Spartans

G.B. Hodge Center

Here&rsquo;s a bit of trivia for you: Which rookie from this <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-they-are-all-special-a-guide-to-the-best-rookies-of-the-2021-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stacked</a> 2021 NBA Draft class has played the most minutes in the Conference Finals?
Considering most of the top rookies didn't advance very far, surely the answer has to be the Golden State Warriors' heralded No. 7 overall pick, Jonathan Kuminga &mdash; the same player who earlier this postseason was <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/warriors-jonathan-kuminga-vows-learn-despite-historic-nba-playoff-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the youngest rookie to start a playoff game since 1971</a>, right?&nbsp;
Wrong!
The answer, with an impactful 64 minutes played over the course of five games, is none other than Golden State&rsquo;s other rookie: the No. 14 overall pick Moses Moody.
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Our story begins in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, where a 104-76 score prompted both the Golden State and Dallas coaches to empty their benches for the home stretch of the blowout series opener.
In response, Reggie Miller on the call proclaimed: &ldquo;I have a sneaky feeling. I think these minutes are going to be important for [Nemanja] Bjelica and Kuminga because, at some point, those two guys are going to have to play significant minutes in this series.&rdquo;
Unbeknownst to him, he made a glaring omission in his statement; the player who really needed these repetitions was Moody. And during that seemingly meaningless stretch, Moody flashed two features that would prove useful to Golden State later in the series &mdash; his play-finishing and defensive versatility.
Play-Finishing&nbsp;
Nowadays, NBA offenses are so prolific that even the most venerable defenses can&rsquo;t eliminate every piece on the board. This leads to teams having to strategically <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-playoffs-and-the-art-of-concessions-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concede</a> certain shots in order to hone-in on the player(s) they deem the most dangerous (see the Milwaukee Bucks' defense vs. the Boston Celtics in Round 2).
When you&rsquo;re going up against the Warriors, the Splash Trio receives the highest priority, and these standards lead to open looks for the group&rsquo;s least esoteric marksman.
As of this moment, Moody falls under this designation. And to his credit, he did an excellent job of burning the Mavericks for their negligence in defending him, draining 50% of his triples (albeit in a miniature sample size).
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Cutting and movement rule the day in Golden State's perpetual motion offensive system. Moody got the memo, and he did a great job of knowing when it was appropriate to shag back and maintain his spacing on the perimeter, and when it was time to fill the lane and shake the Golden Gate bridge with a <a href="https://streamable.com/k3xuy0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seismic eruption</a> at the rim.
Defensive Versatility&nbsp;
As Seth Partnow noted in his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/seth-partnow-qa-a-sitdown-with-the-author-of-the-midrange-theory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent book</a>, "The Midrange Theory," versatility is the key to playoff success &mdash; the ol' Carlos Boozer and Robert Horry paradigm.
This maxim reigns especially true in defense, where we&rsquo;ve already seen multiple playoff runs abbreviated due to a lack of scheme versatility. (I hope the folks in Utah are doing well on this fine Friday afternoon.)
Moody was far from the anchor out there, but the Warriors&rsquo; defense stayed afloat during his minutes, partially because of his ability to wear multiple hats on that end of the floor.
We&rsquo;ll start with his off-ball work and this snag-tastic reception:
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Moses Moody legit Odell Beckham-ed this ball. <a href="https://t.co/tC54YzUzhG">pic.twitter.com/tC54YzUzhG</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1530189122886897664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Along with that reception, Moody deflected two additional passes in that very same quarter, prompting Warriors writer Marcus Thompson to cite Moody&rsquo;s contributions as an <a href="https://theathletic.com/3332392/2022/05/25/warriors-mavericks-young-game-4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">integral part of the team&rsquo;s Game 4 comeback</a>.
Despite only authoring 2 steals the entire series, spurts like the one he demonstrated in Game 4 leave room for potential growth into a future defensive playmaker.
Moody also did surprisingly well navigating the <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/2-9-6fb93080023c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2.9 spot</a> as a low-man. He was well attuned to his positioning, consistently swaying in and out of the paint to avoid garnering a three-second call, while also timing his re-entries in a manner that enabled him to wall off forays at the rim when the moment presented itself.&nbsp;
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Lastly, Moody even showed some chops as a man defender. On <a href="https://streamable.com/b6cjoa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this play</a>, he manages to stay attached to Jalen Brunson amid Jordan Poole&rsquo;s hedge endeavor, and then mirrors his movements before hindering his attempt at the rim.
Moody&rsquo;s point-of-attack prowess is more apparent when you understand the amount of leeway he was granted within the Warriors&rsquo; scheme. In my <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/05/western-conference-finals-can-the-golden-state-warriors-continue-to-slow-luka-doncic-and-the-dallas-mavericks/">recent article</a> on this series, I looked into how Golden State has specific principles for Luka Doncic ball screens. Well, Moody was one of the few players given the green light to switch onto him immediately.
He was also empowered by Steve Kerr to captain the ship of the Warriors' revered Box-and-1 alignment a few times during the third quarter of Game 3. And Moody even got the chance to moonlight as the team&rsquo;s defensive coordinator, <a href="https://streamable.com/a8geaq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling for a zone formation on defense</a> at one point in Game 4. (For the Warriors, you can tell it's a zone when the signal-caller executes a <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2022/5/21/23133463/warriors-mavericks-game-2-steph-curry-kevon-looney-luka-doncic-film-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised double fist</a>).
To conclude our tale, let&rsquo;s take a gander at Moody&rsquo;s best two-way sequence of the series, where he blocks Doncic and then proceeds to commandeer free-throw attempts at the other end of the floor. A perfect encapsulation of his imprint on this series.
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Nice.
In a class as talent-laden and promising as the 2021 draft pool, who would have guessed that the player picked last in the lottery would be the last rookie standing.
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Mat Issa gives props to Moses Moody for his finishing and defensive contributions to the Warriors when his number was called upon.

Moses Moody: The last rookie standing in the 2022 NBA Playoffs

As former Michigan State forward Gabe Brown goes through the NBA pre-draft process, he wants front offices to know one thing: he knows his role, and he's perfectly fine being a 3-and-D player.
"Usually when guys come in, they think they&rsquo;re going to take the world by storm and [become a star] and get the keys to the team, but that&rsquo;s not really how it works," Brown told BasketballNews.com. "There are already other players on the team who have paid their dues, and they may be All-Stars or champions. What I&rsquo;m looking to do is be a 3-and-D guy who looks to put the ball on the floor sometimes, but that&rsquo;s not always going to be my job. My job is usually going to be locking up guards, defending 1-through-4, [providing] athleticism and being consistent with my shot.&rdquo;
After spending four years with the Spartans, the 22-year-old has started working out for NBA teams (including the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks), and he recently participated in the G League Elite Camp in Chicago.
He has modeled his game after two other older prospects who spent at least four years in college: Phoenix Suns forward Cameron Johnson and Brooklyn Nets wing Joe Harris.
&ldquo;I try to be myself as much as possible, but the guys that I really do look at are Cam Johnson and Joe Harris," Brown said. "They are guys who have been through four years of college and then made it and were successful in the NBA. And they played around [talented] guys and then worked their way into their role, so those are guys that I really try to pay attention to.&rdquo;
As a senior with the Spartans, Brown averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 threes, 1.1 assists and 0.7 steals, while shooting 38.2% from three-point range. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward believes that he can step in and immediately help an NBA team that's in need of a 3-and-D specialist.&nbsp;
BasketballNews.com caught up with Brown to discuss his skill set, how much he developed while in college, his experience at the G League Elite Camp, how he fell in love with basketball and more.
Throughout the pre-draft process, everyone talks about age. But there are also benefits to spending four years in college. Do you think staying at Michigan State for four years and gaining that experience helped you?
Gabe Brown: &ldquo;I just feel like my maturity level is higher than a lot of kids who come in earlier, and that&rsquo;s due to just being in college for so long and staying for four years. And I have to say: you learn the game more, you develop more when you&rsquo;re in college for four years. You know how to play NBA basketball when you get done with college, so I feel like my game will truly expand when I get to the next level."
How much have you grown as a player from your first day in college to where you&rsquo;re at now?
Brown: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a whole change for me&mdash;my maturity level, my work ethic, just everything has changed for me in a lot of positive ways.&rdquo;
The knock on older prospects is that they sometimes don&rsquo;t have as much potential or room to grow. What would you say to that and what do you think of your ceiling?
Brown: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe that&rsquo;s true. I believe that I&rsquo;m just getting started. I just turned 22 years old in March, so I&rsquo;m still very young. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve reached any of my potential yet, and I&rsquo;ve got a lot of time. [Giving me an opportunity] in the NBA is the perfect way to see.&rdquo;
Which teams have you worked out for so far? And who do you have scheduled?
Brown: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve worked out with the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks. And as for upcoming workouts, I basically have the whole league that I have to work out for, so I have about 12-to-14 more NBA workouts upcoming.&rdquo;
You participated in the G League Elite Camp. How did that go, and what was that experience like?
Brown: &ldquo;It was very fun to be out there. It was very fun, truly. Not a lot of kids get to be invited to these camps and take them in, and I was one of the kids who got invited to the G League one. It was a great experience. I went out there and I played two good games. I was looking for a call-up, but it&rsquo;s all good. I mean, my path, my journey is different. It was fun, though. The atmosphere was amazing.&rdquo;
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Which of your skills do you think will best translate to the NBA?
Brown: &ldquo;My defense, my length, my shooting ability, my size and my athleticism. That will all translate to me being out on the floor on an NBA court.&rdquo;
Off the court, what are some things you bring to a team?
Brown: &ldquo;I lead by example with my work ethic. I stay in the gym more and [come back] during the night. That&rsquo;s what I do. I feel like guys will respect me more just off of the way I work. And then, it&rsquo;s all about personality. I&rsquo;m a leader, I love to talk, I love to get guys going and I love to motivate people. That&rsquo;s no problem with me.&rdquo;
As you go throughout this pre-draft process, what are some of the things you&rsquo;re trying to showcase to teams&mdash;on and off the court?
Brown: &ldquo;On the floor, I&rsquo;m just trying to showcase my whole game&mdash;all of the things that I couldn&rsquo;t [show] at Michigan State or the things that I wasn&rsquo;t good at but that I really am good at that scouts didn&rsquo;t really get to see, like putting the ball on the floor, coming off ball screens, making reads, maintaining my consistent shooting level and being in tip-top shape. Off the floor, I just want to show them the person that I am. I&rsquo;ll always be myself. I&rsquo;ll always be Gabe Brown.&rdquo;
I read that growing up, your favorite player was Kobe Bryant.&nbsp;
Brown: &ldquo;I was a big Kobe fan. Just his mentality and the work ethic&hellip; I mean, everybody knows Kobe can score, and he&rsquo;s got championships, but nobody saw the work he really put in to get there. I think the motivating factor is just his work, what he did off the court, how he motivated guys and got guys going. And he always showed up when it was game time.&rdquo;
How did you initially fall in love with basketball?
Brown: &ldquo;It was my father. My dad put a ball in my hands at 3 years old and I haven&rsquo;t looked back since.&rdquo;
(Gabe&rsquo;s father, Charles Brown, passed away in 2016 after suffering a stroke.)
I&rsquo;m so sorry for your loss. You&rsquo;ve said that you considered quitting basketball after he passed away, and that it felt like &ldquo;there was no point in playing anymore&hellip; it felt like the game of basketball left me." How did you ultimately decide to continue playing and use basketball to honor him by wearing his No. 44?&nbsp;
Brown: &ldquo;It was a tough process. I still think about it to this day and it&rsquo;s never going to leave me. But I had my family behind me and they were totally supportive, and I had my coaches and everybody else being fully supportive. I just decided that I didn&rsquo;t want to give up on myself and give up on what I accomplished, so [I kept playing]. No. 44 was his number, and all of my brothers wore it, so it was my turn to wear it.&rdquo;
If an NBA executive asks, &ldquo;Why should I draft you?&rdquo; What would be your pitch?
Brown: &ldquo;I would have to say, 'I&rsquo;m gonna go hard, I&rsquo;m gonna give everything that I&rsquo;ve got and I&rsquo;m not gonna take the opportunity for granted.'&rdquo;
Check out BasketballNews.com's recent interviews with fellow 2022 NBA Draft prospects including <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-bennedict-mathurin-offers-unique-twoway-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dont-let-age-deny-keegan-murrays-tantalizing-nba-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa's Keegan Murray</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/johnny-davis-winning-intangibles-make-him-a-safe-bet-to-hit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisconsin's Johnny Davis</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-toledos-ryan-rollins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toledo's Ryan Rollins</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-prospect-qa-keon-ellis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alabama's Keon Ellis</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kofi-cockburn-wants-to-prove-everyone-wrong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois' Kofi Cockburn</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/preparation-competitive-spirit-fuel-izaiah-brockingtons-will-to-win" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa State's Izaiah Brockington</a>.
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Alex Kennedy spoke to Gabe Brown about his skill set, the G League Elite Camp, which players he modeled his game after and more.

2022 NBA Draft: Michigan State's Gabe Brown knows his role

Over the years, I like to think I&rsquo;ve learned a lot about the game of basketball.&nbsp;
And while I still have a lot to learn, I think I have a pretty solid formula for how one should go about learning about the game of basketball.
It&rsquo;s simple, you watch it (obviously), look through stats, read about it, listen to podcasts about it (like <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>), and most importantly, you take notes. (It doesn't stop after school!)
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And with that being said, let's sift through some of my game notes from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals!
Ball-Screen Coverages
As we are all aware by now, the <a href="https://youtu.be/6pwt3k8PzhU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ball-screen</a> has become an essential cog in the machine that is modern-day NBA offenses. So, it would stand to reason that the coverages deployed against this play type are paramount to the structure of today&rsquo;s defenses.&nbsp;
Boston continued riding the wave from Game 7 against Milwaukee, opting to start the series in a drop against Miami. By doing this, the Celtics were also taking a page from their former coach, Doc Rivers.&nbsp;
As Couper Moorhead <a href="https://www.nba.com/heat/news/heat-76ers-make-miss-spoelstra-rivers-butler-harden-embiid">pointed out</a>, the Philadelphia 76ers chose to guard ball-screens 2-on-2 with Embiid in a drop, which, in turn, allowed their ancillary defenders to tighten up on shooters and avoid forfeiting open three-pointers. (The Heat lead the league in percentage on <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shots-closest-defender/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CloseDefDistRange=4-6%20Feet%20-%20Open&amp;sort=FG3_PCT&amp;dir=1">open threes</a> in the regular season).&nbsp;
Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro both <a href="https://streamable.com/172a3w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">burned</a> this configuration at times. But for now, I would continue mixing that formation in with switches until the Heat prove they can consistently bury pull-up threes while also fielding a competent defensive lineup.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Miami came out the gates switching screens pretty often, and with little resistance. This led to favorable matchups for the Celtics&rsquo; ball-handlers, who cashed in on these opportunities by way of paint touches and lay-down passes to their newly reincarnated big man, Robert Williams III.
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In the second half, the Heat continued switching when appropriate, but they also started sending two to the ball more often. And that &mdash; coupled with their tenaciousness and supreme length &mdash; led to a lot more turnovers (16 compared to 7 in the first half).&nbsp;
An interesting wrinkle to this is that Boston did a great job of <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1526737206836183041?s=20&amp;t=KodKp7IPvGdsRt1Ph53OPg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parking good three-pointer shooters</a> one pass away from its ball-handlers (something the Brooklyn Nets struggled doing in their first-round matchup against the Celtics). So, the natural adjustment for Boston to make in Game 2 should be having the blitzed initiator slow down and survey his options to find that open shooter when the help comes to him.
Off-Ball Matchup Hunting
When most of us think about matchup hunting, the image that most likely comes to mind is that of Luka Doncic demanding a ball-screen from a teammate being shadowed by a relatively weak defender. Said defender then switches onto Doncic, and the Slovenian begins to play with his food a bit before swallowing that matchup whole.
The problem with this tactic is, if the defense doesn&rsquo;t immediately concede the switch, you're forced to re-screen until the team finally waves the white flag. This tug of war eats up precious seconds from the shot clock. And eventually, if they can get the shot clock to under 10 seconds, even the most matador-esque defender has a solid chance of inducing a suboptimal shot.
A more natural/cohesive way of exploiting weak points is by setting up these mismatches off-ball.
In this <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1527265386034614272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked clip</a>, you see Boston going at Max Strus. To his credit, he&rsquo;s at least a solid defender. He&rsquo;ll serve as their version of a Pat Connaughton &mdash; an occasional victim of the C's attack. Their real target moving forward (the Grayson Allen of this operation) will be Herro.&nbsp;
(*Whispers from the back corner* Notice how Herro was on the bench for the entirety of the Heat&rsquo;s 22-2 run in the third quarter. Coincidence? I think not...)
Boston did some nice things in this department, but the Heat were the true masters of the dark arts in Game 1. Miami spent a bulk of the second half going at the likes of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard by using Butler as a screener whenever one of them was matched up with the ball-handler (particularly when that person was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/appreciating-gabe-vincents-game-one-performance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabe Vincent</a>).
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Butler used these opportunities to build up steam going downhill (he commandeered an Embiid-ian 18 free throw attempts) or to operate in isolation with an empty corner.&nbsp;
He was magnificent in Game 1, but it's worth pointing out that Pritchard saw 30-plus minutes in this game. With Marcus Smart <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-injury-updates-marcus-smart-probable-game-2-al-horford-doubtful" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed as probable for Game 2</a>, it will be interesting to observe these actions unfold with the Defensive Player of the Year patrolling the battlefield.&nbsp;
Unorthodox Rim Protection
As we mentioned earlier, the Celtics manufactured a ton of dribble penetration in the first half, leading to 42 points in the paint on 21-of-26 shooting.
In the second half, Boston was relegated to 6 points on 3-of-16 shooting from that area of the floor.&nbsp;
What gives?
Well, the Heat aren&rsquo;t blessed with a basketball-swatting machine like Williams IIIl; they finished dead last in the league in blocks per game during the regular season. So to compensate, they turned to less traditional means.&nbsp;
This all started with their decision to send two defenders at the ball, which led to fewer defensive breakdowns in the restricted area. They also <a href="https://streamable.com/e3g4ta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ICE'd</a> a few ball-screens to further enforce that "no middle" philosophy.&nbsp;
Bam Adebayo and <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/04/how-p-j-tucker-is-impacting-the-miami-heat-at-age-36/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PJ Tucker</a> did an admiral job of denying entry passes into the paint, and when those passes did find a way through, the Heat used their length and great hands to swipe at the ball and create turnovers.&nbsp;
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One of the more subtle adjustments in the 2nd half from Miami was the decision to try and preemptively swipe down on the ball rather than contest shots at the rim vertically. If you don't have the firepower to meet them at their apex, you may as well not let them even get there. <a href="https://t.co/55GskSOess">pic.twitter.com/55GskSOess</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1527326345080246273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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That was one of the most crucial adjustments the Heat made in the second half. In the first half, Williams III was making a killing because no one on Miami could match his insane verticality. However, great defenders know (or at least figure out quickly) that when you can&rsquo;t challenge a shot straight up, you need to prevent the shot from taking place altogether. And you do this by getting your hands on it while it's still down by the defender&rsquo;s waist. It&rsquo;s safe to say the Heat have a ton of smart defenders.
Oh, and it also helped that Bam decided to <a href="https://streamable.com/zgpu4a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catapult a few shots into the spacetime continuum</a>.&nbsp;
See, taking notes is important! Look how much you can digest from making notes about things while you watch and read about a game.
Now, get your pen and paper (or reMarkable) out for Game 2 on Thursday.&nbsp;
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Mat Issa shares his observations from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

NBA Eastern Conference Finals notebook: Heat-Celtics Game 1

For those who don't know, when I am not living the dream as an NBA writer at BasketballNews.com, I moonlight as a law school student at the venerable Michigan State University. (Sidebar: That&rsquo;s also where I got my undergraduate degree. We bleed green for life here, folks).
Over my first year of law school, I like to think I learned a thing or two. However, the bit of information I will rely upon the most as I continue my journey as an analyst is my experience with the argumentative technique of concessions.
Before we continue, a quick vocabulary lesson: The term concessions, as it pertains to argumentative literature, means:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-05-13-at-10-55-08-am_lg.png" alt="" width="562" height="370" />
*Source: SuperSummary.com
This technique is highly prevalent in legal arguments. It&rsquo;s basically the lawyer saying, &ldquo;Yeah, this, this and this may be in the opposition's favor, but my client should win because of this, this and this."
In legal situations, seldomly does one come across a fact pattern that 100% favors their client. There&rsquo;s almost always some small piece that they end up having to heed to their opponent. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean they lose because, in the law, you don&rsquo;t need a bulletproof case to win. You just need to present enough evidence to meet the standard of review necessary for victory in that jurisdiction.&nbsp;
In many ways, the NBA playoffs are like a legal argument. In order to advance, you don&rsquo;t need to best your adversary in every singular component of the game. You just need to beat them four times in a best-of-seven series.&nbsp;
Such conditions open the door to the possibility of concessions. In the NBA, teams are too damn good for one team to completely stymie all their sources of income, so teams need to strategically pick and choose which aspects they will hone in on stopping and what aspects they are willing to concede.&nbsp;
To further paint this illustration in your mind, let&rsquo;s go over some overarching examples of concessions in this year&rsquo;s playoffs.
No Middle For You
After DeMar DeRozan decided it was time to stop playing Mr. Nice Guy and lit the Bucks up for 41 points in Game 2 of the first round, Milwaukee decided it was not going to let him get <a href="https://streamable.com/jnedo4">two feet in the paint</a> anymore.&nbsp;
So, the Bucks chose to turn to <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/ice-f9ea7d7d7d51">ICE pick and roll coverage</a> on ballscreens featuring DeRozan and his co-star teammate, Zach LaVine.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/197ih2" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The hallmark feature of this alignment is that the point-of-attack defender forces the ball-handler to reject the screen and lures them towards the sideline, in the process hindering their quest for the interior.
Defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau is <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/07/29/nba-experts-break-down-strengths-of-knicks-tom-thibodeau/">often credited with popularizing this configuration</a>, but the coverage does come with an inherent fatal flaw.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ll notice in the above plays that the player defending the screener has to sink back into a drop position, which helps protect the interior. But it leaves them vulnerable <a href="https://streamable.com/ac24oq">if the screener decides to pop out for a three-pointer</a>.&nbsp;
The Bucks knew such a shot was a necessary evil in order to execute their gameplan, so they decided to concede this shot to the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explaining-why-we-need-to-appreciate-screening-more">Bulls&rsquo; most prominent screener</a>, Nikola Vucevic.&nbsp;
To his credit, Vucevic has developed into a pretty solid outside shooter over the last couple of years, but this season he regressed to a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/202696/shots-dash">32.6% conversion rate on wide-open attempts</a>.&nbsp;
The Bucks were willing to surrender these open looks to Vucevic over having DeRozan and LaVine knife their way into the paint. They did the &ldquo;Yeah, but&rdquo; thing. Yeah, you&rsquo;re going to get open threes with Vucevic, but your two best players won&rsquo;t be able to collapse our defense with drives to the paint. Ultimately, this argument worked for Milwaukee, as they held the Bulls to a 91.1 offensive rating over the final three games of the series. For reference, the 1964 Boston Celtics posted a 90.9 offensive rating.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve also seen Dallas turn to this <a href="https://streamable.com/o9h6my">defensive philosophy</a> a little more against Phoenix, and it&rsquo;s contributed to their ability to claw their way back into that series.&nbsp;
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Can&rsquo;t Do it Alone
Although the sample size is small, Nikola Jokic experienced a dip in his usual assist rate and an increase in his field-goal attempts from the regular season to the playoffs.
Nikola Jokic Regular Season v. Postseason Stats (Per 100 Possessions)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 47.9111%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">Assists*</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">FGA Attempts*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">Regular Season</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">11.6</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">26.0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">Playoffs</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">8.4</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">30.7</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Source: Basketball Reference
This change is a byproduct of the Warriors' decision to concede Jokic&rsquo;s individual scoring brilliance in order to mitigate the value of his playmaking.
Golden State did this by playing him straight up in most instances and largely avoiding sending a second defender to dig or stunt at the ball until they were certain he had built up the conviction to score.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/2z53wp" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This (and Draymond&rsquo;s prodigious defensive abilities) helped the Warriors limit the amount of <a href="https://streamable.com/cln6xv">double team, kickout, swing, swing power play sequences</a> and forced his motley crew supporting cast to create advantages for themselves. Of course, the Nuggets couldn&rsquo;t manage to do this, and the jury reached a 4-to-1 verdict in favor of the Warriors.&nbsp;
Concessions Don&rsquo;t Always Work
There are plenty of times when an opponent miscalculates the depth of their opponent's powers and lets the wrong person burn them.&nbsp;
For instance, the Minnesota Timberwolves opted to <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/show-f1461d61b8">hedge/blitz</a> ballscreens captained by Ja Morant, which means after the low man rotates over, they were conceding the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdILqIRFh0A">weakside corner skip pass</a> (please click this hyperlink, Manu is so cool, man).
In these spots, Coach Taylor Jenkins was wise to make sure that the person waiting in that corner was none other than <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/desmond-bane-and-the-truth-about-the-nba-playoffs">Desmon Bane</a>.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/g30mal" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Bane eviscerated the Timberwolves to the tune of 23.5 points on 67.3% True Shooting, and in the end, many cite his contributions as one of the main reasons Minnesota couldn&rsquo;t pull off the Cinderella upset against Memphis.
In this round, the Grizzlies&rsquo; prerogative over the first three games of the series was to try and limit the Warriors' perimeter opportunities, which led to them getting absolutely throttled in the <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/05/nba-playoffs-how-the-golden-state-warriors-are-beating-the-memphis-grizzlies-at-their-own-game/">points in the paint battle</a>.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, the Bucks&rsquo; decision to concede relatively open catch-and-shoot threes in order to let Brook Lopez and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> protect the paint led to the Celtics torching them from downtown in Game 2 (shooting 46.5% from three). This shooting forced the Bucks to switch from allowing more open catch-and-shoot threes to them forfeiting over more lightly-contested pull-ups (which the Celtics also figured out how to exploit in Game 5, but that&rsquo;s for a different article).&nbsp;
As we continue to project the outcomes of playoff series until we move to Mars (I am shagging back on Earth if that happens), it&rsquo;s important that we stop and ask ourselves a few questions: What is each team willing to concede to the other? What are the consequences that come with these concessions? And, most importantly, can they endure these consequences and put together a strong enough counterargument to warrant progressing to the next round?
Huh. Maybe law school isn&rsquo;t so bad after all.&nbsp;
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A big part of NBA Playoff success is practicing the art of making concessions, which some teams have quite well this postseason.

The NBA Playoffs and the art of concessions

On Monday, Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown experienced arguably the craziest 24 hours of his 25-year coaching career.
The whirlwind of a day started that morning, when the Sacramento Kings announced that they were hiring Brown as their new head coach. Brown would continue coaching the Warriors throughout their postseason run, and then his four-year deal with the Kings would begin.
"Mike has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead winning teams throughout his long and successful coaching career," Kings general manager Monte McNair said in a press release. "He has worked with some of the best players in the NBA and is one of the league's premier defensive minds. I am excited to bring his extensive experience to Sacramento."
Previously, Brown coached the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers &mdash; even winning the NBA&rsquo;s Coach of the Year award in 2009. However, after working as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr in recent years, this would be his first head-coaching gig since 2014.
While Brown was understandably excited about this new opportunity, he tried to focus on the task at hand: beating the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Warriors were up 2-1 in the series and Monday's game was pivotal.
Little did Brown know, he would be thrust back into a head-coaching role sooner than expected.
&ldquo;Steve called me on his way in at about 4:45, and said he just wasn't feeling well and there's a chance that he may not be able to coach tonight,&rdquo; Brown recalled. &ldquo;We've done this drill before, and so I said, &lsquo;Okay.&rsquo; He came in, got tested; I get a call back at 5:15 saying that he's out. So that's how I found out [I&rsquo;d be the head coach]."
That&rsquo;s not an easy transition to make moments before a game, and Brown admits that he felt nervous after receiving that call.
&ldquo;Obviously, there's butterflies because you're going into the game with a certain mindset and it's a big game,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;Every game that we play at this point in the year, it's huge. So to have that kind of thrown at you, you've got to switch gears because I know what my responsibilities are going in as 'Mike Brown the assistant coach,' and it changes. Now, you have to manage everything and not necessarily manage the specific things that you were asked to do before gametime. So, I had to change hats quickly.&rdquo;
The atmosphere surrounding this playoff game was unique too, as Draymond Green was playing with a heavy heart. Earlier that afternoon, Green learned that his college teammate Adreian Payne had been shot and killed the night before in Orlando. Green and Payne played together for two seasons at Michigan State, and Green was devastated. (Green announced a $100,000 fund in Payne's name and called on other Spartan alumni to contribute as well).
&ldquo;I love Draymond and when he hurts, we all hurt,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;It was an up-and-down, emotional day.&rdquo;
Despite everything the Warriors were dealing with, they managed to beat the Grizzlies 101-98 to take a 3-1 lead in the series.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I'm so proud of them," Brown said. "Our leader in Steve being out with COVID right before the game. Draymond, emotionally, he's our emotional heart and soul, and for him to get hit with something that impactful, not only was it tough for him, but we felt it. We felt it as a group. It was a tough night for us. But at this point in the year, you win ball games. It doesn't matter how you get there, but you win ball games. We found a way to win tonight and that's why I'm excited.
&ldquo;When we went in the back, [Warriors assistant] Chris DeMarco says, &lsquo;Punch 42. Dive 52.&rsquo; I'm like, &lsquo;What are you talking about?&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;We just kept handing the ball off to the fullback left and right, and at the end of the game, we kicked a field goal to win it. Hell of a football game.&rsquo; And that's what it was. But that's playoff basketball. Sometimes it's grimy. Sometimes it's gritty. They turned it into that in Game 2 in Memphis and we lost. They turned it into that again tonight, especially with Ja [Morant] out, but our guys found a way."
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While Stephen Curry led the way with 32 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds, Brown credited the leadership of Green and Andre Iguodala, while also shouting out the rest of Golden State&rsquo;s coaching staff.
&ldquo;Andre, I know he's not playing but just his voice, his presence, he's always saying the right thing. It uplifts all of us; it uplifted me,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;I told him and Draymond, &lsquo;I need you guys tonight. I need you guys. I'm going to lean on you guys.&rsquo; And those guys stayed steady the whole game; Andre on the bench, obviously, and Draymond out on the floor.
&ldquo;To have veterans like Andre and Draymond who have been through the highs and lows of many playoffs series, when they are reassuring the guys of that, it gives everybody else confidence because we are playing guys right now who haven't been as far. Again, their presence, their voice, their calmness, their reassurance, all that stuff means a lot for our group, especially with Steve out&hellip; All of our guys &ndash; Kenny Atkinson, Bruce Fraser, Chris DeMarco, Jama [Mahlalela], [Dejan Milojevic], all of our coaches &ndash; were fantastic.&rdquo;
After the game, Curry and Klay Thompson raved about Brown and how well he did on such short notice. They both pointed out that Brown had thrived in this position before back in 2017, when Kerr missed a stretch due to back pain and Brown led the team to an 11-0 record.
&ldquo;It's been a wild day all the way around,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;You just had to kind of figure it out on the fly. And I understand we've been through this before &mdash; guys that were here in 2016-17, with Coach [Kerr] and his back problems back in the day when he was out of the lineup and still had an influence. Mike B. stepped up, so we really didn't have a lot of time to react&hellip; He's coached in Finals before, coached some high-powered teams, some big-market teams &ndash; he's been through it all. He&rsquo;s been with us for these last six years, and he's been interim coach for a little bit and made his presence felt, especially defensively leading us this year. He has a good presence about him, a great way about him.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Really happy for Mike B.,&rdquo; Thompson added. &ldquo;He's going to do great things for Sacramento. His head-coaching record for Warriors playoff games, I think, is undefeated. We did miss Steve a lot, just his voice, his presence. But we've been here before in 2017 when Mike took over and we rolled off a lot of wins. I reflected on that a lot. Just an up-and-down day as far as emotions&hellip; It was an emotional day. Prayers up to Adreian and his family and Draymond; I know they played together. Just a terrible loss of life and his legacy will live on. It was just a sad day.&rdquo;
Brown will once again coach the Warriors in Game 5 tonight &mdash; this time with significantly more heads up. And, in typical Kerr fashion, Brown praised his players and downplayed his role in the Game 4 win.
&ldquo;Any time you have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole and a guy who if he wasn't hurt would have been Defensive Player of the Year in Draymond Green on the floor, you know good things can happen,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;If it's a one- or two-possession game down the stretch, whether you're down or up, you feel pretty confident. A lot of it has to do with the playoff experience that these guys have, but their talent and IQ, in my opinion, are second-to-none.&rdquo;
Brown will never forget the day that the Kings hired him, and he'll likely go down as an interesting trivia answer too.
"I don't know in history if [anyone else has been] named the head coach of two teams in 24 hours," Curry said with a laugh. &ldquo;He's continuing to set many trends!&rdquo;
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Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown experienced arguably the craziest 24 hours of his 25-year coaching career on Monday.

