Tag Archives: #NBA

Why Jaylen Brown is a Future Superstar

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Why Jaylen Brown is a future superstar

With two excellent seasons under his belt, Jaylen Brown is starting to show us why he is a future superstar. His role has blossomed especially after Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward got injured. Jaylen Brown showed the basketball world his potential to become one of the top wings in the league. Although there are some holes in his game that needs to be fixed, such as his ball handling and offensive consistency, Brown can make the leap in his third season.

Here’s why Jaylen Brown is a future superstar:

Athleticism

Jaylen Brown can attack his defender and get to the basket without being a ball stopper. He doesn’t need ISO plays to get buckets. He also uses his strength to take advantage of his defender every time he’s faced with a mismatch on the floor. Every year Jaylen Brown is improving his offensive consistency. Combo that with his athleticism and strength and his numbers will undoubtedly rise up in the next few years.

Competitiveness

Jaylen Brown doesn’t back down from the competition, especially when it matters most. Remember during his rookie year when he played with an injured hip during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers? Or how about last season when he suited up with a heavy heart after his best friend passed away? He wasn’t supposed to play that game against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, but he wanted to play that game for his best friend. The basketball world doesn’t need to question his competitiveness. Jaylen Brown will compete no matter what the competition is.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDDF4pPwEUU

Defense

Jaylen Brown can lock down his opposition by using his physical tools and competitiveness. He has the chance to become one of the best two-way wings in this league. He may not have the defensive abilities like Marcus Smart and former Celtics’ Avery Bradley or Tony Allen, but he has a major advantage in size, quickness, and his 7’0 wingspan to defend the best players in the league.

Clutch

Last but not the least Jaylen Brown is clutch. He doesn’t shy away from game-winning opportunities. He is ready when his number is called. Oh, and Celtics nation got a glimpse of these clutch genes when he knocked down a game-winner against the Jazz last season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cDem-kJlKQ

Jaylen Brown’s got the full package for what it takes to be a superstar. The rest of the league better watch out. 

 

 

Jayson Tatum vs LeBron James By the Numbers

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I know how crazy this will sound. Who in their right mind would even consider comparing an unproven 20-year-old to arguably the greatest basketball player to ever live? Before you all get out the torches and sharpen your pitchforks let me explain.

This piece focuses on how much potential Jayson Tatum has. With some recent articles floating around social media making the case that Taco Jay is ‘overhyped’ I felt the need to come to his defense. There is no defense stronger than proving to the world that the 20-year-old talent put up comparative advanced metrics to the King in their respective rookie seasons. Let’s dive into the numbers.

Jayson Tatum Advanced Metrics for 2017-18 Season

LeBron James Advanced Metrics for 2003-04 Season

Player Efficiency Rating and Usage Percentage

The first metric that strikes my eye is each player’s PER (Player Efficiency Rating) vs their USG% (Usage Percent).

To clarify- the PER sums up all of a player’s positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments, and returns the per-minute rating of a player’s performance. The USG% figure refers to the percentage of team plays used by a player while on the court.

Jayson Tatum finished his rookie campaign with a respectable 15.3 PER against a modest 19.5 USG% in 2438 minutes played.

LeBron James finished his rookie campaign with a slightly higher 18.3 PER against a MUCH higher 28.2 USG% in 3122 minutes played.

Simply put, Jayson Tatum was only slightly less efficient than James while receiving significantly fewer touches and play calls. This comes as a testament to the abnormally high efficiency Tatum exhibited throughout his first season in the league.

Entering as a ball stopping ISO heavy talent, Tatum’s biggest question marks were his outside shooting and efficiency in an NBA offense predicated around ball movement. Tatum responded by shooting 43.3% from 3 (good for 8th in the league) and quickly proved he can do what is needed for the betterment of the team. His modest 19.5 USG% reveals that he was not the ‘ball stopper’ that he was predicted to be. In fact, it is Tatum’s malleability and selflessness that has quickly become his biggest strength heading into his 2nd season. His ability to get off whatever shot he desires at will coupled with the basketball IQ to know when to give up the rock bodes well for his future outlook.

