Golden Eagles

As we near the end of the NCAA regular season, let's take a dive into college basketball's Power Five conference standings, remaining matchups, and teams to watch as we come down the stretch.
Earlier this week, we addressed the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/state-of-the-conference-acc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ACC</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/state-of-the-conference-evaluating-the-b1g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Ten</a>. For this article, we'll dive into the Big East.
<table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100" /><col width="243" /><col width="232" /><col width="97" /><col width="118" /><col width="178" /><col width="178" /></colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Rk&quot;}">Rk</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;School&quot;}">School</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;W&quot;}">W</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;L&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">L</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;W&quot;}">W</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;L&quot;}">L</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;W-L%&quot;}">W-L%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:1}">1</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Providence&quot;}">Providence (11)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">1</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:20}">20</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2}">2</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.909}">0.909</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2}">2</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Villanova&quot;}">Villanova (15)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:11}">11</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;3&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">3</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:18}">18</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.75}">0.75</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:3}">3</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Connecticut&quot;}">UConn (24)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;4&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:16}">16</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.727}">0.727</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Marquette&quot;}">Marquette (18)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;5&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">5</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:16}">16</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.667}">0.667</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:5}">5</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Creighton&quot;}">Creighton</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;5&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">5</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:14}">14</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.636}">0.636</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Xavier&quot;}">Xavier (25)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;6&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:16}">16</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.696}">0.696</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Seton Hall&quot;}">Seton Hall</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;6&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:15}">15</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.682}">0.682</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;St. John's (NY)&quot;}">St. John's (NY)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:5}">5</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;7&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:13}">13</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.565}">0.565</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:9}">9</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Butler&quot;}">Butler</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;9&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">9</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:11}">11</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:13}">13</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.458}">0.458</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;DePaul&quot;}">DePaul</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:3}">3</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;9&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">9</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:12}">12</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.545}">0.545</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:11}">11</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Georgetown&quot;}">Georgetown</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0}">0</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;11&quot;}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:1}">11</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:16}">16</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.273}">0.273</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
FRONTRUNNERS: PROVIDENCE
The No. 11 Friars have put together an incredible season, now 20-2 overall and with the only conference loss coming to Marquette on Jan. 4. They are doing it in a true team effort, as not one player averages more than 14 points per game. Nate Watson, Al Durham, Jared Bynum and Noah Horchler have set themselves up for the top seed in the Big East tournament and are currently projected a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tremendous year by Providence head coach Cooley.
Notable games remaining: Villanova (Feb. 15, March 1)
ON THE HEELS: VILLANOVA, UCONN, MARQUETTE
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17546421_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="454" />
Villanova sits only a half-game back of the Friars and is projected as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Collin Gillespie leads the Wildcats in scoring at 16.5 points per game, but for this team to make a run at the title, they will need Justin Moore, Jermaine Samuels and Brandon Slater to step up as more assertive scorers down the stretch. 'Nova is disciplined, experienced and prepared to make a deep run.
Currently projected a No. 6 seed for March Madness, the UConn Huskies are third in the conference standings, but have suffered losses to both Villanova and Creighton this month. RJ Cole and Adama Sanogo have been two of the best at their positions in the nation, and will be relied upon heavily as they come down the home stretch.&nbsp;
Justin Lewis is having a strong season for the Marquette Golden Eagles, as the team makes a push towards the tournament. At one point, they had won seven Big East games in a row, but have now lost 2 of the last 3. Lewis and fellow senior Darryl Morsell have gone through the most difficult part of the schedule already, so they are in prime position to fight for a top spot in the conference.
Notable games remaining:&nbsp;
Villanova: Providence (Feb. 15, March 1), UConn (Feb. 22)
UConn: Xavier (Feb. 11, Feb. 19), Villanova (Feb. 22)
Marquette: Creighton (Feb. 20), Butler (Feb. 26)
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17607977_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="454" />
SLEEPERS: XAVIER, CREIGHTON
Also projected a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Xavier has dropped two in a row and needs to get back on track quickly. The Musketeers are a well-rounded team on offense and will be a threat to knock off anyone in the Big East Tournament. Even if they don't rise to a top-three seed in conference, Xavier cannot be taken lightly, as this squad is poised to end anyone's run and climb to the championship game in the end.
Creighton has had an up and down season, now 14-8 overall. The Jays have dropped 3 of their last 5 contests, but Ryan Hawkins, Alex O'Connell, Ryan Nembhard and Ryan Kalkbrenner can catch fire any night and pull off a win. I don't see them rising to the top three in the conference standings, but like Xavier, you do not want to see them on the schedule come quarterfinals or semifinals.
Notable games remaining:&nbsp;
Xavier: UConn (Feb. 11, Feb. 19), Providence (Feb. 23)
Creighton: Marquette (Feb. 20), Providence (Feb. 26)
THE REST:
Seton Hall, Saint John&rsquo;s, Butler, Depaul, Georgetown
2022 NBA DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/justin-lewis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Lewis, Marquette</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/julian-champagnie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julian Champagnie, St. John&rsquo;s</a>
Collin Gillespie, Villanova
Nate Johnson, Xavier
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

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

State of the Conference: Evaluating the Big East

War Eagle is flying high over men&rsquo;s college basketball for the first time in history.
A barely ranked afterthought to begin the season, Auburn climbed past Gonzaga to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll released Monday. The Tigers beat Kentucky over the weekend for their 15th consecutive win, then scooped up 45 of 61 first-place votes to become the nation&rsquo;s top-ranked team for the first time since the poll began with the 1948-49 season.
The Bulldogs dropped to No. 2 with 15 first-place votes. Arizona remained third and earned the other No. 1 vote.
&ldquo;I think for us, it&rsquo;s the sum of our parts,&rdquo; said Bruce Pearl, who led the Tigers to the Final Four in 2019. &ldquo;If we&rsquo;re playing nine guys on a regular basis, or sometimes 10, you&rsquo;ve got to account for all of them. And I thought (against Kentucky) we got really great contributions, you know, from everybody.&rdquo;
Including the teeming crowd inside Auburn Arena, and the boisterous student section known simply as The Jungle, who are no doubt celebrating the return to prominence of a school known more for its football than its basketball.
The Tigers (18-1, 15-0 SEC) spent most of the 1999-2000 season ranked in the top 10, including one week at No. 2. They also spent a week at No. 2 late in the 1988-99 season and another week at No. 2 back in February 1959.
But being No. 1? That&rsquo;s a whole new experience. The Tigers are the fifth team to reach that spot this season, following two stints by the Bulldogs and runs by Duke, Purdue and defending national champion Baylor.
The Bears rebounded from consecutive losses while ranked No. 1 to beat West Virginia and Oklahoma, and climbed one position to fourth. Big 12 rival Kansas was right behind in fifth after a pair of heart-stopping wins.
The Boilermakers fell two spots to sixth after losing to Indiana early last week. They were followed by Houston and UCLA, deadlocked at No. 7, with Duke and Michigan State rounding out the top 10.
The Spartans, unranked to start the season, blew out then-No. 8 Wisconsin last week and have lost once since November.
&ldquo;We got after it, and that&rsquo;s the way it had to be, and a lot of it falls on me, too,&rdquo; Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. &ldquo;I think we got some things accomplished last week.&rdquo;
The Badgers fell to No. 11 and were followed by Kentucky, Texas Tech, Villanova and Southern California, which bounced back from a loss to Oregon with wins over Colorado and Utah on the road.
Ohio State climbed three spots to give the Big Ten a fourth team within the top 16. Providence, Tennessee, LSU and UConn rounded out the top 20, while Xavier, Marquette, Iowa State, Illinois and Davidson completed the poll.
Stephen Curry&rsquo;s alma mater is ranked for the first time since spending a Week at No. 24 in March 2015.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to learn lessons, and it seems every game has given us lessons to learn,&rdquo; Davidson coach Bob McKillop said, &ldquo;and one of the joys of learning those lessons is we&rsquo;re learning them with victories and not losses.&rdquo;
IN AND OUT
Marquette returned to the Top 25 for the first time under Shaka Smart, landing at No. 23 after the Golden Eagles didn&rsquo;t have a single vote last week. That&rsquo;s what happens when you beat three straight ranked teams &mdash; Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier &mdash; to run your winning streak to six heading into another showdown with the Pirates on Tuesday night.
Dropping out were Texas, which has lost three of its last five, and Loyola, which lost to Missouri State on Saturday.
UP AND DOWN
Tennessee made the biggest leap this week, climbing six spots to No. 18 following wins over Vanderbilt and LSU. Texas Tech and UConn each jumped five spots with the Red Raiders reaching a season-best No. 13 in the poll.
Iowa State tumbled the farthest, eight spots to No. 23, after losses to Texas Tech and TCU gave the Cyclones five in their last seven games. Illinois fell seven spots to No. 24 after losing a heartbreaker to Purdue and getting drilled by Maryland.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big Ten and Big East have five ranked teams apiece, followed by the SEC and Big 12 with four each. The Pac-12 has three and the ACC, American Athletic, West Coast and Atlantic 10 each had one.

