#i dont draw enough joel so joel today

[daily-grian]

and this is what we back in the day used to call a "rofl"

[heraldshaka]

Top Right: November 2013. Dear Journal, Its been a while so Im going to do a long update. Number one Dad is gone. Hes in prison cause he stole a boat, totalled two perfectly good cars, tried to kill mom in a drunken rampage and drunk driving. Honestly I say good ridance. Joel has a girlfriend now. Brooke WInn. I was pretty pissed for a while because she was the first girl I ever had a crush on and the first girl to give me her number. But after accidently seeing a picture of a conversation between them to (It seriously was an accident) I can see that she really likes Joel and Joel really likes her. As suspected now Joel has had his first kiss, date, and girlfriend. I’ve honestly wanted to do these things for a while largely out of curiosity but I decided to wait until I’m at least 15 years old. Speaking of age, I wrote a letter to my 30 year old self. Anyways my huge passion for the past year has been film making. Unfortunately I dont have the neccesary equipment nor a Job to earn some money but I think I want to do film making for the rest of my life. Me and Josh have been doing a lot of spear fishing recently but I am yet to kill a fish. Something I forgot to mention about Joel’s girfriend, another reason I’m not angry is because I decided long ago I would wait until at least 15 to start dating so I was never going to make a move but Joel did so It’s not like he stole her because she was nevermine. as of the rest of the family, Bria 

Bottom left:  is dating Thomas kreuser now, Josh is playing dating ping-pong with Lydia and its really mean. Lydia’s looking for something serious and Josh is a horn dog. Joel has a phone now and wont stop texting or calling Brooke. Josh, Bia and mom are rarely family interactive any more. Baylee still takes pretty much anything she can lay her sticky paw on but she is a bit more respectful. Jonah has becom “that  little brother”., The kind you NEVER want around friends. Something applicable to all the little kids is that their absolutely disgusting and bossy. Brenna is pretty disobedient but still not as roudy as Jonah or Brooke. Brooke is even more annoying as she was. Whinnes about everything, disgusting, STILL craps her pants and is insanely disobedient. As for me, I’ve fallen in love with music and film making. I take most of the house responsibility. I try to keep it clean and in control but usually end up just hiding out in my bedroom when ever I get a chance. I don’t play much video games any more. Over the past year I have matured a lot but I can rarely noticibly show it because to all my friends I’m the funny guy which is usually fine but sometimes I really wish I could just open up. I got to the farmer’s market alot now and now Jesse is my best friend. He’s very funny, honest, trustworthy. Which I can truly respect and I can’t say yo pretty much any of my friends. Me and Josh work out now so thats cool. But stil I spend most of my time listening to music and thinking about filming.

Bottom Right: Christmas is in a month and a half and if I could get just one peice of film equipment I need to start I would be happy. There is nothing I currently want more than to start filming and directing videos. I’ve done some drawings which I’m a little bit proud of, but I’ve also thought up this big animated TV series. Like the next Avatar: The last airbender which is my favorite TV series ever. I was thinking about having three nations and one kind of secret nation. The protagonist is a young teenageer I haven’t thought up a good name yet but hafter his entire family is killed a few years before due to the war between teh three main nations, he sets out for revenge on the people, specifically everyone who was in that squadron who killed his family, he begin’s to learn the powers of one of the nations the ncomes upon a clue suggesting that the powers of each nation which are believed to be a birth right to only some people of their nation, can actually be learned by anyone. Throughtout the rest of his Journey he comes across a new companion of each nation and begins to learn each of the powers which are Light which is used by a peolpe of monks, Necrocity like using darkness or even the dead as weapons and Nature. The power of having control over living plants and sometimes even subdue animals. Theres a lot more to it that I’m not going to get into so I’m signing out for now.

Left: Nov, 2013. Dear Journal. Today I’m going to go very in depth about something I haven’t told anyone. Joel’s girlfriend, Brooke Winn. I REALLY like her. In my last entry I said it didn’t bother me anymore but it does. I know I said I wont even try to get a girlfriend until I’m at least fifteen and I stand by it. But yesterday she came over to our house for 6 hours right after she hung out with us at the market an I saw first hand how much they care about one another and they really do. But it sucks for me because I still really like her. Plus I met her first, got her number first and I still remember so much about her. Her birthday is in march, her favorite movie is Clockwork Orange, she’s a vegetarian because her brother dared her to do it for a few months and she just went with it after that, she likes Avatar and Pewdiepie just like me, she wants to go into the navy when she’s older, her favorite video game is League of Legends. Also without me, Joel and her might never have met. I remember all this and some more because for a while I kinda thought we had something special. Now shes dating my brother and I may never know if we did. Last night was the worst night of my life because I spent all night avoiding the girl of my dreams because shes dating my brother. Is it just a little crush that will blow away eventually? Maybe. but when I’m around her, when I read some of the things her and Joel say to eachother, it feels like a lot more than a silly crush.

Left: Dec 3, 2013. Dear Journal, well I have obtained some very shocking information. Whilst Joel was playing League of Legends he tabbed out to face book where he had been messaging Brooke Winn and I noted she said “I love you too.” As said before, I really like Brooke in more than a friendly way and I promised myself I wont try to get a girlfriend until I’m minimum 15. Probably not until I have my license but I can’t help but wonder “Did she ever have feelings for me?” Because I taught her how to dance, she  gave me her number. The swing after we spent nearly 2 hours just talking and dancing. Obviously I never made a move but I always had feelings for her. It’s very possible that she was waiting for me to make a move and got impatient. That almost happened to Joel but he made a move and now They’re in love and I wonder “What if?” What if I made a move? Would we be dating now or would she have turned me down and then we’d be akward acquantices? I can’t help but wonder.

