Player Development

finding-a-role-peyton-watson
Finding a Role Check-In #1: Peyton Watson
November 8, 2024
NBA Articles
Nearly a year ago, I wrote about Peyton Watson as an emerging rotation piece for the Denver Nuggets. If you’re not inclined to read it first (though I would highly…

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Finding a Role – Tre Mann
October 24, 2024
NBA Articles
Sometimes you need to leave a talented group to shine brightest. When Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, confusion abounded. A highly successful band’s frontman striking out on his own…

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cason-wallace-star-potential
Cason Wallace’s Star Potential
October 9, 2024
NBA Articles
Star basketball players are often obvious from the get: you have your Victor Wembanyama’s, your Anthony Davis’s, even Nikola Jokic’s, if you’re looking in the right direction. But it’s far…

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Prospect Retrospective: Ryan Kalkbrenner
September 13, 2024
2025 NBA Draft Articles
I thought it would be a good exercise (and an easier way to generate new content) to review some of my old reports from nearly 3 years ago to see…

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The Importance of Margins and Some 2024 Sleepers
June 9, 2024
2024 NBA Draft Articles
Sequels. Everyone’s seen at least one, everyone’s enjoyed the culmination of their favorite characters diving back into their world to achieve a new task, sometimes even exceeding expectations and driving…

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jonathan-kuminga-rise-stardom
Jonathan Kuminga’s Drive to Stardom
February 22, 2024
NBA Articles
I will say the two unnameable words around the Golden State Warriors. No, it’s not “fire Kerr”, “trade Klay”, “European bigs” or “affordable housing”. It’s two timelines. We know it…

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finding-a-role-trayce-jackson-davis
Finding a Role: Trayce Jackson-Davis
December 20, 2023
NBA Articles
Quality basketball analysis isn’t about being ‘right,’ judging the means by the end result, but we here at Swish Theory are frequently, let’s say, ahead of the curve. Whether it’s…

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Sam-Hauser-finding-role
Finding a Role: Sam Hauser
December 13, 2023
NBA Articles
If you know anything about the Boston Celtics’ Sam Hauser, you know what this article will be about. This will be a lot of shooting film, and I’m not talking…

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finding-role-dyson-daniels
Finding a Role: Dyson Daniels
December 5, 2023
NBA Articles
Aptronym (noun):  a person’s name that is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation. Do you ever feel like names are a form of predestination? It’s astounding how often athletes with a…

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Jalen-Suggs-turning-a-corner
Turning A Corner: Jalen Suggs Is Orlando’s Ultimate Defensive Weapon
November 27, 2023
NBA Articles
Basketball in October rarely matters. Except when you’re Jalen Suggs. There was a moment at the end of the third Orlando Magic game of the season versus the Los Angeles…

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Marcus-Sasser-Finding-Role
Finding a Role: Marcus Sasser
November 25, 2023
NBA Articles
In the Sasser family, basketball isn’t just a means to an end. Basketball is a way of life. Marcus Sasser, the reigning Jerry West Award winner and a consensus All-American,…

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Finding a Role: Jalen Johnson
November 18, 2023
NBA Articles
The Atlanta Hawks lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 126-116 on Friday night in quite ordinary fashion. Atlanta put up an admirable fight consistent with their talent level, but couldn’t sustain…

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peyton-watson-finding-a-role
Finding a Role: Peyton Watson
November 9, 2023
NBA Articles
The Denver Nuggets (specifically general manager Calvin Booth) made waves this offseason by being utterly indifferent to Bruce Brown’s exit. This was followed by Vlatko Čančar tearing his left ACL…

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moses-moody-defense
The Defensive Growth of Moses Moody
August 11, 2023
NBA Articles
This current iteration of the Golden State Warriors is loaded with outstanding defenders. Draymond Green has arguably been the preeminent defensive player of the whole league for the past decade….

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jonathan-kuminga-shooting-development
Jonathan Kuminga, Future Shooter?
July 20, 2023
NBA Articles
Shooting has a way of presenting itself in the strangest ways. No matter how many indicators we identify and traits we look for, it comes out of left field all…

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Paolo-Banchero-Rookie-of-the-Year
Appreciating Paolo Banchero’s Historic Rookie Year in The Most Exciting Orlando Magic Season Since Dwight
May 5, 2023
Analysis
Fast like fox.Strong like bull.Slippery like snake. Paolo Banchero stepped into the league a walking mismatch. A 6’10” 250lb tank in transition and North-South force of nature has the tight…

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The Actualization of Jaren Jackson Jr., Versatile Franchise Cornerstone
April 4, 2023
NBA Articles
A Development Story from defensive instincts, shooting touch, and two-way versatility to NBA Superstar “A boat’s a boat, but a mystery box could be anything; it could even be a…

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Why Your Team Should Sign Hamidou Diallo
March 31, 2023
NBA Articles
Everyone has their own pet archetypes of players they target for their platonic ideal of a basketball team, especially as you move beyond the superstars and into role players, with…

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Warriors Need Kuminga More Than Ever
March 26, 2023
NBA Articles
With Andrew Wiggins bound to miss his 19th straight game tonight, questions abound in Golden State as the playoffs close in. What is going on in his life is clearly…

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Patrick Williams: More Than A Role Player
February 20, 2023
NBA Articles
Why the Chicago Bulls owe Patrick Williams a legitimate chance at being more than a role player. In 2020, the Chicago Bulls selected Patrick Williams as the fourth overall pick…

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Outlier Development Series: What Pascal Siakam Can Teach Arthur Kaluma
December 31, 2022
Analysis
Why This Series? When a great player becomes great, there is often the narrative of inevitability tied into the fabric. While there may be some truth to that – no…

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The Behind the Scenes Skill Developers
November 23, 2022
Analysis
The Unheralded Heroes of Basketball When focusing on player development, many look at the programs players have been a part of: high schools, colleges, and even NBA teams get critiqued…

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Fountain of Youth
October 17, 2022
NBA Articles
How some teams have mastered the art of the NBA draft and player development The NBA draft may be over, but for teams across the league, the development process has…

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