The Cavaliers will be over the cap but also significantly under the luxury tax for the first time in the post- LeBron era. Kevin Love will remain on the trade market with the Cavaliers looking to develop their young players. Assuming Andre Drummond …
The Cavaliers will be over the cap but also significantly under the luxury tax for the first time in the post-LeBron era. Kevin Love will remain on the trade market with the Cavaliers looking to develop their young players. Assuming Andre Drummond opts in, they have one year to make things work before he hits free agency. With no clear young star, who they select with their Top 5 pick will be extremely crucial if they want to get out of irrelevancy.
Key: Not Guaranteed / Team Option / Player Option / Cap Hold / Dead Money
The Celtics are already projected to be hovering over the luxury tax next season. Gordon Hayward can opt out this summer, but his negotiations would be complicated with Jayson Tatum due for what is likely a maximum extension. Once again having three …
The Celtics are already projected to be hovering over the luxury tax next season. Gordon Hayward can opt out this summer, but his negotiations would be complicated with Jayson Tatum due for what is likely a maximum extension. Once again having three low first-round picks in this year’s draft, they could look to consolidate some of them for a veteran upgrade.
Key: Not Guaranteed / Team Option / Player Option / Cap Hold / Dead Money
The Nets will look to add to their mostly complete core with a veteran with the mid-level exception and their first round pick via Philadelphia. Joe Harris is their biggest free agent and they’ll have an edge with re-signing him having his full Bird …
The Nets will look to add to their mostly complete core with a veteran with the mid-level exception and their first round pick via Philadelphia. Joe Harris is their biggest free agent and they’ll have an edge with re-signing him having his full Bird rights. They have the pieces to package together for a third star if they choose, but they are a strong supporting cast for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Key: Not Guaranteed / Team Option / Player Option / Cap Hold / Dead Money
Big changes could be made to the Bulls’ front office, head coach, and medical staff. They must make a decision on Lauri Markkanen, who becomes extension-eligible. With most of the roster locked in for next season, continuity and development will be …
Big changes could be made to the Bulls’ front office, head coach, and medical staff. They must make a decision on Lauri Markkanen, who becomes extension-eligible. With most of the roster locked in for next season, continuity and development will be vital. They must decide whether or not to tender qualifying offers to restricted free agents Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine.
Key: Not Guaranteed / Team Option / Player Option / Cap Hold / Dead Money
The Hornets, with cap space for the first time since 2016, will have around $27 million available. They must be careful not to rush their timeline and rather focus on continual development of their promising young players. With what will likely be …
The Hornets, with cap space for the first time since 2016, will have around $27 million available. They must be careful not to rush their timeline and rather focus on continual development of their promising young players. With what will likely be the first Top 5 pick since 2013, the Hornets must nail this pick as they still do not have a clear No. 1 option.
Key: Not Guaranteed / Team Option / Player Option / Cap Hold / Dead Money
The Hawks are projected to have just north of $50 million in cap space this summer, the most of any team. They should have plenty of room to add talent to bolster the roster and could also continue taking on bad contracts with draft picks attached. …
The Hawks are projected to have just north of $50 million in cap space this summer, the most of any team. They should have plenty of room to add talent to bolster the roster and could also continue taking on bad contracts with draft picks attached. They must decide how much they’re willing to commit to John Collins, who is extension-eligible.
Key: Not Guaranteed / Team Option / Player Option / Cap Hold / Dead Money
It took the NBA 36 seasons to have an international player receiving MVP votes. It happened in 1982 when Bahamian big man Mychal Thompson, aka Klay’s dad, finished at No. 21 in the ranking. Of course, a lot has changed since then. You only have to …
It took the NBA 36 seasons to have an international player receiving MVP votes. It happened in 1982 when Bahamian big man Mychal Thompson, aka Klay‘s dad, finished at No. 21 in the ranking. Of course, a lot has changed since then. You only have to look at last year’s results…
HoopsHype ranks the Top-25 NBA players under 25 years old, using a blend of video evidence along with statistical contributions.