Right: Dec 14, 2013. Dear Journal, Today we have Brooke and Thomas over (Bria and Tom are dating) for this tree decoration crap and I realize its getting easier for me to be around Brooke Winn. I still have feelings for her but due to my resistance I can be a little easier around her. But it’s still pretty weird because Joel knows I like/liked her so we rarely get to talk Just me and her. And when we do its hard for me to think of a conversation topic because all I can think of around her is the fact shes dating my Brother! It sucks so badly especially beecause I do still like her and she is DATING MY BROTHER! Its a terrible feeling but one I’m going to have to live with. Part 2. Well I have concluded Dec 14 2013 and it sucks. Yesterday was cool but today I spent 3hrs at a parade. But is that enough? Oh no! Throughout that time I simply stood idly by while Joel and Brooke continuosly made out and cuddled throughout that time. Thomas hasn’t turned into a fag due to his relationship like Joel which is good so we hang out a good bit but it still ended with me as a 5th wheel.

[miningroseakira]

(THIS IS FROM MY MAIN BLOG, FOR SOME REASON TUMBLR DECIDED MY MINECRAFT BLOG IS THE ONLY PLACE I CAN POST THIS)

I posted 3,002 times in 2021

70 posts created (2%)

2932 posts reblogged (98%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 41.9 posts.

I added 1,735 tags in 2021

#last life - 386 posts

#last life smp - 365 posts

#last life spoilers - 322 posts

#last life smp spoilers - 292 posts

#mcyt - 109 posts

#hermitcraft - 70 posts

#last life session 7 - 52 posts

#empires smp - 48 posts

#lastlife - 46 posts

#last life session 7 spoilers - 45 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#mainly bc i cant seem to worldbuild the magic system and just general stuff' and my main rp partner hasnt been able to start on the new rp w

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

you know if neither grian nor martyn do like. and afterlife scene or just. Something with the other southlanders for the final episode im gonna have to draw it myself hgkjdfhgdjk

jokes aside though i hope martyn maybe does something with it since he's more the type of last lifer to do story bits and also broke my heart with his most recent intro- i mean i doubt it but the hope is there

62 notes • Posted 2021-11-15 00:16:51 GMT

#4

sobbing

71 notes • Posted 2021-11-16 20:27:02 GMT

#3

dont mind me just getting out some thoughts about last life because i am a mess and i need to sleep

-The screams of "NO" from Grian and "grian- GRIAN" from Mumbo

-Joels maniacal laughter after killing grian and running off

-grian made the preparations for his final life in the same session as he ended up needing them.

-The sign. "I saved your stuff don't hurt me". The fact that he didnt give it back in person, too. He was too scared of a red life, even if he's his former friend.

-the way grian went up there immediately reassuring mumbo he doesnt mean him harm

-The way mumbo had to cower on the last few blocks, fearful of the one he once called his close friend and then had to watch die as he couldnt do anything to prevent it

-the fact that grian gave up on killing mumbo. he probably could have if he really kept trying. there were only a couple blocks left and once mumbo wouldve been on the rest of the ladder, with grian having the high ground killing him wouldve not been very difficult.

-grian not taking up the offer mumbo made of "I'll join you if you beat me fair and square", which is likely both due to safety (he's on one life, after all) but id like to think he also doesnt *want* to fight mumbo fair and square because he doesn want to fight mumbo at all. he just wants him to be his friend again, and that is sad

-grian saying "There's- there's been enough bloodshed today. I just wanted you to know that... I don't blame you." and just fucking leaving while looking back up at mumb

-the way everyone immediately turns their backs on reds. ive heard of examples from other povs but personally i (at the moment) only have time to fully watch grian's and just. the southlanders just giving him the spyglass and then immediately turning their backs like "ok bye HAHAHA"

-the fact that grian founded the south lands, only to be the first to be exiled from them

-thinking about grian designs: bone wings. he cant fly with them, clearly.

-that one idea another user had where the south landers pass around the life and accidentally give it to grian out of habit, putting him on yellow...but he gives it back anyway

77 notes • Posted 2021-10-13 23:29:48 GMT

#2

you know i was busy recovering from todays last life session and thought "hey im just gonna chill and watch some hermitcraft."

AND THEN MUMBO???? IS A PIG??? AND TRICKED GRAIN INTO SELLING HIS SOUL?????? IM SORRY WHAT IS THIS

93 notes • Posted 2021-11-12 22:33:37 GMT

#1

APRIL 6th - HAPPY ASEXUALITY DAY!

