This past week, Jalen Green, the number one high school basketball prospect according to the 2020 ESPN recruiting rankings, made his decision on where he would play next basketball season. No, it wasn’t Memphis nor was it Auburn, schools that had been considered the frontrunners for him. Instead, it was a one year, $500,000 contract with the NBA G-League that offers an additional development program outside of the league’s traditional team structure.
This move allows for professional development from NBA personnel for an entire year while being paid, which cannot happen in college, supposedly.
The move only adds more momentum to the already swift movement that is sweeping over the high school and college basketball ranks. More and more players are leaving, or rejecting, playing at big time colleges in favor of getting paid and playing in professional leagues at home and abroad. Just in the last year, RJ Hampton (former five-star guard out of HS) decided not to go to Kansas but instead to go to the NBL in Australia/New Zealand to play (Hampton has said he would’ve gone to Kansas should he have played in college). Lamelo Ball, younger brother New Orleans Pelicans PG Lonzo Ball, went the same route as Hampton. Isaiah Todd (five-star prospect out of HS in the class of 2020) decommitted from Michigan to pursue development in the G-League, just like Green.
This new movement is good for these players. If they’re good enough to go out and play professionally and, most importantly, get paid, why wouldn’t you choose this route?
Initially, this new wave seems as if it could be extremely detrimental to big time college basketball schools like Duke and Kentucky, who consistently reel in five-star prospects year after year, but I do not believe that is the case.
While top high school players will be more enticed to earn money and get professional development now, there is no shortage of high school basketball players who desire to play college ball. Players who want to go play college basketball will get the chance, and out of that group of players, the best will still likely want to go to the traditional “blue blood” schools like Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Kansas.
Thus, if this wave of top players leaving to pursue professional opportunities continues (and I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t continue), more and more emphasis will be placed on how well college coaches develop players who are not as good as some of those top prospects coming out of high school.
This is something that I think Jay Wright, Bill Self, Roy Williams, and even coaches like Mark Few, and Scott Drew are exceptional at especially in recent memory.
Among those coaches, they have produced a few notable players who have had significant impacts on their respective teams and made them some of the premier teams in America during their tenure in college. These guys include Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova), Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova), Frank Mason (Kansas), Devonte Graham (Kansas), Killian Tillie (Gonzaga), Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga), Johnathan Motley (Baylor), and Mark Vital (Baylor) just to name a few.
That list of players includes six Final Four appearances (one for Arcidiacono, two for DiVincenzo, one for Graham, one for Tillie, and one for Hachimura), three National Titles (one for Arcidiacono and two for DiVincenzo), one Wooden Award Winner (Mason), two more premier candidates for the Wooden award in their respective seasons (Motley ’16-’17 and Graham ’17-‘18), and arguably one of the best defenders and most athletic players in college basketball currently (Vital).
Now that is not to say that coaches like Mike Krzyzewski and John Calipari are not good at developing players, because they are good. It just so happens that these two coaches are at the two schools – Duke and Kentucky – that consistently reel in five-star prospect after five-star prospect. Just look at the growth that players like Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Tyus Jones, John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and Anthony Davis have had over their careers.
This new wave is definitely an obstacle that college coaches will have to adjust to quickly, as many for these college coaches have probably been recruiting these five-star guys for over three to five years.
But let me get this clear: not every five-star prospect will choose to go play professionally. The vast majority will still likely play collegiately because the professional teams and leagues have to have interest in the player as well as vice versa. It’s a two way street.
College Basketball will be fine. This just means that college coaches will have to adjust their recruiting tactics. And in that sense, we get to see some of the best coaches in America face a little adversity and see how they will overcome it.
As always, follow me on Twitter for more sports related content @bradyvaughan30
Despite the win on Tuesday night, I could start this thing off being negative, I really could. But, I told myself I wouldn’t do that. At the end of the day, the Celtics came away with a 114-111 win on the road against a tough Indiana Pacers team. Jayson Tatum lead the way with 30 points on 11-22 (3-9) shooting with 6 boards. He looked in control all night and was able to get exactly what he wanted on the offensive end. He was no slouch on the defensive end either coming away with four steals and finding ways to disrupt passing lanes throughout all four quarters. Indiana native Gordon Hayward felt right at home on Tuesday night. Hayward had 27 shooting 10-19 (3-7) along with 10 boards and 5 assists. He’s just looked so much more comfortable these past two games. This is the Gordon Hayward the Celtics paid for, we just need to see him on a more consistent basis.
The Celts have been nothing short of inconsistent since coming back from the All-Star break, but one thing has remained constant: Daniel Theis. With Tatum and Hayward being in the zone, Theis quietly put up 20 points shooting 8-12 (2-2) adding 6 boards and 3 assists. The guy just knows his role so well, and knows how to produce in it. For a team that had questions about the center position most of the year, Theis has been the answer. He’s climbing up the list of my favorite Celtics and quickly becoming one of the more underrated centers in the league. We got some early Romeo Langford minutes in this one, folks! Now, he only played 10 minutes and went 0-4 from the field, but it was still nice to see him in the rotation. It looks like Brad is starting to trust him more and I think with more consistent minutes, he’ll find his groove offensively.
It’s time for the bad stuff now people. It was another double digit lead heading into the 4th quarter, and the Celtics fell apart….again. For whatever reason they started exclusively playing isolation ball and all the ball movement that helped create the nice lead went away. These guys had 17 assists as a team at the start of the 4th and ended with 19. Two assists in the 4th…..TWO!?!?!?!? I don’t know if it’s coaching or if the players are just getting out of attack mode, but whatever it is needs to stop for the sake of my well being. I need Kemba to start knocking the cobwebs off, too. He had another tough shooting night going 3-12 from the field, including 2-8 from three point land. I have full confidence he’ll get back to where he was before the injury, but my patience is running thin.
