Darrell Armstrong on Luka Doncic Lighting Up Grant Williams, Analytics 'Ruining' Basketball, and Son DJ's NBA Path

Former Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Darrell Armstrong played 14 years in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, New Jersey Nets, and New Orleans. He also had the opportunity to coach for 16 years in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant coach on both Rick Carlisle's and Jason Kidd's staff.

During Armstrong's almost two decades as an assistant coach, he went to two NBA Finals, the first time in 2011 against the Miami Heat, and the second against the Boston Celtics in 2024. Unfortunately, for the Mavericks, they would fall in five games to Boston.

The former Sixth Man of the Year and former undrafted guard recently sat down with LandonBuford.com to discuss a variety of different topics, including the infamous practice where former Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic lit up former teammate Grant Williams, his son Darrell "DJ" Armstrong Jr.'s pre-draft workouts with seven teams, and Summer League with the Magic. He also spoke about Hall of Fame Coach Doc Rivers calling it a career, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, and more.

When Armstrong was inducted into the Orlando Magic's Hall of Fame, Carlisle spoke about what he meant to the franchise.

"Darrell's a legend in Orlando," coach Rick Carlisle said. "When you hear people talk about Orlando Magic players — and this is interesting because I was watching one of their games and their announcers were talking about Darrell being inducted and what he has meant to the franchise — and they were saying that there is probably no more beloved player than Darrell Armstrong, because of what he stood for as a competitor, as a winner, as a guy that was an ultimate teammate.

"So I know this will be a very special moment for him. And he's a very important guy to us, too."

The full question-and-answer interview with Darrell Armstrong can be seen below.

Q01: You were working out a player over the offseason with the Mavericks when a head coach told you flatly: no two-point shots unless it's a layup, everything else has to be a three. You said you told the kid to just start shooting from half court. How much has the analytics movement changed the way player development actually works on the floor, and do you think the game has swung too far toward the three-point shot?

No, well, I was joking about telling the kid to shoot from half court — I was just playing with that. But it was definitely different for me to hear how much analytics has changed the game — not just for coaches and organizations, but even in football. Same thing. Going for it on fourth and one in your own territory because the numbers say there's a better percentage chance you can make it. That's not how the game has been played. That's not how it's been played. The game has been played where you get the best shot you're supposed to get. I always understood what was going on, but you always tell a player, 'Hey man, you've got to shoot the best available shot, the shot you're supposed to take.' Because if you don't, you mess players up. These guys are used to playing a certain way — a guy jumps in the air ready to shoot, and all of a sudden you're telling him not to shoot it. Now it's in the back of his head, and that messes players up. It really does. This game — I was always taught it's played from the inside out, not the outside in. When players work out, where do they start? Inside. They don't just go run to threes. They build their way out from the inside as they go. So that just shows you how much analytics has messed up the game. And I'm not saying analytics are bad for the game, but when you're telling players to take only threes and no twos, that's bad for the game. One thing I know: Kawhi Leonard is not a big three-point shooter, but he's a deadly weapon from the two. Malcolm Brogdon — not a big threat from three, but he's a killer from the two. So, imagine telling guys to take threes when they're not three-point shooters. I'll never forget Andre Drummond; after he made the All-Star team and had a great year, he comes back, and he still can't shoot free throws, but what's he working on? Shooting threes. And he's making them now. He's making them now. Get your big ass in the post! But once again, that's the game.

Q02: You mentioned that same shift is showing up in football too, teams going for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 30. As someone who's watched analytics reshape basketball from the inside, what's your take on other sports borrowing that same numbers-first mentality?