No need to repeat myself so here's my twitter thread for today C:

288 notes • Posted 2021-04-06 14:59:49 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[writingguide003-blog]

March Madness 2018: our writers predict the winners, sleepers and upsets

New Post has been published on https://writingguideto.com/must-see/march-madness-2018-our-writers-predict-the-winners-sleepers-and-upsets/

March Madness 2018: our writers predict the winners, sleepers and upsets

Will anyone stop Villanova? Who is this years Cinderella team? Our writers break down the bracket for the NCAA tournament

South regional

Favorite

Virginia. The Cavaliers have been the nations best team for the last two months and play ferocious defense. But as good as theyve been and they have been very good history is not on their side. Despite several outstanding regular seasons, they never seem to have enough to make the Final Four. Will this one be different? LC

Virginia. The Cavaliers are the No1 overall seed in the tournament for good reason. Theyre 31-2, just won the ACC regular season and tournament, and boast the nations best defense allowing just 53.4 points per game. Their issue in tournaments past has been scoring enough to beat highly talented teams. Last years 39-point output in a second-round loss to Florida remains an all-time horror show of offensive basketball. DG

Virginia. Its the Cavaliers on paper, but questions abound. With an average of 59.2 possessions per game, they were the slowest of the 351 teams in Division I this year, albeit with the best defensive efficiency in the country. Will that extreme approach hold up in a regional stacked with in-form contenders like No2 Cincinnati, No4 Arizona and No5 Kentucky? BAG

Dark horse

Strange to call Kentucky a dark horse and yet John Caliparis latest group of one-and-dones spent much of the season trying to catch up to the college game. This has led many to believe they are not a true Kentucky team. But the Wildcats have won seven of their last eight, including the SEC tournament title. This could well be another Final Four Kentucky team. LC

Is it possible to call the NBA factory that is Kentucky a dark horse? Well, they do have 10 losses on the season, a grand total of two junior and zero seniors on the roster and were awarded with just a 5-seed by the tournament committee despite winning the SEC tournament. John Calipari has his latest young team peaking at the right time. DG

Loyola-Chicago, the No11 seed, fits the profile of the unheralded mid-major that inevitably crashes the Sweet 16. The Ramblers are tight on defense (24th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency), lights out from the floor (eighth nationally in effective field-goal percentage) and have a high-profile scalp under their belts (winning on Floridas home court in December). Miami and Tennessee, beware. BAG

First-round game to watch

Arizona v Buffalo. The Pac-12 champions could be walking into trouble when they meet the Bulls on Thursday night. Though the Wildcats have done a great job of ignoring the controversy surrounding coach Sean Miller and potential payments, those questions will come again at the NCAAs. Buffalo is a tenacious, experienced team that will give Arizona trouble. LC

Kentucky v Davidson. Davidson, the program that produced Steph Curry, has the potential to produce some bracket mayhem. Fresh off of leading his team to a surprising win in the Atlantic 10 tournament, senior forward Peyton Aldridge will see what he can do against the freshmen and sophomores of the Wildcats. DG

Kentucky v Davidson. Two of the nations hottest teams face off in Boise. The Wildcats may be peaking at the right time, but theyll have their hands full with the red-hot Atlantic 10 champions. BG

One bold prediction

Like many of the countrys top teams, Cincinnati has been very good defensively. But can they score? They earned a second seed with their relentless defense and yet their offensive struggles could cost them in the second round against either Nevada or Texas. LC

No1 overall seed Virginia doesnt get past the Sweet 16. Not enough offense will doom the Cavaliers again, as they are overwhelmed by the superior athleticism of Kentucky or DeAndre Ayton and Arizona in the Sweet 16. DG

Loyola-Chicago becomes the highest seed to make this years Sweet 16 as former Iowa State point guard Clayton Custer (13.4 points, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals), the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, emerges as this years Ali Faroukmanesh.

Sweet 16 picks

Virginia, Kentucky, Miami, Nevada. LC

Virginia, Cincinnati, Arizona, Miami. DG

Virginia, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Loyola-Chicago. BG

Final Four pick

Kentucky. LC

Arizona. DG

Virginia. BG

Will this be the year Virginia finally makes their Final Four breakthrough? Photograph: Jamie Rhodes/USA Today Sports

West regional

Favorite

North Carolina. The Tar Heels have been two straight national championship games and until they lose they have to be the favorites to go again. They can shoot and come into the tournament on a tremendous roll. Dont be fooled by the No2 seeding, this is the biggest name in the quarter. LC

North Carolina. The Xavier Musketeers are the No1 seed in the regional, but UNCs tournament pedigree is hard to discount. Six Final Four appearances since 2000 alone, including winning last years national title, compared to zero Final Four appearances for Xavier in its history. The experience of senior guard Joel Berry II will be huge in helping the Tar Heels get through tight, pressure-packed tournament games. DG

North Carolina. No disrespect to Xavier, who earned the first No1 seed in school history by hanging in or around the top 10 from December on. But the talent-stacked defending national champions are a No2 seed in name only. BG

Dark horse

Missouri is a tricky team to judge. The Tigers have the nations top recruit, Michael Porter Jr, back after he missed the whole regular season following back surgery. Though Porter seems a step slow, hes a great scorer and Missouri which plays excellent can bury teams from outside. LC

Missouri and its all thanks to Michael Porter Jr. The freshman was supposed to be one of the top players in the nation this year, but was injured in the first half of the Tigers season opener in early November. His first game back was last Thursday. If Porter is close to 100%, the Tigers are a dangerous 8-seed. DG

Providence. The Friars knocked off Xavier in the Big East tournament semis and pushed Villanova to the limit in Saturdays final. No one at the Garden last week would be surprised if Ed Cooleys squad played into the second weekend. BG

First-round game to watch

Houston v San Diego State. Sixth-seeded Houston has made some good teams look very bad this season. Likewise, No11 San Diego State has played some excellent defense lately. This Thursday night game could be one of the best of the first round. LC

Ohio State v South Dakota State. Some more possible 5-12 upset magic. The 12-seed Jackrabbits fittingly play an up tempo game, averaging 84.9 points per game sixth-best in the country including 23.8 points per game from junior forward Mike Daum, while the Buckeyes have scored more than 80 points just once in their past 14 games. DG

Ohio State v South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits Mike Daum is more than the tournaments best nickname (The Dauminator): he may be the best NBA prospect youve never heard of. Against a fifth-seeded Buckeyes side that looked vulnerable down the stretch, an upset could be in the stars.

