NBA Sophomore Class: Real Deal, Nice Steal, or Bust?

Sitting just under a month into the NBA regular season, there have been plenty of surprises. As we all know, a season truly begins in the off-season and every pundit thinks they know a sure thing when they’re sending in the draft call in June. The 2017 draft class was no different. Remember Markelle Fultz being the clear cut number one player in the draft, or how Donovan Mitchell slipping into the tail end of the lottery was completely normal? Let’s take a look into which sophomores have been able to show their potential stardom was well warranted, which players shook bad projections, and of course the almighty bust (shout out Kwami Brown, Greg Oden, and my man Anthony Bennett).

NOTE: for purpose of using the actual draft as the base of the article I will not be including Ben Simmons. That said, we know that he’s a star already. Adding Butler makes Simmons job a little easier as well, time will tell how they mean. Alright lets get to it.

Real Deals

3^rd Overall Pick: Jayson Tatum, SF/PF, Boston Celtics

• 2017-18 Stats(Rookie) 80 Games/80 Games Started, 30.5 MPG, 13.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, FG/3PT/FT% (54/43/83) 7.1 Win Shares
• 2018 Playoff Stats(Rookie) 19 Games/19 Games Started, 35.9 MPG, 18.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, FG/3PT/FT% (47/32/85) 1.6 Win Shares
• 2018-19 Stats(Sophomore) 16 Games/16 Started, 32.3 MPG, 15.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, FG/3PT/FT% (42/39/89) 1.3 Win Shares

When the Boston Celtics landed number one overall, it was another example of the rich getting richer in modern sports. I’m not talking Golden State adding KD, or even Boogie really. What I am saying is that they had the cream of the crop top pick with very highly rated prospects coming out. The smart money was on Fultz. The Celtics, as we know, went in a different direction and what a decision it turned out to be. A month or so after the draft, the big news came; the Celtics were adding Kyrie Irving. Danny Ainge played the long game and ended up with Kyrie and Tatum as opposed to Kyrie and Fultz. With Hayward also joining the Celtics, it looked as if playing time might be at more of a role player run for Tatum. However, down went Hayward with one of the most gruesome sports injuries you’ll ever see. Tatum slid directly into the starting lineup. He ended up starting all 80 games he played in during his rookie year!

While modest looking numbers from a distance, Tatum was one of the most efficient rookies in recent memory. His shooting clip was just outside the illustrious 50/40/90 club, while staying always within the flow of offense. With the Celtics making the playoffs and Tatum being a huge contributor, he was able to amass 7.1 Win Shares! He also flashed his ability to play the small ball that the league love so much. He also proved to be a very good on the ball shot creator, while also playing within Coach Brad Stevens offensive scheme with relative ease. Now comes season two; Celtics get Hayward back and a healthier Irving. Figuring a natural drop in production would come with those two details. Not so fast, Tatum has actually upped his production this season (albeit with slightly less efficiency). We have seen many of our second year players dip into their efficiency somewhat – IE Donovan Mitchell. Its not surprising, really. Maybe not so much as in football, but with 82 games of tape plus playoffs for teams to peak through, sometimes guys take a little bit to re-adjust and come with new offensive repertoire. Kobe, who worked with Tatum in the off-season, was fantastic at adding to his game.

In all honesty, Tatum this season has shown that Hayward wasn’t all that necessary of an acquisition. At the time, nobody could say Tatum would be what he was so quickly. This season has had ups and downs for Tatum and the team. Many had projected the Celtics to take the east handily with LeBron out West now. That has not been the case, however. Tatum has had his moments adjusting to having Hayward on the team, although he has faired much better in that regard than teammate Jaylen Brown. Alas, on Friday night he played a great second fiddle to Uncle Drew. The Celtics picked up a huge early season OT win over the 1^st place Toronto Raptors. Tatum was huge throughout the game, and Celtic fans can certainly hope for this to be a building block for the team and himself to get rolling this season.

