Isaac Popper🟦

Zion was 4-4 from deep in his NBA debut.
He was 3-13 3-PT this season.

Thomas Beller has an excellent chapter about Zion in his Lost in the Game book.

Zion’s “tantalizing” debut was highlighted by 4 straight 3-pointers in a 3 minute stretch.

Williamson has not had a game where he made more than two 3-pointers since that debut on January 22, 2020.

Jay Huff had the 3rd best FG% at the rim in the NBA last season and shot over 40% from 3-PT.

Jay also had the 17th highest block percentage in the league.

@SSEAgency

Data = Dunks & Threes

Adou Thiero signed a deal that was very similar to Jonathan Mogbo, who was last year’s first pick of the second round.

Out of the first 12 picks of the second round in 2023 and 2024, Mogbo was the only player to get a 3-year deal.

Paolo Banchero received a player option, which is uncommon after 3 seasons.

10 players, including Orlando’s Franz Wagner, signed designated rookie extensions over the last 3 offseasons and none received a player option. Luka and Trae Young did in 2021, Shai & Porter Jr. did not.

Despite breaking the event scoring record and having the game-winning free steal, Brice Sensabaugh was -12 in 27 minutes with 6 fouls and 5 turnovers.

Meanwhile, Memphis draft pick Jahmai Mashack fouled out (10 fouls!) with 9 assists. He never had more than 5 assists in college.

Brice Sensabaugh set a new Salt Lake City Scoring Record with 37 points. He only took 14 shots (6-9 3-PT).

#1 pick Cooper Flagg scored 42 points on 14 shots vs Notre Dame in January.

No NBA player scored 35 pts on < 15 shots last season. Zion did in 2024.

At @asuntdc, we believed Isaiah Stevens should be on a two-way contract.

The Heat had waived him a few weeks before the competition, and the PG did end up getting signed by Miami again last year.

Now, Sacramento is prioritizing Stevens with a multi-year two-way contract.

Norman Powell: 6.6 Estimated Wins last season (89th percentile)

Kyle Anderson: 1.4 Estimated Wins (55th percentile)
Kevin Love: 0.6 Estimated Wins (43rd percentile)

IN: 6.6 EW
OUT: 2.0 EW + 2nd round pick

Data: Dunks & Threes

Due to the nature of rookie scale contracts, 6’11” Kelly Olynyk will make slightly more money ($13.5M) than 7’3” Victor Wembanyama ($13.4M) this upcoming season.

Yesterday, San Antonio signed 7’2” Luke Kornet to a descending 4-year contract that starts at $11M.

Since Kelly Olynyk entered the league, he has had a Rebound % and Assist % of at least 10% in every season (12).

Only 4 other players have also had a 10% REB % and 10% AST% in each of the last 12 seasons:

🏀Giannis Antetokounmpo
🏀Draymond Green
🏀Al Horford
🏀Nikola Vucevic

Including Missi and Griffin, 6 rookies this century have recorded 250 offensive rebounds. The others are Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, and Amar’e Stoudemire.

Missi’s 57.2% true shooting is the highest among those 6 rookie campaigns.

Yves Missi was the Pelicans’ first round pick and is another player who could potentially be moved by new management, with commitment to Zion Williamson and Derik Queen.

Missi was the first rookie since Blake Griffin’s 2011 All-Star campaign to record 250 offensive rebounds.

Only 4 more players have averaged a double-double in at least 5 of the last 7 seasons, but those 4 were close:

• Joel Embiid (8 RPG in 19 G this season)

• Nikola Jokic (All-NBA 2nd team, 9.7 RPG in 2019-20)

• Domantas Sabonis (9 RPG off bench in 2018-19)

• Clint Capela

While Deandre Ayton has not lived up to being the #1 pick, he has averaged at least 14 & 10 in all 7 years of his career.

Only 3 other players have averaged a double-double in each of his 7 seasons in the association: Giannis, Rudy Gobert, and Nikola Vucevic.

Big add for LA.

Technically Bona was 41.

Out of the 17 players picked 31-40 in the first 2 years of the Second Round Pick Exception who signed standard contracts, only Andre Jackson Jr. did not get both of the first 2 years fully guaranteed. Ajay Mitchell of course took a Two-Way.

Technically Bona was 41.

Out of the 17 players picked 31-40 in the first 2 years of the Second Round Pick Exception who signed standard contracts, only Andre Jackson Jr. did not get both of the first 2 years fully guaranteed. Ajay Mitchell of course took a Two-Way.

21 turnovers is Oklahoma City’s most since 2022.

SGA’s 8 TOV ties his career high.

The MVP’s 15-point first half was his 25th 15-point half of this Playoff run.

That’s tied with LeBron (2012) for the 3rd most in a Playoff run in the last 15 Playoffs. Kawhi had 26 in 2019 and Lebron had 29 in 2018.

SGA has 5 turnovers at halftime (0 assists) despite scoring 15 of OKC’s 42 first half points (36%).
This is only his 2nd 5-turnover half since 2022.

A turnover early in the second half is his 6th, which ties his playoff career high, that he set in Game 3.

Indiana playing well.

Tyrese Haliburton did not make a shot in his 34 minutes of Game 5.

That is the most minutes he’s played in any NBA game without a field goal.

In 3.5 seasons, Indiana is 1-16 when Haliburton makes 2 or less shots. They needed just a little scoring if they were going to come back and take the lead.

In the last 50 NBA Finals, Jalen Williams is the third youngest player to score 40 points, and is also the third player in the first 3 years of his career to do so.

Only Magic Johnson and Russell Westbrook were younger.

Magic scored 40 as a rookie. Dwayne Wade did in 3rd year.

Tonight is Haliburton’s 7th scoreless first half of the season. That feels like a lot.

Indiana has had multiple bench players score 12+ points in a quarter during the Finals.

Mathurin in Game 2’s 2nd Q

McConnell here in Game 5’s Third Q

Both teams rely on bench scoring and have gotten it.

Players with 4+ 3-pointers off the bench in multiple games of an NBA Finals.

Mario Chalmers, 2010
Patty Mills, 2014
JR Smith, 2015
Pat Connaughton, 2021
AARON WIGGINS, 2025

Tyrese Haliburton did not make a shot in his 34 minutes tonight.

That is the most minutes he’s played in any NBA game without a field goal.

In 3.5 seasons, Indiana is 1-16 when Haliburton makes 2 or less shots. They needed just a little scoring if they were going to come back.

Last night was the 5th ever NBA Finals game where multiple players had 5 steals (Siakam & Caruso). The others are:

2014, Game 3: LeBron James & Danny Green

2001, Game 1: Allen Iverson & Ty Lue

1991, Game 5: Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen

1984, Game 2: Robert Parish & Michael Cooper

Caruso was +14 in the 7-point win. That’s tied with Danny Green (2014 Gamep 3) for the 2nd best +- among players with 5 steals in an NBA Finals game. Among 5-steal Finals games, Rajon Rondo’s +24 to win the Celtics’ 17th championship is the best. Celtics won 131-92.

Only 3 players had ever recorded 5 steals off the bench in an NBA Finals game until this week: Ray Allen, Ty Lue, & Steve Mix.

On Wednesday, T. J. McConnell became the first player to have 5 AST & 5 STL off the bench in the Finals.
Caruso the first with 20 PTS & 5 STL off bench.

Pascal Siakam and Alex Caruso each had 4 first half steals and finished with 5.

It’s Alex Caruso’s 4th 4-steal game of this postseason. He had only done so once before entering this Playoffs, in the Lakers title run vs POR.

Pascal hasn’t had 4 steals in a playoff game since 2019 vs Philadelphia.