True Shooting Percentage, Total Rebound Percentage and Win Shares

(Boston MA, 05/03/18) Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum celebrates after dunking during the second half of Game 2 of the Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Garden on Thursday, May 03, 2018. Staff photo by Matt Stone

Jayson Tatum actually tops LeBron James in multiple advanced metrics in their respective rookie seasons. First, let me clarify what each of these statistics means.

True Shooting Percentage (TS%) measures a player’s efficiency at shooting the ball. It considers total points scored over all field goals made including free throws, 2-point field goals and 3 pointers plus free throws attempted. It is the most accurate measurement of a player’s overall shooting efficiency.

Total Rebound Percentage (TR%) is a statistic used to gauge how effective a player is at gaining possession of the ball after a missed field goal or free throw. Essentially the stat measures the percentage of missed shots the individual rebounds while on the court.

Win Shares (WS) is a bit of a complex metric but in a nutshell it estimates the number of wins a player produces for his team. It is essentially a measurement of how important the player is to his team’s success.

How Does Tatum Compare?

Now onto the fun stuff. Jayson Tatum’s impressive rookie PER shines through when looking at his TS%, which sits at 58.6%. Comparatively, LeBron finished his rookie campaign with a 48.8% TS%, nearly 10% lower than that of Tatum’s. This is directly correlated to Tatum’s shot taking decisions. He very rarely takes tough shots and doesn’t force anything. With everything he does he always appears to be comfortable and confident, as shown by his 49% shooting from 2 and 43% from 3 for the season.

Jayson Tatum finished his rookie campaign averaging 5 rebounds per contest. He accomplished a 9% TR%, 1.4% higher than James’. LeBron has gone on to average an impressive 7.4 rebounds per game for his career. Taking Tatum’s rookie season under consideration, there is no reason the 6’8” forward can’t accomplish the same if not better than the King in this department.

The final measurement that caught my eye in this comparison was Win Shares plus Win Shares per 48 minutes. LeBron James played 684 minutes more than Jayson Tatum in his rookie season. Yet it was Tatum who held a higher WS metric. Essentially, Jayson Tatum individually produced 2 more wins for the Celtics than LeBron for the Cavs in significantly less playing time. Taking it a step further, if that measurement is rounded out to 48 minutes (the length of a full game) Tatum still outshines James with .139 WS to .078, respectively. What does this mean? According to this metric one can make a legitimate argument that Jayson Tatum was more important to the Celtics his rookie year than LeBron James was to the Cavaliers.

Is Jayson Tatum ‘Overhyped’?

Jayson Tatum finished 3rd in the Rookie of the Year race and landed on the NBA All Rookie 1st Team. He was thrusted into the spotlight a mere 5 minutes into his first NBA game against (ironically) LeBron James. He averaged 13.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest as a 19-year-old. The team needed him to step up in the playoffs due to devastating injuries to valuable teammates. He responded by leading the entire roster in scoring through 19 playoff games. His 18.5 points per game scoring average got him within 1 point of tying basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points scored by a rookie in the playoffs in NBA history.

Some believe that Tatum will end up being the best rookie to come out of his draft class. Doubters will shake their heads and say the guy has already peaked. That he won’t get much better than he is now.

What do I believe?

I believe that the sky is the limit for Jayson Tatum. He has every tool in his arsenal necessary to become one of the NBA’s elite. I would say he is arguably the most gifted talent that the Boston Celtics have drafted since Larry Bird (sorry Paul). The situation could not be more perfect for Tatum. The system around him will provide every opportunity to maximize his talents and realize his full potential. Now, he’s just got to go out and prove to the world that he can do it.

 

Ben Simmons adds fuel to the Celtics-76ers Rivalry

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The Celtics-Sixers feud is starting to heat up

The teams faced off against each other four times in the regular season, and again in the Eastern Conference finals. Things got heated, and each game they played became must-see television. Joel Embiid got in a scuffle with Terry Rozier, and also had an altercation with Marcus Morris during the series. He’s been very vocal about his desire to beat the Celtics, and now Ben Simmons has joined the fray.

