Drop Coverage

  By: Shanku Nair | @shanku_nair on Twitter | November 29, 2022      We are a quarter of the way through the 2022-2023 NBA Regular Season and I will be sharing my thoughts on who I believe are currently in the lead for major awards and how I think the narratives might switch as the season progresses. The start of this NBA season as been a wild one as there have been many players and teams who have taken unexpected leaps, so I will try to cover some of those as well. Most Valuable Player: It is extremely difficult to choose just one player for this award thus far as I think there are four guys who have compelling arguments for it: Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Stephen Curry.  Luka Doncic  is currently the odds-on favorite to win league MVP and his season through 20 games has been nothing short of incredible. Doncic is averaging a league-high 33 points/game on 60.5% True Shooting, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. Doncic currently has the 2nd highest Usage Rate

  By: Shanku Nair | @shanku_nair on Twitter | November 24, 2022 Vitals Name: Kerr Kriisa Height:  6'3 Wingspan: N/A Weight: 190 lbs. Age: 21 Position: Point Guard College: University of Arizona Kerr Kriisa Strengths / Areas for Improvement High Impact on offense, both on and off ball Efficient 3 level scorer Great shooting mechanics, very quick release Efficient shooting off dribble, spot-up, and in transition Very confident shooter, needs little space to let it fly Comfortable putting ball on the floor attacking closeouts Creative passer, willing to take risks and understands angles well Great ambidextrous finisher, has touch around the rim Good handles, comfortable driving to left or right Willing to put body on the line and set screens High iq defensively, good positioning, keeps ball in front of him Good lateral quickness and quick hands Good defensive instincts Great stamina, moves around A LOT in high motion offense Great motor Solid frame for PG at 6'3 190 lbs. Athleti

  By: Shanku Nair | @shanku_nair on Twitter | November 21, 2022 Vitals Name: Taran Armstrong Height:  6'6 Wingspan: N/A Weight: 190 lbs. Age: 19 Position: Point Guard College: California Baptist University Taran Armstrong Strengths / Areas for Improvement Elite playmaker, great vision and accuracy when passing Floor general, controls game at his own pace Thrives in PnR, always makes the right read Soft touch, good floater game and good finisher Good footwork operating in the low-post Great patience to get defenders off-balance Solid handles, comfortable driving to left or right Low turnover frequency High iq defensively, good positioning and lateral quickness Good motor Athleticism, not very fast and not much bounce Strength, poor upper body strength Shooting, needs work mechanically and consistency Shot creation tools Too selfless, passes up open looks to create for teammates Undisciplined defensively at times, gambles unnecessarily Lack of explosiveness, struggles to create advan

  By: Shanku Nair | @shanku_nair on Twitter | November 10, 2022 Vitals Name:  Amen Thompson Height: 6'6 Wingspan: 6'11 Weight: 190 lbs. Age: 19 Position: Combo Guard Team: Overtime City Reapers Amen Thompson Strengths / Areas for Improvement Solid frame and upper body strength Hyper-Athletic, incredible speed and bounce Great burst, ability to blow by any defender Great ambidextrous finisher, can finish through contact Great touch near the rim, good floater and lay-up package Pass-first guard, flashy but precise, uses misdirection very well High IQ, always makes the right read True floor raiser, makes everyone around him better Comfortable playing above the rim Good vision, plays with his head up, uses outlet and skip pass well Self aware, plays within himself Best in transition and open space Great positioning on the defensive end, reads passing lanes well Ability to guard 1-3, great lateral quickness Effortless playstyle, silky smooth game Great help defender and can protect

  By: Shanku Nair | @shanku_nair on Twitter | October 17, 2022 Vitals Name: Dariq Whitehead Height: 6'7 Wingspan: 6'9 Weight: 220 lbs. Age: 18 Position: Wing (SG/SF) High School: Montverde Academy (Class of 2022, Duke Commit) Dariq Whitehead Strengths / Areas for Improvement Solid frame and upper body strength Elite scorer from all 3 levels Great finisher, can finish through contact with touch around the rim Displays great footwork operating in the mid-post Great perimeter shooter, solid mechanics and quick release Ability to shoot off the dribble, spot up, and off the catch Very confident shooter, does not hesitate to pull if he has space Good vision, plays with his head up, uses outlet and skip pass well Plays within his limits, never forces any shot Lethal in transition, great burst and can play above the rim Comfortable handling the ball and facilitating Great positioning on the defensive end, reads passing lanes well Ability to guard 1-3, great lateral quickness Effortless

  By: Shanku Nair | @shanku_nair on Twitter | October 13, 2022 Vitals Name: Terquavion Smith Height: 6'4 Wingspan: 6'6 1/2 Weight: 165 lbs. Age: 19 Position: Combo Guard* School: NC State (Sophomore) Terquavion Smith Strengths / Areas for Improvement Solid athlete, very fast in the open court and has good verticality Serious problem in transition, combination of speed and bounce makes him very hard to stop Plays with a very contagious energy, great motor Shot creation, can create for himself on all 3 levels High volume perimeter shooting, shot 37% from 3 on 8 attempts/game in freshman campaign. Shot off the dribble, catch and shoot, and spot up 3s efficiently Comfortable playing above the rim Great playmaker despite being a score first guard, uses the dribble drive to get into the lane and attract defenders and kicks out to shooters for easy looks Very accurate passer, always puts the ball in a place for teammate to release quickly Suffocating on-ball defender, very pesky and c