Jared McCain tied a Duke freshman record with 35 points in a single game against the Seminoles on Saturday. Here’s a look back at the seven highest-scoring games by first-year Blue Devils.
It’s hard to find a slice of history in a program with five national championships to its name, but Jared McCain managed to do just that on Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee.
The first-year guard scored 35 points against Florida State during Duke’s 76-67 victory, tied for the most by a freshman in a single game in program history. His explosive outing was powered by a near-perfect first half in which he scored 25 points on 9/10 shooting and 7/8 from beyond the arc.
McCain looked unconscious for most of the afternoon, backpedaling behind the 3-point line in transition and firing long balls even with a hand in his face.
With McCain tying a Duke record, here’s a glimpse back at the seven most productive games from first-year Blue Devils.
Anunoby made his debut for the Knicks on Monday during a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, one of the strongest teams in the West. Although it was his first game, he finished with 17 points (7-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 on 3-pointers) while adding six rebounds and two steals.
After the game, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson called his new teammate a “perfect” fit for this New York roster. While it was a small sample size, it provided insight into the role Anunoby will play for his new team.
On the offensive side of the ball, Anunoby was mostly used as a catch-and-shoot floor spacer who used off-ball screens and someone who finished cuts at the basket. But it was on the defensive side of the floor where he mostly proved his value.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch summarized it well: Anunoby can defend star guard Stephen Curry during one game and star big man Joel Embiid the following match and have similar success against both.
OG Anunoby begins his first game as a Knick guarding Anthony Edwards – exactly the kind of player he was acquired to go up against.
During his first game in New York, for example, Anunoby exemplified that perfectly. The wing defended Anthony Edwards for 32.9 partial possessions and switched on to Karl-Anthony Towns for 10.5 partial possessions.
Edwards scored 8 points when he was defended by Anunoby on Monday. For comparison, Edwards scored 9 points on 20.4 partial possessions guarded by Josh Hart and 11 points on 7.6 partial possessions defended by Julius Randle.
Anunoby held Edwards to 24.3 points per 100 possessions during this game, which is significantly better than what the Minnesota star is averaging (36.9) this season. It was hard to ignore his defensive presence whenever he was on the court.
It was a significant upgrade for New York to have Anunoby for this matchup.
When the Knicks faced the Timberwolves earlier this season, Quentin Grimes drew the assignment against Edwards. Grimes’ defensive matchup difficulty has ranked in the 99th percentile or higher both this season and last, per BBall-Index.
Now, he won’t have to do that as Anunoby will take on such tasks. Even when it’s not Edwards, like Grimes did, we already know that Anunoby will step up to guard the best player on the opposing team.
Both this season and last, Anunoby has also ranked in the 98th percentile or better in defensive matchup difficulty. But his overall defensive impact is far higher than what we have seen from Grimes.
For example, per DARKO, Anunoby grades out far better than Grimes in the defensive catch-all metric D-DPM.
Last season, via dunksandthrees.com, Anunoby had the highest overall D-EPM (Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus) among those who played at least 26 minutes per game. He also led the league in steals and he earned NBA All-Defense Second Team.
While he isn’t having the same type of impact this season, he still has one of the most unique intersections of defensive positional versatility and matchup difficulty.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau had concerns about playing two smaller guards and he didn’t want to play Brunson and Quickley in the backcourt at the same time.
Anunoby, at 6-foot-8 with a massive 7-foot-2 wingspan, addresses those problems and will provide the length and versatility desired on the perimeter. His presence is a relief to Grimes and his offensive usage rate is low enough that he won’t take the ball away from Brunson, who is the most capable floor general and engine for New York.
This trade already looks like a win for the Knicks, who will eventually need to agree to terms on a long-term contract with the former NBA champion.
An inter-division trade is sending a two-way star back to the New York Knicks
The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors are shaking things up with an inter-division trade on Saturday morning.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors are sending OG Anunoby to New York for a package including Immanuel Quickley and Toronto-native RJ Barrett.
It’s not a surprise to see the Raptors move major pieces and attempt to retool at this point in the year. Toronto is 12-19, last in the Atlantic Division and already falling behind in the race for the postseason play-in games. The Knicks, meanwhile, get another star player on an expiring contract to pair with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
Perhaps the biggest concern right now is that head coach Tom Thibodeau insists on playing RJ Barrett over 24-year-old guard Immanuel Quickley. Even though Barrett was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and has shown flashes of potential, it is Quickley who has contributed more to winning for New York.
This was exemplified when the Knicks lost to the Thunder, 129-120, on Wednesday. Barrett finished with 14 points (5-of-14 from the field, 1-of-7 on 3-pointers) in 29 minutes while Quickley (7-of-10 FG, 4-of-5 3P) was a lot more efficient and productive with only 24 minutes played.
