Bob Myers says they never found the origin to the leak of Draymond Green, Jordan Poole tape

What has been the key to your longevity? Green: The expectation was that I was an undersized tweener and was going to be a bust. I always expected to do good things. I always thought that I was better than everyone else thought I was. But I can’t say I envisioned it turning into this. You come in like, ‘Man, I want to be an All-Star.’ But I am the same person that thought playing in the World University Games would be my last time playing for USA Basketball. Now I stand here with two Olympic gold medals. You have this vision of what you think it can look like or what you want it to look like, but I can’t say that my vision was this … You have to find your niche. You got to find what it is that you bring to a spot. Every squad needs something that’s not scoring, but most basketball players want to score. So, it’s just all about finding that niche and understanding what it is that’s going to help you or what it is that you can do that’s going to help that team be successful. It’s also finding what that team can’t necessarily go without to be successful. -via Andscape / April 5, 2024

There are currently 24 players in the NBA who have played more than 10 NBA seasons without averaging more than 10 points in their career, according to ESPN Stats & Information. These are defensive standouts, role players, third-stringers, ones who do the dirty work, players who do whatever the coach asks them to do and also mentor young teammates. While many players in NBA history have scored more points, they have outlasted most of their draft class colleagues while earning millions of dollars, championships and full pensions. “You come into this league, and try to make it and leave a good mark,” Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “So, when I look back on it, it’s like, wow, man, it’s incredible. -via Andscape / April 5, 2024

So, absences could redirect the plans, but Kerr is sending an early warning sign that Kuminga, who started 29 consecutive games before the knee issue, could be initially returning to a bench role. “We’ve established something here for years: If we’re playing well, we’ll generally keep the same starting lineup,” Kerr said. “I’ve kept Steph (Curry) and Draymond out of the starting lineup when they’ve been in that situation.” -via The Athletic / April 5, 2024

Poole, often maligned throughout his first Wizards season, scored 16 points and dished out a career-high 13 assists, showing that the point-guard experiment is a better fit for him than playing off the ball. Kispert added 27 points and seven boards. Avdija bullied his way through opponents, contributing 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists. “Nobody believed that we were gonna win this game tonight, but we did,” Avdija said. “And I know, and the team knows, how much we’re working and how much we suffered losses during the season. When you see an improvement and you see that fantastic win that we had … I’m happy for the group, because we needed it. It’s definitely a confidence booster.” Everyone who played gave the team a boost. Butler drained all three of the treys he attempted in the second half. Anthony Gill defended Antetokounmpo with gusto. -via The Athletic / April 3, 2024

Erik Slater: Asked Kevin Ollie what gives the Nets confidence that Noah Clowney can play both PF and C moving forward: “Just his defense… I mean, one play the other night he got over a pick-and-roll for Jordan Poole, met him at the rim, and blocked his shot. That’s elite, that’s guard stuff. We’ve been trying to get our guards to do that. For him to do that at a young age… He’s just a quick processor… You don’t have to tell him to do things over and over again. He processes real quick, and he puts it into practice in real-time. Offensively, he can be a hub for us, I think he’s a great passer and great decision-maker. And he’s crashing the boards, he’s getting to the rim. He’s an elite athlete, and we need more of those on our team. So, he gives us the ability to play above the rim, which we don’t have a lot of.” -via Twitter @erikslater_ / March 29, 2024

Evan Barnes: Nets win 122-119 in OT over the Wizards. Cam Thomas and Jordan Poole match 38-point specials. But the Nets defense pulls it off with that Dorian Finney-Smith steal to seal things after missing a pair of FTs. First Nets win streak in a month. First OT win this season -via Twitter @evan_b / March 27, 2024