Joel Lorenzi
@jxlorenzi
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Thunder beat writer @OklahomanSports. @mujschool & @SJI_Update alum. đ§: [email protected]
chicago forever
Joined August 2012
On both the day he was hired and when he won COY, Mark Daigneault said people hired him on projection. Seeing him for who he could be, not who he was. But there was more to it than that. Why the 39-year-old Thunder coach has always found believers:.
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Jalen Williams just lit up when he realized he was on his way to talk to team reporter Nick Gallo. The team just absolutely mobbed him.
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Chetâs jumper looks different. Hand placement especially.
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Last night Isaiah Hartenstein said part of why heâs fit in so easily is OKCâs âstars play the right way.â I wondered what that actually meant to him:. âSome guys, Iâll be honest, they play selfishly. Thereâs some guys in the league that just kind of play more for themselves and.
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Shai says his argument with Cason Wallace at the end was a miscommunication. SGA wanted to foul PJ, Cason wanted to play the possession. "I apologized to Case, I felt bad. He does nothing wrong all game, and the one thing he does right, I yell at him. But we're good.".
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Jalen Williams got asked if anyone on the team is targeting the JWill and iHart return dates as the point OKC has to stay afloat until. âNot to diss your question, but thatâs kinda a loser mentality. ⌠Obviously we want our bigs back, but weâre not victims.â
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I have never, ever seen Shai act the way he did tonight. He emoted like five times.
This pic of Shai is a WHOLE MOOD đ¤Łđ. (đ¸: Joshua Gateley)
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Chet Holmgren to SGA at the end of his presser: "Aye No. 2 smile a lil bit gang, you just hit a game winner. We'll lock back in tomorrow.".
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Chet Holmgren, asked if he got to interact a lot with any HOFers or All-Stars at ASW: "Yeah, I hung out with Shai a little bit.".
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Asked Jalen Williams for a pitch for Shaiâs MVP case. âWatch the games. Itâs pretty obvious. I donât know how he didnât get it last year. ⌠trust your eyes.â. âHow many you have tonight?â he asked Shai. (35). âWatch the shit. Thatâs a bad man.â
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Shai, asked by @JimmyWatkins95 if market size still matters to stars: "I love Oklahoma City. I canât see a world where Iâm not in OKC. Market, no market. I donât care. I love where I am. ⌠I go to work everyday with a smile on my face. The money doesnât matter to a certain.
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Thunder PR ends postgame availability, says "see you guys in Oklahoma, or next year (Miami media)." . Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, walking out of the room, says "NBA Finals.".
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Mark Daigneault is asked what the biggest game is that he's coached. Daigneault: âThis one.â. Before this?. Daigneault: âThe last one.â.
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Mark Daigneault says heâs seen this clip from LeBron James and JJ Redickâs podcast. His reaction: . âAt the end of the day, all the individual stuff that anybody gets is downstream of the team. If I'm getting any individual recognition, it's because of the way that the team is.
LeBron James and JJ Redick on OKC coach Mark Daigneault:. Redick: âBro, heâs ridiculous.â. LeBron: âYeah, heâs on his sh*t.â. (@mindthegamepod).
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âChet, you got a Wing Stop sponsorship?â. âI just really enjoy my lemon peppers.â
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Chet Holmgren, asked whether his competitive edge ever sees the Vic matchup slip into his mind, sounds off: "It's obviously like human nature. But to really be uncommon and not just do whatever else does, you have to kind of fight that. Obviously that's the headline that you guys.
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Mark Daigneault: âHere's a stat: Jalen Williams and I both shot the same amount of free throws tonight. We both shot zero, and all I did was call a couple time outs, called some plays, and clapped a couple times when we scored and he was in the throat of the defense for 48.
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Chris Paul, SGA and Sam Presti chopping it up before tonightâs game.
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Chet Holmgren and his Thunder teammates posing with his No. 34 jersey
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Asked Lu Dort about the team consensus of not wanting to be punked, and why OKC might not be so loud about its toughness. âWe just play the right way. We donât really talk to other people. We don't do anything after games. We donât go on live or do stuff like that. We just.
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Asked Lu Dort about Draymond Greenâs comments on OKCâs camaraderie and postgame tradition. âIâm focused on what we doing here. I seen it. Itâs a comment like any other on TV. ⌠weâre not gonna change for nobody.â
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Chet Holmgren made the trip with the Thunder. Heâs going through some movement drills on the court as we leave todayâs shootaround.