One bold prediction

Gonzaga will fall early.Last year the Zags finally made a Final Four, going all the way to the title game. The same will not happen this year. Gonzaga has had their share of early exits over the years and this will be another one. LC

Gonzaga makes the Final Four again. After finally making it to the national title game last year, the Bulldogs went 30-4 this season and are on a 14-game winning streak. So they were rewarded with … a No4 seed? Watch out for a balanced Bulldogs side. DG

Xavier becomes the first No1 seed to fall. Perhaps not so bold given the lack of collective confidence around the Musketeers nationally, but an all-Catholic school clash with Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 is where their dream season will end. BG

Sweet 16 picks

North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio State, Missouri. LC

Xavier, North Carolina, Michigan, Gonzaga. DG

Xavier, North Carolina, Michigan, Gonzaga. BG

Final Four pick

North Carolina. LC

Gonzaga. DG

North Carolina. BG

Garrison Brooks and the the North Carolina Tar Heels are gunning for a second straight national title. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

East regional

Favorite

Villanova. The national champion from two years ago is as talented as any team in the country and plays together beautifully. The Wildcats coach, Jay Wright, used to be mocked as a poor NCAA tournament coach. No longer. Villanova is for real. LC

Villanova. After stumbling through the month of February and losing three of its four games on the season, the No1 seed Wildcats seem to have found their footing again, winning five games in a row and by an average of 15 points per game. Head coach Jay Wright will surely remind his players of last years disappointing second-round exit for extra motivation. DG

Villanova. Jay Wright has built something special on the Main Line. The Wildcats fourth straight 30-win season pressed forward on Saturday with a third Big East tournament championship in four years. And the committee has done them a solid by placing them in what appears to be the easiest regional after last years stinger of a draw. BG

Dark horse

West Virginia. Late in the Big 12 season, West Virginia stumbled and slipped to a five seed, but this is a dangerous team. The Mountaineers have an aggressive backcourt with experienced players who love to grind through games. Nobody likes to face teams coached by Bob Huggins in the postseason, especially the way they play defense. This one is no exception. LC

Marshall. Jon Elmore is the kind of player who can carry teams on Cinderella runs if he gets hot. The junior guard averages nearly eight three-point attempts per game and hit on 7-of-13 in the Conference USA title game. More of that in the tournament could see the 13-seed Thundering Herd make noise. DG

Florida. Last years Gators outplayed their seeding line by making the Elite Eight as a No4 before they were clipped by seventh-seeded South Carolina. The four-guard offense behind this seasons team (Jalen Hudson, Egor Koulechov, KeVaughn Allen and Chris Chiozza) should be enough to score upsets of No3 Texas Tech, No2 Purdue and maybe even the top-seeded Wildcats. BG

First-round game to watch

Florida has a six seed and plays the winner of a play-in game on Thursday but their draw is a challenging one. The Gators are a talented but live and die by the three-pointer. They will either face a resilient, senior-dominated St Bonaventure or a UCLA team that is good enough to beat anyone when shooting well. LC

West Virginia v Murray State. If youre looking for the customary 12-v-5-seed upset, heres the best option. The Racers are on a 13-game winning streak while the 5-seed Mountaineers have dropped half of their last 18 games after starting the season 15-1. DG

Wichita State v Marshall. The Shockers, typically on the friendly end of March Madness upsets, will find themselves in the Goliath role against the fast-paced Thundering Herd, who average 74.8 possessions per game, the sixth fastest pace in Division I.

One bold prediction

Purdue dominated the Big 10 for much of the season but this is not necessarily an NCAA tournament team. Dont be surprised to see Arkansas knock them off in the second round. LC

UCLA loses the 11-seed play-in game to St Bonaventure, causing LaVar Ball to rip the Bruins into the nearest microphone. OK, so maybe thats not a wildly bold prediction. DG

At least one No13 seed has beaten a No4 in 23 of the last 33 tournaments. Marshalls shock win over Wichita State in a track meet will make it 24 of 34. BG

Sweet 16 picks

Villanova, West Virginia, Arkansas, St Bonaventure. LC

Villanova, Purdue, Texas Tech, Murray State. DG

Villanova, Purdue, Texas Tech, West Virginia. BG

Final Four pick

Villanova. LC

Villanova. DG

Villanova. BG

Villanovas Jalen Brunson helped the Wildcats to a third Big East tournament championship in four years. Photograph: Danny Wild/USA Today Sports

Midwest regional

Favorite

Duke. No matter where Duke is seeded they are always the team to beat in any bracket. The Blue Devils are a second seed this year and it doesnt matter. Until Duke loses, the region will be considered theirs to lose. Star freshman Marvin Bagley III (who should be in high school still) has been tremendous as has Grayson Allen. LC

Michigan State. The Spartans went 29-4 in a Power Five conference, have Tom Izzo and all that tournament pedigree, and yet were given just a 4-seed. One of the Spartans losses this year came by seven points to Duke back in early November. Look for them to flip the outcome against the 2-seed Blue Devils in the Sweet 16. DG

Duke. If all teams are roaring at full cylinders, Ill take the Blue Devils over any team in the quarter. The likely Sweet 16 showdown with Michigan State is dripping with game of the tournament potential.

