John Schuhmann
LightNews LightNews
banner
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
John Schuhmann
@johnschuhmann.bsky.social
21K followers 270 following 1K posts
Senior writer for NBA.com, proud Hokie, father of #LeaguePassAlert and Son of Dad.
Posts Replies Media Videos
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Derrick White probably leads the league in blind-side steal attempts.
November 12, 2025 at 3:26 AM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
We need an All-Star horse competition featuring Luka.
November 11, 2025 at 2:23 AM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
#NBA Power Rankings, Week 4!

Featuring the usual notes & numbers...

www.nba.com/news/power-r...
With a six-game winning streak, the Pistons are all alone in first place in the Eastern Conference. And with wins over Memphis and Utah last week, they’re 4-0 against the West. Three takeaways Interior defense continues to be the Pistons’ calling card, with their opponents having shot just 49.8% in the paint. Only the Thunder have a lower opponent mark in the paint, and Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart rank third and fourth in rim protection among 53 players who’ve defended at least 35 shots at the rim. Stewart was lost to an ankle injury in Brooklyn on Friday, but the Pistons still held the Sixers to just 50% in the paint two nights later. Tobias Harris and Jaden Ivey remain out, and Duncan Robinson fouled out in that comeback win in Philadelphia. So the Pistons had Javonte Green and Ron Holland on the floor down the stretch, though it was still Cade Cunningham making the biggest plays. The Pistons are 5-1 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes, with top-five marks in both clutch offense (64 points scored on 48 possessions) and clutch defense (40 allowed on 46). The Pistons have trailed after the first period in eight of their 10 games, but lead the league with five wins (they’re 5-2) after trailing by double-digits. They rank 23rd defensively (having allowed 121.1 points per 100 possessions) in the first quarter, but have allowed just 105.5 per 100 thereafter. Coming up: Having played four of their last five games on the road, the Pistons are home for the next four. Wednesday brings a big game against the Bulls, who beat Detroit in a fast-paced affair on opening night.
November 10, 2025 at 9:19 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
I never post stuff from Twitter, but this is too good.
Tweet from Southeastern Louisiana women’s basketball… BUZZER-BEATER ALERT!🔥 Freshman Mari Dangerfield drains in a 3 at the end of the 4th quarter! What a finish for the Lady Lions⚡️ LSU 115, SLU 26
November 7, 2025 at 3:09 AM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
The Bucks got clobbered last night, but I think I'm going to remember Giannis scoring at the rim while being surrounded by 4 defenders for a long time...
November 5, 2025 at 3:57 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
#NBA Power Rankings, Week 3!

Featuring the usual notes & numbers...

www.nba.com/news/power-r...
The Wolves lost their first two (full) games without Anthony Edwards (hamstring strain), getting beaten by Austin Reaves at the buzzer on Wednesday. But they won in Charlotte thanks to 30 points from Julius Randle over the weekend. Three takeaways Mike Conley has replaced Edwards in the starting lineup, led the Wolves in time of possession, and registered an assist-turnover ratio of 16/3 over the three games without their star. The Conley lineup has outscored opponents by 15 points (14.2 per 100 possessions) in its 53 total minutes. The difference between the Wolves’ wins (107.9 points allowed per 100 possessions) and losses (126.2 allowed per 100) has been defense. As is often the case with a Rudy-Gobert-anchored team, it’s about how the opponents shoot on 2-pointers outside the restricted area. In the three losses and including Reaves’ game-winner, the Lakers (x2) and Nuggets have shot 57-for-92 (62%) on those non-restricted-area 2s. Randle is off to an efficient start to the season, ranking third in true shooting percentage (68.7%) among 44 players with a usage rate of at least 25%. He’s 16-for-34 (47%) from 3-point range, while also registering career-best marks in the paint (63.5%) and at the line (82.5%). Coming up: Randle scored just eight points in his return to Madison Square Garden last season, but the Wolves won by 17. They’ll finish a three-game trip there on Wednesday before making their way West, with a brief stop at home for their NBA Emirates Cup opener.
November 3, 2025 at 8:46 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
In related news, the Nets have the league's worst defense by a huge margin.
Table showing the 5 teams that have allowed the most points per 100 possessions... Brooklyn: 131.2 Phoenix: 123.7 Philadelphia: 119.9 Minnesota: 119.8 New Orleans: 119.0
October 28, 2025 at 3:11 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Isaiah Stewart & Jalen Duren played a total of 8 minutes together last season.

