One of the most universally accepted NBA truisms is that improvement is not necessarily linear. Players all develop at different paces, sometimes gradually and sometimes in fits and starts. But despite knowing that to be true, it’s still disappointing when a young player does not show the kind of improvement that we would reasonably expect […]
When Quin Snyder was hired to coach the Utah Jazz prior to the 2014-15 season as part of the franchise’s first real “rebuild” in decades, he came with a clear mandate for player development. Seven-plus years in, his track record here is getting hard to ignore. While a young star like Donovan Mitchell often draws […]
That greatness can come from modest beginnings is a common trope — look no further than almost any fairy tale. To put that in the language of the NBA, not all star wings enter the league as stars. Of the 11 All-Stars last season who could be classified as wings, four — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi […]
Through two weeks of the NBA season, the league’s first major trend has already emerged: Offensive production is down in a big way. After the league saw mostly steady increases in offensive efficiency dating back a half-decade, that number has cratered to start the year: At a glance, it would appear the gains of the […]
It’s pretty difficult for any New York Knickerbocker to fly under the radar. In most recent incarnations of the team, it would have been damn-near impossible for its highest-drafted player since Patrick Ewing to escape the spotlight. But between the presence of star coach and de facto face of the franchise Tom Thibodeau, Julius Randle’s […]