The Quote

Simmons said during an interview, “We’ve got to get past Boston, those are the guys at the top right now. Beating them, that’s our next goal. Obviously getting further than the second round and winning the Eastern Conference Finals and then moving on to the Finals.”

Via CBS Sports

What It Means

It’s clear that he and the Sixers know who the alpha dog is in the East. Including both the playoffs and regular season, the Celtics were 7-2 against Philadelphia last season. Interestingly, of the three playoff series Boston played, the Sixers were the only team not to take it the full seven games. They have a ways to go to become serious threats to the team.

However, they certainly have the potential to do so. Simmons isn’t even close to his prime yet, and Embiid is just entering his. If Markelle Fultz finally lives up to his number one pick, this team could have the firepower to challenge Boston. Now that Simmons has publicly identified beating the Celtics as the Sixers’ goal, they’re going to be ready to meet the challenge.

Via NBC Sports

It won’t take long to see if Philly can back up their young star’s words. The two teams meet on opening night in the TD Garden. They’ll also see each other again on Christmas Day. Be prepared to grab the popcorn – this rivalry is only getting started.

Countdown to Celtics Tipoff: 62 Days

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Welcome back to the Celtics season tipoff countdown!

Each day, we’ll give a review of news surrounding the Celtics. We’ll also look back in history to see what happened on today’s date in team history (August 14th). To round out the day’s post, we’ll give you stats and fun facts related to the number of days remaining before the first game (62 today). Let’s get to it!

Recent Team News

Gordon Hayward sent Celtics fans into a frenzy with a video posted by his trainer on Monday. The clip shows Hayward throwing down a dunk over his training partner in the gym. Hayward continues to show big improvements in his rehab. Fans can’t wait for his return to the court in October. Here’s the tweet from trainer Jason Smeathers:

On This Date

August 14, 2011: Celtics legend Satch Sanders is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Sanders was drafted by the franchise in 1960 with the eighth overall pick. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, all with Boston. Sanders helped the team win eight championships in his time there, being a lockdown defensive presence. He then went on to take a role within the NBA offices.

Stats (2017-18)

  • Kyrie Irving’s season Box Plus-Minus was 6.2. This is a stat determining how many points per 100 possessions a player contributed over a league average player.
  • Daniel Theis’s True Shooting Percentage was 62%. This is a determination of shooting efficiency based on twos, threes, and free throws.

Fun Facts

TERRY ROZIER

  • The 1962 Celtics wrapped up their fifth NBA championship. The team went 60-20 and defeated the Lakers in the NBA Finals in seven games. The team was coached by Red Auerbach and was led by Bill Russell and Bob Cousy.
  • Terry Rozier is listed at a height of 6 feet 2 inches.
  • No Celtic has ever worn the number 62.

That concludes today’s Countdown to Celtics Tipoff. Make sure to check back here tomorrow as the clock continues to tick towards the 2018-19 season!

 

WATCH: Gordon Hayward Dunks for First Time Since Injury

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Boston Celtics star Gordon Hayward is starting to look like himself again and just in time with training camp right around the corner.

Hayward Dunking Again

In a workout video posted by NBA Trainer Jason Smeathers Hayward drives hard to the hoop and flushes down a two-handed jam.

The dunk appears to be his first since suffering a broken fibula on opening night of the 2017 season. This is great news for Celtics fans as Hayward will play a key role in Boston’s championship level aspirations this season. The 28-year-old forward averaged 21.9 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the 2016 campaign with the Utah Jazz. The Boston faithful has yet to see what the 8-year veteran can do in Celtic green.