Here we have Duren running pick-and-roll, leading to a Stewart catch-and-shoot 3...
October 27, 2025 at 11:39 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
#NBA Power Rankings, Week 2!

Featuring the usual notes & numbers...

www.nba.com/news/power-r...
The Rockets played the champs even for 58 minutes on opening night, but they’re 0-2, having lost another nail-biter to the Pistons on Friday. Three takeaways The Rockets scored just 34 points on 39 clutch offensive possessions (87 per 100) over the two losses. Kevin Durant shot 3-for-4 with the score within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or OT, but missed a critical free throw with less than 10 seconds left in the fourth on Tuesday and ranks just fourth on the team in clutch usage rate. It didn’t take long for viewers to realize why Reed Sheppard didn’t play last season. And the second-year guard hasn’t provided enough on offense – 6-for-22 shooting, with as many turnovers (5) as assists – to make up for his defensive deficiencies. Having lost their two games by a total of five points, the Rockets are minus-13 (minus-20.6 per 100) in Sheppard’s 48 minutes. Not surprisingly, the Rockets lead the league in offensive rebounding percentage (41.6%). Alperen Sengun has played 58 (67%) of his 87 minutes alongside either Steven Adams or Clint Capela. Coming up: The Rockets are one of three teams with a league-low seven rest-advantage games this season, but the first two of the seven (vs. Brooklyn, at Boston) are this week. Ime Udoka got his first win against his previous team on Amen Thompson’s game-winning runner in January.
October 27, 2025 at 7:31 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Draymond Green picked up another technical foul last night & Noah Eagle immediately told us how many that was for his career.

He was prepared!
October 22, 2025 at 4:47 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
October 22, 2025 at 1:00 AM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Why yes, the Thunder are getting better shots.

www.nba.com/inside-the-g...
October 22, 2025 at 12:54 AM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
NBA.com Power Rankings, Week 1!

Featuring the usual notes & numbers, including some on how teams/players were playing differently in the preseason.

www.nba.com/news/power-r...
It’s Year 3 for Victor Wembanyama, the first in which the Spurs (holding a six-year playoff drought) have expectations of being competitive in the Western Conference. It will likely begin without De’Aaron Fox, who played just five games with Wembanyama last season and missed all of the preseason with a right hamstring injury. Preseason takeaways Wembanyama played bigger and stronger, taking 31 (70%) of his 44 shots in the paint (up from a disturbingly low 37% last season), rolling more to the rim and sometimes bullying opposing bigs under the basket. His free throw rate (57 attempts per 100 shots from the field) was also more than double his rate from last season (22 per 100). Even if you take away their win over the Guangzhou Loong-Lions, the Spurs would have ranked as the most improved rebounding team in the preseason, having grabbed 54.7% of available rebounds over their four games against NBA opponents. Wembanyama grabbed 22.4% of available boards while he was on the floor over those four games, up from just 15.9% last season. Something to watch in Week 1: Double-bigs. The Spurs played 24 preseason minutes with Wembanyama and Luke Kornet on the floor together, somehow grabbing 64% of available offensive rebounds and scoring 83 points on 52 possessions (160 per 100) in those minutes. One of their other options at the four (Jeremy Sochan) is out to start the season and Harrison Barnes shot just 5-for-25 in the preseason, so the double-big look may be the way to go in critical moments. The Spurs will play their first six games against teams that had losing records last season, though their opening-night game in Dallas is a great matchup of teams looking to return to the playoffs (and missing their point guards).
October 20, 2025 at 3:03 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Most points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks per 36 minutes in the preseason among the 340 players who played at least 50 preseason minutes.
Table showing the players with the most points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks per 36 minutes in the preseason. Cade Cunningham - 59.2 Victor Wembanyama - 57.9 Luka Dončić - 54.5 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - 51.1 Derrick White - 49.5 Zion Williamson - 49.1 Marvin Bagley III - 49.0 Nikola Jokić - 48.4 Alperen Sengun - 47.8 Kel'el Ware - 47.7
October 19, 2025 at 3:45 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
To be fair, tonight was his first preseason game, & I know that the Raptors are trying to be super aggressive defensively...