Dark horse

Rhode Island. Dan Hurley is undoubtedly coaching his final games at Kinston. He will be moving somewhere big very soon. His teams are aggressive, play great defense and make opponents do silly things when passing the ball. But can the Rams beat Duke? Rhode Island got a terrible second game draw. LC

College of Charleston. Head coach Earl Grant is being mentioned as a candidate for open Power Five jobs for good reason. In his four seasons at Charleston, he has gone from 9-24 to 17-14 to 25-10 and an NIT birth to 26-7 and a 13-seed in this years NCAA tournament. The Cougars open against a struggling Auburn team that has lost four of six. DG

Rhode Island. Rhody has a chance to make a true splash in the Big Dance for the first time since the years of Tyson Wheeler, Cuttino Mobley and Antonio Reynolds-Dean. If they can spring an second-round upset of mighty Duke, who havent proven completely unassailable in the early rounds, the sky is the limit.

First-round game to watch

Clemson v New Mexico State. Clemson can shoot and that makes the Tigers, seeded fifth, dangerous. But the 12th seed New Mexico State has a tremendous shooter of their own in Zach Lofton and the Aggies are an excellent defensive team. This game screams upset. LC

Oklahoma v Rhode Island. The 10-seed Sooners are the team most say doesnt deserve to be in the field. On Thursday afternoon, freshman scorer Trae Young (27.7 points per game) and friends will get to make their case that they belong. DG

Oklahoma v Rhode Island. Sooners freshman Trae Young became the first ever player to lead the nation in scoring and assists but hes been written off after an extended slump dating back to January. Look for him to bounce back in a big way over the next two games, giving Rhode Island (and possibly Duke) all it can handle during the first weekend. BG

One bold prediction

Kansas with their guard-heavy lineup will be knocked out by the Sweet 16, perhaps by North Carolina State, an intriguing nine seed and possible second game opponent. The Jayhawks are good and scrambled at seasons end to win their Big 12 title but they are vulnerable to tough inside teams. LC

Duke senior Grayson Allen makes is through the entire tournament without trying to hurt anyone. Hell need to behave for just three games for this prediction to come true, as Duke will fall in the Sweet 16 to Michigan State. DG

I cant quite bring myself to pick North Carolina State over Kansas in the second round, but Im sure the Wolfpack, who beat Duke and Arizona this season, will give the Jayhawks everything they can handle with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. BG

Sweet 16 picks

Duke, Michigan State, Auburn, NC State. LC

Kansas, Duke, Michigan State, College of Charleston. DG

Kansas, Duke, Michigan State, Auburn. BG

Final Four pick

Duke. LC

Michigan State. DG

Duke. BG

Dukes Grayson Allen has the Blue Devils pointed toward yet another Final Four appearance. Photograph: Mark Dolejs/USA Today Sports

Who will win it all?

Villanova over North Carolina. Why not a repeat of 2016? However, this time the Wildcats wont wait to win on a buzzer-beater. Instead, they will coast through the second half and establish a new dynasty on the Main Line and send Wright to the Hall of Fame. LC

Villanova over Gonzaga. Jay Wright has quietly strung together a five-year run at Villanova that any program in history would happily take: 159 wins, four Big East regular season titles, three conference tournament titles and a national title. Cutting down the nets again this year will give his program the national respects it deserves. DG

Villanova over Virginia. Make it two national titles in three years for Wright, whose tiny Catholic school powerhouse on Philadelphias Main Line will make the jump to dynasty status after cutting down the nets in San Antonio. BG

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us

[flauntpage]

The Outlet Pass: Trae Young is Master of the Impossible Pass

Trae Young's Passing is...

Trae Young’s notorious three-point shot has yet to come around—he takes some exceptionally difficult shots and has made fewer than 30 percent of them—but he might already be one of the best passers in the NBA, top ten in every category worth mentioning with an undeniably positive impact on teammates. Atlanta’s assist rate is 66 percent with Young on the floor and 56.8 percent—a team low—when he’s not. (That disparity equals the gap between being third and 19th in the league right now.)

As Hawks GM Travis Schlenk recently told The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears: “He got a lot of notoriety for his deep shooting in college, which is obviously great. But his court vision at his age, 19 years old, to be able to see the floor like he does, and ability to pass left hand, right hand, off the bounce, hitting the guys down the floor, that is what really stood out.”

Young doesn’t pound the ball or even have to penetrate in order to draw help and find an open man. Guys simply run the floor faster and cut into space harder, knowing he’ll hit them on the money if/when they get open. His kick aheads alone deserve to be nominated by the MacArthur Fellows Program. This brings us to a pair of his passes that, so far, are probably my two favorite of the entire season.

The first came a few days ago against Miami. Young was trapped high on the right wing and appeared to have his whole line of sight blocked, but a quick up-fake lifted Bam Adebayo off his feet and out of position. Young then pivoted middle and, using his left arm, fired a blind cannon at Omari Spellman who was standing in the weak-side corner. The ball must've traveled at least 35 feet before it arrived in Spellman's shot pocket a split second before the defense’s rotation.