I wish Brad went with Robert Williams instead of Enes Kanter in this one. Kanter has never been very stout defensively, and tonight he got exposed. Whenever he was in, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner got whatever they wanted. Not to say Williams would’ve totally shut them down, but with his defensive ability he surely would have made their lives a little bit tougher in the paint. Honestly, I don’t think anyone had plans to stop Sabonis in this one, he went crazy. Sabonis torched the C’s all night putting up 28 points on 13-23 shooting along with 9 boards and 8 assists. The Pacer starters were just awesome in general. Victor Oladipo added 27 points and 7 boards, TJ Warren had 22 points, 5 boards and Turner had 16 points, 8 boards and 4 blocks. Again, this is a solid Pacers team who will give whoever they play in the playoffs a run for their money. But, when you’re up 14 and playing the way the Celtics were for the first three quarters, you shouldn’t only win by 3.
Still, a win is a win and I’ll take it, but it only gets tougher from here. The Celts head to Milwaukee on Thursday for a battle with the No. 1 seed in the East. However, the Bucks could be without the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. If this is the case, I expect the Celts to take full advantage. Jaylen Brown could be making his return Thursday night, but that remains to be seen. If Brown plays Thursday, expect him to sit the second leg of the back-to-back on Friday against the Wizards, and if he doesn’t play I would bet they hold him until Sunday’s game in Chicago.
It felt good to be back in the win column, but please……stop blowing 4th quarter leads.
With about 13 seconds left in the game, the Celtics had a 104-103 lead and the ball. All they had to do was get it in bounds, make their free throws and they probably come away with a win on Sunday. Sounds easy right? Well, when the pass went in to Kemba, he looked like a deer in the headlights dribbling away from the rest of the team, and when he made his turn, the Thunder’s Dennis Schroder was right there for the steal and took it in for the easy lay up. This 105-104 loss was probably one of the most painful losses in recent memory.
They had their chance to win on Sunday, but it really shouldn’t have been that close. With about a minute left in the first half, the Celtics had just completed a stretch where they hit 5 straight three pointers and increased their lead to 18. For an offense that had been struggling, this was a pleasant site to see. But, in a minute of game time the Thunder went on a 7-0 run to bring the deficit down to 11 heading into halftime. The Celtics have had double digit leads in the last four home games….and are 0-4 in those games. It just looks like they take their foot off the gas when they get up big. For a team that prides itself on defense, it was an ugly effort against the Thunder. The Celts could not stop fouling, which allowed the Thunder to get to the line 35 times and in turn, really kept them in the game. Not to mention, the Thunder shooting 44 percent from the field and 40 percent from three isn’t so good for the brand either.
Defense wasn’t the only problem, though. The offensive struggles continued for the Celtics, especially for two of their starters. Kemba, who has looked incredibly rusty since returning from his injury went 4-14 for 14 points and Tatum, who has cooled off since his 5 straight games of 32+ points went 8-22 for 19 points. Kemba and Tatum gong a combined 12-36 for 33 points is not a recipe for success. Shooting 37 three pointers as a team is pretty wild, too, even in today’s NBA. I LOVE the three pointer but these guys were just chucking them up at times leading to a lot of bad offensive possessions.
This game was frustrating, disgusting and just all around disappointing. But, as always, there’s still some good to take out of it! Hayward looked like he is starting to find his stroke again going 9-19 (4-7) for 24 points. He also added 5 boards and 4 assists, a nice all-around game from him. Of course, the last time I praised him in one of these, he went on a BRUTAL stretch, so fingers crossed I don’t jinx him again. Two of the young guys had some nice minutes as well. Robert Williams looks like he’s going to be the No. 2 center behind Theis. Williams had 6 points 5 boards, including four offensive rebounds and a key block late in the game. No matter how bad the defense was on Sunday, Williams was always active. I need more Romeo Langford minutes, all this kid does is produce. He had 6 points on 2-3 shooting and 5 boards, including two offensive rebounds. Plus, his on ball defense is awesome, so is he defensive energy as a whole. Especially with Jaylen out, this could be a nice test to see what the lottery pick has to offer. Hopefully Brad lets the kid play more and more.
I need to give my quick respects to the Thunder. Chris Paul was awesome on Sunday going for 28 points on 9-19 shooting, including 10-10 from the line and adding 7 assists and 6 boards. Dennis Schroder was equally as awesome going 10-21 for 27 points off the bench. The Celtics didn’t have an answer for either of these two all game. And credit to the Thunder defense for putting the clamps on the Celtics in the second half. They forced 13 turnovers and never letting Boston get comfortable. This Thunder team could really be a problm for whoever they face in the playoffs.
For one of the more important stretches of the season, this isn’t what we wanted to see. A Friday night 99-94 loss to Utah and this heartbreaker on Sunday. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier with Indiana and Milwaukee on the schedule this week. Right now the Celtics are 1-3 to start March, with blown double digit leads in all four games….not great! For the sake of my well being, they need to get back to the type of basketball they were playing in February and find a way to beat the Pacers and Bucks, or else I’ll start pulling hair out of my head.
It seems like just yesterday when the Sixers had a fully healthy roster, and had the option to move Al Horford to the bench. Up until that point, Horford’s struggles had been written off as a fit issue, and it seemed as though staggering his minutes with Embiid’s, as opposed to playing them at the same time, would solve the issue. As it turns out, that is far from the case.