When asked about having RJ replace IQ late in the fourth quarter, Thibs says it was due to matchups and b/c OKC has length/size. Says “everyone needs to sacrifice.” pic.twitter.com/98kcxhyzzg
Here is more explanation in this story from Fred Katz (via The Athletic):
“Thibodeau has shied away from specificities whenever asked about Quickley’s minutes, instead reiterating more generally his points about sacrifice. But he looks at the lineup data. He has said various times that point differential per possession is the ‘most important’ statistic.”
In that case, what do the numbers tell us? It is worth noting that the best lineups for the Knicks feature Quickley playing alongside Brunson, Julius Randle, Josh Hart and either Mitchell Robinson or Isaiah Hartenstein.
New York has outscored opponents by 7.1 points per 100 possessions during the 447 minutes that Quickley has appeared without Barrett so far this year. Meanwhile, per PBPStats, the Knicks are getting outscored by 4.2 points per 100 in the 484 minutes when Barrett has appeared without Quickley.
Dating back to the 2020-21 campaign, including the playoffs, the contrast is even more striking. New York has a net rating of plus-10.4 with Quickley but no Barrett and a net rating of minus-4.3 with Barrett but no Quickley.
While it is important to have as much height and length as possible on the court, the advanced analytics also suggest that Quickley is a more impactful player than Barrett.
We pulled visualization to compare and contrast how the two players have fared in two of the most trusted advanced analytics, Estimated Plus-Minus and Daily Plus-Minus.
Both suggest that since the start of his professional career, Quickley has maintained the edge by a fairly wide margin.
This isn’t necessarily an indictment on Barrett, who is one of the highest-paid players on the Knicks and is signed to a four-year deal worth $107 million.
Instead, playing more with the second unit could potentially benefit Barrett.
Per 100 possessions, he has scored an additional 3.6 points and 1.3 assists during minutes he has not played with Brunson relative to when they have played together. His usage rate has also spiked from 24.9 percent to 30.0 percent during these minutes, per PBPStats.
A change of his role would give him more opportunities to lead New York’s offense rather than playing more off-ball. Barrett has struggled on spot-up possessions and when his shot is contested, his catch-and-shoot jumper isn’t falling.
Quickley, who was the runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season, does well in the second unit. But if the Knicks are going to make a serious run in the Eastern Conference, he should play in the starting lineup instead of Barrett.
“He’s a leader,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says of #Rockets forward Dillon Brooks. “He does the right things on the basketball floor. He plays with the right energy.”
After an outstanding performance in Sunday’s 2023 FIBA World Cup elimination game versus top-ranked Spain, Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks drew considerable praise for his play in Canada’s win.
Over the days since, that effusive praise for Brooks has extended to his prominent NBA teammates on Canada’s World Cup roster.
Courtesy of Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net, we have reaction from Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York’s RJ Barrett to what Brooks has pulled off in recent games.
Gilgeous-Alexander said:
Special. One for the books, He’s a leader. He does the right things on the basketball floor. He plays with the right energy. He was rewarded tonight.
Barrett chimed in:
Not surprised. He’s been doing that his whole life. For him to have a game like that was huge.
Brooks has seemingly found the World Cup experience refreshing, which comes after his recent NBA move from Memphis to Houston.
“Coming off a tough year with my old squad (the Grizzlies) it was great having a refresh with Canadian blood,” Brooks said, per Eurohoops.net. “Guys who believe in me. Guys who trust in me. It was great to win this game in a great fashion.”
Read on for highlights, as well as additional interviews and analysis.
In this mock trade proposed by Desmond Novack of Daily Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets would be trading Mikal Bridges for RJ Barrett.
The Brooklyn Nets are trying to move on from the superstar era while still being a team that can compete for the playoffs and possibly more. To do that, the Nets will need players like Mikal Bridges to continue to improve if Brooklyn is going to sniff the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
Last season, despite the challenges that came with trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at the February trade deadline, the Nets managed to make it to the playoffs as the sixth seed. Players like Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Nic Claxton were able to be good enough to keep the team afloat to make it to the postseason without having to go through the play-in tournament.
With the offseason upon us, and with Bridges and Johnson currently playing for Team USA, it’s time to ponder another mock trade. In this mock deal proposed by Desmond Novack of Daily Knicks, Brooklyn would trade Bridges for a good, young player from the New York Knicks:
Mitchell didn’t guarantee the Knicks a playoff spot in 2022-23.
A swing and and a miss.
That phrase is becoming as synonymous with the New York Knicks as it is with the Yankees or Mets. The Knicks were again in pursuit of a high-profile player available to be had, and they again failed to land that player.
OK, now that that’s out the way, here’s some sobering truth about the situation: the Knicks weren’t guaranteed to make the playoffs even if they did get Mitchell. Actually, that would’ve been funnier.
New York finished 11th in the Eastern Conference last season, which is right around where they sit on the list of betting odds for the 2022-23 season. Their +4000 odds to win the East are 10th at Tipico Sportsbook. The line for their win total is 39.5. Odds favor them to miss the playoffs again. Acquiring Mitchell, undoubtedly would have improved those odds, but likely not by much.
The teams with the next closest odds to New York are the Hawks, Bulls and Raptors, all tied at +2000, and all playoff teams from last season. The Hawks added an All-Star themselves in Dejounte Murray this offseason. The Bulls still have the DeMar DeRozan-Zach LaVine tandem, and they were one of the best teams in the NBA before injuries hit. And the Raptors are a young budding team that not only had the best record of these four teams, but also pushed the Sixers to six games last postseason.
Are we sure Mitchell would have automatically made the Knicks better than any of those three, let alone the Celtics, Bucks, Nets, Heat and Sixers? I wouldn’t be so sure, especially considering what New York would have given up in the trade. Utah turned down a deal earlier in the summer that included RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
At the start of trade talks in July, New York offered Utah a Donovan Mitchell package including RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson and three unprotected first-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Jazz turned down that offer and Robinson signed a $60M extension to stay w/ NY. https://t.co/3eDg2Mf7f1
New York’s last offer included Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Jazz wanted more, including potentially another young player.
"They had everything necessary to get a deal done … in their last offer they put on the table RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, two unprotected first-round picks but Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz wanted more."@ShamsCharania reports on Utah taking the Cavs offer over the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/2rKkNpIThl
In addition to parting with a minimum of three unprotected first-round picks, New York would have gutted its depth in order to acquire Mitchell. It would have been a devastating move for their long-term outlook, and any short-term improvements wouldn’t be enough to justify the cost.
If you’re a fringe title contender like the Cleveland Cavaliers believed themselves to be, you absolutely go get the player you think takes you over the top. When you’re a bottom-five team in the conference, holding onto your draft picks and best young players is better than taking a swing for a shot at the play-in tournament.
New York will probably miss the playoffs again next year, but after failing to make this deal, at least they’ll be able to continue building towards the postseason until the time is right to pull the trigger on a big trade.
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Barrett, who averaged 20.0 points per game last season for the Knicks, is simply too good right now. He would help the Jazz win more games than they would like in their race to the bottom.
Trading for Barrett also meant they would have to offer him a lucrative contract extension like New York just did. Utah likely had no interest in committing to up to $120 million at this point in their rebuild. It would make more sense to target someone on the Knicks like Quentin Grimes, who is still much earlier in his rookie scale extension timeline.
Fans were skeptical to learn that the Jazz suddenly wanted Barrett, and the reporting below further indicates why:
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As FTW’s resident New York Knicks fan, I will tell anyone who will listen that the franchise CANNOT trade budding star RJ Barrett for Donovan Mitchell.
Seriously! I literally wrote that very thing back in July. Mitchell can be a game-changer by coming to his native New York, a star scorer on a team that could really use it in the backcourt.
But at the cost of a young player who keeps getting better every year, who the Knicks could continue to develop at a pretty good cost? NOPE.
That brings us to the news that popped up Monday night: Barrett is “finalizing” a rookie extension with the Knicks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and although that doesn’t mean the Mitchell talks are dead, it “complicates” them.
To which I say: FANTASTIC! A reminder: This would be the first Knicks pick in 23 [BLEEPIN] YEARS TO SIGN AN EXTENSION!
There was a possibility that Barrett’s name could have been thrown around more in Mitchell trade rumors, and if the deal fell through, the Knicks might have a very unhappy Barrett on their hands. That would have been an extremely Knicks thing (see: Porzingis, Kristaps, although it was a different situation, he was disgruntled before he got dealt) to happen.
But in this case? The Knicks spelled it out for their home-grown star and drew a line in the sand. They wanted to keep him in the franchise and show how important he was to their future.
They left zero doubts about that and their message to the Jazz is “no way” on Barrett. Look at this much-laughed-at franchise I’ve rooted for! They’re growing! And they may still end up with Mitchell, even if it means they’re going to deal, like, seven first-rounders.
But they didn’t play around when it came to a young cornerstone. And that’s perfect.
Bravo!
Quick hits: Serena Williams wins! … What we learned from Week 3 of the NFL preseason … another silly pitch … and more.