A crazy day: Mike Brown gets Kings' job, then fills in for Steve Kerr

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Adreian Payne, a former Michigan State basketball standout and NBA player, has died in a shooting. He was 31.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a shooting at 1:34 a.m. Monday when Payne was identified and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. 
Lawrence Dority, 29, was present at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested on a first-degree murder warrant after homicide detectives interviewed him.
Payne played in 107 NBA games, averaging four points and three rebounds, over four seasons with Atlanta, Minnesota and Orlando. The Hawks drafted him No. 15 overall in 2014, traded him to the Timberwolves, and he averaged 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds as a potentially promising rookie. 
The Magic waived the 6-foot-10 forward in January, 2018, after he was part of an ESPN report that detailed sexual assault allegations against former basketball and football players at the school.
Payne played professionally earlier this year for Juventus in Lithuania. He also played in Turkey, France, Greece and China.
Payne, who is from Dayton, Ohio, started in 94 of 138 games over four seasons for Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo at Michigan State. He averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior during the 2013-14 season.
While in college, Payne befriended 8-year-old, cancer-stricken Lacey Holsworth and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/a48b9b6850284d2986a58f44aee80c57">spoke at her memorial ceremony in April, 2014.</a>
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Adreian Payne, a former Michigan State basketball standout and NBA player, has died in a shooting. He was 31.

Former NBA, Michigan State star Adreian Payne shot, killed

As the old saying goes: "The great ones will always get theirs."
Despite being stymied by the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-celtics-game-1-defense-on-kevin-durant-showcased-their-greatness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Celtics&rsquo; physicality</a>, Kevin Durant still averaged 26.3 points per game against them in their recent first-round duel. In 2019, Giannis Antetokounmpo still averaged 22.7 points a night when Air Canada built a wall in front of him. Hell, Dirk Nowitzki stumbled his way into 19.7 points per game when he got punked by the "We Believe" Golden State Warriors in 2007.&nbsp;
When it comes to the great ones, you can try to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slow them down</a>, but you can never take them out of the dance entirely.
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But what about the really good ones?
For them, we&rsquo;ll need a different maxim. One that reads: Styles make fights.
In the right matchup, a player may dominate to the point where you wonder why he or she wasn't garnering more praise and recognition in the first place. Catch that individual in the wrong matchup, and you may feel the need to <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/462362175257206784?s=20&amp;t=_h9u5Y92QrIaa4uiBSwEBg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hang missing person posters</a> with his or her image and likeness plastered all over them.&nbsp;
Such is the story of Desmond Bane in the 2022 playoffs &ndash; except, fortunately for him, Memphis fans have refrained from doing him as dirty as Brooklyn did <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ten-years-ago-deron-williams-dropped-57-points-so-lets-talk-about-what-couldve-been" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D-Will</a> (there&rsquo;s still time though).
I hinted at this a bit in my recent article for <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2022/5/5/23056975/nba-playoffs-2022-young-players-grades-jalen-brunson-ja-morant">SB Nation</a>, but Bane was the primary beneficiary of the Minnesota Timberwolves&rsquo; blitzkrieg initiative for defanging Ja Morant.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
An interesting wrinkle here in these playoffs worth keeping tabs on: Desmond Bane w/Ja Morant (207 minutes): 69.8% TS Desmond Bane w/o Ja Morant (53 minutes): 38.5% TS This disparity marks the highest change in TS% of anyone on the team w/ or w/o Morant. Per PBP Stats.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1521465156391292928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Minnesota regularly sent two at the ball on ball-screens featuring Morant (an alignment commonly referred to as a blitz/hedge). This led to the low-man defender constantly rotating over to tag the roller. And as a result, it created an open opportunity for Bane (a.k.a. the almighty conqueror of the <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1518193886866415618?s=20&amp;t=QaP2dugfYp6ZNzkvC5G9Qg">fly-by closeout</a>).
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/g30mal" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Bane was electric against Timberwolves, shredding nylons to the tune of 23.5 points per game on 67.3% True Shooting &mdash; a performance that powered many to call him the Grizzlies&rsquo; best player in that series.&nbsp;
Now, here we are against Golden State, and, as <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052">The Dunker Spot</a> crew likes to say, the math has changed (and, unfortunately, the physical integrity of his <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/warriors/news/desmond-banes-updated-injury-status-for-game-two" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back</a>).
First vs. Second Round Stats
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.3894%;">Desmond Bane</td>
<td style="width: 19.7392%;">Points Per Game*</td>
<td style="width: 16.8672%;">True Shooting*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.3894%;">Minnesota&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 19.7392%;">23.5</td>
<td style="width: 16.8672%;">67.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.3894%;">Golden State&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 19.7392%;">7.0</td>
<td style="width: 16.8672%;">38.2%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data Provided by Basketball-Reference
The Warriors have opted to switch or go under on screens, sag off Morant when he's got the ball and contest Ja's <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1520877541992845312?s=20&amp;t=ZChHUIVIRZnLSMkpyHiN3w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pull-up attempts softly</a>. This is all in order to avoid conceding interior looks to the league leader in points in the paint. (Hint: It hasn&rsquo;t worked <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1522600176413814786?s=20&amp;t=xjgbtFvQNK2kRYODJvxNZw">particularly well</a>.)
The theoretical benefit of this for the Warriors is that they aren&rsquo;t putting their defense in a state of automatic rotation, which negates a good portion of Bane&rsquo;s offensive value (he&rsquo;s made a killing this season capitalizing off the bent floors that Morant materializes for him).&nbsp;
This change in hardwood climate for Bane has coerced an adjustment in his shot diet. According to NBA.com shot-tracking data, Bane has gone from taking 6.2 catch-and-shoot jumpers against the Wolves to a mere 3.5 against the Warriors. With his off-ball volume being down, he&rsquo;s been forced to resort to multi-dribble looks to try and get himself going. And at this point in his development, these situations are just not optimal.
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With all this said, Golden State has still been showing help at the nail on Morant&rsquo;s drives, but every defensive scheme has its own idiosyncratic help principles for different players/matchups.
While Golden State's off-ball defenders may sag off and offer supplementary aid to whoever is tasked with point-of-attack duties, they are hesitant to overhelp off of Bane (which is great for the Grizzlies spacing).
Also, to their credit, the Warriors have been particularly stout in navigating screens when the Grizzlies attempt to feature Bane in his usual off-ball sets; <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1521838810694365185?s=20&amp;t=HWJUxLn0B1h-uEC11gW2bw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steph Curry</a> has been especially diligent in these spots.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
Warriors clearly locked in on Desmond Mane, comes off this screen, Klay there on the catch. Not giving him room. <a href="https://t.co/CmMwn8gyfJ">pic.twitter.com/CmMwn8gyfJ</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1521671132763545600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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This situation reminds me of a Mike Prada tweet I often ponder over internally in the doldrums of my mind. (Congrats on the new position, by the way!)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Bev is well-equipped to guard Booker b/c he hits first. Devin wants to speed into the play, stop, hit you, then pivot off you. You disrupt that by getting into him early, and that's what Bev does. (This is also why Luka fried him. His move cadence is the inverse of Book's) <a href="https://t.co/aLvAd2k7EZ">https://t.co/aLvAd2k7EZ</a>
&mdash; Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikePradaNBA/status/1408268764886482950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Don&rsquo;t get me wrong. Bane is a better basketball player than Patrick Beverley (I have him in the top 50), but the former's current struggles are parallel with the ones the latter experienced last postseason.&nbsp;
Beverley went from starting in Games 1 and 2 against Dallas, to coming off the bench in Games 3 through 5, to never taking off his warmups in Games 6 and 7. In the following round, he was in the rotations, but only garnering 16-to-20 minutes with the second unit against the Utah Jazz.
However, Beverley would find his way back into the starting lineup against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals, and administered a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/201976/head-to-head?SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;Season=2020-21">9-of-31 shooting</a> chokehold on Devin Booker in the 35-plus minutes he shadowed the All-Star guard.
Another example of this trend of matchups dictating production can be illustrated through Fred VanVleet, the guy many now call <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-all-star-case-fred-vanvleet-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Freddy All-Star.&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;
In 2019, the smaller guard had no place against the Philadelphia 76ers&rsquo; lengthy backcourt duo of Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons, and so, he was relegated to 16.9 minutes per game and posted an awful 24.3% TS.
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However, VanVleet's math changed when he was gifted a <a href="https://www.sportscasting.com/fred-vanvleets-child-might-have-won-the-toronto-raptors-the-2019-nba-finals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newborn child</a> and a more formulaic backcourt dynamic against the Milwaukee Bucks. In that series, he averaged 27.3 minutes and sizzled his way to an excellent 64.4% TS efficiency.
And then, in the following round, VanVleet's penchant for screen navigation and chasing Curry around off-ball made him an essential ingredient in the Toronto Raptors&rsquo; title-clinching series.&nbsp;
Even looking at the opposite side of this series, Jonathan Kuminga went from playing ~5 minutes per game against the craft-based Denver Nuggets to requiring ~15 per game against this more athletic Grizzlies unit.
We could do this all day, but for the sake of time (although it is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mhZBLUyybo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flat circle</a>), we will not be doing that.&nbsp;
The intent of this written soliloquy isn&rsquo;t to argue for less Bane in this series. He&rsquo;s so good that his defensive intensity, and the threat of his marksmanship, is enough to warrant a high-minute load (if he&rsquo;s healthy).&nbsp;
The point of this is to offer an explanation for his recent dip in play, and provide some solace for concerned fans who may fear that his recent slump hampers his long-term potential.&nbsp;
Unless you are a superstar-caliber player &mdash; or possess an incredibly versatile skil lset &mdash; your production on a series-to-series basis is likely to vary quite a bit based on your matchups.&nbsp;
Such is the truth about the NBA playoffs.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Mat Issa discusses Desmond Bane's last two games in the postseason and how it illustrates the meaning of matchups.

Desmond Bane and the truth about matchups in the NBA Playoffs

Ja Morant scored 47 points to match his postseason high and carry the Memphis Grizzlies into a tie in the Western Conference semifinals with a 106-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
Morant scored the last 15 points for Memphis, starting with 4:16 left. He drove and turned around a defender before hitting a 7-foot jumper with 1:42 left to put Memphis ahead to stay at 100-99. He added four free throws and a 9-footer finishing with 18 in the fourth quarter.
The NBA&rsquo;s Most Improved Player, who also had 47 in Game 2 against Utah last year, became only the third player in league history to have multiple 45-point games in the postseason before turning 23. The other two? LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Ziaire Williams hit four 3s and finished with 14 points off the bench. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 12 points before fouling out for the third time in eight games this postseason. Brandon Clarke added 10 points.
Now the youngest team to reach the semifinal round in the last 25 years heads to San Francisco for Game 3 on Saturday night knowing the series will return to Memphis for Game 5.&nbsp;
Stephen Curry finished with 27 points on 3-of-11 shooting outside the arc. Jordan Poole added 20 off the bench but was 1 of 6 from 3. Andrew Wiggins had 16, going 1 of 7 from 3. Klay Thompson finished with 12 points and was 2 of 12 from 3. The Warriors shot just 7 of 38 from 3-point range.
The Warriors, in the semifinals for the seventh time in 10 years, had their chances. Trailing 104-101, Curry passed to Green, who tossed it to Thompson, who traveled with 17 seconds left. Morant hit two free throws for the final margin.
The Grizzlies are coming off the franchise&rsquo;s first series win in seven years. But a team that was the NBA&rsquo;s second-youngest squad during the regular season is trying to take Memphis past the second round, something this franchise has done only once back in 2013.
It didn&rsquo;t get easier when Dillon Brooks, averaging 15 points this postseason and whose job was defending Curry, was ejected with 9:08 left in the first quarter after a hard foul on Warriors guard Gary Payton II. Payton went to the locker room for X-rays on his left elbow. He didn&rsquo;t return.
Green, ejected from Game 1 for his own Flagrant 2, went down a couple minutes after Brooks&rsquo; ejection. He went to the locker room, flashing the middle digit on each hand at the fans. He returned for the second quarter after getting stitches for a cut at his right eye that was nearly swollen shut by halftime.
Memphis scored the first eight points of the game and led 33-25 after the hectic first quarter with Morant scoring 14, Jackson 10. Curry had 11 for Golden State with Brooks in the locker room. The second quarter got a bit sloppy at times with the Warriors going 2 of 11 outside the arc with five turnovers.
The Grizzlies led 56-51 at halftime with Morant scoring the final four points of the second for Memphis, giving him 23.
Curry and Poole fueled a big third quarter in Game 1 combining for 23 points. This time, Curry scored four points and Poole had six, but Golden State finished the third on a 13-3 run to tie it up at 77. Morant was hit in the face in the final seconds and went to the bench saying he couldn&rsquo;t see out of his left eye.
Golden State took its first lead of the game within the opening minute of the fourth on a layup by Poole, and the Warriors led by as much as 81-77. Memphis answered with a 9-2 run capped by back-to-back 3s from Williams, who missed the last two playoff games with a sore right knee.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Now are 39-34 in Game 2s and 18-9 since the 2015 playoffs. ... Thompson needed only one 3 to reach 400 for his career in the playoffs. He knocked that down with 7:16 left in the first quarter. ... They outrebounded Memphis matching their postseason high for a second straight game at 52-47.
Grizzlies: Morant snapped a streak of six straight double-doubles that made him the youngest in 30 years with that long a streak in one postseason. ... Jackson tied Zach Randolph for third on the franchise&rsquo;s career blocks list in the postseason with his 24th a minute into the third quarter. ... They shot 14 of 45 from 3.
IN THE CROWD
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was at the game with three former Spartans in this game, including Warriors forward Draymond Green. Izzo posed for a photo before the game with Xavier Tillman Sr. and Jackson.&nbsp;

Ja Morant scored 47 points to match his postseason high and carry the Grizzlies into a tie in the West semifinals with a 106-101 victory.

Morant scores 47 points, Grizzlies tie Warriors at one apiece

As humans, it&rsquo;s in our nature to simplify topics to help enhance our perceived understanding of them. Simply put, we like putting things in boxes.&nbsp;
For Jayson Tatum, the box he&rsquo;s long been secluded to is "bucket-getter."
In some respects, this is a noble designation, considering the essence of the sport is to, how you say, get buckets. However, the taxonomy has a limiting quality that comes with it. You see, the impact of players that fall under this archetype typically caps off in the low-end All-Star territory &mdash; a far cry from Tatum&rsquo;s megastar ambitions.&nbsp;
So, to burst through this glass ceiling, Tatum has become something else. He&rsquo;s become someone else (The <a href="https://youtu.be/7wnMZRs1c34" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Green Arrow?</a>).&nbsp;
He&rsquo;s transformed himself into a generous facilitator and a stalwart defender, and that maturation was never more apparent than in the role he played in the Celtics 4-0' conquest of the Brooklyn Nets.&nbsp;
Playmaking&nbsp;
His passing development is best cataloged through the lens of Ben Taylor&rsquo;s <a href="https://backpicks.com/2018/07/15/nba-passer-ratings-since-1978/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Passer Rating</a> (a 1-to-10 measure of a players passing ability) and <a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/box-creation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Box Creation</a> (an estimate of open shots created for teammates per 100 possessions) metrics.&nbsp;
Passing/Playmaking Stats By Year 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 23.1456%;">Jayson Tatum</td>
<td style="width: 12.3873%;">
'17-18 
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2953%;">
'18-19 
</td>
<td style="width: 12.4109%;">
'19-20 
</td>
<td style="width: 12.3163%;">
'20-21 
</td>
<td style="width: 13.7372%;">
'21-22 
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 23.1456%;">
Passer Rating*
</td>
<td style="width: 12.3873%;">
2.6
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2953%;">
3.7
</td>
<td style="width: 12.4109%;">
4.2
</td>
<td style="width: 12.3163%;">
5.0
</td>
<td style="width: 13.7372%;">
5.6
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 23.1456%;">
Box Creation*
</td>
<td style="width: 12.3873%;">
2.3
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2953%;">
3.1
</td>
<td style="width: 12.4109%;">
5.9
</td>
<td style="width: 12.3163%;">
8.2
</td>
<td style="width: 13.7372%;">
9.1
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right to view full table)
*Data Provided by Backpicks
As you can see, Tatum began his career as a horrid passer (for reference: Moses Malone once penned a 2.6 Passer Rating). Nowadays, his playmaking numbers are some of the best in the league, as he finished the 2021-22 season ranking in the 90th percentile in Box Creation.
We've seen a similar growth curve from other athletic forwards who began their All-Star reigns as pure scorers, and then, graduated into MVP candidates by improving their passing.
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Kawhi Leonard had a Passer Rating of 2.9 during his rookie season and went on to finish in the top-20 in the stat in 2019-20 (6.9), tying the Point God himself, Chris Paul.
Tatum&rsquo;s Celtic progenitor, Paul Pierce, began his career with a Box Creation output of 1.7, only to finish in the 92nd percentile in creation in 2015-16 (once again tying Paul!).
(Keep in mind that Leonard and Pierce were both 28 when they made their playmaking peaks; Tatum just turned 24.)
A huge part of Tatum&rsquo;s synthesis as a passer and playmaker can be credited to his strength. The Nets often tried to load up on Tatum in a fashion similar to the way the Celtics did so with Durant. And yet, unlike Durant &mdash; who was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-celtics-game-1-defense-on-kevin-durant-showcased-their-greatness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">battered into a barrage of contested jumpers</a> &mdash; Tatum continuously found ways to knife his way into the eye of the storm. During the series, Tatum took an average of 8.5 shots at the rim per game, while Durant managed a mere 1.7 (per Dunks &amp; Threes).
Tatum wasn&rsquo;t converting on these looks at his usual rate, but his ability to consistently get two feet into the defense's place of worship forced the Nets to <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/how-do-nba-defensive-rotations-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sink</a> in on his drives, and that shift empowered Tatum to spray passes out to his loosely guarded contemporaries.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/6xxacw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The immediacy with which he relieves himself from custody of the rock is another key to his progress in the playmaking department. Last season, when Boston played the Nets (albeit without Jaylen Brown), Tatum was handling the ball for <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Tatum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4.48</a> seconds, and he took <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Tatum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3.40</a> dribbles during those possessions. This time around, he only held the ball for <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Tatum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4.06</a> seconds and produced only <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Tatum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2.95</a> dribbles per touch.&nbsp;
This change in time may not seem significant, but a half-second here and half-dribble there can be the difference in a few inches of airspace for his teammate. And like Tony D&rsquo;Amato said in Any Given Sunday, "Life&rsquo;s a game of inches, g**damn it!"
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/6dhxz6" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tatum is making decisions swifter and more precisely than ever before, and it shows in his postseason Box Creation score of 12.6 (third among postseason participants).&nbsp;
Defense
Sticking with our previous comparisons, Pierce and Leonard both authored two No. 1 ranked defenses with the franchises that drafted them.
(Pierce did it behind the watchful eye of Kevin Garnett in 2007-08 and 2011-12, while Leonard was the keystone to an impenetrable wall of defensive superiority from <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/27/team#tab-four_factors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2015-17</a>.)
This iteration of the Celtics just <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/2/team#tab-four_factors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">completed this feat</a> for the second time since Tatum started tending to the TD Garden in 2017-18, and one could reasonably argue that he may have been the third-best guardian on a unit with two potential <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All-NBA defenders</a>.
Like Pierce and Leonard, Tatum relies on a tantalizing blend of strength and length to bother players of all shapes and sizes. Against the Nets, Tatum forced over&nbsp;2 turnovers per 75 possessions (that includes steals, blocks and charges).&nbsp;
As for Durant, Tatum not only used his aforementioned strength to bully his frailer adversary around on the perimeter, but he also leveraged his length to meet KD&rsquo;s shot at its zenith in a manner we haven&rsquo;t seen since Giannis Antetokoumpo.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Other than Giannis and Tatum, who else has the ability to block a Kevin Durant jumper at its apex? <a href="https://t.co/mAmHHqkpiH">pic.twitter.com/mAmHHqkpiH</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1519726455948820481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And while <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-to-slow-down-kevin-durant-let-the-reaper-reap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slowing Durant</a> has been a team-wide endeavor (every player that played significant minutes shadowed him at one point or another), Tatum&rsquo;s individual work is nothing to scoff at.&nbsp;
In over 30 minutes of guarding him, Tatum held Durant to 3 of 18 shooting in a performance that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrD5hCP8X6s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">garnered comparison</a> to the containment job Pierce executed on LeBron James in 2008. For the record, Leonard also has a superstar stymie on his resume &mdash; that being his famous walling off of Giannis in 2019.
James, Antetokounmpo and Durant experienced significant decreases in volume and efficiency when they went up against this troika of star wings.
Superstar Shutdown Performances
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.7658%;">
Player Matchup (Year)
</td>
<td style="width: 10.5775%;">
TS%*
</td>
<td style="width: 25.4747%;">
Dif. from Regular Season*
</td>
<td style="width: 10.2303%;">
PPG
</td>
<td style="width: 25.7298%;">
Dif. from Regular Season*
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.7658%;">
James (2008)
</td>
<td style="width: 10.5775%;">
48.0%
</td>
<td style="width: 25.4747%;">
-8.8%
</td>
<td style="width: 10.2303%;">
26.7
</td>
<td style="width: 25.7298%;">
-3.3
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.7658%;">
Antetokounmpo (2019)
</td>
<td style="width: 10.5775%;">
51.8%
</td>
<td style="width: 25.4747%;">
-12.6%
</td>
<td style="width: 10.2303%;">
22.7
</td>
<td style="width: 25.7298%;">
-5.0
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.7658%;">
Durant (2022)
</td>
<td style="width: 10.5775%;">
52.6%
</td>
<td style="width: 25.4747%;">
-10.8%
</td>
<td style="width: 10.2303%;">
26.3
</td>
<td style="width: 25.7298%;">
-3.6
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right to view full table)
*Data Provided by Basketball Reference
It&rsquo;s also worth noting that Pierce and Leonard both captured NBA titles during the postseasons they administered their signature shutdown performances in.
Overall, Tatum&rsquo;s recent stretch of play pushes him from bucket-getting All-Star to a borderline top-10 player in the NBA. And future improvements around the margins could lead to Tatum ascending into the all-time pantheon of two-way forwards &mdash; right next to Pierce and Leonard.
His growth thus far is best summarized in a Game 4 quote from <a href="https://twitter.com/realStanVG/status/1518569656470093827?s=20&amp;t=pp4NUrT5Mmx_-_htG8l8VQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter&rsquo;s favorite son</a>, Stan Van Gundy:&nbsp;
&ldquo;Tatum, at the end of last year, was thought of in this league as a great scorer. Now, he is a great player, and it is because he has become an outstanding defender and a willing &mdash; and very good &mdash; playmaker.&rdquo;
Well said, Stan. Well said.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Mat Issa writes on how Jayson Tatum's playmaking and defense have reminded him of two other great wing players on both ends.

Jayson Tatum is much more than just a bucket-getter

Mat Issa raves over Jordan Poole regarding his three-level scoring and how his ceiling may be higher than once thought.

Jordan Poole is even better than we could've imagined

Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues is a man of many things.&nbsp;
He was the drink stirrer of one of the greatest high school basketball teams <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evrEKGZl_kQ">ever</a>, a victim of the Monstars' <a href="https://youtu.be/pbnyVj2iVlw">banditry</a> and, most notably, the <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/who-are-10-shortest-players-nba-history-mugsy-bogues-spud-webb-boykins/zjapq718gzek16uxepv5w284r">shortest</a> player to ever don an NBA uniform.&nbsp;
His professional life resembles the six degrees of Kevin Bacon in how intertwined it is with so many iconic players and moments in league history. He was on the Hornets when the <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/406279-the-vlade-divac-effect-analyzing-the-ground-breaking-trade">infamous</a> Vlade-Divac-for-Kobe-Bryant transaction went down. He was in the gym the day Latrell Sprewell got <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egvyGi61exo">physical</a> with Coach P.J. Carlesimo. And he had a backstage pass to the rise of one of the most <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq6AAD53_uM">transcendent</a> players in league history, Stephen Curry.&nbsp;
And now, he&rsquo;s finally decided to chronicle his tale in his upcoming book, "Muggsy: My Life from a Kid in the Projects to the Godfather of Small Ball."
&ldquo;I wrote [a book] early on in my life in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Land-Giants-My-Life-Basketball/dp/0316101737">1994, </a>&nbsp;but this one has a lot more substance. [It&rsquo;s] a lot more about the way I impacted some of the players I played with, as well as some of the current players that [are] playing today,&rdquo; Bogues said.
But time has a way of muddling our ability to recall the past, and those unfamiliar with Bogues&rsquo; game may not realize that he was far more than a funhouse mirror phenomenon. He was a damn good professional basketball player for almost a decade and a half.
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Many critics point to his existence as a referendum against the talent pool of the Jordan era, but Bogues&rsquo; skillset &mdash; a game predicated on pushing the pace, passing and hounding people on defense &mdash; actually makes him a solid fit for the way the game is played today.
When asked how he would fare in 2022, Bogues acknowledged the tendency of humans to overestimate their own individual abilities. &ldquo;I think any NBA player feels like they can play in any era.&rdquo;&nbsp;
However, even with that caveat, his conviction was unwavering, culminating his response with an emphatic, &ldquo;Oh, absolutely!&rdquo;
At his best, Bogues was the quarterback of one of the fastest offensive attacks of the early 1990s. Under his guidance, the Charlotte Hornets finished top-four in pace every season from 1991 to 1994, per Basketball Reference.&nbsp;
Bogues wasn&rsquo;t just a speed demon zooming down the court with his head cut off. He was a steadying force capable of maintaining a well-oiled machine (the Hornets were <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHH/1997.html">fourth</a> in offensive efficiency in 1996-97).
In terms of individual numbers, Bogues ranked top-nine in Cerebro Sports&rsquo; Floor General Skills metric, a metric that explores passing ability while also factoring in usage, athleticism and feel, and he did that every year from 1989 to 1995.&nbsp;
And for the creation stans out there, he ranked in the top-10 in Ben Taylor&rsquo;s <a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/box-creation/">Box Creation</a> metric (an estimate of open shots created for teammates per 100 possessions) every year during that time, except for 1991, when he finished 11th.&nbsp;
In Bogues' new book, Charles Oakley said this of his playmaking abilities: &ldquo;[I]n the pick-and-roll, he could turn the corner, get into the paint and drive.&rdquo; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
In his heyday, Bogues leveraged his blink-and-you-might-miss-it speed to knife his way into the paint, force a collapse and ping-pong the ball over to his open teammates.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Penetration always hurts the defense," Bogues said. "I always had the understanding of how to get guys to think one way when I want to go the opposite.&rdquo;
That offensive aggressiveness was a big part of what made Bogues so valuable to his teams.
&ldquo;One of the things coaches always emphasized is that [they] don&rsquo;t want anyone getting in the heart of our defense. [So, as an offensive player], if you are able to do that, it puts your team at an advantage, and I was fortunate enough to be a penetrator my entire career."
An avid chess player nowadays, Bogues was playing a chess game of sorts on the basketball court long before he executed his first checkmate, treating his opponents like pieces on the board he could manipulate as he pleased:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/egec88" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
&ldquo;To me, it&rsquo;s just that simple. If I drive hard this way, I&rsquo;m going to make the defender have to collapse, and then that man right there is going to be open.&rdquo; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
His 4.75:1 Assist-to-Turnover ratio is sublime and gives him a <a href="https://twitter.com/RobKSports/status/1100866647055831051?s=20&amp;t=BTkD4d0h9AIxVE3htZzNsA">higher mark</a> in this category than many of the all-time great facilitators.&nbsp;
He managed this ratio without having the elevated sight lines of a Magic Johnson or Oscar Robertson. Instead, Bogues used his physical dimensions to create a different type of ocular advantage.
&ldquo;They say Magic sees over top. [Well], I see around and through.&rdquo;
Despite his stature, his defense may have been the perfect counter to today&rsquo;s pace-and-space era because his main goal was to evaporate as much space as possible. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;One thing about guards, they like a cushion. They don&rsquo;t like anyone crowding their space. I knew that drove folks crazy, so I became that pest on defense.&rdquo;&nbsp;
He likens his game on that end of the floor to Patrick Beverley in their shared ability to jam opponents up and annoy them for 94 feet:&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/36pe0h" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to see anyone out there of myself, but Patrick Beverley on defense is probably the closest. The way he irritates the players and gets all up in them, picking them up 94 feet and getting under their skin. He, defensively, is probably the only [comparison].&rdquo;&nbsp;
But like all people, Bogues is far more than his former job title. He is a multifaceted individual rich with layers of wisdom and life experience.&nbsp;
One thing that will dawn on readers is the candidness in Bogues&rsquo; storytelling approach. He never once holds back as he navigates readers through the various losses he&rsquo;s endured, the conflicts that persist in his most intimate relationships and his own most deep-seated insecurities.
Growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Baltimore with a father struggling to provide for his family as a stevedore in a dying industry, Bogues' early life runs parallel to many of the storylines discussed in the widely-popular Baltimore-based television show, "The Wire." Interestingly enough, his wife, Kim Bogues, later worked on the show and filled in as Kima&rsquo;s body double.&nbsp;
Bogues uses his narrative as an opportunity to outline the race dynamics that exist within American professional sports, highlighting all of its glaring hypocrisies.&nbsp;
&ldquo;How can they cheer me on the court and deride me off of it?&rdquo; Bogues asks in his book.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I always looked at this world as a human race as opposed to all the racial components that come with it. When you play sports, and you become teammates with people that don&rsquo;t even look like you, they become your brothers/sisters. You have the same goal/task at hand, and you're fighting the same fight. How can you have that affection for them and then not [have that same affection] for someone who is on the same side, just not in sports? A title should not be what makes a person like/accept you in the way you want to be accepted.&rdquo;
Even with his frustration, Bogues is optimistic about our potential as a society to correct the indifferences that have permeated from generation to generation.&nbsp;In the end, Bogues&rsquo; hope is that people will walk away from this novel with a thorough understanding of the power of resilience.
&ldquo;[In its essence], this book is about someone that had a passion and just chased it each and every day.&rdquo;
Through the name-calling, the physical limitations, the trades and the losses of loved ones, Bogues preserved and kept pushing forward.&nbsp;
&ldquo;In fifty-seven years of life, I&rsquo;ve had an opportunity to see quite a bit and experience quite a bit. [I] look at life in a light where we only get one, and we have to make the best out of it, each moment we have. Nothing is promised, nothing is given, and even if it was, we wouldn&rsquo;t want it anyways. We love earning it, we love working towards it and we love making it better, not only for [ourselves], but for others.&rdquo;
&ldquo;[It&rsquo;s about] having that resilience to where anything you feel you can accomplish, you should be able to go out there to accomplish. The only person holding you back is yourself. For me, being able to see it, and live it, and be a winner from it, I&rsquo;m always going to be able to embrace that and share that with others.&rdquo;
&ldquo;[I just want to] make sure we all know how important life is.&rdquo;
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Want to hear more from Muggsy Bogues? Check out his appearance on The Rex Chapman Show from June 2021. 
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Muggsy Bogues is most famous for his small stature, but in his new book, he discusses the journey that made him a huge star.