But I'm not sure that Jakob Poeltl playing up at the level of the screen is a good idea. Gonna get torched pretty often.
October 16, 2025 at 2:08 AM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Incredible block from Jarrett Allen on Ausar Thompson.
October 14, 2025 at 11:21 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
By waiving Timme & Whitehead, the Nets drop to last in continuity...
Chart showing the % of 2024-25 regular season minutes each team has under contract for 2025-26. Oklahoma City - 95% Minnesota - 87% New York - 84% Chicago - 84% Indiana - 83% Toronto - 80% Golden State - 78% Cleveland - 74% San Antonio - 73% Portland - 72% Sacramento - 71% Denver - 70% Orlando - 69% Memphis - 69% Miami - 68% Dallas - 68% Milwaukee - 67% LA Clippers - 67% Houston - 66% L.A. Lakers - 66% Detroit - 66% Boston - 66% Washington - 65% Atlanta - 64% Utah - 63% Philadelphia - 59% Charlotte - 53% Phoenix - 50% New Orleans - 50% Brooklyn - 49%
October 13, 2025 at 9:07 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Quick predictions (sure to be wrong) about where teams will rank offensively & defensively this season. May update after preseason.
Table showing each NBA team, predicting where they'll rank on offense & defense in 2025-26. 1 = top 5 2 = 6-10 3 = 11-15 4 = 16-20 5 = 21-25 6 = 26-30 Atlanta Hawks - 1 - 4 Boston Celtics - 5 - 5 Brooklyn Nets - 6 - 6 Charlotte Hornets - 5 - 5 Chicago Bulls - 6 - 5 Cleveland Cavaliers - 1 - 2 Dallas Mavericks - 4 - 1 Denver Nuggets - 1 - 4 Detroit Pistons - 3 - 2 Golden State Warriors - 3 - 2 Houston Rockets - 2 - 1 Indiana Pacers - 4 - 4 LA Clippers - 2 - 1 Los Angeles Lakers - 2 - 5 Memphis Grizzlies - 3 - 3 Miami Heat - 4 - 3 Milwaukee Bucks - 3 - 3 Minnesota Timberwolves - 2 - 2 New Orleans Pelicans - 5 - 5 New York Knicks - 1 - 3 Oklahoma City Thunder - 1 - 1 Orlando Magic - 4 - 1 Philadelphia 76ers - 2 - 4 Phoenix Suns - 5 - 6 Portland Trail Blazers - 6 - 3 Sacramento Kings - 4 - 6 San Antonio Spurs - 3 - 2 Toronto Raptors - 5 - 4 Utah Jazz - 6 - 6 Washington Wizards - 6 - 6
October 1, 2025 at 5:56 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
We’re back! #Hokies
Virginia Tech 36, Wofford 6
September 20, 2025 at 7:13 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Not much action in the last few weeks, but here's where teams stand in regard to continuity from last season...
Stacked bar chart showing the percentage of each team's 2024-25 regular-season minutes that are under contract, the percentage that came from players that are still free agents, and the percentage that came from players that are gone. The Thunder are at the top, set to return players that played 95% of their minutes last season. Next is Minnesota (87%), Indiana (83%), New York (80%) and Toronto (79%). At the bottom are New Orleans (50%), Phoenix (50%) and Philadelphia (54%). New York has the highest percentage from free agents (Achiuwa, Payne, etc.) at 17%
September 2, 2025 at 2:16 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
#NBA Power Rankings from the last two weeks...

East: www.nba.com/news/offseas...