I posted something with Ray Allen yesterday where he talked about the same thing with analytics. And like I said, it's not just affected the NBA — it's affected the Dallas Cowboys too, and I liked that they did it, especially when McCarthy was there as head coach — he's with Pittsburgh now. They used to go for it on third and fourth and one at their own 30, their own 40. Because guess what — analytics. That's all they talked about on the bus, and they weren't getting it. I loved it because I'm not a Cowboys fan — faking it on fourth and one, doing all this stuff. I'm sitting there like, what in the world? But that's how much analytics has taken over. Now, especially at fourth and one at the 50-yard line, that's basically a coin flip. A lot of teams used to play it safe, and some still do, but today, most teams go for it. So that's it. You can run the numbers; they say numbers don't lie, but when it comes to taking threes, those numbers lie. They tell you to take threes, and they say numbers don’t lie. As I said, analytics can be used better; it can still affect the game in a good way, but you can't tell people not to take two-point shots. That's ridiculous. That's not basketball. You're turning these guys into robots. Why are we seeing teams jacking up 45 or 50 threes a night? That's crazy. But that's our game. So, yeah, I just know what goes on, and what analytics has done to basketball, and I see what it's done to football too. Especially when teams are going for it on fourth and one in their own territory, before they've even crossed the 50-yard line. So yeah, I see it; analytics have definitely done something different to our game.

Q03:God Shammgodand Jamahl Mosley are now both with the Pelicans. What do you make of that pairing, and what can Shammgod bring to that staff?

Well, I mean, he brings knowledge of basketball. He brings knowledge from the point guard position. He's been around coaching now for over 10 years, definitely. I'm not sure exactly how many years he spent in the NBA, but definitely from college to the NBA, he's been around it. This would be his third team in the NBA: Mavs for, I'm not sure, 5, 6, 7 years, then one year with Orlando, and now he's back with Mosley in New Orleans. So, he understands. He knows the game. The great thing is, as I said, he's a point guard who got drafted into the NBA to play one of the toughest positions in the league, and he understands the game from a point guard's outlook. So, he's already a leader. When you're a point guard, you've always had to be a leader; you must get guys in the right spots, make sure everybody's set, and you must talk. That's the same thing as coaching. Now you just draw up plays, or you must be ready to execute videos, know the schemes, make sure the players know the schemes, and show them the schemes because everything's not going to be perfect. That's why you practice, practice, practice; continuing to practice should make you better every day. But there are always going to be mistakes. You just try to limit them and keep making your execution better every day. Q04:Luka Doncic is getting a fresh start in Los Angeles with the Lakers. What stands out to you about how he could fit into that franchise? Well, I mean, now it's his team, along with Austin Reaves, but it's his team. As players say, 'it's my team,' whatever it is, but it's his team. He takes the bulk of the load, especially offensively. So, it'll be interesting to see how they play. I thought they played well when LeBron was out at the beginning of the year. He and Austin Reaves were really putting up great numbers, and the team was playing well. So, let's see what they can do now, for sure, with no LeBron. They've added their own guys, and now we get to see what this team can do with the players they have, and we'll get a chance to see and watch it.

Q05:Paolo Banchero is heading into year five with the Magic. What's the biggest jump you want to see from him as he moves into a true veteran leadership role?

You've got to grow. You got to grow every day, mentally, physically. It's a lot when it comes to being a leader. You have to give up yourself sometimes. It's always easy to get on somebody else, but when people get on you for not doing what you're supposed to do, can you take it? I heard there was a lot of turmoil in the locker room with him and things like that. So for him now, it's all about growth. You've got to mature. When you want to get to that next level, the second round, the third round, the fourth round, whatever, getting into the NBA Finals, you have to give up a lot when it comes to your selfishness, when it comes to it all being about you. Because you need your teammates, you need your role players, you need guys who are going to step up. And when somebody hits you hard, they step in and say, 'Hey man, you're not going to touch him.' That shows you how much guys respect the player. But when you're not giving your team what they need, and your teammates what they need, a lot of times those things don't happen. So I just want to see them grow better. You don't want to hear stuff coming out of the locker room about turmoil and things like that, because that tells you something isn't right with the team. Other than that, he has a great game. He plays hard. And it's a continued maturity of, how can I make my other teammates better? How can I use my teammates better? And how can I get better at doing all those things? That's how you get to that next level. But he has a chance. He has the body, he has the athleticism, and you just have to see how Sweeney is going to use him. That's the thing.