Moving Around Well, Should be Back by Training Camp

The major concern in the immediate aftermath following Hayward’s injury was whether or not he would ever be as explosive as he was pre-injury. A big part of what makes him so effective is his athleticism and ability to cut efficiently. He relies on his slashing ability to maneuver around his defender and get to his spot consistently. With an ankle injury as severe as the one Hayward suffered there is no guarantee that the ankle would heal sufficiently enough to supply an adequate amount of support to generate an explosive response.

Seeing Hayward move around so well is a great sign that his ankle is healing well and that he should have a great chance to be just as effective as he was pre-injury. Having a talent such as Hayward gives Boston a great shot at reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. The team fell one win shy of making it to the title round last season despite injuries to both Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving.

The excitement surrounding this year’s Celtics team is on par with that of the 2008 crew. Expectations are always tough to live up to, but with Hayward coming back at full strength the odds are certainly in their favor.

2017-2018 Boston Celtics

Dissecting the 2018-19 Celtics Schedule

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The NBA finally released the regular season schedule!

At 4 p.m. ET on Friday, the league revealed the full regular season schedule for all 32 teams. Here, we’ll take a look at trends and patterns to take a look at, and also important or exciting games to look out for. Let’s get started.

Patterns/Stretches/Things to note

The league continues to decrease back-to-back games. The Celtics only play 13% of their games on such terms this year. There continue to be no stretches of four games in five nights, and this year the league eliminated the possibility of eight games in 12 days.

The Celtics will play 27 of their 82 games this year on national TV. NBATV will televise 12 of their games, tied for the most with the Warriors. This is an uptick from last year’s 25 nationally televised games.

Boston will play 37 games on the weekend. The most they’ll play in one month will be 15 games, which occurs in three separate months.

Irving

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Boston gets lucky this season- they don’t have a super long road trip this year. The longest stretch of games they’ll play away from home is five. They’ll leave home on the 2nd of November and return on the 13th. In that span, they’ll face the Pacers, Nuggets, Suns, Jazz, and Trailblazers. The team’s longest home stretch is also five, from January 21-30.

The NBA didn’t load up one part of the Celtics schedule- it’s pretty fair, with the tough competitions balanced out with easier ones throughout the year. They won’t face Houston, Golden State, or Los Angeles until the end of December.

Games to Watch For

October 16: First game of the year, against Philly. The teams will reignite their rivalry in Boston.

October 19: A visit to Toronto to face the Raptors. They get a shot at the new-look franchise.

November 9: Gordon Hayward makes his return to Utah as Boston faces the Jazz.

November 30: The first contest against the Cavs, post-LeBron, in Boston.

December 25: A Christmas day matchup against the 76ers at the TD Garden.

December 27: The first game against a true contender, against the Rockets in Houston.

January 26: A marquee matchup as the Warriors come to town to face the Celtics.

February 7: LeBron comes to Boston for the first time as a Los Angeles Laker.

March 5: The Celtics travel to face the Warriors on the road.

March 9: Boston moves down the state of California and takes on the Lakers at Staples.

March 18: Isaiah Thomas returns to town in a Nuggets uniform.

April 9: Boston closes out the season against the Wizards in DC.

Via NBCS Boston

The Celtics are going to have a fun season this year. Mark your calendars: the season’s coming up fast!

 

Countdown To Celtics Tipoff: 67 Days

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Welcome Back to the Celtics Season Tipoff Countdown!

Each day, we’ll give a review of news surrounding the Celtics. We’ll also look back in history to see what happened on today’s date in team history (August 8th). To round out the day’s post, we’ll give you stats and fun facts related to the number of days remaining before the first game (67 today). Let’s get to it!

Recent Team News

As the NBA continues to release more scheduling information, it has been revealed that the Celtics will start their season at home in a showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers. The two teams are set to rule the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future, making this a must watch marquee matchup. Let’s see if reigning Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons can score more than 1 point this time around.

In other news, Jaylen Brown turned some heads on a guest appearance with the “Pull Up” podcast. Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum asked Brown to give an honest prediction for the Celtics’ upcoming season. Brown responded “Oh, we’re getting to the Finals. No question about it.” While the Celtics are the early favorites to make it out of the East this season, one has to admire the guy’s confidence.

On This Date

August 9th 1928: Celtics legend Bob Cousy was born in Brooklyn, New York. Cousy played for the Celtics for 13 seasons (1950-1963.) Nicknamed the “Houdini of the Hardwood” and most commonly referred to in Boston as “Mr. Basketball,” Cousy played on six Championship teams, was voted to 13 All-Star Games, and led the league in assists for eight straight seasons. His number (14) has been retired in the rafters of the Garden since his 1971 Hall of Fame Induction.

Stats (2017-18)

Aaron Baynes started in 67 games for the Celtics, averaging 6 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. He played a key role on the defensive side of the ball last season, which likely aided the big man in his new 2-year contract with the team.

Fun Facts

Bill Russell became the NBA’s first African American Head Coach at the start of the 1966-67 campaign. Red Auerbach retired as head coach of the franchise and entrusted Russell (who was still an active player at the time) with the duties.

In 1967, the Philadelphia 76ers ended perhaps the most impressive championship streak in sports history when they defeated the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The defeat marked the first time in 10 seasons that the Celtics failed to reach the finals, while simultaneously ending a streak of eight straight Titles.

That concludes today’s Countdown to Celtics Tipoff. Make sure to be back here tomorrow as the clock continues to tick towards the 2018-19 season!

 

Tatum

Stephen Jackson Makes BOLD Jayson Tatum Statement

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News flash everyone! Jayson Tatum is a pretty good basketball player. The former Duke forward hit the court running his Rookie season after being selected 3rd overall by the Celtics. As the ‘gin’ to Jaylen Brown’s ‘juice,’ “Taco Jay” made it very clear to the world that he has a place in the league.

Thrusted into the Spotlight

Coming into the season, Tatum was expected to undergo a similar growth process as Jaylen Brown just a year earlier. Perhaps the 19-year-old would snag 20 minutes per game off of the bench. Maybe he would be talented enough to start, but would still play second fiddle to more established veterans on the roster. By no means was he expected to handle a ‘go to guy’ role. Thankfully for the Celtics, Tatum hit the gym and used his program discount to improve his jumping ability.

After five minutes into his NBA debut, that would all change. Once Hayward went down, Tatum immediately became the guy looked at to fill his shoes. Talk about pressure! How’d he respond? He hit the King with a 14-point, 10 rebound game in his NBA debut and never looked back. He put up 13.9 points and 5 rebounds per game while shooting an absurd 43.3% from deep over the course of the season.

If that wasn’t enough, he elevated his game to a whole new level during Boston’s long playoff run. In 19 playoff appearances, Tatum averaged a team leading 18.5 points per game while taking over the role as the primary closer. The 20-year-old became the second highest scoring rookie in NBA playoff history, falling a single point shy of tying legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Lofty Expectations

Tatum was selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie 1st team while finishing third in the Rookie of the Year race. The expectations for the budding young star have only burgeoned since then. Some believe that he could be the best player on the Celtics’ already-loaded roster in just a few years’ time. Others see Tatum as a superstar-level talent that could take over the league sooner rather than later.

One of those people happens to be NBA Analyst and former player Stephen Jackson.

Jackson joined Fox Sports “Undisputed” to talk about Boston’s projected win total (currently sitting at 57.5). He mentioned Tatum as a key player for the team moving forward and made quite the statement about his potential.

Check out what he had to say:

“I think Tatum will be a top 10 player this year.”

Can Jayson Tatum Become an ‘Elite’ Talent?

Jayson Tatum may have finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting, but there is no denying his potential as the best player to come out of last year’s draft. His ability to score at will from all three levels and knack of taking over in the clutch are reminiscent of a young Kobe Bryant. He is quick enough to attack off the dribble, crafty enough to get a shot up over taller defenders, and smooth enough to knock down pull-ups from any spot on the court. Possessed with a high basketball IQ and a coachable personality, Tatum has every tool necessary to become one of the NBA’s elite players.

At this point, it’s only a matter of time before this expectation comes to fruition. According to Stephen Jackson, that time may be coming a whole lot sooner than anybody expects.

Kyrie Irving- Greatest Ball Handler of All-Time

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For those of you that may not know- the NBA season is 10 weeks away. Free Agency has died down and basketball fans are left without much to get excited about. That being said- this week happens to be ‘NBA Handles Week’. There isn’t many things more exciting than watching the NBA’s best break some ankles on the court.

Kyrie Irving is a Wizard with the Ball

To celebrate why not talk about Kyrie Irving and his otherworldly handles?

In my opinion Kyrie Irving is the greatest ball handler in the history of the league. There’s a reason why they call him “The Unguardable Guard”. Armed with a crossover that leaves defenders reeling, a nasty hesitation, and the leagues scariest spin move Irving is as unstoppable as it gets. Once he makes his move its game over for his defender.

Sure there are others with formidable handles. Steph Curry, James Harden, and Chris Paul come to mind when debating great handles. But when the discussion about the greatest comes up Kyrie Irving’s name seems to pop up the most. 

But don’t just take my word for it!

“Hands down, Kyrie has the best ball-handling skills that we have in our league,” Atlanta Hawks All-Star forward Paul Millsap said. “The way he reads defenses, the way he reads your feet, it’s unbelievable … His biggest asset is his creativity. He is one of the most creative point guards we have.”

“Kyrie has the best handle of all time,” said Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon. “Very creative and uses different motions, as well.”

Limitless Creativity Leads to Innovative Moves

Kyrie is always trying something new with the ball. Whether it’s a step back three or a hesitation crossover into a floater in the lane he is always looking to set up his shot with a crafty move. He speaks often about keeping his defender on their toes and being as unpredictable as possible.

“There is creativity that goes into it, meaning to change on the fly with multiple combinations, multiple moves, being able to turn my practice into my work and really just have some fun out there,” Irving said. “Being able to keep your defender in an unpredictable state is always a fun thing because you can dribble, shoot, pass … You’re able to not only make plays for yourself, but for everyone on the court.”

High Praise from Another Legendary Dribbler

Stephen Curry, who is arguably Irving’s stiffest competition for such an honor, has spoken highly of Kyrie’s handles. Curry recently included Irving’s name in his Mount Rushmore of ball handlers. Steph also had this to say about Irving in a recent interview:

“He is able to use both hands and he’s shifty and crafty,” Curry said. “He changes speeds to keep people off-balance. Perhaps the best way to put it into words, he has an uncanny kind of ability to go one way, stop on a dime, right to left, left to right, whichever, and still be on balance and get by you. It’s unpredictable. You just don’t know which way he is going.”

Speaking of Curry, check out this sweet move Irving put on the 2X MVP last season:

It doesn’t get much better than that!

On that note I shall leave you with a final clip that compiles a few of the Unguardable Guard’s highlight moves from the 2018 season. Feel free to sit back and enjoy ball handling at it’s best.

https://twitter.com/redapples/status/944218647375081472?s=20

Drexler

Recapping The BIG3 Conference Call

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With the BIG3 coming to Boston this Friday, a conference call was held to preview the games and answer questions from the media. I had the privilege of being on this call, along with NBA Hall of Famer and BIG3 commissioner, Clyde Drexler, Co-Founder of the BIG3, Jeff Kwatinetz, and Chairman, Amy Trask.

The call started with Clyde Drexler recapping the night of games in Toronto the week prior. Drexler announced that Andre Emmett from 3’s Company was player of the week with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Emmett is a good example of the BIG3 having relative unknowns sometimes outplay the former all-stars. He also talked about the Young 3, which is something the BIG3 does in every city they go to as they help the communities grow. Amy Trask also explained that over four dozen countries are represented in the BIG3, and they look to expand in the upcoming seasons.

The call was then open to questions from the media.

The first question was what the people of the BIG3 think of some of the comparisons to the BIG3 and the old-time games that were played in the NBA during all-star break.