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Chet Holmgren on the court as Thunder shootaround wraps up in Philly.
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Alex Caruso, who took credit for being flexed into two January games, tried to make sense of OKCâs national TV presence and the ripple effect. âWeâre one of the best products in the league⌠people donât even know what kind of basketball player Cason Wallace is in New York and.
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.@espn_macmahon: âyou like playing against this team, huh?â. âYeah, I like playing here,â PJ Washington says, smiling. âI went to school with Shai, so love matching up against him.â. đĽ @MikeACurtis2
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After a 10-year NBA career, veteran big man Mike Muscala plans to retire, he told The Oklahoman.
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Adam Silver calls the Thunderâs pick, Nikola Topic. Jalen Williams comes over to congratulate him.
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Super random: A group of Raptors fans that apparently travels to opposing arenas for this purpose, rented out the Paycom Center floor and is hooping with damn near an hour to play. No scoreboard, just vibes.
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Topic says Jalen Williams welcomed him before he took the stage. âThat means a lot for me because he accepted me and stood up to shake my hand. Itâs really great to have him there.â.
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Jalen Williams got asked about any league wide disapproval of OKCâs postgame group interviews (Draymond Greenâs comments):. âI donât really focus on other teams or what theyâre doing until we play them. ⌠I feel like itâs kinda weird to have a strong opinion on it.â
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Asked Alex Caruso how the Thunder tries to enforce a brand of toughness without being loud about it. âFor whatever reason, thatâs Houstonâs shtick. Theyâre tryna become the super aggressive, physical team but weâre a pretty physical and aggressive team in our own right. ⌠For
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Hartenstein on the Cason-Sengun interaction late game. âI love it. I already got his fine. Thatâs been Caso all year. Heâs probably not been talked about enough.â. Eventually says âweâre not gonna back down from nobody.â
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Asked about this comment, Mark Daigneault said âwell, usually when he works out heâs being guarded by DeVon Walker, our video coordinator, who I can assure you is not the best defender in the world. Shaiâs got a good imagination.â.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on being able to score against elite defenders like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White:. âI work out really hard. When I work out, I work out like the best defender in the world is guarding me. So in moments like these, Iâm in my comfort zone.â.
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Doc Rivers interrupts the first question of his pregame presser to mention his appreciation for the job Mike Woodson did with Indiana this year. #iubb.
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Chet Holmgren, asked how guys approached the matchup with Giddey considering their relationship and history, said âitâs a business. An extremely serious business. But you canât lose sight of the relationships that you grow with guys along the way.â
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Hartenstein said this happened because he saw Jackson swing near Shaiâs groin. âIf it wouldâve happened to any other teammate, I wouldâve done the same thing. If the refs donât call it, I have to take it into my own hands.â
I have zero clue what Andre Jackson said, but the second that play finished, Isaiah Hartenstein was pointing in his face and jawing with him. Teams eventually separated them.
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Shai on Chetâs progression: âToday he came in the locker room and said that heâs ready to go thru shootaround w us. Typical Chet Holmgren. ⌠i canât imagine the game being taken from me like that. ⌠for him to be on his way back, can only imagine how it feels. To see that smile.
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Charles Barkley just now on TNT: âWe donât show âem enough â we donât show âem at all â (but) please watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play basketball. He is amazing.â.
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Mark Daigneault on Nurkic and matchups like him: "A lot of nights we lose the rebounding battle. And as long as the benefit continues to outweigh the cost, we're going to continue to accept the trade offs. We're not going to be a perfect team. "At the end of the day, there's.
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Chet on the teamâs 6-0 start: âI donât think any team has ever hung a banner for a six-game win streak.â.
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Josh Giddey on the way teams have defended him: "I used to hate it. I used to dred coming into a game knowing a big was gonna guard me. ⌠I used to judge my game so much on whether I made 3s. Now Iâve changed my mindset going into games where itâs like, âIf heâs gonna leave me.
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Mark Daigneault says OKC needs to win the emotional gaps in between playoff games. "In the playoffs, you play Game 1, one team wins, one team loses. The team that wins, everybody's gonna start saying they're gonna win the championship. The team that loses, everybody says that.
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Jalen Williams after tonight's availability: "NBA, move the cameras off the baseline bro. I'm tired of falling over the cameras.".
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Shai dropped 45-7-8 the night after Xmas â a night plenty of people thought he shouldâve been playing. Asked him about the idea that the NBA hasnât marketed him/OKC well enough: âThatâs something we cannot control. ⌠you want something g in life, you gotta go get it.
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Jalen Williams made sure to bring the young(er) guys, Ajay Mitchell and Alex Reese, with him to postgame. Wanted to ask the last question, asked them to describe their first NBA points.
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Btw, Hartensteinâs 14 FG attempts are a career high in any setting.
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Mark Daigneault says Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren sang him happy birthday this morning. Notes Chet referred to him as "coach Mark" and Cason referred to him as just Mark. "(Cason) had to see me in my office this morning.".
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SGA on why he likes playing at MSG: âBesides Paycom, it probably is the best arena in the NBA. It has a feel to it â the kids these days say aura. ⌠thereâs a feeling in MSG. The fans are very engaged in the game. Thereâs oohs, thereâs aahs. The city loves basketball, and you.
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Tournament death by a Kalkbrenner 3 is a crazy way to go.
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Mark Daigneault after @joe_mussatto reminded him that the Thunder is undefeated against the East: âThe Milwaukee game did happen. It did exist. I was there.â.
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Josh Giddey says he has âno further comment right nowâ when asked about going viral over the past couple days.
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SGA, asked how this trend of group interviews started: âI don't know. I just felt the kids behind me, making noise. They can never behave.â.
"Let's go home!" . Even though SGA was getting interviewed, J-Dub said it best. #ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports đş | @NickAGallo
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Aaron Wiggins on the saved basketball memes: "It's a fun meme, I guess. Shoutout everybody who believes I saved basketball.".
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Asked Jalen Williams how difficult it is to not let his ongoing confusion with his whistle discourage him as a driver: . âItâs very frustrating. I also donât let that affect the rest of my game. I think I average 21 with no free throws. Itâs almost encouraging in a way.â
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Mark Daigneault, asked his thoughts on this: "I don't know . Pressure is kinda an arbitrary term that has nothing to do with being first to the screen or spacing in transition or being physical on the glass â all the things we're going to try to do tonight.".
Willie Green: âThe pressure is definitely more on (the Thunder) to close this out. But in this line of work, thereâs always pressure on both ends.â.
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Chet Holmgren will understandably get love for successfully insisting on playing 82 games a year removed from a horrible injury. But rookie Cason Wallace has played all 82, too. Those two, plus Russell Westbrook, are the only three rookies to play all 82 in OKC history.
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Chet Holmgren asked if the vibe of this team feels uncommon: âEverything about the Thunder is different from everything Iâve heard about other places in this league. From management to the rest of the staff, all the way down to the players. Everything just operates differently.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a solo spot as part of this yearâs campaign for the NBA Playoffs. A matter of days before we see what âPlayoff Shaiâ looks like.
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Jalen Williams on 33-year-old Gordon Hayward: âI donât know if we can call Kenrich unc anymore.â.
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Knew Shai was gonna try to get busy coming out of that TO when I saw this, but the behind the back jumper was not what i had in mind.
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Hartenstein says he hopes to do some of the dirty work so Chet can âchill a little bit.â.
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My rookie season covering Creighton MBB is effectively over. Humbling to be trusted to document such a storied season, especially straight out of college. All I ever wanted was a shot. To those who read, felt or connected with my words: Thank you. Love đđź
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In Phoenix. Kenrich with a cut I have never seen with my own two eyes.
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Dillon Jones on Ousmane Dieng trying to slam on Darius Bazley: âIt was dope. Small sample size, but if he tried him eight more times, I think he can catch him. Iâm glad he tried him. He need to try him again. Heâs gonna have more opportunity to try him, and iâm gonna keep hyping.
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Shai was asked what's keeping from being a complete player. He went down the list: .- decision making .- physicality defensively .- focus .- off-ball defense.- shotmaking (not sure he believes this).- deep paint decisions .-play off the catch . "I'm really self critical.".
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Mark Daigneault after Frank Vogel called out Lu Dort for a flop, which was rescinded earlier today: âI'm not going to get into the comments ⌠What I will say is, I've coached Lu for five years, and he's as high integrity of a players I've coached. Plain and simple. Plays the.