The NBA has never been richer in young talent, and every season, it seems like that becomes more and more true after the latest loaded draft class joins the ranks. That might partially have to do with the explosion of overseas talent, but the domestic game is an extremely healthy place, too. So what we decided to do is, as a team at HoopsHype, vote on the Top 25 NBA players under the age of 25, and aggregate the total scores of each of our votes to find a consensus.
Below, you can find how the rankings turned out. Let’s jump right in.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
25. KENDRICK NUNN, 24, MIAMI
An impressive find for the Miami Heat out of the G League, Kendrick Nunn has gone from undrafted minor league player to a legitimate candidate for Rookie of the Year from one season to the next.
On the campaign, Nunn ranks third among rookies in nightly scoring (15.5) and second in total three-pointers (125) while further contributing 3.4 assists per contest.
Apart from the addition of Jimmy Butler and the explosive improvements from a big man teammate coming up near the top of our list, one of the biggest reasons for Miami being so much better this season than in 2018-19 has been thanks to the Nunn pickup, who gives the team a tough bucket-getter and a high-effort player on both ends of the floor.
24. JONATHAN ISAAC, 22, ORLANDO
One of the league’s top defenders before going down with a knee injury this season, Jonathan Isaac seemed to take the next step in his development in 2019-20 for the Magic.
His offensive production might never be all that efficient (he had improved-but-still-shaky 46.3/33.0/76.7 shooting splits this year), but Isaac’s contributions on the defensive end were otherworldly, and would have certainly garnered him some Defensive Player of the Year consideration had he not gotten hurt.
In 2019-20, Isaac ranked fourth in nightly blocks (2.4) and ninth in steals (1.6) while Orlando boasted the NBA’s fifth-stingiest defense with their point-stopping monster on the floor.
23. LONZO BALL, 22, NEW ORLEANS
After a somewhat disappointing sophomore season, Lonzo Ball has gotten right back on track this campaign, his first as a New Orleans Pelican, averaging 12.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.4 steals nightly to go with a noteworthy +3.1 swing rating.
The most impressive improvement Ball has made from last year to this one has been with his spot-up shooting. Not only is he making a career-best 38.3 percent of his three-pointers, but the UCLA product has also upped his spot-up efficiency from 0.80 points per possession in 2018-19 (PPP; 18th percentile) to 1.04 PPP this season (64th percentile), per Synergy Sports.
That’s a vast difference – and a more confident Ball in 2019-20 looks like a real building block for New Orleans to go with a certain big man coming up later on our list.
22. AARON GORDON, 24, ORLANDO
Best known for his high-flying dunks, Aaron Gordon has developed nicely into a small-ball power forward who can handle some playmaking duties and defend multiple positions on the less glamorous side of the floor.
Since the start of 2020, when Gordon was able to move to the 4-spot full-time following an injury to a player coming up on our list, the 24-year-old has averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals nightly while helping the Orlando Magic stay firmly within the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Gordon still badly needs to work on his shooting, as the athletic forward is converting just 30.4 percent of his threes this season and an even more worrisome 67.2 percent of his free throws, but outside of that, he’s become a pretty well-rounded modern-day wing/big man hybrid.
21. MYLES TURNER, 23, INDIANA
The Indiana Pacers’ front office and its fans alike probably hoped Myles Turner would merit a higher ranking on this list by this point in his career, but for whatever reason, it just hasn’t happened yet for Turner. And by it, we mean Turner hitting the level many thought he had coming out of college, that of a dominant floor-spacer/rim-protector.
This season, Turner’s ranking in the catch-all advanced metrics has taken quite a dip, including his Box Plus/Minus (BPM) falling from +3.3 to +0.2 – a pretty massive fall-off. Even more concerning than that? The Pacers are 2.0 points per 100 possessions worse with Turner on the floor this year.
Not what you want to hear if you’re Indiana, especially not when you consider Turner is currently in Year-1 of a four-year, $80 million deal.