Q06: What is Orlando getting in Sean Sweeney, and how can he help someone like Paolo Banchero, coming off another Finals appearance with the Spurs?

I just think, like I was saying, mentally, mental toughness. Just knowing how to give up for the team, how to play, continue to play hard. I think a lot of teams and a lot of players sometimes lack that. When Orlando needed to win that game against Boston, and Boston wasn't even playing their starters, they had their second- and third-string team in, and there was a letdown. It was crazy because they ended up losing that game to a second- and third-unit team. I think that comes down to the mental side, the toughness side. No matter who's on the floor, who's playing, you treat the game the same way. You can't have a letdown, man. Those things happen all the time when teams have a letdown because players let their guard down, and then they end up getting beat. That's what happened to Atlanta. And it's always going to start with the franchise player, which is Paolo Banchero. But at the end of the day, that's just about growth, taking it in and learning. I thought last year was a big learning step for him, and it shows the team that when you're locked in, your play affects the game. They had Detroit down three games to one, and honestly, I thought the game changer was when the Wagner kid got hurt again. That kind of pushed them back, and Detroit came back and won all three. But once again, it's just about growth, trying to find a way to win. There's more than one way to win. It's not going to be pretty all the time. It's not going to be ugly all the time. You just find a way to win, by any means necessary.

Q07:Tyrese Haliburton is set to return next season after recovering from his Achilles injury. What should fans realistically expect from him in year one back?

Well, I mean, that's a good question. That's going to go on the medical side, making sure he's not rushed back, even though it's been over a year, almost a couple of months now. He needs to get back on his feet the way he needs to, slowly coming in. That's on them. That's going to be something they really monitor throughout the summertime, probably volunteer workouts in September, and training camp. Because you want to make sure he doesn't rush into anything, and that's the first thing players want to do. They want to get back out there and just go, but it might not be meant for you to go right away. It might be meant for them to groom you, move you in slowly, and then build and work your way up. So, everything's going to come down to the medical side, how they feel with him, where his progress is right now, and where he needs to be by the time it gets to training camp.

Q08:What do you miss most about being on the bench with Jason Kidd?

I just miss the interaction of the game and talking to the players, even joking with them on the sideline, in the huddles when we're down, and we need to fight. I used to always get in the huddle. Let's go, come on, encouraging guys, pouting, and kidding around. Kidd always did his thing, talking to the guys, and coaches [Sean] Sweeney and [Jared] Dudley and all those guys. [God] Shammgod, all of us, we all had a part in it; we all did our part. And you miss that fight. I don't miss the flights; I definitely don't miss the flights. My knees were killing me; I know I was getting old. But you definitely miss that camaraderie, that battle, that fight every night. Guys talking shit. Just the playoff run we had to get to the conference finals, then the NBA Finals, and the way we did it. Just talking to guys on the sideline, Kyrie [Irving], and Luka [Doncic]. My favorite was always PJ Washington, because PJ was the same guy every time he came out of the game, and you love that. He's going to clap for you whether he's playing well or playing bad. If he didn't have a good run, he was still always the same guy, and I love that about guys who are like that. He was a role player for us, but he played his role big time. He was a superstar in his role, and he did the little things. I always remember saying the guys are going to step up and protect him. Remember when [Russell] Westbrook was cutting up, and PJ stood up for Luka. That's something special. That's why I say that's something Jason Kidd has got to get from his players and teammates, to stand up for him. Not saying they don't, because I don't watch them all the time, and every night is different. But I just know how PJ was with Luka in that series, and that stuff is fun to watch, man. I'll tell you that is fun to watch.

Q09:You've been around a lot of coaches. What's something about Pacers coach Rick Carlisle that fans and media don't get to see, that helps explain why players view him as a players' coach?

Just the way he approaches the game, you know, he's business. He's all about business, and you understand he's all about his work. But he has a funny side to himself too. He says some funny stuff, but you know what you're going to get. You've got to come in ready to play, ready to practice, and that's the fun thing about being under Rick. He's been there as a player, won a championship, and now he's won as a coach too and got back to the NBA Finals. So for me, watching from afar, I thought he was relaxed and ready, and different; even his second time around in Indiana, you could just see it in the way he was with his players. Those guys were playing hard for him. Yeah, that's what you want: you want your players to play hard for you, and those guys did. They got to Game Seven of the NBA Finals, and unfortunately, Tyrese tore his Achilles. That series, that last game, could have been strange, because Indiana came out ready to play.

Q10:Is there a former teammate of yours who you believe belongs in the Hall of Fame but hasn't gotten in yet?

I think Jet Terry belongs there. You know the sacrifice he made, going from being a starter to still coming off the bench averaging 21 points a game, especially with the Mavs. Baron Davis, I'm sorry, Baron Davis, I thought he was great. Jermaine O'Neal was great too, and hopefully he'll get in there as well.T-Mac[Tracy McGrady]'s been in there, and sad to say... I don't know. Even with Penny Hardaway, man, the way he played the game, the way he just knew how to win. Unfortunately, the injuries hurt him down the stretch. But I thought those guys were pretty good. I know there's got to be great numbers behind it, but at the end of the day, the things those guys could do, Baron, and even maybe Jamal Mashburn too- he played well. I had some great teammates, so there'll probably be a few more names. T-Mac got in. Vince [Carter]got in. Jason Kidd, as a teammate, got in. And the list goes on and on. Even maybe, I don't know how much consideration he'll get, but Richard Jefferson played well, especially in his prime with New Jersey. You just never know how it goes. Kenyon Martin, I didn't play with him. Well, I'm sorry, you did say teammates. But for me, those would be some of my ex-teammates I'd want to see get in, and I could be skipping some. But those are some of them.

Q11:Doc Rivers, who you played for, recently called it a career. What are your thoughts on his legacy?

Doc [Rivers] did a great job as a coach, man. People don't realize how tough it is, man. You got a lot of egos you must deal with, man. You got a lot of different personalities you must deal with, man, and people don't realize that. For Doc, the things he did with Orlando, he got Coach of the Year in his first year, taking over a team where we'd traded Penny Hardaway away. We brought in a guy named Ben Wallace, traded for him. At that time, nobody gave Ben a chance to be on the floor in Washington. He didn't play much because they hadChris Webber, Juwan Howard, Rasheed Wallace — they had some Bigs, and somebody had to be left out. Ben was the one left out. But when we got him, in one year, Ben [Wallace] became Big Ben. Yeah, Ben became Big Ben. I talked to Shammgod when we were coaching together, and Sham used to say, 'Me and Ben used to do that thing all the time in practice in DC, but could never get on the floor,' because the coach has got to pull that trigger and say, 'Let's go, you're in.' So, at the end of the day, Doc did a great job developing Ben too. We went 41-41 that year when we were picked to win only 10 games and missed the playoffs by one game. Doc went to Boston and won a championship. Clippers, he’s won everywhere he's been. After a while, that's why I tell people, I’ve got basically 30 years in the NBA, 16 coaching, 14 as a player; I just don't know how they do it, especially as a coach. That's a burnout, man. That stuff is a burnout. Watching film all the time. Some people love that, and I understand it, but I also don't understand it, because I don't know if you heard Chris Paulon a podcast a couple weeks ago; he talked about all the time you miss with family, things you don't get to see.

Q12:Between Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn, who did you learn more from about the business side of basketball?

Yeah, I didn't do a lot when it came to business. I did a lot when it came to charity. Especially for me, having two preemies, my goal was to get my two kids healthy and get them going the right way, but also starting a foundation for premature babies, and donating the ambulance to Florida Hospital to transport babies back and forth between different hospitals. AdventHealth has a lot of Florida hospitals now; they got a new name, I think it's AdventHealth or something. They got a new name instead of Florida Hospital, but at that time it was Florida Hospital. Then you had Arnold Palmer Hospital. So you had a lot of different hospitals down there, and that was my first thing; that was my business thing to me, doing that foundation, and then starting a child development center, having two or three child development centers down there for extra help and extra care for premature babies.

Q13:Ja Morant is getting a fresh start in Portland. What do you think that change of scenery does for him?

We'll see. You'll see. For me, I didn't think he respected the coaches last year in Memphis. He had a lot of stuff going on with that, so starting fresh, starting new... he's got Damian Lillard, someone I'm sure he's going to respect. Let's put it like that. He's going to respect him. You've got Deni Avdija... you've got Jrue Holiday, who he's going to respect because Jrue won two championships. So, at the end of the day, it's just a good start for him. Fresh start. And at the end of the day, you must stay clean; you must keep going. I heard, and I didn't know this, but his shoe is like the number one seller. That's incredible. People love him, especially the things he does on the floor. So, we'll see. Like I was saying, at the end of the day, you just want to give yourself a chance, and for him this is a new start, a new chance to continue playing basketball. Because there's no better feeling than playing this game at a high level, he does. And he's been an All-Star. So, he's got it. He just now must continue to figure it out and do it.

Q14:Who's the next player you'd like to see get their jersey retired by the Mavericks?

Jason Terry, or Josh Howard, probably one of those two. I know Josh scored a lot of points as well. Yeah, Josh, man. I don't know. Hell, he had the numbers. He's been an All-Star, and you'd like to see him get to the Hall of Fame as well. Like I said, Jet Terry too. Both of them did a lot for our team and scored a lot, so you just must wait and see. But one of those two.

Q15:Who's the next name you'd like to see inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame?

I would say that you could do T-Mac, Tracy McGrady. I'm sorry, especially Nick Anderson, being your draft pick, because he's already in the Hall of Fame. Or Penny Hardaway. I think Dwight [Howard] is one of those four; they all deserve it. And even Jameer Nelson, he could be one as well. So, I mean, they all deserve it. You just never know who it'll be or when it'll be. They said they weren't doing jersey retirements, and then all of a sudden, they're thinking the next one would probably be Nick Anderson. But you just must wait and see.

Q16:Your son D.J. Armstrong had a pre-draft workout with the Pacers. What did it mean to you to see them give him that look?

Well, I mean, he had seven of them, so it was just great to see him, you know. And most of it was funny — actually, most of it was all the old teams I played for. Dallas Mavericks: he had a great workout with them. He said he didn't shoot the ball great with Indiana, but he still had a good workout, especially defensively. He also had one with Charlotte, one with Orlando, one with Milwaukee, and one with Phoenix. I'm not sure if I got all of them, but he had the opportunity to at least be seen, because DJ is still fresh to a lot of people. He played D2 basketball, junior college, then D2, and then he got that extra year when he played at UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), and that's the first time anybody really knew who he was, what was going on. Like, "Is that Darrell Armstrong's son?" You know? And to make the NCAA tournament, even though they lost in the play-in game, but still to make the tournament, win a conference championship and a tournament championship with UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), especially over Vermont, who's always been a good team and won their division, and to be named MVP, it was just great to see. That's why I say it was a fun year last year for me to watch him. I just saw how he grew, and he kept growing and growing and kept doing big things. Looking forward to him hopefully getting into the G League, because it was a disappointment with him in Orlando. Something went crazy with his physical, so he didn't really get the chance to participate in summer league, because it was basically a tryout for him to make the team. But at the end of the day, things happen, so you just must adjust and get ready for the next challenge in his life, and that's going to be the G League draft and everything.