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Jalen Williams on the teamâs 6-0 start, best in franchise history: âweâll have fun on this three hour flight back home and then itâs kinda right back to it. But itâs a cool thing to write your name in history.â
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Jaylen Brown postgame: âTip our cap to OKC tonight. Tougher playing team in the second half. Also thought they benefited from the level of physicality they were able to get away with. Our offensive spacing gotta be better.â . Repeatedly mentioned those last two things.
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Isaiah Hartenstein getting some work in with Dave Bliss before tonightâs game. Obviously still OUT, but pretty promising sign that heâs getting closer to a return.
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Giddey on OKC clinching a playoff spot:. âTo think where we've come from from, 12 months ago, 24 months ago when I first got here, it's unbelievable. ⌠there's probably a lot of the basketball world (that) didn't think we'd be where we're at this quickly. ⌠I've been a part of.
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âWhyâs he so good?!â - a concerned Knicks fan near media row who just watched SGA drill another middy.
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Baylor Scheierman: âGetting to come back home, put on the Creighton uniform, represent my home state and do something thatâs never been done in Creighton basketball history ⌠Itâs just a dream come true for a little kid who grew up in Aurora, Nebraska and dreamed of being here.".
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SGA has thrown around the term âlet the game come to youâ a lot, something Daigneault says has changed in him. Asked him when he realized he needed that change. âThe end of our season last year. ⌠i donât want to say (my teammates) werenât ready, but i feel like i couldâve
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Alex Caruso said heâs been watching YouTube highlights of guys like Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort to get a feel for what they bring defensively. Asked him about the systematic differences in expectations defensively in OKC, he said âI just know that Iâm not gonna be the main focusâ
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The consensus on Year 2 Chet Holmgren: âHeâs stronger.â. âHe was relentless tonight, it feels like.â
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OKC has had serious injury misfortune, but has had a pretty fortunate schedule. Through 17 games itâs seen:. No-KD Suns .No-Paolo Magic .No-nobody Pels .No-Murray or Gordon Nuggets.No-Luka Mavs .No-Wemby Spurs .*No-Kawhi Clips x2*. And now the no-Curry Warriors tonight (knee).
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Shai on makes Mark Daigneault a great coach: âHeâs annoying. Always nagging. But the best thing about him is that no matter who you are, he has a standard. Doesnât matter if you been here five years, if youâre the best player on the team, worst player on the team. If you got here.
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Shai, asked if he ever thinks about past great Thunder teams and how this team compares: âI donât think about them at all. Theyâve done amazing things for this game, this city. Pioneers clearly. But trying to compare or draw comparisons doesnât help us. ⌠none of them are on.
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Shai on the increased conversation about the Thunderâs budding potential as contenders: âWe donât care. When we sucked, there was talk about us sucking. We got here because we didnât care.â
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Jaylin Williams gets a loud ovation as he checks in for his season debut
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Shai asked if he sees parallels in OKC's Big 3 and the original Big 3: "I think there's 3 of them and there's 3 of us. A talented group of guys but I don't really think our games compared to theirs. Those guys are three amazing basketball players and have done amazing things with.
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Some *audible* MVP chants for SGA in D.C. Maybe just as many Thunder fans as Wizards fans here tonight
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Shai, asked if he played any part in drawing Hartenstein to OKC: âI leave the front office stuff to Sam (Presti), I trust him really well. Obviously he reads minds. I didnât have to say anything.â.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Isaiah Hartenstein: "He's a dream big man for a marquee guy.".
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Some news: Iâll be joining @TheOklahoman_ later this month as the next OKC Thunder beat writer. Covering the NBA is all Iâve dreamed of since I got in this business. Iâm eternally grateful to this staff for trusting me with the opportunity at this point in my career.
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Somehow, the Thunder, which has the harmless vibes of a Disney Channel show, continues to stumble across new rivals.
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Isaiah Hartenstein getting some love from Kevin Garnett. âYâall got a chance,â Garnett told him.
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Jaylin Williams came back three games ago and is still checking in to presidential applause. This place adores him.
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Asked Shai about his pull-up 3s and why the increased volume. âAlways something you can do, youâre never gonna be a perfect basketball player.â. Why work on that stuff now? . âOh, just for fun. A couple summers ago I shot mad midranges.â
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Daigneault said he wanted to use last night's pain as an investment. I asked Shai if he hopes to weaponize/harbor that feeling: "100%. The moment I stepped off the court, it felt like, 'well, we're here.' We lost. We lost for a reason, and all you can do is learn and get better.
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