Basketball is not a sport, it's a way of life.

Stifle Tower remodel, Caitlin Clark on the mark, the all-stars you all forgot about...

QUICK HITS

• There has been perhaps no bigger surprise in the NBA this season than the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, going into this year, it was thought that the T-Wolves would be a competitive bunch following a heartening run through the play-in and first round of the playoffs last season. But the team had serious questions, with a roster that seemed to be burdened by too much size and not enough shooting. Especially with Minnesota having made no impactful offseason moves to solve for that. That is unless Shake Milton does much for you. And if so, that’s great, but at 5 points per game on 40.2% from the floor and an abysmal 27.9% from distance, he isn’t doing much for the Timberwolves.

  While the continued expansion of Anthony Edwards' powers could be predicted. And the much-improved offensive synergy between KAT and Rudy Gobert seemed a reasonable assumption following their first full offseason together. What has been a bit of a shock is the resurgent dominance defensively from Gobert. Before the start of last season, Gobert was acquired in an audacious and much-maligned trade with the Utah Jazz — a deal for Minnesota that felt like it was careening towards the top of the “worst trades ever” conversation after a disappointing first year. (While I won’t rehash all the details of the deal that brought Gobert to Minnesota here is a link that does). Gobert’s substandard play last season, a year in which he also turned 30, felt like it may have been indicating the beginning of his athletic decline. As Gobert just seemed a second slower to react often times; a significant margin for a player whose basketball achievements come more from a core of athletic effort and will, than from graceful skill. Though we have since learned that Gobert was apparently dealing with a slew of nagging injuries that hampered him last year, whatever the cause, “The Stifle Tower” was about as bad as he’s been since his first year in the league. Rudy’s -0.1 plus/minus last season — a very flawed individual measure for most players because of the team component that affects it, but considering Gobert’s value is disproportionately construed defensively, the metric has more utility in assessing Rudy’s impact — was the lowest since his rookie season in 2014 (-0.6). Additionally, Gobert’s 1.4 blocks per game were his lowest since ‘14, and the first time he’s averaged less than two blocks per contest since that rookie campaign. Yet, after a summer of working himself into what is visibly some of the best shape of his career, and affording the same time for Coach Chris Finch to tailor his defensive structure more to Rudy’s abilities, Gobert has regained the level of defensive dominance that made him a three-time defensive player of the year (’18, ’19, ’21). An award he would appear to be the front runner to win again this season.

  To give you a sense of how much of a renaissance Rudy has undergone during this, his 11^th season, his 6.8 plus/minus is the second best of his career, while his 2.1 blocks (8^th), 12.5 rebounds (2^nd), 64.7% FG (4^th), 11.3 contested shots (8^th), and 57.2% opponents shooting from 5 ft. or less (1^st) are all further indications of just how return-to-form impactful Gobert has been. Beyond statistical measures, when watching Gobert this season, it’s clear that le pep has returned in his French step. As Gobert keys the T-Wolves' swarmingly long defense, swallowing up players as either the longest octopus going when he switches, or as a tower of terror for players attempting to attack the paint. At times, it’s laughable watching the way opposing players loft moonballs towards the rim in an effort to arch the ball over his Stretch Armstrong frame.

  The talk following last season’s playoffs — mostly from Karl-Anthony Towns — was that the Timberwolves, in fact, gave the champion Nuggets the hardest run for their money. That Minnesota’s length presented the closest thing to a problem that the Joker faced last year. While that bold statement remains to be seen since the two teams have faced-off just once so far this season — a 110-89 win for Minnesota — it’s undeniable that what Rudy’s brought back to the table this season makes the potential validity of that statement feel just a bit more plausible.