With three of the starters out for an extended period of time during a tough west coast road trip, many expected the Sixers to struggle. It would almost be blind faith to predict anything else. But the one bright side we had to look forward to was seeing Al Horford in a role that would best fit his skill set. His response to this opportunity was to play his worst basketball of the season. After a decent enough showing against the Cavaliers, Horford has been nothing short of a disappointment in games against relevant teams.
All of the things that made Horford an appealing option in free agency have been non existent this entire season, specifically during this stretch. His low post offense has been sub par. His shooting, both from midrange and from deep, have been bad. His accurate passing, quick decision making, good shot selection and finishing have been non existent. His defense, which may have been the most eye popping part of his game, has been TERRIBLE.
He’s good for a block and a steal every now and then, but all season Horford has looked like it’s his first time playing basketball on the defensive end. He has gotten absolutely cooked by every matchup, and undrafted free agent Norvelle Pelle, Kyle O’Quinn and Mike Scott have frankly all held their ground defensively better than he has. Not only has Horford not stepped up for the Sixers as they’ve become short-handed, he’s been one of the players keeping them out of games. It’s becoming more and more clear that if the sixers are going to make a playoff run, it will be in spite of Horford, not because of him.
If I told you the Celtics had a 84-67 lead heading into the 4th quarter of Tuesday night’s game, would you think they’d lose that game? Neither would I. Unfortunately, that was the reality when they took on the Nets in Boston. They just collapsed in the fourth, there really isn’t another way to put it. For a team that prides itself on defense and was rock solid through three quarters, they allowed an inexcusable 51 points in the 4th quarter. As much of a collapse as this was, I need to give the Nets their proper credit. They just never quit and willed their way to a 129-120 win in overtime. About three or four minutes into the first it looked like the Celtics were ready to blow the Nets out of the building. Kemba was back, the offense was cooking and life was good.
The Nets made the switch to a 3-2 zone early in the first and really got the Celtics out of their offensive rhythm for the rest of the first half. Despite some offensive struggles, they still took a 56-43 lead into halftime. The Celts expanded that lead to 21 halfway through the third…that just pains me to write. Then the 4th quarter happened. Caris Levert was a PROBLEM. He ended the night with 51 points and 37 of them, yes 37, came in the 4th and overtime. As I watched the lead shrink by the second, I kept thinking, “there is NO WAY this is happening,” but when Marcus Smart fouled Levert on a three point attempt with less than a second left, I knew it was over. This is a depressing blog I know, but man, how can in not be? This is one of the bigger Celtics’ collapses in recent memory.
Plus, it looks like the Celtics lost more than just the game. Yes, Kemba was back, but if you blinked, you might have missed him. He was on a strict minutes restriction after being out 5 games with a bad knee. Thanks again, Nick Nurse. The game against Brooklyn was the first of a back-to-back, so it’s reasonable to think he’ll sit out against The Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Gordon Hayward didn’t play at all in the second half after leaving the game with a knee contusion, and Jaylen Brown looked to have some hamstring issues toward the end of the game. So, it looks like the Celtics will be without three of their top four in Cleveland. Tatum was out with an “illness” against Brooklyn, but I think he might have just partied too hard before turning 22 on Tuesday. If he’s active on Wednesday, it just opens the door for Tatum to drop 50.
There were some good things to take away from this one, I guess. I really couldn’t help but smile just seeing Kemba back on the court. He didn’t shoot it too well, but he looked to be quick on his feet and the patented Kemba step back looked good. He looks like he’s healthy, so if he’s out on Wednesday, I would guess it’s just precautionary. Robert Williams made his long-awaited return after not playing since December, and he did some good things, too. He had 10 points in as many minutes, grabbed three boards and was active defensively. Can’t ask for much more from the Timelord. Aside form the fourth quarter, the defensive effort was there. The Celtics forced the Nets into 20 turnovers. And here are some cool things Marcus Smart did to help you forget about that foul on Levert:
Combine this loss with Saturday’s heartbreaker to Houston, and this may be saddest I’ve been all year in terms of losses. This one just hurts, man. BUT, the Celts are 41-19, currently 3rd in the East and could easily be the 2 seed by the time the playoffs come. Hopefully this one lights a fire under them, and if it does, that could be bad news for Cleveland. #InTatumWeTrust
On Thursday night the Sixers took care of business yet again at home in a 115-106 victory against the New York Knicks. Here are my takeaways from the game:
The Good Tobias Harris: Tobias was the leading candidate to take over the offensive load when Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid went down. He was the go to option offensively for the magic and the clippers when he played there, so he is no stranger to being the top option on an undermanned team. He certainly did not disappoint in his first look at his new temporary role. Tobias finished with an efficient 32 points on 14-21 shooting and 3-6 from deep, while adding 7 boards and 7 assists. If the sixers want to stay afloat in the playoff race in their stars’ absences, they’ll need similar production from him throughout the rest of the year.
Shake Milton: The second year guard drafted in the second round out of SMU continues to look like a draft steal for the Sixers. After watching from the bench for much of the season, Shake has made the most of his opportunities and surprisingly has been one of the sixers most consistent players, and tonight he made another strong case to be in the sixers rotation, playing solid defense throughout, scoring 19 points on 5-5(!) shooting from deep, with only 1 turnover. It would be huge for this team if he can keep playing like this.
Al Horford: We have to give credit where credit is due. Despite being boo’d by the crowd for yet another missed wide open layup, Al Horford played pretty well overall. Like him or not, this is still one of the reasons Horford is on the team, to play when Embiid is unavailable. Whether it comes in normal backup center minutes when Embiid is resting to help the bench unit, or play as the starting center when Embiid is inactive, that is where Al helps this team the most.
The win column: it may not have been a very convincing win, but any win we can get without Embiid or Simmons we will take. A loss here would have sent the fan base over the edge, and they took care of business when they needed to.
The Bad Glenn Robinson: Both Glenn Robinson and Alec Burks were putting up seemingly empty stats on a bad team before they got traded to the Sixers. When the Sixers traded for them, we always knew there was the possibility that when the stakes were raised and the roles were lessened that either of these guys could be worse than advertised. For Glenn Robinson, that certainly has been the case thus far. There is obviously plenty of time for Robinson to prove his worth, but outside of being able to run in transition and occasionally catching his defender sleeping with a backdoor cut, Robinson has been mostly useless offensively. He had another dud tonight, keeping this 0% from three streak alive and scoring only 4 points on 6 shots in his 21 minutes in the starting role. I’m not entirely sure why he’s starting either, especially right after publicly complaining about his role with the team after being here for only a couple of weeks.
Alec Burks: Unlike Robinson, I think Burks overall has been a solid role player for the Sixers. I’ve actually wanted him to start since he got here, although I’m not opposed to riding the hot hand with Shake instead. Tonight, however, he was pretty bad. I didn’t hate the looks he was getting, but he really had an off night, shooting only 2-10 on the night.
Josh richardson- Josh finally started hitting late in the 3rd quarter, but for most of the night couldn’t hit a jumper to save his life. He didn’t kill the team considering he only had 13 attempts, but he really has to step up and score more in the absence of Ben and Joel.
The margin of victory: I know they are playing without their two franchise players, but this supporting cast should still be able to beat this Knicks team at home with ease. If the Sixers want to consider themselves contenders, they can’t look like one of the worst teams in the league when they’re down a couple players. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they just have to get used to playing without Ben and Joel, but that trend cannot continue or else they will get handled by other playoff teams.
Before I get to all the good things the Celtics did in the 118-106 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, I need to address the problems. Unlike Sunday, the defense was less than impressive. I know what you’re thinking, the Celtics won by 12 and held the Blazers to only 106 points, which in today’s NBA is pretty impressive. But, I thought the Celtics were more fortunate than good defensively. The Blazers had A LOT of good looks throughout the night, especially from three, the shots just didn’t fall. Hayward had a turnover problem, committing 5 and Marcus Smart couldn’t find his stroke going 4-16 from the field. Plus, no Damian Lillard for an already injury-riddled Blazers team really played in the Celtics’ favor. Negativity aside, The C’s took care of business against the shorthanded Blazers and gained some ground on the Toronto Raptors in the standings. Now to the good stuff.
I really wanted to start with Jaylen Brown, I really did, but Tatum stole the show once again. He followed up his 41 point performance in L.A. with 36 points on 14-22 shooting, including 8-12 from three. It was getting to the point I thought every shot he took was going in. Did you know he’s only 21? For the past two games, in which he’s averaging 38.5 points, he’s been wearing a purple arm band to pay homage to his idol, Kobe Bryant. He may never take it off. If he plays like this Wednesday against the Utah Jazz, he may ask for year-round West Coast trips.
Jaylen Brown wanted to remind us all Tatum isn’t the only young Celtic making strides this year. Brown put up 24 points along with 7 boards and was again pretty stout defensively. If he’s able to get to the basket with ease, like he was tonight, you can basically pencil in a solid performance from him. I know I bashed on them to start, but Hayward and Smart did a lot of good things, too. Hayward didn’t put up a lot of shots, but was efficient adding 12 points on 5-7 shooting. Marcus Smart took four of the first five shots of this game and missed them all, but then followed it up with three straight three pointers. That’s what he does. He’ll make you want to pull your hair out and then knock down big shot after big shot. My fellow Oklahoma State Cowboy also continued his case for an All-Defensive team. He came away with 2 steals, a block and forced CJ McCollum to take some tough shots, never letting him get comfortable. Like Brad Stevens once said, I love him and I trust him.
Speaking of Brad, he got his second technical in as many games. Go ahead and fact check me on this, there’s no way that’s ever happened to him before. Do we have a new bad boy in the NBA? I think so. They came away with the win Tuesday, but I’m interested to see how they come out and play Wednesday. They’ll be playing their second game of a back to back to end the West Coast trip, and then will have two days off before playing the Rockets on Saturday. This isn’t to say they don’t want to win, but if they get down, how much energy and fight are they going to show? This team is still trying to get healthy, so I wouldn’t blame them if they coast so they can get home. Of course I hope that doesn’t happen, but this team has aspirations far beyond a February win against the Jazz. The Jazz have been one of the more inconsistent teams this year, but will no doubt be a handful for the Celtics.
Oh, and Kemba missed his third straight game and by the time you’re reading this he’ll probably be ruled out for the game in Utah. I’m not worried, you’re worried.
On Sunday night Ben Simmons suffered a lower back injury in the first quarter of a game against the bucks. This was a re-aggravation of an injury that he previously suffered in a practice the week before. Today, he was ruled out Indefinitely.
Players get injured every year, it’s an unfortunate reality that we as fans, organizations and players have to face. I would never sit here and say that every time an organization demonstrated poor judgement when deciding to play someone through an injury that action needed to be taken. With that being said, I think it is time for the sixers to make some changes and reevaluate how they make these types of decisions.