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
20. JOHN COLLINS, 22, ATLANTA
There are major questions about John Collins’ defensive aptitude, even in spite of his 1.6-nightly-block average this season, as the Atlanta Hawks boast a bottom-three defense in 2019-20, one that isn’t much better statistically with Collins on the floor.
Even so, as a 22-year-old, Collins is averaging 21.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 three-pointers per contest on the campaign while slashing outrageous 58.8/41.1/80.1 shooting splits, tidy marks that speak to the Wake Forest product’s efficiency as a scorer.
Now paired up with Clint Capela in Atlanta’s frontcourt, who should mask some of Collins’ defensive deficiencies, the floor-spacing, high-flying big man will be able to focus on doing what he does best, and that’s putting up big numbers.
19. JAREN JACKSON JR, 20, MEMPHIS
Filling one of the most important modern-day archetypes, that of a floor-spacing rim-protector, Jaren Jackson Jr. has all the makings of a destructive two-way force for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jackson is more than just a frontcourt floor-spacer, though, as the 20-year-old ranks as a “very good” point producer out of the pick-and-roll roll, as well as a “very good” isolation scorer, per Synergy Sports. On the season, Jackson is averaging 16.9 points, 1.6 blocks and 2.5 three-pointers per game while knocking down an impressive 39.7 percent of his outside looks.
Considering his age and already-nasty production, Jackson’s upside is legitimately scary. The Grizzlies are knocking their current rebuild out of the park, and landing Jackson fourth overall in the 2018 draft is just part of the reason why.
18. DE’AARON FOX, 22, SACRAMENTO
He may have not made the jump many thought he would in his third season, but De’Aaron Fox still remains one of the league’s top young point guards.
In 2019-20, Fox is averaging 20.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game, overall marks that can only be matched by very few other players.
So although his jump shot – particularly from three-point range, where he’s making just 30.7 percent of his looks as opposed to 37.1 percent last year –has somewhat abandoned him, Fox still does a great job of using his explosiveness and touch around the basket to give the Sacramento Kings huge production at the lead-guard spot.
17. JAMAL MURRAY, 23, DENVER
Another young point guard with high expectations heading into 2019-20, Jamal Murray likewise hasn’t taken a huge step forward this season but has done enough for his fourth campaign not to be considered a disappointment.
On the year, Murray is posting an 18.7/3.9/4.8 stat line while hitting a mediocre 34.8 of his threes and 89.1 percent of his free throws. The problem is, Murray is averaging just 3.2 free-throw attempts to 5.4 three-point attempts nightly, so his ridiculous efficiency from the foul stripe isn’t as impactful as it should be.
Even so, the 23-year-old Canadian has been good enough as a starter to help the Denver Nuggets boast a 43-21 record this season and sit No. 3 in the West, so overall, his play has been a huge positive for his team. His +7.0 swing rating only further solidifies that belief.
16. SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER, 21, OKLAHOMA CITY
Question marks around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game forced him to fall to the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft and the Los Angeles Clippers, the team who selected him, couldn’t have been happier about that. But it’s now the Oklahoma City Thunder who are reaping the rewards of the crafty ball-handler’s draft-day slide, following the Paul George trade.
This season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting over five free-throws nightly and sinking them at an 80.1 percent rate. Playing alongside Chris Paul has done a lot to help the Canadian guard take the next step in his development, though, to be fair, he was pretty impressive as a rookie anyway.
As Gilgeous-Alexander’s jumper continues to develop (he’s making just 35.1 percent of his outside looks this year), he’s only going to continue getting better; his upside is ridiculous.
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
15. D’ANGELO RUSSELL, 24, MINNESOTA
Somehow already on his fourth team since reaching the NBA, D’Angelo Russell has finally landed on what should be his long-term home in Minnesota.
Considering he was already close with Karl-Anthony Towns before the trade and how badly the Wolves needed help in the backcourt, Russell is set up for a lot of success and stability on his new team.
Russell, a creative scorer and decent enough long-distance shooter, is averaging a career-high 23.0 points this year, to go along with 3.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists nightly.
