Tru School Of Kicks: Air Jordan 1 "Highlight Film"

The the Nike Air Jordan 1 silhouette adds yet another classic colorway to its storied history with the throwback Atlanta Hawks colors of the 80’s and 90’s. Reminiscent of Spud Webb and Dominique Wilkins these shoes are for lack of a better term “fresh”. Color way is red, black, white and Yellow. The Air Jordan 1 is a timeless shoe and almost any color you throw on it works, this is a testament to that.

If you look closely at the black part of the shoe you will notice a highlight reel print on the sneaker. Great subtle move and tribute to “The Human Highlight Film” Dominique Wilkins. Shoe is set for a September 7^th release threw Jordan Brand and is currently available on Ebay. Price set at 140$.

Kyle Korver Is The Most Overlooked Player In The NBA

When people talk about the best shooters in the game, names like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant are bound to come up. One name that rarely ever gets mentioned, however, is that of Atlanta Hawks forward Kyle Korver.

Korver has long been one of the best sharpshooters in the league, but it seems that he is never really recognized for his efforts, and I really couldn't tell you why. He holds the single season record for three-point field goal percentage with .536 in 2009-2010 with the Utah Jazz. To put that in perspective, that's a better number than what Dwyane Wade posted from the field this past season.

It's not like he was a one-hit wonder, either, as he has continued to impressive from beyond the arc; shooting nearly 46% from deep this past season. His 3-point percentage isn't the only impressive stat about him, as his True Shooting Percentage (which takes 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws into account) put him right on par with LeBron James this year, and his Effective Field Goal Percentage (which takes into account that a 3-point field goal is worth more than a 2-point field goal), put him at 5th in the entire league, and he was one of only 3 non-big men that were in the top 20.

If we continue on looking at Effective Field Goal Percentage, he is actually one of the best of all-time. He is currently at 19th on the list (#5 active player), and will likely continue to see his ranking rise as he continues his terrific shooting.

He does differ from other 3-point marksmen, in the fact that he does play a little bit of defense. He doesn't have the quickness or athleticism to hang with some of the faster players in the league, but he is capable of staying in front of his man and not being a turnstile that you see with guys like Steve Novak of the Toronto Raptors. His role in the NBA is to shoot, but the fact that he plays a some defense is just an added bonus, and one that makes him even more valuable to the Hawks.

Another added facet of Korver's game that goes overlooked is his ability to rebound. This past season in Atlanta, he averaged 4 rebounds per game, which put him equal to Jimmy Butler. He's 6'7, but doesn't really have the leaping ability to pull down rebounds that many others can. He still finds a way to help out his team on the glass, though, and just has a great nose for the ball on the boards.

On top of all of these on-court accomplishments, he's also one of the best guys in the league off of the court. If you are a fan of him on Facebook, you see that he is constantly building ramps for those that are handicapped and can't use stairs, and he is always supporting charities in various ways.

It's great to see an athlete that uses his status to promote good in the world, and Korver is clearly someone who does.

His contributions on and off of the court should make him one of the more recognizable players in the league, and hopefully everyone begins to look at Kyle Korver in the same light that I do.

Thanks to Brendan Taylor and everyone at Tru School Sports for the opportunity to write for them again. You can head over to my site, theleaguenews.com, where you can see all kinds of NBA content and analysis, as well as Brendan's article for us!

Thanks for reading.

Atlanta Hawks Have A Steal In Dennis Schroeder

Over the last 10+ days I've been watching a lot of NBA summer league and have seen many of the leagues new fresh young talent. Few of them though have caught my eye as much as the 17^th overall in this years NBA draft Dennis Schroeder. The young German Point guard has displayed tremendous poise and at 19 years old already knows how to run an offense. His priority is defense first and when he is defending whoever he uses that 6'7 wingspan and doesn’t give his opponents that much space to get comfortable. With Jeff Teague potentially going to the Milwaukee Bucks it is possible that the 19 year old out of Germany might be the starting point guard for the Atlanta Hawks. If you aren't familiar with the German born point guard then let me get you familiar with him before the word gets out.

