NBA basketball mutates constantly, like just about everything in the world. Stylistic revolutions...

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NBA coaches on how evolution takes shape, and what comes next 

It was February 2015, and the Atlanta Hawks had just wrapped up one of the most remarkable months...

<figure class="article-segment--embed">It was February 2015, and the Atlanta Hawks had just wrapped up one of the most remarkable months in NBA history.</figure>The Hawks were already red-hot entering the new year, having won 16 of their last 18 games of 2014. That run had left them just a half-game out of first place in the Eastern Conference, with a 23-8 record that they'd compiled without any superstars on the roster. They were powered by a starting lineup of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap, and Al Horford, who had three career All-Star appearances between them at the time (all courtesy of Horford and Millsap).With coach Mike Budenholzer at the helm, they ambushed opponents with an aggressive, ultra-connected defense that forced gobs of turnovers. They tied opponents in knots at the other end with a free-flowing, equal-opportunity offense predicated on ball and player movement. But while some intrigue burbled around the team, few observers took the Hawks seriously as contenders at the time. Prevailing sentiment suggested they were a fun team that was bound to cool off.Then they went out and won all 17 games they played in January, a slate that included 10 playoff opponents, two extended road trips, and four sets of back-to-backs. When it was over, every team in the NBA, including the eventual champion Warriors, was looking up at Atlanta in the overall standings. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"When January hits, I feel like that's usually the most challenging month of the season," says Horford, the lone member of that starting five who's still playing in the league. "We started that month and it was a very tough schedule, but our whole mindset was like, 'Let's just take it a game at a time, see how it goes.' And then midway through the month, we're like, 'Oh, man, we still haven't lost a game!' We just found ourselves in a great groove.""We was playing so free and so together," Carroll remembers. "We could be up by 20 in the first quarter, or we could be down by 10. We always knew, just because we had that much confidence and that much continuity, that we wasn't gonna lose. And give credit to our coaching staff, they really made us feel that. They even walked around with that type of swag."When it came time to decide who should be named Eastern Conference Player of the Month, the voting committee - made up of people in the communications and basketball operations departments at the league office - felt compelled to reward someone from the team that hadn't lost during the calendar month in question. But with such a balanced group, singling out an individual for recognition proved challenging."When we sat down that week, it was amazing to us," recalls Tim Frank, the senior vice president of league operations communications since 2001. "They went undefeated, and when we looked at the statistics for each of their guys, I think the lowest scoring average was like 15-something and the highest was like 18-something. And our thought was, you can't really tell the monthly story appropriately without the team that went undefeated. But there wasn't one player that really stood out as having monster numbers."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769834/cropped_GettyImages-462052854.jpg?ts=1739215734" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769834/w220xh124_GettyImages-462052854.jpg?ts=1739215734 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769834/w320xh180_GettyImages-462052854.jpg?ts=1739215734 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769834/w640xh360_GettyImages-462052854.jpg?ts=1739215734 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769834/w768xh432_GettyImages-462052854.jpg?ts=1739215734 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769834/w1080xh607_GettyImages-462052854.jpg?ts=1739215734 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Though the spread in the starters' stats wasn't quite as small as Frank remembers, he wasn't far off. Millsap led the Hawks that month with 18.3 points per game, Horford averaged 17.1 while anchoring the back line of the defense, Teague scored 16.6 while leading the team in assists (8.5) and steals (1.8), Korver averaged 13.4 and shot 57% from three while leading the team in individual net rating (plus-22.2), and Carroll averaged 12.3 on 64% true shooting while taking on the toughest defensive wing assignment every night."We just looked at it and our general view was, we should recognize them all, right?" Frank says. "When we first raised it on the call, everybody kind of laughed originally. But ultimately I think we all came to feel it was 100% the right thing to do."When we called the Hawks, they were like, 'That is so cool!' I don't even think they had thought that was a possibility."Last Tuesday marked the 10-year anniversary of that Player(s) of the Month announcement, which was the first and only such award any of the five received. A decade later, in the wake of an exhausting and chaotic transaction cycle featuring all manner of star-centric machinations, there's something refreshing about revisiting that particular month for that particular team, which was honored in a way that hadn't happened before and hasn't happened since."You always worry about setting precedents and stuff, but we're 10 years later now, and I don't remember us having any similar conversation since then," Frank says. "We've talked about doing it for two players from the same team or something like that, but this was truly unique. And we thought the Hawks at that time were really unique.""I just remember being very surprised about it," Horford says. "I mean, that's supposed to be an individual award. But it was so fitting for our group because individually, we could care less about that award. We were just focused on winning games and enjoying playing basketball."Korver, now the Hawks' assistant general manager, says: "We were just continuing to do the things that we'd been talking about internally for two years, and all of a sudden, we just weren't losing games. It was just, you show up every day, believing individually we're probably not good enough, but if I play to make the person next to me better and he does the same for me, we've got a chance to win. That's every single day and every single game with that mentality."In a league where everyone's just trying to stuff their roster with as much talent as they possibly can and then let the pieces figure it out, this wasn't that approach. And it was a beautiful thing. We'd be playing against teams, and I remember guys on the other team at the end of the game being like, 'Man, I love how you guys play.' And that means you're doing something, you know? So that's really what I remember about that month. It was just an affirmation of what we were trying to build." <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769830/cropped_GettyImages-462428258.jpg?ts=1739215493" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769830/w220xh124_GettyImages-462428258.jpg?ts=1739215493 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769830/w320xh180_GettyImages-462428258.jpg?ts=1739215493 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769830/w640xh360_GettyImages-462428258.jpg?ts=1739215493 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769830/w768xh432_GettyImages-462428258.jpg?ts=1739215493 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769830/w1080xh607_GettyImages-462428258.jpg?ts=1739215493 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Sam Forencich / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The particular alchemy that makes a team greater than the sum of its parts is more art than science. You can do your best to match up complementary skill sets and avoid redundant ones, but that doesn't guarantee a harmony of style, personality, or intent. Countless teams have tried to maximize their talent the way those Hawks did, but you can count on one hand the number that have come close. Every team is its own unique organism, and sometimes, for reasons that aren't totally explicable, a group of players just clicks."Between Jeff and Al and Paul and DeMarre, we were playing with winks and nods," Korver says. "We didn't have to talk to communicate. We're like, glancing at each other and knowing what the other person's thinking, what we're going to do the next time down the court. Three of us are making eye contact and reading each other's minds, you know? We just felt like we were super in sync. And that's what helped me. Because I've never been a person to just create his own shots. I'm always at my best when I'm with a group that's playing connected basketball.""The biggest thing was trust," Carroll says. "Trust in the next person to do his job. That's how you build confidence, and that's when everything jells: When I know if I get beat, Al is going to be behind me to protect the rim, and Al, when he's guarding a post-up guy who goes baseline on him, he knows his help's gonna be there. Trust in making that extra pass, knowing everybody's gonna get an equal amount. I think that's the biggest key we had.""It's really a credit to Coach Bud," Horford says. "He really got us to buy into playing with one another, looking to play the right way, playing with pace. I think it was about Bud challenging us, and us kind of running with it."One of the unwritten rules of sports is that you aren't supposed to think too much about the magnitude of what you're doing while you're doing it. Like a pitcher in the middle of a perfect game, there's a sense that drawing too much attention to a magic moment will break the spell that created it. Those Hawks were always wary of buying into their own hype. To hear Korver tell it, they lived their hot streak like it was governed by the laws of cartoon gravity: They could walk on air as long as they kept their eyes straight ahead, but the instant they looked down, they'd fall."There was always an appropriate fear of, if we break off of this model, we're not good enough to keep winning," Korver says. "I think we were humble enough as a group to understand who we really were and that we needed everyone around us. So, we were always holding, 'Man, we're winning, this is so much fun,' with, 'We know there's other teams that are more talented than we are.' We were holding both of those things at the same time."As sensible as that approach might've been, it meant the Hawks couldn't fully absorb how special that January - and their collective award - was at the time."We acknowledged it, we thought it was cool, but honestly, we just kind of kept it moving," Horford says. "I feel like everybody around us made a big deal out of it, and it was a good feeling, but at the same time, we were just kind of focusing on the next thing.""I don't think we really celebrated it," Korver says. "We probably should have celebrated it more."<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="The perfect month" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-7KJeH" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7KJeH/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="728" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>A decade later, that team's imprint still lingers. Almost any time another NBA team takes off unexpectedly, thriving on the strength of continuity, synergy, and fit, people invoke the 2014-15 Hawks. One such team is this year's Cleveland Cavaliers, for whom Carroll serves as an assistant coach."It looks like a mirror image sometimes, right?" Carroll says. "This team, I think, shoots a bit better - probably a lot better - than we did. But overall, as far as the confidence and continuity, I definitely feel that (similarity)."Of course, because of the way that campaign concluded for Atlanta - a choppy last month of the regular season, two grind-it-out series wins over middling teams, and then a sweep by LeBron James' Cavaliers in the East finals - the comparison always feels a bit backhanded. Referencing those Hawks has become a kind of shorthand for the possibilities and limitations of a team devoid of both ego and top-10 talent.Still, whatever people might say about how it ended, few teams have gone on the kind of run the Hawks did that winter. For a long while, nobody in the league could touch them. And that will always be worth remembering and celebrating, especially by those who were part of it."People play this game for lots of different reasons," Korver says. "What's always driven my desire to play and be part of the game is, I just think it's so fun when you're giving everything you have, preparing every single day, putting your full self out there, and it's connected to other people who are doing the same. And to me, in all my basketball years, that was the purest basketball that I've ever been a part of."It was never about one person. And I think when that happens in sports, everyone sees it, everyone notices it, everybody wants it. It's really hard to do. And I just think, in a world where the individual is celebrated so much now ... being part of a great team that was recognized and celebrated that way, it's really meaningful for me that that's part of my basketball story."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769835/cropped_GettyImages-461004062.jpg?ts=1739215847" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769835/w220xh124_GettyImages-461004062.jpg?ts=1739215847 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769835/w320xh180_GettyImages-461004062.jpg?ts=1739215847 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769835/w640xh360_GettyImages-461004062.jpg?ts=1739215847 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769835/w768xh432_GettyImages-461004062.jpg?ts=1739215847 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769835/w1080xh607_GettyImages-461004062.jpg?ts=1739215847 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Sam Forencich / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The impact of those Hawks also continues to resonate with the people who made the decision to reward the team in unprecedented fashion."On our calls occasionally it'll still come up," Frank says. "We remember that moment because I think for all of us it was pretty cool too. And at the time I think everybody was curious … if anybody would rip us for it. But it wound up being almost overwhelmingly supported. I mean, even from the media, I don't remember any negativity on it. So, we definitely thought we had done a good thing."And for the two guys who now work in the league in different capacities, the memories of that team still shape the way they approach their respective roles."I wish we could've won, but at the end of the day, man, I think just being around that team and having that experience has helped me a lot, even on the coaching side," Carroll says. "Coaching these guys, I'm always telling them, 'You don't get these opportunities too often. You gotta take advantage.'""That is my North Star now," Korver says. "Working in the NBA on this side of the game, obviously you need to have talent, and you never want to just try to copy something else, it never works. But just like, trying to create an environment that reflects a lot of the values and the mindset that that group had, when I felt it and experienced it on a deep level … that's my North Star, for sure."Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

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How the 2015 Hawks' starting 5 won Player of the Month

The days leading up to the 2025 NBA trade deadline were some of the wildest we've ever seen. Belo...

The days leading up to the 2025 NBA trade deadline were some of the wildest we've ever seen. Below, read our analysis on all of the biggest pre-deadline moves, followed by our big-picture takeaways from Feb. 6:<ul>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207654" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">Mavs trading Doncic is a move of historically baffling proportions</a></li>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207817" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207817">Mavs gift Lakers the lifeline to end all lifelines</a></li>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3211401" href="https://thescore.com/news/3211401">Betting on Butler is a gamble. The Warriors had no choice</a></li>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3208499" href="https://thescore.com/news/3208499">Breaking down a blockbuster between Spurs, Kings, Bulls</a></li>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3211068" href="https://thescore.com/news/3211068">Trying to make sense of Raptors' move for Brandon Ingram</a></li>
</ul><h3>Trade season is alive and well</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/cropped_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w220xh124_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w320xh180_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w640xh360_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w768xh432_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Glenn James / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The rumor mill was slow in the lead-up to this year's deadline. The Jimmy Butler saga dragged on drearily, and apart from him, it seemed like Cam Johnson would be the biggest name to change teams. There were fears among NBA slop enthusiasts that the market was and would continue to be frozen by the restrictions on tax-apron teams codified in the new CBA.Then the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, and the floodgates opened. De'Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine were moved in a three-team deal, the Heat finally bit the bullet and shipped Butler off to Golden State, the Raptors jumped at the chance to acquire Brandon Ingram, and the Bucks said goodbye to Khris Middleton. That's 28 combined All-Star appearances and 16 All-NBA appearances changing hands. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Though that flurry of activity happened in the days and hours before deadline day itself, leaving only smaller marginal moves for Thursday, this has undeniably been one of the nuttiest transaction cycles in NBA history. Amazingly, in the end, Johnson didn't even end up being one of the players moved.Every deadline is different, shaped by its own unique circumstances. We may never see another one quite like this. But at the very least, it seems safe to say that reports of trade season's demise were greatly exaggerated. - Joe Wolfond<h3>Lakers fill their big-man vacancy ... health permitting</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/cropped_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w220xh124_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w320xh180_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w640xh360_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w768xh432_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Kent Smith / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The franchise-altering <a href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">trade</a> for Luka Doncic landed the Lakers yet another era-defining superstar, but it left a short-term void in the frontcourt that they didn't have to fill immediately. They did anyway (after reportedly consulting with Doncic).Mark Williams is exactly the kind of athletic, rim-running big man who should thrive in a two-man game with Doncic. The 23-year-old is averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 25 minutes this season, and his already solid interior efficiency should only improve when he starts catching lobs and passes from Doncic and LeBron James. The new-look lineup will be light on shooting but still offensively overwhelming with that trio, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura.There's a downside to this deal, though. For one, Williams is an inconsistent rim-protector at best, and that'll be a problem with Doncic and Reaves in front of him. Further, the Lakers also have no depth left in the short term, they moved the last first-round pick they could trade outright at the moment (2031), and they parted with their best young player (non-Doncic division) in rookie Dalton Knecht. That's a lot to surrender for a young center who's missed more games (127) than he's appeared in (85) through the first two and a half years of his career. The Lakers are obviously the biggest overall winner of trade season with their future now tethered to Doncic, but their actual deadline-day deal has some major boom-or-bust potential.For what it's worth, the last remaining first-round draft capital the Lakers can trade before this year's draft (at which point 2032 picks become moveable) are pick swaps in 2026 and 2028. - Joseph Casciaro<h3>Suns' outlook gets grimmer</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/cropped_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w220xh124_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w320xh180_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w640xh360_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w768xh432_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Chris Coduto / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Suns reportedly left no stone unturned in their quest to shake things up. The league's most expensive team went from hoping Bradley Beal would waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a deal for Jimmy Butler, to the possibility of replacing Kevin Durant with Butler, to even coming close to sending KD back to The Bay. All this after Phoenix traded its unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick for three protected first-rounders in an effort to land Butler (or another star).In the end, the Suns didn't trade one of those picks to get starrier or better, but rather sent a first-rounder (the least favorable 2026 pick between Phoenix, Washington, Orlando, and Memphis) to Charlotte to get off of disgruntled and little-used center Jusuf Nurkic. If you're keeping track at home, that means the only draft capital this aging .500 team currently clinging to the West's final play-in berth has over the next seven years is a collection of pick swaps in which they'll always receive the worst pick.As a second-apron team in tax hell, the Suns were already as all-in as a franchise could get, without the short-term success to show for it. That they turned their one remaining real draft pick into three lesser picks only to do nothing with them is another devastating blow to a recklessly assembled team now dying a slow death. - Casciaro<h3>Cavs complete their starting 5</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/cropped_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w220xh124_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w320xh180_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w640xh360_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w768xh432_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jason Miller / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Ever since trading for Donovan Mitchell two and a half years ago, the Cavaliers have been looking for a way to effectively bridge their explosive but small backcourt with their gigantic non-shooting frontcourt. The starting small forward in between that quartet has been at various points Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert, Max Strus, and, most effectively, Dean Wade. In acquiring De'Andre Hunter from the Hawks - with LeVert and reserve forward Georges Niang going the other way - Cleveland may have finally found a more permanent solution.Hunter's a 6-foot-8 wing in the 3-and-D mold who's enjoying by far the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3157801" href="https://thescore.com/news/3157801">best season of his career</a> at age 27. He's the league's top bench scorer, averaging 19 points a game (nearly 24 per 36 minutes) while shooting 39.3% from 3-point range on huge volume. He's evolved into a much more streamlined decision-maker this season, shooting and attacking with conviction and force off the catch. He's nowhere near the ball-handler or playmaker LeVert is, but on a Cavs team rife with on-ball creation, his offensive skills and play style probably represent a cleaner fit.His reputation as a defender outpaces reality - LeVert is friskier at the point of attack and more consistently engaged as a helper - but Hunter's size makes him a better matchup for the big wings of the world. Though he isn't quite the movement shooter Strus is, or the defender Wade is, he kind of blends the things those two bring to the table. And unlike LeVert, who's a pending free agent, Hunter's under contract for two more years (at a reasonable $48 million) after this one.The Cavs have a five-game cushion atop the Eastern Conference. Pushing for an upgrade at a position of need by dealing a bundle of draft assets - three second-rounders and two secondary first-round swaps - along with two rotation players signals a strong belief in what they're capable of this season. When you consider that none of the other legitimate contenders (not Boston, OKC, New York, Memphis, Houston, or Denver) made additions at the deadline, this feels like a pretty big win for Cleveland. - Wolfond<h3>Bucks degrade themselves for tax relief</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/cropped_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w220xh124_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w320xh180_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w640xh360_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w768xh432_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Brian Sevald / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It was always a possibility Milwaukee would look to trade Khris Middleton this season, given his injury issues and physical decline, and given the pressure the team's under to win now. But to trade the franchise icon - who remains an effective player, in spite of his limitations - for Kyle Kuzma, of all people? And to throw in AJ Johnson (their 20-year-old first-round pick in last year's draft) and a 2028 pick swap to boot? Not ideal. The Bucks also got Patrick Baldwin Jr. in the trade but subsequently rerouted him to San Antonio.Even with Middleton's diminished athleticism and deteriorating defense, he brought real value to Milwaukee this season with his shooting and playmaking. He still had amazing two-man synergy with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and still put up 63% true shooting (58% from 2-point range, 41% from deep) while averaging 23 minutes off the bench. The Bucks performed 5.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. He obviously isn't the player he once was, but he also underwhelmed on a tight playing-time leash last regular season, and that didn't stop him from averaging 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 48/36/90 shooting across 38.3 minutes a game against the Pacers in the playoffs. He dragged that series to six hard-fought games, with Antetokounmpo out and Damian Lillard badly hobbled. Kuzma, meanwhile, is one of the least efficient big-minute players in the league this year, posting 49% true shooting. That will probably improve significantly when he plays next to Antetokounmpo and Lillard, but Kuzma's always been a poor shooter and below-average playmaker. When he's engaged, he can be a better defender than Middleton is at this stage, but still tops out around average on that end of the floor.The primary impetus for the deal was to shed salary. Kuzma's on a declining deal that will pay him about $13 million less than Middleton can make by picking up his player option next season. And for this season, the move gets Milwaukee below the second luxury-tax apron. The hope was that doing so would do more than just save ownership some scratch; it allowed the Bucks to aggregate salaries in subsequent trades, which they couldn't do as a second-apron team.Unfortunately, the only subsequent trade that materialized was one that sent out MarJon Beauchamp (whose fourth-year option Milwaukee declined) in exchange for Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. - a ball-stopping gunner who's been even less efficient than Kuzma this season and is still under investigation by the NBA for domestic assault. There are seven qualified players this season with usage rates above 20% and true shooting percentages below 50%, and the Bucks traded for two of them.They weren't especially likely to make a deep run this year regardless, but what they did at the deadline effectively punted whatever possibility remained. - Wolfond<h3>Raptors zag again</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/cropped_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w220xh124_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w320xh180_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w640xh360_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w768xh432_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Mark Blinch / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The joke's on us for assuming this was finally the year we had a good read on Toronto's deadline intentions. For the third straight year, a Raptors team sitting outside the postseason picture acted as 11th-hour buyers rather than sellers. Most perplexing of all, this year's team publicly admitted to rebuilding and prioritizing the process over the results. So, what gives?The simple answer is that <a href="https://thescore.com/news/3211068">buying low</a> on a player of Brandon Ingram's upside doesn't have to jeopardize Toronto's 2025 lottery odds. The Raptors own the league's fifth-worst record, Ingram is currently sidelined by a left ankle sprain, and the team did move three rotation players (Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and Davion Mitchell) who all played key roles in the Raptors' recent surge. If they can keep Ingram from helping them win games over the final two months of this season, and can then retain the 27-year-old on a bargain contract going forward, it's a completely defensible bet on a one-time All-Star who may not have been available to Toronto as a free agent. However, if Ingram drives down those lottery odds and gets the kind of money he reportedly wants, I don't understand the logic.<figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Total outgoing</th>
<th>Total incoming</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Bruce Brown</td>
<td>Brandon Ingram</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kelly Olynyk</td>
<td>P.J. Tucker</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Davion Mitchell</td>
<td>2026 2nd-rd pick (via LAL)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2026 1st-rd pick (via IND)</td>
<td>James Wiseman (waived)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2031 2nd-rd pick</td>
<td>Cash</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure>In totality, the Raptors moved two expiring contracts, got out of Olynyk's $13.4-million cap hit for next season, traded a 2026 first-rounder they originally acquired in last year's Pascal Siakam trade, and swapped second-rounders while taking a flier on Ingram without taking on any long-term salary. That's not bad business at all. But it's not what we expected, and carries more risk than feels appropriate for a 16-35 team. - Casciaro