• When a team is mired in the type of snake-bitten season that the Memphis Grizzlies are, it often becomes a challenge to collectively bring your best effort on a night-to-night basis. That’s particularly true when injuries mean on most nights, either the player to your left or the player to your right may not be there the next game. Yet, here are the Memphis Grizzlies, seriously undermanned but never out-efforted. Going into this season, Memphis had a healthy sense of cautious ambition thanks to both the heroic play and villainous exploits of Ja Morant last year. So, when the Grizzlies stumbled out of the gate to a 6-19 record during Ja’s 25-game suspension, while it was a bit stunning due to the team’s prior successes in games that Ja has missed, it wasn’t exactly a shock. And while Ja did return briefly for a spirited nine games in which the Grizzlies went 6-3 before he suffered a season-ending labrum tear, the reality is that this season seemed doomed from the start. But despite an unshakeable raincloud pouring down injuries, this Grizzlies season may well be defined as much by their reluctance to accept their ill-fate as it will for the DNP torrent. This is “Grind City” after all, and this Memphis squad has honored that name as best as anyone could expect. Perhaps no player has better embodied that mentality and the style of play than second-year guard/forward Vince Williams Jr. Williams Jr., who was drafted by Memphis with the 47th pick out of VCU in ‘22, has emerged as one of the Grizzlies’ best-of-the-rest players since being inserted into the starting lineup following the wave of injuries that befell Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart in January. While the second-year guard’s game will never win prettiest in show, he plays with the type of high motor and gritty defense that the Memphis faithful adore. In fact, since being inserted in the starting lineup on Jan. 9th, Williams Jr. has managed to cover both the sixth-largest total distance (14.383 ft.) and sixth-most miles per game (2.72), doing so at the fastest average speed (4.49 miles per hour) of any player in the top-15 of distance covered in the NBA since Jan. 9^th. Meaning Williams Jr. is not only running all over the floor, but he’s busting his ass to do so. While Williams Jr. came into the NBA as a known quantity on the defensive end, on the offensive side of the ball there were concerns, particularly with his ability to shoot, as he was only 44% from the floor for his college career, though he shot a very reasonable 39.7% from distance over his junior and senior seasons. Yet, in the 18 games since becoming a starter, it would seem Williams Jr. has something to offer offensively as well. As he’s not only averaging 15.1 points on 48.4% from the field and 38% from three but adding 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists. To frame how good Williams Jr. has been during this stretch for the Griz, the points per contest are second to Jaren Jackson Jr., while the rebounds (please step it up Triple-JJJ, you’re seven-feet tall for god’s sake) and assists are first on the team over that span. None of this is likely to augur Williams Jr. being more than a bench performer when the Grizzlies are eventually no longer a MASH unit. But seeing as that won’t be until next season, and that Williams Jr. is being given so much latitude to explore the space — he has even been the ostensible point guard in several instances this season — for a team that is unburdened by the weight of expectation, it’s a great opportunity for Williams Jr. to continue to add value to his game. If the shooting is real, Williams Jr.’s effort and length defensively — despite being 6’4, he has a nearly 7-foot wingspan — make him a valuable asset as a rotation player for a Grizzlies team whose history of injuries clearly dictates that they will need him.

• There have been several different components that are keying the recent resurgence of the Golden State Warriors, who are an impressive 9-4 over their last 13 games. Jonathan Kuminga leveling-up. Andrew Wiggins finally looking like a reasonable facsimile of the player who helped the Dubs win a title two seasons ago. Klay painfully accepting a diminished role; which simultaneously breaks my heart and brings me peace. Yet, the most unlikely of ingredients in the Warriors' recent winning recipe has to be the shooting of Draymond Green. Yes, the same Draymond Green who for his career shoots 45% from the field and just 31.8% from behind the arc. Somehow, this season, Green has gone from a liability as a shooter to one that teams are now, albeit with well-earned hesitance, having to honor. For the year, Green’s 42.1% shooting from behind the arc is a career high, and only the second time over his 12-year career that he has shot above 35% from distance (38.8% in ‘17). While no one is anointing Green the next Splash Brother, his ability to provide even a moderate threat from distance gives an inch more of vital spacing, as teams can no longer abandon Green offensively outside of eight feet. Particularly with Green also shooting a career high on his catch-and-shoot opportunities (42.9%). Draymond is riding this hot shooting to his highest points per game average (9.2) in seven seasons (11.0 in ’17). Green is also scoring 33.7% of his total points from behind the three-point line, which is the highest percentage of his career. While his 47.0% conversion rate on open threes — those made with a defender 6 or more feet away — typifies how Draymond is making defenses pay for letting him shoot, which he is doing with an acumen heretofore unseen in his career.