Schroeder played 2 years of pro basketball in Germany and also had some stints with the German U-18 and U-20. He caught the attention of many scouts at the annual Nike hoop summit held in Portland where the best high school talent in the world competes against each other. In a sea of top tier talent like Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker,Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon Schroeder managed to shine among them with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 112-98 win for the World team over the USA.

I kept hearing good things about him among basketball fans I follow on Twitter so when I finally had the chance to watch him play I liked what I saw from immediately. Patience, poise and Intensity are a few words I would use to describe his game. All game long against the Kings he was matched up with Ray Mcallum and made his life a living hell giving very little room to maneuver. He gets low in that stance and uses all 6'7 of his wingspan to get his hands on the ball and force the opponent to make a bad decision with the ball. On offense he plays with a tremendous amount of patience for some one his age. In the pick&roll he makes quick decisions and takes what the defense gives him. If they go under the screen he shots the jumper or if they pack the paint then he just swings the ball and gets his team into the offensive set immediately.

I think the Hawks got a steal at #17 with Dennis Schroeder any young point guard who can run an offense patiently and makes defense his top priority makes any team better. Might be one of the top value picks in the 2013 Draft. If you are unfamiliar with Schroeder and his game check out the video below.

Playoff Time 2013: Roy Hibbert

The NBA is a guard driven league these days but that doesn't mean in any way, shape or form that big men don't play a vital role in a team's playoff success. Although Roy Hibbert is a solid player it is inexcusable for him to not be the dominant force the Pacer pay him to be down low. Roy has all the talent in the world but needs to start asserting his dominance down low on a more consistent basis, what better time to start then the NBA Playoffs.

The Indiana Pacers had a great season and come into the playoffs as the #3 seed so you can't argue with success but Roy has to be more consistent. Averaging 11 points and 9 Rebounds is decent but not what Indiana needs from him down low if they are going beat the Miami Heat and win a championship. Roy needs to be averaging 20-10 or 18-9 the playoffs are all about rising to the occasion and taking your game to the next level I and every other basketball fan need to see that from him.

As the Pacers enter the playoffs they will start the 1st round Matched up against the Atlanta Hawks. The Pacers are expected to win and the Hawks Frontcourt of Al Horford and Josh Smith will be a nice test for Hibbert. We All know the Pacers are better when Roy Hibbert is playing a high level of basketball. It makes Paul George Better  which means that the Pacers become an even tougher match up.

Roy Hibbert has all the tools but will he finally begin to put all the pieces together to help lead the Indiana Pacers deep into the playoffs? That's on Roy's shoulders.

The NBA Playoffs begin April 21st for the Pacers when they take on Josh Smith and the Atlanta Hawks.

Playoff Time 2013: Josh Smith

The Atlanta Hawks franchise seems to be close to turning the page in regards to Josh Smith But there is still business to take care of in the Playoffs. The whole season people asked the question "What will the Hawks do with Josh Smith". Smith thinks he is a max contract player in terms of money the Hawks think otherwise. They decided to not Trade him at the deadline and keep him for the remainder of the year. Hawks deserves some credit though he didn't cry about not getting traded, shut his mouth and played out the rest of the season hard which is rare among NBA players these days.

Smith had a solid season averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds a game leading the Hawks to the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. He has been this year what he has his whole career and that a guy who can do a lot of things well. If the Hawks are to avoid yet another 1st round exit Smith will have to play Smart efficient basketball which is something he has struggled to do consistently his whole career.

The Hawks 1st round opponent is the Indiana Pacers who many think can get to the Eastern Conference Finals and are the Miami Heat's biggest threat to reaching the NBA Finals. Smith will have to play superb defense and make sure that he spends most of his time on offense down low on the block for the Hawks to even have any remote shot of winning this series.

As the end of the Josh Smith era seems to be ending in Atlanta can he give the highlight factory one more thing to cheer about with an upset over the Indiana Pacers?

The Playoffs being April 20th as Josh Smith and the Atlanta Hawks take on Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers.