UConn had a perfectly calm reaction to Dan Hurley turning down the Lakers' massive offer
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Bryan Kalbrosky.
It was no secret the Lakers wanted to hire UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley. But the two-time collegiate national champion is staying put.
After winning March Madness in back-to-back seasons, Hurley is going to try for a three-peat. He would become the first men's basketball coach who accomplished as much since John Wooden did as much for UCLA.
Hurley was an enticing but risky candidate for Los Angeles and now, the Lakers will go back to the drawing board as they look to replace Darvin Ham (now an assistant coach on the Bucks). Most likely, JJ Redick will once again emerge as the favorite.
Meanwhile, despite a few days of drama, the Huskies are back to business as usual in Connecticut. After some brief chaos and frenzy, Hurley met with his team on Monday and informed them that he is not leaving.
UConn Men's Basketball account had the most casual reaction to the developing story, tweeting that their 2:00 p.m. practice had begun.
It was a perfectly nonchalant way of describing what happened, which is that nothing has changed but the day on the calendar.
Hurley was reportedly offered $70 million to leave the NCAA but he gets to defend his championships instead. It is easy to imagine that all of the players on the roster felt pretty fired up after the announcement and that the practice had tremendous vibes.
Jayson Tatum's playmaking is elite
There is plenty of discourse about who deserves to win NBA Finals MVP and who is better between Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
But the reality is that for the Celtics to reach the top of the mountain and win a championship, they need everyone playing their best basketball. While they all have different skill sets, for Tatum, that means unlocking his playmaking as a connective wing as often as possible.
Tatum knows this, too, and he has already suggested as much. Here is some research on Boston's playoff success when Tatum steps up as a passer:
One reason why Tatum has gotten so much out of his passing is because he has so many great teammates, like Holiday, who are able to hit their shots. But what exactly does this mean for Boston moving forward?
During his career, the Celtics are 14-4 (.777) in the playoffs when Tatum has notched at least eight assists. They are 25-11 (.694) during postseason games in which he has recorded six or more dimes.
Compare that to how Boston has played when Tatum has had a hot scoring night in the postseason. When he has scored at least 24 points, the Celtics are 37-21 (.637) during his career.
However, his team is actually closer to the middle of the pack at 41-33 (.554) when Tatum has finished with five or fewer assists in the playoffs. They have had similar success, going 29-23 (.557) in which Tatum has had less than 24 points in the playoffs.
If he keeps passing this well, the NBA Finals may be over already.
Shootaround
— Hoops fans ripped ABC and ESPN for their lackluster NBA Finals coverage