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6 big-picture NBA takeaways from deadline day

After many months of trying, the Golden State Warriors finally landed a star to pair with Steph C...

After many months of trying, the Golden State Warriors finally landed a star to pair with Steph Curry. It cost them Andrew Wiggins, a few other less significant pieces (Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters III), their first-round pick this year (unless it lands in the top 10), and $112 million in additional guaranteed money, but it was a move they had to make in order to give Curry a couple more honest kicks at the can as he approaches his 37th birthday.The big question with Jimmy Butler, of course, is whether his diminished production this season was the result of him quiet quitting (and then very loud quitting) on the Miami Heat, or the result of his waning abilities at age 35. Golden State obviously decided it was worth ponying up and giving him a two-year extension to find out. Butler's long track record of turning up the dial when he wants to, which tends to be when the stakes are highest, suggests it's a smart bet.Even at his age, Butler remains a rugged and wily defender who roves in the gaps, plunders passing lanes, and generally creates chaos. He should be a great fit in Golden State's aggressive, adaptable scheme, which is designed to do just that. He and Draymond Green should be able to wreak all kinds of havoc at that end of the floor with their combined physicality, intuition, and unpredictability.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>On the offensive end, Butler will be a much-needed pressure release who can take some of the creation load off Curry's shoulders as a secondary ball-handler. He can play the role of screener or handler in what should be a killer pick-and-roll combo with Curry. He remains a potent iso scorer capable of conjuring buckets out of thin air when the moment demands it, and Golden State has sorely lacked that ingredient over the last couple years. He'll help keep the offense afloat when Curry's on the bench. To this point in the season, the Warriors have scored just 103.6 points per 100 possessions in those situations, 12.3 fewer than with Curry on the floor.Butler is also an elite off-ball player despite his complete lack of 3-point gravity. That's because of his ability and willingness to cut, screen, slip, roll, seal, and connect the dots as a passer on the move. Those attributes meld beautifully with the Warriors' read-and-react motion offense. Even without a 3-point shot (he's taken just 36 in 25 games this year), Butler's put up a 64% true-shooting mark thanks to his interior scoring punch and ability to generate free throws. And he takes immaculate care of the basketball, which will be a nice bonus for a team that's long had a penchant for turning it over.In Miami, Butler gained plenty of experience working within an offense that flows out of delay and split action, and the Warriors should lean into his strengths as a post operator who can be equally effective as a scorer or playmaker with his back to the basket. His limitations as an outside shooter might make it tough to play him, Green, and a center at the same time, but in the highest-leverage moments, the Warriors will probably roll with Green at center anyway. Butler is an ideal wing to fill out those smaller lineups. Where Jonathan Kuminga fits into the equation now is another variable to ponder. The Warriors have constantly tinkered with his role, trying to figure out the best way to utilize the talented but still raw 22-year-old. The addition of Butler figures to complicate that role even further. Kuminga, Green, and Wiggins were dynamite in their shared minutes the last two seasons, but sustaining that with Butler in Wiggins' place (putting three non-spacers on the court at once) will be a challenge.That leaves head coach Steve Kerr with some tricky decisions to make when it comes to structuring his closing lineups. And it'll leave Golden State's front office with a tricky valuation process when it comes time to negotiate Kuminga's next contract as he hits restricted free agency this summer.But those are the kinds of problems you look to solve after you get a player like Butler in the door. Put simply, the Warriors needed an injection of talent that could meaningfully raise their ceiling, and a locked-in Butler provides exactly that. Wiggins is a good, low-maintenance role player having a strong bounce-back season at both ends of the court; Butler was the best player on a Finals team less than two years ago. Unless the player we saw during that run (or even last season) is gone for good, he'll be the best player Curry's played with since Kevin Durant skipped town. And he'll give Golden State a genuine chance to compete before the Curry window closes completely.While the literal and figurative costs of the deal aren't insignificant, the fact that the Warriors worked out a short-term extension that puts Butler on the same contract timeline as Curry and Green (all expiring after 2026-27), only surrendered one protected first-round pick, and kept all their important prospects (Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis), mitigates a lot of the risk. It also leaves open the possibility of other moves, either at this deadline or in the offseason.Massive contracts for Butler and Curry, along with Green's $26-million-a-year deal and a potentially big new number for Kuminga, will induce some luxury-tax headaches for a team that might still not be good enough to contend. But again, this is basically a two-season runway after which Golden State can reset completely.The Warriors are 25-25, but they're also just three games out of a top-six seed in the West. For a team that wasn't going anywhere anyway and has an imperative to squeeze every last drop out of its legendary franchise icon's twilight, the upside of this trade vastly outweighs the downside.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30137077/related

Betting on Butler is a gamble. The Warriors had no choice

With the basketball world still reeling from one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, the ...

With the basketball world still reeling from one of the most <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207654" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">shocking trades</a> in NBA history, the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, and Chicago Bulls came together to complete another star-studded deal that would typically be the headliner.Here's how each club made out in this three-team blockbuster.Spurs receive: De'Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Kings receive: Zach LaVine; Sidy Cissoko; 2025 protected 1st-round pick (via Hornets, likely converts to two 2nd-rounders in 2026 and 2027); 2025 2nd-round pick (via Bulls); 2027 1st-round pick (via Spurs); 2028 2nd-round pick (via Nuggets); 2028 2nd-round pick; 2031 1st-round pick (via Timberwolves)Bulls receive: Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, 2025 1st-round pick<h3>Spurs hit the accelerator </h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/cropped_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Ezra Shaw / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>With Victor Wembanyama making the kind of second-year leap that only someone with his stride length could manifest, San Antonio's rebuild is ahead of schedule. The Spurs are playing nearly .500 ball and butting into the Western Conference play-in conversation after going 22-60 last season. It makes sense for them to hit the gas.Fox is one of the fastest and most dynamic point guards in the game, and he's squarely in his prime at 27. He instantly becomes by far the best teammate Wembanyama has had. The fact that San Antonio was able to acquire him while sending out just one of its own picks and without dipping into its cache of young talent (Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Jeremy Sochan are all still there) feels like a coup. The 2031 Timberwolves pick is the one asset it might eventually hurt to have spent, but it's not too difficult to stomach considering the caliber and age of the player coming back.The only risk for the Spurs in this deal is its potential opportunity cost: not because they could've gotten someone better with the package they traded, but because extending Fox (or re-signing him in 2026) on a max or near-max deal will likely close off certain avenues to acquire a star who moves the needle more. As good as he is, Fox's limitations - he's an inconsistent shooter and a so-so playmaker by point guard standards - make it less than ideal for him to remain Wemby's best co-star through the big man's rookie-extension years.Fortunately, because the acquisition cost was so reasonable, the Spurs still have plenty of good assets to trade in the future. And in the meantime, Fox is going to help a ton. It's scary to consider how productive Wembanyama has been offensively despite the roster's extreme limitations. The Spurs just haven't really had anyone capable of peeling defensive attention away from him; they're light on supplemental scoring threats of any kind, but they're especially light on dribble-drive threats.Although Chris Paul has been a godsend in many ways, it's been a problem that defenses feel so comfortable switching Paul-Wembanyama pick-and-rolls, and that Paul can no longer do much damage against the front end of those switches. It should be much less of an issue with Fox handling the ball in those situations. His burst will open up all kinds of new possibilities for Wemby in both the open floor and the half court, and it's going to be extremely fun to watch their two-man game evolve this season and further into the future.One way or another, this trade signals that San Antonio is ready to get serious, and that's an exciting prospect for all of us. - Joe Wolfond<h3>Kings stay focused on the present</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/cropped_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w220xh124_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w320xh180_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w640xh360_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w768xh432_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It puts a team in a seriously tough spot when a star who's close to free agency reportedly indicates they won't sign an extension and has a particular trade destination in mind. That makes 28 other teams reluctant to put their best stuff on the table because they doubt they'll be able to re-sign him, while the player's preferred team isn't motivated to include its best assets because it ostensibly has the option of just waiting and signing him as a free agent.Under those circumstances, Sacramento did pretty well here, nabbing a very good player and a handful of picks of varying quality in exchange for the last season-and-a-half of Fox's contract. LaVine has long been on the Kings' radar, dating back to when they signed him to a four-year, $78-million offer sheet (how quaint do those numbers sound now?) that Chicago matched in the summer of 2018. He reunites with his former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan, and the Kings add a big jolt of shooting and slashing to an offense that hasn't been able to fully recapture its 2022-23 magic.Fox was a major engine of Sacramento's uptempo attack, but LaVine won't hinder it; he's arriving from one of the league's fastest teams. More pertinently, a guy who's shooting 44.6% from deep on 7.3 attempts per game should be a welcome addition for a team that ranks 22nd in 3-point attempt rate and 24th in 3-point percentage. LaVine is also an excellent inside-the-arc scorer, shooting 56% from 2-point range on the season. The Kings rank 29th in the league in rim frequency, and while we tend to associate Fox with explosive downhill burst, his diet has hewed more toward the mid-range in recent years. Just 23% of his shots have come at the basket this season compared to 36% for LaVine.Whether it was a targeted strategy or simply a function of their poor negotiating position, getting LaVine but none of the Spurs' intriguing young players shows that the Kings' goal is being as competent as possible for the next two-to-three years before likely resetting their competitive cycle. That's understandable considering incompetence was the franchise norm for nearly two decades, but it also makes the trade return feel a little underwhelming.As the only long-term assets Sacramento is getting in the deal, the pick outlay is unspectacular, although acceptable under the circumstances. The 2025 lottery-protected "first-rounder" from Charlotte is actually two future seconds - that's what the pick will convert to when the Hornets inevitably miss the playoffs. At the moment, the Spurs' 2027 pick feels very likely to land in the 20s. The jewel of the package is the unprotected 2031 first from the Wolves, but it's hard to get too excited about a pick that far away. At least the Kings were able to shed Kevin Huerter's contract in the process.Between LaVine, DeRozan, Malik Monk, and Keon Ellis, Sacramento is guard-heavy without actually having a true point guard. But those guys should have enough ball-handling and playmaking ability between them (especially Monk and DeRozan) to collectively run the offense, especially considering so much of the action flows through center Domantas Sabonis. The hope is that LaVine fully buys into an off-guard role so as not to siphon too many on-ball touches from those other two guards; both of them are vastly superior playmakers (especially Monk), and LaVine's off-ball gravity (as both a spot-up and movement shooter) will be hugely important. It'll be fun to watch him work the handoff game with Sabonis, which has been significantly less effective this year thanks to Huerter's falloff and Keegan Murray's weirdly terrible shooting season.How all these pieces are going to fit defensively is another matter. The Kings have done well to maintain a league-average defensive rating to this point by dint of effort and connectivity. But even with Sabonis doing solid work at the level, Murray holding his own on the wing, and Monk making genuine improvements, the whole thing feels like it's being held together by Scotch tape (or, more literally, by Ellis).Fox isn't an exceptional defender, but he can dial it up at the point of attack in a way LaVine can't. Starting him, Monk, and DeRozan together alongside an undersized frontcourt feels like a recipe for flammability. Their lack of size and defensive force at the forward positions remains a huge problem. It just feels like this trade can't be judged on that basis because there probably wasn't an option to address said problem in a meaningful way. - Wolfond<h3>Bulls sell low ... again</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/cropped_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w220xh124_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w320xh180_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w640xh360_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w768xh432_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jeff Haynes / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>There are a couple ways to look at this deal for the Bulls. First and foremost, this is an underwhelming return that continues a pattern of asset mismanagement for Chicago. Arturas Karnisovas' front office overpaid to construct a mediocre and ill-fitting trio of second-tier All-Stars, moving Wendell Carter Jr. and the pick that became Franz Wagner (among other assets) to pair Nikola Vucevic with LaVine, and then players and picks (including Chicago's 2025 first-rounder) to add DeRozan.Despite getting the green light to rebuild if he saw fit, Karnisovas clung to what was ultimately a play-in-caliber core. When the Bulls finally started deconstructing things, it was too late. Chicago traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey in the offseason after reports had Caruso commanding multiple draft picks last season, then moved DeRozan in a sign-and-trade that brought back a couple of second-rounders. Now the best asset the Bulls got for LaVine is ... the return of their own 2025 first-rounder. LaVine's inflated salary coupled with the new CBA's harsher tax penalties and apron restrictions were always going to make a trade difficult, but we're still talking about a guy averaging 24 points on 51-45-80 shooting.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Bulls have traded DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, &amp; Alex Caruso for ... - Josh Giddey - Kevin Huerter - Zach Collins - Tre Jones - Chris Duarte - Two Second-Round Picks - Rights to their OWN 2025 first-round pick Not a single additional first-rounder was acquired. Unbelievable.— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) <a href="https://twitter.com/Schuster_Elias/status/1886233626460803544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Once you get past all that, the slightly less depressing side of this deal for Chicago is that the Bulls look ready to initiate that long-delayed rebuild.Jones is a solid young point guard on an expiring contract, but Collins and Huerter will combine to earn roughly $36.1 million next season, so it's not like the Bulls prioritized a clean cap sheet this summer. It's also possible none of the three incoming players figure into the Bulls' long-term plans. They clearly wanted their own pick back, which they would've kept if it landed in the top 10 but then would've been top-eight protected in 2026 and 2027. That's an important piece of the puzzle if you're staring at the bottom third of the standings for the next couple years - and the Bulls might finally be doing that by design rather than by accident. It's a start? - Joseph Casciaro

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Breaking down a blockbuster between Spurs, Kings, Bulls

Sometimes, it's good to be the Lakers.   Just when you think they're stuck, just when it seems as...