West: www.nba.com/news/offseas...
Three numbers to know … The Grizzlies had the league’s biggest differential between their record against the 16 teams that finished at or below .500 (36-9, .800) and their record vs. the 14 teams that finished over .500 (12-25, .324). They averaged 32.8 transition points per game, the most for any team in 21 years of Synergy tracking. They also led the league in the percentage of their possessions (69%) where the ball touched the paint, according to Second Spectrum tracking. Their starting lineup — Ja Morant, Bane, Jaylen Wells, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey — outscored opponents by 26.4 points per 100 possessions in 222 total minutes. That was the second-best mark for a lineup that played at least 200 minutes in the 18 seasons for which we have lineup data. Key question: Was it really that bad? On March 16 (and with just 14 games left in the regular season), the Grizzlies were tied for second place in the West at 43-25, holding the league’s fourth-best point differential (plus-5.9 per 100 possessions). And somehow, things went so bad in the next six weeks that they fired their young coach and traded one of their three best players. Bane just turned 27, and this is one of only five teams that have won 48 games or more in (at least) three of the last four seasons. Did they take a step backward? Or can they make up for Bane’s departure with depth and the continued development of a group that’s mostly younger than him? The Grizzlies did outscore opponents by 11.9 points per 100 possessions in 372 total minutes (regular season, SoFi Play-In and playoffs combined) with Morant and Jackson Jr. on the floor without Bane last season. The defense has been consistently good and last year was the best offensive season (3.5 points per 100 possessions better than the league average) in franchise history.
August 7, 2025 at 5:25 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Best rim protection marks in the 12 years of tracking data...

www.nba.com/stats/player...
Table showing the 5 best rim-protection marks in the last 12 seasons. At the top of the list is Chet Holmgren in 2024-25, with opponents having shot 88-for-200 (44.0%) at the rim when he was there to protect it.
July 31, 2025 at 9:07 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
ICYMI earlier this week - #NBA Eastern Conference Power Rankings, with plenty of notes & numbers.

(& yes, I could be very wrong about the Celtics.)

Western Conference coming on Monday.

www.nba.com/news/offseas...
The Magic have ranked in the bottom 10 offensively in each of the last 13 seasons. That’s the second-longest streak for any team in the bottom 10 on either end of the floor in the 48 years in which turnovers have been counted, trailing only the Wizards’ 16 straight seasons as a bottom-10 offense from 1979-80 through 1994-95. Last season’s Magic were the worst offensive team to make the playoffs in the 29 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. Their 17 games of shooting less than 25% from 3-point range were three more than any other team has had in the last eight seasons. They also shot below 25% from beyond the arc in two of their five playoff games. The Magic are the only team that’s ranked in the top three defensively in each of the last two seasons. They had the league’s second-ranked defense last season despite ranking last in opponent free-throw rate (28.7 attempts per 100 shots from the field). Key question: Can Franz Wagner fix his shot? Bane is a terrific addition, and not just because he’s shot 41% from 3-point range over his five-year career. He’s also seen an increase in playmaking duties over the last few seasons, and can take some of the offensive burden off the shoulders of Wagner and Paolo Banchero. The Magic were the only team that had two players with a usage rate of 30% or higher last season. Additionally, Banchero also ranked second in isolations per 100 possessions, per Second Spectrum tracking. Even if he’s creating more catch-and-shoot opportunities for Wagner, Bane can’t fix Wagner’s shot. Since the 2024 All-Star break (and including postseason), Wagner has shot a brutal 137-for-520 (26.3%) on 3-pointers. Last season, he wasn’t any better off the catch (58-for-198, 29.3%) than he was off the dribble (44-for-151, 29.1%). If Wagner can get back to around 34% (not even league average) from deep, the Magic can finally climb out of the bottom 10 on offense and be a real threat to the best teams in the league.
July 31, 2025 at 2:12 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
#NBA teams' 2024-25 records when they shot the league average or better from 3-point range vs. when they didn't.

Clippers at the top of the list, even though they ranked 25th in 3-point rate (3PA/FGA).
Table showing each team's record when they shot 36% or better from 3-point range and their record when they didn't. Top of the list... Clippers: 39-6 vs. 11-26 Orlando: 20-5 vs. 21-36 Detroit: 28-9 vs. 16-29 Bottom of the list... Lakers: 27-14 vs. 23-18 Thunder: 42-5 vs. 26-9 Suns: 24-23 vs. 12-23
July 30, 2025 at 8:47 PM
johnschuhmann.bsky.social
Amanda just wasn't herself today.

Me: 🎵 This was not Anisimova. 🎵
Cover image of LeVert "best of" album.
July 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM