HoopsHype re-drafts the 2019 NBA Draft class, which was headlined by the likes of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant and featured Darius Garland.
The 2019 NBA draft was a tale of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, but little did we know, the class was loaded with hidden gems.
Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, and Jordan Poole have exceeded expectations, proving themselves as steals. Then you have a few undrafted players like Lu Dort, Max Strus and Caleb Martin who have become consistent contributors.
There haven’t been many major busts in that class, either, outside of No. 6 pick Jarrett Culver.
Below, check out our re-draft for the 2019 NBA draft class.
Evan Mobley did all he could for the #Cavs against the Raptors, but Cleveland was damaged by an injury to Darius Garland in a narrow loss to Toronto.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a brutal blow in their first game of the new NBA season on Wednesday night. Cleveland guard Darius Garland suffered an eye injury which kept him off the floor for a significant amount of time. The Cavs started well but were unable to finish the game the way they hoped. Garland’s absence mattered quite a lot in a 108-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Canada.
If Garland had been able to play the full game, this contest might have ended differently for the Cavs. One clear reason: Evan Mobley, whose defense remains elite. He showed exactly how formidable he is as a rim protector against the Raptors, in a battle against the man who beat him out (absurdly) for 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes:
The Cavs were snakebitten by injuries last season. They have already been hit by the injury bug once again. Hopefully Mobley — himself injured for significant portions of last season — can stay healthy. That would increase the Cavs’ upside.
HoopsHype is introducing a new series that aims to educate its audience on the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is an FAQ on the designated rookie rule, which has become a topic of conversation in this year’s free agency.
HoopsHype is introducing a new series that aims to educate its audience on the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is an FAQ on the designated rookie rule, which has become a topic of conversation in this year’s free agency.
HoopsHype is introducing a new series that aims to educate its audience on the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is an FAQ on the designated rookie rule, which has become a topic of conversation in this year’s free agency.
A look at some player props ahead of Friday’s play-in games.
The NBA’s Play-In Tournament has a way of keeping viewers on the edge of their toes. We all were invested on Tuesday, whether it was Anthony Edwards bringing the Minnesota Timberwolves home down the stretch of Tuesday’s game against the LA Clippers, or Kyrie Irving’s perfect three quarters against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But the stakes are higher now — it’s literally “win or go home” for everyone on Friday night, and things are already getting interesting.
For Cleveland, how will Jarrett Allen look in his likely return from a broken finger? Will Bogdan Bogdanovic test out his sprained ankle for Atlanta? And which Clipper is going to fill in for the recently ruled out Paul George (health and safety protocols)?
Enough about the future. Let’s focus on this weekend’s playoff picture.
Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.
What’s good, family! Welcome to Layup Lines. It’s your boy Sykes here to lead you into tonight’s NBA action. But first a quick thought.
I know things have been this way for a while, but can we stop looking so far ahead into the future when it comes to the NBA?
ESPN’s Jay Williams did just that today when he made waves on the internet by saying LaMelo Ball is not long for Charlotte. He’s literally putting the kid on the Lakers already.
Never mind the fact that he’s just finished his 2nd season as an NBA player or the fact that there’s this whole restricted free agency thing that makes it all the more likely he’ll be in Charlotte until, at least, 2027.
Forget all that. The dude is just a Laker already.
This is a huge problem with NBA coverage. And it’s not just a Jay Williams thing or an ESPN thing. People everywhere are more obsessed with the transactions in the NBA than basketball itself. This is what Kevin Durant meant when he said NBA fans don’t like anything about the NBA last year— there’s plenty to talk about, but we never talk about it.
We’re way too focused on the future with the NBA and what will come as opposed to what’s happening right now. We just had 4 awesome play-in games. We’ve had a historic MVP race. There are plenty of awesome playoff matchups to talk about.
And instead? LaMelo to the Lakers dominated the online conversation. We need to do better. Much, much, much better.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Don’t trick yourself when it comes to the Hawks vs. the Cavaliers tonight. We tend to get a bit too caught up in the regular season at times, my colleague Prince Grimes writes.
But the Hawks than the Cavaliers coming into the season. They certainly feel like the better team right now. Roll with that.
Atlanta has a bottom five defensive rating over the course of the season but ranks 11th in the last 15 games, better than the Cavs who are 24th in that time. Paired with a top 10 offense in that span, the Hawks have the league’s seventh-best net rating. As hard as it is to do, I’m ignoring what we’ve seen over the course of most of 82 games and taking the Hawks to ride this momentum and end up in the playoffs where they always belonged.
Clippers (-105) vs. Pelicans (-1.5, -115), O/U 215.5, 10 PM ET
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The play-in game out west is probably going to be the most interesting one tonight with Paul George missing time in the NBA’s health and safety protocol. The Pelicans looked dominant against the Spurs and CJ McCollum can’t miss right now. I’m going Pels -1.5 tonight.
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Match LeBron in Cleveland and you’re definitely on your way.
Many thought Darius Garland could be the dynamic floor general for a good NBA team. The Cavaliers expressly used the No. 5 pick of the 2019 NBA draft on Garland because they wanted him to be the foundation of their new team. High expectations from the get-go for anyone.
So far, so good for the 22-year-old. In his third season in Cleveland, Garland is lighting it up for one of the NBA’s more underrated, surprise teams. A stacked East has seen the Cavaliers hanging in there, largely thanks to Garland. Let’s be honest: 20.5 points and 7.9 assists would help elevate the play of anyone.
On Friday, the Cavaliers (7.5-point underdogs) lost 125-119 to the 76ers, despite a hard-fought game. They only had a chance because Garland came to ball and almost wrestled control from Joel Embiid and Co.
Oh man, you know you’re feeling it when you pull up with confidence on a fastbreak.
In the process of Garland’s performance, he matched LeBron James — another player who came to Cleveland and lived up to the tremendous hype — with an impressive mark.
Darius Garland joins LeBron James (x2) and Andre Miller as the only players in Cavs franchise history with multiple 25-point, 15-assist games in a single season.
He finished with 26 points and 19 assist Friday night vs the 76ers (also had 27 & 18 vs OKC earlier this season) pic.twitter.com/BNLzvIALuG
A 25 point, 15-assist game is an outstanding effort for any point guard. It means you more than fulfilled your responsibilities as a scorer and primary facilitator (and got a little lucky that your teammates were just as locked-in as shooters). Doing it five times in one season already speaks volumes of the kind of point guard Garland’s become so fast. It’s even more special when it matches James, an all-time great, and once the Cavaliers’ de facto point guard. What a symbolic way to pass the torch.
What a coincidence that the moment the Cavaliers have a great point guard like Garland again, they become a team to write home about.
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Former Longhorn Jarrett Allen already has one win from the NBA All-Star weekend.
The NBA All-Star weekend for former Longhorn Jarrett Allen got off to a hot start on Saturday.
The now Cleveland Cavalier is going to be participating in his first all-star game, and he helped “Team Cavs” which included Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, win the skills challenge.
This season there was a new format to spice things up, as rather than it being an individual based event, it consisted of three teams of three players. The other two teams “Team Antetokounmpos” consisted of Giannis and his two brothers Thanasis and Alex, and “Team Rooks” which had Josh Giddey, Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes.
The challenge consisted of four rounds starting with shooting, then going to passing, followed by a team relay, and finishing it off with a half court shootout.
While Garland and Mobley were more better suited for the event, Allen did contribute as he added five of their 44 points in the passing competition. Team Cavs would go on to win after Mobley hit the half court shot in 5.5 seconds to Team Rooks’ 9.9 seconds.
Evan Mobley sank the half-court shot needed to send the Cavs to the title in the Skills Challenge on Saturday at All-Star Weekend.
Evan Mobley on Saturday drained the half-court shot needed to lead the Cavs to the win in the Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio.
Mobley and the Cavs, which included teammates Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, defeated the Rooks in the fourth and final round. The two teams were tasked with shooting half-court shots to win and the player that hit it fastest won as Mobley drained it in 5.5 seconds.
The Cavs came out of the gate fast, winning the first round to collect 100 points in the scoring. Teams attempted to make shots from five different locations on the court ranging from 10-30 feet. Each spot was worth between 1-5 points.
Evan Mobley and Darius Garland close out the first round of #TacoBellSkills with a show for the Cleveland crowd! 🔥
In the second round, the Antetokounmpos, featuring brothers Giannis, Thanasis and Alex, topped the three teams in a passing drill for 100 points. Players had 30 seconds to make as many passes as possible into three, oversized moving targets.
The Rooks took the third round and 200-point prize as Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Josh Giddey recorded the fastest time in a full-court relay. The three first-year players posted a winning time of one minute, 18 seconds to set up a showdown with the Cavs in the final round.
Cunningham and the Rooks went first in the final round as each player launched shots from the half-court line. The No. 1 pick last year sank one shot in 9.9 seconds, which was eventually beaten by Mobley and the Cavs on their second attempt.
The Skills Challenge tipped off the festivities on Saturday night and continued a busy weekend for the Rooks and Cavs. The four rookies on the court each participated in the Rising Stars game on Friday while Allen and Garland will compete in the All-Star Game on Sunday.
The 3-Point and Slam Dunk Contests were to follow the Skills Challenge.