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

In a game defined by its giants, being a big man has always carried a certain level of expectation.&nbsp;
And arguably no NBA franchise has this expectation looming more than the San Antonio Spurs.&nbsp;
From the early days of Artis Gilmore, to the "The Admiral" David Robinson's stint commanding the watchtower, to Tim Duncan&rsquo;s subtle dominance, to LaMarcus Aldridge&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-lt6/?Season=2017-18&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Aldridge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surprisingly effective</a> repellent nature, the Spurs have always fielded an elite defensive big man.
And that makes Jakob Poeltl the perfect successor to this chain of iconic anchors.
This season, the human fly swatter is contesting shots at a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle/?sort=CONTESTED_SHOTS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher rate</a> than anyone in the league, while also holding opponents to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-lt6/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Poeltl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over eight percentage points</a> below their usual average.&nbsp;
Along with his eye-popping numbers, the sophisticated beauty of his game has been easy to admire year after year (even having said he was playing on one of the most <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/matissa/2022/02/05/why-jakob-poeltl-is-a-giant-bargain-for-the-spurs/?sh=1d90fdefeb12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">valuable</a> contracts in basketball).
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So, it was time to get inside the mind of one of the league&rsquo;s best defenders.
During training camp, Poeltl made it known that San Antonio's massive roster turnaround meant he needed to be more vocal, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. And considering <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/hidden-gems-jakob-poeltl-is-the-best-center-that-nobodys-talking-about/1acr9r7wz5mg913hug0jnr42sk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renowned analysts</a> are praising his communication skills, it&rsquo;s safe to say his mission has been accomplished.
&ldquo;First of all, [communication] is one of the biggest parts of being a big man in the NBA.&rdquo; Poeltl told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;If you are not good at communicating, your guards are going to keep running into trouble over and over again.&rdquo;
Here is a perfect example of his articulation skills at work.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/29utb9" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Turning up the volume is recommended here; if you listen closely, you can hear Poeltl instructing nearby help defenders to &ldquo;stay&rdquo; back on their man because he&rsquo;s going to offer the necessary backline support himself. This forces Steven Adams to make the weak-side corner pass (an easier pass for the defense to close-out on), and ultimately, Poeltl's reassurance results in a missed shot.&nbsp;
Then, Poeltl dove a little deeper into specific coverages. Being the mad scientist he is, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich loves throwing a good ol&rsquo; zone at opposing offenses.
Listen to this next clip to hear Poeltl break down what&rsquo;s going through his mind in these situations.
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&ldquo;[It] comes down to a lot of communication as well," Poeltl said. "The offense is going to try and exploit weak spots. I&rsquo;m just constantly on the lookout for what they are possibly trying to set up. And telling those guys around me to move over, overload one side, whatever it might be.&rdquo;
Poeltl also emphasized the importance of ball-screen coverage in today&rsquo;s constantly evolving pick-and-roll ecosystem.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of pick-and-rolls in this league because it&rsquo;s so efficient and you're creating a lot of 2-on-1 situations," he said.
As the big man who has handled the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/roll-man/?SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TypeGrouping=defensive&amp;sort=POSS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fourth-most</a> ball-screens in the NBA, Poeltl knows his way around these spots.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really just trying to keep the offensive players guessing," he said. "And at the end of the day, play the percentages.&rdquo;
The next clip provides a prime example of what he&rsquo;s talking about:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/surx68" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Poeltl intentionally sags off of Mike Conley because, while he&rsquo;s a good short mid-range shooter (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/695#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">45%</a>), he&rsquo;s a slightly better finisher (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/695#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">53%</a>). But even more important, by accounting for the roller, Jakob avoids Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s lob-finishing wrath (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/1310#tab-shooting_accuracy">77%</a>).
"Playing the percentages" became a recurring theme throughout this conversation, and Poeltl's appreciation of the mathematics of the game bears resemblance to another defensive tactician &mdash; Bill Russell.
Like Russell, Poeltl makes himself familiar with his opponent&rsquo;s moves and tendencies in order to lure them into their least efficient spots on the court.
&ldquo;I try to play [their] tendencies," Poeltl said. "I know which moves [they] like, which moves [they] might like a little less. I try to make [them] take lower percentage shots.&rdquo;
And his astuteness appears to be paying dividends, as Poeltl has held some of the best low-post bigs in the league to numbers below their usual outputs.
Poeltl Matchup Data (2021-22)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 324px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Player 
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
Partial Possessions*
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
FG% vs. Poeltl*
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
Season FG%*
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Valanciunas&nbsp;
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
146.8
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
52.9%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
54.3%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Gobert
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
93.8
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
54.5%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
71.3%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Embiid
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
76.7
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
42.9%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
49.6%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Ayton
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
75.4
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
46.7%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
63.8%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Vucevic
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
74.7
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
46.7%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
47.4%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right to view full table)
Poeltl's work against current MVP candidate Joel Embiid deserves further examination. Poeltl is holding Embiid to 42.9% from the floor on 35 shot attempts. But what&rsquo;s more, he&rsquo;s only allowed Embiid to take 6 free throws during the nearly 77 partial possessions he&rsquo;s spent on him. This is a far cry from the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/embiijo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">17.4 free throw attempts</a> Embiid typically averages per 100 possessions.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7niqah" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Poeltl does two things well while guarding Embiid:
<ol>
<li>He baits him into taking a bevy of mid-range jumpers (the least efficient shot in Embiid&rsquo;s illustrious shot profile).</li>
<li>He avoids getting handsy with Embiid and falling prey to his infamous <a href="https://twitter.com/rich_hofmann/status/816337297910153216?s=20&amp;t=IZbWympJN3SijK8xXTdMWw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rip-through</a> maneuver.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
And like Hakeem Olajuwon, Poeltl is a master at navigating the <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/2-9-6fb93080023c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2.9</a> position of the paint without getting called for a defensive three seconds. (Turn your volume up.)
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/48iivd" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
&ldquo;I think that has a lot to do with reputation as well, where just being around for a long time, you figure out these little things," Poeltl said. "I remember my first couple seasons in the NBA &mdash; first of all, I was a lot more paranoid to get called for defensive three seconds, and I probably actually was getting called on it a lot more as well. So, I think the biggest thing there that I had to figure out over the years is the timing of it. Like, being in the paint at the right moment when an offensive player &mdash; like a guard or somebody &mdash; is trying to attack. Not wasting those three seconds. Like, standing in there when there is nothing happening.
"Then, I have to go out [of the paint] to clear myself, and in that moment somebody starts driving, and then I&rsquo;m late for the rotation. So, again, it comes down to timing it well, [and] trying to read what the offense is trying to do.&rdquo;
In staying with the topic of great defenders, the best not only omit shots as they come, but also deter would-be trespassers from entering their hunting grounds entirely. Poeltl looks like he&rsquo;s trending towards no-fly-zone territory.
After peaking in January, his number of contests per game has gone downward &mdash; an indication that offensive players may have finally learned their lesson.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-04-08-at-11-03-22-am_lg.png" alt="" width="584" height="348" />
*Data Provided by NBA.com
Poeltl's presence on the interior is almost reminiscent to that of the Dark Knight in Gotham City. Both Batman and the Spurs' rim-protector serve as a cautionary symbol of what will happen when you cross the line.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;d call myself a vigilante.&rdquo; Poeltl joked. &ldquo;I pretty much always try to make the paint look as crowded as possible. Try to discourage the other team from driving in there. At the end of the day, contesting a shot is good, but if I can make it look crowded in the first place and discourage them from coming in the paint, that&rsquo;s already a win in my book.&rdquo;
With shades of the various all-timers painted all over his game, is there a particular player that Poeltl has consciously modeled his game after?
&ldquo;Not really, to be honest," Poeltl said. "I always tried to feel the game out for myself. I always tried to find my own way.&rdquo;
Stating that he&rsquo;s just trying to find his way is an undersell.
In fact, Poeltl has more than found his own way. He&rsquo;s an elite shot-blocker, a vocal defensive quarterback and a serious contender for an All-Defensive Team nomination.&nbsp;
But most important of all, he&rsquo;s San Antonio&rsquo;s newest watchful protector &mdash; the franchise's next great defensive big man.
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Mat Issa goes one-on-one with Jakob Poeltl to discuss his defensive prowess and break down his film deterring the NBA's best.

Jakob Poeltl: The San Antonio Spurs' newest watchful protector

Nine days.
I repeat, nine days until the NBA Playoffs are officially underway.&nbsp;
As I mentioned previously, to do my civic duty in aiding your preparation for basketball&rsquo;s second season, I have decided to spend the next month studying some of the NBA's biggest stars and (hopefully) prescribing some tips for how teams can try to slow them down this postseason. (Here are my linked breakdowns of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-to-slow-down-kevin-durant-let-the-reaper-reap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Durant</a>.)
But remember, these suggestions are only for slowing these stars down &mdash; because you can never truly stop the best of the best.
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Now, without further ado: Luka Doncic.
In the most recent episode of the Dunc&rsquo;d on Podcast, Nate Duncan said this of Doncic: &ldquo;[He] has an argument... to be the best playoff offensive player in the NBA.&rdquo;
When I heard that, I did the Tiger Woods fist pump to myself, because I knew at that moment I had the introductory hook to my article.&nbsp;
In all seriousness, though, he&rsquo;s got a point. This dude just might be unstoppable.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-to-slow-down-kevin-durant-let-the-reaper-reap">In my last article of this series</a>, I posited the idea of using a balancing scale (between scoring and playmaking) when thinking about star offensive players. Guys like Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo are naturally more inclined to score, while the scales&rsquo; of Nikola Jokic and Chris Paul lean more towards the playmaking side.&nbsp;
No such imbalance exists with Doncic.&nbsp;
Over the last two seasons, not one player has finished in the top-five in both points per possession and <a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/box-creation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">box creation</a> (an estimate of open shots created for teammates). This means teams can&rsquo;t load up on his scoring attempts or try to isolate him (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation/?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Doncic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90th percentile</a>) to defang his passing without suffering some harsh repercussions. &nbsp;
Although the sample is small (13 games), his achievement of the perfect chemical equilibrium puts him in rarified air as far as postseason scoring goes.
Career Changes in Scoring/Efficiency From Regular Season to Postseason
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 324px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Player 
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
Points Per 100 Possessions*
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
True Shooting*
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Kobe Bryant&nbsp;
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
-1.1
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
-0.9%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Luka Doncic
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
+5.1
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
+1.0%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Kevin Durant
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
+0.3
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
-1.6%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
LeBron James
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
+0.4
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
-0.5%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Michael Jordan&nbsp;
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
+2.9
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
-0.1%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right to view the full table.)
*Data Provided by Basketball Reference&nbsp;
His offensive versatility (the key to postseason success) is highlighted when you look at his counters in the pick-and-roll game.&nbsp;
Similar to the Phoenix Suns (who I <a href="https://fansided.com/2022/03/15/phoenix-suns-pick-and-roll-defense/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spotlighted </a>last month), the Dallas Mavericks run a ton of pick-and-rolls (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/ball-handler/?sort=POSS_PCT&amp;dir=1">No. 8</a> in frequency). However, their attack isn&rsquo;t pioneered by a two-headed serpent. Instead, it's quarterbacked by the human manifestation of the Old Testament&rsquo;s Leviathan.
If you opt for <a href="https://medium.com/thebasketballactiondictionary/how-to-identify-pick-and-roll-coverages-a1e8dffe54e9">drop coverage</a> against Doncic, he can hit you with his float game (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90th percentile</a> in the short midrange) or a lob over the top.
If you <a href="https://medium.com/thebasketballactiondictionary/how-to-identify-pick-and-roll-coverages-a1e8dffe54e9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hedge/show</a> against him, he&rsquo;s too big, too calm, too cool (Hand Luka) to not see over the top of you and find the weak point in the defense.
Lastly, you can&rsquo;t mitigate his impact with switches the way you could with the frailer Chris Paul/Devin Booker tandem. It's all thanks to his powerful frame (71st percentile or higher in post-ups from 2019-21), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHxTzCU3KKg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trusty stepback</a> and aforementioned isolation brilliance.&nbsp;
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Also, as if that wasn&rsquo;t already enough, he&rsquo;s improved his efficiency on <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1512112939834261507?s=20&amp;t=qxvZzjOsRvwk7TutSRadNw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handoffs</a> to give his game an off-ball element.
Watching him for this article reminded me of an old Antonio Gramsci quote: &ldquo;Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.&rdquo;
We are all smart enough to know that Doncic is probably going to decimate any game plan we attempt to deploy against him, but we can&rsquo;t lose hope in our ability to slow him down. Here are three ideas Optimistic Mat came up with:
1. A little luck never hurt anyone!
Poor shooting has plagued his worst performances of the season. He&rsquo;s shooting a combined 9 of 46 from three (19.6%) in the six outings where he&rsquo;s posted a sub-10 <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01/gamelog/2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Score</a>. But it&rsquo;s not really anything his opponents are doing that is slowing him down, as according to NBA.com tracking data, he&rsquo;s shooting 9 of 39 on open/wide-open threes (23.1%) during those contests.
On the surface, banking on him having an off-shooting night seems demoralizing, but when you account for the fact that he&rsquo;s fielded three months of <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1512122208461758479?s=20&amp;t=qiNoKstzbC5gFXVfNUv5BQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sub-29%</a> shooting this season, there&rsquo;s a decent chance you could catch him on a bad day.
2. Get yourself an Aaron Gordon.
I&rsquo;m partially joking here, but man, does <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/gordon-wasnt-the-player-the-magic-wanted-but-hes-exactly-who-the-nuggets-need" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gordon</a> have Doncic&rsquo;s number. This season, Doncic is shooting a mere 7 of 24 (29.2%) from the floor during the 97.5 partial possessions he&rsquo;s being shadowed by AG (per NBA.com). Widen those parameters a bit further, and for his career, Doncic is shooting a slightly better but still pedestrian, 22 of 73 (30.1%) throughout 287.3 partial possessions.
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Gordon is strong enough that Doncic can&rsquo;t simply veer into him on finishes, quick enough to reattach to him after screens and long enough that, when he crowds him, he can blur his sightlines.
And while Gordon himself isn&rsquo;t cloneable (yet), players stemming from the same evolutionary branch have experienced some success of their own against the Slovenian. In the playoffs last season, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were the only players who could hold Doncic to under <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629029/head-to-head?Matchup=Offense&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=MATCHUP_FG_PCT" target="_blank" rel="noopener">48% shooting </a>from the floor. This year, De'Andre Hunter has held him to 4 of 17 shooting during the two games their teams have squared off in.
The formula for (partial) success here is finding a lengthy wing who can match Doncic&rsquo;s unique blend of quickness and strength.&nbsp;
3. Throw the kitchen sink at him.
Despite not having a Gordon-esque body type on the roster (Jarred Vanderbilt is a little too lean), the Minnesota Timberwolves held Doncic to his lowest Game Score output of the season (4.5). And yes, some of it came from the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629029/shots-dash?DateFrom=03%2F21%2F2022&amp;DateTo=03%2F21%2F2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting luck</a> we talked about earlier, but the group also did a good job of throwing a ton of different matchups/coverages at Doncic.
During their March 21 showdown, I counted seven different Wolves guarding Doncic for at least a possession during the game. This revolving door of characters makes it so that Doncic can never fully figure out the cadence of his defender.
For instance, a smaller Patrick Beverely would probably get <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqyaO8G899k" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bullied</a> if assigned to the larger Doncic for the entire night. But his pest powers become far more valuable when Doncic has just spent the past handful of possessions getting acclimated to the longer dimensions of a Taurean Prince.
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The same logic applies to coverages. The Timberwolves are notorious for their aggressive approach to defending ball-screens. However, in this game, they coordinated their traps and blitzes with a steady diet of switches and drops, and this strategy ultimately befuddled the Mavericks' star for large portions of the game.
<a href="https://ezhoops.co/2021/01/04/feel-and-feel-accessories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Feel-based</a> players like Doncic need to be kept on their toes by throwing new problems at them to identify and solve at all times.
Regardless of what option you choose to rely on, you better bring your A-game when you stand by for battle, because anything less will be the equivalent of playing with fire.&nbsp;
And when your dealing with quite possibly the best postseason weapon in the world, you will most certainly get burned.
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Mat Issa attempts to find a way for opponents to best limit Luka Doncic's wizardry.

How to slow down Luka Doncic: Is it even possible?

Right before officially clinching their seventh Final Four berth this past weekend, the Villanova Wildcats lost junior guard Justin Moore, who had to be helped off the floor after a freak injury while dribbling to kill the clock with less than 45 seconds to go.
'Nova beat Houston 50-44 in the Elite Eight to become one of the last four standing teams in the Big Dance for the first time since 2018. However, it was announced days later that Moore &mdash; Villanova&rsquo;s second-leading scorer at 14.8 points per game on .397/.356/.750 shooting splits &mdash; ruptured his right Achilles tendon, prematurely ending his season.
Much of the basketball world united in comforting Moore during an excruciatingly awful time to receive such news, including Kevin Durant, who ruptured his own Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals.
&ldquo;I texted Kevin; he called me,&rdquo; Wright recalled <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/college-sports/villanova/justin-moore-achilles-kevin-durant-villanova-20220331.html">to the Philadelphia Inquirer</a>. &ldquo;And Kevin said, &lsquo;I was watching that, and it looked just like &mdash; I knew it when he went down; it looked just like mine.&rsquo; So we talked for a while about it.
&ldquo;What was so impressive to me was, Durant said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;d like to talk to [Justin], talk to the parents about the process. I want to tell him that.&rsquo; He listed himself, Klay Thompson, a couple other guys I can&rsquo;t remember &mdash; he goes, 'Look, these guys had it in the NBA.' And people in the NBA know now that you can come back from that.&rdquo;
Moore wasn&rsquo;t just 'Nova&rsquo;s second-best scorer throughout the 2021-22 season, but the 6-foot-4 guard earned Second Team All-Big East honors and All-Big East Tournament honors earlier this month. Moore&rsquo;s been a starter in all three of his seasons at Villanova, and has seen his scoring averages jump from 11.3 to 12.9 to 14.8 points per game. This season, he netted a career-best 17.1 points per 40 minutes while also being the Wildcats&rsquo; best rebounding guard, pulling down 4.8 boards per contest.
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According to FiveThirtyEight, there have been six major injuries to Final Four bound teams in the Men&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament since 2010. Using the qualifier of players logging at least 20 minutes in an NCAA Tournament, these players include Kalin Lucas of Michigan State in 2010, Darryl Bryant of West Virginia that same year, Louisville&rsquo;s Kevin Ware (do not Google it if you&rsquo;re reading this during lunch) in 2013, Willie Cauley-Stein of Kentucky in 2014, Auburn&rsquo;s Chuma Okeke in 2019, and now Moore.
Lucas <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/2010/news/story?id=5017721" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruptured his Achilles against Maryland</a> in Round 2, and the Spartans subsequently lost in the Final Four. Oddly enough, <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/2010/news/story?id=5022928" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryant broke his foot in the same round</a>, and his Mountaineers were also eliminated in the Final Four. Ware had a gruesome injury against Duke in the Elite Eight, and his Cardinals are the only team of this specific group that became national champions so far. Cauley-Stein <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2014/3/28/5559920/willie-cauley-stein-injury-kentucky-vs-louisville" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffered a left ankle injury in Round 1</a>, and his Wildcats lost in the title game. And Okeke <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2019/3/29/18287843/chuma-okeke-injury-bruce-pearl-crying-auburn-sweet-16-ncaa-tournament-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tore his ACL in the Sweet 16</a>; Auburn reached the Final Four round before having its season end.
So, how does 'Nova piece together the production and minutes to replace Moore? He&rsquo;s logged 35.9 minutes per game since the beginning of the Big East Tournament, and has led the Wildcats with 34.6 minutes per contest this season.
Collin Gillespie &mdash; the 2022 Big East Player of the Year, Big East Tournament MVP and Third-Team All-American &mdash; will likely be keyed in on that much harder against Kansas this weekend. (I mean, that&rsquo;s what you&rsquo;d all do if you were in charge of the Jayhawks' defense, right?)
Gillespie&rsquo;s dropping a team-best 15.6 points and 3.3 assists per game on .431/.409/.905 shooting splits. Team sixth-man Caleb Daniels, a 6-foot-4 guard like Moore, has averaged 10.2 points on .427/.377/.851 in 27.3 minutes per contest this season.
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Though the Villanova-Houston offense resembled the (lack of) effectiveness of the Brock Lesnar-Goldberg match at WrestleMania 20, Daniels came up big with 12 points in 35 minutes, even as it came on 4 of 16 shooting. Every point matters against Houston, who had become a tournament favorite with sportsbooks due to its defensive run to the Elite Eight.
Jermaine Samuels, who led the game with 16 points, is 'Nova&rsquo;s leading non-guard scorer at 11.1 points per contest. The 6-foot-7 big also pulls down a team-high 6.5 boards per contest while shooting 47.4% from the field and 77.3% on free throws. Eric Dixon and Brandon Slater are the other two starting forwards, and there, you have 'Nova&rsquo;s main minute-eaters.
Moore, Gillespie, Slater, Samuels, Daniels and Dixon are the only Wildcats averaging at least 10 minutes per game this season, ranging from 34.6 to 25.1 in the order they&rsquo;re listed.
At least one of the following two guys will have to step up going forward to really alleviate the non-Moore minutes. The first would be Bryan Antoine, a junior who has come off the bench for three seasons with the Wildcats and wasn&rsquo;t one of the seven players to log minutes against Houston. Antoine hasn&rsquo;t played more than 11 minutes in a game since Jan. 25 and has scored 2 points since Feb. 12 (seven games, 35 minutes), but has battled injuries of his own, which is why he didn&rsquo;t appear until December.
He <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/03/29/march-madness-justin-moore-injury-gives-bryan-antoine-big-chance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently told the New York Post</a> that &ldquo;I&rsquo;d say I&rsquo;m pretty confident. I&rsquo;ve had the same mindset from Day 1. It hasn&rsquo;t really changed for me. Obviously with the injuries, I have been set back, but I&rsquo;m still the same player from high school.&rdquo;
Three years ago, Antoine was a five-star, top-20 recruit and McDonald&rsquo;s All-American who <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24575439/bryan-antoine-commits-villanova-wildcats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chose Villanova over Duke, Florida, Kentucky, and Kansas</a>. The 6-foot-5 guard should have a chance to prove he can still resemble that as the Wildcat rotation now has to expand beyond six.
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The other guard in waiting is fellow 6-foot-5 junior Chris Arcidiacono, the brother of the Ryan. The younger Arcidiacono did log two minutes against Houston but hasn&rsquo;t cracked 10 since March 5, which is the only other time he&rsquo;s scored in a game since Feb. 22. <a href="https://villanovan.com/20381/sports/with-moore-out-its-time-for-arch-madness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Per the Villanovan</a>, Arcidiacono downplayed his potentially increased role with a boring quote.
&ldquo;Really, nothing changes,&rdquo; Arcidiacono said. &ldquo;My role is I come off the bench, bring energy, and just make sure we&rsquo;re playing Villanova basketball for 40 minutes. So whenever I&rsquo;m in, I&rsquo;m going to help our team play Villanova basketball.&rdquo;
He&rsquo;s downplaying it here, but no doubt that it&rsquo;s possible both Antoine and Arcidiacono receive increased roles against Kansas this Saturday.
Villanova will need to squeeze everything they can out of their non-regulars in hopes of finding something unexpected to help their championship quest.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Villanova played one game this season without Justin Moore --- an 85-74 win over UConn on February 5th in South Philadelphia. Chris Arcidiacono had nine points in 26 minutes off the bench. The Wildcats don't have what they had, but they still have enough. <a href="https://t.co/DckgK3BJyi">https://t.co/DckgK3BJyi</a>
&mdash; Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1508236981083553793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Bryan Fonseca looks at who 'Nova can turn to with Justin Moore sidelined for the rest of the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova will have to survive without Justin Moore in the Final Four

For years, when people debated an NBA team's best players, they'd often focus on the squad's scoring hierarchy. However, over time, we&rsquo;ve seen players like <a href="https://www.one37pm.com/strength/sports/lamelo-ball-jason-kidd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Kidd</a> and Ben Wallace lead teams to great success by providing impact outside of the &ldquo;points&rdquo; section of the traditional box score.
So naturally, this got me thinking: in today&rsquo;s analytically friendly basketball world, how indicative is a rudimentary stat like points per game (PPG) of a team's best player?
To answer this question, I tracked each team&rsquo;s PPG leader for the last three seasons and matched that up against that team's leaders in five one-number metrics (<a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/historical/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Backpicks BPM</a>, <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/lebron-database/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LEBRON</a>, <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/epm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EPM</a>, <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/nba-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RAPTOR</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://app.cerebrosports.com/portal?tab=Players" target="_blank" rel="noopener">C-RAM</a>).&nbsp;For the sake of this study, the player who led the team in the most of these catch-all statistics in a given season was considered that team's best player.
All of the raw data can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12mQO4tf8E9fcldAQ-KqXZVxqvNsIJIRA8vyhjTNX7fQ/edit#gid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
GUIDELINES
For a player's season to be eligible for our exercise, said player must have started at least 45 games for that team during that particular season. That player also could not have been traded at any point during that year.
These restrictions disqualified five teams &mdash; the Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic &mdash; because they didn&rsquo;t roster a single player who fit this criterion and who averaged at least 13 PPG. I felt it would be best to remove them from the collection process to avoid any extra noise.&nbsp;
Before we dive deeper into what I found, there are a few caveats I want to make here. First, all the data was entered manually, and while it was done so meticulously, one must always account for human error. Two, one-number metrics are a useful tool but far from an end-all-be-all when it comes to player evaluation. For instance, I would say Pascal Siakam has been better than Fred VanVleet this year, but many of the metrics I cited would say otherwise. And lastly, the sample size is solid but could always be larger.
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RESULTS&nbsp;
Out of the 85 case studies (yeah, that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re calling them) from 2019-22, there were 57 (~67.1%) where a single player was listed as both the team&rsquo;s best player and overall leader in PPG. So, based on this sample, more often than not, a team&rsquo;s best scorer also doubled as their best player.
Here are several other interesting takeaways from the data:
&bull; Only six players have led their teams in all five of the one-number metrics in each of the last three seasons: Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
&bull; These metrics love Jonas Valanciunas, who scored higher than Ja Morant in all five of the advanced stats in their two seasons together. Plus, Valanciunas has scored higher than Brandon Ingram this season in Backpicks BPM, C-RAM, LEBRON and RAPTOR WAR.
&bull; All five of the one-number metrics had Mitchell Robinson as the Knicks' best player, offering a reminder that these metrics tend to love shot-blockers and aren't the end-all-be-all when it comes to talent evaluation.
However, what I found most interesting after all this digging was the circumstances surrounding the 28 examples that didn&rsquo;t fit in this paradigm. With the exception of the 2019-20 Pacers and the 2020-21 Kings (which is ironic given their recent trade), the other 26 case studies fit in at least one of three categories.&nbsp;
By keying in on these categories, we can better understand some of the variables that come into play when assessing who the best players are.
Category 1: Paired with a Two-way Big
Members: Cole Anthony (2021-22), Malcolm Brogdon (2020-21), DeMar DeRozan (2019-20), De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (2020-21), Darius Garland (2021-22), Brandon Ingram (2021-22), Donovan Mitchell (three times), Ja Morant (twice) and Trae Young (2020-21)
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This category is made up primarily of guards/lead initiators whose contributions on offense are not large enough to outweigh the (mostly) minimal value they offer on the defensive side of the floor. These players didn't bring enough to the table on defense in their respective seasons to outweigh the two-way impact of their big-men counterparts.
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Category 2: Paired with the Hybrid Playmaker/Scorer
Members: Devin Booker (twice), Miles Bridges (21-22), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19-20), Pascal Siakam (three times)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-03-31-at-6-53-21-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="600" height="141" />
I like to think about this category as the <a href="https://fansided.com/2022/03/15/phoenix-suns-pick-and-roll-defense/">Devin Booker/Chris Paul</a> category. Yes, Booker is the scorer, but Paul&rsquo;s playmaking combined with his scoring sets him over the top. No matter how good of a player you are, if you&rsquo;re playing in a good offense, the open shots you create for your teammates are always going to be more efficient. The players in this category are all flanked by guards who create advantages and make plays for others.
Category 3: Young Scorer on Bad/Injured Team
Members: Cade Cunningham (21-22), Spencer Dinwiddie (19-20), Jerami Grant (20-21), Reggie Jackson (21-22), and Kyle Kuzma (21-22)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-03-31-at-6-55-46-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="599" height="108" />
These players are all younger guys (or at least young to the world of being an offensive number one) who get a ton of scoring opportunities because more suitable offensive alternatives don&rsquo;t necessarily exist. Unfortunately, their inexperience in this new role and lack of gravity-bending teammates lead to them being relatively inefficient, which bogs down their overall impact on the floor.&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 83.6814%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Name</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">Relative True Shooting</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">Team Offensive Rating</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-5.9</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">28th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Dinwiddie</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-2.4</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">22nd</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Grant</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-1.6</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">26th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Jackson&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-7.5</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">26th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Kuzma</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-1.7</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">21st</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Overall, it's neat that foundational counting measures often provide a bit of a shortcut to identifying the best player on a given team. But one must not get lost in the sauce and forget to examine the circumstances surrounding each team's context because, after all, in our line of work, you can't afford to be wrong one-third of the time!
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How often is a team's scoring leader also their best player? Mat Issa looks back at data from the last three NBA seasons to find out.

NBA Study: Is the top scorer typically the best player on the team?

