Co-founder @HotHandTheory + co-host @LockedOnKnicks | A behavioral scientist breaking down hoops from an analytical lens 👨🏾🔬 🏀
New York, NY
Joined September 2019
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🔥HHT Video Essay🔥
There hasn’t been a defending NBA champion since the 2018.
We believe the Knicks chances are being slept on because the NBA is moving in a direction that plays right into their hands.
Check out why: youtu.be/jxGJdlBk2KY?is=GleA…
XJ retweeted
Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin are sharing the court for the first time in their careers midway through the fourth quarter.
That duo has drained five combined threes in the last few minutes to get the Nets back in this game.
XJ retweeted
Obviously it's only been two games (and Paolo's injury won't help analysis/development), but Jalen Suggs is 2nd on Orlando in time of possession and dribbles per touch while being near the bottom in points per touch.
Suggs needs to support Paolo/Franz/Bane, not create for them.
XJ retweeted
Joe Mazzulla says the Celtics analytics staff studied situations where teams led by at least 20 over the last decade.
He says that when you’re up by 20 in today’s game, not only is growing that to 30 not a realistic expectation, but due to variance, you’re really up by 15.
It will most likely shrink to 6 or 7. It comes down to how you then handle that situation.
XJ retweeted
LaMelo discourse is so weird because the eye test says he’s awesome, the advanced numbers say he’s awesome, but he’s a little silly so a bunch of people think he actually isn’t good
XJ retweeted
Amen Thompson meets Victor Wembanyama at the rim and calls GAME
Not sure who is more amped up between Amen, Kevin Harlan or Kevin Durant
XJ retweeted
Miami took 13 more FGAs than Detroit tonight (all 3s) and 8 more FTs.
That means Miami had 47 more potential points than Detroit.... and somehow lost by 17 😐
Knicks should be at the head of the line on Sober imo. Deuce & Dadiet + whatever asset exchange works (in theory).
League executives are watching whether the Thunder pick up options on Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber for next season by the Nov. 2 deadline, per @WindhorstESPN
“Both players are set to earn a combined $12 million next season, and that will cost Oklahoma City more than $60 million in added tax.”
(espn.com/nba/story/_/id/5024…)
XJ retweeted
If I was a Cavs fan I would think about the beautiful basketball they played in 2025 and how they punted that for an older, less impactful, worse-fitting player every single day. It would legit haunt me watching them look so different stylistically to optimize Harden.
LaMelo, if you THAT GUY fr, you'll do it again tonight and dare the refs to call it 🤣
Draymond Green says him & Steph don’t believe LaMelo Ball traveled:
“Steph Curry was saying like ‘Yo, by rule this ain’t a travel’ & I must say I agree with Steph Curry…”
(via @DraymondShow)
Omg we went from the possibility of trading Kolek so they could sign "Bruce Brown" to instead getting a 3rd player who has shot 37% from 3 on 451 attempts so far on a 2-way??
Knicks are cooking 😂
Crazy: I got an official email from the league office this morning stating the LaMelo play was NOT a travel!!
I just had to click the link to see the official ruling.
Turns out it was a phishing email from James Dolan and now I have to do a cybersecurity training 😭😭
Insanely frustrating for ALL 3 NBA broadcasters for an ESPN game to not know the rules.
As long as the ball isn't gathered (the ball hasn't come to rest while controlling it) there's no limit on the number of steps between dribbles/before the gather.
"Looking sketchy" ≠ travel
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The official NBA refs account said this was not a legal move
x.com/officialnbaref…
XJ retweeted
I don’t know if the Blazers are going to be an elite team, but they’re going to be an elite watch every night.
This is cinema 😭
"It requires another level of effort to get all the way out there to 28ft and make an electrifying athletic guy put the ball on the floor and make another play."
Spo reflecting on the strategic value of difficult shots from a player who everyone knows is capable of making them🔥
Coach Spo on giving up open 3s to Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball last night:
“Look, you’re not gonna face many teams that have two guys who can shoot that volume of shots off the dribble and get that hot. It requires another level of effort to get all the way out there to 28ft and make an electrifying athletic guy put the ball on the floor and make another play. We did not do that. We paid the price for it”
XJ retweeted
Paolo Banchero had 35 points on 12 FGA last night...
Picked his spots so much better than usual. Very decisive. Got to the line. Very willing passing. Hit the offensive glass. Only 1 (!) midrange pull-up attempt. This is his path to high impact stardom.
MDW has weighed in and I officially CONCEDE on my non-travel stance 😂
That said, I maintain that similar hand positioning is frequently allowed as part of a live dribble and the rules around traveling are poorly understood.
But this one technically IS a travel, I was wrong!
SOUND ON!!! But I thought no one would ever use/try any of my concepts in game?! That’s what y’all said right? This is the very beginning of the evolution of basketball. I tried to tell y’all what was coming some years ago but yall didn’t wanna hear it… Did Melo execute this concept properly though? 😅