Words don’t do this pass justice. It’s something only a prodigy would think of, and immediately makes you fantasize about the realms of Young’s potential that have yet to be realized. He’ll never shoot as well as Steph Curry, but he already has the same range. Mix that with an unselfishly inventive approach to commanding Atlanta’s offense and it’s not insane to think he can lead the league in assists and scoring some day—the former is a borderline guarantee.

The next pass came during a nationally televised game against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. (For the record, even before Atlanta uses the future pick Dallas gave them to move up on draft night, it appears both teams won that trade!). Young rebounds a missed three, takes two dribbles, then whips a one-handed line drive at Taurean Prince as he streaks up the left sideline. A corner three is essentially created out of thin air!

Film Session: Milwaukee’s Defense May Need to Change

The Milwaukee Bucks have a top-three defense and, whether Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the floor or not, are brick-walling opponents with a game-plan that couldn't be more different from the blitz-happy aggression encouraged by Jason Kidd over the past few seasons. Once upon a time, Milwaukee’s goal was to sew the game with chaos. They'd trap, recover, and scramble all over the court. It was compelling, controversial, and, given Milwaukee’s unprecedented length, theoretically a good fit. The Bucks forced a ton of turnovers and occasionally made Kidd look like he knew what he was doing, but they were inevitably done in by poor communication, missed rotations, and untenable execution. Pure talent and questionable shot selection aside, it was their defensive issues—Milwaukee surrendered a ton of corner threes and layups—that weighed them down.

Milwaukee isn’t playing like that anymore, which is ironic because their new head coach, Mike Budenholzer, enforced a similar strategy in Atlanta. Instead, they’ve adopted a conservative base defense—right now they rank 27th in opposing turnover percentage—that was en vogue half a decade ago but has since been swallowed whole by the three-point revolution.

The approach plays out as such: When offensive bigs run up to set ball and flair screens, Milwaukee’s defenders will drop back and stay in the paint. They want ball handlers to either meet their length at the rim or submit via a mid-range pull up. So far, so good! Only four teams are forcing more long twos; after they finished dead last in opponent shot frequency at the rim in 2017-18 and 2015-16, the Bucks currently rank first.

For the regular season, it’s a low-risk, medium-reward tactic that fits their personnel and maintains order. Switching is mostly frowned upon, which simplifies defensive rebounding (long an issue for the Bucks) and reduces the negative side effects that long rotations tend to have, which is evident when you look at how often they foul shooters relative to the past four years.

It feels unfair to attack something that’s obviously working, but this scheme can only do so much against the best offenses in the league. This is something I touched on in greater detail earlier this week in a column about Joel Embiid’s individual defense, but the same principles apply: Against the league’s most potent offenses, any plan that doesn’t account for pull-up threes is antiquated and futile. And guess what: Milwaukee is allowing a higher three-point rate above-the-break than any team in the league!

In the Bucks' season opener, the Charlotte Hornets went 16-for-38 from deep. The Kawhi Leonard-less Toronto Raptors went 9-for-45 (Kyle Lowry took nine threes and missed them all). Milwaukee's first loss came against a Boston Celtics team that jacked up 55 triples (more than ever before in franchise history) and tied a league-record by making 24 of them. The Sacramento Kings finished 14-for-36 and, in Milwaukee’s second loss, the Portland Trail Blazers drilled 17 of their 43 tries.

None of this is a coincidence. The Bucks want teams to take floaters and tough mid-range jump shots, but in doing so they’re conceding a ton of pull-up threes. Even though the Golden State Warriors don’t like running a bunch of high pick-and-rolls with Steph Curry, Fiserv Forum would spontaneously combust if they did.

Five years ago, guards and wings (and some forwards!) didn’t have the freedom to jack threes up off the bounce. During the 2013-14 NBA season, only four teams launched more than six pull-up threes per game. Today, two-thirds of the league eclipse that volume. What Milwaukee wants/needs is for the ball-handler's man to earn his money at the point of attack. Either fight over a screen and take away the shot by pressuring from behind, or duck underneath and either allow a poor shooter to shoot his shot or recover in time to take it away.

This is where Milwaukee’s length and tenacity comes into play. Khris Middleton, Giannis, Malcolm Brogdon, Eric Bledsoe, and Donte DiVincenzo are not terrible at navigating on-ball screens. But against just about anyone, it’s still extremely difficult work.

But pull ups aren’t the only threat. The league has never had more big men who can and will stab you from beyond the arc. And when their man is deep in the paint, trying to stop penetration, a kick back pass usually results in an open look.

Bledsoe has no interest in switching onto Al Horford, knowing it would let Kyrie Irving surgically remove Brook Lopez’s ankles from his body. But it’s unclear if leaving Horford wide open is a better strategy.

It makes sense to drop Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova because rim protection is good and neither guy is particularly mobile in space. But to have them do so while seemingly ignoring specific matchups is not the wisest move. Watch how the Celtics take advantage by having Horford set a flare screen for Irving. Ilyasova might as well take a nap.

And the strategy applies across the board! Why don’t Giannis and Malcolm Brogdon make life easier for everyone involved by switching this? Instead they give up an open three to a good three-point shooter.