We have 23 more days left until the start of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
As I mentioned in my <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way">last article</a>, to do my civic duty in aiding your preparation for basketball&rsquo;s second season, I have decided to spend the next month studying some of the NBA's biggest stars and (hopefully) prescribing some tips for how teams can try to slow them down this postseason.&nbsp;
​​But remember, these suggestions are only for slowing them down &mdash; because you can never truly stop the best of the best.
Now, without further ado: Kevin Durant.
While studying Durant&rsquo;s game for "<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-quest-for-the-best/id1582027495">The Quest for the Best</a>," one thing became immediately apparent to me: This dude is one of the best scorers that ever lived. And that isn&rsquo;t just me talking in aimless hyperbole. Just look at how he fares against some of the best non-big man scorers of all time (scroll right on mobile to view full table):
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.3304%; height: 110px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 26.6993%; height: 22px;">Player </td>
<td style="width: 37.0129%;">Points Per 100 Possessions*</td>
<td style="width: 35.6351%; height: 22px;">Relative True Shooting %*</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 26.6993%; height: 22px;">Kobe Bryant</td>
<td style="width: 37.0129%;">35.8</td>
<td style="width: 35.6351%; height: 22px;">+1.9</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 26.6993%; height: 22px;">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 37.0129%;">37.0</td>
<td style="width: 35.6351%; height: 22px;">+7.1</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 26.6993%; height: 22px;">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 37.0129%;">36.7</td>
<td style="width: 35.6351%; height: 22px;">+4.5</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 26.6993%; height: 22px;">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 37.0129%;">40.4</td>
<td style="width: 35.6351%; height: 22px;">+3.5</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data Provided by Basketball-Reference
In the playoffs, after some bumps in the road early on (well-documented <a href="https://youtu.be/JJ4ub0dLFMU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>), KD&rsquo;s become nearly unstoppable &mdash; putting together four consecutive postseasons of at least 37 points per 100 possessions and plus-60% True Shooting (per Basketball Reference).&nbsp;
On top of all that, he&rsquo;s a sniper from the area of the floor most often-cited as one of the ideal <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2021/6/15/22534471/khris-middleton-kevin-durant-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offensive counters</a> for a playoff series:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kevin Durant is just casually hitting 54% of midrange shots (career-best) on 559 non-garbage time attempts. Per <a href="https://twitter.com/cleantheglass?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cleantheglass</a>.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1506682487497392130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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So what the hell do you do with this guy? Well, if you ask known-Durant anatoginzer, Patrick Beverley, you give Kevin exactly what he is looking for: the <a href="https://youtu.be/ED1wFTKKlhM">mid-range</a>.
&ldquo;We got him inside the three a lot, those contested twos, you know he makes a lot of them, [but] those are the shots we want," Beverley said after Game 5 of the Los Angeles Clippers-Golden State Warriors first-round playoff series.
Notice how he said contested twos. For Durant, those attempts normally come in isolation. This season, Durant is shooting 53.9% on twos where a defender is within 0-4 feet of him (per NBA.com). This equates to roughly 1.08 points per possession (PPP), which is less than his output on more comfortable shots like the ones coming off a screen, in transition or from a spot-up. More importantly, it&rsquo;s meaningfully less than the average PPP of playoff teams from last postseason (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/summary?season=2020&amp;seasontype=playoffs&amp;start=10/1/2020&amp;end=10/15/2021">1.15</a>).
Of course, isolated incidents (haha, see what I did there) of contested mid-range jumpers can be a very healthy part of a balanced playoff diet, but in aggregation, the preponderance of those shots can chip away at a teams' efficiency in a meaningful way.
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I know what you are thinking, so why doesn&rsquo;t everyone do this to every star? Two words: rim pressure.&nbsp;
Normally, when you play stars uptight to hinder their three-point shot, the defenders are leaving themselves vulnerable to stampedes towards the rim. Guys like <a href="https://www.one37pm.com/strength/sports/donovan-mitchell-jazz-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donovan Mitchell</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/at-a-certain-point-well-have-to-mention-ja-morant-in-the-mvp-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ja Morant </a>will burn you if you put your hands too close to the fire.
Unfortunately for Durant, he doesn&rsquo;t pose that same threat (particularly at this stage of his career), as only 14% of his shots come from that area (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/984#tab-shooting_frequency">11th percentile</a>).
Still, you can&rsquo;t simply just leave him on an island and let The Reaper reap (I only titled the article that because it sounded cool). There&rsquo;s a science to it.
Ideally, you want physical defenders with a stronger base who can jam Durant up and gradually wear him down through the course of the game. You want them to have a high motor, so they can harass him off-ball and avoid letting him get free for open looks. In the pick-and-roll, you want defenders fighting over the top of screens to prevent him shooting threes over the top, while the defending bigs <a href="https://streamable.com/7ozny5">drop deep</a> and invite the mid-range.
Lastly &mdash; and this the most important &mdash; when he puts you in his dreaded torture chamber, be ready to dance with the devil.&nbsp;
Before he even receives the ball, lean into him, make the catch difficult and don&rsquo;t let him get into his natural flow (more on that in a second). When he&rsquo;s got it, don&rsquo;t instantly initiate the double team. He&rsquo;s too good of a <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1507049338291245070?s=20&amp;t=zfLXSk5llNn_GnPQ_uAhpw">passer</a> at this point. Wait until he&rsquo;s built up the conviction to score, then disrupt his rhythm in the middle of his motion.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/u80bmo" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Think about offensive players as possessing an <a href="https://bringinginspirationhome.com/product/antique-balance-scale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inner balancing scale</a>. One end of the scale contains their inclination towards scoring, while the other end houses their affinity for playmaking. Durant has improved leaps and bounds in the latter category over the years, but he&rsquo;s still a bucket-getter at heart. Take advantage of his predisposition towards that, and time your help accordingly.&nbsp;
It also helps that his Monstar-ish physical dimensions produce wild-body gesticulations that create easier opportunities to poke the ball free. His not-so-tight handles (29th percentile in turnover percentage) also make him a bit trepidatious to take dribbles in the paint, which partially explains why he so infrequently takes matters vertical (despite being quite <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/984#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accurate</a> when he chooses to do so).
Overall, Beverley's strategy of more twos and fewer threes seems to be the way to go. In his 10 worst outings this season (based on <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01/gamelog/2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Score</a>), Durant has zero games where he hit 3 threes or more. Inversely, in his 10 best games, he has six such performances.
As with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Giannis</a>, Durant is too good not to have rebuttals of his own. Kyrie Irving is back to full-time employment, and together he and Goran Dragic can handle some table-setting responsibilities and allow Durant to work off of a bent floor. Whenever Ben Simmons is 100 percent, he and Durant will be absolute money in transition. And if teams ever send that too early, Durant&rsquo;s got a new Curry brother to bestow with easy looks.
Oh, and by the way, even if you somehow execute this gameplan to perfection &mdash; as the <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1507051477474414595?s=20&amp;t=ow6VMlWzLdmiY6wqZOCN3A">Bucks</a> did in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season &mdash; there&rsquo;s a chance he drops 48 on your head.&nbsp;
If that happens, you just got to hang in the ring, withstand the haymakers as long as possible and pray to whichever omnipotent being you please that your efforts will ultimately be enough.
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Mat Issa dissects Kevin Durant's deadly skill set and puts together a strategy of how defenders can limit his offensive prowess.

How to slow down Kevin Durant: Let The Reaper reap

The Sweet 16 field is official!
The final eight tickets to the Sweet 16 were punched yesterday, wrapping up the round of 32. Here's a recap of Sunday's action.
Iowa State defeats Wisconsin 54-49, will face Miami The 11th-seeded Cyclones pulled off another upset, defeating Johnny Davis and Wisconsin. Iowa State took the lead with 16:16 to play and were in control the rest of the way. Gabe Kalscheur had an incredible game, scoring 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting. After a couple years of real struggles, head coach TJ Otzelberger, Tyrese Hunter and Co. continue their phenomenal season and advance to the Sweet 16.
Duke defeats Michigan State 85-76, will face Texas Tech The final score here does not reflect the course of the game. Potential No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero led all players with 19 points in a strong outing, as Gabe Brown led the Spartans with 18. Sparty led by two with 2:50 to play, but Trevor Keels and Jeremy Roach hit some massive shots down the stretch. Coach K and the Blue Devils advance to the Sweet 16, where they have a date with the Red Raiders.&nbsp;
Miami defeats Auburn 79-61, will face Iowa State Miami led wire to wire in a game that, quite frankly, wasn&rsquo;t close. The starters carried the load in this one as they scored 75 of the team's 79 points. Isaiah Wong scored 21 points and Kam McGusty had 20 for the Canes as they outscored Auburn 46-29 in the second half. This was an incredible statement win for the Canes; they will meet Iowa State in the Sweet 16 for a shot at the Elite Eight.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17941291_lg.jpg" alt="" width="664" height="442" />
Purdue defeats Texas 81-71, will face Saint Peter&rsquo;s Purdue held a 14-point lead in the first half, but the Longhorns battled back and took a 44-42 lead of their own in the second. The Boilermakers would slam the door shut late in the contest, led by Trevion Williams' 22 points. Jaden Ivey also posted 18 points in the win. They move on to the Sweet 16 where they'll take on the red-hot Peacocks.&nbsp;
Houston defeats Illinois 68-53, will face Arizona This one was tied at 40-40 with 11:26 to play, but Houston would put on a clinic for the remainder of the game. Taze Moore scored 21 points to lead the charge as the Cougars played tremendous team basketball, especially in the second half. Head coach Kelvin Sampson mentioned &ldquo;Culture Play&rdquo; while alluding to the nature of the win, a method they&rsquo;ll no doubt need to win again in the Sweet 16.
Villanova defeats Ohio State 71-61, will face Michigan Villanova appeared in total control early in the second half, but the Buckeyes stormed back. After Ohio State had cut the lead to two points, the Wildcats hit some big threes and clutch free-throws, and they were able to hold on. Collin Gillespie led the way with 20 points, while Caleb Daniels provided 11 big points off the bench. Villanova now has a big matchup with the Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17940451_lg.jpg" alt="" width="663" height="442" />
Texas Tech defeats Notre Dame 59-53, will face Duke This one went down to the wire as the teams traded leads for much of the second half. Kevin McCullar knocked down a pair of free throws with 40 seconds to play, extending his team's lead to 57-52, and they would hold on from there. The Red Raiders added a transition dunk just moments later and the celebration began. Kevin Obanor led all with scorers 15 points to go with 15 rebounds. Duke awaits, in a highly anticipated matchup.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
WOWOWOWOWOW This end to regulation was WILD 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/4gihUvpVCq">pic.twitter.com/4gihUvpVCq</a>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1505760901063852032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Arizona defeats TCU 85-80 in OT, will face Houston This one was wild. After a huge Bennedict Mathurin three, they headed to overtime where Mike Miles Jr. and Mathurin traded buckets. The Cats would hang on to win 85-80, thanks to 30 points from Mathurin and 28 from Christian Koloko. They will look to continue their potential championship journey in a huge matchup with Houston. This will be must-see action.
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Derek Murray takes us through the final games of the round of 32, and looks ahead to the matchups that await in the Sweet 16.

March Madness Recap: Sweet 16 is set

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

March Madness: Recapping Day 2 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament

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

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

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
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The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three). Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year.
But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked No. 7 on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
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Blake Hairston analyzes how important AJ Griffin has become for Duke this season and why he's risen up 2022 NBA Draft boards.

2022 NBA Draft: Pre-NCAA Tourney look at Duke's AJ Griffin

I remember it like it was 1,561 days ago &mdash; mostly because it was. I was laying on the futon pad in my dorm, procrastinating studying for my Forensic Science exam by looking through NBA highlights on YouTube (I know, some ~ casual ~ behavior on my part).
My mindless scrolling finally ceased when I stumbled upon this gem:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jktBxyI_ldI" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
A delicious 40-burger. Aaron Gordon&rsquo;s second one in as many months. I thought to myself: He&rsquo;s finally taking that leap. A star is born.&nbsp;
Alas, the three-point shooting and on-ball creation never really materialized to the level necessary to make my prediction come to fruition. And, among his desire to be elsewhere, the Orlando Magic ultimately threw in the towel on his development in 2021, opting to rebuild their roster by trading him to the Denver Nuggets for the likes of Gary Harris, RJ Hampton and a lightly protected first-round pick.&nbsp;
Just like that, it appeared the book on Gordon had been closed. But then something fascinating happened. He transformed his game entirely.
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His New Partner in Matrimony&nbsp;
In a recent episode of the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0r4Ro79PyBlk88QHyXyjXV?si=7a6546a89c7e48cf&amp;nd=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DNVR Denver Nuggets Podcast</a>, co-host <a href="https://twitter.com/MiroslavCuk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miroslav Ćuk </a>likened the new partnership between Gordon and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic to that of a married couple. And when you spend a handful of hours alone in your home office watching the two interact on the court (as I have), you have a hard time contending with that assessment.&nbsp;
Whether it resonates through hookups on 45-degree cuts to the rim, transition outlets, entry passes into a post seal or simple handoff actions, the two have achieved a level of on-court chemistry typically reserved for lifelong companions.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ft1m3r" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This season, Gordon is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203932?dir=D&amp;sort=PTS_PAINT" target="_blank" rel="noopener">getting more assisted looks</a> and <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more shots at the rim</a>, and is scoring at the highest efficiency of his career &mdash; in large part because of his new <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2022/03/06/nuggets-journal-aaron-gordon-seeing-the-game-differently/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frontcourt partner.</a> With Jokic, Gordon is no longer bound by the advantage-creating ambitions the Magic had envisioned for him. He&rsquo;s now empowered to roam free as the hyper-athletic play-finisher he was always destined to be.
However, Gordon isn&rsquo;t the only one collecting benefits from this relationship. One could even argue that the symbiotic nature of their dynamic bears some resemblance to that of Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire in the mid-2000s. Now, while I will concede that Gordon isn&rsquo;t nearly the offensive talent Stoudemire was during his heyday, the formula is still the same:
Prodigious playmaker + Dynamite play-finisher = Highly-efficient offense.
The pairings&rsquo; similarities don&rsquo;t end there. From 2004-10, <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1501903698028425216?s=20&amp;t=zA1W-ku5c4z4Rhlxva7hzA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nash</a> averaged nearly 2 assists fewer per 100 possessions when Stoudemire was on the bench (per PBP Stats). In comparison, Jokic has lost <a href="http://www.pbpstats.com/on-off/nba/player?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;TeamId=1610612743&amp;PlayerId=203932">almost 2 assists per 100 possessions</a> in the 365 minutes he&rsquo;s played without Gordon this season.&nbsp;
Historical comparisons aside, the tandem also fulfills the marital trope of taking on aspects of your partner's personality. In the same way that dating someone for a long time might increase your appreciation for <a href="https://squishmallows.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">squishmallows</a> (wait, is that just me?), Gordon&rsquo;s time spent sharing the court with a passing savant has made him a worthy facilitator in his own right:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Aaron Gordon plays 50 games with Nikola Jokic. All of a sudden he's one of the best passers at his position. <a href="https://t.co/PRysqnp5FS">pic.twitter.com/PRysqnp5FS</a>
&mdash; Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarrisonWind/status/1490584645456457729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

The numbers appear to back up Wind&rsquo;s observation as well. According to BBall Index&rsquo;s Playmaking Talent database, Gordon is experiencing a career year in passing creation quality, passing versatility and playmaking. He&rsquo;s still by no means the guy you want running the show, but he&rsquo;s more than equipped to connect the dots when the heavyweights start the thread.
A Defensive Swiss-Army Knife
While Gordon's strides on the offensive end have been substantial, it&rsquo;s the defensive evolution he's undergone that has been the most necessary for the Nuggets this season.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Aaron Gordon Defensive Roles by year: 14-15: Perimeter Big 15-16: Perimeter Big 16-17: Chaser 17-18: Perimeter Big 18-19: Perimeter Big 19-20: Chaser 20-21: Wing Stopper 21-22: Point of Attack Per <a href="https://twitter.com/The_BBall_Index?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_BBall_Index</a>.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1501689092693807104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Initially brought in to provide additional backline support to his more floor-bound companion, Gordon has transitioned to a new seat right at the head of the table, playing the part of the Nuggets&rsquo; go-to, point-of-attack stopper. This year, Gordon has spent a whopping 45.4% of his possessions guarding point guards and shooting guards &mdash; the largest percentage of his career by a wide margin (per BBall Index).
Most of this shift in role has been out of necessity, with frailer guards like Monte Morris, Facundo Campazzo and Bones Hyland occupying backcourt minutes; the burden of mixing it up with the best offensive engines in the league has been placed squarely at Gordon&rsquo;s feet. And man, for someone that is learning this gig on the fly, is he holding down the fort.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/91i0kx" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
I implore you all to take a brief 60 seconds of your day to marvel at the defensive clips above. Take note of all the different variations of player archetypes Gordon has been tasked to go up against. Guile-based miniature guards like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trae-young-made-himself-the-villain-and-hes-leveled-up-accordingly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trae Young</a>, hyper-athletic slashers like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-high-can-anthony-edwards-fly-examining-the-20yearolds-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Edwards</a>, Earth-pushing forwards masquerading as ball-handlers like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/will-luka-doncic-be-able-to-sustain-current-workload-for-potentially-deep-postseason-run" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luka Doncic</a>. Gordon has managed to annoy all of them at different points in the season.
In fact, according to BBall Index&rsquo;s database dating to 2013, Gordon owns the highest <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/defensive-versatility/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defensive Versatility</a> score of any point-of-attack defender on record, ranking 2 points higher than the next closest player (2020-21 Ben Simmons).
This versatility was on full display in a crucial possession of a late-game overtime thriller against the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this week. Here, after stonewalling Brandon Ingram from his attempt at getting to his sweet spot, Gordon picks up CJ McCollum and lands a textbook jump-shot-altering contest:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/044kiv" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Gordon's <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/1323#tab-defense_rebounding">block percentages</a> are down from past seasons, but that&rsquo;s mostly because his new responsibilities on the perimeter make it difficult for him to consistently challenge shots in the interior. He&rsquo;s currently contesting one less shot within 6 feet of the rim per game than he was with Orlando from 2017-20 (per NBA.com).&nbsp;
However, when the moment calls for it, he&rsquo;s shown he&rsquo;s still capable of filling the void that he was originally intended to:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7zc3of" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Indeed, Gordon never blossomed into the sky-walking, scoring superstar the Magic and I imagined he would be after his 40-point eruption in 2017. But that&rsquo;s okay because he&rsquo;s still developed into a great player in his own right. He&rsquo;s Jokic&rsquo;s new favorite offensive partner in crime, a tissue-connecting passer, and the basketball equivalent of a multipurpose weapon of destruction on defense.
Simply put: Aaron Gordon is not the player the Magic wanted him to be, but he&rsquo;s the player that the Nuggets need him to be.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Mat Issa details how Aaron Gordon has grown his game and fit in with the Nuggets since being traded from the Magic.

After Orlando exit, Aaron Gordon's been exactly what the Nuggets need

Which top rookie in the class of 2021 will end up being the best long-term? Mat Issa breaks down the case for each young stud.

Why they are all special: A guide to the top-five NBA rookies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Examining RJ Barrett’s recent scoring surge for the Knicks

All is well in Warrior Land.&nbsp;
Klay Thompson&rsquo;s back from his 941-day hiatus, and he&rsquo;s rekindled his usual splashiness with an added wrinkle of <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1496510661760802825?s=20&amp;t=Qta8WZ8OI-9IaVhpLWaXgg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dribble creation</a>. Draymond Green has resurrected his podcast career and should be back on the floor shortly. Andrew Wiggins may not be an All-Star starter in impact, but he's still playing like a <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/99-2022-sub-all-stars/id1428290303?i=1000550498698" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-50 player</a>. Youngsters Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/longawaited-return-of-james-wiseman-will-fill-warriors-only-void" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Wiseman</a> (via Twitter workout videos) show just enough flashes to keep Warriors to Twitter at Bay (ha, get it).
I repeat: All is well in Warrior Land, set up to compete now and well into the future.
So what then, is this all about?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Warriors will reportedly look to lock up one of their young stars this offseason <a href="https://t.co/zOW0f8yfkX">https://t.co/zOW0f8yfkX</a>
&mdash; Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1496309488965632006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

To figure it out, I caught up with Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle &mdash; the man credited with <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/Andrew-Wiggins-is-an-All-Star-but-how-much-16936511.php#photo-22091414" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breaking this story</a>:
&ldquo;My understanding is that the Warriors will try to sign Poole to a contract extension this summer, which would keep him from hitting restricted free agency in summer 2023," Letourneau told BasketballNews.com. "To get a deal done, Golden State will probably have to ink him to a contract in the four-year, $80 million range."
On the surface, that seems like a gross overpay, particularly when you factor in Golden State's current salary-cap situation. Letourneau followed up on that.
&ldquo;The Warriors think he's worth it. And I don't blame them," Letourneau said. "Poole has improved more in the past two years than perhaps anyone else in the NBA, and he's only 22. I could see him becoming a CJ McCollum type. But then again, I should know better than to put a ceiling on him. He has far exceeded every projection I've had for him to this point.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Great point. And I like the McCollum comparison, but I&rsquo;d take it a step further. When I see the wirey, chaotic guard blazing across the court and soaring into the air, I get flashes of Zach Lavine &mdash; a player who cashed in a similar deal not too long ago.
In the summer of 2018, Lavine inked a four-year, $76 million dollar deal with Chicago (as a restricted free agent). Here is how he compared to Poole at the time:
Lavine 2017-18 v. Poole 2021-22 (mobile users scroll right for full table)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 11.9184%;">
Player
</td>
<td style="width: 9.07877%;">
Age
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8825%;">
% of Cap*
</td>
<td style="width: 16.8224%;">
PTS per 75**
</td>
<td style="width: 20.6943%;">
Relative TS%**
</td>
<td style="width: 17.6235%;">
FTA per 75**
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8799%;">
AST%**
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 11.9184%;">
Lavine
</td>
<td style="width: 9.07877%;">
22
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8825%;">
&asymp; 19.1%
</td>
<td style="width: 16.8224%;">
22.4
</td>
<td style="width: 20.6943%;">
-5.7
</td>
<td style="width: 17.6235%;">
6.0
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8799%;">
18.6%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 11.9184%;">
Poole
</td>
<td style="width: 9.07877%;">
22
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8825%;">
&asymp; 16.5%
</td>
<td style="width: 16.8224%;">
20.7
</td>
<td style="width: 20.6943%;">
+2.1
</td>
<td style="width: 17.6235%;">
4.0
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8799%;">
18.7%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
* Data provided by Spotrac
** Data provided by Basketball-Reference
Of course, Lavine has since progressed to All-Star status and earned himself a reputation as one of the <a href="https://megaphone.link/BNI9684843880" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20 best offensive players</a> in basketball. He&rsquo;s worth every penny the Bulls paid him way back when.&nbsp;
If I was a betting man, I&rsquo;d put a reasonable amount of Prize Picks money on Poole doing the same.
Now, this is the part where someone pulls this up:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Not every young player that shows promise ends up being a future All-Star.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1492202101803470855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

True, but Poole isn&rsquo;t like other young players.
For starters, at age-22, he&rsquo;s already adept at scoring at all three levels of the basketball court. Stepback three-pointers, balletic mid-range floaters, herky-jerky dribble moves into gallant attacks at the rim. All those things are firmly in his wheelhouse. How do I know that? He literally flashed it all in less than *checks clock* five minutes of game time.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/wcbjkc" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Outside of the All-Star trio (Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and Darius Garland), the player who gets the most air time from the 2019 NBA Draft class is Tyler Herro, which is fair. He&rsquo;s made some <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/miami-heat-tyler-herro-is-pulling-up-to-the-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">massive strides</a> this year. But why aren&rsquo;t people making outlandish claims about Poole like this?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Anonymous NBA scout on Tyler Herro &ldquo;He got screwed out of the All-Star Game. He should have been there. ... I would not give up Herro [in a package] for [Bradley] Beal this summer.&ldquo;<a href="https://t.co/bREQEd7jsC">https://t.co/bREQEd7jsC</a>
&mdash; NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1496255919851769856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Poole's shooting splits are just as promising:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 172px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.8407%;">
Player
</td>
<td style="width: 25.5007%;">
Rim %*
</td>
<td style="width: 30.3071%;">
Midrange %*
</td>
<td style="width: 27.3195%;">
Three Point %*
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.8407%;">
Herro
</td>
<td style="width: 25.5007%;">
59%
</td>
<td style="width: 30.3071%;">
41%
</td>
<td style="width: 27.3195%;">
38%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.8407%;">
Poole
</td>
<td style="width: 25.5007%;">
66%
</td>
<td style="width: 30.3071%;">
46%
</td>
<td style="width: 27.3195%;">
34%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
 * Data provided by Cleaning the Glass
Poole is converting shots at the rim and from the mid-range at a significantly higher rate than Herro. And while his three-pointer may be lagging behind, his league-leading free throw percentage (92.2%) is a strong indicator that he&rsquo;ll figure it out from beyond the arc.
Also, for my volume stans out there, Poole has maintained his True Shooting percentage from last year (58.1%), despite taking nearly four more shots per game.&nbsp;
As it stands, his passing is how you say ~ <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-most-volatile-scorers-in-basketball-right-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">volatile</a> ~ seesawing between sublime and errant depending on the possession (hence his career-highs in assist and turnover rate). When it&rsquo;s working, though, things get freaky:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
I loved Poole coming out of Michigan because of his flexibility on his dribbles, taking some crazy angles with his body before hitting Kevon with the bounce pass out of the empty side pick and roll for an open dunk <a href="https://t.co/jXRSvj7UvY">pic.twitter.com/jXRSvj7UvY</a>
&mdash; Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) <a href="https://twitter.com/klaytheist11/status/1478477992108204038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

One thing that should stand out to you about that clip (gifted to us by the venerable Charlie Cummings) is Poole&rsquo;s ability to draw two to the ball. That occurrence should trigger memories of this:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Just for you <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@matissa15</a> <a href="https://t.co/ADyfyywN9C">pic.twitter.com/ADyfyywN9C</a>
&mdash; Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) <a href="https://twitter.com/klaytheist11/status/1496897560748826673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

I&rsquo;m not the first person to make that connection &mdash; <a href="https://uproxx.com/dimemag/jordan-pool-golden-state-warriors-analysis-videos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackson Frank</a> and <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2022/1/4/22866338/warriors-heat-jordan-poole-film-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Viray</a> have written about this &mdash; but Poole&rsquo;s gravity (second-best on the team) enables him to temporarily masquerade as the resident, baby-faced assassin within the Warriors' offensive system. This ability to temporarily operate as the team&rsquo;s lead guard and short-roll ignitor takes a massive burden off the chiseled shoulders of Curry, who has had a history of gradually breaking down during the second half of the season (see the 2016 playoffs).
Also, it&rsquo;s worth noting that very few players can be the understudy of one of 10 best offensive players ever.
One last note I want to make about Poole is regarding his character, which is normally something I try to avoid (it&rsquo;s mainly speculation unless you know the person). But when so many people sing your praises, that has to mean something. Listen to this great clip of two of the best basketball minds ever talking about his maturation as a decision-maker:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Both Steve Kerr and Steph Curry mentioned this specific Jordan Poole transition pass last night as a sign of growth. The play and the soundbites <a href="https://t.co/Gt2eFlqOJt">pic.twitter.com/Gt2eFlqOJt</a>
&mdash; Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1463937921489129484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

That&rsquo;s how everyone from the championship crew talks about him. Curry, Green, Thompson, Andre Iguodala &mdash; they all love Poole's guts. Game recognizes game. They see the fierceness, the swagger, the hunger and the relentless quest for knowledge and skill.
When you combine that package of intangibles with the product you see on the court, $20 million dollars annually looks like a bargain.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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>!

Mat Issa dives into Jordan Poole's value to the Warriors and why extending him should be a no-brainer.

Why the Warriors don't need to worry about paying Jordan Poole

In 2012, Tom Ziller wrote an article for SB Nation on the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/2/2/2766177/lebron-james-volatility-scorers-hook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scoring volatility</a> of the NBA&rsquo;s top scorers. Since then, the subject has remained largely untouched (although Ben Taylor does discuss it briefly in his <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Basketball-Ben-Taylor/dp/1532968175" target="_blank" rel="noopener">book</a>, "Thinking Basketball").
So, since the NBA is on a hiatus until Thursday, I figured now was as good of a time to delve a little deeper into the topic.
To help me do so, I called upon the aid of software engineer/data scientist <a href="https://twitter.com/daniel_bratulic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Bratulić</a>.
First and foremost, for those unaware, scoring volatility is basically the degree of variance present in a player&rsquo;s game-to-game scoring outputs (e.g. low variance = low volatility). Understanding which players are more consistent and which ones are more of a wildcard is important in a game that is often defined as a &ldquo;make or miss league.&rdquo;&nbsp;
As Taylor notes in his aforementioned book: &ldquo;Teams are significantly more likely to win games when (at least) one player has an explosive night.&rdquo;
This sentiment is especially true this season, where the championship landscape is as deep as it has been in quite some time, and a single heater could reroute the entire course of history (I&rsquo;m looking at you, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SPjJ197oKE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Klay Thompson</a>).
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
To identify the most volatile players among volume scorers, we charted the variance levels of the top-30 scorers based on their game-to-game True Shooting percentages. Here's what we found.
Shooting Consistency: 2021-22
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-02-22-at-11-31-52-am_lg.png" alt="" width="474" height="448" />
(Chart created by Daniel Bratulić)
For the sake of this exercise, we can shelve Damian Lillard&rsquo;s variance right now since it&rsquo;s doubtful he returns to the court this season. Steph Curry&rsquo;s standing on this list is likely due to the unprecedented (by his standards) shooting slump he endured for a large chunk of December and January.
What is the most interesting here is the six-man cluster on the top-left corner, consisting of Donovan Mitchell, Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards. These six are noteworthy because their overall True Shooting averages are right around the league average. So this means that their good games are well-above league average, while their off-nights are probably well-below.
To assess the nature of these players&rsquo; volatility, I charted their True Shooting numbers on a month-by-month basis:
True Shooting Percentage By Month
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-02-20-at-9-12-19-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="585" height="355" />
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 378px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 18.8919%; height: 54px;">
Player
</td>
<td style="width: 15.7321%;">
Oct.
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
Nov.
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
Dec.
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
Jan.
</td>
<td style="width: 13.8206%; height: 54px;">
Feb.
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 18.8919%; height: 54px;">
Mitchell
</td>
<td style="width: 15.7321%;">
52.9%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
54.4%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
63.4%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
52.4%
</td>
<td style="width: 13.8206%; height: 54px;">
66.2%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 18.8919%; height: 54px;">
Siakam
</td>
<td style="width: 15.7321%;">
N/A
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
54.9%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
53.9%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
55.2%
</td>
<td style="width: 13.8206%; height: 54px;">
62.5%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 18.8919%; height: 54px;">
Ingram
</td>
<td style="width: 15.7321%;">
53.6%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
50.6%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
58.1%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
51.7%
</td>
<td style="width: 13.8206%; height: 54px;">
54.1%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 18.8919%; height: 54px;">
McCollum
</td>
<td style="width: 15.7321%;">
57.4%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
50.9%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
46.6%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
60.2%
</td>
<td style="width: 13.8206%; height: 54px;">
54.4%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 18.8919%; height: 54px;">
Tatum
</td>
<td style="width: 15.7321%;">
48.8%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
50.8%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
58.5%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
59.1%
</td>
<td style="width: 13.8206%; height: 54px;">
57.8%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 18.8919%; height: 54px;">
Edwards
</td>
<td style="width: 15.7321%;">
49.6%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
54.4%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
59.0%
</td>
<td style="width: 17.134%;">
60.2%
</td>
<td style="width: 13.8206%; height: 54px;">
49.0%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right for full table)
Apologies for the slight cluster in the graph, but from analyzing that and the table, you will probably notice two different styles of shooting trends. For Siakam, Ingram and Tatum, you see one or two outlier months that are more indicative of an extended stretch of hot/cold shooting than erratic changes in game-to-game shooting efficiency. For instance, Tatum experienced a well-documented slow start to the season before returning to True Shooting percentages more in-line with his <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">career averages</a> during December, January and February.&nbsp;&nbsp;
On the other hand, Mitchell, McCollum and Edwards have two months of True Shooting well-above the league average, one month right around league average and two months well below it.&nbsp;
To use Edwards as an example, his October and February shooting percentages were abysmal (sub-50%), his November finish isn&rsquo;t too far from the <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/league-average-true-shooting-percentage-2022">league average</a> of 56%, and his December and January efficiency hovered right at that golden 60% threshold.
Mitchell, specifically, is no stranger to volatile scoring seasons. From 2018-21, Mitchell has consistently been an inconsistent scorer (I know, the irony), finishing with a standard deviation right around &ldquo;14&rdquo; in the three seasons prior to this campaign (charts from 2018-21 included after the conclusion of this article for anyone interested).
We&rsquo;ve also already gotten a glimpse of the postseason highs and lows that come with his streaky shooting. In 2018-19, Mitchell posted a dreadful 42.3% True Shooting, and the Utah Jazz were handedly discarded by the Houston Rockets in five games. On the flip side, in 2020-21, Mitchell eviscerated defenses with a 60.2% True Shooting clip. And if not for injuries to him and Mike Conley (and an aberration of a shooting performance by Terance Mann), the Jazz very well could have competed for a Western Conference championship.
In McCollum&rsquo;s case, the Portland Trail Blazers&rsquo; best season in the Lillard era coincided with one of his most volatile. In 2018-19, McCollum led all volume scorers in volatility with a standard deviation of &ldquo;17&rdquo; (again, reference charts below). During the playoffs, McCollum shot five True Shooting percentage points higher in their eight wins than he did in their eight losses, which signals the highest positive differential of any Blazer that played at least 300 minutes that postseason (per NBA.com).
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Overall, Mitchell, Edwards and McCollum appear to be the most volatile volume scorers of the 2021-22 season thus far. This matters because all three of these players are rostered by teams currently in the thick of the playoff picture. An electric shooting night from one of these guys could swing a Play-in game, a Game 7 or maybe even an entire postseason series. Such seismic capacity demands our attention, and further time should be allocated towards identifying these players and ascertaining the extent of their impact on winning.
For now, one would be wise to keep tabs on these players because &mdash; for better or worse &mdash; they may just go nuclear and tip the scales, and rewrite the story of the NBA in the process.
Shooting Consistency: 2018-19
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-02-22-at-11-34-19-am_lg.png" alt="" width="474" height="462" />
(Chart created by Daniel Bratulić)
Shooting Consistency: 2019-20
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-02-22-at-11-35-29-am_lg.png" alt="" width="475" height="456" />
(Chart created by Daniel Bratulić)
Shooting Consistency: 2020-21
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-02-22-at-11-36-31-am_lg.png" alt="" width="475" height="468" />
(Chart created by Daniel Bratulić)
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Mat Issa breaks down the variance of the NBA's most notable scorers and how it affects their respective teams.