If this were a stand-alone incident, I would probably brush this off. Hell, if this was the second or third incident i would probably brush it off, but I can only see this same thing happen season after season before I start to connect the dots. Dating back to 2016, the sixers have re-aggravated a Joel Embiid knee injury twice, played Joel Embiid the most minutes in the league for the first stretch of the season in 2018 season, let Markelle Fultz play through a shoulder injury during a SUMMER LEAGUE GAME that arguably lead to him physically forgetting how to shoot a basketball, allowed one of their best young players to average collectively 34 and a half minutes per game over the course of the last 3 seasons, and now this. They have an extremely bad habit of making short term decisions that lead to long term consequences.
Aside from these specific examples, they have a much deeper history of injuries since 2013. Nerlens Noel, joel Embiid, Jahlil okafor, markelle fultz, zhaire Smith, and Ben Simmons each missed significant portions of their rookie year. Embiid also hasn’t had a healthy playoffs since he’s been here and Markelle Fultz couldn’t see the floor the entire time he was there. We can’t blame all of these injuries on front office/medical staff negligence, but when it happens so often, I believe it’s fair to be skeptical.
And lastly, we can not pretend that players don’t recognize these trends too. Kawhi Leonard forced his way out of an organization with arguably the greatest coach of all time because he felt his injuries were mishandled. And after he left, the spurs have found it significantly harder to land free agents. I do not see a reason that the sixers organization should not be worried of a similar fate for themselves if this trend continues.
You would think having seven days between games would be a good thing for a Celtics team that just can’t seem to stay healthy. The top seven of Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Daniel Theis, Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter have played together in about 10 games this year. So, coming out of the All-Star break, I was excited to see what a fully healthy team could do, only bad part is no one told Kemba. He was out of Friday night’s game with “left knee soreness,” which sounds a lot like load management. This really makes you think about why Kemba played 30 minutes in the All-Star game. Was this all an inside job by Nick Nurse to sabotage the Celtics?
Conspiracy theories aside, the Celtics had a real NBA game in Minnesota. The 127-117 win over the T-Wolves wasn’t the most impressive win of the year, not even close. But, I think it was very telling. Gordon Hayward is so back it’s not even funny anymore to think otherwise. When he’s in attack mode, he’s at his best and it showed Friday night. Dropping 29 points on 12-17 shooting, adding on 5 rebounds and 6 assists is a perfect Gordon Hayward game, and he’s starting to look a lot like the guy the Celtics paid for. Can you believe people wanted him traded for Drummond?
Same goes for Jaylen Brown, I don’t think anyone needed the All-Star break more than that guy. Brown last played on February 11th against the Rockets with two sprained ankles. I’ve always thought his game is similar to Russell Westbrook’s in that they’re most efficient when they go full speed to the basket, and that’s what Brown was able to do yesterday. 25 points with 8 boards on 10-17 shooting? I’ll take that every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Tatum’s game wasn’t the most efficient. He shot less than 40 percent from the field, but still added 28 points and 11 rebounds. He didn’t shoot well, but he was able to get to the free throw line. He went 8-8 and you just love to see it. That’s where Tatum’s growth this year has been tremendous. On the chance he has a bad shooting night, he goes to the basket looking get to the free throw line. Last year, he’d take the worst shots possible and try to shoot himself out of a slump. Spoiler alert: that never works.
We’re saving the best for last here, folks. Daniel Theis was incredible. This guy averages 8.7 points and 6.4 boards a game, and Friday night he went for 25 and 16. Now, I know this is more of an anomaly, but without Karl-Anthony Towns on the court, there was a huge hole in the middle and the Celts were able to take advantage.
And I know what you’re thinking, the three seeded Celtics beat one of the worst teams in the league, who cares? As a pessimistic Celtics fan who still has PTSD from the 2018-2019 season and the Kyrie era, I always expect them to lose these kind of games. So, it’s nice to see the Celtics beat the teams they’re supposed to and do it convincingly. You can probably tell, I’m really fun to watch games with. Anyway, starting Sunday, the Celtics head west for three games in four days and are closing out the month against three of the top five teams in the Western Conference. There couldn’t be a tougher way to close out February, but this stretch will show us how much potential these guys have come playoff time. It all starts Sunday at Staples Center. Beat L.A.
College basketball is in full swing, and that means that the conference season is upon us! Big 12 play gets underway this upcoming Saturday, January 4th with a full slate of games, as everyone in the conference plays its conference opener.
Today, I’m going to preview each of the Big 12’s teams and give my projected standings and records for each team (see bottom of article).
BAYLOR
Jared Butler drives to the basket vs Arizona at home. Photo per Baylor Athletics
Baylor is good enough to contend for the Big 12 title and equipped to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament come March. Baylor is ranked 11th in the nation in the KenPom rankings, which measures a team’s adjusted efficiency per 100 possessions. They score about 109.1 points per 100 possessions, while giving up only 88.0 points per 100 possessions, meaning their adjusted efficiency is +21.07 points. In addition, they boast one of the better non-conference resumes in the nation thus far, as they have defeated Arizona, Butler, and Villanova (all of whom are ranked in the top 25 in the current AP Poll) – something that Kansas failed to do, as many Baylor fans will quickly let you know that they beat Nova and Kansas did not- but also dropped a game to Washington on a neutral floor in Alaska which they led most of the way. Baylor sure would like to have that Washington match up back, but nonetheless, Baylor is top ten in the AP Poll (currently ranked #6) and in excellent position to compete for a conference championship, though they have not won a regular season conference championship since 1950. One of the biggest strengths of this Baylor team is their depth in the back court. Players like Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell, and Devonte Bandoo anchor a loaded Baylor back court, as each one of them brings remarkable athleticism and the ability to shoot the ball from behind the arc, something that Scott Drew-coached Baylor teams are not well-known for. If these guards consistently knock down the 3 ball, Baylor can win the conference for the first time ever since its inception in 1994 and compete for a deep run come March.
3 Key games: @ #22 Texas Tech (January 7th), vs #16 West Virginia (February 15th), vs #3 Kansas (February 22nd)
Key player to watch: Jared Butler
IOWA STATE
Iowa State is certainly not as good as they have been in years past and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. Losing players like Marial Shayok, Lindell Wigginton, and Talen Horton-Tucker hurts big time, as they carried Iowa State to a conference tournament title last season when they beat Kansas in the Sprint Center in Kansas City to capture their fifth Big 12 Tournament championship. Good news is they bring back several guys who played key minutes last season, namely guard Tyrese Haliburton and forward Michael Jacobson. Tyrese Haliburton and Michael Jacobson are their biggest one-two punch returning from last season in my opinion, but I believe Solomon Young is a key player for them. He needs to be able to establish himself as a consistent go to option behind Haliburton, Rasir Bolton, and Jacobson. Young averages 10.2 points/game and 3.9 rebounds/game, which is good production, but I believe Young needs to step it up to average around 12-13 points/game and 5 rebounds/game in order for Iowa State to find more success. This Iowa State team has the potential to be very competitive, as seen when Seton Hall, ranked #13 in the AP Poll at the time, came into Hilton Coliseum and left with ten point loss to the Cyclones, but Iowa State just has not shown the consistency yet. At a current record of 7-4, they are probably on the outside looking in at the NCAA tournament heading into conference play, but good thing the Big 12 provides plenty of opportunities to boost the resume. There are no off nights in this conference, so Iowa State will need to bring it every single night if they want to make the NCAA tournament, which is why Solomon Young emerging as a solid go-to fourth option is all the more important for this Iowa State team. If he can do so, this makes Iowa State a much more dangerous team because the defense will have to pay more attention to Young on the block, which could open up more shots on the perimeter for guys like Haliburton and Bolton. They will catch some opposing teams off-guard when opposing teams have to visit Hilton, but Iowa State must show more consistency and be able to win on the road if they are to find success this season.
3 Key games: vs #3 Kansas (January 8th), vs #6 Baylor (January 29th), @Oklahoma State (February 29th)
Key player to watch: Solomon Young
KANSAS
Devon Dotson drives to the hoop against UNC-Greensboro in Allen Fieldhouse Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas is Kansas. They have a ton of talent coming back from last year while also introducing several freshmen who could very well end up playing three to four years for Bill Self, and were picked to win the Big 12 again. Anyone surprised? Not really.
Kansas is currently ranked #3 in the AP Poll. They boast a sophomore point guard, Devon Dotson, who is arguably one of the best PGs in America, as well as arguably the best big man in the land in senior seven-foot center Udoka Azubuike. Dotson averages 19.2 points/game and 4.7 assists/game and is the unequivocal leader of this Kansas team while Azubuike averages a solid 14.0 points/game and 8.4 rebounds/game. Kansas also flaunts a strong non-conference schedule and has shown they can hang with just about anyone on any given night, as they have two losses by a combined three points to Duke (neutral floor) and Villanova (road). They also have a road win over the Stanford Cardinal, who are ranked in the top ten of the NCAA’s NET Tool, which helps the NCAA tournament committee evaluate potential NCAA tournament teams based on result of games strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, etc, as well as a neutral site victory over the Dayton Flyers led by potential lottery pick Obi Toppin. Kansas is also coming off the first season in 15 years in which they DIDN’T win the Big 12. Last year, Texas Tech and Kansas State split the conference crown, so Kansas is out to recapture that title. If Kansas is going to recapture the Big 12 crown, guys like Ochai Agbaji, Marcus Garrett, Isaiah Moss, and David McCormack need to step up and help out Dotson and Azubuike on a consistent basis. It would be easy for me to say Dotson or Azubuike is a key player to watch, however, I believe another is freshman guard Christian Braun. He has played tremendously as of late, knocking down shots, attacking on offense, blocking shots on defense, and providing a spark of energy off the bench, especially in the Villanova game. This Kansas team is already poised to make a deep run in March, but if Braun can consistently be a spark of energy off the bench like he has been of late, I like the Jayhawks chances of reaching Atlanta.
3 Key games: vs #6 Baylor (January 11th), vs #22 Texas Tech (February 1st), @ #16 West Virginia (February 12th)
Key player to watch: Christian Braun
KANSAS STATE
Kansas State has not been getting the treatment of a regular defending conference champion. The Wildcats have been looked down on to start this young season, but their play thus far has not exactly strengthened their case to be a contender in the Big 12 this season. They have been playing better of late, but they will need to kick it into another level if they are to challenge the likes of Kansas, Baylor, West Virginia, and Texas Tech for the conference crown. Now that guys like Barry Brown and Dean Wade are gone, a lot of the weight for this team falls on the shoulders of returners Cartier Diarra and Xavier Sneed. Both are very capable scorers and shooters and have plenty of experience at this level of play, but if K-State is going to get back to where they were last year, look for guys like Makol Mawien and Mike McGuirl to play a big role. Mawien leads the team in rebounds and blocks per game, at 5.1 rebounds/game and 1.1 blocks/game while McGuirl averages the third most minutes of all players among everyone who has played in all of the Wildcat’s games thus far. Somewhat similar to Iowa State, Kansas State does not flaunt an impressive non-conference schedule, as the best team they’ve played in Marquette came into Manhattan and had their way with the Wildcats, earning a 73-65 win over K-State. Fortunately, the Big 12 is filled with great opportunities to prove yourself. At this moment, K-State is not in the NCAA tournament, but that could all change with a good start to the conference season. Bruce Weber is more than a capable coach and has proven he can win and win at the highest level, but this year might be one of his toughest coaching jobs yet. One key player to watch is junior forward Levi Stockard III. In the limited minutes he’s gotten this season, he is shooting over 50% from the floor. If he can find more minutes and be a consistent presence on the floor for the Wildcats, this team will become that much better.