While maybe not the most exciting player, Tatum has a long career ahead sprinkled with all-star appearances and many playoff games. Look for Tatum to continue the line of progress for the rest of his 2^nd season campaign. Now if only the team itself could stop spinning their tires. That’s a story of its own however. Regardless, what moves the Celtics will inevitably have to make in upcoming seasons, Tatum should remain a major focal point for the organization.

5^th Overall Pick: De’Aaron Fox, PG, Sacramento Kings

• 2017/18 Stats(Rookie) 73 Games/60 Games Started, 27.8 MPG, 11.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (41/31/72) -0.6 Win Shares
• 2018/19 Stats(Sophomore) 16 Games/16 Games Started, 32.4 MPG, 19.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 7.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (51/42/69) 1.3 Win Shares

Wow, talk about lost in the elite point guard class shuffle! Not heavily discussed due to number one overall pick Markelle Fultz, and the noise machine that is Lonzo “BBB” Ball. The Kings ended up snagging Fox with the 5^th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. Coming out of Kentucky the knock on Fox was perimeter shooting. I’ll be the first to admit I saw a whole lot more of Elfrid Payton in him than I did a budding all-star point guard in the juggernaut west. The rookie season was not the friendliest to De’Aaron. Very much up and down throughout the season, the team actually posted a better offensive rating when Fox was on the bench (104.9) as opposed to when he was on the court (103.3). Likewise the defense, a supposed calling card for Fox was also worse with him on the court (113.7 vs 109.6). At the very least, the fit alongside other teammates didn’t seem to be working out the best. The team and Fox stumbled to another poor season in Sacramento, finishing to the tune of 27-55 which was good for a 12^th place finish out West.

Coming into the sophomore season expectations certainly were tempered for the Kings. The team added a big time draftee with Marvin Bagley; he received much of the off-season hype. The Kings have struggled to find a small forward this season; one would hope Bagley could fill the void eventually. With all they hype on Marvin, Fox did something in the off-season. He’s been the motor for the high powered kings offense so far, and one of my favorite DFS plays daily! The work he and Buddy Hield have been able to provide together has been fantastic, and has the Kings sitting at 8-6 about 1/6 of the way through the grueling 82 game schedule. Fox is showing his defensive prowess, the major improvement has come from the outside.

With the three point shot becoming bigger and bigger each season – hey when is Jimmer going to get another look? – it really looks like Fox had a concerted effort to improve from outside. From an ugly slash (FG/3pt) of 41/31 to a much improved 51/42. Those are bound to level off some, but if he can even hover around 40 percent from three point land he will be leap years ahead of where his perimeter game was thought to be. His playmaking has been solid thus far as well; the 3.2 TPG is something you can live with. Where you’d like to see some improvement is the assist department. At 7.2 APG he is more than respectable, but for him to push that upper echelon of point guards he needs to find his teammates in better spots a little more often.

Fox has been, if nothing less, a true floor general for the Kings. With such a potent offensive attack thus far in the season, you can take a wild guess who’s the leading man on most nights. I’d love to see the Kings add one more three point bomber to help alleviate some of the offensive pressure, maybe Carmelo (totally kidding, guys). Buddy Hield has done tremendous giving the Kings another option, but I don’t see fox being a bona fide number one scorer. I think his best fit is along a 1A with him being the 1B, much like the Blazers have working with Dame and McCollum. The other side of that style is of course the downfall of the Wizards Wall/Beal pairing. Fox has a great career ahead, and the much maligned Kings front office certainly got this pick correct. The core of Fox/Hield/Bagley/Cauley-Stein should be plenty fun to watch over the next few season if nothing else, hello league pass darling. Here’s to continued second season success for Fox and the Sac-Town Kings, who haven’t had this much hope since the early Maloof brother days.