This brings us to the future, and how Milwaukee will solve a problem that doesn’t currently exist. They may not feel this way, but adding an athletic big who’s more comfortable switching and scurrying on the perimeter—while still providing offensive substance—should be a priority before the trade deadline.

If they run into an opponent who plays Lopez off the floor, the rangier Thon Maker isn’t good enough to fill those minutes. The Bucks struggled mightily with Giannis at the five last season, too. (That doesn’t mean it can’t work—they have more two-way players this year—but assuming Budenholzer doesn’t venture too far from a formula that’s yielding terrific results throughout the regular season, how hard will it be for the Bucks to adjust after a sharp left turn in the playoffs?)

It’s a fascinating conundrum and one worth keeping an eye on as the season goes on. Milwaukee’s legitimacy as a true title contender may hinge on it.

Josh Jackson is Drowning

It feels like yesterday, right around the 2017 NBA draft, when it became clear that Josh Jackson did not want to get drafted by the Boston Celtics, a winning organization that couldn’t offer the same opportunistic environment (in terms of shots and playing time) lottery picks of his stature normally step into. He cancelled a workout that was to be held in Sacramento while Danny Ainge, Mike Zarren, and Brad Stevens were literally in the air flying to it, which probably made the decision to take Jayson Tatum that much easier.

As the saying goes: Be careful what you wish for. Jackson was instead picked by a dysfunctional organization that also has quite a bit of young talent. So much, in fact, that Phoenix’s coaching staff can’t find time for Jackson to contribute. His PER is 2.1, and his minutes are drying up.

Before the Suns even trade for a starting point guard—assuming that day comes this season—they already have so many mouths to feed at Jackson’s general position. (And that’s also before you mention Deandre Ayton, the first overall pick who needs reps and touches.) Devin Booker, Trevor Ariza, T.J. Warren, and Mikal Bridges are all better than Jackson right now. He can’t shoot from literally anywhere and has a comically abysmal turnover rate that’s a couple mistakes from becoming the league’s worst, per Cleaning The Glass.

Jackson’s trade value has never been lower, and the long-term consequences of his current struggle loom over an organization that might’ve squandered three top-five picks in the past six drafts. That’s not a great way to rebuild! If Jackson can’t be much more than Tony Allen (in an era where Tony Allen couldn’t even be Tony Allen), it’d be a significant blow.

Jaren Jackson, Jr. Wants to Make Post-Ups Great Again

It’s downright strange to watch Jaren Jackson, Jr. operate in the post and believe that he recently turned 19. The strength, stoicism, patience, determination, and technical skill has been unreal, and by letting him do work down low instead of placing him on the outside as a full-time spacer, the Memphis Grizzlies deserve credit for believing what their eyes (and early statistical returns) have told them.

The first time I watched him play in an NBA game, he sprinted up the floor, sealed 255-pound Derrick Favors just outside the restricted area, caught Marc Gasol’s entry pass, and immediately scored with a lefty jump hook.

Jackson Jr. already has a reservoir of post moves, and he executes them with admirable composure. He doesn’t get flustered or worry if his shot is contested, and can get to either hand whenever he wants. (Apologies to Favors.)

A first-class ass whooping at the hands of Golden State’s swarming defense on Monday night notwithstanding, Jackson Jr. is a migraine down low. He’s fluid, strong, and packs a delightful spin move that bigs around the league have yet to figure out. It’s a breath of fresh air watching someone that young enter the league with skills that are A) still valuable, B) inevitably unguardable one-on-one, and C) ostensibly extinct in the way he’s using them. According to Synergy Sports, Jackson ranks in the 73rd percentile on post-up possessions, and they account for 27.4 percent of his offense (the eighth-highest proportion in the league right now).

He’s still a rookie, and obviously needs to round out other areas of his game—Jackson Jr. is 1-for-14 from behind the three-point line since Memphis’s second game—but all that will eventually take care of itself. (He made 40 percent of his threes in college, was 5-for-9 in the preseason, and 14-for-28 during summer league.)

It’s just cool to see him contribute in a way that complements his veteran teammates while adding wrinkles to an offense that wants to be slow. Jackson Jr. is going to be so freaking good, and his advanced post game is a notable reason why.

The Buddy Hield Bandwagon is Ready to Roll

Buddy Hield’s hot start can be explained by absurd shooting numbers. Compared to last year, he’s up 11 percent at the rim, 10 percent from the mid-range, and 6 percent from deep (he made 43.1 percent of his threes in 2018, so, yeah, this dude currently exists as an inferno).

These numbers should come back to Earth—he's averaging 20 points, six boards, and three assists per game—but they're also a sign of his natural progression towards becoming an extremely valuable player type. Hield can shoot on the move, standing still, and pulling up in transition. He can escape-dribble his way into a cringeworthy albeit accurate long two or attack a closeout and then finish strong at the rim.

Even if Hield doesn't sustain his shooting splits (doing so would be super human), players who spend the entirety of a game racing around the court to leverage their gravity in myriad ways are a luxury. Chasing him off the ball for 32 minutes would be my idea of hell on Earth. Last year he averaged 1.95 miles per game, which was about the same as Rockets center Clint Capela. This year he’s at 2.62, trailing only three players in the entire league. Even more wild is Hield’s average speed. He’s one of the 15 fastest players in the league, but everybody who ranks higher doesn’t even cover half as many miles per game as he does.