Sometimes, it's good to be the Lakers. Just when you think they're stuck, just when it seems as if their magic has run out and they have no moves left, another gift falls from the heavens and lands right in their lap. This time, that gift is Luka Doncic, the 25-year-old megastar well on his way to being an all-time great with an already legendary playoff resume and five All-NBA first-team appearances to his name.Here are a few players who didn’t make that many first teams in their entire careers: Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, David Robinson, Moses Malone, and Steph Curry. Oh, and also Anthony Davis, the 31-year-old big man for whom Doncic was traded. Also going to Dallas in the deal: third-year reserve wing Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. I mean, sure. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>It's hard to overstate what a colossal bailout this is for Los Angeles. Davis is still a fantastic player, but he was a walking injury risk even during his prime years. The team as previously constructed wasn't going anywhere meaningful. The supporting cast around the star duo of Davis and LeBron James simply wasn't good enough, and the Lakers looked poised to spend the last vestiges of James' career mired in play-in-caliber mediocrity. There was no obvious pivot; transitioning to a Davis-centric era as he entered his mid-30s promised little beyond a continued shuffle toward middling irrelevance.Now, all of a sudden, the team's present and future have snapped into focus with stunning clarity.The Lakers probably aren't going to seriously contend for a championship this season, though you can't put anything past Doncic and James in a playoff setting. Doncic is on the shelf with a calf strain that's expected to keep him sidelined for at least another couple of weeks. Once he returns, it's going to take some time for him and James to figure out how to play together. Even if they get on the same page right away, the Lakers will be hamstrung by their complete lack of big-man depth and their porous defense that ranked 21st before they traded one of the league's 10 best defenders for someone whose effort on that end ranges from disinterested to apathetic.But in the big picture, they just added a guy they can build around well into the future, a guy who can seamlessly bridge the LeBron era to the era of Lakers basketball after he hangs it up. As good as Davis was as James' running mate, as much as he's shown himself capable of taking on a greater offensive workload this season, he couldn't ease James' playmaking burden to nearly the extent that Doncic can.We're talking about one of the greatest creators in the history of the game. Doncic last season averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists on 62% true shooting, then led the Mavericks to the Finals by ripping the hearts out of three straight 50-plus-win opponents. This has the potential to extend the twilight of James' career. And further into the future, other players will sign up to play alongside Doncic for the league's preeminent glamour franchise, the same way Davis forced his way there after James signed with a directionless Lakers team that had missed the playoffs five years running.The move isn't totally without risk for the Lakers. They could struggle to break into the exclusive group of inner-circle contenders this season and next, which might lead Doncic to seek employment elsewhere when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2026. The Spurs, for example, could carve out max cap space that offseason. Even with L.A. holding his Bird rights, it's possible Doncic would deem teaming up with Victor Wembanyama a more appealing option than sticking it out with a 41-year-old James before leading the team into an uncertain future.That scenario just doesn't feel especially likely. Superstars don’t tend to leave the Lakers. They'll always represent a desirable destination for other stars with wandering eyes, especially with Doncic there as a lodestar. It's far more likely L.A. just landed a guy who’ll be the next in an interminable line of iconic Faces of the Franchise, someone who can keep it in the title conversation for the next decade.This all feels like yet another life preserver for a franchise that always seems to get thrown one at the very moment you think it might finally dip underwater. Each time something like this happens, it adds to the sense that no matter what the Lakers do, no matter how badly they mismanage their roster or their draft picks or their balance sheet, things will always work out for them in the end.Why the Mavericks decided to toss them that lifeline is <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207654" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">a question</a> that will probably be dissected for decades to come. But for now, as we sift through the rubble of this earthshaking NBA event, just one constant is left standing amid the ruins, the one certainty that remains in this wildly uncertain league: Sometimes, it's good to be the Lakers.Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30090193/related

Mavs gift Lakers the lifeline to end all lifelines 

The Denver Nuggets lost in Chicago on Monday night in a game that was notable not only for the re...

The Denver Nuggets lost in Chicago on Monday night in a game that was notable not only for the result (a surprising one, considering the two teams have been moving in opposite directions for the past few weeks), but for how it happened: the Bulls drained 24 threes in the win, while the Nuggets knocked down only six.The 54-point disparity from beyond the arc was tied for the second-largest such gap in a game this season, matching what the Celtics did to the Knicks on opening night and coming in just behind Miami's 57-point long-range drubbing of the Lakers on Dec. 4. For all that, the Nuggets lost the game by only eight points, thanks to an 84-38 edge in paint scoring. They scored 121 in all and put up a 114.2 offensive rating, numbers good enough to win on most nights. It was what Chicago's offense did, far more than Denver's lack of 3-point shooting, that cost the Nuggets the game. If the Bulls' long-range shooting had simply been in line with their season average, it would've been a seven-point Denver win. That was kind of a microcosm of the Nuggets' season so far. They haven't exactly looked like world-beaters, but their offense isn't the reason for that, despite the consternation over their lack of treys.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Since the start of December, they rank second in the NBA in offensive rating (120.9) behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers. They've scored seven more points per 100 possessions than the average team during that span, which means they've been scoring at the level of a top-20 all-time offense for the last two months. In fact, when taking the whole season into account and adjusting for league average, this year's Nuggets are more potent offensively than any of their teams in the Nikola Jokic era. All the while, they've continued to rank dead last in the league in 3-point frequency. Their 30.9% attempt rate is down from their league-low 32.3% last season, and would've been a bottom-10 mark as far back as six years ago.Anyone who understands modern basketball knows that shooting a lot of threes isn't just about the threes themselves; it's about forcing the defense to account for as many players as possible on the perimeter, thus opening up the middle of the floor for drives, cuts, and easy 2-point scores. That's reflected in the fact the league's risen from 48% to 54% on twos and from 60% to 66% at the rim in the last 10 years.But what if you don't need to shoot a ton of threes or command a lot of perimeter attention to feast around the basket? What if you employ a magician who can not only create space inside the arc with his unique gravity, but also thread the ball through the eye of a needle, or feather it over the defense to a precise location of his choosing, and conjure a close-range shot for himself or a teammate out of thin air? Denver leads the league in rim frequency and, contrary to most other teams that shoot there a lot (often out of necessity because they can't score effectively from further away), is also a great interior finishing team. The Nuggets rank 10th in field-goal percentage within four feet of the basket (67.3%), per Cleaning the Glass. The other top-five teams in rim frequency rank 23rd, 24th, 27th, and 29th.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768095/GettyImages-2177603916.jpg?ts=1738268403" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768095/GettyImages-2177603916.jpg?ts=1738268403 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768095/GettyImages-2177603916.jpg?ts=1738268403 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768095/GettyImages-2177603916.jpg?ts=1738268403 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768095/GettyImages-2177603916.jpg?ts=1738268403 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768095/GettyImages-2177603916.jpg?ts=1738268403 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images </figcaption></figure>The obvious difference is that those teams don't have Jokic. But you don't need me to tell you why the best player in the world allows his team to score in ways other teams can't. What I'm here to say is that surrounding Jokic with great slashers and interior finishers can be just as effective as surrounding him with great shooters. Ideally, Denver would have a bunch of guys who could do both. But those players aren't easy to find, and there's no disputing the pieces currently orbiting Jokic are complementing his singular skills in their own fashion.It's worth noting that there are a handful of good to great shooters on the team, Jokic among them. The Nuggets rank fourth in the league in 3-point accuracy, in part because of how selective they are about who takes them. Apart from sophomore reserve Julian Strawther, none are high-volume long-range gunners.Jamal Murray's 3-point rate ranks in the 19th percentile among guards, per Cleaning the Glass. Michael Porter Jr. leads the team's regulars by far in that respect, and he's still only in the 57th percentile among forwards. Jokic leads the league in 3-point success percentage and has nudged his frequency up slightly to compensate for his teammates, but threes still only account for 19% of his shots.What the Nuggets do a lot is cut. They have an abundance of athletes with noses for the rim and strong finishing capabilities, whether dashing at full speed or prowling furtively in the dunker spot. Between Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, and Porter (underrated in this department), Jokic has plenty of targets to reward.The Nuggets lead the league in cutting frequency and rank third in cutting efficiency, a combination that has them scoring 16.2 points per game directly <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/cut?SeasonYear=2024-25&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=PTS">from cuts.</a> That's nearly three more than any other team this season, and the most for any team apart from the Kevin Durant-era Warriors since NBA.com began tracking the stat 10 years ago.That doesn't even account for all the cuts that don't lead directly to scores, but instead lead to kickouts or laydowns or skip passes that burn defensive reactions. Another reason the Nuggets rank so highly in 3-point success percentage is that in their system, cuts create open threes more than the other way around.<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768190/preview.png?ts=1738329706" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" playsinline="" controls="" onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768190/animation.mp4?ts=1738329706" type="video/mp4"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768190/animation.webm?ts=1738329706" type="video/webm"> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </source></source></video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Altitude</figcaption></figure>Westbrook in particular deserves praise for reinventing himself to best complement Jokic and the Nuggets. He's always been a naturally gifted cutter, but he's tapped into those skills too infrequently until recently. "If only Russ could activate his dormant off-ball ability," we said, season after season, as he continued to either stand idly cramping his team's spacing or leech on-ball possessions from co-star creators ranging from Durant to Paul George to James Harden to LeBron James. Jokic reportedly pushed hard for Denver to add Westbrook, in what felt like an "I can fix him" project. This has turned out to be the rare instance where that worked.Westbrook's cutting like never before, resulting in a devastating two-man game with Jokic. Denver has a 128 offensive rating with both of them on the floor. More predictably, Westbrook's also juiced the pace for what was previously one of the slowest teams in the league, creating more rim shots in the process. The Nuggets have jumped from 29th to seventh in points added via transition, per Cleaning the Glass. Westbrook's own passing ability has also been a big asset for Denver's interior attack; he ranks seventh in the league in rim assists, five spots behind Jokic.One of the important ways he accesses that ability in the half court is by setting ball screens for Jokic. When the defense inevitably puts two on the ball to avoid either switching or getting burned by Jokic's jump shot, Westbrook can roll into a 4-on-3. <figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768192/preview.png?ts=1738330336" loop muted autoplay playsinline controls onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768192/animation.mp4?ts=1738330336" type="video/mp4"></source> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768192/animation.webm?ts=1738330336" type="video/webm"></source> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Altitude</figcaption></figure>
Slot cuts are a big part of Denver's offensive design, putting the weak-side zone defender in an impossible situation after a helper shades toward Jokic on the strong side. Braun is particularly on point with his timing on those cuts, and the team will sometimes have both weak-side guys cut at the same time to avoid having a non-spacer like Watson go ignored in the corner: <figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768194/preview.png?ts=1738330158" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" playsinline="" controls="" onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768194/animation.mp4?ts=1738330158" type="video/mp4"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768194/animation.webm?ts=1738330158" type="video/webm"> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </source></source></video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Altitude</figcaption></figure>All told, the Nuggets' 2-point and 3-point attempts both average roughly 1.14 points per shot. So, it's fair to wonder whether shooting more threes would really improve their offense, at least in its current iteration. Especially considering how much more likely interior attempts are to induce shooting fouls, and the fact the Nuggets also thrive on the strength of their fifth-ranked free-throw attempt rate.Would it be better if more of Denver's players were shooting threats? Of course. Having more ways to stress opposing defenses is always preferable. It would help avoid a situation where, say, Braun sets a flare screen for Gordon (career 32% 3-point shooter on low volume) <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=250&amp;GameID=0022400371&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=MISS%20Gordon%2024%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot">to try a movement triple</a>. But while a certain quantity of outside shooting is clearly imperative for keeping pace in this day and age, everything is about balance. For all the hullabaloo over league-wide 3-point volume spiking this season after five years of stability, offensive rating is down from 115.6 to 113.9, per Cleaning the Glass. (Though offense usually ticks up as the season goes along, the average was actually 116.3 at this time last year.) Much has been made of the Celtics cranking their 3-point volume even higher than it was when they led the league en route to the title last year. Less has been made of the fact they're scoring 3.1 fewer points per 100 possessions than they did a season ago.The rest of the league seemingly started jacking up more threes to "catch up" to Boston, but there's zero correlation between where teams rank in 3-point attempt rate and where they rank in offensive efficiency this season:<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="3PAr vs. ORtg" aria-label="Scatter Plot" id="datawrapper-chart-2Seuc" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/2Seuc/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="369" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>This isn't to say shooting a lot of threes is bad, but it would appear that past a certain point, the returns start to diminish.All teams have to play in a way that optimizes their personnel, and for some that means shooting more threes than others. No other team could do what Denver currently does with so little shooting on the roster, but many can thrive on the lower end of the volume spectrum. The Knicks, for example, have an offense that ranks as the 10th-best all time relative to league average, despite sitting 23rd in 3-point attempt rate.So, while there are reasons to doubt the Nuggets' championship prospects, those reasons should largely be confined to the defensive side of the ball. At the offensive end, they're rolling, and they're doing so in a way that feels more stable than most because they're less vulnerable to the whims of jump-shooting variance. It's possible this limitation will ultimately contribute to their undoing in the playoffs. For now, it's more fun to indulge the idea that maybe, just maybe, we're seeing a team score efficiently because of - not in spite of - its resistance to 3-point proliferation.Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30056058/related

Why the Nuggets don't need to shoot a ton of 3s to have an elite offense

Acommon misconception about today's NBA is that as teams and players have mastered the art of eff...

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/29961877/related

How guards and centers are adapting to cross-matching defense

You wouldn't know it from the way people talk about the New York Knicks' defense - or, frankly, f...

You wouldn't know it from the way people talk about the New York Knicks' defense - or, frankly, from how it looks on some nights - but they rank sixth in the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions since the start of December.That's pretty impressive work from a team that starts limited defenders at both the one and the five, and it's a far cry from how the Knicks performed on that end of the court for the first six weeks of the season, after which they ranked 23rd.Their true talent level on defense probably lies between those extremes, which is illustrated by the fact that their run of success has merely pulled them up to league average. Still, it's notable when a team that's this good offensively proves capable of defending at a borderline top-five level for an extended stretch (even if that coincided with a pretty soft schedule). For the record, New York's 119.4 offensive rating is 7.3 points per 100 possessions better than league average, making it (for now) one of the 20 best relative offenses in NBA history, per Basketball Reference.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>It's a little reminiscent of what happened a couple years ago with the Denver Nuggets, a similarly fearsome offensive team - also built around a dominant guard-big pairing - that managed a <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/2544182">similar defensive turnaround</a> after a disastrous start. They too had to scheme around a center who was limited as a rim-protector and defender in space. They figured it out - albeit using different tactics than New York is using - and their improvements turned out to be sustainable, as they romped to the title with the league's fourth-ranked playoff defense. (Last year's West-winning Mavericks are another example, though their turnaround was powered by a couple of key midseason transactions.)That's not to say these Knicks will win the 2025 championship. For as extraordinary as he's been in his first year in New York, Karl-Anthony Towns is not Nikola Jokic. And maybe more to the point, the Knicks are playing in a conference that's a lot tougher (at least at the top) than the one Denver ripped through. Those Nuggets never had to contend with a team remotely comparable to this year's Cavaliers or Celtics. Or this year's Thunder, for that matter, which might be a consideration if New York can somehow overcome those daunting East foes.But just because the Knicks aren't favorites to win the title or even their own conference doesn't mean they don't deserve to be taken seriously as contenders. That might feel like an obvious statement about a team that's on pace to win 52 games and ranks fifth in the league with a plus-6.5 net rating halfway through the season, but it wouldn't be the case without their recent run of high-level defensive play. So let's examine where and how they've improved, and what those improvements mean in the big picture.When a team makes a sudden defensive shift in one direction or another, it's helpful to start by looking at their opponent shooting to gauge how much variance may be involved. In this case, the answer is some, but not a lot. Knicks opponents have shot 37% from 3-point range since the start of December, which is the 10th-highest mark allowed over that stretch. On long mid-rangers, however, opponents have shot just 29.5%, which is the lowest in the league by a mile. If their opponents had shot exactly league average from both those zones, the Knicks' defense would rank 10th during this period rather than sixth - still a considerable improvement from where they started the season.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765707/cropped_GettyImages-2182655945.jpg?ts=1737043296" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765707/w220xh124_GettyImages-2182655945.jpg?ts=1737043296 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765707/w320xh180_GettyImages-2182655945.jpg?ts=1737043296 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765707/w640xh360_GettyImages-2182655945.jpg?ts=1737043296 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765707/w768xh432_GettyImages-2182655945.jpg?ts=1737043296 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765707/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2182655945.jpg?ts=1737043296 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Scott Cunningham / NBA / Getty</figcaption></figure>They've made their biggest gains on the interior, and that starts with the man in the middle. Towns has been one of the five best offensive players in basketball this year, but after spending two seasons starting at power forward next to Rudy Gobert in Minnesota, his move back to playing the five full time posed some defensive problems for his new team. Namely, opponents shot 76.7% against him <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*towns&amp;DateFrom=&amp;DateTo=11/30/2024">at the rim</a> through November. For reference, the highest percentage allowed by a qualified big man in the 12 years that NBA.com has tracked those numbers is 70.3%, conceded by Nemanja Bjelica in 2019-20. So, yeah, really bad.Since the start of December, though, that's come down to 61.1% - not great by any means, but passable enough that it won't sink a defense by itself. It's almost identical to Rockets center Alperen Sengun's season-long mark (61.6%), for example, and Sengun mans the five for the league's third-ranked defense. And New York's 107.1 defensive rating with Towns on court since Dec. 1 (down from 115.9 beforehand) is right in line with Houston's overall mark.The fact that Towns is no longer tissue paper on the back line is particularly important given the way New York has shifted its priority toward taking away threes in recent weeks, accepting an uptick in opponent rim shots as a consequence. After allowing the league's fourth-highest rate of 3-point attempts through November, they've allowed the third-lowest 3-point rate since, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/shots?season=2024&amp;seasontype=regseason&amp;start=12/1/2024&amp;end=10/15/2025#tab-defense_shooting_frequency">Cleaning the Glass</a>. In short, they're funneling more guys toward Towns at the rim, and he's doing a much better job of turning them away.The Knicks have experimented with up-to-touch and hard-hedging pick-and-roll coverages, but they've mostly deployed Towns in a deep drop. That's a bit of a departure from his last few years with the Timberwolves, who regularly brought him up higher on the floor to try to mitigate his limitations around the rim. Towns hasn't done a great job of containing the ball when he's played those more aggressive coverages this season, but maybe we'll see more of it when Mitchell Robinson gets back and the two bigs play together. We've seen it work on the rare occasions when Towns and Precious Achiuwa share the court.In the meantime, the Knicks have increased their emphasis on stunting aggressively from one pass away against middle pick-and-rolls to protect the Towns drop:<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765705/cropped_Screenshot_2025-01-16_at_12.16.08_AM.jpg?ts=1737042962" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765705/w220xh124_Screenshot_2025-01-16_at_12.16.08_AM.jpg?ts=1737042962 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765705/w320xh180_Screenshot_2025-01-16_at_12.16.08_AM.jpg?ts=1737042962 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765705/w640xh360_Screenshot_2025-01-16_at_12.16.08_AM.jpg?ts=1737042962 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765705/w768xh432_Screenshot_2025-01-16_at_12.16.08_AM.jpg?ts=1737042962 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765705/w1080xh607_Screenshot_2025-01-16_at_12.16.08_AM.jpg?ts=1737042962 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> TNT</figcaption></figure>Their conservatism means they don't force a lot of turnovers, but they don't allow many second chances either - and that's largely thanks to Towns, who's hauling in a league-leading 10.9 defensive boards per game. New York has a 73.8% defensive rebound rate with him on the floor (which would rank first in the league) and 70% with him on the bench (which would rank 23rd).The Knicks' early-season defensive wobbles weren't Towns' fault alone. They also had a lot to do with New York's other big offseason acquisition, a wing for whom they shelled out five first-round draft picks in part because of his defensive reputation. Mikal Bridges' reworked, funky-looking jumper attracted a lot of scrutiny at the start of the campaign, overshadowing his more worrisome decline on defense. He struggled badly with screen navigation and overall dribble contaimment, which were supposed to be his calling cards.Those struggles exacerbated Towns' limitations. Not only was the big man often left in tough one-on-two situations as a result, but he was also often forced into undesirable switches due to Bridges' inability or unwillingness to fight through screens.That's still happening more often than the Knicks would like like, but while Bridges still hasn't come close to the standard he set during his Suns days (and may never do so again), his on-ball defense has improved dramatically in recent weeks, especially his efforts in rear-view pursuit. Compare his passivity and the way he capitulated on screens against Tyrese Haliburton back in November ...<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765727/preview.png?ts=1737047047" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" playsinline="" controls="" onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765727/animation.mp4?ts=1737047047" type="video/mp4"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765727/animation.webm?ts=1737047047" type="video/webm"> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </source></source></video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> FanDuel Sports Network</figcaption></figure>... to the way he pressed up, got skinny, and worked to stay in contact with Damian Lillard and Cade Cunningham this past week:<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765766/preview.png?ts=1737056590" loop muted autoplay playsinline controls onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765766/animation.mp4?ts=1737056590" type="video/mp4"></source> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/765766/animation.webm?ts=1737056590" type="video/webm"></source> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> MSG</figcaption></figure>Again, there are still some ugly possessions, and this recent version of Bridges still isn't the defender the Knicks probably thought they were getting. But simply not being a liability has gone a long way: His on-court defensive rating was 117.6 through November, and it's down to 108.8 since then.Early in the season, stalwart stopper OG Anunoby was stretched thin trying to handle his own assignments while also covering for Towns, Jalen Brunson, and Bridges.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
OG Anunoby is such a damn good defender <a href="https://t.co/3jK4X85oNW">pic.twitter.com/3jK4X85oNW</a>— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1856761073661059340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2024</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Anunoby is still carrying an immense defensive workload, but he doesn't have to put out quite as many fires as he did back in October and November. He and the perpetually rock-solid Josh Hart are responsible for most of the team's event creation, averaging 4.3 stocks (steals plus blocks) and 5.9 deflections per game between them. They can both overhelp at times in pursuit of defensive playmaking opportunities, but the benefits of their activity level outweigh the downsides.Brunson is inherently limited at that end of the floor, but at least he has one defensive superpower: drawing offensive fouls. He's drawn 32 of them this season, which is 23 more than any other Knick and ranks second in the league behind only Toumani Camara.The Knicks have also gotten solid defensive contributions from their bench. That may be surprising considering that two of the three reserves who actually play real rotation minutes are 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3, but Miles McBride and Cameron Payne have been genuine positives on that end - McBride with his feistiness at the point of attack, Payne with heady rotations and active hands digging down on drives. Achiuwa's return at the start of December relegated Jericho Sims to mop-up duty, and while Sims has excelled as a rim-protector (45.3% allowed at the basket), Achiuwa is a much more versatile defender.Whether the Knicks can sustain this defensive level as their schedule gets tougher is an open question. Ugly recent losses to the Bulls, Pistons, Thunder, and shorthanded Magic revealed fissures that hearken back to their early-season woes. The starters' trademark Tom Thibodeau minutes load may be catching up to them. They still don't have a great solution for Brunson getting hunted in crunch time (which was how the Pistons pulled away down the stretch of Monday night's game). Rim-protection will remain a concern until Robinson returns.But these Knicks weren't built to be elite defensively; they were built to be good enough on that end to let their overpowering offense carry the day, and over the last six weeks, that's exactly what we've seen. Doubts are warranted, but that's been a formula for major success in the recent past.Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

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Knicks' quietly improved defense makes them look like contenders

It's not like we needed further proof the ascendent Cleveland Cavaliers are a force to be reckone...

It's not like we needed further proof the ascendent Cleveland Cavaliers are a force to be reckoned with. They <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3129495" href="https://thescore.com/news/3129495">proved as much</a> over the first 35 games of the season, going 31-4 with a plus-11.5 net rating and establishing themselves as one of the best offensive teams in NBA history.But Wednesday night's showdown against the equally impressive Oklahoma City Thunder - who were riding a 15-game win streak (in non-NBA Cup games) and coming off back-to-back victories over the two other Eastern Conference contenders in the Knicks and Celtics - was a measuring-stick game all the same. And the Cavs used that opportunity to demonstrate how much they've grown.Putting up a 127.7 offensive rating in a game in 2025 typically isn't news, but there's nothing typical about doing it against OKC. The Thunder came into the game allowing only 102.7 points per 100 possessions. Despite being without their best defender in Chet Holmgren since game 10, they own the best defensive rating relative to league average since the 1963-64 Celtics, per Basketball Reference.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The Cavs, for their part, own the second-best era-adjusted offense of all time, behind only the 2003-04 Mavericks. But that alone guaranteed nothing against the Thunder. To wit, the Celtics and Knicks came into their own clashes with OKC this week as the fourth- and fifth-best relative offenses in history, and after those two games, the Thunder's defensive rating improved. Without Holmgren or Alex Caruso, they held New York's offense 13.1 points per 100 possessions below its season average, then lopped 25.6 points per 100 off Boston's average.No such luck against the rip-roaring Cavs, who produced the second-highest offensive rating against OKC this season and by far the highest in any game where the Thunder had one of their centers available. And that was despite Cleveland's best offensive player, Donovan Mitchell, scoring only 11 points on 3-for-16 shooting.The Cavs' leading scorers were Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the two non-shooting bigs who so many people said couldn't function side-by-side in today's NBA, let alone dominate a historically elite defense. They combined for 46 points on 17-for-24 shooting, and Cleveland had a 134.1 offensive rating in their shared minutes. They combined for 21 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. Perhaps most importantly, they combined for 13 assists, with four being high-lows delivered to one another. Their short-roll playmaking was essential to countering OKC's aggressive pick-and-roll coverages, which frequently put two on the ball and pre-rotated low tags behind the play. Those coverages were a big part of the reason Mitchell and Darius Garland had underwhelming scoring nights, but it didn't matter because Allen and Mobley tore them apart on the back side. (As an aside: this was a game when you could really feel how much the Thunder missed Holmgren, and it would've been an ideal matchup for them to give their own two-big look a lot of run.) On top of making quick decisions and slick on-the-move passes in 4-on-3 scenarios, both bigs demonstrated their vastly improved ability to forcefully finish those plays over and around and through tagging defenders. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yoNugHsCH3A?si=g_GhUvp54U0mFbWa" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>On the rare occasions the Thunder relented and allowed Isaiah Hartenstein to switch onto the ball, they struggled to keep Mobley and especially Allen off the offensive glass. The two of them helped generate a five-shot possession in crunch time that ultimately proved to be the backbreaker for OKC. The possession started at the 2:03 mark of the fourth quarter, with the Cavs up two. It ended at the 1:07 mark with the Cavs up five, after Mobley drove right at Hartenstein's chest and finished a wrong-foot floater over him. It's hard not to compare how Allen and Mobley look now to how they looked back in their first-round series against the Knicks in 2023, the lowest moment for this iteration of the Cavs. New York defended Cleveland's pick-and-rolls very similarly to how OKC did, and the Cavs averaged 0.49 points on possessions finished by roll men in the series, with Mobley shooting 0-for-10 with two turnovers on that play type. He and Allen threw wayward lobs, flung up awkward hooks and floaters, or record-scratched and let advantages disappear. Less than two years later, they combined to shoot 15-for-17 inside the restricted area and dish seven short-roll assists in a high-profile game against the league's second-best rim defense (after their own).Of course, Mitchell and Garland deserve immense credit for creating a lot of those opportunities. While Mobley did a lot of his own creation (like the aforementioned iso bucket on Hartenstein, and a wicked bully drive on Jalen Williams a few minutes earlier that drew help and opened up a skip pass for a Dean Wade three), it was largely Cleveland's guards bending the Thunder defense out of shape. They did that with the latent threat of their pull-up threes, but also with their relentless dribble penetration, their sharp and proactive passing, and the incredible pace with which they ran the offense, both in transition and in the half court. Against a ball-pressuring defense designed to generate takeaways, they combined for three turnovers.Plaudits are also owed to Kenny Atkinson and his staff, who had their team extremely well prepared for what awaited them. They drew up brilliant play designs, layering their actions with scripted screens and cuts to turn OKC's help principles against them in a way no team's been able to do this season.The very first play of the game provided a glimpse of what was to come. The Cavs started out with a Garland-Wade pick-and-roll to get Cason Wallace switched off Garland, then immediately flowed into a Garland-Allen pick-and-roll while Wade cut through to the weak-side corner and Mobley lifted from corner to slot. Garland pocket pass, Allen kickout, Wade three. Things carried on in similar fashion, with multiple ball screens initiating Cavs possessions and baseline cuts often ending them. They frequently ran a high-horns action with ball screens on either side for Garland and Mitchell, confusing OKC's low help responsibilities. They found success starting Mobley in the weak-side corner and then having him cut behind the tag when Garland and Allen ran side pick-and-rolls. They used flare screens, hammer screens, and stampede cuts that made it almost impossible for the Thunder to help and recover. They created 33 rim shots and 14 corner threes, both numbers representing 100th-percentile volume.It was just one game, much is still to be determined, and no meaningful hardware is won in the winter (with apologies to the Bucks). But this contest was still illustrative of an important reality, especially on the heels of a game in which the Thunder suffocated the Celtics' offense with its five-out spacing and big-wing initiation: Despite the rush to mint that Boston blueprint as the ideal way to build a modern winner, and despite all the doubts about how successful a team led by two small guards and two non-spacing bigs can be, these Cavs keep showing that their own team build can stand up to any challenge.If nothing else, they should be convincing people to keep more of an open mind about the different paths to championship contention.

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How Cavs' historic offense cracked Thunder's historic defense

To cap our Eras project, we select and celebrate the immense achievements of the 25 most signific...

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The 25 greatest athletes of the last 25 years

When Brook Lopez arrived in the summer of 2018, he helped transform the Milwaukee Bucks and prove...

When Brook Lopez arrived in the summer of 2018, he helped transform the Milwaukee Bucks and proved to be the perfect frontcourt companion for Giannis Antetokounmpo. At one end of the floor, the two formed the bedrock of the best defenses in basketball, a pair of gigantic watchdogs prowling the paint and safeguarding the rim in their own unique ways. At the other end, Lopez's newfound role as a stretch-five opened up the court for Antetokounmpo's devastating rim runs.The Bucks strayed from their longstanding defensive identity last season following their offseason trade of Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard, slipping to 19th after several years of top-five finishes. They looked old, slow, and disorganized. And the first three weeks of this season brought more of the same; the Bucks lost eight of their first 10 games while running the league's eighth-worst defense.That start feels like a distant memory now that the Bucks have won 13 of their last 16 games and leapt up to 13th in defensive efficiency. The most recent of those wins didn't even register in the standings, but it was easily the most impressive of the bunch - a 97-81 beatdown of the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup final, with Khris Middleton in street clothes. And while contributions came from all over the roster - Lillard was awesome, Andre Jackson Jr. hounded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander up and down the floor, Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green made timely shots and battled on defense - the standout performances came from the frontcourt tandem that's been bludgeoning opponents for the last seven seasons.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>With Chet Holmgren on the shelf, the Thunder didn't have the size to match up with Lopez and Antetokounmpo. They stuck center Isaiah Hartenstein on Lopez and used a rotating cast of wings - mostly Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, and Alex Caruso - to check Giannis. The Bucks responded by initiating a lot of their offense through him in the post. He went right through those smaller defenders for layups or free throws, and when the Thunder doubled him, he took advantage with some very sharp passing.Antetokounmpo finished with 10 assists, and that doesn't account for the hockey assists he picked up with post skips to the weak side, like the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=589&amp;GameID=0062400001&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Lillard%2027%27%203PT%20Pullup%20Jump%20Shot%20(23%20PTS)%20(Trent%20Jr.%201%20AST)">one that got Lillard a dagger three</a> off a Trent swing in the fourth quarter. OKC built a wall against him in transition, but he did a great job countering that, too, including tossing a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=92&amp;GameID=0062400001&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Portis%2027%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot%20(3%20PTS)%20(Antetokounmpo%201%20AST)">slick live-dribble feed</a> to Bobby Portis for a trail three in the first. The Thunder basically had no answer for Giannis at either end, and watching them struggle to come up with one was a strange sensation because they usually have an answer for everything. You could see how the threat of his interior scoring sowed panic and threw OKC's defense out of its usually crisp help-and-rotate patterns. Here, for example, Gilgeous-Alexander and Hartenstein saw the post mismatch and decided to help at the same time, leading to an accidental triple-team that gifted Lopez an easy score:<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761298/preview.png?ts=1734546435" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" playsinline="" controls="" onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761298/animation.mp4?ts=1734546435" type="video/mp4"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761298/animation.webm?ts=1734546435" type="video/webm"> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </source></source></video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> ESPN</figcaption></figure>That was one of two layups Lopez got by throwing the post entry to Giannis and cutting from the top, and Giannis got <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=297&amp;GameID=0062400001&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Antetokounmpo%202%27%20Alley%20Oop%20Layup%20(14%20PTS)%20(Lopez%201%20AST)">a lob finish of his own</a> when the two ran a similar action with roles reversed on the other side of the floor. Whether it was Blind Pig, 4-5 pick-and-roll, or basic high-low passing, their big-to-big synergy was on point. Lopez also shot 3-for-6 from long range and buried a pair of deep triples in quick succession to effectively put the game out of reach with Antetokounmpo on the bench to start the fourth.It was at the defensive end, though, that the two of them truly took over. The Thunder being completely unable to hit a three was the biggest hindrance to their offense, but they were also forced to rely on jump-shooting because they couldn't get anything at the rim with Antetokounmpo and Lopez patrolling the back line. They attempted just 18 shots in the restricted area (compared to 34 non-rim 2-pointers) and made just 10 of them.They also only got up 32 threes (compared to their season average of 40) because Milwaukee's perimeter defenders could press up and guide OKC's ball-handlers into the bear trap waiting for them inside. On a mid-range-heavy diet, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with just 21 points and two assists on 29 total used possessions. Williams finished with 18 and three on 23 possessions. The Thunder scored 31 points in the second half.At 36 years old, playing alongside an all-time great defender, and playing against one of the best defensive teams in NBA history, Lopez still managed to be the most impactful defender on the floor. When he wasn't <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=496&amp;GameID=0062400001&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Gilgeous-Alexander%20Bad%20Pass%20Turnover%20(P2.T8)">swallowing up drivers</a> in his typical deep-drop coverage, he was mixing things up with hard shows and even the occasional switch, proving plenty capable of hanging with OKC's guards:<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Milwaukee having Brook Lopez switch pick and roll in the second half. One of my favorite subplots of this season is Brook switching, seeing the drive and immediately spinning to get to the rim. <a href="https://t.co/9vIUDCCEyB">pic.twitter.com/9vIUDCCEyB</a>— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1869220405824872863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>This play was subtler, but it was an incredible on-the-fly read from Lopez. He anticipated Gilgeous-Alexander's back cut against the top lock and swooped down to cut him off, forcing a mid-range miss on a play that probably creates a layup attempt nine times out of 10:<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761299/preview.png?ts=1734546414" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" playsinline="" controls="" onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761299/animation.mp4?ts=1734546414" type="video/mp4"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761299/animation.webm?ts=1734546414" type="video/webm"> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </source></source></video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> ESPN</figcaption></figure>Most of the Thunder's pick-and-rolls were guard-guard actions designed to attack Trent or Lillard, but the Bucks survived those because of <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=500&amp;GameID=0062400001&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Wallace%20Bad%20Pass%20Turnover%20(P1.T9)">the help they got from their bigs</a> on the back side.Giannis spent the game guarding Caruso and Dort, and that allowed him to roam to his heart's content, mucking up drives and rim-rolls at every turn: <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761293/cropped_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.38.12_PM.jpg?ts=1734545702" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761293/w220xh124_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.38.12_PM.jpg?ts=1734545702 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761293/w320xh180_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.38.12_PM.jpg?ts=1734545702 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761293/w640xh360_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.38.12_PM.jpg?ts=1734545702 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761293/w768xh432_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.38.12_PM.jpg?ts=1734545702 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761293/w1080xh607_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.38.12_PM.jpg?ts=1734545702 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> ESPN</figcaption></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761294/cropped_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.37.10_PM.jpg?ts=1734545713" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761294/w220xh124_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.37.10_PM.jpg?ts=1734545713 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761294/w320xh180_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.37.10_PM.jpg?ts=1734545713 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761294/w640xh360_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.37.10_PM.jpg?ts=1734545713 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761294/w768xh432_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.37.10_PM.jpg?ts=1734545713 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761294/w1080xh607_Screenshot_2024-12-18_at_12.37.10_PM.jpg?ts=1734545713 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> ESPN</figcaption></figure>He also spent the game making second-effort plays like <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=473&amp;GameID=0062400001&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=MISS%20K.%20Williams%201%27%20Layup">this</a>. And this: <figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Giannis SWAT. ❌ He's doing it all right now as the Bucks take a 13-point lead into the 4th... 🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EmiratesNBACup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EmiratesNBACup</a> Championship 📺 MIL/OKC on ABC <a href="https://t.co/2uAOfN0sd6">pic.twitter.com/2uAOfN0sd6</a>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1869223581214978201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Sheesh. He tacked on a couple more emphatic blocks for fun late in the fourth, as Milwaukee comfortably closed things out and won the second annual Cup. Giannis finished with a 26-point, 19-rebound triple-double that included five stocks. And he served notice (if his play over the last month hadn't already) that Nikola Jokic has company in the early MVP race.The victory, eye-opening as it might've been, doesn't erase the many genuine concerns about the Bucks' ability to meaningfully contend for the real prize this season. But when you see what their starting frontcourt is still capable of, and what they just did to a team that has a strong claim to being the best in the NBA, it's hard not to feel a tinge of optimism. If the two of them can keep playing (and especially defending) at this level, anything feels possible. Even for this aging, oft-shambolic team that's liable to leak oil on the perimeter.Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

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The Bucks' frontcourt lets them keep dreaming

The Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets are in Las Vegas r...

The Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets are in Las Vegas ready to duke it out for the second annual NBA Cup. With the semifinals set to tip off Saturday night, here's one interesting player to keep an eye on for each remaining team.<h3>Middleton makes the Bucks make sense </h3>Khris Middleton has looked a bit rusty as a scorer since returning from double ankle surgery and making his season debut last week. He's on a minutes restriction that's kept him to 21 per night, he doesn't fully have his legs under his jumper, and he's been tentative as a driver, with just two of his 20 field-goal attempts coming at the rim. He's hit just five of those 20 shots and is averaging 7.3 points in his three games back after going scoreless in Milwaukee's win over Orlando in the Cup quarterfinals.And yet, it's hard to overstate how much Middleton's steady hand has helped connect the dots and smooth things out for a Bucks team that often looked shambolic without him. Just having another capable ball-handler and passer who can pilot the offense has been a huge boon, both with and without Damian Lillard on the floor. Having him as a co-creator will be all the more important with Lillard presumably being shadowed by Dyson Daniels in the semis. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/626698/cropped_GettyImages-2150115501.jpg?ts=1734042264" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/626698/w220xh124_GettyImages-2150115501.jpg?ts=1734042264 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/626698/w320xh180_GettyImages-2150115501.jpg?ts=1734042264 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/626698/w640xh360_GettyImages-2150115501.jpg?ts=1734042264 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/626698/w768xh432_GettyImages-2150115501.jpg?ts=1734042264 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/626698/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2150115501.jpg?ts=1734042264 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Ron Hoskins / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>For now, Middleton is coming off the bench and basically serving as the team's backup point guard. In that role, he's averaging 6.3 assists per game, or 10.9 per 36 minutes. Even with his aforementioned scoring struggles, Milwaukee has won his minutes by 19.1 points per 100 possessions, with a 128.8 offensive rating. Part of that can be attributed to how tightly Doc Rivers has tethered him to Giannis Antetokounmpo; of Middleton's 63 minutes, 61 have come with Antetokounmpo on the court. As such, 13 of his 19 assists have gone to Antetokounmpo, mostly out of the pick-and-roll.While Lillard and Antetokounmpo have refined their chemistry over time, Giannis' two-man game with Middleton has always been more effective. Reuniting the pair has allowed Antetokounmpo to relinquish some of his onerous initiating responsibilities and lean much further into play-finishing. When he plays without Middleton, 62% of his 2-point field goals are unassisted. When Middleton's on the floor with him, that proportion of self-created twos shrinks all the way down to 23%.At 33 years old and after multiple lower-body surgeries, Middleton obviously isn't the on-ball defender he once was. But he's still a smart team defender who helps on that end simply by being in the right place at the right time (something that can't always be said for Gary Trent Jr. or Taurean Prince). On two separate occasions in Tuesday's quarterfinal, he forced turnovers on back-to-back possessions with heady off-ball plays.In the first half, he picked off an Anthony Black skip pass while playing the weak-side zone and followed it up by sliding over to draw a charge on a cutting Wendell Carter Jr. In the second half, he stunted from the slot and stripped Black coming off a corner dribble-handoff, then on the next possession dug down for a steal on a driving Moe Wagner while playing on the bottom end of a 2-3 zone. He followed up both of those second-half steals by setting Antetokounmpo up for dunks at the other end.His scoring will come around eventually. For now, it's just great to see him back on the court, contributing in myriad other ways. <h3>Hartenstein fills in the blanks for OKC </h3>All the reasons the Thunder saw fit to shell out a big free-agent contract to Isaiah Hartenstein have been on display since the big man returned from a hand fracture three weeks ago, and they were there for everyone to see in the team's quarterfinal win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder lost to the Mavericks in the second round this past spring after getting beat up on the glass and generally overwhelmed physically. On Tuesday night, it was the exact opposite. While Hartenstein wasn't the sole reason for that, he certainly had a lot to do with OKC turning the tables on Dallas, which included winning the offensive rebounding battle 17-7.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/750257/cropped_GettyImages-2177954475.jpg?ts=1734042185" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/750257/w220xh124_GettyImages-2177954475.jpg?ts=1734042185 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/750257/w320xh180_GettyImages-2177954475.jpg?ts=1734042185 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/750257/w640xh360_GettyImages-2177954475.jpg?ts=1734042185 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/750257/w768xh432_GettyImages-2177954475.jpg?ts=1734042185 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/750257/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2177954475.jpg?ts=1734042185 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Bart Young / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Hartenstein, whose proficiency as a rebounder was a huge part of why he was acquired, hauled in five of those 17 O-boards, on top of all the pointy-elbowed work he did to limit second chances on the defensive end. Before he returned to the lineup, the Thunder ranked dead last in the NBA in overall rebound rate (46.3%). Their rebound rate with him on the floor (52.4%) would rank second. That's going to be pretty important in the semifinals against the Rockets, who happen to lead the league in that category.Hartenstein also showcased his defensive coverage versatility and rim-protecting chops, holding the Mavs to 1-for-5 shooting at the basket while also containing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the perimeter with hard shows in ball-screen action. Blitzing Doncic is a dangerous tactic, but Hartenstein's mobility and back-line deterrence made it pay off. For the season, the Thunder's opponent rim frequency dips by 8.1 percentage points, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4469/onoff#tab-opp_shooting_freq">Cleaning the Glass</a>. Among players challenging at least five rim shots per game, only six guys have allowed a lower percentage on those shots than Hartenstein (50.9%), and one of them is Chet Holmgren.At the offensive end, second-chance generation is just one way Hartenstein helps the Thunder. They take advantage of his passing chops by running a ton of Delay action through him at the top of the floor, which throws a different wrench at defenses after being largely absent from OKC's toolkit last season. He leads the team by a mile in frontcourt touches per game, averaging about 12 more than Holmgren was getting before his injury. And to the earlier point about their physicality shift, he brings a screening presence the Thunder previously lacked. For all his gifts, Holmgren has a hard time making solid contact without getting dislodged due to his slender frame and is often more interested in slipping than truly connecting.There's more than one way to create space as a big man. Holmgren does it by drawing opposing centers out of the paint with his jump-shooting ability; Hartenstein does it by laying lumber and wiping on-ball defenders out of the picture. The latter has proved just as beneficial as the former for lead guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams - especially for Williams, who's a bit more reliant on screens to create good shots for himself. Gilgeous-Alexander's true shooting percentage jumps from 61% to 63.4% with Hartenstein on the floor, while Williams' spikes from 58.8% to 60.6%.On top of making life easier for others, Hartenstein is an effective - if unconventional - pick-and-roll finisher. He has, without exaggeration, one of the five most accurate push shots in the league. He's taken 48% of his shots from floater range this season, the highest frequency for any qualified player, and made 52% of them. He's developed crackling two-man chemistry with Williams, whose tempo and patience help guide him not only into those short-roll floaters but into the occasional lob dunk. The two of them linked up for three alley-oops against the Rockets the last time the two teams played.Hartenstein's matchup with Houston's offensive fulcrum, Alperen Sengun, will be fascinating to watch at both ends and will have a lot to say about which team advances to the Cup final.<h3>Hunter leveling up for the Hawks </h3>Atlanta is the most surprising entry in the Cup's Final Four, and there's excitement building over a team that looks and feels different from its past iterations.A lot of that excitement centers on the Hawks' more novel components, from the outrageous defense being played by trade import Dyson Daniels, to the continuing evolution of young playmaking forward Jalen Johnson, to the encouraging two-way flashes shown by No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. Quietly, though, one of the most important developments for the team this season involves one of its longtime holdovers: a post-hype wing who's finally fulfilling his potential while transitioning to a sixth-man role in his age-27 campaign.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758567/cropped_GettyImages-2187450894.jpg?ts=1734042098" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758567/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187450894.jpg?ts=1734042098 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758567/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187450894.jpg?ts=1734042098 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758567/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187450894.jpg?ts=1734042098 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758567/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187450894.jpg?ts=1734042098 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758567/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187450894.jpg?ts=1734042098 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Scott Cunningham / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>De'Andre Hunter was once an intriguing two-way prospect in his own right, but as injuries piled up, his growth stagnated. Over five mildly disappointing campaigns, his defense waxed and waned, his jumper came and went, and more than anything, his offensive decision-making lagged behind. He did make some strides in that department last season, but this year represents a quantum leap by comparison. This is a considerably more assured, more decisive, more forceful version of Hunter than we've ever seen.It obviously helps that he's shooting 45% from deep, and it's fair to wonder how different things will look when that inevitably regresses. But it feels just as important that Hunter is letting those threes fly - or attacking the closeouts he's garnering - with conviction and without hesitation. Gone are the record-scratches and meandering dribbles to nowhere. In their place are stampede cuts and straight-line drives. His handle also looks more fluid on the rare occasions that he moves horizontally with the ball. The upshot is that he's not only taking a higher rate of threes than ever, he also has by far the highest free-throw rate of his career. He's almost entirely excised long mid-rangers from his diet; they account for just 6% of his field-goal attempts this season, less than half his previous career-low frequency. Pull-up jumpers in general make up just 23% of his shots, the lowest proportion of his career and down from over 30% each of the last two years. And he's shooting 71% at the rim, besting his career high of 64%.Add it all up, and Hunter is the NBA's leading bench scorer at 19.6 points per game (25.4 per 36 minutes) on 63.8% true shooting. He's still a maddeningly inconsistent defender, especially off the ball, and he's never going to be any kind of playmaker. But he appears to have settled into his ideal offensive role, and the Hawks are scoring 7.2 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. He's scored 20 or more points in seven of his last eight games, and against a Bucks team that's extremely light on perimeter defense, he should be poised to make it eight of nine.<h3>Brooks binds Houston's defense</h3>There are <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3152008" href="https://thescore.com/news/3152008">lots of reasons</a> the Rockets currently rate as the second-best defensive team in the NBA: their creative head coach, their army of young octopus-armed chaos agents, and their 6-foot veteran point guard. But Dillon Brooks, whose arrival last season kickstarted the transformation of what was then the league's second-worst defense, is still the glue that binds the structure together.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758470/cropped_GettyImages-2187778921.jpg?ts=1734066229" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758470/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187778921.jpg?ts=1734066229 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758470/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187778921.jpg?ts=1734066229 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758470/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187778921.jpg?ts=1734066229 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758470/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187778921.jpg?ts=1734066229 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758470/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187778921.jpg?ts=1734066229 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Alex Slitz / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>"We're only as good as our one-on-one defense," Ime Udoka told <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2024/11/25/nba/houston-rockets-defense-ime-udoka">The Ringer's Michael Pina</a>, and for as dynamic and disruptive as Amen Thompson and Tari Eason are, the Rockets have no better one-on-one irritant than Brooks, whether he's manning up a point guard or a center. They allow 9.8 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, the largest differential on the team. Brooks isn't an event creator the way Thompson, Eason, or even Fred VanVleet is. He's more of an event preventer. His impact lies in the things that don't happen, the plays that don't materialize because of his ball denial and ability to stay stapled to ball-handlers' hips. He doesn't get many steals, but he'll still force turnovers by drawing moving-screen violations because he's adept at evading stationary picks.As such, the task of trying to corral the tornado that is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will largely fall to him in the semis. He did an admirable job of it in the teams' last meeting, which Houston won, despite SGA shaking loose for 32 points.Brooks has also been by far the most accurate 3-point shooter (38.1%) on one of the league's worst 3-point shooting teams. Against a Thunder defense that swarms the middle and concedes a ton of threes, the Rockets will rely on him to make them pay for their aggressive help. So, in short, he'll be central to what transpires at both ends of the floor.Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/29413848/related

1 player to watch on each NBA Cup semifinalist

It's hard to know how to evaluate the Golden State Warriors. After an offseason that marked somet...

It's hard to know how to evaluate the Golden State Warriors. After an offseason that marked something of a pivot with the departure of Klay Thompson, they got off to a rip-roaring 12-3 start, including a 3-0 record without Steph Curry in the lineup.Steve Kerr showcased the team's depth by running a 12-man rotation, which helped keep everyone fresh enough to execute a demanding new defensive scheme that smothered opponents. Draymond Green was his characteristically brilliant self in the middle of that scheme, Curry was lighting it up at the other end, and Buddy Hield was patching the Thompson-sized shooting hole in their lineup. But they've lost six of their eight games since then, prompting renewed concern about whether the team has enough talent surrounding Curry (who will turn 37 in March) to seriously contend while he's near the top of his game.Even with Green (who'll turn 35 a couple weeks before Curry) still proving capable of anchoring a top-five defense, and Andrew Wiggins bouncing back in a major way, the drop-off from Curry to the next-best player on the roster remains frightfully steep. Golden State's offense is 19.4 points per 100 possessions worse when he isn't on the floor, which is the second-biggest gulf in the league behind only Nikola Jokic's ludicrous 31-point differential, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/players?stat_category=onoff_efficiency">Cleaning the Glass</a>.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>That's why the Warriors, who reportedly pursued Paul George and Lauri Markkanen in the offseason, are once again on the hunt for a second star, according to <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/1865126940589371686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1865126940589371686%7Ctwgr%5Ed26f0f97996e8d9a413fcefdfb2e8f45c4f525d9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sbnation.com%2F2024%2F12%2F7%2F24315146%2Fgolden-state-warriors-trade-rumors-stephen-curry">ESPN's Shams Charania</a>. Most players who signed offseason deals become eligible to be traded Sunday, so that hunt should begin in earnest soon.The front office's head is in the right place. Every season with Curry playing at this level is a gift that can't be taken for granted, and the Warriors have enough pieces to put together an appealing package. They have all their own first-rounders (apart from picks 21-30 in the 2030 draft), a bunch of movable midsize salaries (with five vets landing between $8 million and $13 million), and a quartet of talented young players in Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Trayce Jackson-Davis. (Moody is poison-pilled after signing a rookie extension in the offseason, however, which could make trading him logistically challenging.) Kerr won't be going 12 deep in the playoffs, so it makes sense for the Warriors to try to cash in some of their depth with a consolidation trade.But are there any available and attainable stars who'd actually help pry the Warriors' championship window back open? Let's explore the small handful of options at the top of the market.<h3>Brandon Ingram </h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/744379/cropped_GettyImages-2068297274.jpg?ts=1733930840" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/744379/w220xh124_GettyImages-2068297274.jpg?ts=1733930840 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/744379/w320xh180_GettyImages-2068297274.jpg?ts=1733930840 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/744379/w640xh360_GettyImages-2068297274.jpg?ts=1733930840 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/744379/w768xh432_GettyImages-2068297274.jpg?ts=1733930840 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/744379/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2068297274.jpg?ts=1733930840 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Pelicans shopped Ingram in the summer as they failed to find common ground in extension negotiations, with some roster redundancies and a looming tax crunch bearing down on them. They're in the midst of a season from hell. It doesn't feel like a team needs to bowl them over with an offer in order to pry Ingram loose.The 27-year-old has gamely suited up and produced for a team that's been demolished by injuries, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on solid efficiency while getting threes up at the highest rate of his career. But even before Ingram suffered a severe ankle sprain that's expected to sideline him for several weeks, there were reasons for the Warriors to be wary of pursuing him. While his ability to create off the bounce and shoulder a big scoring load would help, his ball-holding proclivities would be a tough fit with their quick-hitting motion offense.The Warriors do have experience folding in a similarly stringy wing with similar offensive tendencies, but Ingram is not Kevin Durant. (Plus, even Durant created some stylistic clashes with the holdovers of Kerr's system; it just didn't matter because those teams were so talented.) Though Ingram's a very good shooter, he doesn't generate a ton of off-ball gravity because of his aforementioned penchant for holding and probing rather than letting it fly off the catch.Ingram is also a shaky and often inattentive defender, which might make it challenging to plop him into a scheme that thrives on intense ball pressure and the ability to rotate out of trouble.Given Ingram's immense strengths and evident flaws, it's no surprise that he and the Pelicans can't agree on how he should be valued. With free agency a few months away, do the Warriors really want to sign up for that negotiating challenge? Ingram is a very good player, but acquiring him at this stage feels like more trouble than it's worth.<h3>Zach LaVine </h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760105/cropped_GettyImages-1463498401.jpg?ts=1733929967" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760105/w220xh124_GettyImages-1463498401.jpg?ts=1733929967 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760105/w320xh180_GettyImages-1463498401.jpg?ts=1733929967 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760105/w640xh360_GettyImages-1463498401.jpg?ts=1733929967 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760105/w768xh432_GettyImages-1463498401.jpg?ts=1733929967 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760105/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1463498401.jpg?ts=1733929967 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Michael Reaves / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It seems like the Bulls have been trying to trade LaVine forever, but his contract (which has two years and $95 million left on it after this season), injury history, and reputation as an empty-stat merchant have been impediments. He and the Warriors could really help each other, though. As a sweet-shooting slasher who can thrive without the ball and in the open floor, he'd be a fantastic offensive fit.LaVine is shooting 43.2% from deep on 7.7 attempts per game this season and scoring 1.35 points per possession in transition. Consider the fact that the Warriors have outscored opponents by 25.1 points per 100 possessions with Curry and Hield on the floor together. Now imagine a turbocharged version of that pairing that supplements Curry with a comparable shooter and transition scorer to Hield, but with way more athleticism and off-the-dribble juice.Another big selling point is the driving and finishing ability LaVine would bring to a team that struggles to put pressure on the rim. Sending out Kuminga would arguably make that aspect of the deal a wash, but given LaVine's low trade value, the Warriors would probably be able to get him without even putting Kuminga on the table.Wiggins, however, needs to be outbound in basically any scenario for salary-matching purposes, and it's fair to wonder whether such an exchange would actually help the Warriors. It would represent a massive defensive downgrade and leave their small-forward corps extremely depleted. While they've shown the ability to insulate a defensively limited backcourt (they have a 92.5 defensive rating with Curry and Hield on the court), Wiggins is an important component of that insulation.Maybe the combined shooting and offensive firepower of a Curry-LaVine guard tandem would make it more tenable to play Kuminga at the three, which Kerr typically tries to avoid. But that's a big maybe, and there's no guarantee that this would put the team in a meaningfully better spot.<h3>Jimmy Butler </h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760106/cropped_GettyImages-1237527306.jpg?ts=1733930890" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760106/w220xh124_GettyImages-1237527306.jpg?ts=1733930890 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760106/w320xh180_GettyImages-1237527306.jpg?ts=1733930890 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760106/w640xh360_GettyImages-1237527306.jpg?ts=1733930890 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760106/w768xh432_GettyImages-1237527306.jpg?ts=1733930890 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760106/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1237527306.jpg?ts=1733930890 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jed Jacobsohn / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Now we're talking. Who knows how serious the Heat actually are about trading the man who's led them to three conference finals and two Finals appearances in the last five years. But with Butler able to opt out of his deal to become a free agent after this season, Miami is "open to listening to offers," according to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/42878390/shams-charania-nba-pass-trade-intel-jimmy-butler-brandon-ingram-golden-state-warriors">Charania</a>. Golden State should be lighting up the phones.The 35-year-old Butler - who almost never shoots threes, tends to lapse into passivity on offense, and frequently misses time with injuries - is by far the best bet of all the available names to propel the Warriors back into legitimate contention. He's still a dogged defender - an absolute predator in the gaps. He and Green would wreak all kinds of havoc with their combined physicality, intuition, and unpredictability. (They'd also probably enjoy being psychotic competitors together.)At the offensive end, Butler could take some of the creation load off Curry's shoulders. Butler remains an excellent on-ball playmaker - a powerful driver and finisher capable of conjuring buckets out of thin air when the moment demands it. He's also an elite off-ball player despite his lack of 3-point gravity because of his ability and willingness to cut, screen, slip, roll, seal, and connect the dots as a passer on the move. He's shooting a career-high 59% from 2-point range this season, with a free-throw attempt rate that's double that of anyone on the Warriors.One of the smartest players in the league could undoubtedly fit into a read-and-react Golden State offense that demands quick and precise decision-making. Butler has plenty of experience working within an offense that flows out of delay and split action. His limitations as a shooter would make it tough to play him, Green, and a center at the same time, but we've seen Butler's Heat teams navigate similar spacing issues in the past using similar pass-and-cut principles. Besides, in the highest-leverage moments, the Warriors will probably roll with Green at center anyway. Butler would be an ideal wing to fill out those smaller lineups.His age and contract status are legitimate concerns, but the Warriors are (or at least should be) operating on Curry's timeline. Cobbling together the outgoing salary to match the $48 million Butler's making this season would be difficult but not impossible. As for what happens beyond this season, perhaps the Warriors could convince him to pick up his $52-million option for 2025-26 and forestall a long-term commitment. Or maybe they could go the Wolves/Gobert route and extend Butler at a lower average annual value than that option year.Whatever the long-term cost, Butler's short-term impact is probably worth it. He's a two-way playoff monster who'd give the Warriors a legitimate shot to win another ring before their Curry window closes for good. <h3>Ultimate dice rolls</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760107/cropped_GettyImages-2079446780.jpg?ts=1733930924" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760107/w220xh124_GettyImages-2079446780.jpg?ts=1733930924 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760107/w320xh180_GettyImages-2079446780.jpg?ts=1733930924 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760107/w640xh360_GettyImages-2079446780.jpg?ts=1733930924 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760107/w768xh432_GettyImages-2079446780.jpg?ts=1733930924 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760107/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2079446780.jpg?ts=1733930924 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Layne Murdoch Jr. / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Let's say the Warriors don't think the aforementioned options or any other players on the market move the needle enough. If they want to swing for pure upside, there are a couple of chronically injured players who might be attainable, and who - if they can somehow get and stay healthy - would raise Golden State's ceiling in ways no other available player can. I'm talking, of course, about Kawhi Leonard and Zion Williamson.By letting Paul George walk in the offseason, the Clippers showed they're ready to wash their hands of the injury-plagued Kawhi-PG era. They're off to an impressive 14-11 start without Leonard playing a single minute, and they'd surely love to shed the two years and $100 million remaining on his contract beyond this season. Taking that on would be a huge risk for Golden State, but think of the potential reward. Sure, Leonard looked like a shell of himself in the postseason and couldn't make it through Team USA's pre-Olympic training camp, but before that, he played 68 games and made the All-NBA second team. He's still a top-10 player in the league when healthy.Imagine Williamson running either end of a two-man game with Curry, like a souped-up Draymond with a jet pack instead of a backpack. Those two would be unstoppable together and outrageously entertaining to watch. Plus, the next three years of Williamson's contract are <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2023/12/21/zion-williamson-contract-no-longer-guaranteed-final-three-years-clause">no longer guaranteed</a>, so if things didn't work out with the Pelicans star, the Warriors could cut their losses.Realistically, the Warriors won't acquire either player, but it's fun to dream on the possibilities all the same.<h3>Offseason targets</h3>Big-game hunting isn't the Warriors' only option; they could make smaller upgrades and keep most of their powder dry for the summer. There's risk in waiting until Curry's age-38 season to make their big swing, but if they decide they can afford to be more patient, a whole host of alternatives could open up.The Warriors could make another run at Markkanen, who's been a bit disappointing in the first year of his five-year max extension but shouldn't be judged on his performance for a blatantly tanking team. It would make sense to pursue him for all the reasons it made sense to pursue him last summer: He's a special offensive talent for a 7-footer, and he'd be an ideal complement to Steph and Draymond while also representing a bridge to the future.Barring that, maybe the Rockets will decide they want to build around the more athletic pieces of their young core and dispense with Alperen Sengun, who'd be a fascinating fit in Golden State. Pascal Siakam's been on the Warriors' radar in the past; maybe he'll pop up again if the Pacers' season keeps going poorly. Other stars will shake loose due to unforeseen circumstances.Their dream scenario is obviously a disillusioned Giannis Antetokounmpo pushing his way out of Milwaukee after another disappointing Bucks season, but that feels like a pipe dream at the moment. Even if he does demand a trade, it's hard to imagine Golden State putting together the winning offer. That won't stop Warriors fans from imagining the best shooter of all time joining forces with the best interior scorer in a generation for one last run at glory.Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/29394236/related

Which stars make sense as Warriors trade targets?

Just 20 months ago, the Houston Rockets were wrapping up a dismal 22-60 campaign, their third str...

Just 20 months ago, the Houston Rockets were wrapping up a dismal 22-60 campaign, their third straight season finishing in the Western Conference cellar. Now, they're tied for second place in a West that's more competitive than it's been in years, with a 15-8 record that includes a recent statement win over the conference's top team. Their defense has gone from second-worst to second-best in the NBA in that short time, and their net rating has improved from 29th to seventh.It's been an impressive turnaround, propelled by a great coaching hire, timely veteran free-agent signings, and tremendous internal growth. The question now is, how sustainable is the formula that's brought them so much success over the season's first six weeks? How good is this team, really? On defense, they're legit. Nothing feels fluky at that end, where an array of long, strong, versatile defenders work in unison to execute Ime Udoka's rock-solid scheme. The Rockets tend to switch one through four around center Alperen Sengun and usually have Sengun play a high drop when guarding ball screens. They also try to keep the big man out of ball-screen action by cross-matching him onto poor-shooting wings or guards, who are typically less involved in the offense and don't force him to account for as much space.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>That's important, because while Sengun <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2833452" href="https://thescore.com/news/2833452">has improved a lot</a> defensively, he still has a hard time tracking both his man and the ball when guarding pick-and-roll. He's spent entire games this season guarding players like Josh Hart and Kris Dunn, sagging off them when they have the ball and providing roving help around the rim when they don't.The Rockets can structure their scheme and matchups that way because they've got a trio of wing defenders in Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, and Tari Eason who can defend point guards, centers, and everyone in between. Hybrid big Jabari Smith Jr. isn't as versatile as those three, in the sense that you wouldn't want him to start a possession defending a guard, but he's a capable switch defender who can handle those assignments in mid-to-late-clock situations.The same goes for guard Fred VanVleet at the opposite end of the positional spectrum; the Rockets won't intentionally cross-match him onto bigs the way they do with Brooks, but he's strong enough (and has good enough hands) that they're plenty comfortable with him switching onto a center and fighting to hold his ground while help shades over. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759360/cropped_GettyImages-2187867258.jpg?ts=1733555289" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759360/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187867258.jpg?ts=1733555289 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759360/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187867258.jpg?ts=1733555289 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759360/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187867258.jpg?ts=1733555289 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759360/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187867258.jpg?ts=1733555289 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759360/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187867258.jpg?ts=1733555289 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Anadolu / Getty</figcaption></figure>Houston has the third-best rim defense in the league, and that's thanks not only to Sengun's improvement and adjusted role but also to the ability of the team's non-centers (Thompson most of all) to protect the basket. Remarkably, that extends all the way to their 6-foot point guard, whose impact as a low belies his stature. VanVleet's ability to simply be on time and absorb a midair bump has allowed him to hold opponents to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*vanvleet">56.8% shooting</a> at the rim on an average of two contests per game.Brooks is as sticky an on-ball stopper as there is. Eason and Thompson are space-eaters and gap playmakers of the highest order. Even Jalen Green, the ostensible weak link in the rotation, has made meaningful strides as a defender. Collectively, the Rockets are physical, disciplined, and connected, able to rotate on a string. They're as good as any team other than the Thunder and maybe the Warriors at applying ball pressure without getting burned on the backside. They force a lot of turnovers but don't foul a ton or give up many offensive rebounds. They surrender the league's lowest rate of opponent threes.The concerns about them all reside on the offensive end. This is simply a terrible shooting and finishing team from every area on the floor. They rank 26th in accuracy from 3-point range (on the league's fourth-lowest attempt rate), 21st from long mid-range, 28th from floater range, 24th at the rim, and 23rd from the free-throw line. Smith is their only starter shooting better than 50% from 2-point range, Brooks is their only regular above 35% from deep, and Thompson is their only rotation player with an above-average true-shooting mark.Add it up, and you have a team that ranks 29th in effective field-goal percentage and 25th in first-shot half-court scoring, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/context#tab-offense_halfcourt_putbacks">Cleaning the Glass</a>. The five teams that rank below Houston in that latter category are a combined 26-80 this season.Incredibly, the Rockets still have a league-average offense overall, thanks to a microscopic turnover rate (a feature of nearly every VanVleet team since he became a starting point guard) and a gargantuan offensive rebound rate. Their relentless glass-crashing, in particular, has a way of buoying them while wearing out and demoralizing their opponents. They're getting about six more shooting possessions per game than their opponents, the largest differential in the league, and they have a killer transition attack fueled largely by their excellent defense.If that formula sounds familiar, you might recall that the 2021-22 Grizzlies employed something similar to win 56 games, reach the second round of the playoffs, and put a decent scare into the eventual champion Warriors despite ranking 22nd in first-shot half-court offense.The difference, of course, is those Grizzlies had Ja Morant, and the Rockets don't have anyone in the same galaxy as an offensive engine. For that reason, it's hard to imagine them reaching those same heights. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison because Houston mainly flows through its center in the half court; Sengun ranks <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches?dir=D&amp;sort=FRONT_CT_TOUCHES">seventh in the league</a> in frontcourt touches, third in post touches, and fifth among centers in average time of possession. And there are benefits to <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2883055" href="https://thescore.com/news/2883055">having a skilled big like him orchestrate the offense</a>. But Sengun isn't quite at the level where he can consistently create good shots for himself and his teammates by doing so.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759361/cropped_GettyImages-2185657275.jpg?ts=1733555593" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759361/w220xh124_GettyImages-2185657275.jpg?ts=1733555593 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759361/w320xh180_GettyImages-2185657275.jpg?ts=1733555593 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759361/w640xh360_GettyImages-2185657275.jpg?ts=1733555593 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759361/w768xh432_GettyImages-2185657275.jpg?ts=1733555593 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759361/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2185657275.jpg?ts=1733555593 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Logan Riely / NBA / Getty</figcaption></figure>His touch around the basket is pretty poor (he's shooting 58% inside four feet, a <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4879#tab-shooting_accuracy">14th-percentile mark</a> for a big), and his floater game is only OK, especially considering how many of them he takes. You'd like to see him take the ball strong to the basket more often rather than falling back on his push shot when there's a defender in his path, though you can understand the aversion given his struggles as a finisher. He's a good passer, and often a stylish one, but his value as a playmaker is more about him acing low-to-medium-risk reads than about him finding imperceptible passing windows that can wrong-foot a defense's typical rotations.None of this is meant to knock Sengun, who's doing everything asked of him to the best of his considerable capabilities. It's just to say there's an element of necessity to how frequently the Rockets play through him, because of how lacking the team's perimeter creation is.Green's season may as well have picked up from where last February ended, as if his <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3048806" href="https://thescore.com/news/3048806">great March awakening</a> never happened. He's back to playing slightly out of control, attacking without a plan, and taking shots that aren't justified by his shot-making ability. He's improved as an interior finisher, but he's shooting just 32% from deep and an unthinkable 23% on non-rim 2-pointers. He has 62 assists against 60 turnovers. He simply hasn't looked like a capable lead guard this season.VanVleet has been the much more reliable backcourt option, and his two-man game with Sengun continues to be the staple food of Houston's offensive diet. But he's never going to be an efficient scorer inside the arc (his current 47% mark is actually a career high), which puts a lot of pressure on a 3-point shot that hasn't really been falling this year. His 38-point outburst in the Rockets' win over the Thunder demonstrated how good this team can be with high-end offensive guard play, but you aren't going to get anything close to that level of production from VanVleet consistently.Thompson is the team's most dangerous downhill attacker, cutter, and finisher, but as long as he's this limited as a shooter, he won't cut it as a high-volume initiator. Reed Sheppard might grow into that role one day, but the rookie looks overwhelmed and not entirely ready for the speed and physicality of the NBA game right now.The good news is, between their heap of intriguing prospects and surplus future draft picks and swaps, the Rockets are well-positioned to swing a big trade that helps them address this clear area of need. They've already reportedly poked around the idea of going after Kevin Durant, and the specter of Giannis Antetokounmpo shimmers somewhere on the horizon, but the target needn't necessarily be a superstar. Someone like Zach LaVine, for example, could help Houston's offense immensely while being shielded by the team's defensive infrastructure.A deal of that magnitude feels pretty unlikely this season both logistically and practically. Upsetting team continuity midseason rarely works out, and if the aim is to move Green, it makes more sense to wait until the summer anyway, when his recently extended contract won't be poison-pilled and will become much easier to trade.For now, the Rockets can enjoy the innocent climb after years in the basement. But expectations and pressure will start to ramp up if they continue along this trajectory. And for all their positive development stories, solutions may ultimately have to come from without rather than from within.Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/29357457/related

