitter.com/bball_ref/status/1583149498817138688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Field goal percentage is a&nbsp;very&nbsp;surface-level stat in this age that lacks a lot of context. But that surface level &mdash; how often a player makes the shots they take &mdash; can still be useful, and it's telling with DeRozan. This man is just a walking bucket, especially in the fourth quarter.&nbsp;
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Watching DeMar DeRozan in the fourth quarter of games is truly amazing. Teammates were throwing him grenades late clock &mdash; he found ways to get buckets anyway. Bulls upset the Heat on the road without Zach LaVine to go 1-0. <a href="https://t.co/dK8FRzmAFx">pic.twitter.com/dK8FRzmAFx</a>
&mdash; Steph Noh (@StephNoh) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephNoh/status/1582917513872281600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Steph Noh highlights that DeRozan wasn't just meandering his way into rhythm jumpers; these were difficult situations that he willed into the basket. And how about that pull-up triple?
DeRozan made two of three long-range shots against Miami. Very quietly, and on just under two attempts per game, he shot a career-high 35.2% from distance last season. That included a 36.1% clip on catch-and-shoot threes. He's still not a major threat shooting behind the arc, but if DeRozan can knock down the shot off of feeds from Nikola Vucevic (and a healthy Zach LaVine), those are open points.
We shouldn't just gloss over his mid-range prowess, either. DeRozan is one of the best in recent NBA history, and Chicago has given him even more freedom to pressure defenses. According to Cleaning the Glass, 71% of DeRozan's field goal attempts came from the mid-range &mdash; tied for a career-high. He took a whopping 1,099 mid-range shots and made 49% of them &mdash; also a career-high.
Included in that rate is a scorching 53% efficiency mark on "short mid-range" attempts between 4 and 14 feet from the hoop. DeRozan might not be getting all the way to the rim, but he can burst or bully his way to his spots, as he showed on Wednesday. Give him a mismatch, and he'll get an easy floater; give him an empty corner or open baseline, and he'll find a way:
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But offense is about more than a bucket. DeRozan has become one of the best orchestrators in the entire league. Last year, he finished tied for fifth in the NBA with an adjusted assist-to-pass ratio of 18.3%. That means that 18.3% of his passes led to either points or free throws for a teammate. It's the third-highest rate of his career behind two seasons in San Antonio, but it makes sense given that DeRozan now has LaVine sharing lead playmaking duties.
The 33-year-old draws so much attention as a scorer that the defense often gives up passing opportunities. And even as he appears to be settling into a scoring move, DeRozan has his eyes open on the full court.
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Cool Bulls 4Q moment highlighting DeMar DeRozan's gravity. Alex Caruso with a guard screen and slip (love!). You see Adebayo, Butler and Lowry are all so locked in on DeRozan though, that him plus Caruso's screen totally take their attention from Vucevic. Vuc slides up for a 3 <a href="https://t.co/0Am8xKEYCm">pic.twitter.com/0Am8xKEYCm</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1583527458665795584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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In this late-game possession, you see three Heat defenders involved in the central action captivated by DeRozan, with Alex Caruso's slip providing a distraction. Vucevic gets an easy look as a result.&nbsp;
Here are some more examples of DeRozan appearing to settle into a scoring mindset before making a great pass. Shoutout to Ayo Dosunmu on converting some of these. I also tossed in one additional impressive drop-off dime to Vucevic:
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All of this is to say that DeMar DeRozan is leaning more into his strengths, improving a major weakness, and coming off of an All-NBA Second Team campaign in his first year with a new team. But many people, myself included, did not have him as a preseason pick to run it back.
Remind me why he can't?
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Also from Secret Base: Yeah, this is not a promising start for the Lakers' shooting.</li>
</ul>
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Dorktown: Los Angeles Lakers! <a href="https://t.co/QDFlnleR6Y">pic.twitter.com/QDFlnleR6Y</a>
&mdash; Secret Base (@secretbase) <a href="https://twitter.com/secretbase/status/1583482082214350849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Noah Vonleh <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-5-things-we-learned-boston-celtics-philadelphia-76ers-opening-night-malcolm-brogdon-jayson-tatum-james-harden-joel-embiid-tyrese-maxey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">really made a statement</a> with his screen-setting in the Boston Celtics season opener. Per Second Spectrum, here's what he did in just over 20 minutes of action:</li>
</ul>
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Noah Vonleh had six screen assists in just over 20 minutes last night &mdash; one less than Joel Embiid, who played over 37 minutes. 6.0 per game won&rsquo;t last, but for context, that would have ranked 2nd in the NBA last season.
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1582808107973214210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Per ESPN Stats, Paolo Banchero's 27-points, 9 rebounds and five assists were just the third time a rookie has cleared 25-5-5 in a season debut in the last 30 years. The other two: LeBron James and Grant Hill.</li>
</ul>

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DeRozan's 37 points on Wednesday were the most by a Bulls player in a season opener since Michael Jordan in 1995.

NBA Stats Notebook: DeMar DeRozan is much more than a bucket

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers opened the NBA season Tuesday night with a classic showdown of Eastern Conference strongholds.
Though the Celtics defended home court with a 126-117 win, most of the contest was a back-and-forth chess match led by dynamic duos. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 35 points in the victory, while James Harden also dropped 35 and Joel Embiid finished with 26.&nbsp;
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Opening night always sets a baseline for teams to build from, and yesterday's matchup gave us several answers &mdash; and some more questions &mdash; about these title contenders going forward. Here are five key takeaways from the clash:
1. The Celtics' bench made a statement.
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Tired: Malcolm Brogdon is gonna be nice for the C's this season Wired: Malcolm Brogdon might be sixth man of the year Inspired: Malcolm Brogdon is the greatest two-guard Boston has ever traded for <a href="https://t.co/gBvNRLTB0L">pic.twitter.com/gBvNRLTB0L</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1582788958316285952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Boston's move to get the franchise over the championship hump was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-malcolm-brogdon-qa-fit-boston-celtics-basketball-without-borders-africa-camp-egypt-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown-danilo-gallinari-ime-udoka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trading for dynamic driver Malcolm Brogdon</a>. When <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-offseason-news-boston-celtics-malcolm-brogdon-fit-brad-stevens-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I reacted to the addition this summer</a>, I stressed that an actualized Brogdon can change the topography of this offense from a unit that sometimes trudged upward into a downhill, attacking team.
After one game, Brogdon is achieving that mission. The combo guard was almost a guaranteed paint touch whenever he started with the ball. He finished with 16 points and shot 7-for-11 from the floor. Brogdon had a straight-line drive from the corner that stymied Harden and ended with an easy layup. He blew by De'Anthony Melton for another score, and also dug into his bag a bit against Tyrese Maxey (shown above). Brogdon shined in his role and inspired some tremendous optimism.
He wasn't alone. After not reaching an agreement on a contract extension in the offseason, Grant Williams balled out to the tune of 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting last night. He drilled three triples, including some difficult makes, and <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1582755647078412288?s=20&amp;t=lYDew8R1c8uVL2leZPeEfQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continues to improve off the bounce</a>.
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Noah Vonleh had six screen assists in just over 20 minutes last night &mdash; one less than Joel Embiid, who played over 37 minutes. 6.0 per game won&rsquo;t last, but for context, that would have ranked 2nd in the NBA last season.
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1582808107973214210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Noah Vonleh might have been the biggest eyebrow-raiser for his screening prowess and physicality against Joel Embiid. The Massachusetts native helped free up Boston's playmakers, and on defense, put in an admirable effort against one of the best players in the world. Vonleh outplayed Blake Griffin in the contest, and appears to have locked down the backup center spot behind Al Horford. He wasn't perfect, but he played a valiant game that sets a solid foundation for the second unit.
2. James Harden is still a pick-and-roll maestro.
Amidst the rising crop of young guards and Harden's rocky road over the last two seasons, we (myself included) might have forgotten just how dominant he is as an orchestrator. The 33-year-old was in full control during the first half last night, and even as the game slipped away, he still showed just how hard it is to defend a player with his set of tools.&nbsp;
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This is a miss but here was a big challenge moment for Boston. They're going over on ball screens for Harden and playing the big in drop. But they can't give Harden or Embiid that type of space in front of them, so it takes a third guy (Smart) to help, opening up the weak corner <a href="https://t.co/VNvaV4Qx4d">pic.twitter.com/VNvaV4Qx4d</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1582748404899532800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
When Harden used a ball-screen, the Celtics would send their guards over to cover a pull-up jumper and keep their screener defender in drop coverage. The challenge, particularly against Harden and Embiid, is that both of them have the touch to hit mid-range jumpers and floaters. It forces a third defender to "tag" Embiid emphatically so that the defending big man can keep them both in range. But as the above clip shows, that leaves a shooter open &mdash; and the Beard sees all.
Harden had a couple of passes like these that went unrewarded. He also hit Embiid for rolling baskets and knocked down a lefty floater with the space he received. It's still a mind-bending puzzle to solve a Harden pick-and-roll.

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3. Boston has a defensive game plan for Joel Embiid.
It took some work for Embiid to get his 26 points. The all-world center shot 8-for-12 inside the arc, but it was some of the shots he didn't take, plus his six turnovers, that told more of the story.
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Boston sent a double-team at Embiid whenever he was posting up in an empty corner. It began with the opening play (more on that later) but also included more tactical moments. Here, Tatum is the man to come double. Brogdon gets to stay guarding the outlet pass &mdash; an easy job because Harden barely moves off the ball. Tatum also waits until Embiid turns into a move on the baseline; that makes life easier for Brown and Marcus Smart, because those passes to the weak side become incredibly difficult.
Vonleh wears the first bump from Embiid and he has nowhere to go, leading to a turnover. The Celtics definitely built their game plan around Embiid's isolations, but they didn't let him frazzle their own spacing. That discipline over a full game is something interim head coach Joe Mazzulla can hang his hat on.
4. Philadelphia has to fix its offensive flow &mdash; and its transition defense.
However, these plays weren't just about Boston's defense. The Sixers had several seriously concerning moments with their offensive tempo. I'll defer to Nekias Duncan, who dissected two plays in detail that summed up the frustrations:
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🚨OPENING NIGHT 4x4🚨 We&rsquo;re digging into Sixers-Celtics, folks. -Philly&rsquo;s process -I don&rsquo;t &ldquo;Get&rdquo; it -A fun Boston progression -Noah Vonleh: Super Screener 🗣️SOUND ON <a href="https://t.co/ScBChP0eQP">pic.twitter.com/ScBChP0eQP</a>
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1582767859444613120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Meanwhile, the most cringeworthy team stat for Philly was their 24-2 deficit on fast break points. I mean, they hemorrhaged transition buckets. Boston averaged 169.2 points per 100 transition plays; per Cleaning the Glass, that would have&nbsp;led the NBA by 35 points&nbsp;last season.
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Here are three Tatum transition scores that were a product of low effort from Harden specifically. I understand that transition play is naturally tilted toward offenses, and that the take foul is gone from the NBA. Still, there has to be a better fight in some of these instances.
5. Jayson Tatum may have fully arrived.
Speaking of Tatum, we have to highlight the best performance of the night. The 24-year-old superstar was a monster last night on both sides of the floor. He made 13 of 20 field goals, ranging from pushing the pace in transition to some unreal, contested makes &mdash; all while seeming perfectly in control. He was one of the most successful individual defenders against Harden and also made timely off-ball adjustments within Boston's scheme.&nbsp;
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So the game starts to turn here. Jayson Tatum recognizes that Tucker wants to stay with him and Embiid is playing super conservative, so he screens both. That effectively makes this a PnR with no Philly big defender. Harden helps off the strong side and Horford makes the 3 <a href="https://t.co/hZIirZNak0">pic.twitter.com/hZIirZNak0</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1582771740413161473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Even plays like this that won't show up on the box score were driven by Tatum. He showed such a full command of the offense, yet this didn't feel like a game where he was overly ball-dominant. Tatum has typically started seasons slowly, so this type of first-game outburst already has Celtics fans elated.

The Celtics were clicking on both sides of the basketball in their 126-117 win against the 76ers on opening night.

5 things we learned from Celtics vs. 76ers on NBA opening night

On Wednesday night, Bennedict Mathurin treated NBA fans to another highlight-reel performance by an inbound rookie.
The sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft dropped 27 points, shot 61% from the field and threw down this monster dunk for the Indiana Pacers in their preseason contest against the New York Knicks:
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Bennedict Mathurin is making everyone who had him Top 5 look very smart in this preseason&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/MgcKLeA05g">pic.twitter.com/MgcKLeA05g</a>
&mdash; Draft Deeper (@DraftDeeper) <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftDeeper/status/1580373117926805505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Mathurin is averaging 20.3 points in just over 22 minutes per game this preseason, ranking second in scoring among all rookies who have played multiple games. He's been a leading hype-getter over the past month, along with others like Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-tari-easons-preseason-play-forecasting-a-breakout-rookie-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who I wrote about on Monday</a>), Sacramento Kings swingman Keegan Murray and Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey. As always, though, there's the asterisk that comes with a stellar showing in a contest that doesn't count.&nbsp;
So how well does preseason rookie stardom forecast the first year of production? Obviously, countless variables can change the environment for a player between the preseason and regular season. But past trends are always worth a peek and offer a historical look at a portion of the NBA calendar that always gets forgotten.
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Per-game scoring has some of the highest weight in the All-Rookie race. Last year, the top five per-game scorers made up the All-Rookie First Team. In 2020-21, the first-team members included five of the top six scorers. Points shouldn't be the crux of the voting process (see Herb Jones getting snubbed from the First Team!!), but they are.
Here's a look at preseason historical rookie scoring leaders over the last 10 seasons, and how they ended up faring in Year 1. This data is courtesy of RealGM (minimum 2 preseason games played and 50 regular season games played).
(Note: Exceptions were made for Zion Williamson and Joel Embiid, who landed on All-Rookie First Team despite playing well below 50 games. They are included in applicable categories.)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 76.50130548302872%; height: 242px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">No. of top-10 preseason scorers who were also top-10 in reg. season</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">No. of top-10 preseason scorers who made All-Rookie teams</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">No. of top-10 reg. season scorers who made All-Rookie teams</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">7</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2017-18</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">7</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2016-17</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">9</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2015-16</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2014-15</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">2</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">2</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2013-14</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">6</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2012-13</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to view full table) 
This table eschews some of the context that comes with the ups and downs of different rookie classes. For example, just four rookies averaged more than 9 points per game, and Steven Adams averaged 3.3 points and managed to land on the All-Rookie Second Team... yeesh. Cade Cunningham probably would have been a preseason top scorer if he wasn't hurt, and the same could be said for Jabari Parker's 2014-15 regular season had he not torn his ACL.
Still, the general theme appears to be that preseason bucket-getters can signal regular-season success, but it's not an automatic transition. And this makes sense &mdash; playing time is obviously different in the preseason, and roles that appear to be solid might dissolve. Jared Butler, Trey Murphy III and James Bouknight were all top-five preseason rookie scorers last year who scarcely played in the regular season (though Murphy caught on late).&nbsp;
The last 10 years of preseason scoring leaders, in reverse chronological order, are Jared Butler (18.0 PPG), Theo Maledon (15.5), Zion Williamson (23.3), Deandre Ayton (18.2), Kyle Kuzma (17.3), Troy Williams (13.2), Emmanuel Mudiay (15.0), Jabari Parker (15.1), Victor Oladipo (13.9) and Damian Lillard (16.2). Seven of those guys landed on an All-Rookie team, but only Lillard earned Rookie of the Year.&nbsp;
That being said, it's significant that Eason and Mathurin have thrived at their current level. They're both putting up over 30 points per 36 minutes, which is ridiculous given their sizeable preseason roles. Williamson is the only other qualifying rookie in the last 10 years to clear such a threshold while averaging more than 20 minutes per game. Let me go find the wide-eyed emoji.
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Playing time, ultimately, is perhaps the trickiest puzzle to solve with preseason. Eason and Mathurin should have room to play through mistakes on teams in rebuilding situations. But what about some of the less emphatic rookie standouts?
This year's 10 leading scorers are Eason (20.7 PPG), Mathurin (20.3), Murray (16.0), Ivey (13.7), Jaden Hardy (13.5), Paolo Banchero (13.3), Jalen Williams (12.8), Shaedon Sharpe (11.8), Ousmane Dieng (11.0) and Jamal Cain (10.0). I'd consider Hardy, Sharpe and Cain the toughest All-Rookie bets of the group, just because they'll have to overcome deeper rosters and show they can impact winning for playoff hopefuls.
It's a boring takeaway, but here's my final thought: Remember that it's the preseason, and the jump to games that matter gets bumpy fast. But be cautiously excited about your favorite rookie. It's healthy to enjoy fun basketball. As interesting as it is to look back at history, every young player faces their own unique set of obstacles on the pathway to success.
Meanwhile, Rockets and Pacers fans &mdash; go wild. Even if the team scores are meaningless, Tari Eason and Bennedict Mathurin sure are awesome.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Happy belated birthday to our Nekias Duncan! He dropped a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-pacific-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacific Division season preview</a> and mentioned the Golden State Warriors' we-won't-call-it-a-Death Lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green outscored opponents by 42 points in 105 playoff minutes last year. That's a group to watch out for.</li>
<li>Let's not forget how huge Jerami Grant's addition could be for the Blazers defense (via this graphic from SIS Hoops):&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
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In Jerami Grant, Portland adds a versatile defensive chess piece, adept at limiting advantages on the ball and cleaning up as a help rim protector: <a href="https://t.co/un8bilBhI5">pic.twitter.com/un8bilBhI5</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1580221934603640838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Todd Whitehead has put together some neat visualizations of how players have changed roles over the course of their careers. I thought this one with Pascal Siakam was particularly interesting:</li>
</ul>
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Who might follow this career path next? Pascal Siakam was super efficient as a slashing wing a few seasons ago but then he took on a more central role in Toronto's offense and his PPP hasn't fully recovered. Perhaps this is the year. <a href="https://t.co/A4WlUBAmj5">pic.twitter.com/A4WlUBAmj5</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1580345468344623105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller looks at past trends to see if this year's preseason rookie stars can keep the momentum going into the regular season.

George Mason Patriots