Defense is a big issue; Hield was repeatedly obliterated by Eric Bledsoe over the weekend. But he’s still only 24 years old, with the stamina and shooting chops to potentially become a more dynamic version of J.J. Redick. This comparison is an absolute best-case scenario but also within the realm of possibility. It should make fans of the New Orleans Pelicans cry themselves to sleep, and fans of the Sacramento Kings feel great knowing their team's backcourt of the future is outscoring opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions when on the floor.

Hield isn't a star, but he doesn't need the ball to have a similar effect. That matters.

Watching Dante Exum Figure It Out is Pure Joy

One of the more fascinating contracts offered last summer was a three-year, $33 million deal awarded to Dante Exum by the Utah Jazz. I say “awarded” because the 23-year-old’s first four years in the NBA were mostly a collective dud. Facing obstacles that mostly weren’t his fault, Exum wasn’t able to write a resume that rationalized Utah’s decision.

He tore his ACL in 2015 while playing for the Australian national team, and two years later had a shoulder surgery that sidelined him for four months. When healthy enough to play, he shot miserably from deep and struggled to command Utah’s offense. Turnovers were high. Assists were low.

Exum’s defense flashed peaks that made playing him worthwhile, but the blurry end-to-end zip he displayed before his knee injury was but a flicker; much of his offensive play this season remains a concern (Exum still isn’t making threes or finishing at the rim), but there’s an aggression and confidence that weren’t there before. As the Jazz clearly believed when they offered that contract: It's not about what you've done, it's what you can do.

Just from watching him play, there are certain aspects of Exum’s game that make it impossible not to want to see how high his ceiling will be. He cuts hard, gifts soft lobs to Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, relentlessly attacks the paint like someone who’s never felt pain, and draws fouls by bringing the ball low and tempting defenders to swipe at it, a la James Harden.

Exum also has an individualistic flair that allows him to stand out in a system that sometimes makes Donovan Mitchell look like Beyonce right before she left Destiny’s Child. Take the layup seen below as a prime example. It’s awesome. Exum darts to the basket and then, with time of the essence, seamlessly pushes off the wrong foot to kiss his layup off the glass before Karl-Anthony Towns can block it.

Plays like this only yield two points, but—speaking as someone whose bank account is completely unaffected regardless—they’re graceful enough to justify the investment Utah has made in Exum, and part of the reason why their offense averages a whopping 6.3 more points per 100 possessions when he’s in the game.

TL;DR: It’s Not a Bad Time to be a Hornets fan!

Most of the attention in Charlotte should be directed towards the good (a top-five offense and the league's sixth-best point differential!) and somewhat infuriating (the league’s worst win differential...again!) aspects of their surprising start. Beyond that, something unexpectedly attractive is happening to a franchise that once felt rudderless: The Hornets have an intriguing/good young core that makes their future much less bleak than it appeared to be 20 months ago.

Charlotte looks like a playoff team. They’re disciplined, explosive, led by the best point guard in the Eastern Conference, and their new reasons to be optimistic about the future double as explanations for their current success. The Miles Bridges, Malik Monk, Tony Parker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Willy Hernangomez all-bench squad is crushing people by 22.1 points per 100 possessions (they’re +19 in 43 minutes). That’ll come down as opposing three-point shooters regress to the mean, but the group is still so watchable and quietly boasts a thrilling pair of 20-year-olds who play basketball without a seatbelt.

Bridges is experiencing natural growing pains but already looks like a positionless gem; James Borrego trusts him enough to play in crunch time and guard the opponent’s first option—as he did for a recent stretch against Russell Westbrook.

(This is kind of a random observation, but in comparing Bridges to Aaron Gordon, you can’t help but notice the benefits of falling in line on a team that already has accountability, direction, and a distinct pecking order. Bridges’s role is clear. He knows how to help and feed off his teammates. Meanwhile, in Orlando, Gordon’s “what should this dude be?” limitlessness was initially thrown against a wall just to see what would stick. Again, that was random, but something that went in my notebook last week while I was watching a Hornets game.)

Monk has been inefficient, but Tony Parker’s rejuvenated play lets him work off the ball instead of backing Kemba up at the point. Ask him to worry about others and Monk tends to overthink the game. Tell him to score and Charlotte’s offense makes a lot more sense. The most important thing about him and Bridges looking this good is the effect it’ll have on Walker’s unrestricted free agency. No matter what, locking him into a five-year max contract would not end well. But an expensive sub-max agreement that covers the next four or five seasons is much easier to swallow with Monk and Bridges providing a youthful push. With those two inevitably finding their way into Charlotte’s starting lineup, the Hornets can rebuild on the fly around their franchise point guard.

That’s easier said than done, pending how much Walker’s next contract is actually worth. Nicolas Batum’s current deal erases any path to cap space, while Bismack Biyombo, Marvin Williams, and Kidd-Gilchrist have $45 million worth of player options they’re likely to pick up. The following summer, with Walker paid (and Frank Kaminsky renounced), Cody Zeller, Bridges, Monk, and Batum’s player option are all that’s left on the books. Walker will be 31 then, but an opportunity to reshape their image around their intriguing young studs will present itself.

This Has Nothing to do With Basketball But…

Whenever a jump ball takes place during an NBA game, the world's two kinds of people reveal themselves: Those who want to hear "Jump" and/or "Pass the Courvoisier" get blasted over the PA system, and everybody else.

The Outlet Pass: Trae Young is Master of the Impossible Pass published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/