How real is the Rockets' rise?

Leave it to the Philadelphia 76ers to pull off an offseason in which they sign the best free-agen...

Leave it to the Philadelphia 76ers to pull off an offseason in which they sign the best free-agent wing on the market, extend their young All-Star lead guard, draft the current Rookie of the Year front-runner 16th overall, fill out the roster with established role players on team-friendly deals, and put all those pieces around a former MVP who scored like prime Wilt Chamberlain last season ... only to have the whole thing blow up in their faces in less than a month.The disconnect between the (ahem) process and the result feels fitting for a team that's been a mess of contradictions since Joel Embiid debuted some eight years ago. From Embiid's first full season in 2017-18 through the 2023-24 campaign, only three teams won more regular-season games than Philadelphia. All three (Milwaukee, Boston, and Denver) won championships in that period. The Sixers never made it past the second round.There were damaging decisions from three separate front offices along the way (the Markelle Fultz gambit, Mikal Bridges for Zhaire Smith on draft night, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6L3qmInqS0">Tobias Harris over Jimmy Butler</a>, the ill-fated Al Horford experiment, ditching Isaiah Joe). But for nearly every disaster, there's been a savvy pivot or countermove that's helped the Sixers wriggle out of the bind.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>When they pulled the plug on the Fultz project in just his second season, they traded him for a protected draft pick that - by the grace of the basketball gods and Mike Muscala - wound up delivering them Tyrese Maxey. After Ben Simmons' playoff vanishing act and passed-up layup heard 'round the world, they turned the disgruntled, psychologically and physically wounded pseudo-star into multiple productive seasons of James Harden.The Harden experience was a mixed bag, but he played like an All-Star for the better part of his Sixers tenure. That trade still rates as a perfect-50 slam dunk for Daryl Morey considering what's become of Simmons since then, even if Harden's desultory performances in playoff elimination games - and subsequent ugly divorce with Morey - left a bitter taste in everyone's mouths. And when that led to a second high-profile holdout in the span of two years, Philly managed to flip Harden, restock its barren asset cupboard with multiple first-rounders, and get off P.J. Tucker's contract in the process.Then this past offseason hit, and it felt like everything snapped into place; the full scope of Morey's vision and ambition came to fruition at last. His plan to preserve cap space - namely by declining to extend Maxey the previous summer and thus keeping only his small cap hold on the books - paid off when the Clippers willingly let Paul George walk into his arms, before Maxey signed a five-year extension with no opt-outs. With Embiid also agreeing to an extension, Philly had a snugly interlocking trio of stars - guard, wing, and big - nailed down through 2027-28.Welp, the Sixers are 4-14 heading into Tuesday's game in Charlotte, and their offseason maneuvering is starting to feel like another self-imposed straitjacket. Not only have Embiid and George missed 23 combined games because of knee injuries, but they've looked like shells of themselves on the rare occasions they've suited up. Maxey has missed a third of Philly's games with a hamstring strain himself, and hasn't proven capable of picking up the slack with his two co-stars hobbled or absent.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758522/cropped_GettyImages-2182664370.jpg?ts=1733177998" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758522/w220xh124_GettyImages-2182664370.jpg?ts=1733177998 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758522/w320xh180_GettyImages-2182664370.jpg?ts=1733177998 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758522/w640xh360_GettyImages-2182664370.jpg?ts=1733177998 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758522/w768xh432_GettyImages-2182664370.jpg?ts=1733177998 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758522/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2182664370.jpg?ts=1733177998 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Mitchell Leff / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Rookie guard Jared McCain has been a revelation. He's flashed not only a terrific shooting stroke, deft touch from floater range, and slick handles, but an advanced feel for how to relocate and rotate on either end of the floor. That ought to have been the cherry on top of the sundae, another quality rotation piece unexpectedly emerging to complement a dominant core trio. Instead, McCain has arguably been Philly's best player on balance, which is a major credit to him but also a searing indictment of the rest of the roster.With limited flexibility after signing George, the Sixers assembled a supporting cast that looked perfectly acceptable on paper. Unfortunately, they have little to show for their work on the margins beyond the McCain pick and the sneakily great Guerschon Yabusele signing.Caleb Martin can't shoot or dribble, Andre Drummond can't protect the rim or hold onto the basketball, and Eric Gordon has been one of the league's worst regular rotation players. Kyle Lowry is still sound of mind but no longer of body, as evidenced by his 11% usage rate and second-percentile rim frequency. Kelly Oubre can be helpful as a cutter and on-ball defender, but he undercuts those positives with coverage mistakes, bricked threes, and neglected passing windows while driving headlong into multiple defenders.It all comes down to Embiid, though. He's the physical and spiritual embodiment of the team's contradictions, and indisputably the best player in NBA history to never make a conference final. He's simultaneously the reason to believe in and doubt Philly's ceiling, an all-consuming two-way force who may have reached a tipping point with his perpetually precarious health.Last time we saw him healthy, he was scoring more than a point per minute while dishing out assists at a career-high rate in a redesigned offense that flowed through him at the top of the floor. Embiid was well on his way to <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2793961" href="https://thescore.com/news/2793961">a fourth straight top-two MVP finish</a> last season before tearing his left meniscus (for a second time) while trying to play through nagging soreness.Just a week before that injury, he dropped 70 points on Victor Wembanyama's head. Even when he returned in a diminished state two months later, the Sixers won their last five regular-season games with him in the lineup to bring their record to 31-8 when he played.As ever, he had a couple of stinkers in the Sixers' first-round loss to the Knicks. But he also had a 50-point game and finished as a plus-46 in the six-game series, despite developing Bell's palsy on top of his other physical ailments. And while he had some rough moments with Team USA in the summer, there were enough positive glimmers to suggest the <a href="https://x.com/VinceGoodwill/status/1840770680683409888">trimmed-down version</a> of him would be back to his dominant ways this season, especially with George joining the fray to take some of the offensive and defensive load off his shoulders.So much for that. Embiid sat out the first nine games of the season to rest his balky knee, and to serve a suspension for confronting a reporter who wrote a column insinuating that resting his balky knee indicated some kind of moral failing. Not much changed for the Sixers when he finally returned to the court. They lost their first three games with him back in the lineup by double digits, with Embiid shooting 12-for-37 from the field and registering a minus-38.He looked shockingly immobile defensively, point-switching even more than usual while sitting in an ultra-deep drop or a one-man zone. He was passive as a help defender and conceded offensive rebounds when he declined to risk collision chasing after loose balls.<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758557/preview.png?ts=1733195575" loop muted autoplay playsinline controls onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758557/animation.mp4?ts=1733195575" type="video/mp4"></source> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758557/animation.webm?ts=1733195575" type="video/webm"></source> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> FanDuel Sports Network</figcaption></figure>Then, in his fourth game back, Embiid threw caution to the wind. He was aggressive offensively, bulldozing his way to 35 points (including a perfect 14-for-14 from the free-throw line) while moving around with newfound defensive verve. The Sixers lost to the Grizzlies by six, but only because they were minus-13 in Embiid's 13 minutes on the bench, with Maxey and George combining to shoot 4-for-19 from the field and 0-for-8 from deep. All things considered, it felt encouraging.Naturally, that effort landed Embiid right back on the shelf. He hasn't played since that game on Nov. 20. George also reinjured his knee in the loss and just returned a couple of days ago. The Sixers' would-be Big Three has spent six minutes on the court together.For all that, hope is not yet entirely lost. We've seen Embiid start sluggishly plenty of times, and he's always steadily played his way into MVP-caliber form by midseason. Even in the uninspiring four games he's played this season, you could see how much easier it was for the Sixers to generate good shots when they had a walking double-team in the middle of the floor. Their opponents also got all the way to the basket much less frequently with his hulking presence on the back line of their defense. Maybe this latest knee injury is different and he'll truly never be the same, or maybe with enough rest Embiid can actually peak in the spring instead of the winter for once.Maxey is still just 24 and still on an ascendent track as one of the most potent shooting/driving dual threats in the game. His playmaking has a very long way to go, but he didn't forget how to shoot and finish at the rim overnight. It's harder to make that case about the 34-year-old George, but he assuredly has more to offer than he's provided so far. And in McCain, Philly may genuinely have another All-Star caliber guard on its hands.It's easy to talk yourself into the Sixers pulling themselves together and snagging a play-in berth in a gong show of an Eastern Conference, whose 10-seed is somehow only three games out of their grasp. Heck, they're only five games back of a top-six seed and a guaranteed playoff spot. (Look how quickly the Bucks got back in the mix <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3122404" href="https://thescore.com/news/3122404">after a similarly dire start</a> to their season.) Alternatively, you can talk yourself into Philadelphia shutting Embiid down and tanking to preserve its top-six-protected pick ahead of a loaded 2025 draft.Make no mistake, this is still a hell of a needle to try and thread. For as optimistic as one might be about the future of the Maxey-McCain backcourt, questions will persist about whether two 6-2 guards can survive in tandem, no matter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJCpTm-0bNQ">how strenuously Maxey objects</a> to being labeled small. Perhaps more pertinently, it'll be impossible to build a real contender around those guards if the wing and center that are supposed to make their jobs easier offensively and protect them defensively are chronically injured and/or underperforming their $50-plus-million annual salaries for the next four years.Does Morey have another Houdini act up his sleeve now that his best-laid plans have gone awry? Unlikely, but not impossible. And that's the most frightening thing about the current situation in Philly: not that it's hopeless, but that there's still juuust enough cause to be hopeful. Which feels like another way of saying there's still reason enough for the Sixers and their fans to wind up disappointed in the end. Again. Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/29287963/related

For star-crossed Sixers, it's the hope that kills 

We're a month into the 2024-25 NBA season, and American Thanksgiving is upon us. It's an interest...

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Unpacking the wildest stats from the NBA's opening month

Early in the third quarter of a loss in Toronto on Thursday night, Minnesota Timberwolves center ...