3 Key games: @Texas (January 11th), vs Oklahoma State (February 11th), vs #3 Kansas (February 29th)
Key player to watch: Levi Stockard III
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is a unique team this year. They don’t have any one dominant player like they have in recent memory (see Blake Griffin, Buddy Hield, and Trae Young for example), but they are a solid team. Head coach Lon Kruger always seems to do a good job of getting his guys ready to go, whether his team is especially talented, like the 2015-2016 Oklahoma team that went to the Final Four on the backs of Wooden Award winner Buddy Hield and his back court mates Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard, or if they are obviously out-manned. Oklahoma has three players currently averaging 14 points/game or more in senior Kristian Doolittle (16.7 points/game) and juniors Austin Reaves (16.6 points/game) and Brady Manek (14.2 points/game). Oklahoma is ranked #51 in the current KenPom rankings with an adjusted efficiency margin of 13.91 points per 100 possessions, which isn’t great but they have beaten teams like Minnesota, who is ranked #42 in KenPom as well as Missouri, who is ranked #53 in KenPom. Oklahoma has also lost to several tough teams like Creighton (road), #24 Wichita State (road), and Stanford (neutral site). Oklahoma has played a pretty good non-conference schedule thus far, it’s just that the results in their bigger games have not been there. Both games against Creighton and Wichita State were 10 point losses in hostile environments, but playing those type of non-conference games get a team ready for Big 12 play. With a three headed trio of Doolittle, Reaves, and Manek, Oklahoma is bound to get a few quality wins in the Big 12, but I don’t know if it will be enough for them to make the Big Dance come March. As far as key players go, watch out for freshman guard De’Vion Harmon out of Denton, Texas. Harmon averages 8.1 points/game, 2.4 rebounds/game, and 2.3 assists/game while shooting approximately 38.3% from the field. Harmon also averages 27.5 minutes/game, meaning the opportunities for him to grow and succeed on the court is present. If he consistently performs at his current production level given the minutes he is averaging, he will grow and become a big part of the offensive attack for this Oklahoma team in the near future, and could be the difference between a couple more wins for this Oklahoma team.
3 Key games: @Iowa State (January 11th), @Oklahoma State (February 22nd), vs Texas (March 3rd).
Key player to watch: De’Vion Harmon
OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State has shown they are a decent team this year. Projected to finish sixth in the conference, I believe head coach Mike Boynton has his guys heading in the right direction. They have taken care of business against the teams that they are clearly better than, but they have lost to tough teams like Minnesota, Georgetown, and Wichita State who are all better than Oklahoma State, however some of these games the Cowboys have been without sophomore guard Isaac Likekele as he has missed some time with an illness. Some of those results need to start changing and going in favor of OSU if the Cowboys expect to go dancing come March, and the return of Likekele should help swing some of those results in favor of the Cowboys. As it stands right now, they are projected in the “Last Four Byes” part of the NCAA tournament according to ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi. The Cowboys are led by Issac Likekele (13.1 points/game), senior guard Lindy Waters III (12.9 points/game), and senior forward Cameron McGriff (6.6 rebounds/game). All three have played very well throughout this young season and have been supported by senior guard Thomas Dziagwa, six-foot ten-inch sophomore forward Yor Anei, and a cast of freshman in forward Kalib Boone and guards Avery Anderson III and Chris Harris Jr. The Cowboys are a very young team and are in a position to make the NCAA Tournament, but with all young teams going forward, there will be some growing pains. One key player to watch the rest of this season for the Cowboys is Likekele. If he is able to stay healthy, he brings a whole new dynamic to this Cowboys team and makes them a very capable opponent.
3 Key games: @Iowa State (January 21st), vs #3 Kansas (January 27th), vs #22 Texas Tech (February 15th)
Key player to watch: Isaac Likekele
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
I’ll be honest, this TCU team is not as good as most other teams in the Big 12 this season. Head coach Jamie Dixon has a lot of work in front of him if he wants to get his Frogs to go dancing. TCU has beaten a ton of mediocre opponents but their three losses have come to Clemson, Southern California, and Xavier. TCU is ranked #67 in KenPom and is only ranked above one other Big 12 team in the KenPom rankings (K-State is ranked #89). The Horned Frogs are led by senior guard Desmond Bane (15.9 points/game, 7.1 rebounds/game, and 3.5 assists/game) and sophomore forward Kevin Samuel (11.7 points/game and 8.6 rebounds/game). Desmond Bane is one of the better guards in the conference, as he won player of the week for the conference once last season and was named to the all-conference second team at the end of the regular season. As far as key players go for this TCU squad, it has to be Bane. If he goes down with an injury at any point, I don’t believe TCU has any shot at the NCAA Tournament. Bane will need to keep up his all-conference play if TCU has any shot to make the postseason.