Nice Steals

13^th Overall Pick: Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG, Utah Jazz

• 2017/18 Stats(Rookie) 79 Games/71 Games Started, 33.4 MPG, 20.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (44/34/80) 5.2 Win Shares
• 2018 Playoff Stats(Rookie) 11 Games/11 Games Started, 37.4 MPG, 24.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, FG/3PT/FT% (42/31/90) .5 Win Shares
• 2018/19 Stats(Sophomore) 14 Games/14 Games Started, 34.0 MPG 21.7, 2.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (41/29/80) 0.4 Win Shares

I know, I know. Mitchell is honestly part of the slam dunk, real deals section. However, being taken at the very tail end of the lottery in the 2017 NBA Draft makes him a substantial steal. Mitchell was not the highest ranked prospect coming out of Louisville; a mid-round projection seemed a solid fit. The Jazz picking 13^th decided Mitchell had been on the board long enough (or far too long depending on your view) and made him the newest member of the Utah Jazz. A solid season would have been enough to consider the pick a win for the front office, what they got was much more than that. He was initially considered somewhat of an odd fit with the Aussie Kobe (Dante Exum) and former Spanish wunderkind Ricky Rubio on deck. It didn’t take long for Mitchell to show his NBA abilities and make many forget how high of a selection Exum was just a few drafts prior. The team wasn’t looking for a playoff berth, let alone a finish in the top half of the conference.

Mitchell played his game, and led the Jazz to an unexpected playoff berth. Although there were efficiency issues with him, and likely will be for the remainder of his career, you certainly take the questionable shot-taking for the level of production he can provide on a nightly basis. Many would argue he was the true “Rookie of the Year”, but of course we know Ben Simmons took it home after his 2016-17 redshirt season. What Mitchell was able to show during his rookie session was an ability to be the alpha. He took over many games, and provided some pretty ridiculous highlights. His 5.2 Win Shares speak for themselves, a good season for anyone, let alone a rookie. Mitchell also showed a knack for ball hawking, averaging over a steal and a half per game. Being able to play good defense on what is the best offensive perimeter player most times is a godsend.

With any over expectation rookie season you can most likely expect slight regressions in the 2^nd year campaign. I mean it’s inevitable to have some drop in either efficiency or production. The Jazz haven’t been the greatest hit this season, and at times it does look like Mitchell has to shoulder a little too much of the offense. His usage rate is right around 30 percent, the same as last season. That puts Mitchell in the top 30 for qualified players in terms of usage rate. Basically, he’s the guy they lean on for a hefty portion of their offense. Mitchell doesn’t have the luxury of having former and current all stars(Horford, Hayward, Irving), or the ability to play without pressure(IE: Fox’s situation in Sac Town). If the team is able to build around him better than what they’ve done thus far, they could really compete.

Assuming the warriors blow up after K-Dray-Gate, that is. Right now the opposing defense is able to key in way too much on Mitchell for him to be overly efficient. He will still get buckets though, with some over the top athletic ability. A very streaky shooter in terms of long range scoring, but it must be respected. No, he’s not D-Wade during early Miami days with a broken jump shot. He has work to do to become more than just a heavy volume scorer, I mean he’s sitting at an abysmal 28 percent from long range. Although, he does have a great competitive drive that I think will bring out the very best Mitchell within his rookie contract. He will be ready for that big max deal two plus seasons from now. Now will he wind up closer to the stat lines we all hope for(20+ PPG, 5+ RPG 5+ APG 1 Steal) or more of pure bucket better, other stats be damned type of player(25+PPG, 2 APG, 2 RPG, .5 Steals). Only time will tell, but at number 13, Mitchell is out playing his draft projections (and its not really even close).