Early in the third quarter of a loss in Toronto on Thursday night, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert ducked in, sealed Raptors forward Scottie Barnes inside the charge circle, and called for an entry pass from Anthony Edwards. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756899/cropped_rudyseal.jpg?ts=1732380206" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756899/w220xh124_rudyseal.jpg?ts=1732380206 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756899/w320xh180_rudyseal.jpg?ts=1732380206 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756899/w640xh360_rudyseal.jpg?ts=1732380206 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756899/w768xh432_rudyseal.jpg?ts=1732380206 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756899/w1080xh607_rudyseal.jpg?ts=1732380206 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> TSN</figcaption></figure>But Edwards, who had drawn Raptors center Jakob Poeltl on a switch, decided against throwing the moderately risky pass over a 7-footer to his not-so-sure-handed teammate. Instead, as Gobert begrudgingly vacated the paint, Edwards attacked Poeltl off the bounce, drew help off the strong-side corner, and kicked out to Julius Randle for a pretty good look at a three. Randle clanked it off the heel, part of a 1-for-6 shooting night from deep.It was not the last nor nearly the most high-profile instance of Gobert being looked off on a deep seal that night. With five minutes to play and the game tied at 95, he once again had Barnes pinned underneath the basket. This time it was Randle handling up top with Poeltl defending him. And this time, when he didn't get the ball, Gobert decided to linger in the key out of protest, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/e9svhy/highlight_kevin_love_commits_an_egregious_three/">a la Kevin Love</a>. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rudy Gobert was upset Julius Randle didn't give him the ball and got a lazy 3 seconds call and Ant is pissed <a href="https://t.co/21nlIAjEmx">pic.twitter.com/21nlIAjEmx</a>— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) <a href="https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/1859791851974427104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2024</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Gobert's frustration was understandable, and the by-the-book Right Play for Randle in that situation was throwing the entry feed, especially with the shot clock in single digits. But expressing his frustration the way he did, in crunch time of a tie game, earned him a much-deserved dressing-down from Edwards. To make matters worse, Randle's reticence was validated two possessions later when he drove, drew late help, and threw a nifty laydown pass to the dunker spot that Gobert <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=610&amp;GameID=0022400261&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Gobert%20Lost%20Ball%20Turnover%20(P3.T15)">promptly fumbled for a turnover</a>.Those plays on their own obviously don't fully capture everything that's happening with this season's Wolves, who are undergoing some stylistic shifts in the wake of the trade that swapped Karl-Anthony Towns for Randle and Donte DiVincenzo on the eve of preseason. They do, however, feel like microcosms of the tension that seems to be burbling beneath the surface of their underwhelming 8-7 start, which now includes four losses to sub-.500 teams.Gobert's limitations are what they are, but there are still benefits to keeping him involved in the offense, and Towns served as a crucial conduit for that purpose. He would consistently feed Gobert in high-low actions, on the short roll, and out of 4-5 pick-and-rolls. Only Mike Conley threw more assists to Gobert last season, and on a per-game basis, Towns actually set him up slightly more frequently. Randle is assisting him about half as often. Kyle Anderson was also an effective intermediary who helped guide the ball in Gobert's direction, and he too is playing elsewhere this season.Meanwhile, Gobert and Randle are clearly still trying to figure out how best to complement each other. Randle's offensive output has been terrific in a vacuum; on a team that's increasingly jump-shot-heavy, his intention to get to the rim and free-throw line has been welcome. But between his different handedness, his less threatening 3-point stroke, and his greater proclivity for probing and driving, the shift to playing alongside him after sharing a frontcourt with Towns has required some adjustment for Gobert, just as teaming up with Towns did initially."They're different, but both really dominant in their own way," Gobert told me before Thursday's game. "KAT is obviously one of the best 3-point shooters in this league. Julius is a good 3-point shooter, but he prefers to put pressure on the rim and attack. He always tells me when he drives where he'd like me to be, for him to finish or to find me or find another teammate. It's been a great process, and I think we still have so much room to grow. "Chemistry doesn't happen overnight. I know what Julius likes to do, but obviously going through it in a game, learning how to space for him, being able anticipate what he's gonna do with the ball, those things take time. ... It's a lot of communication, things that come with going through a lot of different situations together, and building the automatics in." For now, the feeling-out period, coupled with a significant dip in Conley's effectiveness, is contributing to a career-low 12.9% usage rate for the Frenchman. What made the debacle in Toronto feel particularly disappointing was that it came directly on the heels of Randle and Gobert's most encouraging game as a tandem, a stirring comeback win over the Phoenix Suns in which Randle consistently linked up with his frontcourt mate on <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=395&amp;GameID=0022400234&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Gobert%201%27%20Alley%20Oop%20Dunk%20(8%20PTS)%20(Randle%206%20AST)">drives</a> and <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=384&amp;GameID=0022400234&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Gobert%201%27%20Cutting%20Dunk%20Shot%20(6%20PTS)%20(Randle%204%20AST)">short rolls</a>. It felt like progress."It was the first time he threw me multiple lobs in the same game," Gobert said. "And they were great lobs." The offensive adjustments involving the new frontcourt are just one small part of the Wolves' early-season malaise. For all the predictable choppiness that's come with mashing Randle and Gobert together at the 11th hour of the offseason, the team actually has a very healthy plus-8.4 net rating with the two of them on the floor. And Minnesota's offense on the whole has been better relative to the rest of the league than it was last year, up from 17th to 10th in efficiency. Though there's been some hand-wringing over the team's - and specifically Edwards' - sky-high 3-point attempt rate, that uptick has generally served them well. Edwards has been the league's most effective high-volume pull-up 3-point shooter this side of Steph Curry. The change in shot profile is also partly a natural byproduct of the Wolves' personnel changes - not just because there's less space to attack with Randle out there, but because Randle's a much more effective drive-and-kick creator than Towns was. To wit, he has almost triple the rate of 3-point assists that Towns had last season, with 37 in 15 games so far, compared to just 56 for Towns across 62 contests in 2023-24.The problem is that the offense - which continues to be plagued by turnover issues that Randle and Gobert have both contributed to - hasn't improved enough to offset a significant defensive downturn. The Wolves have slipped from first (by a considerable margin) to 12th on that end, some of which can be explained by the trade and some of which cannot.Randle has undeniably been part of the problem. Though the Wolves are more comfortable with him switching out on the perimeter than they were with Towns, he's been markedly less effective as a weak-side helper than his predecessor. He's prone to bouts of inattentiveness that result in him blowing box-outs, making late weak-side rotations, getting beat down the floor in transition, and especially giving up backdoor cuts.<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756904/preview.png?ts=1732382810" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" playsinline="" controls="" onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756904/animation.mp4?ts=1732382810" type="video/mp4"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756904/animation.webm?ts=1732382810" type="video/webm"> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </source></source></video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> TNT</figcaption></figure>Perhaps more importantly, exchanging Towns for Randle leaves the Wolves looking very small when Gobert's on the bench, which helps explain why they're surrendering 13.4 more points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions without him on the floor, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/1310/onoff#tab-team_efficiency">Cleaning the Glass</a>. For all of Towns' <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/11/18/24299280/karl-anthony-towns-new-york-knicks-offense-defense?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email">well-chronicled</a> defensive struggles in New York, he was <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2833452" href="https://thescore.com/news/2833452">legitimately good</a> on that end last season, not just as the four playing next to Gobert but as the center next to Naz Reid in mixed bench lineups."Rim protection hasn't been what it was last year, for a variety of reasons, not just Rudy," explained Wolves coach Chris Finch. "Foul rate is up a little bit, rebounding's down, leading to more second-chance opportunities. "I think some of it (has to do with the trade) for sure, because last year when we had KAT playing at the four, we had found over a year-and-a-half the comfort level of doing a lot of different things there. Julius gives us a little bit more versatility in his ability to switch, but we lose size with our second unit, so second-unit rim-protection takes a hit. KAT had become pretty good in a lot of our schemes with our second unit as a rim-protector." The Towns-Reid frontcourt had a 110.9 defensive rating and a 66th-percentile defensive rebound rate, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/3696/lineups?season=2023&amp;on=4700&amp;off=1310#tab-four_factors">Cleaning the Glass</a>. The Randle-Reid frontcourt has a 122.5 defensive rating and a third-percentile defensive rebound rate. Against those lineups, opponents recover 34% of their own misses, take 39% of their shots at the rim, and make 69% of those rim shots.But to go back to Finch's assessment, the fact that he qualified it by saying the issue isn't just about Gobert is instructive, because it is partly about Gobert. His rim-protection clearly hasn't been as impactful as it was last season, when he won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. He's contesting a lower share of shots at the basket (though that owes somewhat to a schematic tweak) and is allowing opponents to shoot 58.9% on those rim shots, up from 52% a year ago, per <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*gobert">NBA Advanced Stats</a>. Gobert's far from the only carryover Timberwolf who's experiencing a comedown on the defensive end, and many of the team's issues stem from what's happening in front of him. Apart from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, none of Minnesota's perimeter defenders have maintained their level from 2023-24. We haven't seen quite the same containment or rear-view pressure from Jaden McDaniels. Edwards has been less imposing at the point of attack. DiVincenzo's screen navigation has taken a step back from where it was with the Knicks. Conley is 37. Anderson's been missed here as well."Ball pressure's been good, but ball contain has been a bit leaky at times. It's been inconsistent," Finch said. "So when you add that up (with the diminished rim protection), it adds up to where we are."In general, the Wolves' coverages have also just involved a bit less connectivity and communication. Gobert's playing a higher drop in a lot of cases, and too often, the back-side help hasn't been there to provide cover. On this play from Thursday's game, Gobert stepped out on an Ochai Ogbaji dribble-handoff (which is questionable enough on its own, given that Agbaji poses virtually zero threat from mid-range or floater range), and no one committed to tagging Poeltl behind him:<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756906/preview.png?ts=1732382387" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" playsinline="" controls="" onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756906/animation.mp4?ts=1732382387" type="video/mp4"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/756906/animation.webm?ts=1732382387" type="video/webm"> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </source></source></video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> TSN</figcaption></figure>When Finch says, "There are things that I see in our defense that we're just not as tight with now," that feels like the kind of thing he's referring to.None of this is damning this early in the season, and a lot of these issues were to be expected; teams that make big roster shakeups almost always struggle out of the gate. The Wolves know that as well as anyone, having gone through something similar in their first season after acquiring Gobert before coalescing into a powerhouse last year.Even with all the aforementioned issues, Minnesota isn't far away from being top 10 on both sides of the ball. These mostly feel like things that can improve with more familiarity, more focus, and greater clarity of purpose.Dumping the ball down to the big fella next time he has a guy sealed in the restricted area won't magically solve all the Wolves' problems. But as a gesture of good faith toward a player who, for better or worse, remains essential to what they do, it wouldn't be a bad place to start.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers arrived at what felt like a crossroads this past summer. On the heels of an injury-marred roller coaster of a season in which only surface-level progress was made, and with the specter of Donovan Mitchell's free agency looming, some kind of directional adjustment felt possible, if not probable. Instead, the organization basically took a page out of the Yogi Berra quote book: When they came to the fork in the road, they took it.First, Mitchell agreed to extend his contract through at least 2026-27. His backcourt mate, Darius Garland, seemingly recommitted after reportedly<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5497268/2024/05/15/cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-darius-garland-jb-bickerstaff-future/"> </a> entertaining the possibility of pushing for a trade. And then the front office extended the jumbo frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, locking in a core four that showed flashes of immense promise in two seasons but also encountered roadblocks because of fit issues and injuries (the latter led to them playing only 457 minutes together in 2023-24). The supporting cast around that quartet also remained identical. The one personnel change Cleveland made was on the sideline, where Kenny Atkinson replaced J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach.The hope was that better health from the core four, a few Atkinsonian stylistic tweaks, and some internal improvement (namely a <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3048813" href="https://thescore.com/news/3048813">Garland bounce back</a> and an offensive step forward from Mobley) would combine to jolt the team out of neutral. And so far they're batting 1.000 on those swing factors, which have coalesced into a 14-game season-opening win streak - the sixth-longest of its kind in NBA history. That start has been powered not only by Cleveland's reliably excellent defense (currently a top-seven unit for the fourth straight year) but by the most efficient offense in the league. This from a team that finished 16th in offensive rating last season and is yet to get a single minute out of would-be starting small forward Max Strus.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Fastest starts" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-JDY39" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/JDY39/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="457" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>It can be foolhardy to buy too much into results at this juncture of the early season. Hot streaks happen. Heck, the Cavs had a stretch in which they won 17 of 18 games last season, and they still didn't feel much like contenders when all was said and done. They've played one of the softest schedules in the league to date, and they're riding some wildly hot 3-point shooting that's bound to cool off.That said, they've aced the handful of true tests they've faced, grinding out a crunch-time win over the Knicks and absolutely blasting the Lakers and Warriors. Maybe more to the point, the team looks and feels different than its other recent iterations, even though so many of its components are the same.As much as anyone or anything, the avatar of that change is a more empowered, more assertive, more forcecul, more fluid version of Mobley. This Mobley takes it upon himself to race the ball up the floor after snagging defensive rebounds, runs a handful of inverted pick-and-rolls every game, and generally spends more time piloting the offense, whether operating at the elbow or running delay from the top. Though his raw counting stats don't fully capture the extent of his role shift, his usage rate and average time of possession have both spiked, as have his drives and transition possessions.As I <a href="https://thescore.com/news/2883055">wrote about</a> last season, this is the way the NBA is trending, with increasingly skilled big men taking on increasingly prominent roles as teams recognize the cascading benefits of running more offense through them. Doing so not only facilitates all manner of dynamic off-ball actions, it can mitigate spacing issues by turning a non-shooter (in most cases) into a playmaker the defense has to account for. It also has a way of making life easier for guards like Mitchell and Garland, who get more opportunities to receive the ball on the move and in the flow, rather than being tasked with creating advantages from a standstill with defenses loading up on them. "If you have a guard and want to give him an opportunity to not be bottled up, figure out how to get him off that ball," Kings coach Mike Brown told me when I asked about his offensive system accelerating that trend.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755553/cropped_GettyImages-2183940401.jpg?ts=1731707892" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755553/w220xh124_GettyImages-2183940401.jpg?ts=1731707892 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755553/w320xh180_GettyImages-2183940401.jpg?ts=1731707892 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755553/w640xh360_GettyImages-2183940401.jpg?ts=1731707892 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755553/w768xh432_GettyImages-2183940401.jpg?ts=1731707892 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755553/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2183940401.jpg?ts=1731707892 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> David Dow / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Garland and Mitchell are both spending roughly two fewer minutes per game with the ball in their hands, and neither ranks inside the top 30 in <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches?dir=D&amp;sort=TIME_OF_POSS">total time of possession</a> after they finished ninth and 13th last season, respectively. Incidentally, Garland is having by far his most efficient scoring season, and he and Mitchell both have the lowest turnover rates of their careers. Of course, that only really works if the big man assuming more of the on-ball orchestration is both a savvy playmaker and a legitimate threat to score. In that sense, what we're seeing here is really a marriage of developmental gains and coaching philosophy, with Mobley rising to meet Atkinson's challenge by tightening his handle, becoming a quicker decision-maker, and building up more strength and resilience as an attacker. You could say the same about the way the team as a whole is playing. After all, every coach comes into every season preaching the importance of sharing the ball, of playing with trust, continuity, and pace. How many of their teams actually wind up executing all those principles to a T? The Cavs have jumped from 22nd to 12th in offensive pace, most notably getting shots up more than a second faster after opponent makes, per <a href="https://stats.inpredictable.com/nba/ssnTeamShot.php?season=2024&amp;po=0&amp;frdt=2023-10-24&amp;todt=2024-06-17&amp;view=off">Inpredictable</a>. They're employing more guard screens, both in the aforementioned inverted actions for Mobley and in small-small pick-and-rolls. Atkinson's also tweaked the half-court spacing a bit by running more five-out sets. Initiating the offense via Mobley or Allen (the latter of whom is a better playmaker than his screen-and-dive reputation suggests) makes that alignment more tenable. But simply starting possessions with them spaced in the corner or weak-side slot rather than the dunker spot can complicate a defense's help points. It opens up opportunities for cuts and skip DHOs (another concept sweeping the league), with Mobley holding the threat of <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2872869" href="https://thescore.com/news/2872869">the keeper</a> in his back pocket:<figure class="article-segment--video"><video poster="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755664/preview.png?ts=1731766320" loop muted autoplay playsinline controls onclick="if(/android 2.[0-3]/.test(navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase())) { var sources = this.getElementsByTagName('source'); for(var i = 0, total = sources.length; i &lt; total; i++) { this.removeChild(sources[0]);}; this.outerHTML = this.innerHTML; }"> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755664/animation.mp4?ts=1731766320" type="video/mp4"></source> <source src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/755664/animation.webm?ts=1731766320" type="video/webm"></source> <div>Your browser does not support the video tag.</div> </video><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> FanDuel Sports Network</figcaption></figure>Even without Strus, the Cavs are running a full 10-man rotation, with no one playing more than 31 minutes a game. And their bench, led by Ty Jerome and a blistering Caris LeVert, has been dominating. Guys who've historically been one-way players, like Sam Merrill and Georges Niang, are battling hard and rotating with precision on defense. Dean Wade is Cleveland's only rotation player with a below-average true shooting percentage, and Dean Wade rocks. So, the Cavs are playing a bit differently, but they're also just playing a lot better. And let's be clear: they were already a very good team. They won 51 games and finished with the league's second-best net rating in Mitchell's first season in Cleveland, and then clawed their way to a top-four seed and a playoff series win last year despite disastrous health luck. And it's not like Bickerstaff didn't try to instill some of these same principles. It's that his rotation was stretched thin, Mobley wasn't ready, Jerome was sidelined with an injury rather than cooking opposing second units, and Garland was broken.That last point is probably the most important variable in this whole equation. Garland never got right last season after straining his hamstring on opening night and then breaking his jaw shortly after returning. His handle was noticeably looser - probably due to the <a href="https://x.com/bowser2bowser/status/1791130704048177336">loss of grip strength</a> that typically comes with jaw fractures - and he wasn't comfortable playing through contact, probably because he lost 15 pounds while drinking through a straw for weeks.This season, Garland's reminding everyone what a special talent he is: an elite shooter both off the bounce and the catch, whose passing vision and ability to maintain a live dribble in traffic help make Cleveland's two-big lineups offensively viable. Due in part to the schematic adjustment that has him initiating less, a much larger share of his threes are catch-and-shoots this year, and he's canning 49% of them. He's also shooting 66% at the rim (his previous career high was 59%) and a comical 71% from floater range. None of those numbers are sustainable, but the process that's helped produce them suggests a career year could absolutely be in the cards.A particularly encouraging sign is that he and Mitchell have recaptured the synergy of their first season together, after their fit looked janky and control of the offense often devolved into a tug-of-war last year. At the end of the day, the two of them are still the ones creating the vast majority of the advantages here. They're the reason Mobley and Allen rank second and third in the league in dunks, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo.They can both thrive running their own transitional lineups alongside one of the two bigs, but unlike last season, the starting and closing lineups with both of them on the floor have also been elite. It helps that they're insulated by the league's best defensive frontcourt, but they're better defenders than they get credit for, especially with a healthy Garland back to playing with real physicality at the point of attack.Mitchell's contributions should not be forgotten in all of this. Not only because it was his commitment that paved the way for the Cavs to see how far this roster could take them, but because he's willingly loosened his grip on the steering wheel after a season in which he butted his way into the MVP conversation as the team's sole driver of offense for extended stretches. Despite conceding touches, his per-minute scoring average is right on par with where it's been the last two years, and it still feels like he has another gear to hit. When a good team has struggled in the past to get over the proverbial hump, there's always a knee-jerk impulse to scrutinize any ostensible signs of progress, and try to discern what those positive indicators portend in the big picture. In this case, that means speculating about whether these same-but-different Cavs are good enough to overcome the playoff foibles that have tripped them up the last two years. Given the ugliness of their first-round loss to the Knicks in 2023, and the unconvincing nature of their seven-game squeaker over the inexperienced Magic last spring, those questions are not only inevitable but valid. The thing is, those questions are also a total drag. Who wants to spend a magical run in November worrying about whether spacing is once again going to be a problem against dialed-in defenses in May? Or whether that one team with the playmaking power wings will be able to mismatch-hunt Cleveland's small guards to death? The Cavs will have their chance to provide answers in due time. For now, and for as long as this heater lasts, let's appreciate the simple pleasure of watching a complex puzzle snap into place, and indulge the possibility that constancy and introspection - rather than major disruption - can help you evolve into a better version of yourself.Joe Wolfond covers the NBA for theScore.

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