What’s up hoop fans, and welcome to another Full Timeout. I’m extremely thankful to be able to talk hoops every week with you guys! Thank you for being a part of this journey, your support means a lot! Now is anyone else already picturing how big back they finna be during Thanksgiving? I know I am lol, I’m stacking yams, mac & cheese, and probably going back for seconds. Let me know what dish or combo ya’ll can’t wait to feast on.

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Meme of the Week → With Jayson Tatum out I understand it can be a lot for Jaylen Brown to carry the torch for the Celtics right now. With that being said, I’ll just leave this here for you all to debate:

Tweet of the Week → @Three_Cone - “Someone legally has to win”

OKC is Rolling → The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming different this year. Leading the league with the No. 1 defense again, the Thunder are locking teams up left and right. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (~32 PPG, 5 RPG, 7 APG) looks like he’s found another level — crazy to say — and he’s shooting a career best from three in both makes and attempts. Chet Holmgren has been ridiculously efficient, shooting ~57% from the field, 39% from three, and 87% from the line, basically flirting with a 50/40/90 season. And as deep as OKC already is, Ajay Mitchell (~16 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG) has been a new found gem, holding the second-highest 1-on-1 defensive rating on the team. And the wild part? OKC is doing all of this without their second star, Jalen Williams, that’s scary.

Head Coach Change for the Pelicans → Willie Green has been fired as the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans (3-15). The Pelicans are the first team in NBA history to lose three of their first six games by at least 30 points… James Borrego (former head coach of the Charlotte Hornets) has been named interim head coach.

Here Come the Wildcats → Arizona is starting to look like title contenders. As if starting off the season with a gritty win against the defending champs in Florida wasn’t enough, they also bagged back to back blue blood wins against UCLA and UConn proving how legit this team is. Beating a talented, veteran UCLA team that just added Donovan Dent from New Mexico, and following it up with a dub against a UConn team that had one of the best off-seasons recruitment wise says a lot. Missing Tarris Reed Jr. (ankle) really hurt UConn on the rebound battle losing by almost double (43-23). Jaden Bradley continues to be that steady controller for the Wildcats. His leadership, along with his clutch gene, has been huge down the stretch.

12 Straight for the Pistons → The Detroit Pistons are rolling. Sitting at 14–2 and first in the East, Detroit just wrapped up another win on Saturday (11/22) against the Milwaukee Bucks, pushing their streak to 12 straight. Jaden Ivey also made his season debut after recovering from a fractured fibula, dropping 10 points in just 15 minutes.

The Hokies Found One in Neoklis Avdalas → I remember the good old days of Virginia Tech basketball when Buzz Williams had Cassell Coliseum jumping. Those days have felt long gone since Mike Young took over in 2019 — but that might finally be changing. Neoklis Avdalas is a bucket and a potential lottery pick. In the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, he torched Providence for 33 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds on elite efficiency. There’s real noise that his game resembles Luka Dončić — and honestly, I see it. Keep an eye on Avdalas and the Hokies this year, they’ll be a problem in the ACC.

Finally got to lock in on a ton of ACC hoops this past week, and the conference didn’t disappoint. Wake Forest went toe-to-toe with 7th-ranked Michigan before losing 94–84 in OT, and Michigan’s ugly three-point shooting (25% as a team) is something to watch — it really feeds the narrative that they can’t survive cold nights from deep. Florida State almost shocked Florida but fell 78–76, still showing way more dog than expected. Meanwhile, Xavian Lee is off to a slow start — around 8 PPG on 25% from the field and just 17% from three — and it’s showing in their offense. Still, the ACC has some legit bright spots: Virginia Tech with Avdalas going crazy, NC State now ranked #25, UNC looks like they’re actually back, and Duke sitting top-5 in the country. The league feels like old times — some teams look like tournament contenders, some look cooked, and others might be sleepers waiting to surprise folks.

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It’s pretty clear things aren’t going as planned for the Memphis Grizzlies. Sitting 10th in the West at 6–11, they can’t seem to find any real rhythm. It doesn’t help when your star player and head coach aren’t on the same page either. Reports are already swirling that Memphis may explore the trade market for Ja Morant. Morant is sitting around 18 PPG, 8 APG, and 3 RPG, but the efficiency has been tough — 36% from the field and just 17% from three. Combine that with his past antics and it gets harder and harder for the Grizzlies to find the type of return they’d normally expect for a player of his caliber. Minnesota, Sacramento, and Miami are a few teams to be monitoring the situation. Me personally? I’d pay good money to see Anthony Edwards and Ja in the same backcourt — but that’s just me. Where would y’all want to see Ja if Memphis actually pulls the trigger?

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College basketball has blessed us with another loaded season of talented freshmen. I’ve been looking into this class, and once again this draft won’t disappoint. The top three feels like a lock — Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer. These three are just clearly ahead of the pack skill-wise, and the fact that they’re this polished at their age gives them a major edge. Right behind them, Koa Peat continues to stand out with his physicality, passing feel, and mid-range game. Caleb Wilson is an energetic forward with serious bounce, and Mikel Brown Jr. is a shifty guard who can hit big shots when it matters. Check out my top 10 list below with quick notes on each guy — and don’t harp on the order too much, they’re all tough.

1. Darryn Peterson - Scores like Devin Booker and plays elite defense
2. Cameron Boozer - A brute who can score on all three levels and rebound like crazy
3. Aj Dybantsa - Elite two-way wing with tremendous shot-making ability
4. Mikel Brown Jr. - Shifty guard at 6’5 with elite shot-making
5. Koa Peat - Athletic 6’8 forward that dominates the paint and midrange
6. Nate Ament - 6’10 forward who can shoot over defenders
7. Darius Acuff - Shifty combo guard with elite shot-making
8. Caleb Wilson - Super energetic forward who dominates the paint and the glass
9. Tounde Yessoufou - Reminds me a bit of Anthony Edwards with less shot-making
10. Chris Cenac Jr. - Modern day NBA big man at 6’11 with guard skills

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Friday afternoon’s college basketball slate doesn’t get much better than this. Two top-10 teams with top-10 offenses going at it in a classic Big East vs Big Ten matchup. UConn is putting up ~84 PPG while Illinois sits around ~96 PPG, so scoring won’t be an issue for either side. If UConn is without Tarris Reed Jr., it’s going to be tough — Illinois has real size and crashes the glass hard, averaging ~45 rebounds per game compared to UConn’s ~35. It also doesn’t help that UConn is still missing star freshman Braylon Mullins (ankle). For UConn to pull this out, they’ll have to control the boards, hit shots, and avoid letting Illinois dictate the physicality. Otherwise, the Illini could run away with this one.
🎯 Full Timeout Pick: Illinois

The Bucks sit in first place in East Group C (2–0) for the Emirates NBA Cup, while the Knicks sit at 1–1 in third. A Bucks win would lock up the top spot and secure an automatic bid to the knockout rounds. For New York, a loss basically kills their chances. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Porter Jr. are expected to return on Nov. 28, so this is shaping up to be an entertaining matchup. The Knicks will be without OG Anunoby (hamstring), which hurts, but the Bucks missing Taurean Prince (herniated disc) balances things out a bit. Milwaukee leads the regular-season series 1–0, with Giannis and Rollins carrying the load in that matchup. But I’m expecting things to look different this time around — especially if Mitchell Robinson is active to help control the paint.
🎯 Full Timeout Pick: Knicks

Catch you at the next one,