Live. Breathe. Ball.

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

QUICK HITS

• Do you know Isaiah Joe? If not, just ask a Warriors fan. The Thunder guard went absolutely incendiary this past Thursday in a road win against San Francisco, shooting a perfect 7-7 from behind the arc. The former Arkansas Razorback was a second-round pick by the Sixers four years ago, before the team waived him this last fall. Joe has since found a home on a Thunder roster that was slight on perimeter shooting before signing him to a very organization-friendly two-year contract, with a team option for a third. A deal that pays Joe just $2 million per season. After struggling with Philadelphia, averaging a meager 3.7 points per game, while shooting just 35% from the three, Joe has blossomed as a long-range specialist with the Thunder. Watching those numbers jump to 9.5 points on 42% from the three. And when I say specialist, I mean it. For his career, a staggering 78% of Joe’s field goal attempts are from behind the arc.

• If coffee is for closers, Anthony Edwards and Jimmy Butler need to link up. The surprising 9-3 Timberwolves have used their imposing size and defensive intensity, along with the stellar early play of Anthony Edwards, to help the team land in a tie with Denver atop the Western Conference standings. More impressive still is the collection of early statement wins by the T-Wolves—with victories over GSW, BOS, and DEN. While the defense has been outright bullish, what has stood out to me most is how good the team has been late in close games. Due mostly to the alpha status of Anthony Edwards and the fact that no team is perhaps better at imposing their defensive will in the halfcourt. Minnesota is tied for second with Milwaukee in clutch win percentage at 83.3%, right behind Dallas who leads the league at 85.7%.

• Let Austin Cook…but like as a sous chef. Austin Reaves’ move to the bench coincided directly with the Lakers’ recent success—Los Angeles are 4-1 since the move. While Reaves’ early struggles were more a combination of awkward fit with D’Angelo Russell and a slow start after taking some rest following a busy summer, the now super sub is averaging two more assists per game (up from 4 to 6) and boosted his shooting from the three-point line from a woeful 27.8% early on, to a healthy 44% since the move. Again, much of this is due to Reaves being a more natural fit on the ball and not getting as many of those possessions with the starting unit. But whatever the cause, it’s good to see glimpses of the guy we all fell for towards the end of last year.

• Sure, it’s early sample-size theater, but at 12.5 assists per game, Tyrese Halibruton is poised to average the most assists per game in a season since old shorts shorts himself (John Stockton) dropped 12.3 dimes per game in the ‘94-'95 season. While Haliburton’s superlative play at the point guard position is the straw that stirs the Pacers’ proverbial drink, Indiana as a team currently leads the league in points per game (126.5), field goals attempted (47.5) and made (94.9) per game, and offensive rating (122). As well as being second in pace of play (103.91) and team field goal percentage (50%.) Meaning that Haliburton’s teammates aren’t just getting a ton of opportunities, but that they are capitalizing on the many open looks that he’s getting them. The only issue with Haliburton is his health. While Stockton started all 82 games in the ’95 campaign, Haliburton has already missed games this season, and has a history of nagging injuries.

• Again, I know it’s early, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that perhaps Monty Williams was a bit overpaid. Just as a reminder, the Pistons made Williams the highest-paid coach in NBA history this off-season by inking the former Suns and Pelicans coach to a staggering 6-year, $78.5 million deal—though Pop and Mike Malone, two coaches who have actually won titles, have since signed deals for more annually. The pitiful Pistons are currently a league-worst 2-11, including having lost 10 straight following Friday night’s defeat at the hands of a Cleveland team missing Donovan Mitchell. No doubt that the uber young Detroit roster of lottery misfits would present a strategic mess for any coach, but watching the Pistons just feels like an exercise in disjointed tactics. Williams has leaned on big lineups that are small on shooting, meaning that Cade Cunningham has none of the requisite spacing he needs to functionally operate. It feels like there is absolutely no consistency in rotations. And while I’m not sure how good former fifth overall pick Jaden Ivey can be, I am positive that it’s better than Kilian Hayes. Williams has proven he’s a good coach before, and the Detroit situation in terms of injuries and roster composition is undoubtedly untenable, but if something doesn’t change, it feels like Detroit may have a very expensive problem to attend to sooner rather than later. It’s early, and I believe that coaches should be given lots of time to implement their systems when coming into an organization, but it’s been a very rough go so far. Good thing if you’re Williams, you’re the third most scrutinized coach in the state at the moment.

• Shout-out to the OG Lou Riordan for making me aware of the fact that somehow DeAndre '“DominAyton” has attempted only five total free throws through 11 games this season. That’s just humiliAyton. The man’s new nickname is “4-Ply.” His game is baby food soft. But hey, he is shooting 100% from the stripe.

• Forget everything you thought you knew about shot mechanics; these are your top-10 three-point shooters by percentage so far this season:

1. Cason Wallace OKC - 54.2%

2. Cameron Payne MIL - 52.9%

3. Jae Crowder MIL - 51.6%

4. Doug McDermott SAS - 51%

5. Alex Caruso CHI - 50%

6. Dillon Brooks HOU - 50%

7. Kevin Durant PHX - 50%

8. Grayson Allen PHX - 49.2%

9. Jacob Gilyard MEM - 48.1%

10. Devin Booker PHX- 48.0%

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IF YOU HAVE THE TIME…

Zach Collins must love Victor Wembanyama. And not just because the rookie sensation helps cover on backside mistakes as a rim protector. Nor because the flexible French phenom seems to catch anything thrown within his area code, making hi-low entries a passer’s dream. No, for Collins, Wembanyama’s greatest assist may come from the exposure Collins is getting this season just by playing alongside him.

While the Spurs themselves toggle between scuffling and scrappy, Wenbanyama’s status as “the next big thing” means that San Antonio is getting the type of national television attention typically reserved for teams we expect to be competing for playoff contention. Though the bright lights have often proved too bright for both Wenbanyama and the Spurs, those watching closely may notice that a healthy (finally!) Zach Collins is starting to show all the promise that we have been told was there from the moment he was the 10^th pick in the 2017 draft.

Collins combination of size (he is a very chiseled 6’11, 250 pounds) and skill makes him an optimal fit for the current NBA center. He’s bulked up significantly since coming into the league as a skinny, skill-driven big. Turning himself into one of the few centers left willing to put a body on a defender when setting a screen or boxing out. Rarer still is the level of physicality that Collins plays with for a player that can step out and hurt you—Collins is only shooting 27% from the three so far into the season, but the eye test, along with being a career 33% shooter, tells you that he’s comfortable stepping out there.

This past Saturday’s matchup between San Antonio and Sacramento was a perfect showcase for just the player that Collins has become. Wemby may have garnered all the oohs and ahhs, but it was watching Collins battle with King’s center Damontis Sabonis that drew my attention. While Sabonis is hardly a stalwart defensively, his physicality may be par excellence in the league—at least amongst starters, I still see you Bismack. Yet, there was Collins, battling down low, setting hard screens, and giving just as good as he was getting. In fact, Collins in many ways plays like a low-budget Sabonis, though obviously not with the same output or night-to-night dominance. Collins is averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds, on 55% shooting from the field. While the scoring and field goal percentages are career-highs, they won’t land Collins on an all-star team anytime soon. But Collins is physical, smart as a decisionmaker from the top of the key, and unlike Sabonis, a very capable rim protector as a helpside defender. Health of course has been the obstacle for Collins, but that notwithstanding, I think Collins is quickly establishing himself as a top-20 center in the league.