14. JAYLEN BROWN, 23, BOSTON
One of the NBA’s top two-way wing players, Jaylen Brown’s explosion as a scorer this year has helped tell turn him a borderline All-Star player for the Boston Celtics.
On the campaign, Brown is pouring in 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while hitting a healthy 38.1 percent of his three-point opportunities. Also, often tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best wing player, Brown is always up to the task.
Brown’s emergence this year has the Celtics playing awesome basketball, as evidenced by their 42-21 record and No. 3 ranking in the East.
13. DOMANTAS SABONIS, 23, INDIANA
A first-time All-Star in 2019-20, Domantas Sabonis has met his ceiling and then some with the Pacers this year.
The southpaw big man is putting up 18.3 points, 12.5 rebounds (No. 6 league-wide) and 5.0 assists per game this season, helping keep the Pacers among the Eastern Conference’s elite despite being without Victor Oladipo for the entire first half of the season. What’s more, Sabonis ranks 16th in VORP and 27th in BPM in 2019-20, which goes to show just how productive and effective he’s been in comparison to some of his counterparts.
Sabonis’ blend of tidy finishing, tenacity on the glass and underrated playmaking have made him one of the most well-rounded bigs in basketball this year.
12. KRISTAPS PORZINGIS, 24, DALLAS
Kristaps Porzingis’ first season back from a torn ACL injury has had its ups and downs, but overall and especially recently, the Latvian big man has made the Dallas Mavericks’ gamble on him look like an extremely wise decision.
Not only do Porzinigis’ raw numbers – 19.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, albeit on shaky 42.2/35.4/77.6 shooting splits – jump off the page, but it’s his impact beyond the box score that make his acquisition look genius. Even despite a player coming up later on our list missing a lot of time this year with injury, the Mavericks boast a 115.9 offensive rating on the campaign, easily the top mark in the league and one of the best in league history.
Porzingis’ presence, particularly the extreme floor-spacing he provides by credibly spotting up for three from so deep beyond the arc, has a lot to do with that.
11. ZION WILLIAMSON, 19, NEW ORLEANS
Possessing an otherworldly blend of obscene touch to go along with brute strength and absurd athleticism, Zion Williamson has been nothing short of fantastic since debuting for the New Orleans Pelicans in late January.
In that stretch, 2019’s No. 1 overall pick is averaging 23.6 points (the top mark among all rookies), 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor and a surprising 46.2 percent from beyond the arc, albeit on a small sample size (Williamson is shooting fewer than one three per game).
Williamson has also given his team an enormous boost, as the Pelicans are 13.6 points per 100 possessionsbetter (that’s not a typo) with their top prospect on the floor, an insane mark usually reserved for the likes of a LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
If it weren’t for the player coming up next on our list, Williamson would be a shoo-in to win Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 even despite missing so much time, and if it weren’t for him missing the first few months of the season, Zion surely would have ranked far higher on our list.
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
10. JA MORANT, 20, MEMPHIS
The frontrunner for Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 and one of the most exciting first-year point guards dating back to at least Derrick Rose, Ja Morant has helped flipped Memphis’ fortunes in just one offseason, accelerating their rebuild in the process.
On the year, Morant is pouring in 17.6 points per game and leading all rookies in nightly assists (7.0) while slashing healthy 49.2/37.3/77.0 shooting splits. Not only is Morant freakishly explosive…
JA MORANT POSTER ON A 7 FOOTER IN THE CLUTCH🔥🔥🔥🔥. The difficulty on this dunk is absurd pic.twitter.com/VYCYKmMJwF
…he has incredible vision as a playmaker, routinely putting his teammates in positions to succeed, a trait that does not usually come so easy for first-year floor generals.
Between Jackson and Morant (and guys like Dillon Brooks and Justise Winslow, who didn’t make our list), the Grizzlies have the young talent to build a monster squad in Memphis, as evidenced by the fact that they’re already firmly in a playoff race, despite their overall youth.
9. BRANDON INGRAM, 22, NEW ORLEANS
Few players have made the jump between last season to this one that Brandon Ingram has, as the Pelicans wing has absolutely taken off in his first season in New Orleans.