Q17:D.J. also signed with the Orlando Magic for their 2026 NBA Summer League roster. What does that opportunity mean for him at this stage of his career?

Yeah, like I say, he still had to make the team. At the end of the day, he didn't get a chance to get on the floor because of something going on physically. But just to see him do the things that I didn't even have a chance to do is still amazing to me, because I never got the chance to play in the NCAA tournament; I never did these draft workouts. He's done those things, and as I said, he's grown as a player and a person, and people are gonna find out who he is soon. You know they'll find out. He's still got a lot of work to do. He did the G League combine, and for him that really showed he can play on this next level. That gave him the confidence to say, you know what, I can play with the big boys, I can do the same thing I've been doing. And that's great, when you get that confidence, and you have that vision, only good things can happen.

Q18:Jalen Brunson went from being a backup point guard to a Finals MVP. What does his rise, say about patience and player development?

Well, I mean, I don't know how much player development... I always told him, when we got him, man, I used to tell him, I mean, you're a steal. That's a steal for the Mavs. I tell people I don't understand some of these scouts in the NBA, these teams. You do all this with NBA scouts and team organizations; you go in-depth with his lifestyle, what type of person he is. You should have known this dude was a winner coming out of college, because he won two out of the three championships he played in college. His junior year, the last year, he swept all the player of the year awards. I don't know how many there were- seven or eight, I don't know exactly. But here's the other thing: his dad's been an NBA player. He's been around NBA teams. He's worked out with NBA players, played one-on-one. So, I know all that stuff. You drafted him because he's a winner, right? But you're dropping guys, saying "potential." No, forget potential. I see this guy; he's won two out of three championships in the last three years. Everybody's a good coach sitting on the couch, watching that TV. But when you're in that moment, you've got to think, and it's that fast. So, you know, New York was the more mature team when it came to the playoffs, because they'd been through it with Tom Thibodeau. They'd been through it once or twice, so those players matured and learned. So, everybody wants to bash the coach, bash the players, but that shows you experience. That shows you experience.

Q19:Were you in that practice where Luka lit up Grant Williams? What exactly happened in that practice, from your point of view?

I don't really know. I just know there was some junk talking, and I knew Luka went on a rampage. I do know, and the gym was shut down after that. You must be careful who you pick with. They always say, hey, if he's quiet, leave him alone. Don't say anything to him. Because as soon as you say something to somebody and get him going, it's hard to put him out. We used to say that when you had to play against a guy like AI [Allen Iverson], 'Hey man, don't say nothing to him. He's quiet. I know you're doing a good job defensively, but don't say anything to him. Let him stay quiet.' Because when you say something to a guy who's playing good defense, that's what he needs; that's the fuel. And Luka got it that day. Somebody poured gasoline on him, and he went to work. They cranked him up. You just gotta leave people alone. Grant used to always do that, talk noise; that was his thing. He did it in the Miami and Boston series that one year. Leave people alone. He did it withJimmy Butler, and what did Jimmy do? Jimmy got going. Yeah. So sometimes you just sit there and go, 'Ooh, damn, that's nasty what he's doing.' So yeah.

Q20: Looking back at your own path — an undrafted guard who became a Sixth Man of the Year — what part of that journey do you think gets overlooked most often?

Oh, I don't know. Probably just how I got to the league. Just how I got there. The USBL United States Basketball League), because the USBL allowed me to get into NBA summer camp, and probably all the summer leagues I went through. All the summer leagues I went through, I used to have some good ones. I was with Orlando, and I think a lot of people were taking notice. Mel Daniels, the great Mel Daniels, who was scouting for the Indiana Pacers, was there, and Mel did something great. I was playing great; I was doing good, and as I said, sometimes people just get attached to you because they like you, they see how you play the game. I'll never forget that Mel grabbed me and told me to come to the back, in front of everybody, took me to the side, took me to that little corner in the aisle where everybody could see it. And Mel's like, 'I just wanted to get you over here, because if they see me grab you, they're gonna think, hey man, they're trying to get him, they're interested in him.' It just sparked stuff like that, and I just thought that was unique for a Hall of Famer to do that, and he was also trying to help me out as well. But man, that was great. I always say, how I got to the league, playing in Spain, playing in Cyprus, Greece — those days are overlooked. The minor leagues, man, those days were special. And the USBL summer league got me into the NBA. That's where I met John Gabriel, who used to be the general manager for Orlando. He saw me at Bethune-Cookman College. He came down to watch two other guys who played for Bethune, for the Daytona Beach team, who just came off an NCAA Sweet 16 run. One of the guys played against me, and I lit his ass up two nights in a row — 45 points and 30 points. Next thing you know, he'd gotten a call from John Gabriel saying they wanted to bring me into camp. That's how quickly things can change. That's how fast things can change. You just never know who's watching you. I tell a lot of kids today, you just never know who's watching you, because at the end of the day, for me, what if I wasn't playing hard? What if I was just lagging, gagging, bull-jiving around? But I was out there going hard, trying to get to where I was trying to get, and that was the NBA, just trying to get to summer camp. And it worked out.

Q21: As a coach now, what's the hardest habit to break in a young player who grew up in the AAU and analytics era of basketball?

Just trust your game. Work on what's in your game: two-pointers, three-pointers, and if you're a point guard, your dribbling and seeing the floor. Watch film with them. I used to break down my son's film, send him four or five clips the day before and the day of the game, so he could see where he needed to get better. I even had Sham put together clips of Kyrie and a couple other guys who could really drive, so my son could see what to work on. That's my biggest thing as a coach — finding ways to get guys watching their own game so we know what to work on. I remember Dante Exum on the Mavs. Shannan (Lum) and I would rebound and pass for him as Luka or Kyrie would. I noticed he looked uncomfortable in games, but he had a great shot. So, I told him, "Take your time. Nobody's rushing you off the line — get your shot together." We kept working on it, before and after shootarounds. I did the same thing with PJ and Derek Jones Jr. Once they understood nobody was rushing them, they started knocking shots down, and that makes the defense start closing out on you, which opens everything else. I tracked it; Dante went from like eight-for-ten in practice to hitting six or seven threes in a game against the Lakers.

Q22:If you could give one piece of advice to a rookie stepping into the league this season, what would it be?

Play hard and trust your instincts. Okay, play hard and trust your instincts. Sometimes in this league, you start thinking too much, and then all of a sudden you lose your aggressiveness and your hard play because you're thinking too much. Just play hard and trust what you do. Trust your workouts. That's big. Trust your shooting. You put the work in, so when you put the work in, what you're supposed to do, you're supposed to trust that it's going to transfer over to the game. A lot of guys, a lot of times, don't trust it. They don't trust their instincts. They don't trust their belief in what they did on the floor. That's a big difference when it comes to making shots. As I said, Dante Exum trusted his shot. He trusted the process, got better, and I was happy for him that he was knocking down shots. That's a reward to me, but also to Shannan [Lum], because I truly believe you imitate the game; act like you're playing the game. That's what we did with Shannon. I'd tell Shannon, just do it; she'd say, 'I'm gonna do a Luka pass, because Luka might throw this pass.' Now step over here, get your feet together, and shoot. That's just trusting your instincts, trusting your game.

Q23:Cooper Flaggis heading into year two. What's the best advice you'd give him about the jump from year one to year two in this league?

When is Kyrie coming back? That should be my question for him to ask the organization — when will Kyrie be back? Because we saw with Luka and Kyrie how that worked out. The first year with the trade wasn't enough time, but the next year when we started and went to Abu Dhabi, Spain, and all that, a connection happened. So that would be my question and my thing for Coop, because Coop can play and Kyrie can play, and they're just gonna help each other.