Clyde Drexler: “This is not old-time basketball. These guys are young and fresh out of the NBA. Most of them can still compete in the NBA. If the NBA put together 3-on-3 teams, they would have trouble competing with the BIG3. This is not Uncle Drew. These guys can play. The BIG3 will only continue to grow.”

Amy Trask: “Come to a game or tune in because Jeff and Ice Cube have skeptics. The skeptics went to a game and told Ice Cube that they were right; the league is competitive.”

The next reporter asked if the players were embracing the four-point shot.

Jeff Kwatinetz: “I think they are embracing it the right way. They are not using it as a novelty. They are taking them when they are open and it makes sense. The reason why we have a circle, not a line, is because we wanted to open the game.”

Amy Trask: “It was a lot of fun to see a game won on a four-point shot a few weeks ago.”

Clyde Drexler: “Because the shot is a circle, if you put a guy out there who can make it, the defense will have to stretch. It gives the guy with the ball a lot more room to operate if you have a great shooter on your team.”

The next question was how does the BIG3 perceive the amount of “chippiness” in the games.

Clyde Drexler: “Guys are competitive, trying to win, and are trying to get away with whatever they can get away with. We added a third official to take away from that chippiness because we want the game to be about the sport of basketball. We don’t want anyone to get hurt, and it has helped a lot. It has become more of a pure game of basketball. Still physical, but not so much of the chippiness.”

Jeff Kwatinetz: “I think the chippiness comes from the competitiveness and wanting to win. Also remember the nature of 3-on-3 puts big emphasis on defense. In the NBA, there are a lot of fast breaks and wide open shots. But in the BIG3, it is a physical demand to play defense. Some guys are not used to being defended so tightly that they do not like it.

I asked “How would you describe the process of signing former NBA all-stars and DPOY candidates to the BIG3 this past off-season?”

Jeff Kwatinetz: “The biggest reason is that the players that played in the first year enjoyed it and had a positive experience. That word gets around and gets other people wanting to play. A lot of the guys that come in are not done playing pro basketball. It is something they enjoy doing and competing. A lot of people did not get the vision right away. But they wanted to do it once they saw it was real pro basketball.”

Clyde Drexler: “We tried to get Kobe Bryant. We tried to get Paul Pierce. For everyone who leaves the NBA, everyone in the BIG3 will be calling them. They love the game, and ten weeks in the summer is not a big commitment to a lot of the guys. The league is for the players, is fun, and is very competitive. Everyone wants to be a part of the BIG3.”

Jeff Kwatinetz: “It is a very different league. There is a lot of strategy in it with the way the BIG3 plays. It is a hard process as you need to get in shape, which eliminates a lot of guys who are actually done. We are getting the guys who understand the commitment involved.”

My follow up question was, “With a lot of former Boston Celtics in the BIG3 this year, what kind of reaction are you guys expecting from the fans on Friday?”

Clyde Drexler: “Boston has some of the greatest sports fans in the world. Danny Ainge and the Celtics are the best team and have the best general manager in the eastern conference. They love basketball in Boston. The BIG3 is an extension of that great basketball history. I hope they all come out and enjoy the phenomenon that is BIG3 basketball. Nobody expected the BIG3 to be this popular or this good of a game. The game is very serious and the guys want to win. We have celebrities, we have the humor. Our coaches are mic’ed, which gives you a good feel of being on the floor. This is all great, innovative stuff that made the sport a summer phenomenon. I hope the fans of Boston will come out and experience it live.”

Amy Trask: “We have also placed tremendous emphasis on making the venue experience very family friendly. Our players and coaches always interact with the fans throughout the games. We offer what most leagues do not offer: a very interactive experience for the fans.”

 

This was the majority of the conference call for the BIG3. Clyde Drexler, Jeff Kwatinetz, and Amy Trask gave everyone some very thought-out answers on the call. If you want to see a more in-depth preview of the BIG3 in Boston, check out my article here.