It seemed as if Kyle Juszczyk throwing Minkah Fitzpatrick to the ground on a poor tackle attempt was the culmination of an absolutely dismal performance by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. However, the vast majority of the blame lies with the offense. 

The Steelers’ defense gave their offense every opportunity to put points on the board, but they failed to take advantage. In fact, they were only able to score six points as a result of these turnovers. The Steelers intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo twice while also recovering three fumbles. Rookie linebacker Devin Bush and newly acquired defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick had excellent games. Bush recovered two fumbles and Fitzpatrick had an interception and a forced fumble; and the defense played well as a whole, even if the scoreboard doesn’t show it.

The Steelers never really got into a rhythm on offense, as had been the case leading up to Week 3. So far this season, the Steelers have converted on 3rd down only 25.7% of the time (9/35 times) which is 28th in the league. Also, even though their defense caused five turnovers, the Steelers’ time of possession was almost thirteen minutes less than the 49ers. This has been a common theme for the Steelers as they haven’t led in time of possession yet this season. As a matter of fact, the Steelers have been down in time of possession by more than five minutes in every game thus far.

Starting the season 0-3 is never a good sign, but it’s especially bad when you don’t have your first round pick. The Steelers traded away their first round pick in the trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick. The trade for Fitzpatrick already seemed like a desperate attempt to salvage the season, but if the Steelers continue on the same path that this season has started on, management changes will be sure to follow; especially if the Steelers don’t start to string together some wins and the pick ends up being very high in the draft.

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With the NBA regular season coming to a close and the NBA playoffs right around the corner, the 14 teams that won’t make the playoffs will be finishing their draft evaluations in preparation for the draft on June 20th. There are many prospects coming out of college that look rock solid and NBA ready. However, Cam Reddish has emerged as the most hit-or-miss prospect in the draft by far, thus leaving many potential suitors at a quandary.

Reddish has been an enigma since he first entered the college scene. He has shown flashes throughout the season that he can be a major deep threat while also providing great and reliable defense on the other end of the floor. He has exemplified this in his performance on January 12th against Florida State in which he scored 23 points (with Zion Williamson injured for the majority of the game) and hit the game-winning three-pointer to give Duke a 14-1 record.

Expectations were high for Cam Reddish coming out of high school as a 5-star recruit and ranked third in the nation by ESPN. This past season, he averaged a disappointing 13.5 PPG on a dismal 35.6 FG%. However, there were several games in which he scored 20-plus points on a decent FG%. With teammates like R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson, who were also top three in the nation coming out of high school and projected top-5 picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, it’s hard to stand out. But I believe that Reddish proved enough in college to be a lottery pick in the draft.

Reddish’s 6’8’’ frame makes him the prototypical build for a 3-and-D wing player. He’s a very streaky shooter and can catch fire in an instant, but there were games this past season in which he was ice cold. In fact, there were several stretches during the season in which he had a sub-50 FG%. These stretches are to blame for his poor total FG% for the season.

Even though his season statistics show that he isn’t NBA ready, I do believe that Reddish has the potential to be a great NBA player. In a system with two other ball-dominant players like R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson, it’s difficult to showcase one’s basketball prowess. Under the right circumstances, I think that Cam Reddish can shine and prove that he belongs in the NBA.

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Only a few hours after Kristaps Porzingis had requested a trade from the New York Knicks, he was shipped to the up and coming Dallas Mavericks along with Trey Burke, Courtney Lee, and Tim Hardaway Jr. in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., and two future first round picks.

This was a massive steal for the Mavericks. They essentially traded a struggling Dennis Smith Jr., expiring contracts, and non-lottery picks for another franchise player to pair alongside their tremendous rookie Luka Doncic. The only downside is that Porzingis won’t be able to play this season due to his injury.

As we all know, Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 6, 2018, and he ended up missing the second half of that season. It’s very likely that he won’t play at all this season to focus on rehabbing from his injury. Before his injury, however, Porzingis was averaging a career-high 22.7 PPG to lead the team in scoring. Porzingis was thrust into the position as the Knicks’ primary scorer, as an aging Carmelo Anthony was traded in the offseason to the Thunder so they could continue their rebuild.

Since coming into the league, Porzingis has been known as a lengthy big who can space the floor with his ability to hit threes at a high percentage. Pairing him with Luka Doncic is the perfect combo. Luka’s ability to drive and kick and Porzingis’ ability to be a spot-up shooter is going to be extremely hard to guard.

Luka Doncic has been a star from the moment he stepped onto an NBA court. He’s leading all rookies with 20.7 PPG and is second on the Mavericks with 5.4 assists. With the addition of Doncic this year, the Mavericks have already tied their win total from last season with 30 games left to go this season.

These two already have some history together as well. In 2017, Doncic and Porzingis played against each other in a EuroBasket game.

If these two stay healthy, they are going to dominate the pick and roll game for years to come.

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While the New Orleans Pelicans have struggled through the first half of the season, Jrue Holiday is enjoying a career year. Holiday is averaging a career-high 20.8 PPG, second most on the team, and leads the Pelicans with 8.2 assists. Holiday has had to be the Pelicans primary ball-handler for most of the season due to injuries to backup point guard Elfrid Payton. In this time, Holiday has shown why he should be considered a top tier guard in the NBA.

Holiday has only built upon his elite performance in the playoffs last season. Holiday was a key contributor for the Pelicans and their playoff push, earning the 6th seed in the playoffs. It seemed only fitting that Holiday would be the one to lead the Pelicans to a sweep over the Trail Blazers scoring 41 points on an astounding 65 FG%. Over the entire series, he averaged 27.8 points per game. Despite these gaudy scoring numbers, Holiday truly stole the spotlight on the defensive side of the ball. Holiday held All-Star Damian Lillard to 18.5 points per game, 8.4 points below his regular season average, on just 35% shooting from the field. Holiday took control on both sides of the ball and lead his team to a series win and a matchup against the Golden State Warriors in the second round.

Holiday’s defensive aptitude is what truly separates him from the rest NBA’s other guards. First of all, the Pelicans’ defense gives up 10.8 more points per 100 possessions when Holiday is off the floor. This astronomical discrepancy exemplifies Holiday’s value on the defensive side of the ball. Individually, Holiday has the 4th most steals among point guards this season with 77. He is also tied for the most blocks in the league among point guards with 36 rejections. Holiday was rewarded with All-Defensive First Team honors for his defensive prowess last season.

Holiday has demonstrated that he is capable of guarding anybody from Damian Lillard to Kevin Durant. However, the national media and the NBA community still doesn’t give him the respect he deserves. He is an unsung hero who has had to play for very long stretches to keep the Pelicans in games. Holiday is playing approximately 37 minutes per game, the 4th most in the league. In short, Holiday has been one of the sole key contributors to a Pelicans team that is fighting for their spot in the playoffs. It’s time to recognize Jrue Holiday as one of the best guards in the NBA.

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As of now, the Pelicans are on a five-game losing streak and sit at 14th in the Western Conference. Even though the Western Conference is still wide open, this is still an extremely disappointing first-half of the season. The Pelicans’ front office must be considering that they should trade their superstar Anthony Davis and start a complete rebuild.

Anthony Davis’ time in New Orleans has been remarkable yet disappointing. Davis is clearly the best player in Pelicans history, as he’s their all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocks after just seven seasons. However, the Pelicans have only been to the playoffs twice and they have advanced to the second round just once. The Pelicans’ front office has failed to surround Davis with players to create a contender, and Davis has already made it clear that he values winning more than money. A supermax contract likely isn’t enough to keep AD in New Orleans. Trading him is the only way to get some value for him before he leaves in free agency. Rumors have been swirling around an Anthony Davis trade for years, but they have never been as serious as now.

The two teams that have been mentioned in trade talks are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. It’s clear that they are already recruiting Davis — look at the recent dinner he had with Lakers star LeBron James. Also, Celtics star Kyrie Irving has reportedly spoken to AD on a potential pairing in Boston. Both teams also have the assets to realistically make a deal happen. They own several high draft picks and promising young players who hold value in a deal for a star player.

That being said, Anthony Davis has stated time and time again that he wants to stay long-term in New Orleans but also that winning is his top priority. So if Dell Demps and the Pelicans’ front office aren’t proactive enough to get Davis some more help to make the team a true contender, which hasn’t happened thus far, Davis will want out. Demps has never been a guy to pounce on opportunities and has gotten rid of more assets than he’s acquired. He has a history of signing players to bloated contracts that they don’t deserve and trading away first-round picks.