3 Key games: @Oklahoma (January 18th), vs #16 West Virginia (February 22nd), vs #6 Baylor (February 29th)
Key player to watch: Desmond Bane
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
Texas basketball has been a weird situation when looking from the outside ever since Shaka Smart arrived in town. I feel like Shaka is still hanging his hat on his surprise run to the Final Four in 2011 as the head coach of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) when they beat one-seeded Kansas in the Elite Eight in San Antonio to go to the Final Four. Smart has not been able to produce teams with similar success to the Texas teams of the 2000’s under Rick Barnes. However one thing Smart has been able to do is land high profile recruits, after having players like Myles Turner, Mo Bamba, and Jaxon Hayes come through his program. Its no secret he can send guys to The League, but even with those high-profile players, they have not found much postseason success. This Texas team has shown flashes of potential, as seen when they beat the then ranked #23 Purdue Boilermakers, but have also shown lapses in effort, as seen when getting curb stomped by Providence. The Longhorns are led by guards Matt Coleman (junior, averaging 12.8 points/game and 4.5 assists/game) and Andrew Jones (sophomore, averaging 11.4 points/game). Coleman is also shooting a scorching 47.6% from three point range this season. The Horns were predicted to finish fourth in the conference, but in order to do so they will need consistent play from guys like guard Courtney Ramey and forward Jericho Sims. Sims leads the team in rebounds/game at 6.9 and blocks/game at 1.3. I believe Sims is the key to the Longhorns finishing high in the standings at the end of conference play. If Sims can step up and become a very real post threat on the offensive end (he only averages 8.5 points/game) and become a better rim defender, the floor will open up so much more for the athletic guards that Texas has in Coleman, Ramey, and Jones on the offensive end while also making Texas a much better defensive team. If Sims becomes a better post player, the Horns could surprise some people in conference play.
3 Key games: vs @Oklahoma State (January 15th), #3 Kansas (January 18th), vs Texas Tech (February 8th)
Key player to watch: Jericho Sims
TEXAS TECH
Freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey rises up for a jumpshot vs Long Island University during their matchup on November 24th in Lubbock, Texas. Photo per Texas Tech Athletics
Texas Tech has emerged as one of the premier teams in the Big 12. Reaching the Elite Eight two seasons ago and getting to the National Championship game last season, it’s no secret that Chris Beard can coach. This season is a whole different animal though. His first season in Lubbock, Beard had standout senior point guard Keenan Evans and future NBA First rounder Zhaire Smith. Last season he had Big 12 player of the year Jarrett Culver, who now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. This season, it doesn’t appear that Texas Tech has someone who can completely dominate a game like Evans/Smith did two years ago or even like Culver could last year. Freshman Jahmi’us Ramsey is certainly an excellent player, but he isn’t a Jarrett Culver (yet), and nobody should expect him to be, as of right now. Good news is Ramsey is an outstanding player and can score in a variety of ways. Combine him with returning senior guard Chris Clarke, junior guard Davide Moretti, sophomore guard Kyler Edwards, freshman guard Terrence Shannon Jr, and senior transfer forward T.J. Holyfield, Tech has an outstanding array of players that Beard can throw at any opposing defense. This team is a guard-dominated team, which bodes well in the modern version of college basketball. However, I believe if Tech wants to win the Big 12 for the second consecutive season, they need to improve their outside shooting ability. Among players who play significant minutes (15 minutes or more/game in my opinion), only Ramsey (46.3%) and Moretti (38.8%) shoot above 35% from three. If Tech as a team can get more guys to consistently shoot the rock, they will be a very tough out. One of their key players is T.J. Holyfield. We all know Ramsey and Moretti are good, but Holyfield was a highly coveted transfer who chose Chris Beard and Texas Tech over the likes of Kansas, but Holyfield has not lived up to all the hype quite yet. He averages 9.5 points/game, 4.9 rebounds/game, and shoots 57.3% from the field as a whole, He has played in all 12 of Texas Tech’s games, but only averages about 6.25 shots/game while playing about 22.9 minutes/game. If he is going to shoot this well from the field, I think Holyfield has to find a way to get more minutes so that he can get more shots up. If he can become another consistent double digit scorer for this team, look to see Tech fight for a spot in Atlanta for the Final Four at the end of the year.
3 Key games: vs #6 Baylor (January 7th), @ #16 West Virginia (January 11th), @ #3 Kansas (February 1st) (Bonus game: vs #17 Kentucky on January 25th as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge).
Key player to watch: T.J. Holyfield
WEST VIRGINIA
Death, Taxes, and a Bob Huggins coached-team being good defensively. The three guarantees of life. WVU is ranked #17 in the KenPom rankings and is allowing only 87.5 points/100 possessions, which is good for the seventh best in the country. WVU is an excellent defensive team and always has been. The question is whether their offense can step up to the task. Their leading scorer is freshman forward Oscar Tshiebwe at 11.8 points/game. WVU also only has one player averaging more than 25 minutes/game (sophomore forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. who averages 26.5 min/game). What does that tell you? WVU has depth and Huggins isn’t afraid to use it. Ten different players average double digit minutes per game. This allows Huggins to keep up his team’s defensive intensity that WVU basketball has become known for over the last several years. Having fresh bodies late in games is a big luxury and WVU definitely has that. Projected to finish fifth in the conference, the Mountaineers are already exceeding expectations as they are currently ranked #16 in the AP Poll and just beat then ranked #2 Ohio State in Morgantown this past Sunday. One key player for the Mountaineers in my opinion is sophomore forward Derek Culver. Culver averages 11.0 points/game and 9.4 rebounds/game and has experience in beating tough opponents. Culver played significant roles last season on a WVU team that beat Kansas in Morgantown and bested league champion Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament. Culver while only a sophomore, can provide some leadership for an up and coming WVU roster that has lots of freshmen and sophomores. If Culver is able to become the leader for this WVU team and provide consistent scoring and defensive intensity, watch out for the Mountaineers as they could challenge for the Big 12 title.
3 Key games: vs #22 Texas Tech (January 11th), vs #3 Kansas (February 12th), @ #6 Baylor (February 15th)
Grad School Sports™ 