I initially named my pickup runs “Black Ops” because I wanted the workouts and open runs to be discreet. Most people who follow basketball only see the games and workout sessions on social media, but here, I’m giving you an insider breakdown of another year of Black Ops Basketball.
Preparation Award: LeBron James
Photo credit: @movingpictures
LeBron is LeBron because of his insane work ethic. This summer, if a workout was scheduled for 10 AM, LBJ would walk in early at 9:15 AM. He’d then do a workout routine that included stretching, balance, and core for about 40 minutes. Once he was done with that, he’d go back to his post workout routine—stretching, some cool down and then balance exercises. For a player going into his 20th season, his body sure doesn’t look like it but he moves on the court like he’s 31, not 37.
Early Bird Award: Jimmy Butler
Photo credit: @eco_shots
Jimmy and I travelled the world this summer. From time zone to time zone, we worked out in New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, the Hamptons, Switzerland, Paris…the list goes on. No matter where we were, we would always start our workouts at 6 AM—I’m not going to lie, but sometimes, depending on the time, I would be super tired when my alarm rang at 5 in the morning. But it was always a great feeling to be done with his first workout by 7:30 AM. In Europe, we even did double sessions. Jimmy had a great summer and I’m excited for him to show off his work this season.
Biggest Black Ops Surprise (Non-NBA Player): Ian Jackson
Over the years, I’ve had many elite high school players play in the summer Black Ops Runs: Donovan Mitchell, Obi Toppin, Cole Anthony, Adrian Griffin to name a few. But no high school player had a summer like Cardinal Hayes’ Ian Jackson. His first Black Ops Run was a learning lesson—the pace of the game was very fast for him and he struggled. However, he did come back the next day and played great and had eight threes and a series of nice dunks and passes. After that day, he was comfortable and he surprised NBA players all summer.
The Record Holder: CJ McCollum
There are a few drills each summer that I keep track of, specifically the player shooting 50 threes off the dribble or 100 threes off of the move. Well, CJ McCollum holds the record in almost all of them. He has an incredible work ethic and a very consistent jump shot. He made 92 out of 100 threes in one of the drills and also broke a few other records.
Viral Sneaker Moment: LeBron James
Photo credit: @movingpictures
LeBron came to a workout one time with a light brown box in his hand. But there was no writing on the box. It wasn’t until after he did his pre-workout stretching routine that he laced up his sneakers and revealed that they were the LeBron 20s. It was the first time anyone had seen them. Within minutes of me posting a picture of them, the photo was everywhere and the top story on every sneaker blog across the world. Definitely a special moment.
Breakout Season: Dre Hunter
Dre Hunter worked out with me for the first time this summer and he was hungry! He learned very quickly and always pushed himself. I was very impressed with his professionalism and his skill level, too, and I think this year will be a huge year for Dre.
Best 1 Day Performance in a Black Ops Run: Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown came to NYC during Fashion Week and pulled up to a Black Ops run. He dominated the run offensively and defensively, even hitting a series of game winners. He couldn’t be stopped and the entire gym saw how talented he was that day. On top of dominating the game, he had asked me to put Ian Jackson on his team so he could mentor him. He’s truly a great leader.
What People Don’t Know: Drake’s Jumpshot
Photo credit: @nextsubject
Everyone knows about Drake’s new gym at his house in Toronto but not everyone knows about how he’s improved his jumpshot. His form looked completely different from when I saw him last—he even played in a run at the Summit and hit 13 threes. The video went viral.
Most Focused: Ty Jerome
Ty Jerome’s work ethic this summer was on 1,000. He came to the gym all summer long to workout; he would jump into others players workouts to learn and he really improved. Every player that came to the gym consistently improved their games but Ty improved the most. I’m excited that he has landed on the Warriors. I think that’s a great fit for him.
Efficiency Award: Kevin Love
Kevin Love had a very productive offseason. Coming off of getting runner up for Sixth Man of the Year, he had an extra pep in his step this summer. We would shoot 100 threes after each workout and Kev would never get below 75; he’d average between 80 and 85. That is what I call efficient shooting.
Best Conditioned: Julius Randle
By the end of the offseason, Julius would come to the gym and workout for 90 minutes straight with no water break and free throws. He would ask me to push him as much as possible and most of the drills would be full court, too. He has to be one of the best conditioned athletes in all of the NBA.
Biggest Surprise in a Black Ops Run: Paolo Banchero
Photo credit: @eco_shots
Paolo came to a run after he was drafted No. 1 and people didn’t know what to expect at first. Well, when they left that day, they knew that Paolo was going to be a very special player. He scored in a number of ways: slashing to the hoop, mid post, offensive rebounds and threes. Funny part about his performance was that after the first game, I went up to him and said, “Can you please be aggressive!” He definitely listened and after a slow start, he stringed off about eight great games.
Viral Moment: Donovan Mitchell’s Dunk
Photo credit: @eco_shots
The angle of the video did not do the dunk justice, but when Donovan blew by his opponent and raised up for a two-hand dunk, he dunked it so hard that the entire backboard shifted. We had to stop the game and shift it back into center. The video went viral and the funny part was that one of the players had yelled out to Paolo Banchero, “Welcome to the NBA.” Unfortunately, Paolo was the one Donovan had blown by.
King of the Hill Award: Kevin Porter Jr.
During the course of the summer, one of my favorite things to do is have the players play 1-on-1. Kevin Porter Jr. was unstoppable in that setting and it didn’t matter if there was a three dribble limit or a single dribble limit. Kevin won every 1-on-1 matchup that summer.
Point God Award: Darius Garland and Cole Anthony
We’ve had some incredible performances by point guards this summer, but both Darius Garland and Cole Anthony played tremendously. The game looked so easy for them: not only do they make their teammates better, but they can get to anywhere they want on the court and make tough shots. Both of those guys have bright futures in the NBA.
Watch Out For: Kiyan Anthony
Picture by @nextsubject
Kiyan Anthony, who will be a sophomore at Christ the King, had one of those summers where you say, Man he got so much better! Not only did he grow about four inches this summer, but his game has really developed. He already has a handful of Division I offers and he’s nationally ranked.