On the year, Ingram is averaging 24.3 points nightly to go with 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Ingram is part of an eight-player list, filled with elite talent, putting up at least a 24/6/4 stat line this year, and at 22, he’s the second-youngest player to be doing so.
By far the biggest improvement Ingram has made this year is with his three-point shooting, where he’s sinking 38.7 percent of his opportunities after coming into the campaign as a career 32.9 percent outside shooter.
Between Ingram and Williamson, the Pelicans have an insane frontcourt duo guiding them into the future.
8. DEVIN BOOKER, 23, PHOENIX
According to every advanced metric, Devin Booker is currently enjoying his best season as a professional. The raw statistics – 26.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game on 48.9/36.2/91.7 shooting splits – would agree with that, too.
That’s why those within the Phoenix Suns organizations and even those outside of it were so surprised – and some even angered – when Booker became this year’s biggest All-Star snub. With Booker on the floor this year, Phoenix is 5.8 points per 100 possessions better than when he’s on the bench, so it’s not like he producing empty statistics.
Of course, Booker wound up earning All-Star honors for the first time this season anyway after Damian Lillard had to pull out due to injury, a more-than-deserved honor for the Kentucky product.
7. BAM ADEBAYO, 22, MIAMI
If Ingram isn’t this year’s Most Improved Player (and he very well might be), then that means the award would go to Bam Adebayo, who is the only other young guy to make such an insane leap from 2018-19 to 2019-20.
After being a backup for the majority of last season, Adebayo is absolutely filling up the stat sheet every night now in his first campaign as a full-time starter, averaging 16.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 56.5 percent from the floor. On the season as a whole, Adebayo ranks 13th in VORP, 21st in BPM and 10th in overall Win Shares, marks that prove he’s not just a great young player, but a borderline All-NBA candidate in just his third season.
So yes, the addition of Butler and emergence of Nunn has been a huge reason for the Miami Heat going from non-playoff team to a Top 4 seed in the East at the All-Star break, but Adebayo’s growth also merits a lot of credit for Miami’s leap.
6. JAYSON TATUM, 22, BOSTON
Although Boston is about as well-rounded a team as any contender this year, making it difficult to decide who their best player is, a strong case can be made for third-year forward Jayson Tatum, who has bounced back wonderfully after a semi-disappointing sophomore season.
Tatum’s shot-making and play-making abilities (which are much-improved this year) have helped elevate Boston to ranking as a Top 5 offense this year, according to offensive rating, after placing 10th in that metric last season. What’s more, per Synergy Sports, Tatum ranks as an excellent scorer when running the pick-and-roll, as a good one on spot-up and post-up opportunities, and a very good one in isolation and transition. Tatum is as efficient a high-volume scorer as they come.
Still just 22 years old, the sky is the limit for Tatum’s upside.
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
5. TRAE YOUNG, 21, ATLANTA
One of the most exciting offensive players in basketball, Trae Young ranks fourth league-wide in scoring this season at 29.4 points per game and second in assists at 9.3 nightly. Young is the only player 21 or younger in league history to average at least 29 points and nine assists per contest, an insane accomplishment for the diminutive floor general in just his second season.
Of course, over the coming seasons, Young will have to answer questions about his actual impact versus his raw production, considering his Hawks team boasts the third-worst record in basketball in 2019-20, but at the same time, it’s hard to fault the uber-talented point guard for that, considering how much he contributes to the score sheet on a nightly basis.
With an improved roster around him, Young will get the chance to prove his value as a winning player over the next few years.
4. BEN SIMMONS, 23, PHILADELPHIA
We all know Ben Simmons’ biggest flaw as a player: He doesn’t shoot three-pointers.
But what gets often ignored in the discourse surrounding the young Australian ball-handler is the fact that even despite that flaw, he’s still an extremely impactful player, one that is consistently a terror defensively and borderline unstoppable in transition, and one that has proven to be an elite playmaker.
Simmons’ numbers – 16.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2.1 steals (No. 1 in the league) – might be more impressive if he were asked to do more offensively, as was the case for a nine-game stretch back in January when Joel Embiid missed time with injury. In that time, Simmons put up 21.6 points, 9.3 boards and 7.9 assists nightly, leading the Philadephia 76ers to a 6-3 record.
Simmons isn’t perfect, but he still impacts games like an elite player.
3. DONOVAN MITCHELL, 23, UTAH
A first-time All-Star in 2019-20, Donovan Mitchell’s improved consistency has helped him take the next step in his development and aided the Utah Jazz in maintaining their status as one of the Western Conference’s best teams. On the campaign, Utah ranks ninth league-wide in net rating at +3.3, ahead of the likes of Philadelphia and Miami, and sit fourth in the West with a 41-23 record.
Mitchell playing like one of the best 2-guards in basketball and consistently taking over the scoring load late in gams has certainly been a factor behind that, along with Rudy Gobert’s brilliance as a two-way center.
2. KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS, 24, MINNESOTA
In a way, Karl-Anthony Towns resembles Young in that his production is absolutely absurd and can’t be questioned, but at the same time, it hasn’t led to much winning for Minnesota outside of the year that Butler was there. That could change going forward with Russell joining the team at the trade deadline, but it’s noteworthy nonetheless.
Regardless, Towns is putting up truly insane numbers for his career, averaging 22.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in his five seasons while knocking down 53.4 percent of his field-goal attempts and 39.6 percent of his outside looks.
Towns has a fantastic face-up game, a knockdown spot-up jumper and mean post moves, making him one of the most well-rounded scoring bigs in basketball. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, though, and the next step in his development will have to come on that end of the floor.
1. LUKA DONCIC, 21, DALLAS
No. 6 in the league in scoring and No. 4 in assists, Luka Doncic has been nothing short of incredible since arriving to the NBA in 2018-19.
This season, Doncic is averaging 28.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.0 steals nightly and ranks Top 7 in VORP, while placing Top 6 in BPM and PER. And he’s doing all of that as a 21-year-old.
In just one season, Doncic has taken his Mavericks from a non-playoff 14th seed to a strong No. 7 seed this year, which would likely be even higher had the Slovenian star not missed two separate stints with ankle injuries.
As long as Doncic continues on this absurd trajectory, there’s minuscule doubt he’ll one day be at the level of a potential league MVP award recipient.
He might already be there now.
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.
In 1985, research seemed to indicate that the hot-hand phenomenon doesn’t actually exist and humans just see patterns in randomness. Anyone who’s played or watched basketball had a hard time believing this. However, in recent years, new data proved that the hot hand is a real thing. Ben Cohen, an author and reporter for The Wall Street Journal, wrote a book about this called “The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks.” Ben joined Alex Kennedy on The HoopsHype Podcast to discuss this new research, real-life examples of the hot hand and more. Time-stamps are below!
1:10: Ben talks about how this book came together and what it was like writing his first book.
4:30: The original study that said the hot hand isn’t real was published in 1985 after the researchers studied the Philadelphia 76ers. They studied in-game stats and had players shoot jumpers and predict whether the ball would go in prior to each attempt. Ben provides some more details about this study and discusses the controversial results.
6:55: In recent years, Carolyn Stein and John Ezekowitz did research of their own that was much more in-depth. Using SportVU data, they were able to study over 83,000 shots from the 2012-13 season. This study determined that the hot hand is 100 percent real.
10:20: Two other researchers found that the 1985 study was very flawed and, when interpreted correctly, actually proved that the hot hand does exist. Upon further review, the study showed that players who got hot actually saw a 12 percent increase in their shooting percentage.
11:55: Even though the 1985 study was wrong about the hot hand, it is true that humans look for patterns when they aren’t there (rather than accepting randomness). One example that Ben writes about in the book is Spotify being forced to make their shuffle-music option less random because people were upset when it was truly random and the same artist played back-to-back.
14:50: Not only is there evidence that our ancestors also believed in the hot-hand theory, recent studies show that monkeys believe in it too.
16:20: Is there any way to predict when you’re going to get hot?
18:30: The hot-hand phenomenon applies to more than just basketball, as Ben covers in this book. Musicians, artists, scientists, directors, writers and many other creators experience the hot hand as well.
23:10: The hot hand is a big reason why NBA Jam was one of the most successful arcade games of all-time. NBA Jam also conditioned many people to believe in the hot hand including a kid named Stephen Curry (whose father, Dell Curry, was in the game).
27:45: Ben writes about attending a meeting of The Harvard Sports Analysis Collective and noticing that all of the students are huge fans of Michael Lewis’ book “Moneyball.” Ben talks about how there’s an entire generation of people who grew up with analytics and think about sports differently.
30:00: Will the next generation of NBA players have a “Moneyball” mentality and focus on analytics more?
35:45: After spending so much time researching and writing this book, what were the biggest takeaways for Ben?
Memphis Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks is currently enjoying the best season of his professional career, averaging 15.6 points per game thus far.
Memphis Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks is currently enjoying the best year of his professional career, averaging 15.6 points per game thus far. Brooks, who was selected in the second round of the 2017 NBA draft, recently signed a three-year, $35 million deal to remain with the Grizzlies.
HoopsHype spoke to him about some of his takeaways on the season.
You were a lead cheerleader on the floor against the Brooklyn Nets. Can you walk me through some of the moves that you were doing out there to support your teammates?
Dillon Brooks: Yeah yeah yeah! After every three-pointer, I put the firework in the ground and then light it and then let it fly up there and it goes like “pew!” every time. I’ll sometimes plant multiple fireworks in the ground so it can fly up. But we have fun on the bench. As a group, we all love each other and we all want the best for each other. We have a super friendship. That’s why you see it all come together on the court, which is amazing. I love these guys and I love playing with them. It is why I signed so early. I want to be a part of this and be a part of the surge of the next-gen. I just love playing with these guys.
How much do you think the chemistry on this team has played on your winning?
DB: It’s great. We’re learning really fast. The only way you learn winning fast is if you do it at 100 percent. Guys are going 100 percent and feeding off each other. Once we put one guy in, they fit right in and they learn the culture that we are building. It’s a tribute to Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. and those guys that bring it every single night. The guys follow suit and while we’re here we lead by example. We’ve got a couple of vets here that talk about their experiences in the league and that’s always good for the young guys. But we have fun out there. We play our game and also know each other’s games to a T.
Before the game, coach Jenkins told me that you were one of the most competitive guys he has met. I know you have a ton of confidence. With that in mind, how much would a playoff run mean to you?
DB: It would mean so much. I feel like teams don’t want to see us. We’re like that wildcard team. We feel like we’re underdogs this year. We’re playing free and we’re playing fast. We’re playing defense and we want to learn this stuff organically. We’ve got guys that work the same way as me. Our young guys work the same way. They want to feed off that. It’s a tribute to coming out every single day in practice and shooting and treatment and weights. We do it one hundred percent, which we always talk about.
How would you personally describe your competitive nature?
DB: It can get over the top. When I came out of college, I never thought I was going to be playing defense the way I’m playing now. But that’s what my first coach told me. You’re only going to get on the floor if you can play defense so I raised my level and tried to make myself competitive on the defensive end. I knew my offense would come. I’m a scorer. So I want to lock you up and then come back and give you a bucket and then talk a little bit and do the same thing and keep the motor every time so my team can see that and raise their levels as well.
Do you think your team plays with a bit of a chip on your shoulder? For example, you and Ja were both very vocal about someone on the roster who decided not to report to the team. Do you channel that energy into your competitiveness?
DB: Yeah, of course. Our teammates ride with us. That’s the beauty of this. We always have each other’s backs. That’s why the Golden State Warriors were so great. That’s why the Cleveland Cavaliers were so great. They all had friendships off the court, too. When you care about somebody like that, you are going to try to do the most for them. I think that is what we have here and I think that is what we had in my college days, too. But it was different when I got here in my first year. This culture is changing and we have chemistry and guys love playing with each other. Meeting with the coaching staff and the front office and talking the game, it’s always a great thing to have that type of love and emotion in the locker room.
Assuming everything goes as expected, do you still plan to participate with Team Canada in the Olympics?
Jamal Murray R.J. Barrett Dillon Brooks Dwight Powell Cory Joseph Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Tristan Thompson Nik Stauskas Kelly Olynyk Justin Jackson Trey Lyles
That's a potentially interesting 2020 Olympic team even without …. Andrew Wiggins.
DB: Yeah, absolutely. We are going to make a run. Hopefully, we can beat that virus so we can get over there and play. But I want to make history. I know we have a lot of guys in the league right now like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray and Tristan Thompson and Kelly Olynyk. We all want to make history. We think we could go the whole way. We’ve got guys in this league right now that are stars.
What do you think are the biggest ways that you have improved since your time in college on the Oregon Ducks?
DB: I’ve improved my dribbling. I’ve improved learning the NBA game and watching the best players in this league, trying to replicate that and practice it the way they do. Each time I get a new coach, I try to figure out how I can fit myself into their system and that is the hardest thing because each coach has a different scheme and other different things they do. You have to think on the fly and keep your confidence up regardless of what is happening. I also try to learn from each player that comes through here. We’ve had a lot come through here. I try to learn from all the great players in this league.
Staying on the topic of Oregon, their men’s basketball team has been playing well once again this year. What do you think of their shots at making a run in March Madness?
DB: I feel like they always have a shot. There is always a point and time in a year for a team coached by Dana Altman where his coaching gets amazing and guys follow suit and they always go on a run. I always support Oregon and Dana, who did so much for me as a basketball player and as a man. He taught me a lot. He taught everyone in that locker room. There is one thing he said: you’re never going to forget these memories, who you played with and what you guys did. These memories are helped by winning and doing those things. So he pushed us to win because that helps bring you to the NBA. He believed in me and that’s why I’m in this position right now.
Speaking of which, you’ve had the chance to play with former Oregon star players Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey now in the NCAA. What is it like being able to play with your old college teammates at the next level and see those dreams come true?
DB: It was great being with them. We understood that our time together wasn’t over. Tyler went overseas and Jordan, when he was waived last month, I told him that I’ve always got him. Those guys are my brothers. We always meet up in the summer. We always hang out. Jordan was always coming to my house when he was on the team and so was Tyler. I always look out for those guys, they are my dogs. Same with Chris Boucher. He is playing so well right now on the Raptors. I love watching my guys play and succeed and watching them go through life, go through different adversities. How are they going to respond?
Is that why you still rep those Oregon shoes that you wore during the game today or is that just because of the fashion associated with them?
Photo obtained with permission from Dillon Brooks by USA TODAY Sports Media Group
DB: Both. They send me a lot of shoes. But I’m bringing out my own. I always rep Oregon. These were Hyperdunks from 2017. They were custom for me, not even player edition sneakers. They were made for me because I hurt my foot. I have four or five pairs in different colors.
Before we go, I would love if you could just walk me through this outfit that you are wearing tonight.
DB: The pants are some old AMIRI. I’ve got Dior on my feet. I just bought the top, it’s from Off-White. I like putting stuff together. I like the color contrasting. I like making myself look good and feel confident with the drip. It’s light work. It’s comfortable, too.
What about the glasses? I know you wear those indoors a lot, too, which is definitely a look.
(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
DB: Always, man. Ever since my rookie year – actually, even when I was in college – I’ve done that. I always wear glasses indoors. You see things with a different shade. These are made by Louis Vouitton.
You told CloseUp360’s Josh Martin that you’re the best-dressed guy on the team. Would you still say that after the recent moves by the squad?
DB: Yeah. We’ve got some new guys so I have to see what they’re dealing with. But I feel like I am. Honestly, I want to see what Ja Morant wears when he is trying to dress up. Because he mostly pulls up in tracksuits. So one time, it’d be great to see him with jeans on or something.