A barely ranked afterthought to begin the season, Auburn climbed past Gonzaga to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll released Monday.

Auburn flies to No. 1 in AP Top 25 for first time in history

The Golden Eagles (14-6, 6-3 Big East) seem to be hitting their stride. They entered the game on a five-game winning streak, including three against ranked opponents. Potential 2022 NBA draft pick Justin Lewis leads the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game, followed by senior Darryl Morsell at 13.6 points.&nbsp;
Xavier (14-4, 4-3 Big East) entered the contest ranked No. 20 in the nation. The team averages 75.1 points per game behind a well-rounded offensive attack. Upperclassmen Jack Nunge, Nate Johnson and Paul Scruggs lead the way. The Musketeers defeated Marquette in their previous meeting this season, 80-71.
Lewis led all scorers in a tremendous showing, posting 20 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists. He is currently in the top-50 on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board &mdash; at 6-foot-7, he's a powerful player and solid athlete who is capable of scoring inside and out. Although still inconsistent, he is improving as a shooter and giving promise to his potential as a stretch four at the NBA level. He excels as a rebounder and defender, using his physicality and footwork to switch and defend multiple positions.&nbsp;
Both teams started well with a balanced offensive attack. At the 10-minute mark Xavier held a 14-13 lead, but then Lewis and Morsell hit some timely shots to build a nine point lead for Marquette. Xavier made a late push and was able to cut the lead by halftime, trailing only 33-29.
At the break, Lewis led all scorers with 13 points on 3 of 4 shooting from behind the arc.&nbsp;
Xavier&rsquo;s Adam Kunkel posted 10 points at the break, while leaders Scruggs, Johnson and Colby Jones had combined for only 11 points.&nbsp;
The second half started with the teams trading buckets and leads for ten minutes. Jones and Morsell led the charge. Both of the big, physical guards came out aggressive and were able to get to the free throw line. Xavier junior Zach Freemantle remained in foul trouble, which forced the Musketeers into a smaller lineup, but the experienced backcourt held tough.&nbsp;
At the end of the day, the Morsell, Lewis and Oso Ighodaro were just too much to handle on the inside. Morsell finished with 19 points, 7 assists and 2 steals. Freshman Kam Jones provided 12 points and 2 steals for Marquette. Xavier&rsquo;s leading scorers were Scruggs with 13, while Kunkel and Jones each had 12.&nbsp;
Marquette moves to the fifth spot in the conference standings. Xavier slides to sixth.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
UPCOMING
Marquette will visit Seton Hall on Wednesday.
Xavier will host No. 12 Providence on Wednesday afternoon.
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The Golden Eagles (14-6, 6-3 Big East) seem to be hitting their stride.

Marquette defeats Xavier 75-64 behind Justin Lewis’ big day

DAYTON, Aug. 2, 2021 &ndash; After winning five straight games over the course of two weeks, Boeheim&rsquo;s Army, the Syracuse alumni team, and Team 23, will compete in TBT&rsquo;s $1M winner-take-all championship game at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 9 pm ET live on ESPN. Both in their seventh year of competing in the event, Boeheim&rsquo;s Army will be playing in its first ever TBT championship game, while Team 23 will be returning for the first time since 2015.
Boeheim&rsquo;s Army, the third-seeded team in the Illinois Regional, features Syracuse greats and former NBA first-round picks Chris McCullough, Malachi Richardson, and Tyler Lydon, as well as Eric Devendorf. Other players on their roster include D.J. Kennedy and DeAndre Kane, former members of Overseas Elite and four-time TBT champions, as well as Boston College star and Euroleague legend Tyrese Rice. Kennedy was a member of Overseas Elite in 2015 when it defeated Team 23 to capture its first TBT championship, with the former St. John&rsquo;s standout earning MVP honors.&nbsp;
Boeheim&rsquo;s Army dominated the competition in the Illinois Regional before pulling out two gutsy victories in Dayton against the defending champion Golden Eagles (Marquette alumni) in the quarterfinals, and Florida TNT in the semifinals. Rice served as the closer in those games, hitting both Elam Ending&reg; game winners to secure Boeheim&rsquo;s Army&rsquo;s spot in Tuesday&rsquo;s championship.
Team 23, the sixth-seeded team in the West Virginia Regional, is headlined by three players with NBA experience: 2016 NCAA champion Daniel Ochefu (Villanova), Walt Lemon (Bradley), and Eric Griffin (Campbell). The highly talented team played spoiler in the opening rounds, knocking out #3 seed Herd That (Marshall alumni) and #2 seed Best Virginia (West Virginia alumni) to earn its spot in Dayton. Once in Dayton, it cruised to comfortable victories against the #1 seed Sideline Cancer in the quarterfinals, and Blue Collar U (Buffalo Alumni) in the semifinals.
Tuesday&rsquo;s winner-take-all championship will crown TBT&rsquo;s fifth different champion in the event's eight-year history.&nbsp;
For tickets to TBT&rsquo;s Championship Game at UD Arena, visit thetournament.com/tickets

Boeheim’s Army will be playing in its first ever TBT championship game, while Team 23 will be returning for the first time since 2015.