Injuries have been the second biggest story of the Pelicans’ season behind the Davis trade discussion. Elfrid Payton looked like a potentially high quality point guard for the five games he has played this season (the Pelicans were 4-1 in that time), but injuries have kept him sidelined for the majority of the season. Nikola Mirotic has been out for several games as well. When the team eventually gets healthy, they still have a chance to make the playoffs. However, if they continue along their current path of mediocrity, don’t be surprised if Anthony Davis departs.

This is the outcome nobody wants to occur; a small-market team losing their star player to a big-market team. But if the Pelicans fail to start winning games and help Davis down the line, he isn’t going to let any more of his career go to waste. He has already endured seven seasons of disappointment. In the end, all Davis wants to do is win, and if that means he has to go somewhere else to do it; I’m sure he will take that opportunity. Two things are certain if he is eventually dealt away to another team. One, an Anthony Davis trade would be one of the biggest trades in NBA history. Two, whatever team lands him would gain a consistent All-Star with MVP potential, and would likely become instant Finals contenders.

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Through the first five games of the season, Fultz had 24 points. In the fifth game, Fultz was injured with a scapular muscle imbalance and was sidelined until the very end of the season. During the time that he was inactive, rumors broke out that Fultz might have a condition called the “yips.” The yips is an unexplainable loss of motor skills usually in athletes with years of experience in their sport. Fultz insisted that the rumors were false claiming that “what happened was an injury.” It is still unclear whether Fultz suffered from a physical injury or a mental injury.  

It’s safe to say that Fultz has underperformed in the short time he has been in the NBA. Fultz’s play in college has not translated to the NBA. This lackluster performance has made the 76ers question his future with the team.

	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game
College	23.2	5.7	5.9
NBA	7.7	3.4	3.4

Because of this lack of progress, Fultz has reportedly been placed on the trade block. Many teams have been rumored to have inquired about acquiring him. Recently, the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly offered Kyle Korver and a protected draft pick for Fultz.

With the third overall pick from the 76ers, the Boston Celtics selected a more underrated prospect, Jayson Tatum from Duke. Since his professional debut, Jayson Tatum has been one of the most consistent players on the Celtics. This season, he is averaging the 2nd most points on the team behind only Kyrie Irving.

	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game
College	16.8	7.3	2.1
NBA	14.4	5.3	1.7

Tatum was also a catalyst for the Celtics playoff run last year on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals while the team was shorthanded due to injuries to Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. If the 76ers had drafted Tatum instead of trading their pick, their starting five could consist of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, and JJ Redick. This could have been a team to be reckoned with and would even possibly be able to compete with the new-look Raptors for 1st in the Eastern Conference.

Image Source: Getty Images

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PIttsburgh Steelers running back James Conner has been one of the breakout stars this NFL season. However, he was only thrust into the starting role for the Steelers when All-Pro running back Le’veon Bell decided to hold out throughout this season for a new contract. Expectations were low going into Week 1 for the young running back, but Conner quickly quieted the critics. He has been an incredible threat from the ground this season and has even surprised everyone with his great receiving ability.

In Week 1 when the Steelers faced the Browns in Cleveland, Conner showed that the void left by Le’veon Bell in Pittsburgh would not have the repercussions on the team that many had expected. Conner ran and received for career highs in every stat category. Conner rushed 31 times for 135 yards and caught 5 passes for 57 yards. Later in the season, Conner rushed for over 100 yards in 4 straight games, with the Steelers winning all of these games. In addition to eclipsing 100 yards in these outings on the ground, Conner accumulated 7 touchdowns single-handedly.

Through 11 games this season, Conner has 849 yards off 186 carries (4.6 yards per carry) as well as 10 touchdowns. At this point last season, Le’veon Bell had 981 yards off 252 carries (3.9 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns. James Conner has been more efficient with his carries and has scored on way less touches. Conner has consistently shown that he can fill the gap as a workhorse back that Le’veon Bell left and can be just as effective as the former All-Pro running back.. If James Conner maintains his consistency this season, he will surely be awarded with a Pro Bowl invitation and potentially other accolades.

James Conner can have an impact on the Steelers success indirectly as well. This season, excluding bonuses, James Conner is set to make $578,000. If Le’veon Bell had signed his franchise tag, he would have made $14,544,000. With Bell’s contract off the books next season, the Steelers will have much more cap flexibility for free-agency to sign other players and James Conner will only cost the team $688,000.

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