Charting the most volatile scorers in the NBA right now

Gonzaga is the unanimous No. 1 in the latest Associated Press men&rsquo;s basketball poll. The Zags aren&rsquo;t likely to budge the way they&rsquo;re dominating the West Coast Conference.
Gonzaga remained at No. 1 for the second straight week, receiving all 61 votes from a media panel <a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">in the poll </a> released Monday. Arizona moved up a spot to No. 2 for its highest ranking in four years, with Auburn, Purdue and Kansas rounding out the top five.
Gonzaga (23-2, 12-0 WCC) has followed up last year&rsquo;s run to the national championship game with another dominating regular season. The Zags haven&rsquo;t lost since Dec. 4 and their lopsided wins over Pepperdine and Santa Clara last week clinched a <a class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-basketball-march-madness-mens-college-basketball-college-basketball-0d120c2bc9765f174753110ae8849824">10th straight WCC regular-season title</a>.
Gonzaga is winning its WCC games by an average of 27 points, one of the most dominant conference seasons in the past 25 years, according to KenPom.com. The Zags are on pace to match the 2019 team for largest margin of victory in conference games. They have four of the top five spots on that list in the last 25 years, joined by the 1999 Duke team.
&ldquo;They could win the whole thing,&rdquo; Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar said after an 86-66 loss to Gonzaga last Wednesday. &ldquo;They have size, they have scoring ability, they can guard.&rdquo;
Gonzaga closes out the regular season with road games against San Francisco and Saint Mary&rsquo;s before getting the top seed in the West Coast Conference tournament in Las Vegas.
CLIMBING CATS
Arizona keeps finding ways to win under first-year coach Tommy Lloyd, a longtime Gonzaga assistant.
Picked to finish tied for fourth in the Pac-12 Conference, the Wildcats (24-2, 14-1 Pac-12) have a 2 1/2-game lead over No. 16 Southern California with two weeks left in the regular season.
Arizona shrugged off a shaky start to beat Oregon State 83-69 last Thursday, then outlasted Oregon 84-81 in a high-level game on Saturday.
The wins, combined with Auburn&rsquo;s loss to Florida, put the Wildcats right behind Gonzaga, where Lloyd coached under Mark Few the previous 22 seasons.
&ldquo;Weird, cool, awesome &mdash; I&rsquo;m proud of those guys, they&rsquo;ve got a great team,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re family and I think they&rsquo;re happy for us.&rdquo;
RISING/FALLING
No. 18 Arkansas had the biggest jump of the week, moving up five spots after blowing out Missouri and shutting down No. 17 Tennessee. UConn was next, climbing three spots to No. 21 with wins over Seton Hall and Xavier.
No. 22 Ohio State had the biggest drop of teams still in the poll, falling four spots after losing to Iowa. No. 10 Baylor, No. 11 Providence and No. 15 Illinois all lost three spots.
IN AND OUT
No. 23 Saint Mary&rsquo;s returned to the poll after a one-week absence following wins over San Francisco and BYU. No. 25 Iowa is ranked for the first time this season following its win over Ohio State.
Michigan State dropped out of the poll from No. 19 with losses to Penn State and Illinois. The Spartans, ranked in the top 10 earlier this season, have lost four of five.
Wyoming&rsquo;s first stint in the AP Top 25 since 2015 didn&rsquo;t last long. The Cowboys fell out from No. 22 after splitting against New Mexico and Air Force last week.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big 10 and Southeastern conferences had five ranked teams each and the Big 12 four. The Pac-12 and Big East each had three and the West Coast Conference two with the addition of Saint Mary&rsquo;s.
The Atlantic Coast, American Athletic and Ohio Valley conferences each had one ranked team.

Gonzaga is the unanimous No. 1 in the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Gonzaga unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25; Arizona up to 2

No. 12 Illinois defeated No. 19 Michigan State 79-74. llinois&rsquo; last road win in East Lansing was in February of 2015, but that changed with a big-time win today. The Illini withstood a comeback from the Spartans, as Trent Frazier hit a dagger pull-up triple with 25 seconds to play. Kofi Cockburn led all players with 27 points. Tyson Walker had a phenomenal game for Michigan State off the bench, scoring 26 points.&nbsp;
Illinois (19-7, 12-4 Big Ten) entered this one projected a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, slipping a bit after losses to Purdue and Rutgers. Cockburn continues to be one of the most dominant forces in the country, averaging 21.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Alfonso Plummer and Frazier have been reliable all season and will need to keep things up for their team during the homestretch.
The Spartans (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten) came in having lost three of their last four contests, desperately needing to get back on track. They rank 24th nationally in Adjusted Efficiency, but simply haven&rsquo;t been able to score consistently recently. Gabe Brown leads the team with 12.1 points per game, but potential first round pick Max Christie will be an x-factor during the last few weeks of the season.&nbsp;
Illinois jumped out to a 7-2 lead after a Da&rsquo;Monte Williams steal and transition bucket. Brown answered with a corner three as he scored the first five points for Sparty. The Illini stretched the lead to 17-8 as Brown picked up his second foul at the 12:00 mark and Michigan State hit only 3 of their first 14 attempts from the field.&nbsp;
The visitors took a 34-22 lead into the break and quickly extended it to 40-24 early in the second period. Illinois remained in control for a good while until Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard cut it down to 67-59. Walker then connected on a three at the 3:47 mark while, at the same time, a whistle under the basket sent Julius Marble II to the free-throw line. Cockburn was then called for a 3-second violation and the momentum completely shifted, revving the crowd up again.&nbsp;
Cockburn and Walker traded buckets as Illinois held a 71-69 lead with 1:57 to go. Frazier stole the ball with 1:02 to go and finished a tough transition layup. Walker converted an and-1 to make it 76-74 with 47.7 on the clock. Frazier hit a deep pull-up triple with 0:25 on the clock, which all but ended the game, as Illinois would get the ball back and run out the clock.&nbsp;
Jacob Grandison scored 24 points on 6 of 10 from behind the arc. Frazier finished with 12 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. Joey Hauser posted 11 points for the Spartans. Hoggard finished with 15 points and 8 assists in a strong outing.&nbsp;
Michigan State started this season 14-2, but are 4-6 since.
Tom Izzo remains one win from tying Bob Knight for the most overall wins at B1G schools, at 662.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
UPCOMING
Illinois hosts Ohio State on Thursday night.
Michigan State visits Iowa on Tuesday.

Illinois’ last road win in East Lansing was in February of 2015, but that changed with a big-time win Saturday.

No. 12 Illinois defeats No. 19 Michigan State 79-74, Cockburn scores 27

You know what makes the Joker such an iconic villain? Since the day he introduced himself to Batman and the rest of Gotham City, he&rsquo;s found ways to push his criminal deviancy to new heights. After spending years of wiping out countless innocent civilians, he ramped things up by making his agendas personal. He murdered Commissioner Gordon&rsquo;s wife, paralyzed his daughter and viciously tortured and killed (<a href="https://youtu.be/WIY7jwv4-eg">supposedly</a>) the second Robin, Jason Todd.
When Trae Young dropped 32 points in his pro playoff debut and followed it up by telling the fans at Madison Square Garden to [<a href="https://youtu.be/gXPhb1HthNk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shut the front door</a>], he firmly cemented himself as the NBA&rsquo;s new villain. And in doing so, he put a big red target on his back.&nbsp;
To his credit, however, Young has responded to the increased scrutiny by doing what all great villains do &mdash; leveling up his game accordingly.
This season Young has improved in a handful of one-number offensive metrics (<a href="https://backpicks.com/2022-players/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OBPM</a>, <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/lebron-database/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O-LEBRON</a>, <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/nba-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OFF RAPTOR</a> and <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/epm?season=2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OFF EPM</a>). But even the best catch-all metrics don&rsquo;t really &ldquo;catch it all.&rdquo; So to compensate, I dug into the film to see how Young has improved his game since his public service announcement in New York last summer.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Finishing At the Rim
A lot has been made about the new <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-the-nba-is-trying-to-eliminate-unnatural-foulbaiting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">points of emphasis</a> in officiating and how it may be mitigating the value of free-throw dependent players. Young himself has not been immune to the effects of the current standard, as his "free throws per 75 possessions" total has taken a sizable hit from 9.5 to 7.4 (per Basketball-Reference). Yet, despite his dip in the most efficient shot on the court, Young has actually managed to improve his Relative True Shooting percentage from +1.7 to +3.2 (per BREF).
One reason for his uptick in overall efficiency has been his massive improvement in the second-most efficient area on the floor &mdash; the rim. This season, Young is converting at a career-high 60.0% clip while also taking more shots from the restricted area than he did last season (per Cleaning the Glass).
Young isn&rsquo;t particularly overpowering (about 180 pounds soaking wet), and while he may be quick, he doesn&rsquo;t cover too much ground on a per stride basis. So to atone for his inability to naturally create separation in the paint, Young has leaned almost entirely on his craft:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/qwjju3" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Opportunistic mad dashes when no bigs are near the paint, changes in speed, wrong-footed finishes, fancy dribble moves &mdash; all of these things are now firmly ingrained in his vocabulary, and they've contributed to his rise as an <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4423#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">above-average finisher</a>.
Perimeter Shooting
Young has also laid to rest the big-brain take that he&rsquo;s somehow actually &ldquo;not that great of a shooter.&rdquo; This year, he&rsquo;s shooting more threes than he was last season and knocking them down from each region at a more efficient rate:
Young Shooting By Distance (note: mobile users scroll right to see full table)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Shot Distance
</td>
<td>
Young '20-21
</td>
<td>
Young '21-22
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
20-24 ft.
</td>
<td>
37.2%
</td>
<td>
45.1%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
25-29 ft.
</td>
<td>
33.2%
</td>
<td>
38.0%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
30-34 ft.
</td>
<td>
31.3%
</td>
<td>
38.3%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data Provided by NBA.com
Young&rsquo;s marketable improvement from 30-to- 34 feet (a.k.a. way downtown) is particularly significant because he&rsquo;s launching shots from those lengths (1.5 <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629027/shooting/">attempts</a> per game) more often than he has his entire career.&nbsp;
His proficiency in these spots also has a warping effect on the floor. Defenses must account for his presence at all times, even when he&rsquo;s hanging around in a different continent.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/nwl3mi" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In this clip, promising young Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes is relegated to bystander status on this possession because he must respect Young&rsquo;s shooting prowess, which in turn effectively creates a 4-on-4 situation for the Atlanta Hawks&rsquo; offense. This defense-altering gravity allows Young to provide meaningful off-ball value in spite of being rather sedentary without the ball in his hands (similar to one <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-the-mere-threat-of-a-three-enough-to-affect-a-defense/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Gordon</a>).
Picking Up The Pace
Young lacks the body type and playstyle that are emblematic of most transition warriors. As we mentioned, his strides are too abbreviated for him to use his speed to race past people, and his offensive philosophy comes from the slower, more probing Chris Paul-sian school of thought.&nbsp;
However, even with these limitations, he&rsquo;s made a concerted effort to maximize his opportunities on the break. Young is averaging 1.11 points per transition possession, the highest mark of his career (per NBA.com). And he&rsquo;s managing this by leveraging the skills that make him such a cool customer in the half-court: elite passing and a knack for knowing when to slow things down or speed them up.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ovs1pm" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Even after made shots, Young will ramp up the offense by making passes before he crosses the timeline to help jumpstart his team&rsquo;s possessions.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/uqltbe" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Historically Excellent
Overall, Young&rsquo;s subtle growth on that end of the court has been enough where he is now firmly in the mix as one of the 10 best offensive players in the world.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s even more impressive is his offensive production this year not only puts him in elite company for this season, but also places him in rarified air historically among all-time great, guile-based scoring/playmaking point guards.
Similar to what I did with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/are-jokic-and-embiid-having-the-best-center-seasons-ever" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jokic and Embiid</a>, I compared some of Young&rsquo;s stats to other great offensive point guards of a similar playing style. The first chart shows each players&rsquo; outputs in Offensive Box Plus-Minus, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtEQxqVgP04">Inflation-Adjusted</a> Points per 75 possessions, relative True Shooting and Assist Percentage. The second chart shows where each player ranked in those stats compared to other &ldquo;point guards'' in those particular seasons.
(Note: mobile users scroll right to see full table)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Player (Year)
</td>
<td>
OBPM*
</td>
<td>
IA Pts per 75*
</td>
<td>
Relative TS%**
</td>
<td>
AST%**
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Young ('21-22)
</td>
<td>
4.4
</td>
<td>
28.8
</td>
<td>
+3.2
</td>
<td>
46.3%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Harden ('16-17)
</td>
<td>
6.5
</td>
<td>
29.2
</td>
<td>
+9.1
</td>
<td>
50.7%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Paul ('07-08)
</td>
<td>
5.3
</td>
<td>
23
</td>
<td>
+3.6%
</td>
<td>
52.2%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Nash ('06-07)
</td>
<td>
5.2
</td>
<td>
20.4
</td>
<td>
+11.3
</td>
<td>
50.1%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Price ('91-92)
</td>
<td>
4.6
</td>
<td>
22.5
</td>
<td>
+7.9
</td>
<td>
37.9%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data provided by Backpicks
**Data provided by Basketball Reference
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Player (Year)
</td>
<td>
OBPM*
</td>
<td>
IA Pts per 75*
</td>
<td>
Relative TS%**
</td>
<td>
AST%**
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Young ('21-22)
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
2nd
</td>
<td>
2nd
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Harden ('16-17)
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
3rd
</td>
<td>
4th
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Paul ('07-08)
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
2nd
</td>
<td>
6th
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Nash ('06-07)
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
5th
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Price ('91-92)
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
1st
</td>
<td>
4th
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data provided by Backpicks
**Data provided by Basketball Reference
One thing that stands out to me is that Young is the only one among these five players to be in the top-three in all these categories. Of course, this is by no means conclusive evidence that his performance this year is better than the performances of these all-timers in those seasons; however, it does illustrate the point that his blend of scoring and playmaking holds up with some of the best to ever do it.&nbsp;
This data also indicates that Young has followed up his grand debut on the world stage with a sequel even more impressive than the original. And to top it off, this time, he's doing it with the hatred of the league on his shoulders.&nbsp;
I guess I shouldn&rsquo;t be that surprised, though, because Young&rsquo;s a villain now, and if he keeps leveling up the way he has, he&rsquo;ll be a damn good one at that.
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Mat Issa writes about the advancements Trae Young has made with his game and how it's made him all that more dangerous.

Trae Young made himself the villain, and he's leveled up accordingly

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

State of the Conference: Evaluating the Big Ten

Eight places.
The 2021-22 Memphis Grizzlies' offense has improved eight places from its 15th-ranked placement last season. What&rsquo;s so different about this year&rsquo;s unit? Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillion Brooks, De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson are all still here. Jaren Jackson Jr. is finally healthy, but he&rsquo;s still more of a defensively-calibrated player at this stage of the game.&nbsp;
What gives? Hmm...
Well, let&rsquo;s see what Cleaning the Glass has to say about this&hellip;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-02-07-at-1-20-21-am_lg.png" alt="" width="647" height="442" />
*Wipes tired eyes aggressively and looks again*
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-02-08-at-5-42-06-am_lg.png" alt="" width="585" height="267" />
Holy crap. It&rsquo;s none other than Steven Adams atop the offense points per possession differential.&nbsp;
Now, you don&rsquo;t need me to remind you that on/off data can be extremely noisy and that Adams is probably not the Grizzlies&rsquo; best offensive player. But if you do a little digging in the weeds, there is something to Adams being such a positive on that end of the floor. Since the 2016-17 season, Adams has finished in the <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/21/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">77th percentile or higher</a> in this category &mdash; despite playing on three different teams during this time frame.
On this current team, all of the Grizzlies I mentioned earlier (with the lone exception being Jackson) average higher True Shooting percentages with Adams on the floor than with him on the bench (per PBP Stats).
I know what you&rsquo;re thinking now: Is this guy some sort of wizard?
No, but what he is doing for this offense is pretty darn magical.
Offensive Rebounding
The worst kept secret in the NBA is that Adams is an elite offensive rebounder. He&rsquo;s ranked in the 91st percentile or higher in that avenue since 2017-18 (per Cleaning the Glass). You don&rsquo;t need film study to tell you that.&nbsp;
But you do need it to explain this:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/di6ugn" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
On the surface, this play looks like the typical Morant bull rush on the rim. However, look a little closer, and you&rsquo;ll see that center Thomas Bryant doesn&rsquo;t even attempt to contest Morant&rsquo;s shot &mdash; or go for the board on the miss &mdash; because he&rsquo;s too concerned with preventing this from happening again:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/trs8m5" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
That&rsquo;s right, six offensive rebounds in one quarter. Adams so thoroughly punctured the soul of his opponent that Bryant would rather invite Morant to the rim than leave Adams free to run wild in the box.
The best part about Adams&rsquo; work on the glass is that it doesn&rsquo;t bleed too much value from their transition defense. The Grizzlies still have the <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/15/team#tab-context_trans_defense">11th-ranked</a> fastbreak defense and the No. 7 defensive unit in those scenarios overall.
Screening
Advantage creation comes in many flavors (speed, strength, guile, etc.), and for Adams, his tool for power play initiation is the subheading of this section. This season, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle/?sort=SCREEN_ASSISTS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only three players</a> average over the 5.4 screen assists per game that Adams is good for on a nightly basis. And similar to how a boxer develops many different deliveries for landing a punch, Adams has schemed a handful of clever tricks for deploying his body shield without garnering an offensive foul.
His favorite move consists of him positioning himself for a screen and then, at the very last second, subtly jerking himself forward a half-step to latch onto the ball-handler&rsquo;s defender for an extra half-second.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Three baskets in the third quarter for Morant in part due to some great screens by Adams that help get the feisty Thybulle away from him momentarily. <a href="https://t.co/Rl4wTb2Hix">pic.twitter.com/Rl4wTb2Hix</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1490451694534246403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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When he&rsquo;s not spamming that nifty little parlor trick, Adams shows the other cards in his deck some love. He can be randomly hulking down the court, then suddenly stop on a dime and set a pick. He can execute the screen version of putting a defender in jail. And he&rsquo;ll even try setting up a barrier while he and his ball-handler are both in the paint.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ci56pl" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The hidden value that Adams&rsquo; screening provides permeates into his teams&rsquo; pick-and-roll numbers, as both the New Orleans Pelicans and Grizzlies improved in this department upon his arrival.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Check this out: Pick &amp; Roll Ball Handler PPP Pelicans 19-20 (w/o Adams): 30th Pelicans 20-21 (w/Adams): 16th Pelicans 21-22 (w/o Adams): 28th Grizzlies 20-21 (w/o Adams): 25th Grizzlies 21-22 (w/Adams): 17th A lot of other variables at play in all of this, but wow🤯🤯
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1489639468835422212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Even more important for the Grizzlies is the effect he&rsquo;s having on their two offensive cornerstones in Morant and Bane.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.38%;">Player</td>
<td style="width: 38.2079%;">
Pick &amp; Roll Ball Handler ('20-21)*
</td>
<td style="width: 40.3442%;">
Pick &amp; Roll Ball Handler ('21-22)*
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.38%;">
Morant
</td>
<td style="width: 38.2079%;">
41st percentile
</td>
<td style="width: 40.3442%;">
74th percentile
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.38%;">
Bane
</td>
<td style="width: 38.2079%;">
11th percentile
</td>
<td style="width: 40.3442%;">
52nd percentile
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
* Data provided by NBA.com
Again, not all this growth can be attributed to the arrival of Adams, but man has his solid frame sure made navigating ball-screens easier for those two.
Passing
The most shocking revelation I had during my analysis was that Steven Adams is a pretty darn good passer. His 8.5 passer rating gives him the seventh-highest score in the league and the third-highest score among big men behind passing savants Draymond Green and Nikola Jokic (per Backpicks).
This score, of course, by no means vaults him into the top tier of passing big men. It&rsquo;s fair to deduce that his high standing in that measure is, in part, due to his conservative passing style.&nbsp;
On this play, there&rsquo;s probably a split-second window available for Adams to hit Bane on his cut to the rim, but Adams opts against it and chooses to live to fight another day. Nothing wrong with that. He just won't be bending the defense too often with that sort of prerogative.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/2cwszn" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Still, the passes he does choose to participate in are performed crisply. As both <a href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/2021/12/20/22834086/the-balancing-force-of-steven-adams-nba-memphis-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parker Fleming</a> and Basketball News&rsquo; own <a href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/2022/1/21/22888990/the-inverted-two-man-game-of-steven-adams-and-desmond-bane-jokic-draymond-wiggins-curry-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Lewis</a>, note in breakdowns for Grizzly Bear Blues, Adams has great synergy with the team&rsquo;s perimeter players, and he's no stranger to diming them up on cuts to the rim.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
You can see where Ziaire Williams has been watching that Desmond Bane tape! Really good off-ball movement here on the give-and-go. Steven Adams continues to be fantastic at hitting cutters <a href="https://t.co/fLWn8hJJaM">pic.twitter.com/fLWn8hJJaM</a>
&mdash; Parker Fleming (@PAKA_FLOCKA) <a href="https://twitter.com/PAKA_FLOCKA/status/1479501108284428290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We've got a great relationship,&rdquo; Desmond Bane&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/desmond-bane-cementing-himself-as-essential-part-of-nextgen-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said of Adams in a recent exclusive with BasketballNews.com</a>. &ldquo;He seems like he's always finding me &mdash; whether it's backdoor cuts or handoffs or whatever the case may be. Steve-O's a great teammate to play with... You obviously gotta use your mind and use your smarts to your ability. I watch a lot of film and study a lot of different players and just try to pick up on some of their tendencies that work [against] them."
What&rsquo;s more, Adams can fuse his other offensive superpowers with his passing.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/6rz802" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In this first play, he runs a dribble handoff action with Tyus Jones and gifts him a clean look by stonewalling his defender with a screen. In the second, instead of corralling the offensive board and restarting the possession, he has the presence of mind to volley the ball to an open shooter. Either way, Adams is creating great looks for his teammates.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies are the promising bunch &mdash; there is no question. What&rsquo;s equally without a doubt is the important role their overwhelmingly talented young core will play in the team&rsquo;s future success. That&rsquo;s a discussion for a later period in the timeline though.
Right now, let&rsquo;s relish the integral role Adams plays in the present-day version of this team. He&rsquo;s their possession extender, their pick-and-roll enforcer, and their sneakily solid two-man game playmaker.
But most importantly of all, he&rsquo;s their gatekeeper.
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>!

Mat Issa breaks down Steven Adams' importance to the Grizzlies, his impact on the offensive end and more.

Steven Adams: The gatekeeper of the Grizzlies' offense

Let me paint a picture for you. It&rsquo;s a Tuesday afternoon, and I&rsquo;m scarfing down a bowl full of Greek yogurt mixed with crunchy peanut butter and honey (the ultimate midday snack). I&rsquo;d recently decided to get into ​​"Curb Your Enthusiasm" because that&rsquo;s what all the prestige TV nerds do, so I had that on during my snacking.&nbsp;
At the time, I was on the first episode of Season 2, where Jason Alexander <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO-dQCa2p9Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">famously</a> tells Larry David that he is having a hard time finding acting work because everyone just thinks of him as George Costanza from "Seinfeld."
&ldquo;You know, the acting thing is, frankly, coming a little hard... I can&rsquo;t shake this George thing. They all see me as George.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Then &mdash; like a wrecking ball barrelling towards Miley Cyrus &mdash; it hit me. Julius Randle is dealing with the George Costanza issue. Don&rsquo;t get it? Let me explain.
The talent evaluators in Hollywood who pegged Alexander as a one-trick pony forgot that he earned a Tony Award (a yearly award given to the best Broadway actor) the same year that "Seinfeld" aired. Those critics pigeonholed his abilities despite Alexander proving his splendor in a completely different medium than television. I posit the same phenomenon is now taking place with Julius Randle and his perception around the league.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Julius Randle doesn&rsquo;t believe trade talks are for real and league sources sense value to low to sell off <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Knicks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Knicks</a> <a href="https://t.co/mxY1Wk4jvy">https://t.co/mxY1Wk4jvy</a>
&mdash; Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPost_Berman/status/1490062576272564226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Last season, Randle was the best offensive player on a gritty, feel-good New York Knicks team that vastly outperformed regular-season expectations, and then, subsequently flamed out in the playoffs. Now, with the Knicks firmly outside the playoff picture and Randle&rsquo;s numbers down across the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/randlju01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">board</a>, the ultra-hegemonic NBA community has passed judgment on his standing within the league. To them, Randle is merely a &ldquo;floor-raiser&rdquo; who &mdash; with a little shooting luck &mdash; can carry the offense of a strong defensive team to a first-round exit, and that's the best and only role he can play.
But what if I told you that last season wasn&rsquo;t even his best scoring season? No, his best scoring season (on a per-possession basis) actually came in his lone season in New Orleans.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 26.5688%;">
Team/Year
</td>
<td style="width: 22.9639%;">
PTS per 75*
</td>
<td style="width: 24.1656%;">
Relative TS%*
</td>
<td style="width: 26.1682%;">
FTA per 75*
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 26.5688%;">
NOP (2018-19)
</td>
<td style="width: 22.9639%;">
24.5
</td>
<td style="width: 24.1656%;">
+4%
</td>
<td style="width: 26.1682%;">
7.6
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 26.5688%;">
NYK (2020-21)
</td>
<td style="width: 22.9639%;">
24.1
</td>
<td style="width: 24.1656%;">
-0.5%
</td>
<td style="width: 26.1682%;">
6.0
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data provided by Basketball Reference (scroll across for full chart on mobile) 
During that singular season, Randle matched his gaudy scoring volume from his All-NBA season while also surpassing his efficiency and free-throw outputs by a significant margin. And what&rsquo;s more, he managed this performance while being cast for a completely different role than in New York.
Last season, Randle led his team in shot attempts per game by nearly four attempts (per Basketball Reference). In 2018-19, he was third on the Pelicans in field goal attempts behind Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis. Randle operated as a secondary/tertiary offensive option on a team that tied for <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2019.html">11th</a> in offensive efficiency. Not a world-beating unit by any stretch, but a massive step up from the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2021.html">23rd-</a>ranked offensive attack New York fielded last year.
The key variable in this equation to focus on is Holiday. In the 1,416 minutes they shared together on the court, Randle posted a nylon-tarnishing True Shooting percentage of 61.4% (per PBP Stats) &mdash; an efficiency bracket normally reserved for the game&rsquo;s most productive scorers. Holiday&rsquo;s steadying presence as an <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/98-top-10-point-guards-in-2022/id1428290303?i=1000549565043" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elite floor general</a> enabled Randle to function as a play-finisher rather than a play initiator. This allowed the big man to unlock the best combination of volume and efficiency he&rsquo;s had in his career thus far.
In New York, Randle has taken notable strides as a playmaker (posting the highest assist percentage and <a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/player-seasons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passer rating</a> of his career in 2020-21), but he&rsquo;s still at his best when he&rsquo;s flanked by a lead ball-handler who he can lean on as a play creating safety-valve.
Over the last two seasons, Derrick Rose has proven to be the best candidate for that designation. In 958 minutes together, Randle is averaging a TS% of nearly 58%, which would put him firmly above the league average for that time (per PBP Stats). Another wrinkle to add to their relationship is that Randle scores 25.1 points per 75 possessions when the two share the court, a mark that exceeds his career-high from 2018-19. The overall takeaway here is that when he&rsquo;s paired with a credible offensive creator, Randle can transform into an off-ball-scoring leviathan.
Detractors will counter by saying the notoriety that comes with being a high-paid star at Madison Square Garden has corrupted Randle&rsquo;s psyche and turned him into a ball-stopping hardwood warlord. And to that, I will concede possessions like this occur far too often:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
y...? <a href="https://t.co/pRE0XtA7JE">pic.twitter.com/pRE0XtA7JE</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1490432226227535879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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However, along with my concession, I will also contend that Rose has been out since the middle of December and that, despite their &ldquo;best&rdquo; efforts, the Knicks have failed to provide Randle with the offensive insurance he needs.&nbsp;
Randle was probably punching above his weight class last season, but being the No. 1 scoring option on a middling team is not the full extent of his powers. And it's not fair (or wise) for us to place those types of constraints on abilities. Surround him with other high-level offensive players that can take some playmaking weight off his shoulders, and he's already demonstrated that he can elevate the ceiling of a really good offense.
That&rsquo;s something to keep in mind if you're an organization looking to trade for him &mdash; or a Knicks fan base that has all but given up on him.
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Mat Issa explains his reasoning behind Julius Randle's shortcomings this season with the Knicks and why he needs an insurance policy.

An explanation of Julius Randle and the George Costanza problem

Since the dawn of modern draft philosophy, NBA front offices have generally prioritized the untapped potential of younger prospects over the more apparent ceiling of an upperclassmen.
However, for every theory, there exists exceptions, and the league has fielded its fair share of outliers since the rise of the one-and-done era. Guys like Draymond Green, CJ McCollum, Jimmy Butler and &mdash; most recently, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/desmond-bane-cementing-himself-as-essential-part-of-nextgen-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Desmond Bane</a> &mdash; have massively outperformed their respective expectations and helped shed the stigma that comes with being an &ldquo;older&rdquo; draftee.
Enter Chris Duarte. The 24-year-old rookie has had an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ncaa-basketball-chris-duarte-oregon-ducks-dominican-republic-continues-climb-nba-draft-2021-prospects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unconventional journey into the NBA</a>, but now that he has arrived, he has proven to be one of the better players in a stacked 2021 class.
So is he the next link in the chain of draft anomalies?
To find out, let&rsquo;s take a deep dive into the film to see what gives the Former Pac-12 Player of the Year a chance to be a high-level pro for a very long time.
Offense
Upon being selected with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Duarte was dubbed by ESPN's <a href="https://fieldhousefiles.substack.com/p/chris-duarte-then-isaiah-jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jay Bilas</a> as &ldquo;a poor man&rsquo;s Klay Thompson.&rdquo; And while he&rsquo;s right to some degree &mdash; Duarte&rsquo;s 35.5% from beyond the arc is mincemeat to one of the greatest shooters that ever lived &mdash; he's mostly missing the mark on offense because Duarte's versatility as a scorer is an entirely different tax bracket.
This season, Duarte has been unassisted on 51.7% of his twos and 22.1% of his threes, a healthy margin above Thompon&rsquo;s highest marks (44.4% and 9.2% respectively, per Basketball-Reference). Duarte&rsquo;s volume on unassisted shots is in part due to the injuries of lead guards like Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell, but it also speaks volumes about his juice as an on-ball scorer.
Not a supreme athlete or ball-handling maestro, much of Duarte&rsquo;s chops off-the-dribble can be attributed to his advanced footwork, which Indy Cornrows writer Caitlin Cooper (great <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> follow) raved about during her December appearance on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>:
<blockquote>
&ldquo;I love his footwork. It&rsquo;s so good. Like, the Pacers don&rsquo;t have other guys that can shoot off of a hedge or off of a switch [to] that type of degree.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
And she&rsquo;s one-hundred percent on the money. Duarte&rsquo;s gracefulness adds another dimension to his game and the Indiana offense. Just look at this clip from a film thread Cooper did on a Duarte game in January, where he buries a nasty mid-range jumper with none other than Klay staring at him from under the basket:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
2) Reverse pivoting out of a probe dribble without losing any balance or control on his jump shot. <a href="https://t.co/h4tRTzYUFF">pic.twitter.com/h4tRTzYUFF</a>
&mdash; Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1484606298322833412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Overall, his ability to act as an on-ball/off-ball hybrid offensively enables him to handle a relatively high scoring load (fourth in usage and sixth in points per possession among rookies) while also maintaining solid efficiency (No. 6 in <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022_advanced.html#advanced_stats::ts_pct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">efficiency</a> among rookies).
One development many of us didn&rsquo;t see coming (myself included) is Duarte&rsquo;s effectiveness as a part-time playmaker. He&rsquo;s in the 55th percentile among pick and roll ball-handlers primarily because of his ability to navigate the floor and pinpoint the optimal play available.
In the next trio of clips, Duarte identifies two weak-side corner skips and one laydown dump-off at the rim (passes even <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-the-allstar-case-for-dejounte-murray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dejounte Murray</a> himself struggles consistently making):
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/yboova" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Now granted, he still has plenty of hiccups when saddled into the head creator role (evidenced by his 31st percentile turnover percentage). But the flashes he shows are exciting, particularly when factored in with his promising profile as a scorer.
Defense
When scouting perimeter players on defense, you normally want to ask yourself three questions:
1) Are they staunch at the point of attack?
2) Can they guard multiple positions?
3) Do they create <a href="https://premiumhoops.org/2021/04/06/evaluating-nba-perimeter-defense-establishing-and-using-a-rubric/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">events</a> on defense?
For the first two questions, I&rsquo;d probably lean towards "No." Duarte is solid at the point of attack, but he can&rsquo;t really keep up with intense speed or overwhelming strength. And his versatility on that end of the floor grades second-last out of the 43 &ldquo;wing stoppers&rdquo; with at least 600 minutes (per BBall Index).&nbsp;
Where he does shine, though, is in his penchant for taking the ball away from the opposition. So far this year, his nearly 2% steal rate places him in the 72nd percentile at his position (per Cleaning the Glass).&nbsp;
His playmaking as a defender also exemplifies arguably the most important part of his long-term defensive value: team defense.
This is highly anecdotal, but when I went back and dove into the tape on Duarte, it seemed like every game, there was at least one instance where he&rsquo;d make a play that compelled the opposing team&rsquo;s broadcast to say something like &ldquo;right place, right time, Chris Duarte.&rdquo;&nbsp;
(Side note: Always watch the opposing team&rsquo;s broadcast of the player you&rsquo;re studying, unless you&rsquo;re scouting a Charlotte Hornets player.)
What these commentators are trying to convey when they use that overworked sports cliche is Duarte&rsquo;s knack for providing help at the nail, executing the one-pass closeout, zoning up two defenders on the weak side and intercepting passes for an electrifying pick-six.
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The Pacers' defense is abysmal, but it improves by 4.5 points per 100 possessions when Duarte&rsquo;s on the court (81st percentile) because of his <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/2022/1/26/22900955/on-the-instinctual-play-of-chris-duarte">instinctual</a> play on that end of the floor. (Seriously, follow Caitlin!)&nbsp;
Conclusion
I realize that, up to this point, I haven&rsquo;t focused too heavily on Duarte&rsquo;s shortcomings as a player, and it&rsquo;s not due to a lack thereof. His playmaking is fun, but spotty. He lacks the necessary burst/verticality to be an elite rim finisher (34th percentile), and his defense will always be solid &mdash; just never mega-impactful for the reasons highlighted earlier.
With that said, I&rsquo;ve strayed away from harping on his limitations because those aren&rsquo;t the reasons you draft a player like Duarte in the first place. In fact, a lower-potential ceiling comes with the territory. You select prospects like him for the certainty they provide. The certainty of having someone who can enhance high-usage offensive stars by effectively playing off them while also never compromising the defense thanks to a propensity for schematic punctuality.&nbsp;
Players like that start meaningful games on championship teams. And if Duarte can manage that, he makes one hell of an argument for why you should draft older players.
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Mat Issa believes that Pacers rookie Chris Duarte is making a strong argument for NBA front offices to rethink potential vs. certainty.

Chris Duarte and the case for drafting older players

Champaign, IL&nbsp; &mdash;&nbsp; In a game that went down the to wire, the Illinois Fighting Illini (14-5, 7-2 Big Ten) held on to a narrow, last-second victory over the Michigan State Spartans (15-4, 6-2 Big Ten) without star center Kofi Cockburn, 56-55. Holding onto the win, No. 24 Illinois moved into first place in the Big Ten.
Illinois&rsquo; Trent Frazier led all players with 16 points in the contest, while Marcus Bingham Jr. led the way for the 10th-ranked Spartans with 13 points.&nbsp;
In a fairly lopsided first half, Illinois took a 34-20 lead into the break. Frazier displayed his tough shot-making ability early on and posted 10 points in the first period on 4 of 7 shooting. Freshman Luke Goode had a good first half as well with 6 points. Gabe Brown and Bingham led the Spartans in scoring at half with 5 points each.
Illinois extended its lead in the second half to 15 points, and up until roughly the 5:30 mark, looked completely in control to close it out. During the final five minutes of play, the Spartans&rsquo; defense was up to the task and made the necessary stops. On the other end, Malik Hall and Joey Hauser brought Michigan State back within two points at 56-54. Hall then missed the front end of a pair of free throws, which all but sealed the deal.&nbsp;
Brown finished with 10 points and 3 rebounds. Hall scored 7 points and secured 7 rebounds. Alfonso Plummer played a key role in the win, posting 11 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds for the home team.
No. 24 Illinois held onto the win, and as a result, moved into first place in the Big Ten.
Coming into Tuesday's game, the No. 10 Spartans&nbsp; had won 10 of their last 11 games, including a statement last weekend at Wisconsin. Senior forward Gabe Brown leads Michigan State in scoring at 13.6 points per game. Freshman Spartan wing Max Christie is averaging 10.5 points per contest and is a potential lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.&nbsp;
Cockburn, a junior big man, leads the No. 24 Fighting Illini in points and rebounds, but without him, they lack a physical force on the inside. Neither he nor point guard Andre Curbelo played in this one; however, the Illini were still able to sneak out with the victory.
UPCOMING
Illinois will visit Northwestern on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;
Michigan State will host Michigan in a rivalry matchup on Saturday.&nbsp;
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In a game that went down the to wire, the Fighting Illini held on to a last-second victory over MSU without star center Kofi Cockburn.

No. 24 Illinois edges No. 10 Michigan State 56-55 to go atop Big Ten

The San Antonio Spurs have not housed an All-Star since the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/all_star.html">2018-19 season</a> when LaMarcus Aldridge earned his seventh and final nomination. In fact, entering this season, the Spurs were the only NBA team in the league without a single former All-Star on their roster.&nbsp;
This three-year drought could finally be coming to a close, however, thanks to the spectacular play of one Dejounte Murray. While other breakout star guards like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/at-a-certain-point-well-have-to-mention-ja-morant-in-the-mvp-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ja Morant</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-all-star-case-fred-vanvleet-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fred VanVleet</a>, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/darius-garland-is-making-the-allstar-leap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Darius Garland</a> have all become social media darlings (rightfully so), Murray&rsquo;s career year seems to be slipping under the radar. But I&rsquo;m here to tell you: Dejounte Murray deserves your attention, and the case for his first-ever All-Star nomination may be stronger than you think.
Playmaking
To be clear, I&rsquo;m talking about Murray's knack for <a href="https://premiumhoops.org/2021/04/06/evaluating-nba-perimeter-defense-establishing-and-using-a-rubric/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event creation</a> on both sides of the ball.&nbsp;
On offense, I&rsquo;ll be the first to tell you he&rsquo;s a clear notch below the elite shot-composers. He doesn&rsquo;t get many layup assists (<a href="https://backpicks.com/2022-players/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">-1 relative layup assist percentage</a>). He&rsquo;s late on, or outright misses, some lay-down passes. And during my entire film study (roughly 750 possessions), I&rsquo;ve yet to witness him attempt a single skip pass.
However, the beauty of Murray&rsquo;s game is that he&rsquo;s well aware of his shortfalls as an offensive playmaker, and to compensate, he&rsquo;s mastered two very important passes.
The pocket pass.
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And the kick-out to a three-point shooter.&nbsp;
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As is the case with all great offensive initiators, Murray&rsquo;s facilitation abilities augment the rest of his teammates. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Spurs as a team experience a 4% increase in <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/2630/onoff#tab-team_shooting_fg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Effective Field Goal percentage</a> (93rd percentile) when Murray&rsquo;s on the floor, despite he himself being a below-average shooter efficiency-wise.
Additionally, his discipline as a passer beams out in his sub-10% turnover rate (84th percentile), which is a major reason why the Spurs rank&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No. 1 in the league</a> in that category (one of Dean Oliver&rsquo;s famous <a href="https://squared2020.com/2017/09/05/introduction-to-olivers-four-factors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Four Factors</a>).
Normally, I&rsquo;m partial to high-turnover passers who take risks to bend defenses. But in this case, I think Murray&rsquo;s ability to provide a steadying presence to a young team has been crucial to San Antonio's offense not folding in itself this season.
Defense
Defensively, Murray&rsquo;s creation is more of the chaos-inducing variety. He&rsquo;s in the 89th percentile in steal percentage (fourth year in a row that he&rsquo;s in the 80th percentile or higher), and it&rsquo;s because he does a great job of deploying his pterodactyl-like wingspan to nuke possessions &mdash; both on and off the ball.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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Daniel Bratulić (great Twitter follow, by the way) charted &ldquo;On-ball steals per Game&rdquo; and &ldquo;Passes Intercepted Per Game&rdquo; for the best thieves in basketball, and what do you know? Murray excels in both manners of hardwood robbery.&nbsp;
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Here is a breakdown of how top stealers in the game get their steals. Some are better at pickpocketing the ball handlers (Thybulle, CP3), some are better while playing off the ball (OG, Haliburton) and some excel at both (Murray, Ball, Caruso, Smart, Butler) <a href="https://t.co/J4Bx58nxWY">pic.twitter.com/J4Bx58nxWY</a>
&mdash; Daniel Bratulić (@daniel_bratulic) <a href="https://twitter.com/daniel_bratulic/status/1484245391742844932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Other than the diversity of his pickpocketing portfolio (admit it, that&rsquo;s fun to say), one thing you probably noticed is that many of his pilfers result in &ldquo;pick-sixes,&rdquo; which... transitions.... us perfectly into the next portion of his All-Star argument.
Transition
The reason Murray's playmaking on defense is so valuable isn&rsquo;t solely because it helps end the opposing team&rsquo;s offensive possessions prematurely. It also ignites the most efficient form of offense in the game: the fastbreak.&nbsp;
This season, Murray is averaging 1.27 points per possession (79th percentile) on nearly three transition possessions per game. (For some context, that efficiency is on-par with one of the game&rsquo;s most explosive players in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-high-can-anthony-edwards-fly-examining-the-20yearolds-ceiling">Anthony Edwards</a>.)
Murray&rsquo;s fastbreak ferocity isn&rsquo;t limited to plays off of steals. He&rsquo;s prone to hit turbo after defensive possessions that result in him corralling a rebound (7.5 defensive boards per 75 possessions).
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The Spurs as a team are scoring nearly three more points in transition per 100 possessions with Murray on the floor (94th percentile). Overall, San Antonio ranks in the top-10 in the league in points per possession on transition plays &mdash; in large part thanks to Murray&rsquo;s stewardship in this department.
Mid-Range Game
While the <a href="https://youtu.be/59epmjId_z0">Mid-Range King</a> left the Lone Star State this past offseason, it appears a worthy heir has risen to take his place on the throne. So far this year, Murray is shooting more mid-range shots per game than he ever has, all while maintaining efficiency similar to his previous seasons:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 324px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 27.1441%; height: 54px;">
Year
</td>
<td style="width: 34.0474%;">
Attempts Per Game*
</td>
<td style="width: 50.4666%; height: 54px;">
Shooting Percentage*
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 27.1441%; height: 54px;">
2017-18
</td>
<td style="width: 34.0474%;">
1.2
</td>
<td style="width: 50.4666%; height: 54px;">
42%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 27.1441%; height: 54px;">
2018-19
</td>
<td style="width: 34.0474%;">
3.5
</td>
<td style="width: 50.4666%; height: 54px;">
36%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 27.1441%; height: 54px;">
2019-20
</td>
<td style="width: 34.0474%;">
4.7
</td>
<td style="width: 50.4666%; height: 54px;">
44%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 27.1441%; height: 54px;">
2020-21
</td>
<td style="width: 34.0474%;">
8.1
</td>
<td style="width: 50.4666%; height: 54px;">
44%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 27.1441%; height: 54px;">
2021-22
</td>
<td style="width: 34.0474%;">
9.4
</td>
<td style="width: 50.4666%; height: 54px;">
42%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
* Data provided by Cleaning the Glass
As last year&rsquo;s playoffs taught us, in a world where everyone is trying to stop threes and layups, having someone who can burn defenses with the middie is a useful trump card to have in your back pocket.&nbsp;
Murray&rsquo;s proficiency from no man&rsquo;s land also opens up driving lanes for him. As someone who runs a ton of pick and rolls (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/ball-handler/#!?sort=POSS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of seven players who runs at least 10 per game</a>), big men could theoretically sink into a drop against him because of his poor three-point shooting. However, because of his gravity in the mid-range, defenders often have to come up on the level of the screen, which gives him a chance to maneuver himself right past them.
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Murray is currently averaging a career-high 65% on shots at the rim (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/2630#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">82nd percentile</a>) while also averaging more drives per game than he has for his entire career. The massive attacking volume (No. 6 in the NBA in drives per game) that his mid-range shooting enables him to carry makes him the kind of offensive player a team can lean on in the postseason (see Donovan Mitchell). Those types of players generally warrant serious All-Star consideration.
Conclusion
The other day, Andy Bailey put out a tweet ranking NBA players based on their average rankings in 10 catch-all metrics:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
If you sort every NBA player with 400+ minutes by the AVERAGE OF THEIR RANKS in 10 catch-alls (Box Plus/Minus, RAPTOR, Estimated Plus-Minus, LEBRON and Game Score per 36 minutes, as well as the cumulative versions of each), this is the top 30... <a href="https://t.co/Og4CguGtk3">pic.twitter.com/Og4CguGtk3</a>
&mdash; Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewDBailey/status/1485349610516213761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Murray had the 16th-highest average score in the league, which by that measure would not only make him an All-Star caliber player, but a solid contender for an All-NBA spot this season.&nbsp;
Now, I&rsquo;m by no means saying that Murray definitely deserves to be an All-Star (nor that he should be in the discussion for All-NBA); Murray certainly has his flaws as a candidate &mdash; poor foul-drawing rates, below-average efficiency and questionable rebounding value (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-rebounding/?CF=GP*GE*25&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;sort=DREB_CONTEST_PCT&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poor contested defensive rebounding rates</a>). Plus, there has just been too much great guard play this season to the point where somebody has to be left on the outside looking in.
All I&rsquo;m saying is, when you factor in his high placement in widely-cited, catch-all metrics with the arguments I&rsquo;ve laid out for you here, Dejounte Murray&rsquo;s got a case for All-Star consideration.
And you know what, it&rsquo;s a pretty darn good one.
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Mat Issa lays out his reasoning as to why Dejounte Murray should legitimately be considered to play in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

Making the NBA All-Star case for Dejounte Murray

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

At the tail end of 2021, the former director of basketball research for the Milwaukee Bucks and current NBA writer for The Athletic released his new book &ldquo;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Midrange-Theory-Seth-Partnow/dp/1629379212" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Midrange Theory</a>." The book received rave reviews from the likes of Zach Lowe, Chris Herring, Ben Falk, Ben Taylor and even <a href="https://twitter.com/dmorey/status/1463590554026057736" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daryl Morey</a>, making it safe to say that Partnow&rsquo;s recent addition to the field of basketball analytics has been a massive success.
To talk about his book and the current and future state of NBA basketball and analytics, BasketballNews.com caught up with the brains behind this 270-page masterpiece, Seth Partnow.
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Throughout the book, you make multiple references to Dean Oliver and his book Basketball on Paper. How well do you think his work in that project holds up with the state of basketball analytics today? And how much do you recommend it to younger people just dipping their toes into the field?
Seth Partnow: "It&rsquo;s funny, when I went back and reread Basketball on Paper as part of the research for my book, I was shocked by how short the sections on the Four Factors were. In terms of things directly applicable to modern research, those concepts remain the most relevant, largely because many of the other topics in the book are trying to solve questions in more roundabout ways than we need to today, given the broader availability of more granular data. I should also add that Dean wrote extensively about the implications and applications of the Four Factors elsewhere, and a little bit of Google magic can probably unearth some of those, which I think are well worth reading."
"As for BoP itself, I definitely think it&rsquo;s worth reading as much for the insight into the analytical mindset and how to define the questions being asked. I&rsquo;m not sure I would recommend it as the first thing for people just dipping their toes in to read, especially those without a decent amount of familiarity with the primary concepts of formal statistics. I tried to address the lack of a real 'intro to basketball analytics' book in the appendix to 'The Midrange Theory,' but I would say even that assumes a certain degree of statistical literacy &mdash; which, depending on what you mean by 'younger people,' could be too much to expect given the degree to which stats is underemphasized in secondary education at least in the US."
Towards the end of Chapter 4, you mention that it&rsquo;s better for overall spacing if below-average shooters pull the trigger on open looks rather than avoid shooting them all together. Do you feel such a prescription is applicable for a player like Ben Simmons? Or is he too far below the threshold of a below-average shooter?
Partnow: "There isn&rsquo;t a magical line at which a player is an effective spacer through sheer volume, as it&rsquo;s as much about defensive perception as anything else. In practice, as long as a player is in the low 30s overall and the mid-30s [percentage] on catch-and-shoot threes, their willingness to shoot will greatly influence the amount of defense attention they draw. Below that fairly low accuracy bar, they will more likely get the &ldquo;he&rsquo;s with us&rdquo; treatment of defenders conceding and even encouraging those attempts until they make a few in a row."
You dedicate nearly an entire chapter of the book towards discussing Plus/Minus data and make multiple references to Regularized Adjusted Plus/Minus (RAPM). Are there any other publicly-available one-number metrics that you find to be beneficial tools of analysis?
Partnow: "I think the entire alphabet soup of RAPM-inspired metrics can be useful, but they require an understanding of what they are and are not measuring. That&rsquo;s the easiest to explain in relatively non-technical terms of vanilla RAPM, which doesn&rsquo;t have a ton going on underneath the hood. The more successful extensions of the methodology, such as &ldquo;Estimated Plus/Minus,&rdquo; incorporate box score and other more traditional production measures to refine the outputs of base RAPM. But as you start adding ingredients to the recipe, I think greater care, expertise and experience are needed to properly interpret the results."
"There are also non-RAPM models, which I think are extremely useful. Kostya Medvedovsky&rsquo;s DARKO, for example, is much more box score-based. Kostya does some clever things with how he weights production by recency to help pick up on changes in player skill level earlier than might otherwise be possible. It&rsquo;s hard to find in public now that he&rsquo;s been snapped up by the Wizards, but Player Impact Plus/Minus created by Jacob Goldstein can give some RAPM-like insight into player impact across smaller samples which can be especially relevant (though with a big &ldquo;handle with care&rdquo; sticker) to evaluating playoff performance."
The problems with Bird Rights get brought up in your discussion about the NBA salary cap. Do you think there is a reasonable alternative the league can create to combat this conundrum, or is it a necessary evil to ensure teams have a means of keeping their core group together?
Partnow: "Ben Falk (proprietor of Cleaning the Glass and former head of analytics for the Blazers and 76ers) has told me that he often annoyed the GMs he worked for by answering many questions with one of his own: &ldquo;what are we solving for here?&rdquo; I think Ben&rsquo;s query applies here. Are we trying to help teams stay together because we think it helps drive fan interest in commitment? Are we trying to protect teams from themselves in terms of how deep a hole any one management group can dig, a la the Stepien Rule? Essentially, what&rsquo;s the problem we are trying to solve, or is the system working as intended? I think that&rsquo;s a bigger question than we have time for here, but I think the present system broadly works, though it would work better if teams didn&rsquo;t tend to be quite as status quo-biased as they often prove to be."
Given the cyclical nature of trends and how many great big men passers we now have in the NBA, do you see the game ever returning to the post-up heavy one of the 90s and 2000s?
Partnow: "I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re likely to see a return to a game with a lot of static, clear out a side and dump it into the big guy post-ups, at least not without substantial rule changes. I covered this in the book, but the switch from the old illegal defense rule to today&rsquo;s defensive 3-seconds rule makes playing out of a stationary post-up player a lot more challenging than it used to be."
"What we might see is offenses based around facilitating out of quicker, movement-based post-ups. As my fellow Milwaukeean Eric Nehm has often noted, I love a good duck-in where a player receives the ball in a post-up position off of quick, possibly random movement. The increased vision and skill level of modern bigs will allow them to take advantage of defenses reacting to such an unexpected threat. But that strikes me as an approach that will end up looking a lot more like some of the dribble handoff heavy stuff teams like Denver and (when Bam Adebayo is healthy) Miami like to run, than it would Shaq planting himself on the block and sticking a hand in the air to receive the ball in the 90s and early 2000s."
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In the chapter comparing playoff and regular season strategy (great Carlos Boozer shoutout, by the way), you talk about how, in order to neutralize All-Star players, teams normally devise multiple plans for stopping them (&ldquo;Plans A, B, and C&rdquo;). Can you give us an example of how this works in practice from a time during your tenure with the Bucks?
Partnow: "I don&rsquo;t think I can give a specific example. But there were numerous situations where you go into a series not wanting to have to double team a given player or on a certain action, so plan A might be to defend it straight up until that proves untenable. Plan B might be double-teaming immediately, but then if the opposition is consistently able to pass out of the double to good looks, Plan C might be doing some kind of scramble early in a possession to keep the offense from even getting to the action causing all the problems."
"The best teams and players will be able to choose the correct option depending on which plan the defense is executing. But the players without a variety of skills or the teams which play by rote won&rsquo;t be able to adjust, and those are the ones that will often struggle in the playoffs as the opposition finds out their weak points."
In your chapter about drafting, you talk about the issue with player comparisons. I am not really a fan of one-to-one player comparisons, but I do like the idea of having tiers of potential developmental outcomes. Do you see any use/value in player comparisons at all, or would you like the practice removed altogether?
Partnow: "In practice, the combination of anchoring and optimism biases make comps more likely to mislead than to enlighten, in my opinion. Sure, you can give a range of outcomes, but how many people will look past the top line? I understand the desire to simplify with a quick comp, because you consider a whole lot of guys in any one draft class, but the shortcut ends up short-circuiting the evaluation rather than simply saving time."
Coming into this book, I&rsquo;ve always felt a sense of existential dread in the back of my mind about the possibility that basketball analytics may reach a level that data will no longer require analysts for interpretation. To your credit, you do a great job throughout the book of highlighting the importance of humans in this process; what other comforting advice would you give to someone who shares this feeling of the future?
Partnow: "We would have to improve our understanding of the game by multiple orders of magnitude for truly useful 'automated analysis' to be a worry. During one offseason during my tenure with the Bucks, the analytics group got together and brainstormed all the things we would need to know from a statistical point of view to feel we had 'solved' basketball &mdash; things from perimeter defensive skill, to movement shooting, to lineup synergies and so on. We ended up with around 70 post-its up on the board. We figured about three of them were already solved. Another five or six were close. Of the remaining 60-plus, we couldn&rsquo;t even imagine how we would go about addressing more than half of the concepts. So I would say there is still an immense amount to learn."
---
Wow. What great responses from Seth. I feel even smarter than I felt after I read through his book (and I felt brilliant after that!). If you enjoyed this conversation and want to hear more from Seth, be sure to buy his book "The Midrange Theory," available now.
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Mat Issa asks and Seth Partnow answers questions about basketball analytics and his book on the subject, "The Midrange Theory."

Seth Partnow Q&A: A sit down with the author of “The Midrange Theory”

Mat Issa compares seasons of past star big men to the campaigns that Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are putting together in 2021-22.

Measuring Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid's seasons vs. historic NBA bigs

The Rockets' fortunes changed when their bearded superstar came into training camp like a wrecking ball (<a href="https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1339012498544943104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1339012498544943104%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbolavip.com%2Fen%2Fnba%2FUnreal-James-Harden-is-now-very-fat-and-social-media-exploded-20201216-0003.html">quite literally</a>) and demanded a trade that, upon its execution, sent the championship hopefuls spiraling into a rebuild of massive proportions.
The subsequent bombshell left new general manager Rafael Stone scrambling to accumulate the pieces necessary to initiate this wholesale reconstruction. The resulting aftermath left the 2021-22 Houston Rockets with a motley crew of talent that indicated to the outside world that one-third of the NBA's Texas trio was operating without a true sense of direction, running aimlessly into the future.&nbsp;
But what if the Stone (and head coach Stephen Silas') vision is more transparent than we think? What if this band of mismatched players was brought here for a reason? And what if this young core has what it takes to someday springboard the Rockets back into contention?
To answer these questions, Mark Schlinder and I &mdash; two young prospects in our own right &mdash; teamed up to look at the state of the union in Southeast Texas and figure out just how good these young Houston Rockets can be.
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Christian Wood
Most people will write Christian Wood off as the next casualty in the Rockets&rsquo; insatiable quest to obtain draft capital. But even with the recent controversy surrounding his relationship with some of the <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/rockets-suspend-kevin-porter-jr-christian-wood-for-behavior-in-loss-to-nuggets-per-report/">coaching staff</a>, there are still plenty of reasons to keep Wood around moving forward.&nbsp;
This season, he's maintained a <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/woodch01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">True Shooting percentage slightly above league</a> average, despite leading a team that&rsquo;s in the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/2022.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bottom five in the league in offense</a> in shot attempts per game. Non-elite scorers on bad teams generally struggle to maintain good efficiency on high volume (see <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/grantje01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant)</a>, but Wood&rsquo;s productivity has remained effective thanks to his unique offensive repertoire.
Few big men in the league possess the mobility and ball-handling acumen to moonwalk into stepback jumpers, face-up on the perimeter and barrel to the rim, or glide down the hardwood for elegant coast-to-coast finishes:
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Also, the nature of Wood's off-ball scoring &mdash; proficient corner three-point shooting (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4077#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">88th percentile for his position</a>) and cutting numbers (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/cut/?sort=PPP&amp;dir=1&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*" target="_blank" rel="noopener">67th percentile overall</a>) &mdash; indicates that he'll scale well next to other high-end offensive talents that the team may add or develop.
His detractors will cite his poor performance on the other end of the floor as the primary reason for his dismissal. But I posit that his poor production is a symptom of being miscast as a defensive center. According to B-Ball Index, Wood spends 33.5% of defensive possessions guarding centers, which is a problem because his slight build often leads to him getting battered and bruised by opposing teams&rsquo; paint enforcers.
Like his offense, Wood&rsquo;s value on defense stems from his ability to maneuver on the perimeter where he can weaponize his length and tap dancing toes to stay in front of guards and forwards:
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Even in a suboptimal defensive role, Wood is able to manage a slight positive score in impact metrics like <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/2021-22-lebron-data/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D-LEBRON</a> (my personal favorite) and <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/10/nba-stats-and-player-projections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D-DRIP</a>. This suggests that pairing him with a classic rim protector who can handle all the dirty work down low would allow Wood to stick to his strengths &mdash; and combine his dynamic offensive profile with consistently positive impact on the defensive end of the floor.
Josh Christopher
Here&rsquo;s some trivia for you: according to Cleaning the Glass, which qualifying Rockets rookie has the highest Effective Field Goal percentage? Common logic might suggest it&rsquo;s the electrifying second overall pick or their crafty Turkish phenom. But alas, neither of those answers are correct &mdash; the top spot is occupied by the final of their four first-round selections, Josh Christopher.
Partially because of his lower volume, but primarily because of a shot diet that is unbalanced in the best way possible, Josh Christopher has been a driving force (no pun intended) in the <a href="https://twitter.com/tvbassine/status/1481389776523649025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most prolific rim attack</a> in the NBA this season. As it stands, Christopher sits in the 94th percentile in rim frequency, with a whopping 44% of his shots coming from the most coveted area of the court (per Cleaning the Glass). To top things off, he&rsquo;s converting on those looks at an above-average clip for his position (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4887#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">64th percentile</a>).
His rim rushes disregard the safety of those in his path. And although he may be slight in stature, his arrival into the painted area warps defenses and creates open looks for shooters on the perimeter. Like right here:&nbsp;
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Christopher&rsquo;s defense is of the typical rookie variety &mdash; highly volatile. There are times where he may press too hard on-ball and end up surrendering an angle to the opposition or where he might get caught stargazing off-ball and lose his man on a cut to the rim.&nbsp;
However, there are also times where his wildly gesticulating hands create some much-needed disruption:
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Eventually, his defense performances will begin to stabilize. When they do, Christopher will be able to leverage his floor-tilting abilities to inject life into the Rockets&rsquo; second unit in a manner eerily similar to that of an Ish Smith.&nbsp;
Garrison Mathews
You know how they say the old maxim &ldquo;practice makes perfect&rdquo; is flawed and that it&rsquo;s actually &ldquo;perfect practice makes perfect?&rdquo; Well, it&rsquo;s the same thing with shooting and contracts. Teams don&rsquo;t pay a premium for shooting. They pay a premium for <a href="https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/2021/08/02/duncan-robinson-signs-biggest-nba-contract-ever-for-an-undrafted-player/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">movement shooting</a>.&nbsp;
Fortunately for Gary Bird, he&rsquo;s got that down pat.&nbsp;
Mathews is in the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/off-screen/?CF=TEAM_ABBREVIATION*E*HOU&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">58th percentile</a> in possessions coming off screens, and he&rsquo;s doing this on possession volume similar to renowned movement shooting aficionado Patty Mills. He&rsquo;s also knocking down 40% of his 1.2 pull-up threes a game, which further reinforces the sentiment that there&rsquo;s far more to his marksmanship than mere sedentary stroking (although he&rsquo;s doing that as well &ndash; <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/spot-up/?CF=TEAM_ABBREVIATION*E*HOU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">96th percentile in spot-up possessions</a>).
What&rsquo;s even more fascinating is that there&rsquo;s another layer to his off-ball offensive game &ndash; his cutting. Just watching the way he interacts with screens, you can see a sort of technical artistry present in his navigational abilities, especially when he&rsquo;s using them to cut to the basket.
This next play is my favorite from Mathews this season. He starts by booty bumping Green towards the baseline a bit, then notices Embiid overplaying the second screen and has the presence of mind to punish him by freelancing into a backdoor cut:
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If Mathews were only a one-trick, catch-and-shoot specialist, he&rsquo;d become replaceable when his asking price becomes too steep. But since he&rsquo;s got more than one parlor trick in his routine, and since the value of his services (movement shooting and cutting) only increases the more you surround him with on-ball talent, the Rockets would be wise to keep their sniper under contract going forward.
Kevin Porter Jr.
It&rsquo;s only fitting that we saved the most curious case for last.
When you look at the numbers &ndash; True Shooting <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porteke02.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nine points below league average</a>, <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4601#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">19th percentile</a> in rim accuracy, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/ball-handler/#!?sort=POSS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">25th percentile</a> in pick-and-roll ball-handling, and <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4601#tab-offensive_overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7th percentile</a> turnover rate &ndash; you get a picture of a player seemingly in way over his head.
Then you see it play out in practice &ndash; the hesitation moves, the transition hookups, the manipulative passes, the volcanic eruptions at the rim &ndash; and for a few brief moments, what looks like Tenacious D on the eyes plays more like Nirvana on the soul.
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Porter Jr. probably isn&rsquo;t equipped for life as a full-time point guard in the NBA, but his glimpses have high-level secondary/tertiary shot creation upside written all over them.
The perfect version of a future Green/Porter Jr. centered lineup probably features a bigger and stronger third guard who can provide steady playmaking on offense and size for the perimeter on defense (and no, I&rsquo;m not talking about THAT bigger playmaking/defensive guard).
Speaking of defense, it seems Porter suffers from the same volume mismanagement issues that hurt him offensively. He often finds himself at the helm, defending the point of attack, where he leaves a lot to be desired. His paws are always itching to swipe at the ball and, because of this, Porter can get a bit overzealous and forfeit driving lanes similar to Josh Christopher. He also dies on way too many screens (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/ball-handler/#!?sort=POSS&amp;dir=1&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TypeGrouping=defensive&amp;CF=TEAM_ABBREVIATION*E*HOU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">31st percentile</a> as a pick-and-roll ball-handler), which is probably the most efficient way to guarantee your team is at a 4-on-5 disadvantage on defense.
However, when off-ball, Porter is a lot more comfortable. He's currently forcing 2 turnovers per 75 possessions (per Backpicks). His athleticism and natural playmaking instincts allow him to play cornerback on backdoor cuts like this play:
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Porter Jr.&rsquo;s ideal defensive ecosystem is most likely similar to his offensive one &mdash; an environment that affords him the luxury of weaponizing his playmaking and athleticism while also being mindful of his usage.
And ultimately, that will be the litmus test that decides if the Rockets can unlock Porter Jr.&rsquo;s full potential. Can they find the happy medium between freedom of experimentation and proper load management? Achieving this perfect balance will be difficult. It will require time and patience. But Porter Jr. is already showing flashes, and for a player as talented as him, that makes all the effort worth it.
&nbsp;
Conclusion
Taking final stock of the inventory, the cupboards look pretty fruitful in Houston after all. Wood is probably gone at the deadline, but if they can get him to stay, they'll have a guy that's only twenty-six and has an offensive skill set that meshes perfectly with their up-and-coming ball-dominant studs. Even if he is gone, that&rsquo;s more young talent in his place. Christopher has all the makings of a steady, change-of-pace backup point guard that can occasionally moonlight as the team&rsquo;s spark plug. Mathews' shooting and movement is a fit alongside literally any amalgamation of talent. And Porter Jr., with the proper care and nurture, could be ripping and running with Jalen Green in the starting five for years to come, or even steering the ship for the second unit if need be.
Overall, I can&rsquo;t help but come away from my review of the Rockets with general positivity. The vision hasn&rsquo;t fully manifested itself, and the pieces don&rsquo;t all perfectly fit yet, but they all appear capable of contributing long-term &mdash; that&rsquo;s a pretty great start, especially for a team that had to rebuild on the fly.
Stay tuned for <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rocket-revival-evaluating-houston-rockets-young-core-part-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part 2</a> of Rocket Revival, where Mark Schindler will break down the rest of Houston&rsquo;s young core.

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

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

Dave Bing is a lot of things. He&rsquo;s a Hall of Famer, a former mayor of Detroit and, most recently, a member of the <a href="https://www.nba.com/75" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA&rsquo;s 75th Anniversary Team</a>. But maybe more important than all of that, he&rsquo;s an old-timer.&nbsp;
And this final designation matters because, in our rapidly changing basketball civilization, old-timers offer the key to the gateway that connects the game&rsquo;s past with its present. Their sage wisdom enables us to predict the future by searching through its history.&nbsp;
But old-timers need not always be taken at their word. Still mere mortals, after all, an old-timer&rsquo;s opinion is simply a description of a potential outcome, not a certain one.
So when <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2021/12/13/detroit-pistons-cade-cunningham-dave-bing/6490085001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dave Bing forecasts</a> that No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham will be an All-Star-caliber player, but not someone you can build your team around, we need not mindlessly graduate his opinion into fact. Instead, we must use his proclamation to spark our own intellectual curiosity.
That&rsquo;s why I have teamed up with Bryce Simon of <a href="https://www.detroitbadboys.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Bad Boys</a>, who has closely witnessed every possession of Cunningham&rsquo;s young career, to take a look under the hood at the Pistons&rsquo; potential franchise cornerstone. Let&rsquo;s see if the old-timer is right, or if maybe, just maybe, Cunningham is a superstar in the making.
Offense
We&rsquo;ll start with the bread and butter of his offensive game &ndash; the pick-and-roll. The number of possessions he spends as a pick-and-roll ball-handler rivals the likes of James Harden and Tyrese Haliburton (per NBA.com). For the season, he is currently averaging <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/passing/?sort=POTENTIAL_AST&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10.4 potential assists per game</a> and leading all rookies in Ben Taylor&rsquo;s <a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/box-creation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Box Creation</a> model (creating six open shots for teammates per 100 possessions).
What stands out the most is his patience and poise in these spots. He hardly ever seems hurried or intimidated. In Bryce&rsquo;s film breakdown (see below), you see examples of Cunningham taking his time to force help defenders to make a decision before he attacks the lane, changing speeds to throw off his man&rsquo;s calibration and holding defenders with his eyes before catapulting skip passes to the other side of the court.
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Despite moments of excellence, Cunningham&rsquo;s overall numbers are underwhelming. He ranks in the 20th percentile in pick-and-roll efficiency. This is due, in part, to his subpar rim finishing numbers (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4864#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">16th percentile</a> for his position). However, I chalk most of his struggles up to his team&rsquo;s lack of a lob threat (Beef Stew sits in the <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4760#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">23rd percentile</a> as a rim finisher) and consistent outside shooting (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DET/2022.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">31.2% three-point shooting</a>). It's hard to feast when the cupboard is so bare!
It&rsquo;s also worth pointing out that his own shooting numbers are beginning to stabilize after a horrid slump (he&rsquo;s shooting 40.4% in December after starting out shooting 27.4% in October and November), which means his pick-and-roll stats should only improve as his shooting causes him to command more gravity.
When he&rsquo;s not operating in the pick-and-roll, his decision-making is swift and effective, evidenced by time of possession numbers that <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches/?sort=TIME_OF_POSS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mirror Steph Curry's</a>&nbsp;&ndash; a player renowned for playing an egalitarian brand of basketball.&nbsp;
Bryce points out that Cade has a knack for always finding the easy pass whenever he draws two to the ball, and connecting power plays on an unbalanced floor.
The fact that he doesn't need to incessantly dribble the air out of the basketball gives his employers a great deal of roster flexibility with the type of players they can put around him, further increasing his long-term championship equity.
The most immediately remediable flaw in Cunningham's offensive game is his high turnover percentage, where he grades in the <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4864#tab-offensive_overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5th percentile</a> for his position. Usually, high turnover rates for playmakers are okay if it is in the service of attempting high-risk, high-reward passes that break defenses. But film study reveals that most of his turnovers aren't a product of his creative juices at work.
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In the video, Bryce points out that many of Cunningham's errors are lackadaisical and can be corrected by learning to properly appraise the length, athleticism and anticipation skills of NBA-level players.&nbsp;
Some of his turnovers come from his "situational" strength. I call it situational because he does have some functional strength that he uses to overpower off-balance defenders. But when a defender has their feet set, Cunningham struggles to displace them and can cough up the ball because of his low tolerance for contact.
Despite the high turnover percentage, poor rim finishing and inconsistency with contact, I think the command, playmaking and overall decisiveness that he&rsquo;s flashed thus far gives him upside as a potential top option on a top-10 offense. That is, if he can remain around that 40% mark as a three-point shooter.&nbsp;
I think, ideally, you would want to place him in an ecosystem analogous to the one DeMar DeRozan inhabits in Chicago, where he can act as a scoring/playmaking hybrid, flanked by a steadying secondary creator (like Lonzo Ball) and an elite scoring machine (like Zach LaVine).
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Defense
On defense, Cunningham&rsquo;s on-ball effectiveness is largely matchup specific. Against larger, slower opponents, he does a great job at establishing a solid base and staying in front of his man. Against the Knicks (see video below), we even see him exchange body shots with a heavyweight bruiser like Julius Randle.&nbsp;
When Cunningham&rsquo;s confident he can stay with the ball-handler, he&rsquo;s able to deploy his length and great hands to crowd them and force turnovers. He&rsquo;s in the <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4864#tab-defense_rebounding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">83rd percentile</a> in steals and, unlike most wings, a large chunk of the turnovers he forces come on-ball rather than solely by playing the passing lanes.
His limitations spearheading a defense's point of attack are prevalent when he&rsquo;s matched up with smaller, faster guards. In their rematch against the Lakers, even a partially cooked Russell Westbrook had the rookie swallowing his dust.&nbsp;
Cunningham's most salient characteristic as a defender may be his below-average motor. He&rsquo;s got an athletic frame and covers a lot of ground with his strides, which makes him perfect for scrambling on defense. But his problem is that his battery isn&rsquo;t durable enough for him to utilize those tools for an entire marathon game.&nbsp;
This observation is largely anecdotal, but I've noticed Cunningham typically starts games making timely rotations, disrupting passing lanes and closing out on shooters out on the perimeter (although sometimes tending to sell out and get blown by). However, as the game progresses, his presence on that side of the ball fades and he morphs into the young guy at the rec center aesthetically grabbing his shorts (it looks cool, for some reason) &mdash; waiting for the action to come to him.
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As the old adage goes, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re not you when you&rsquo;re tired,&rdquo; and when Cunningham's tired, it leads to mental lapses like missed rotations and easy backdoor cuts.
Lastly, we&rsquo;d be remiss not to mention his juice as a rim protector. He&rsquo;s by no means a traditional paint guardian. Whenever he&rsquo;s forced to contest shots straight up, you see the lack of vertical pop that is also the cause for the poor rim-finishing percentages mentioned earlier. His real value comes when he can attack the ball from the weak side, where he can load up his jump by hopping into it before launching himself into the air.
In only his rookie season, Cunningham has already demonstrated the ability to be a key cog in a middle-of-the-pack defense in Detroit (an impressive feat for a 5-28 team). Looking forward, he&rsquo;s probably not a perennial All-Defensive-team guy. But it's not outlandish to believe that if he improves his motor &mdash; or at the very least learns to manage it &mdash; he could be the third-best defender in the closing lineup of a top-10 defense. In that scenario, a GM's best bet would be to pair him with a feisty point of attack defender who can handle faster guards (Killian Hayes seems prime to fill that role). Another idea: a rim protector that can erase Cunningham's errors when he gambles for steals or sells out on closeouts.
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Conclusion
When it comes to projecting future superstars, a player who possesses the aptitude to become the top offensive option and top three defensive contributor on a great team deserves more than just an obligatory brief mention.&nbsp;
Star wings like Jayson Tatum, Toronto-era Kawhi Leonard, and Golden State-era Kevin Durant have earned All-NBA nods in the past few years, filling similar roles for their teams. I'm not saying Cade Cunningham is one of those guys, nor am I saying he will ever definitely develop into that caliber of player. I'm saying that Dave Bing, the old-timer, should give the young buck a little more credit. And I'm saying that when the Pistons selected him with their first No. 1 overall pick in half a century, they may very well have introduced a superstar to the Motor City.
Bryce Simon contributed to this piece.

Mat Issa and Bryce Simon give their analysis of Cade Cunningham's game on both ends of the floor, and how he may develop for Detroit.

Is Cade Cunningham a franchise player the Pistons can build around?

The&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/steve-kerr-explains-what-makes-stephen-curry-hes-a-lot-like-michael-jordan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has built a reputation as one of the fiercest dunkers in the league today. He&rsquo;s the favorite receiver of LaMelo Ball, as they&rsquo;ve connected on some pretty nasty alley-oops.
Bridges, who some believe could be an All-Star this season, can po<a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/miles-bridges-is-fed-up-with-draymond-green-wants-to-dunk-on-him/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.basketballnetwork.net/miles-bridges-is-fed-up-with-draymond-green-wants-to-dunk-on-him/</a>sterize foes without Ball&rsquo;s assistance. Just ask Clint Capela, who almost saw his life flash before him in the summer after getting spiked on by Bridges after a solid drive to the hoop.
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Bridges is thrilled whenever this type of opportunity arises. Whenever there&rsquo;s an open lane, the goal is not just to score two points; the ultimate mission is to catch a body.
However, there's one player he hasn't been able to dunk on yet: Draymond Green. According to Bridges, Green is moving heaven and earth to prevent Bridges from even touching the rim. This has irritated Bridges so much that he has placed Green on his dunk hit list.
&ldquo;One person I really want to get is Draymond because he continues to talk stuff to me. Every time he sees me going for a dunk, he tries to foul me,&rdquo; Bridges said on NBA on ESPN.
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Draymond fans already know that the man is one of the best defenders in the league, so it makes sense that he won&rsquo;t let the other team get easy ones. If he can't block Bridges, the obvious solution is to stop him before he gets up in the air.
Though Bridges was all smiles when he placed a bullseye on Green, he also sounded pretty serious.
This little rivalry reminds us of Michael Jordan and Dikembe Mutombo in the 1990s. Mutombo reminded Jordan that he hadn&rsquo;t dunked on him ever, and Jordan, as always, took it personally. When he finally slammed one down on Mount Mutombo, MJ rubbed salt on the wound by pulling out the finger-wag taunt.
Since the Hornets and Warriors have already finished their season series, we'll see if Bridges has such a moment the next time the two meet on the court next year.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

On NBA on ESPN, Miles Bridges shared his thoughts on his favorite dunk to date and making Green his next victim.

Miles Bridges voices desire to posterize Draymond Green next

Josh Giddey has court vision on par with Ricky Rubio, yet he&rsquo;s four inches taller. He brings the ball up the floor and acts as the initiator in pick-and-rolls, yet he&rsquo;s the team&rsquo;s leading rebounder. He&rsquo;s only 22 games into his promising young career, yet he may already be the best 19-year-old passer the league has ever seen.
Yeah, you heard me. Maybe the best 19-year-old passer in NBA history. This season, Giddey has recorded a <a href="https://backpicks.com/2018/07/15/nba-passer-ratings-since-1978/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passer rating</a> of 8 with an <a href="https://backpicks.com/2017/10/16/offensive-load-and-adjusted-tov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offensive load</a> of 33.8, per Backpicks. Only one other player since 1955 has ever posted a passer rating of 8+ with an offensive load of 30+ in their age-19 season: LaMelo Ball. While the sample size may be small (since 19-year-olds usually aren&rsquo;t ready to compete with the best athletes in the world), it&rsquo;s still rarified air.
And this isn&rsquo;t just some cherry-picked stat that illustrates his prowess: Just watch and bear witness to his distributing virtuosity.
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Despite his prodigious passing, he still leaves a lot to be desired. He&rsquo;s shooting just 27.6% from three-point range; he struggles consistently getting to and finishing around the rim; and an awkward frame and slow feet limit his ability to face-up on defense.
This enigmatic set of skills begs an interesting question: What is the ceiling for a player as peculiar as Josh Giddey? Can he be an integral piece of a Presti-led dynasty, or will he end up as collateral damage in a rebuild gone wrong?
As we did with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-high-can-anthony-edwards-fly-examining-the-20yearolds-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Edwards</a>, let&rsquo;s try to answer these questions by looking at five possible developmental outcomes for Giddey. We&rsquo;ll analyze what would have to take place in order for him to reach each tier and predict which outcome seems most likely.
Also, for each player comparison, I&rsquo;ve included that player&rsquo;s peak season in terms of Box Plus/Minus (using the <a href="https://backpicks.com/page/2/#RS%20BPM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Backpicks</a> version of the stat).
Tier 1: Pessimist Floor - Marko Jaric (Rotation Player)
Peak BPM (2004-05): 1.8 (T-65th that season)
A true deep cut whom only the most diehard of NBA fans will recognize. In all seriousness though, if Giddey doesn&rsquo;t improve, there&rsquo;s a chance he could end up as a flash in the pan like this former passing aficionado.
During his prime, Jaric was the rare wing-sized player who could handle the ball, operate the pick-and-roll and make slick finds like in this clip here:
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Passes like that were not uncommon for Jaric, who was one of the great facilitators of the mid-2000s, finishing second in the league in passer rating (8.5) in 2004-05.
However, Jaric was out of the league by age-30 because of his poor shooting efficiency (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jaricma01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rTS -4.1%</a>), which was primarily caused by his inability to finish at the rim. From 2003 to 2009, except for one outlier season, Jaric never placed above the 24th percentile for his position in finishing accuracy around the rim, per Cleaning the Glass.
Giddey currently ranks in the 21st percentile in that category this season, which is a big reason why he&rsquo;s shooting <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/giddejo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9.1% below the league average in efficiency</a> to start his career.
The one saving grace for Giddey here is that Jaric never really developed a short mid-range game, shooting 33.7% from that area from 2003-2009. In contrast, Giddey is knocking down 46% of those looks this season, which places him in the 74th percentile for his position and gives him the consistent halfcourt scoring device Jaric never had.
Tier 2: Optimist Floor - Kyle Anderson (Starter)
Peak BPM (2020-21): 3.1 (T-28th that season)
For Giddey to become an impactful starter, the Thunder need to stop putting him in situations that expose his weaknesses as a defender.
Too many times this season, he&rsquo;s been put in positions where he&rsquo;s had to try and dance with faster players on the perimeter...
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...or serve as the last line of defense around the rim because of his size:
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&nbsp;
Players whose effectiveness comes from their mental attributes rather than their physical attributes are best utilized on defense in an off-ball, free-safety capacity, where they can channel their cerebral instincts to create havoc from the weak side of the floor.&nbsp;
A perfect example of this is Kyle Anderson. The two best BPM finishes of his career came in 2017-18 (2.2) and 2020-21 (3.1); in those seasons, his teams finished third and sixth in the league in defensive efficiency, respectively. Both years, Anderson was surrounded by feisty point-of-attack defenders (like Danny Green, Dejounte Murray and Dillion Brooks) and sturdy rim-protectors (like Jonas Valanciunas and LaMarcus Aldridge), who could shield him from his deficiencies and allow him to focus on his strengths.
During those seasons, Anderson ranked in the 96th and 85th percentile in steal percentage, per Cleaning the Glass, Giddey is only in the 69th percentile this season, but he has the length and awareness necessary to kick it up a notch and be an impactful defender if the Thunder use their treasure chest of draft picks to acquire personnel that enables him to do so.
Tier 3: Median Outcome - Joe Ingles (Sub All-Star)
Peak BPM (2020-21): 4.0 (T-17th that season)
This comparison is low-hanging fruit if I&rsquo;ve ever seen it. Both players are Australian, incredible passers, unconventionally athletic and (hopefully) contributors to winning basketball. The only real difference (other than the hair) is that one is currently a far superior shooter.
Joe Ingles tore through several threads of nylon with his shooting last season, and a big reason for this level of efficiency (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/inglejo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">+11% rTS</a>) was his proficiency as a catch-and-shoot and pull-up three-point shooter.
Last season, he shot 48.9% on 3.3 catch-and-shoot attempts and 41.2% on 2.7 pull-up three-pointers. Conversely, Giddey is knocking down just 26.7% and 35.7% of those types of shots. He&rsquo;s also shooting poorly from the free-throw line (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/giddejo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">67.9% on 1.3 attempts</a>), which is a strong indicator of future shooting success. But that&rsquo;s where the good news comes in: Ingles was also a subpar free throw shooter early in his career. In 2009-10, his age-23 season, Ingles shot only 69.4% from the line on 3.2 attempts for CB Granada.
Of course, Ingles has since transformed himself into a great shooter by developing a consistent and fluid shooting motion:
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Giddey&rsquo;s current shooting mechanics are <a href="https://rollcallsportsnet.com/josh-giddey-nba-draft-scouting-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funky</a>, but Ingles&rsquo; case study shows us there&rsquo;s opportunity for improvement. Such growth is necessary if Giddey wants to become an efficient scorer and top-50 player in the league.
Tier 4: Reasonable Ceiling - Toni Kukoc (All-Star Caliber)
Peak BPM (1996-97): 4.7 (10th that season)
Giddey has already shown the ability to make high-level reads in the pick-and-roll, going downhill on dribble hand-off, or while galloping down the floor in transition (see his passing montage above). But very rarely does he receive the ball on the elbow and operate down there like a passing hub.
That&rsquo;s where Toni Kukoc comes in.&nbsp;
Kukoc&rsquo;s ability to make decisions in the mid/high-post was an essential ingredient to the Bulls&rsquo; triangle offense during their second three-peat. He could receive the ball and either draw a double-team and find the cutter going toward the basket, or face up his defender, collapse the defense by penetrating towards the rim and kick it to the open man:
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Kukoc may have a couple of inches on him, but in today&rsquo;s small-ball world, Giddey and the Thunder can definitely hunt matchups that allow Giddey to use his size to see over the top of defenders and pinpoint weaknesses in the opposition from that position on the floor.
Kukoc was also a part of <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1994.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five-straight top-six defenses</a> in Chicago from 1993-98, and while he lacked lateral quickness and vertical leaping ability, he made up for it by using his strength to bang with bigger guys in the post:
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Meanwhile, we&rsquo;ve already seen stronger forwards like Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate bully Giddey down low:
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Giddey would do well in his quest to become an All-Star to schedule some extra weight-room sessions &mdash; especially considering he doesn&rsquo;t have to worry about added muscle taking away from his speed. If he can do that while also occasionally moonlighting as a passing hub, he will be able to scale alongside high-usage ball-handlers and perimeter defenders, like Kukoc did during the second half of the Bulls&rsquo; dynasty.
Tier 5: Best-Case-Scenario Ceiling - Manu Ginobili (Solid All-NBA)
Peak BPM (2004-05): 5.5 (3rd that season)
J. Kyle Mann recently described Giddey&rsquo;s style as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSvieH2lfnw&amp;t=457s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;chaotic but purposeful</a>," so who better to compare Giddey to than the master of tamed mayhem himself, Manu Ginobili.
At his best, arguably no one straddled the fine line between chaos and order the way Ginobili did in his prime. There was a certain &ldquo;calculated recklessness&rdquo; to his game that made him unlike any player who came before him, and when you look at some of his offensive numbers in an All-NBA season, you see that Giddey has a ways to go to reach Ginobili&rsquo;s level.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.264%;">PLAYER</td>
<td style="width: 9.45753%;">YEAR</td>
<td style="width: 16.1332%;">POINTS PER 75</td>
<td style="width: 12.6618%;">FTA PER 75</td>
<td style="width: 8.52468%;">rTS%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.264%;">Manu Ginobili</td>
<td style="width: 9.45753%;">2007-08</td>
<td style="width: 16.1332%;">25.4</td>
<td style="width: 12.6618%;">7.8</td>
<td style="width: 8.52468%;">+7.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.264%;">Josh Giddey</td>
<td style="width: 9.45753%;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 16.1332%;">13.1</td>
<td style="width: 12.6618%;">1.6</td>
<td style="width: 8.52468%;">-9.1</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
At a glance, the gap between peak-Ginobili and current-day Giddey seems too wide to be closed. Yet the key to Giddey unlocking this tier rests on his ability to emulate one key facet of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LTgStJw9ao" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Scientist&rsquo;s</a> game: finishing at the rim.
As it stands, Giddey lacks the ability to soar over defenders or sprint past them, so when he meets larger defenders in the paint, he either gets his shot erased or avoids challenging them entirely:
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Ginobili was also slow-footed and definitely wasn&rsquo;t winning any dunk contests in his prime, so to compensate, he crafted a sophisticated (yet replicable) drive game. One thing he liked to do was take a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dr08ffRS10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">negative step</a> with his non-pivot foot to give him some added explosiveness on his bull rushes to the rim:
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He would also try to throw his defender&rsquo;s timing off by deploying a bevy of hesitation moves at his disposal:
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And he maximized his movement by using his length to elongate his strides. This allowed him to pick up his dribble early and gain control of his body and the basketball to brace himself for contact around the hoop:
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His drive game and outside shooting (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/ginobma01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">career 37% shooter on 3.8 attempts</a>) also augmented his playmaking. From 2007 to 2014, Ginobili created between 8.0 and 9.0 open shots for his teammates per 100 possessions, per Backpicks. He would draw the defense&rsquo;s attention with his scoring and this was especially noticeable in pick-and-roll situations; the defending big would regularly try hedging Ginobili, which temporarily put the Spurs in 4-on-3 situations and led to open shots like this play right here:
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Combining Ginobili&rsquo;s finishing package with the shooting improvements previously discussed would elevate Giddey into a constant advantage creator capable of forcing the defense into rotation and dissecting openings on the floor. That type of player is an All-NBA performer and, more importantly, a heavyweight offensive force on a championship contender.
The Verdict: Tier 5
And that is exactly what I think Josh Giddey will become. I know it&rsquo;s poor practice to believe a best-case scenario is also the most likely outcome, but Giddey is such an outlier among outliers that an unlikely result only makes sense.
There&rsquo;s a real argument to be made that at 19 years old, Giddey may already be a better passer (not creator) than Ginobili. And while his drive game needs work, he&rsquo;s shown flashes of being able to change speeds and lull defenders to sleep, just like Argentina&rsquo;s Flying Man:
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Unicorn players like Ginobili don&rsquo;t come around often; that&rsquo;s what makes them special. But when you see a kid like Giddey who surveys the floor with an eagle eye and controls the tempo like a nightclub DJ, it's hard to ignore the fact that he's of a rare breed.
His idiosyncrasies make you believe that he'll overcome the shooting woes; that he'll put on some weight and become a better defender; that he'll harness his full powers as a finisher; and that with the right personnel, he will be the fulcrum of a contender someday in Oklahoma City.

Josh Giddey has shown flashes of brilliance as a rookie, but what is the 19-year-old's ceiling? Mat Issa explores his range of outcomes.

Did the Thunder find lightning in a bottle with Josh Giddey?

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

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

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

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) &mdash; James Akinjo scored 15 points and No. 6 Baylor blew the game open after halftime to beat Michigan State 75-58 on Friday for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship.
The reigning national champions led just 38-36 at the break. But they began to take control in the opening minutes of the second half, throwing some full-court defensive looks at the Spartans and capitalizing on their mistakes.
The Bears used an 8-0 run to stretch out to a double-digit lead, ending when Akinjo corralled a thrown-away inbounds pass against pressure by Tyson Walker and buried a 3-pointer to make it 55-42 with 13:57 left.
Baylor (7-0) never let Michigan State within single digits again, improving to 6-0 all-time at Atlantis going back to its 2016 championship run.
Freshman Kendall Brown added 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting for the Bears, who shot 49% and had four players score in double figures.
Gabe Brown scored 13 points for the Spartans (5-2), who shot just 37% and missed all seven of their 3-pointers after halftime. Michigan State also committed 19 turnovers for the game.
BIG PICTURE
Baylor: The Bears beat Arizona State 75-63 in Wednesday&rsquo;s first round, and then earned a 69-61 win against VCU in Thursday&rsquo;s semifinals, with that result marking their first game decided by a single-digit margin. They appeared to be headed for another close one, but their balance and athleticism allowed them to pounce when the Spartans made mistakes. Baylor has now won 13 straight dating to last year&rsquo;s title run in the Indianapolis bubble.
Michigan State: The Spartans hadn&rsquo;t lost since falling to fourth-ranked Kansas in the Champions Classic season opener. They had to grind their way through their first two games in the Bahamas by beating Loyola Chicago 63-61 on a last-second alley-oop dunk by Marcus Bingham Jr., and then beating No. 22 UConn 64-60 by closing the game on a 9-0 run. But they couldn&rsquo;t counter Baylor&rsquo;s depth after halftime.
A GOOD OMEN?
If recent history is any indication, the Bears could have another title in their future.
Villanova won the 2017 Atlantis title and went on to claim a second NCAA championship in three seasons the following April in San Antonio. Then Virginia followed the same route, winning here in 2018 and then claiming the program&rsquo;s first national title in 2019 in Minneapolis.
But 2019 winner Michigan didn&rsquo;t get the chance to test the trend once the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately put the Atlantis tournament on hiatus for a year.
UP NEXT
Baylor: The Bears get a week off before hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 4.
Michigan State: The Spartans host Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday.

James Akinjo scored 15 points and No. 6 Baylor blew the game open after halftime to beat Michigan State 75-58.

No. 6 Baylor beats Michigan State 75-58 for Atlantis title

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/max-christie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Max Christie</a> could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
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NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
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Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far. The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said. "...(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing."
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

Blake Hairston writes on why he thinks Max Christie could be the key piece to Michigan State rising back to the top of the Big Ten.

2022 NBA Draft: An early look at Michigan State's Max Christie

The college basketball season is underway, which means BasketballNews.com's scouting coverage has been kicked into full gear. The bulk of my travel and scouting schedule is set through the entire season, and let me tell you &mdash; I have some terrific basketball to see! As I scour the map evaluating prospects at various levels, I'll be sharing my takeaways every step of the way. I hope you enjoy it!
Here&rsquo;s where I was last week:
State Farm Champions Classic &mdash; New York, New York
Last Tuesday, Nov. 9, the college basketball season officially began, and I didn&rsquo;t waste any time getting out into the scouting trenches. I traveled to New York City for the State Farm Champions Classic to see a star-studded doubleheader that pitted Michigan State against Kansas and Kentucky against Duke. Here are a few of my thoughts and takeaways on some of the top prospects:
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/paolo-banchero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paolo Banchero, Duke</a> MIN: 31 | PTS: 22 | REB: 7 | AST: 0 | STL: 2 | FG: 7-11 | 3PT: 0-3 | FT: 8-9 | TO: 1
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I was already very familiar with Banchero prior to this trip. We had already discussed with our staff internally that Chet Holmgren and Banchero are likely in a category of their own in regards to the 2022 NBA Draft. We started the season with Holmgren at No. 1 and Banchero right behind him at No. 2.
After seeing Banchero in a Duke uniform &mdash; under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, dominating a talented Kentucky team &mdash; it&rsquo;s hard not to get even more excited about him as a prospect. At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Banchero possesses a unique combination of traits, as he is so strong and powerful, but also skilled. He does a little bit of everything, but what intrigues me the most about Banchero is his ability to create on his own versus essentially anyone that&rsquo;s matched up against him, big or small. There are not many players on the NBA level that you can run your offense through, and I think Banchero is going to be one of those guys. I&rsquo;m starting to think it could be the separating piece between Banchero and Holmgren. However, there&rsquo;s a lot more to watch in order to figure things out. But the good thing is we won&rsquo;t have to wait long to see them square off, and the next time I&rsquo;ll see Banchero in-person will be Nov. 26 in Las Vegas &mdash; facing off against none other than Holmgren&rsquo;s Gonzaga Bulldogs.
In the meantime, we&rsquo;ve moved Banchero into the No. 1 spot on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/ochai-agbaji" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ochai Agbaji, Kansas</a> MIN: 36 | PTS: 29 | REB: 2 | AST: 1 | STL: 2 | FG: 9-17 | 3PT: 3-7 | FT: 8-8 | TO: 0
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It seems like it was just yesterday that my friend and former colleague, Luca Desta, called me after he scouted Kansas at Baylor for us while we worked for Babcock Hoops during the 2018-19 college season. A lot has changed since then: I&rsquo;ve transitioned our scouting coverage from Babcock Hoops to BasketballNews.com, Luca is now Vice President of Global Scouting for the Utah Jazz and Ochai Agbaji is now in his senior season for the Jayhawks. I&rsquo;m happy to say that we&rsquo;ve all been moving up, including Agbaji.&nbsp;
In New York, Agbaji showed me everything that I wanted to see from him. His athleticism and physical tools were never in question; however, he has always seemed a little bit mechanical and inconsistent on the offensive end. That was not the case at the State Farm Champions Classic. In 29 minutes, Agbaji played with such fluidity and confidence, knocking down shots from all over the place, and he seemed to be everywhere with lob finishes and slashing plays. He played with such great energy, and had a major presence. Naturally, some will be turned off since Agbaji is a bit older for an NBA prospect &mdash; he will be 22 on draft night &mdash; but I&rsquo;d like to remind those folks that Chris Duarte, who was 24 years old on draft night, is already contributing to the Pacers at a high level as a rookie. Although I&rsquo;ve scouted Agbaji for years now, I&rsquo;ve never been so excited about him as a prospect. Subsequently, we have moved him up our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board to No. 38.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/trevor-keels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Keels, Duke</a> MIN: 34 | PTS: 25 | REB: 1 | AST: 3 | STL: 3 | FG: 10-18 | 3PT: 1-4 | FT: 4-6 | TO: 2
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I had watched some film and was familiar with Trevor Keels&rsquo; status as a top recruit, but last Tuesday was the first opportunity I had to see him play in-person. In these scenarios, I go in with an approach to be a sponge and absorb as much information as possible. I do it in an effort to be able to create my own unique and unbiased evaluation of the player, rather than be influenced by rankings, hype or other people&rsquo;s opinions.
At first glance, I didn&rsquo;t know what to make of Keels&rsquo; body type. He&rsquo;s listed at 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds. He looks more like a football player rather than a basketball player &mdash; he&rsquo;s big and thick, especially for a guard. On the court, he was able to utilize his physicality and ball handling ability to regularly get to the rim and play &ldquo;bully-ball,&rdquo; effectively overpowering a Kentucky team that tends to play multi-guard lineups including Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington and Davion Mintz. They all struggled to stop Keels. He also showed an ability to shoot the ball from outside. All in all, I&rsquo;m not sure he could have had a better start to his college career, as he scored 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting in 34 minutes.&nbsp;
I walked away a little torn in my opinion of Keels as a prospect. On one hand, he&rsquo;s a true freshman who lit up a talented Kentucky team in his first college game on a huge stage. You really can&rsquo;t ignore that. On the other hand, I question his body and his lack of athleticism. Also, what role will he fill in the NBA? Despite my questions (it&rsquo;s part of my evaluation process), I am certainly intrigued with Keels and plan to monitor him closely. In the meantime, I have decided to include him on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board, at No. 29. &nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/tyty-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TyTy Washington, Kentucky</a> MIN: 28 | PTS: 9 | REB: 1 | AST: 3 | STL: 1 | FG: 3-14 | 3PT: 0-2 | FT: 3-4 | TO: 0
I&rsquo;ve gotten to know TyTy Washington as a player very well over the last year, and I think it would be safe to say that I&rsquo;m one of his biggest supporters. Unfortunately, opening night was not Washington&rsquo;s best game. Although his decision making was solid, he struggled to make shots, making only 3-of-14 shot attempts. I think he had a hard time finding his rhythm, as Kentucky played him mostly off the ball alongside small point guard, Savhir Wheeler.&nbsp;
Long-term, I see Washington being an on-ball point guard in the NBA who will play with a solid balance of scoring and facilitating. Unless head coach John Calipari makes some dramatic changes, Washington is going to need to adapt to his new role to make the most of this season. However, I believe that he will be able to do so effectively.&nbsp;
He didn&rsquo;t light the world on fire in his first game, but there won&rsquo;t be any knee-jerk reactions from me anytime soon. We currently have TyTy Washington at No. 11 on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/max-christie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Max Christie, Michigan State</a> MIN: 31 | PTS: 9 | REB: 3 | AST: 0 | STL: 1 | FG: 3-10 | 3PT: 2-4 | FT: 1-2 | TO: 2
My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.&rdquo; Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of &ldquo;he&rsquo;s not ready.&rdquo;
Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?
Christie is currently No. 18 on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/oscar-tshiebwe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky</a> MIN: 29 | PTS: 17 | REB: 20 | AST: 1 | STL: 1 | BLK: 2 | FG: 8-14 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 1-1 | TO: 2
My uncle, Rob Babcock, a former longtime front office executive in the NBA, used to say &ldquo;playing hard is a skill and it&rsquo;s not discussed enough.&rdquo; Oscar Tshiebwe has his limitations, but he plays so hard. At 6-foot-9 and a rock solid 255 pounds, Tshiebwe is so physical and has &ldquo;the pedal to the metal&rdquo; at all times. He was undoubtedly the bright spot for the Kentucky team versus Duke, scoring 17 points and grabbing an incredible 20 rebounds. Actually, he secured 20 rebounds in their second game versus Robert Morris too.
Tshiebwe likely won&rsquo;t be for everyone in the NBA, as bruisers without an ability to stretch the floor are not nearly as valuable as they once were, however, I think Tshiebwe finds a way to stick.
We currently have Tshiebwe at No. 50 in our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/mark-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Williams, Duke</a> MIN: 18 | PTS: 5 | REB: 6 | AST: 0 | STL: 2 | BLK: 3 | FG: 2-3 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 1-2 | TO: 0
At 7-foot tall with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, Mark Williams is big and long. There will be a place for him in the league as a rim-protector, rebounder and finisher around the rim. I&rsquo;m still not overly confident as to what his draft range will ultimately look like, but he&rsquo;s a prospect certainly worth tracking.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/aj-griffin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AJ Griffin, Duke</a> MIN: 11 | PTS: 2 | REB: 2 | AST: 0 | FG: 1-3 | 3PT: 0-1 | FT: 0-0 | TO: 0
Former 5-star recruit AJ Griffin didn&rsquo;t get a chance to do much in his college debut. He just recently returned from a minor injury and I think he's just getting in the swing of things. He wasn't able to show much, but what I did see, I liked. At 6-foot-6 and a sturdy 222 pounds, Griffin looks to have the tools to be a a very good NBA player. I am certainly excited to keep watching him as his upside is very high.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/daimion-collins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daimion Collins, Kentucky</a> MIN: 2 | PTS: 0 | REB: 0 | AST: 0 | FG: 0-0 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 0-0 | TO: 0
I&rsquo;m sure this was not how Daimion Collins envisioned his college career starting. But although he didn't get much of a chance to play in the season opener, he did have a breakout game this past Friday vs. Robert Morris. He scored 14 points and blocked 4 shots in that contest. He has a lot of room for growth, but considering his length and athleticism, Collins&rsquo; upside is very high.
Latitude Longitude Classic &mdash; Phoenix, Arizona
Following the double-header, I made a cross-country flight out to Phoenix, Arizona to watch some top high-school talent. In doing so, I was able to get another look at top prospects in the Class of 2022: Dior Johnson (committed to Oregon), Adem Bona (committed to UCLA), MJ Rice (committed to Kansas), Chance Westry (committed to Auburn) and Dylan Andrews (committed to UCLA). I was also able to see top prospects in the class of 2023: Baye Fall, Mookie Cook, Kylan Boswell and Assane Diop.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I&rsquo;m in Phoenix, Arizona, tonight to see top-rated big man Baye Fall of <a href="https://twitter.com/DenverPrep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DenverPrep</a> as they face <a href="https://twitter.com/PhhPrep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PhhPrep</a> in the Latitude Longitude Classic. Fall, a 6&rsquo;11&rdquo; center, is currently a consensus top-6 player in the class of 2023. <a href="https://t.co/ebum3SEOxh">pic.twitter.com/ebum3SEOxh</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1458973833449259010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2021</a></blockquote>

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As an NBA Draft Analyst, for me to be able to get opportunities to see likely future NBA prospects while they&rsquo;re in high school, is invaluable to my evaluation process. Of course, players at that stage are far from finished products, but it is great to be able to start the evaluation process early. I&rsquo;m not going to provide detailed breakdowns on these players today, but don&rsquo;t be surprised if you start hearing these names more and more. There is a lot of talent coming up!
All in all, my first big trip of the season was a fruitful one. Needless to say, I&rsquo;ve started the season off with a bang, but I have no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. I have another big trip set to begin Thursday, when I head to Florida for a number of college games, and they'll be loaded with NBA talent.
Next week's preview: Jabari Smith, Patrick Baldwin, Matthew Cleveland and more.

Matt Babcock details his observations from NCAA opening night at the State Farm Champions Classic in New York.

Babcock's Takeaways: Paolo Banchero, Ochai Agbaji, Trevor Keels, more

Every year, there are NCAA freshmen who step into college basketball and dazzle right off of the bat, subsequently earning opportunities to be selected in the NBA Draft following their lone season at the college level. This year will be no different.
Here is a list of incoming freshmen that we currently have included in our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>:
1. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/chet-holmgren" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chet Holmgren</a> | Gonzaga | Forward/Center
2. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/paolo-banchero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paolo Banchero</a> | Duke | Forward
4. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jalen-duren" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jalen Duren</a> | Memphis | Center
6. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jabari-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Smith</a> | Auburn | Forward
7. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/patrick-baldwin-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patrick Baldwin Jr.</a> | UW-Milwaukee | Forward
8. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/caleb-houstan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caleb Houstan</a> | Michigan | Forward
9. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/aj-griffin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AJ Griffin</a> | Duke | Guard/Forward
12. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/tyty-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TyTy Washington</a> | Kentucky | Guard
13. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/kennedy-chandler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennedy Chandler</a> | Tennessee | Guard
14. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jd-davison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JD Davison</a> | Alabama | Guard 
16. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/peyton-watson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peyton Watson</a> | UCLA | Guard/Forward
23. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/daimion-collins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daimion Collins</a> | Kentucky | Forward
24. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/kendall-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Brown</a> | Baylor | Forward
25. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/matthew-cleveland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew Cleveland</a> | Florida State | Guard/Forward
While the players listed above are currently included on our Big Board, here is a list of other freshmen prospects (in alphabetical order) who our scouting staff will be keeping close tabs on:
Nate Bittle
Forward/Center | Oregon
Height: 7-0 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 7-5 Weight: 215 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.1
Nate Bittle is a long and lanky stretch big who can really open up the floor as a shooter. On the offensive end, he&rsquo;s an adequate passer, and has shown great promise as a scorer on all three levels. He can get bumped off his line with contact and needs to fill out his frame, but his combination of length and touch is impressive at his age. On defense, Bittle utilizes his length really well as a rim-protector, but it&rsquo;s yet to be seen how his lateral mobility and movement skills translate to tougher competition. The Oregon native will suit up for his home-state Oregon Ducks this season as one of four centers listed at 6-foot-11 or taller. He will likely be utilized as a floor-stretcher, but I&rsquo;m curious to see how he fits in their lineup construction.&nbsp;
Max Christie 
Guard | Michigan State
Height: 6-6 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-9 Weight: 190 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.8
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Max Christie is a sharpshooter who has the potential to be one of the best 3-and-D prospects in the 2022 draft class. He averaged 24.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest as a high-school senior, and was named Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year. His combination of shot-making and finishing craft should allow him to provide value offensively quickly for the Michigan State Spartans, as they will likely rely on him to carry a heavy load. Christie is an active rebounder and defender who uses his hands well to contest shots and deflect passes when engaged. He&rsquo;s a skilled playmaking wing who has the tools to produce at a high level, which could potentially propel him into the 2022 draft.
Moussa Diabate 
Forward/Center | Michigan
Height: 6-11 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 7-3 Weight: 210 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Draft Day Age: 20.4
Born in Paris, France, Moussa Diabate comes to Michigan after two years at IMG Academy. He is a long, athletic, high-energy big with the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Due to his aggressive nature, he excels on the offensive end by finishing through contact and being a high-level rebounder. He also has the ability to block shots and impact plays around the rim on the defensive end. With improvement as a ball-handler and shot-maker, Diabate can make a great case for himself as a one-and-done option next summer.&nbsp;
Cerebro Sports note: Per their 2021 Geico Nationals data, he was one of only six players to post a Defensive Statistical Impact rating of &gt; 90 and &gt; 60 in the Big Man Strengths metric.
Nolan Hickman
Guard | Gonzaga
Height: 6-2 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-6 Weight: 185 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.1
Nolan Hickman comes to Spokane, Washington as Gonzaga&rsquo;s fifth-highest rated recruit of all-time. The 6-foot-2 point guard is an impressive athlete who can get to his spots and create scoring opportunities at will. His tight handles and skills as a facilitator only make him that much more lethal when paired with his shooting. He is routinely found at the top of Cerebro Sports&rsquo; Floor General Skills and Pure-Scoring Prowess metrics, regardless of the event and competition. Hickman is a fiery competitor in all facets of the game, and could be poised for a strong year for the Bulldogs.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield 
Forward/Center | Tennessee
Height: 6-10 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 7-1 Weight: 246 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 18.9
After graduating from Scotland Campus Prep in Pennsylvania, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield returns to his home state of Tennessee to play for the Volunteers. Standing 6-foot-10 and 246 pounds, he has the tools to be an ideal power forward in today&rsquo;s game. He&rsquo;s a powerful athlete with strength, length and an ability to score from anywhere on the floor. He is already a tremendous rebounder who has also shown promise as a ball-handler and defender. He will still be only 18 years old on draft night, and has plenty of room to develop into an elite prospect.&nbsp;
Harrison Ingram 
Forward | Stanford
Height: 6-8 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 7-0 Weight: 230 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Draft Day Age: 19.6
Harrison Ingram is one of the most intelligent and competitive prospects in this year&rsquo;s freshman class. At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot wingspan, he is savvy on both ends of the floor, and is capable of playing both on and off the ball. Even though he&rsquo;s not an elite athlete, he has shown flashes as a shooter and projects well as a high-level defender. Another aspect of his game that stands out is his poise, as he rarely gets sped up and plays under control. As a skilled point-forward who can make plays, score and also be effective on the glass, Ingram has a great opportunity to shine for the Cardinal.
Cerebro Sports note: Per their database, Ingram was one of only four players in the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup with a Defensive Statistical Impact rating &gt; 92 and a Three-Point Efficiency rating &gt; 58.
Trevor Keels 
Guard | Duke
Height: 6-4 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-7 Weight: 221 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 18.8
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The Clinton, Maryland native comes to Duke after finishing high school as a consensus top-25 prospect. At 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, Trevor Keels has phenomenal physical strength for his age and position. He excels in attack mode on the offensive end, using his combination of strength and skill to score on all three levels. He possesses a unique ability to finish through contact in the lane, and also knock down shots by spotting up or as his own creator. At the Iverson Roundball Classic in May, Keels&rsquo; footwork and smooth shooting stroke impressed me, a swing skill he&rsquo;ll look to maintain as a freshman. With continued improvement as a passer, shooter and on-ball defender, Keels has a chance to be a solid one-and-done option.&nbsp;
Bryce McGowens
Guard | Nebraska
Height: 6-7 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-9 Weight: 179 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.6
Possessing positional size and length, Bryce McGowens has a chance to be one of the best shot makers in college basketball. He&rsquo;s flashed space creation as a shooter with pull-up craft, ball-handling and the ability to elevate over defenders. Although he can be a bit streaky, the mechanics and fluidity with his shooting are special. He is also a solid defender due to his length, athleticism and instinctual play. With his combination of great athleticism, shot-making and finishing craft at the rim, McGowens should be a go-to scorer for the Huskers, and will look to make a strong case as a potential draft pick in 2022.
Hunter Sallis
Guard | Gonzaga
Height: 6-5 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-8 Weight: 175 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.2
Hunter Sallis stands 6-foot-5, giving him solid positional size as a scoring guard who also excels as a facilitator. The McDonald&rsquo;s All-American averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game as a high-school senior. Gonzaga will have a handful of capable ball-handlers on the roster this season, but Sallis&rsquo; ability to control the game and be a scoring floor general should create a solid role for him. He will need to add physical strength, but the size, skill set and scoring prowess give promise to him as a likely high-level prospect. Sallis is currently included on the 2022 Jerry West Award preseason watchlist, and has the potential to be one of the leaders of the Zags&rsquo; offense.&nbsp;

Derek Murray analyzes the upcoming college freshman class and under-the-radar names to watch out for in the 2022 NBA Draft.

2022 NBA Draft: Top incoming college freshmen with pro potential

With the 2021 NBA Draft just days away, BasketballNews.com's Lead NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has put together a list of the top available prospects by position. He recently listed the draft's top&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-top-point-guards-in-this-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">point guards</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-top-shooting-guards-in-this-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting guards</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-top-power-forwards-in-this-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power forwards</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-top-centers-in-this-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">centers</a>.
Here are the best small forwards in this year's class:
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/jonathan-kuminga" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Kuminga, G League Ignite&nbsp;</a>
While he will need to polish his overall game to maximize his potential, Jonathan Kuminga&rsquo;s impressive physique, athleticism, and offensive potential are undeniable. Kuminga&rsquo;s performance this past season for the G League Ignite have given promise that he could become a versatile and effective scoring forward in the NBA. (Check out our <a href="https://youtu.be/47rPLYIsVKE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">behind-the-scenes look at Kuminga's pre-draft training</a>).
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/scottie-barnes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scottie Barnes, Florida State&nbsp;</a>
At 6-foot-9, Scottie Barnes is an effective defender, facilitator, and finisher at the rim, giving him extremely unique versatility on both ends of the court. Although his footwork and outside shooting are certainly swing skills at this point, Barnes has a ton of upside nonetheless. Don&rsquo;t expect him to remain on the board very long come draft night.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/franz-wagner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Franz Wagner, Michigan&nbsp;</a>
An intelligent player who has been playing high-level basketball for years, Franz Wagner, a 6-foot-9 wing, was one of the best defenders in all of college basketball this season while also doing a little bit of everything. That includes initiating Michigan&rsquo;s offense. If he is able to become a more reliable shooter from outside, he could become one of the more valuable role players in all of the NBA.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/corey-kispert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Corey Kispert, Gonzaga&nbsp;</a>
Perhaps the best shooter in the country this past season, Corey Kispert is a more than viable plug-and-play option for NBA teams in this year&rsquo;s draft. Possessing a high IQ, Kispert understands how to space the floor properly while being able to make shots off the move or standstill at a high clip. He should provide good value as a floor spacer and be a seamless fit for just about any team right off the bat.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/ziaire-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ziaire Williams, Stanford</a>
Having struggled with his consistency at Stanford, Ziaire Williams has become a somewhat polarizing prospect. Overall, his freshman season was underwhelming. Although his slim build and ability to finish at the rim have drawn concerns, his upside is worth noting. A 6-foot-8 wing who is capable of creating space and hitting tough, contested shots, Williams has the potential to be a versatile scoring wing at the next level.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/chris-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Smith, UCLA</a>
Despite missing the bulk of the 2020-21 season due to injury, Chris Smith's body of work at UCLA should prove to be enough to allow him to be selected somewhere in the second round. In eight games this past season, Smith, a 6-foot-9 forward, averaged 12.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from three-point range.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/joe-wieskamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Wieskamp, Iowa</a>
At 6-foot-6, Joe Wieskamp is one of the best shooters in this draft class. This season, he shot 46.2% from three-point range on 5.1 attempts per game. With shooting at a premium in today's game, Wieskamp is a viable second-round option for teams in need of a scoring punch off the bench.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/aaron-henry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Henry, Michigan State</a>
In his third year for the Spartans, Aaron Henry averaged career-highs in points (15.4), rebounds (5.6), assists (3.6), steals (1.3) and blocks (1.3). With good size and athleticism, he's been largely known for his on-ball defense, but he improved as a scorer this year. He is an inconsistent shooter from deep, but his value on defense may outweigh the lack of scoring punch in the NBA. He is a viable option for a team that's looking for a wing defender this July.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/vrenz-bleijenbergh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vrenz Bleijenbergh, Antwerp&nbsp;</a>
Coming into his own in 2021, Vrenz Bleijenbergh has really improved as both a playmaker and passer. At 6-foot-10, he's comfortable handling the pick-and-roll and has shown tremendous vision as a facilitator. In his 10 Eurocup games, he averaged 9.4 points and hit 37.5% from three. His 52.6% from the free throw line is a concern, but there is a lot to like about his game.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Herb Jones, Alabama</a>
A 6-foot-8 wing with a 7-foot wingspan, Herb Jones did a little bit of everything during his senior year with the Alabama Crimson Tide, averaging 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. A versatile player, who has even played some point guard, Jones has a good opportunity to get selected in the 2021 NBA Draft.
To see BasketballNews.com's latest 2021 NBA Mock Draft, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.

BasketballNews.com's NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock put together a list of the top available small forwards in the 2021 NBA Draft.

2021 NBA Draft: Top small forwards in this class

With the 2021 NBA Draft approaching, BasketballNews.com is breaking down the best prospects from its <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mock Draft</a>. The Big Ten was one of the top conferences in college basketball last season, and it has a number of pro hopefuls. Here are five players from the Big Ten to keep an eye on.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/franz-wagner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Franz Wagner, Michigan</a>
STATS: 12.4 PTS, 6.5 REB, 3.0 AST, 1.2 STL
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With versatility being the name of the NBA game, Franz Wagner is the archetype many NBA teams covet in 2021. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward makes his presence felt by being a menace on the defensive end, using a strong lateral ability and long wingspan to defend up to four positions on the floor. An intriguing point of emphasis for Wagner is his projection as a secondary ball-handler/facilitator, as there were many times he was operating on the wing and finding his teammates in scoring positions.&nbsp;
While his three-point shooting numbers leave something to be desired in today&rsquo;s NBA at 34%, the positives come from his shooting form not being broken; but it will need some tweaks to be ironed out. His 83% from the free-throw line has been consistent over his two college seasons, and it suggests that the touch is there to at least become a league average shooter from beyond the arc. Hours of repetition to find more consistency in his shot will benefit Wagner tremendously.&nbsp;
Wagner has times where he looks brilliant and times that leave you scratching your head. He&rsquo;s had notable trouble when driving with his non-dominant hand, and essentially looks like a less confident player when attacking that side of the floor. If a team puts time into developing him over the course of his first years in the league, it&rsquo;s not difficult to see a time where those moments of trouble will be few and far between.&nbsp;
The best part about Wagner is his willingness to do what&rsquo;s needed for the team to be successful. On-ball, he creates opportunities through his facilitating, or by using his size and length to get past defenders and to the rim. Off-ball, his movement keeps the offense flowing, and he finds many easy baskets as a result. Defensively, he is always willing to get down in a stance and lock-in or provide weakside rim protection from time to time. He&rsquo;s the ultimate glue guy that you can stick into an NBA lineup, and he&rsquo;ll find his way to fit in. Just as Wagner was a great player on one of the best teams in the nation, it&rsquo;s very easy to see Wagner as a high impact role player/starter on a championship contender in the future.
Franz Wagner is currently projected as the No. 12 pick to the San Antonio Spurs in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/ayo-dosunmu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois</a>
STATS: 20.1 PTS 6.3 REB 5.3 AST 48% FG
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Ayo Dosunmu was the engine that ran one of the top teams in the nation, the Illinois Fighting Illini. A combo guard with elite size -- standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 200 pounds -- Dosunmu can affect the game in multiple ways, and proved that as a triple-double threat for most of the season. Described as a &ldquo;gym rat&rdquo; by scouts, Dosunmu has shown improvement in each of his collegiate seasons so far. As he transitions into the NBA, he projects as a real bucket-getter with secondary playmaking abilities that can defend up to three positions.&nbsp;
As a scorer, he has potential to fill it up from all three levels, but his strengths lay specifically with attacking the rim and mid-range scoring. Although he&rsquo;s not a freak athlete, on drives and in transition, Dosunmu has a fluid athleticism to showcase tremendous body control and touch to convert around the basket or over the top of the defense. In isolation, he deploys a bag of crossovers and hesitations to beat his defender to the rim, or to get into comfortable spots in the mid-range to then unleash a pull-up jump shot that he seems to favor. Dosunmu shot above 48% from within the arc in each of his three college seasons, and finished this past season at 51% on more than 12 attempts per game.
One of Dosunmu&rsquo;s swing skills will be his three-point shooting. While his percentage improved to 39% on the season, this result came on the lowest volume of three-point attempts in his collegiate career, as it&rsquo;s clear he relied on those aforementioned strengths to score. While not a natural shooter, if Dosunmu can prove to scouts he has more consistency in his release and can hit spot-up threes, his projections to play consistent NBA minutes will rise.&nbsp;
Billed as a point guard coming into college and playing many lead guard minutes for the Illini during his career, Ayo Dosunmu&rsquo;s scoring abilities have outshined his ability as a primary facilitator to the point that he would be better weaponized as a shooting/combo guard in the NBA. Dosunmu was able to create a lot of opportunities out of pick-and-roll situations for himself and his teammates, which should warrant some possessions as a facilitator on the next level. However, at times, he struggled with turnovers from forced passes and poor ball security from pressure as a result.&nbsp;
If Dosunmu can improve his shooting, handling and ability to read defenses on the offensive end, his ceiling as a player will continue to rise through the early years of his NBA career. Defensively, his elite size and wingspan paired together will allow him to guard both backcourt positions and some bigger wings. With the rate he&rsquo;s improved since high school, it is not out of the realm of possibility he could be one of the best two-way role players to contribute to winning basketball in the future.&nbsp;
Ayo Dosunmu is currently projected as the No. 37 pick to the Detroit Pistons in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/aaron-henry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Henry, Michigan State</a>
STATS: 15.4 PTS 5.6 REB 3.6 AST 45% FG
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Aaron Henry is a 6-foot-6 junior wing from the college basketball powerhouse of Michigan State University. While the Spartans ended an uncharacteristic year with an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, Henry wanted to use this year to solidify himself as an NBA Draft pick after testing the waters in last year's draft cycle. His role expanded after Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman&rsquo;s departure for the NBA, and Henry was able to show some improvements to his game that continued to intrigue scouts regarding his projections at the next level. However, MSU&rsquo;s bumpy year may have hindered him from reaching a late first-round grade as some scouts may have expected.&nbsp;
What scouts liked about Henry in 2020 was his major two-way potential as a long, athletic wing that is active on both ends of the floor and willing to do what it takes to win. Playing with Winston kept him off the ball, but it displayed his cutting and ability to attack close-outs to finish around or over the top of defenders at the rim. This season, Henry was given more on-ball opportunities, with his usage jumping from 19.7% to 27.2%, as it seemed he was probably the most trusted with the ball in his hands this year. Part of this is because he developed a herky-jerk style of handle during the last three years that allowed him to flash some off the dribble creativity in his expanded role.
Similar to Dosunmu, Henry relies on getting to the rim and pull-up mid-range jump shots to do his damage on offense, but right now almost exclusively converts on the left side of the court -- aligning with this dominant hand. His long-range jump shot is his swing skill that could still use some work (especially to quicken the release), but the evidence in his improved mid range jump shot and free-throw percentage do provide optimism that he&rsquo;ll improve his three-point shot over time.&nbsp;
Aaron Henry still holds intrigue as a valuable role player who is a plus athlete that can play off of a primary creator, but this season showed that he has the ability to leverage his own strengths on the ball at times. Also, with increasing his steal and block rate to 2.4% and 4.1%, respectively, during his junior season, Henry has doubled down on scouts' confidence that he will make an impact on the defensive end, as he projects to guard up to three perimeter positions on the next level.&nbsp;
Aaron Henry is currently projected as the No. 51 pick to the Detroit Pistons in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/luka-garza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luka Garza, Iowa</a>
STATS: 24.1 PTS 8.7 REB 1.6 BLK 55% FG
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Luka Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in all of college basketball that is looking to prove he belongs in the NBA. His track record speaks for itself, earning various honors, including the Wooden and Naismith awards, All-American status and multiple Big Ten awards to go along with his Iowa Hawkeyes team finishing as the No. 8 team in the country with a 22-9 record. Garza&rsquo;s blend of size and touch are reflected by his impressive 55% from the field and 44% from three this past season. However, scouts have concerns about Garza&rsquo;s adjustments to the quicker, faster and more athletic play of the NBA.
Offensively, there are things to like with his projections as a stretch five. At 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds with a career average of 37% from three, Garza could be a strong pick-and-pop threat, as he possesses a sturdy frame to give guards and wings trouble to get around on screens. As a roller, he has the touch around the rim to convert open looks. Where he may have issues is going against the best interior defenders in the league, as many of them will be quicker, longer, stronger and more athletic than many of the defenders he faced in college. Garza could be a situational weapon if the team that drafts him wants to play with a change of pace or "four-out, one-in" for parts of a game to take advantage of the more wiry centers around the league. Garza also takes advantage of his large frame on the boards, as he uses his size and strength well to create the space to get rebounds on the offensive and defensive end.
On the defensive side of the ball, the same concerns are apparent, though. Garza&rsquo;s physical attributes could be limiting, as his lack of verticality wouldn&rsquo;t provide tremendous resistance against better athletes at the rim. He also has a slower footspeed than most successful NBA big men that could give him trouble when he&rsquo;s put on an island in switches. NBA spacing will do him a disservice on how he can impact the game defensively.
A strength for Garza is the motor that he plays with throughout the course of a game. In an MSU-Iowa matchup I was able to see live in the 2019-20 season, Garza was a workhorse the whole game vs. Xavier Tillman. Playing all 40 minutes, I was very impressed with how he was able to carry his frame the whole game without looking overly tired. He ran the floor, never seemed to take plays off and always looked to go through defenders in the paint, and finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds against a tough Michigan State team. Even with his physical attributes possibly limiting his translation to the NBA, what could help him see the floor is his work ethic. To this point, Garza&rsquo;s pedigree as a college basketball player does deserve attention on the NBA level, and it is tough to see him not selected come July 29.
Luka Garza is projected as the No. 57 pick to the Charlotte Hornets in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/isaiah-livers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaiah Livers, Michigan</a>
STATS: 13.1 PTS 6.0 REB 2.0 AST 43% 3FG
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After testing the draft waters in 2020, Isaiah Livers returned to campus with some additional confidence about his potential in the NBA. However, an unfortunate foot injury that required surgery ended his campaign before a deep postseason run for the Michigan Wolverines. Throughout this year&rsquo;s draft process, Livers will need to ease the injury concern of scouts, especially after two seasons of missing fairly significant time.
Fitting the modern combo forward archetype, Livers (6-foot-7, 230 pounds) has what it takes to step in on day one and provide immediate floor spacing and defense all around the court. Before his injury, he was seen as an effective shooter in catch-and-shoot situations, averaging 41% from beyond the arc over his four-year career. While his release could be quicker, his form is fluid, and he shoots an easy ball that projects well to deeper range. With Michigan&rsquo;s pro-style of play, Livers will have one of the smoother transitions to finding open spaces on the floor to shoot the ball. Pre-injury, Livers was also a sneaky athlete, and if he had space to take off, highlight dunks or chasedown blocks would follow. He also showed some flashes of off-the-dribble skills, but he's not a guy you want with the ball in his hands for too long -- since his jump shot off the catch is his greatest weapon. In addition, he could improve with his finishing at the rim, as he&rsquo;s not the strongest at converting in traffic; although, he takes contact very well.&nbsp;
On the defensive end, Livers has been effective on the perimeter and in the paint at times. He had strong sequences of locking down guards in one-on-one situations, and chasing wings around the screens with good contests to force tough shots. He&rsquo;s also been able to use his 230-pound frame to body up 4's and 5&rsquo;s when needed. While he&rsquo;s not the quickest player laterally, he moves very well to stay in front of smaller players, and uses his length to gather blocks and deflections, which makes his switchability very interesting to scouts. Ultimately, he projects to guard big wings while having the potential to not lose ground on quicker guards when switched.
A lot will be riding on Isaiah Livers&rsquo; health going into the draft process, and scouts will want to know how he&rsquo;s progressing. Losing lateral quickness or athleticism could be a major hindrance to his NBA future.&nbsp;
Isaiah Livers is projected as the No. 60 pick to the Indiana Pacers in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.

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