Boeheim’s Army to face Team 23 in $1M TBT 2021 Championship Game

Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry are in a class of their own.
Forget the team aspect. Throw the records out of the window. Ignore any contrast between their successes.
Strictly speaking from an individual perspective, these two stars are the exception to the rule of what is supposed to be a "<a href="https://youtu.be/IH7Jfe-40Qc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bad shot</a>."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
they don't call him Logo Lillard for nothing <a href="https://t.co/fXVFFyrd7D">pic.twitter.com/fXVFFyrd7D</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1397020608278384642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

There was a study done by the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/ripcity/comments/i9qqg2/damian_lillard_has_the_best_range_in_the_nba_yes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eagle-eyed users of NBA Reddit</a> not too long ago on Aug. 14 of last year. They used NBA.com's shooting splits data to try and find which player has the deepest range (and is the most accurate) in the league by combining regular-season and playoff shots from 30 feet or more; ranking by their best individual seasons from that distance, the highest percentage belonged to 2019-20 Lillard (42%), followed by 2015-16 Curry (38%) and 2019-20 Trae Young (36%).
With the 2020-21 regular season in the rearview and the postseason underway -- and Lillard's ridiculous eight-triple barrage in Game 2 on Sunday night fresh in the mind -- let's take a look at how these three have fared from that distance, and who else joins the fray.
There were five players that attempted at least 400 shots between the 25-to-29 foot range, per NBA.com. It was Lillard, Curry, Buddy Hield, Luka Doncic and Duncan Robinson. Curry was the only one with over 500 tries by a wide margin.
Using that as a jumpoff point, as well as the Reddit study, here's where we stand currently altogether on 30-plus-foot range:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 94.9239%; height: 754px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Player</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">FGM from 30+ FT</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">FGA from 30+ FT</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">FG% from 30+ FT</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Damian Lillard</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">45</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">130</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">34.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">42</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">110</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">38.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Trae Young</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">29</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">79</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">36.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Fred VanVleet</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">9</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">32</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">28.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Luka Doncic</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">8</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">29</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">27.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Davis Bertans</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">7</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">25</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">21.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Tim Hardaway Jr.</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">9</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">22</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">40.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Kyle Lowry</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">21</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">23.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Immanuel Quickley</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">8</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">20</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">40.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Terry Rozier</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">18</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">27.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">LaMelo Ball</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">18</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">27.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Kyrie Irving</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">8</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">17</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">47.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Donovan Mitchell</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">7</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">17</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">41.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Buddy Hield</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">7</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">16</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">43.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Devonte' Graham</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">3</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">16</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">18.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Jordan Poole</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">15</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">40.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Payton Pritchard</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">3</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">14</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">21.4%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">13</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">30.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Duncan Robinson</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">10</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">50.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 33.4618%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Devin Booker</td>
<td style="width: 22.5843%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 21.856%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">10</td>
<td style="width: 26.8114%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">40.0%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
As you can plainly see, there's quite a few players trying to extend their range -- and some like Irving, Quickley, Mitchell and Hield utilize it efficiently -- nobody's in the same stratosphere as Lillard and Curry far as volume is concerned. Though Young is making his way to that point, we just don't see these kinds of parking lot shots as often from anybody else as we do from the Oakland native and the Bay Area resident.
To advance the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/ripcity/comments/i9qqg2/damian_lillard_has_the_best_range_in_the_nba_yes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reddit career study's numbers</a>, here are the updated totals:
Lillard: 152/451 (33.7%)
Curry: 130/450 (28.9%)
Young: 92/255 (36.1%)
What Lillard and Curry -- and seemingly Trae Young -- are doing is unteachable and abnormal. They are the outliers to the regular.
Arguments are going to stem from the perception of firing up these shots; there's not one youth coach watching a Portland Trail Blazers-Golden State Warriors game and saying, "This is what I want to teach my players" with a straight face.
But does that mean we can't enjoy the show? Absolutely not.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Stephen Curry is shooting 30-for-65 on shots from 30-40 feet (46.2%) this season. By far the best percentage in the NBA. Last night vs. the Kings he made all 4 of his attempts from 33, 32, 36 and 32 feet out. <a href="https://t.co/DNhDUJdkJe">pic.twitter.com/DNhDUJdkJe</a>
&mdash; Antonin (@antonin_org) <a href="https://twitter.com/antonin_org/status/1386723033914691586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

After Damian Lillard's Game 2 barrage of threes, Spencer Davies illustrates why he and Stephen Curry are the exception to the rule of what is a "bad shot."

For stars like Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry, there's no such thing as a 'bad shot'

Kevin Durant went down with another injury last night, a thigh contusion, just a couple days after LaMarcus Aldridge was forced into retirement due to an irregular heartbeat. After weighing their options, the Brooklyn Nets decided to sign an overseas player, Mike James, to address their depth. James spent part of this season with CSKA Moscow, but he was recently released after clashing with his coach.
Over the next few weeks, don&rsquo;t be surprised if more NBA teams look to sign overseas players who are suddenly available after wrapping up their campaign abroad.&nbsp;
A bunch of American players who had been playing in China are now available, and a few more will become available once their teams are eliminated from the Chinese Basketball Association playoffs. Other Americans are playing in Europe and could become available just before the NBA postseason begins, if their contract allows for it.
Teams in the Western Conference now have to find ways to defeat a Los Angeles Lakers team that has added Andre Drummond. They also need to compete with a Utah Jazz team that has the league&rsquo;s best overall record (42-16), best home record (42-3) and best point differential (+9.1), as Donovan Mitchell has become the second-leading scorer in the NBA since the All-Star break (29.6 points per game, behind only Stephen Curry at 34.4). The Jazz are the only team in the NBA to rank among the top-five in both offensive rating (116.7, fourth) and defensive rating (107.8, fourth).
So, who is available?
Let&rsquo;s start with China, where the CBA playoffs resumed Monday with six teams remaining. Dominique Jones led the CBA in scoring this season with an average of 38.0 points per game for the Jilin Northeast Tigers, who were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Another American whose season has already ended is Trae Golden of the Fujian Sturgeons (30.4 PPG).
MarShon Brooks (Guangdong Southern Tigers), Lester Hudson and Manny Harris (Shandong Heroes), O.J. Mayo (Liaoning Flying Leopards), and Darius Adams and Dakari Johnson (Qingdao Eagles) remain alive in the postseason, but they will be available whenever their season concludes.
All of the aforementioned players have NBA experience, and it will come down to which holes need to be plugged on a team-by-team basis as the final month of the NBA season winds down and postseason planning reaches its final stages.
The leading rebounder in China was Donatas Motiejunas from Lithuania (13.7 RPG), whose Xinjiang Fighting Tigers were eliminated from the playoffs Sunday by Shandong. Hamed Haddadi of the Sichuan Blue Whales, who finished second in the CBA in rebounding (13.5 RPG), is also available if visa issues do not exist.
Will visa issues be problematic for these overseas players?
&ldquo;If a player has visa issues, we do try to help them if one of our teams wants to sign them,&rdquo; NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.&nbsp;&rdquo;But we can&rsquo;t speak to any specific individuals, as we certainly haven&rsquo;t studied them nor would we speak about any person&rsquo;s visa status, generally speaking.&rdquo;
In Europe, the Euroleague playoffs begin this week with recently unretired Pau Gasol having joined FC Barcelona, which finished the regular season tied for first place with CSKA Moscow, who lost their leading scorer (Mike James).&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Titula la foto 😜 <a href="https://t.co/6wUUafsAdT">pic.twitter.com/6wUUafsAdT</a>
&mdash; Pau Gasol (@paugasol) <a href="https://twitter.com/paugasol/status/1383844239105089538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Jordan Loyd (Red Star Belgrade) and Scottie Wilbekin (Maccabi Tel Aviv) did not make the Euroleague playoffs but will continue domestic league play. Meanwhile, Wade Baldwin and Jalen Reynolds (Bayern Munich), Shane Larkin (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), Cory Higgins and Nikola Mirotic (Barcelona) will be competing in the Euroleague postseason.
&ldquo;Mirotic has a contract that requires him to compete in the Euroleague playoffs and Spanish league playoffs, so in his case he will be unavailable,&rdquo; said former NBA player Bostjan Nachbar, who now runs the Euroleague Players&rsquo; Association. &ldquo;It is a case-by-case, contract-by-contract thing, but for all of the main guys on big teams here, it does not make much sense [to leave].&rdquo;
Nachbar, speaking via WhatsApp from Barcelona, pointed to Mike James as a case study of someone who can sign with an NBA team. James was having issues with the coach of CSKA Moscow, Dimitrios Itoudis, and was let out of his contract. Now, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/pacers/news/the-brooklyn-nets-will-sign-mike-james-according-to-chema-de-lucas">he will be signing with Brooklyn</a>.
Kyle O'Quinn (Fenerbahce) received some interest from the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks among other teams last offseason, but he signed in Turkey after he wasn't able to reach a deal with an NBA squad. This season, he's averaging 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, and he'll be eligible to sign with an NBA team that needs frontcourt depth once Fenerbahce's campaign concludes.&nbsp;
Reynolds is the Euroleague&rsquo;s fifth-leading rebounder (5.8 RPG in 34 games), while Nikola Milutinovic of CSKA Moscow is first with 8.5 rebounds per game (and 14.5 rebounds per 40 minutes). The leading three-point shooter in the Euroleague is Kyle Kuric of Slovakia. He plays for Barcelona and is shooting a ridiculous 58.6% from deep, while also leading all players in threes per game (3.1). Loyd, Baldwin and Wilbekin are all in the top-10 in fouls drawn.
As the Nets look to bolster their roster for the playoffs, could they add another overseas player?
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll do our due diligence as always and keep grinding away,&rdquo; general manager Sean Marks said last week prior to Durant&rsquo;s latest injury. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll look at what we got. I think with certain guys coming back this week and working themselves back into the rotation and playing more minutes, I don&rsquo;t think we want to jump to any conclusions on what we might need or what we might be missing. We&rsquo;ll look at every alternative and everybody out there. Obviously, losing a player like LaMarcus is without a doubt a blow to us. It&rsquo;s about us being flexible and it&rsquo;s a great opportunity for somebody else -- a group or a person -- to step up and take advantage of this opportunity.&rdquo;
Remember, what a team&lsquo;s roster looks like now and what it looks like when playoff rosters are set could be very different. A lot of basketball remains to be played worldwide, and every team is just one injury away from needing an extra body from overseas.

As NBA teams look to bolster their roster, they could turn to unrestricted free agents who recently finished playing abroad.

Which overseas players could be free-agent targets for NBA teams?

Now entering its eighth year, The Basketball Tournament (TBT), the million dollar, winner-take-all event televised live on ESPN, today announced its dates, locations, and host teams for TBT 2021.
After successfully building a &ldquo;bubble&rdquo;in 2020, TBT became the first sporting event in the United States to crown a champion amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. TBT will once again expand its field to 64 teams competing across four regions in 2021 and welcome fans back into attendance. The event will kick off July 16 on the campus of Wichita State University.&nbsp;
Eight quarterfinalists will advance to Championship Week at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, culminating with a million dollar, winner-take-all championship game August 3 on ESPN at 9p EST.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to believe we are heading into our eighth year,&rdquo; said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a testament to our team, our general managers, players, and passionate fanbase. We expect over a hundred teams to apply for 64 slots and every game to live up to TBT&rsquo;s unique brand of high stakes, intense, team-oriented basketball.&rdquo;
Regional Host Cities
Wichita, Kan. &ndash; headlined by AfterShocks (Wichita State) &ndash; July 16-20
Charleston, W.Va. &nbsp;&ndash; headlined by Best Virginia (West Virginia) and Herd That (Marshall) &nbsp;&ndash; July 17-21
Columbus, Ohio &ndash; headlined by Carmen&rsquo;s Crew (Ohio State) and Red Scare (Dayton) &ndash; July 23-27
Peoria, Ill. &ndash; headlined by House of &lsquo;Paign (Illinois) and Always a Brave (Bradley) &ndash; July 24-28
Championship Weekend in Dayton
Quarterfinals &ndash; Saturday, July 31&nbsp;
Semifinals &ndash; Sunday, Aug. 1&nbsp;
$1 Million, Winner-Take-All Championship &ndash; Tuesday, Aug. 3&nbsp;
TBT 2021 will once again feature an open-application process, allowing any team or group of players in the world to apply through TheTournament.com May 1 - June 15. The 64-team, single-elimination bracket will be released on June 28. The field is expected to consist of international pros, college alumni teams, ex-NBA players, future NBA players and others.&nbsp;
For the fourth year in a row, TBT games will feature the Elam Ending, the end-of-game format adopted by the NBA All-Star game for the past two years that eliminates the game clock after a certain point and features teams playing to a Target Score.
Last year, TBT crowned its seventh champion: the Golden Eagles Alumni, a Marquette alumni team, &nbsp;after NBA veteran Travis Diener knocked down a game-winning three during the Elam Ending to defeat Sideline Cancer for the million dollar prize. The year before, Carmen&rsquo;s Crew (Ohio State) defeated the Golden Eagles in front of several thousand in Chicago, after knocking off undefeated, four-year dynasty Overseas Elite.&nbsp;
All TBT games will be shown live across the ESPN networks, with game times to be announced in June.
Tickets for TBT summer events can be found at thetournament.com/tickets. Tickets will be sold at limited capacity on April 14, in accordance with all local health and safety regulations. Further tickets may be released at a later date, pending updated guidelines and availability.&nbsp;
For venue-specific safety protocols, please visit thetournament.com/regions.&nbsp;

The Basketball Tournament will kick off July 16 on the campus of Wichita State University. 

The Basketball Tournament announces format, locations for 2021

The Dominican Republic is a place that is mostly known as a hotbed for talent on the baseball diamond, and not the hardwood. However, its basketball talent pedigree, although not as credible as some of the other countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, and lineage of players is still impressive.
Current NBA players such as Al Horford and Karl-Anthony Towns (whose mother was Dominican) -- and former NBA players like Francisco Garcia, Felipe Lopez and Charlie Villanueva, along with others -- are among the top talents the nation has produced. As we head into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, I recently took a deep dive into Chris Duarte of the Oregon Ducks, who will likely be the next player of Dominican descent to play in the NBA.
Hailing from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, then attending high school in Troy, New York and junior college in Niceville, Fla., and now the University of Oregon, in Eugene, Ore., Chris Duarte has not had the typical path of most NBA prospects.
To start, Duarte originally played baseball, and more specifically was a pitcher who threw 90-mile-per-hour fastballs. Of course, being a baseball player by trade is not atypical where he's from. Duarte didn&rsquo;t actually start taking basketball seriously until he was 13 years old, as he sought to emulate his older brother, Michael, whom he noticed had taken a liking to the sport. Despite a late introduction to the game, Chris's talent was apparent even in the early stages of his development.
Once he turned his focus exclusively to hoops, Duarte spent his adolescence dominating his peers in local tournaments, eventually progressing to larger and larger stages. Fortunately for all of the basketball world, Duarte&rsquo;s family moved to New York, in large part because they sought to help cultivate his basketball skills and abilities.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Duarte attended Redemption Christian Academy in Troy for his junior and senior years of high school. He helped lead Redemption to an 8-8 record his junior year and 5-7 record his senior year, while playing a fairly rigorous national schedule featuring teams like Brewster Academy and Victory Rock Prep. On the grassroots scene, Duarte competed in the Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) with the NY Lightning. He played a feature role in his lone AAU season with the club, playing alongside mid-to-high major talents like Aundre Hyatt (LSU), Nathan Mensah (San Diego State) and Isaac Kante (Hofstra). Over 18 games, Duarte posted 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in just under 23 minutes per contest.&nbsp;
Upon his graduation from Redemption Christian Academy, Duarte was selected to play in the Jordan Brand&rsquo;s New York Regional Game. Separate from the more well-known and more prestigious All-American games that most people are familiar with, the regional game still featured a bounty of high-major talents, with guys like Jordan Nwora (Louisville), Collin Gillespie (Villanova), Darryl Morsell (Maryland), and Jose Alvarado (Georgia Tech). Duarte registered 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists for the &ldquo;City&rdquo; team in a 170-162 loss to the &ldquo;Suburban&rdquo; team.&nbsp;
A month after the Jordan Brand game, Duarte committed to Western Kentucky and joined Rick Stansbury&rsquo;s inaugural recruiting class. He enrolled there in June 2017, but never played a minute for the Hilltoppers. (The crown jewel of that recruiting class, Mitchell Robinson, also did not suit up for WKU).
Duarte failed to qualify academically and was faced with two options: sit out a full-year and try to gain eligibility for the 2018-2019 season, or play at the junior college level, where he could hit the floor right away. Duarte opted for the latter, joining well-known JUCO powerhouse Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla.
At Northwest Florida, Duarte played a crucial role for head coach Steve DeMeo&rsquo;s Raiders in the 2017-18 season. Coming off the bench for all but one game, Duarte registered 12.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest, playing next to future Illinois Illini guard Andres Feliz. The NWF Raiders made it to the Elite Eight of the NJCAA National Championship, where they were upset by the No. 10 seed College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles, 107-93. For his efforts on the season, Duarte was named First-Team All-Panhandle Conference.
Six games into his sophomore season, Duarte signed his letter of intent to play for the Oregon Ducks under Dana Altman. That year, Duarte was the unquestioned leader of the NWF team, starting all 33 games and leading the team in scoring at 19.3 points per game. With the help of fellow March Madness star Javion Hamlet (North Texas), the Raiders registered a 28-5 regular-season record and a No. 1 overall seed in the 2018-19 edition of the NJCAA National Championship bracket. Northwest Florida State again fell in the Elite Eight, to Ranger College (TX), 66-63. Duarte was named the NJCAA National Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American. 
&ldquo;Chris is everything a coach wants in a student-athlete," DeMeo, now an assistant coach at St. John&rsquo;s, said of Duarte on the team website. "He is a great student, great person and a very special basketball player. Chris has really set the bar high here at Northwest Florida for all of our future Raiders, and I look forward to watching him grow and develop at Oregon and even beyond college.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13721329-1_lg.jpg" alt="" />
In his first season with Oregon, Duarte immediately settled into a role as the wingman to four-year starter and All-American Payton Pritchard, who is now with the Boston Celtics. Duarte was the second leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points per game while starting all the games he appeared in for the Ducks. He registered three 20-point games on the season, including a 30-point, 11-rebound, and 8-steal eruption in a home win v.s USC.
For most of the final month of that regular season, Duarte battled through a right hand injury, and it was apparent, as his effectiveness dwindled. His points average dipped to 6.2, his field goal percentage plummeted to 30.2% and his three-point percentage slipped to 13.6%. However, his toughness and resilience remained evident consistently. He finally succumbed to his injury, undergoing surgery to repair a broken finger on his shooting hand on Feb. 27, 2020. Altman ruled him out for the Pac-12 Tournament before COVID wiped out the entirety of the NCAA postseason. The pandemic cancellation was especially hard on the Ducks, as they finished 24-7, were the regular-season conference champions and seemed poised to be a potential threat in the big dance.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_15717629-1_lg.jpg" alt="" />
Duarte entered this current season with the spotlight more firmly on him, as he was the Ducks leading returning scorer. He was tasked with being the nucleus of a team, featuring four transfers in Eugene Omoruyi (Rutgers), LJ Figueroa (St. John&rsquo;s), Eric Williams Jr. (Duquesne), and Amauri Hardy (UNLV). To further complicate team chemistry, Will Richardson -- the longest-tenured Duck in the rotation -- underwent thumb surgery prior to Oregon&rsquo;s first game in December against Missouri.
Despite the challenges, Duarte was nothing short of sensational coming out of the gates, as he shouldered a massive scoring load while still excelling on the defensive end. He posted averages of 18.4 points, 2.5 steals and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.6% from three-point range. Oregon started the season with a 9-2 record, peaking at No. 17 in the polls in that time frame. The Duarte-led Ducks stormed through Pac-12 conference play, finishing 14-4 and narrowly capturing the regular-season conference title over USC.
Duarte finished the regular season with a strong average of 19.2 points per game, while shooting 52% from three-point range over his last five games.
&ldquo;The first time that I saw Chris Duarte was his junior year at Oregon. I thought he was a solid player. I noted that he had good size for a wing, played hard, was super competitive, and he could really shoot the ball," added Matt Babcock, BasketballNews.com's Lead NBA Draft Analyst. "My evaluation of him was certainly positive, but I can&rsquo;t say that I was overly confident that he was going to be a sure-fire NBA player.
"However, fast-forward to this season, and Duarte has played on such a high level all season long and has subsequently changed the narrative for me. I watched him play in person in early January this year, and he was incredible. From there, I watched film on him keenly, and I must say that I was left thoroughly impressed with him as a player. I expect some to be critical of his age, as he is older for a draft prospect, but I think he&rsquo;s worthy of being a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, regardless of his age.&rdquo;
Granted a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament for their regular season performance, the Ducks demolished Arizona State in the quarterfinals by 18 points. In the semifinal game against Oregon State, the team got a nightmarish wake-up call, as the Beavers won by 11 in a wire-to-wire victory that was never in doubt. But this would not be the last we saw of Duarte and the Ducks.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Altman&rsquo;s squad entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed, slated to play the No. 10 seed VCU Rams in the first round. Last weekend, over a year after he missed out on his first opportunity at a March Madness debut, Duarte was set to take the biggest stage in a matchup against another NBA prospect in Na&rsquo;Shon &ldquo;Bones&rdquo; Highland. His debut, however, would be delayed another 48 hours, as the Ducks&rsquo; first-round matchup was deemed a "no contest," as a COVID breakout ensued within the Rams&rsquo; locker room. The Ducks automatically advanced to the next round of the tournament.
In the second round, the Ducks headed towards a clash with Iowa and consensus All-American Luka Garza. In that game, Duarte wasted no time in making his presence felt, as he scored 23 points and dished out 7 assists against the Hawkeyes. Oregon ultimately ran away with the game, as the team ended the first half strongly and dominated Iowa in the second half.&nbsp;
Sunday night, Chris Duarte and the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans, a conference foe they are very familiar with -- and the team they barely edged out for the Pac-12 regular-season title. Another interesting element of this matchup is USC's star freshman, Evan Mobley, a likely top draft pick this summer. This should be a star-studded matchup, and we'll see if Chris Duarte can continue to elevate his stock and perhaps convince the general public to join Matt Babcock in considering him as a worthy first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Grant Aqui details the unique journey of Chris Duarte to college basketball's biggest stage and blossoming into an NBA Draft prospect.

From the Dominican Republic to The Big Dance, Chris Duarte continues to climb

Steve Nash, the incoming coach of the Brooklyn Nets, got peppered with so many different questions about so many different things on Tuesday that he literally ran out of answers.
But the ones he provided were revealing.
Nash is the first ex-player to take on an NBA head coaching job with no prior head coaching experience since Derek Fisher and Steve Kerr did it in 2014. Jason Kidd preceded them in 2013, and others who have &ldquo;jumped the line&rdquo; include Mark Jackson, Vinny Del Negro, Kevin McHale, Isaiah Thomas, Doc Rivers and Larry Bird.
That puts Nash in a pretty exclusive club, and he sounded more than ready to take on the task in an hour-long &ldquo;Town Hall&rdquo; broadcast on the YES Network hosted by Nets play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle.
And despite the offensive talents that Nash will have at his disposal in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris (if he is retained as an unrestricted free agent), Nash said his singular focus in discussions with the team thus far has been defensive philosophy. He refused to put a number of how many points he expects opponents to average, but he sounded especially genuine, emphasizing that defense wins championships.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The offense is still to be determined. I don&rsquo;t want to come in with a whole lot of concepts and designs,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;When I played under Mike D&rsquo;Antoni, he let it evolve. We want to play fast, space the floor and incorporate philosophical thoughts that fit our group, but we&rsquo;ve spent recent time building our defense.&rdquo;
The interview was sort of a <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1321162538722168835?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">getting-to-know-Nash session</a>, with many of the questions submitted by Nets season-ticket holders via Facebook. Eagle was the only media member asking questions.
Nash said the biggest change that he has seen in the NBA since his playing days ended is the emphasis on analytics, including how they are at the heart of creating defensive strategies and opportunities for three-pointers.
&ldquo;You see that on the floor a lot without knowing how much of it is data-driven,&rdquo; he said.
Nash was hired over the summer by longtime friend and Nets general manager Sean Marks. Nash was a player-development consultant on the Golden State Warriors while Durant was on the team. Nash's assistant coach, Adam Harrington, also worked with Durant in the past as KD's personal coach.
Nash called Kyrie Irving &ldquo;as skilled of a player as I have ever seen in this league.&rdquo; He noted that because they both have played point guard, they share a commonality on the court, as well as a commonality off of it -- related to Irving&rsquo;s offseason donation of $1.5 million to WNBA players who sat out their bubble restart for a variety of reasons.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kdi_lg.jpg" alt="" width="806" height="AUTO" />
Asked by one season-ticket holder to define what &ldquo;success&rdquo; would look like for this team, Nash replied: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing for a championship. I don&rsquo;t want to say anything less than a championship is a failure, but we&rsquo;re playing for a championship.&rdquo;
That is music to the ears of Brooklyn fans. New Yorkers have watched the crosstown Knicks fail to make the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons while being spurned by big-name free agents, including Durant and Irving a year ago. This interview also offered a stark contrast between the two metropolitan-area franchises in terms of their approach to engaging their fans. Nash was colorful and engaging, showing personality and humor. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is similarly engaging, although he has been kept mum by New York's front office (aside from brief Zoom interviews following the Delete-Eight mini-bubble practices).
Nash said he was impressed by the Nets' 5-3 performance in the NBA bubble despite the team missing so many of its regular players, singling out LeVert and Jarrett Allen as players who were especially impressive.
The geographical separation of the team members due to COVID restrictions has been a hindrance in preparations, but about two months still remain before the season could reportedly begin. The Nets still have to make two draft picks (No. 19 and No. 55) on Nov. 18; Nash said he is largely staying out of the draft process other than offering his opinion when asked, saying that the front office's responsibility.&nbsp;
Nash was barraged with a variety of personal questions including what he can cook best (avocado toast), what his favorite concert was (Jay-Z, Prince, Radiohead), who his favorite soccer players are (Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle and Lionel Messi), which athlete posters he had on his bedroom wall as a child (Michael Jordan and Darryl Strawberry), his favorite Christmas present (Air Jordan 1s), who he would most like to have dinner with (Barack Obama) and which actor he would choose to play him in a Steve Nash biography (Sean Penn). He had no answer when asked what his biggest hidden talent was.
All-in-all, it was an entertaining and insightful window into a two-time MVP who is better known in Phoenix, Dallas and Canada than he is in Brooklyn, where he lives with his wife and five children.
The Nets are projected as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference by many sports gambling companies, and the expectations are huge after the fan base waited out Durant&rsquo;s recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and Irving endured sporadic injuries that sidelined him for 52 games.
Nash will be the 23rd coach in franchise history.
&ldquo;Over the last five years, I realized I had the itch [to coach],&rdquo; Nash said.
Now he gets to scratch it, and the Nets more than scratched the surface of what kind of a person Nash is with one of the better television interviews that the franchise has produced in ages.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I am not here to raise my profile or get credit,&rdquo; Nash said.
But those things will happen if he leads the Nets to a championship, which is his own stated goal.

Chris Sheridan breaks down Steve Nash's appearance at the Brooklyn Nets Town Hall and what we learned.

Nets head coach Steve Nash: 'We're playing for a championship'

On Sunday, Jimmy Butler became just the third player in NBA history to post a 40-point triple-double in the NBA Finals (joining LeBron James and Jerry West). He finished with 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks on 14-20 shooting from the field (70 percent).
The triple-double brings Butler's postseason averages to 22.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.9 threes and 1.8 steals, while shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three-point range and 85.8 percent from the free-throw line.
After the game, Butler stressed that he doesn&rsquo;t care about his individual numbers as long as the team is winning.
&ldquo;Everybody remembers winning; that's it,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;They don't care how many points you score, they only care if you won or lost. For us, we're all about winning. We are. I say it all the time, but I mean it. The guys that we have, the group that Coach Pat and Coach Spo put together, it's always to win; nothing else. I hope the next game, I score zero [points] and y'all talk all you want to talk and we win, so I can come up here and say the same thing.&rdquo;
Butler noted that the Heat are getting more comfortable in each game, as they gain experience playing on this stage. While the Lakers have seven players who have played in the Finals, Miami has just two: Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem (who is out of the rotation). The rest of the Heat&rsquo;s roster is learning on the fly.
&ldquo;We're just settling down,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;I think it's a lot of bright lights, it's a big stage for almost everybody except for Coach Spo, Andre, OG [Udonis Haslem], and nobody&rsquo;s been here before. But we're coming to realize that we belong here. We're a really good team and we can win, as we have shown tonight, if we play basketball the right way, if we do what we say we're going to do. So everybody is just becoming more and more comfortable as the days go by.&rdquo;
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra raved about his superstar after Game 3.
&ldquo;Jimmy effing Butler,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;It's really hard to analyze or describe Jimmy until you actually feel him between the four lines. He's a supreme, elite competitor and we needed it. Obviously, this was a very desperate, urgent game and he was doing it on both ends of the court. Just put his imprint on every important part of the game. He's in the top percentile of this entire Association in terms of conditioning and you saw he just got stronger as the game went on&hellip;
&ldquo;It's so settling when you have that type of guy in a really competitive game like this. It allows your other guys -- and we're playing young guys -- [to] just be who they are. They don't have to worry about too much pressure or context. They can just be who they are when you have somebody like that that takes on all the pressure for them.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very calming for us, just because of his ability to obviously get a bucket himself and also get other people involved and move the ball,&rdquo; Duncan Robinson added. &ldquo;I feel like everyone is getting touches. Down the stretch, he just made big play after big play on both sides of the ball. That&rsquo;s just who he is. He&rsquo;s been doing it for us all year, all playoffs and we expect that out of him&hellip; It was huge. Great players want that responsibility, and he certainly does.&rdquo;
Butler&rsquo;s teammates were asked if this performance surprised them -- Jimmy delivering perhaps the best game of his career on the biggest stage when his team needed it the most. One by one, they said that they&rsquo;ve come to expect this from him.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s a surprise,&rdquo; Kelly Olynyk said. &ldquo;We know what Jimmy can do. We see it day in and day out. Maybe [a surprise] to some other people, but that&rsquo;s our guy. He was at his best when his best was needed&hellip; He&rsquo;s our leader. We go as he goes. He was going tonight so that was big for us. His energy, his enthusiasm, his grit &ndash; all of that. We just picked up where he leads off.&rdquo;
&ldquo;No, I wasn't surprised,&rdquo; Tyler Herro added. &ldquo;We know how Jimmy is in these moments, and the world has seen what Jimmy Butler is capable of. He just played tremendous for us. He did everything, obviously. Ran the offense all the way through him, made play after play, bucket after bucket. And defensively, guarding LeBron [James], making it tough on him, and just being a leader out there. We were all following him. Obviously, we're going to need that from him for the next three.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s always been the type of guy you can depend on,&rdquo; Jae Crowder added. &ldquo;Whatever you need -- not just scoring. He can get a big rebound or big foul or big charge. In college, he was that guy. Whatever you need him to do he&rsquo;ll come through. He&rsquo;s always been that. I&rsquo;ve obviously been around him and seen him do stuff like this, but he&rsquo;s always been that type of player. Whatever you need him to do, he&rsquo;s capable of doing that. I&rsquo;m not surprised at all.&rdquo;
Back in 2006, Spoelstra was part of Miami&rsquo;s coaching staff when a former Marquette player (Dwyane Wade) helped the Heat win the championship after falling behind 0-2 in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Butler, who was also a Golden Eagle, hopes to do the same. Behind the scenes, Wade encouraged the Heat to bring in Butler and build around him.
&ldquo;Dwyane swore to us, he looked Pat [Riley] and I dead in the eye and said, &lsquo;This is your guy. This is the next guy.&rsquo;&rdquo; Spoelstra said.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/dunc_lg.jpg" alt="" width="715" height="400" />
DUNCAN ROBINSON&rsquo;S SHOOTING SLUMP
After Game 3, Jimmy Butler commented on Duncan Robinson&rsquo;s recent struggles.
&ldquo;I will say: Duncan needs to shoot the ball a lot more,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;He needs to hunt shots because he's going to be a reason that we win one of these games. He's going to hit six, seven threes and I'm going to jump up and down and I'm going to give him a big hug, maybe a slight kiss on the back of his head, because I know how important that that guy is to our team.&rdquo;&nbsp;
In this series, Robinson is averaging just 7.3 points and 1.7 threes, while shooting 27.3 percent from the field and 25 percent from three. That's well below his regular-season averages (13.5 points and 3.7 threes on 44.6 percent shooting from deep) and his numbers from the first three rounds of the playoffs (11.3 points and 2.9 threes per game on 40 percent shooting).
&ldquo;I fully expect to make more shots going forward, so I have to continue to be aggressive and do my job,&rdquo; Robinson said.
After Game 3, Robinson and Tyler Herro talked about how Butler is constantly encouraging Miami&rsquo;s young players to keep shooting and stay aggressive, even when they&rsquo;re struggling. Robinson said that Butler and his coaches &ldquo;are only yelling in my ear when I am not shooting, so that&rsquo;s always a luxury to have as a shooter.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Robinson finished Game 3 with 13 points (on 4-12 shooting from the field and 3-10 from three) to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
LEBRON AND JIMMY EXCHANGE WORDS
In Game 3, at the end of the first quarter, LeBron James told Jimmy Butler, "You're in trouble." 
After Butler scored his 40th point and gave Miami a 9-point lead with 1:13 left, Butler yelled back, "You're in trouble!" Butler was asked about this exchange after the game.
&ldquo;I mean, that's competition at its finest,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;I think LeBron has got the best of me way too many times. I respect the guy for it, but this is a different time now, a different group of guys that I have around me, and we are here to win, we are here to compete. But we're not going to lay down, we're going to fight back in this thing, even it up 2-2.&rdquo;
When asked if he enjoys playing against a competitor like Butler after Game 3, James had some high praise for his opponent.
&ldquo;Love it. Love it. One of the best competitors we have in our game,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;We love that opportunity. For me, personally, I don't know how many more opportunities I'm going to have, so to be able to go against a fierce competitor like that is something I'll look back on when I'm done playing. I'll miss those moments.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tyler-herro-snarl-goes-viral.gif" alt="" width="400" height="AUTO" />
TYLER HERRO'S SNARL GOES VIRAL
After scoring over Rajon Rondo late in the game, Tyler Herro snarled and the clip went viral, with many fans and players discussing the rookie's swagger on Twitter.
When asked about this, Herro said that he's just enjoying the fact that he's playing in the Finals.
"I think it's every kid's dream to play at this stage, but I just cherish the moment," Herro said. "[I] really have got to take a step back and just realize and look at everything that's going on. I'm just embracing the moment, enjoying it. It's a great opportunity for all of us and we're just here enjoying it."
Butler was asked about Herro's snarl after the game.
"I saw it. He did that thing with his lip, I saw that," Butler said. "Tyler's always going to be Tyler. I think we all love him for that. But like I tell T all the time, he's my third favorite Herro. His little brother Myles is definitely my favorite, so I'll talk more to Myles tomorrow than I will to Tyler because I think he is the reason that Tyler plays like that. He looks up to Tyler, and so Tyler goes out there and plays with so much confidence because he knows that his brother is watching."

Alex Kennedy looks at Jimmy Butler's monster performance in Game 3, Duncan Robinson's shooting slump, Tyler Herro's snarl and more.

NBA Finals Notebook: Butler's big game, Robinson's slump and more

Fourteen minutes into Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, Russell Westbrook sees something &mdash; only it hasn&rsquo;t totally happened yet. Standing at the bottom left of the key, watching the Los Angeles Lakers start to work in the halfcourt, Westbrook drops his left hand from his nose and his right arm goes up, signaling like he is hailing a cab down the block.
Kyle Kuzma, drawing away, curves toward Robert Covington. Dwight Howard creeps up from behind and waits to pin against Kuzma&rsquo;s switch, but Westbrook watches him go with the barest of concern, eyes still fixed on something farther out.
Before he vaults forward, maniacally propelled, it&rsquo;s clear what he&rsquo;s fixated on: Alex Caruso, hanging way out past the arc, waiting to shift the ball. Caruso is so focused on the screens he knows are sliding, on Howard beginning to roll toward the basket and the empty passing lane that will set up Markieff Morris for a three that he never bothers to look for Westbrook, who never took his eyes off of Caruso all this time.
<a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1302062316574461952"><img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/Westbrook1.gif" alt="" width="640" height="AUTO" /></a>
Westbrook left Kuzma to the switch and his eyes on the ball were magnets, pulling him toward the pass. Plus, he was already running, arms up and out to intercept as Caruso&rsquo;s fingertips took their last graze of pebbled leather. When Caruso makes the pass, it&rsquo;s so well-marked that it may as well be infrared; Westbrook intercepts the pass and explodes into transition. By the time Morris realizes what happened, Westbrook is near half-court. For how long it takes the Lakers to recover, no one but Caruso giving chase, it&rsquo;s like Westbrook was a freak wave, unseen until it&rsquo;s rushing away with all your hope on its back.
And then there&rsquo;s the stranger thing, that for an entire possession the Lakers ignored Westbrook, appeared to forget he was out there. Westbrook quickly corrected their mistake but the crux of it, losing track of a top-20 player in steals and deflections, is indicative of a frustration the former MVP has been facing all season: set against the flashy, competitive roil of the NBA landscape, Russell Westbrook is fading.
His move to the Houston Rockets last summer, a deal that had him swapping places with Chris Paul, was one of the biggest trades in a loaded free-agency period. Partially because Paul&rsquo;s tenure with the Rockets had failed to materialize in a title and it felt (a little) like he was about to be stranded on the plains of Oklahoma, whereas Westbrook had never called anywhere but those plains, professionally speaking, home. Add in the happy reunion with his former OKC Thunder teammate James Harden, and the narrative of the trade alone sold itself.
On the technical end, at first glance, the fit made sense. There was urgency for Houston to have a win-now year after three seasons with championship aspirations under head coach Mike D&rsquo;Antoni, plus the previous four-year wind-up with Kevin McHale. Westbrook&rsquo;s high-voltage style of play could be the boost the more analytical and not entirely rousing Rockets needed. Being so deep in D&rsquo;Antoni&rsquo;s threes-or-bust system seemed beneficial to Westbrook, too, whose dipping shot percentage the year prior (29 percent from three) meant that while he would be expected to shoot, he didn&rsquo;t necessarily need to be the smoking gun. It also slashed his remaining $171.1 million salary from OKC&rsquo;s already laden books. But much like that summer&rsquo;s other big deal in the Western Conference &mdash; Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers &mdash; the eye-test of it all was shortsighted.
Offensively, Westbrook was boxed-in by D&rsquo;Antoni&rsquo;s preference to keep Harden way out of the half-court, where he was only required to shoot and wait instead of offering any help off the ball if his shots didn&rsquo;t fall. While Westbrook might be adept at grabbing his own rebounds, he&rsquo;s by no means big enough to box out for all of them or to serve as the team&rsquo;s dominant spacer. With the Thunder, he had Steven Adams, a permanent fixture under the rim and a benevolent slingshot for Westbrook to jettison himself around when rushing downhill into the paint. Houston was too small to give Westbrook the room he needed to offensively cook, even with Clint Capela to start the season, and downright minuscule when Capela was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. While Westbrook never utilized lobs with the same frequency and intuition Paul did, both play well off a traditional center or other multi-dimensional, versatile big (like Kevin Durant). Without one, Westbrook was soon stretched too thin.
But the pressure was subtle because Westbrook&rsquo;s production, on paper, stayed overwhelmingly positive. He contributed double-digit scoring all season, peppering in triple-doubles every handful of games and finishing with a better scoring average than he&rsquo;d seen since 2016. But his plus/minus had turned practically volatile under the Rockets&rsquo; incessant three-point shooting mandate, hugely undercutting his efficiency overall. In November, Westbrook posted a -46 against the Miami Heat &mdash; the same game that saw Houston shoot a dismal 14-of-48 from three-point range. The very next game he played, Westbrook posted a +40 against the Golden State Warriors, with Houston making about half of their three-pointers (21-of-45). But his biggest contributions in that game came from popping up shots while crammed in the paint (plus eight rebounds and six assists).
In many ways, it&rsquo;s an exercise in futility to trace back examples of where the Rockets showed they were perfectly content to live or die by the three, knowing it&rsquo;s a decision that cost them, once again, a shot at a championship. But in the way this style of play effectively clipped Westbrook&rsquo;s wings when it comes to his offensive versatility, there are lingering clues to how the team could turn things around.
It was D&rsquo;Antoni who held to the fixed system Houston banked it all on, D&rsquo;Antoni who wasn&rsquo;t in favor of having Harden play off ball at all, citing that it would only get in Westbrook&rsquo;s way in the paint and, somewhat cloyingly, tire Harden out. But D&rsquo;Antoni is gone now. In OKC, alongside Harden and when he was the only one of the original Durant-Harden-Serge Ibaka core left, Westbrook was a precise, intuitive pick-and-roll playmaker. His eagle-eye peripheral vision made the sideways lobs he landed Ibaka or Durant (and later Adams) look reflexive, and the sailing passes out to shooters like Harden waiting in the corner intensely casual.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/Westbrook2.gif" alt="" width="640" height="AUTO" />
His drive-and-kick velocity, or the additional gears he can still get into when coming downhill in transition, make slowing Westbrook down &mdash; like with the yoke of purely outside shooting placed on him this season &mdash; seem like the most counterintuitive, unnatural decision, especially when his momentum is so generative of offensive team energy overall. Yes, he shot a career-high 47.2 percent from the field this season, but his assists dropped to an average of 7 per game, the lowest he&rsquo;d had in six seasons.
Westbrook is a complementary player, best in a group inclusive of a true playmaker, a buffering big with some stretch he can use as a valve for his passing to deftly finish and another give-and-go shooter. Where his energy wanes &mdash; spacing out sometimes dreamily on defense, turnovers &mdash; he would benefit from a floor general with a tendency to execute without bullying.
A stat trotted out frequently in Houston&rsquo;s postseason, and when the Lakers sent them packing, is that Harden&rsquo;s usage rate sunk to 31 percent with Westbrook on the floor and 41 percent without him. But the same stat is near identical for Westbrook, because rather than show how both are made inefficient by simply being in the other&rsquo;s orbit, they give a glimpse to how the two take less dominant roles when sharing the floor. Where this causes problems is when Westbrook is putting up aimless shots or his propensity to flail away his own deflections, but if Harden were able to reengage with the complementary half-court offensive play he excelled at in OKC, shimmying slips that freed him of defenders in the paint for fadeaway shots, the two could rework the offensive options of a team that&rsquo;s stubborn approach to added versatility didn&rsquo;t streamline so much as outright sink it.
Still, the league trend of a star pairing, after the Clippers&rsquo; spectacular collapse, could be falling out of favor for building up a roster of complementary, and engaged, players. Regardless of what head coach is going to lead Houston next, the Rockets already have the potential for this on paper. The team&rsquo;s most tenacious players, P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington, convert defensive prowess to offensive mettle; Austin Rivers certainly wants to compete; and Eric Gordon is a vet who&rsquo;s widely respected and can lend tangible insight to an identity shift.
It&rsquo;s Harden who remains the outlier in all of it. For any new look to work, he&rsquo;ll need to become an engaged offensive player again, generous and willing to stop skulking back at center, where his disinterest in getting close will never signal his team to likewise lock in. Westbrook has always thrived in the throng of play, so close he can feel his team&rsquo;s pulse. To lead the Rockets, Harden will have to get in there with him.
&ldquo;Right now, I&rsquo;m just running around,&rdquo; Westbrook said after a disconnected Game 2 loss to the Lakers. &ldquo;I gotta look at film and figure out how to be effective.&rdquo;
But he&rsquo;d been effective, all season. It was in being asked to deviate from his natural compulsions as a player &mdash; his knack for pace, quick cuts, give-and-go generosity, outright manipulation of timing &mdash; that Westbrook started to fade, running without a plan and losing focus.
His salary is still an issue, due more than $85 million over the next two seasons with a $47 million player option in 2022. But with a short offseason and most teams going conservative due to the decreased salary cap, Houston should absolutely double down on their investment, realizing the potential for a total systematic rebuild without blowing anything up.
To thrive in Houston, Westbrook has to be granted the floor. Not the restrictions of shooting from where efficiency dictates, not based on what a chart says, but the whole floor and the freedom to show the flash of his game and the fluidity to warp it. He needs to be able to inject some joy, with the trust of a gutsy team behind him. With that kind of liftoff, the Rockets, and Westbrook, will be hard to ignore.

Katie Heindl breaks down Russell Westbrook's fit with the Houston Rockets and how the team can get more out of the former MVP.

St. Joseph's (Long Island) Golden Eagles