The Lakers First Round Picks Not Named Lonzo

27^th Overall Pick, Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF/C, LA Lakers

• 2017/18 Stats(Rookie) 77 Games/37 Games Started, 31.2 MPG, 16.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (45/37/71) 3.8 Win Shares
• 2018/19 Stats(Sophomore) 15 Games/13 Games Started, 31.0MPG, 17.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (47/30/74) 0.5 Win Shares

With Lonzo Ball taking a TON of the draft night buzz, Kyle Kuzma wasn’t even an afterthought. Honestly, he didn’t warrant any kind of buzz when compared to Lonzo’s cloud of Big Baller Brand. A stretchy three/four man, the Lakers took Kuzma at the end of the first round with one of their THREE 1^st round selections. Hell, fellow draftee Josh Hart was bigger news on draft night than Kuzma(but we will get into Hart below). In terms of youth movement in LA, he was ranked as the 4^th best asset – Lonzo/Hart and former top pick Brandon Ingram. Well Kuzma wasn’t one for projections and expectations. While the Lakers didn’t do a whole lot of winning in his rookie season, Kuzma certainly wasn’t at fault.

His 3.8 Win Shares on a bad team is a testament to how important he became for the Lakers as the season wore on. Kuzma went on to post a nice line of 16 PPG along with a little over 6 RPG, while playing much heavier minutes than anticipated(31.2 minutes to be exact). The three point shooting for Kuzma was better than advertised as well, sitting at around 37%. The volume was heavy as well, so don’t think it’s a flimsy number. Kuzma averaged over 5.6 3pt FG attempts per night; amassing 434 three balls during the year. The season, much more so for Kuzma than teammate Lonzo Ball, was filled with major growth and production.

With the King LeBron James signing in LA in the off-season (who would have thought that) Kuzma was expected to have a more limited and conservative role. Particularly on offense you would assume that the shots wouldn’t necessarily be there for him, let alone the minutes. Not only was LeBron brought into a very similar spot Kuzma runs, but there was also Brandon Ingram. I will admit, especially now, Ingram has separated into more of a guard/wing player as opposed to Kuzma predominantly playing the four in the new style NBA. With the early season suspension to Ingram, it gave us a look at LeBron led lineups that included lots of Kuzma. The results were at the very least rock solid. The winning might not have been there from the jump, but Kuzma was playing very well.

When considering he went from basically an open ended offense with no pressure to an offense led by a very heavy usage player in LBJ. Kuzma has raised his scoring level up to almost 18 per game. With the good comes the bad sometimes, often actually. The three point prowess we loved from Kuzma last season has mostly evaporated. The volume is still there trust me (5.3 a game), but the end results are very poor. Kuzma is down to a gross looking 29.7% from deep, and yes I know, I didn’t round the shooting percentage up like I typically do for less clunky looking stats. I didn’t so I could emphasize the downfall in shooting he’s had thus far. The scoring is there, the perimeter shooting? Not so much.

I’m not entirely sold on who is going to be apart of the LeBron Laker core over the next four season. Some combination of Kuzma, Ball, Hart, and Ingram will be moved at some point. In a lot of ways the first season of LA-Bron is almost like an extended try-out for the supporting cast around the King. Let’s face it, if LeBron doesn’t mesh with you that’s it. It just so happens that Kuzma has not only played the most minutes out of any other player with LeBron this season, but they also carry a +1.8 point differential per 100 possessions. In comparison, only Hart is better with a crazy +7.0! The difference is that Kuzma has already played over 140 more minutes with LeBron! Kuzma showed last season that he can be a Primary scorer in an offense, and this season he has showed an ability to play behind the lead of LeBron.

The most important aspect Kuzma needs to improve is on the defensive end. The Lakers opponents have been able to put up 117.1 Offensive Rating with Kuzma on the court, against just 106.1 Offensive Rating with Kuzma riding the pine. Though I, like many others, love the idea of LeBron & Kuzma together with Ingram/Ball/Hart. That’s the lineup you’d feel most comfortable with during a fast paced, death lineup type of game – IE HOU, Golden State, etc. Kuzma has done what he can to show importance in what the Lakers want to build, but we don’t know who will remain at the end of the Magic Johnson re-build.

30^th Overall Pick, Josh Hart, PG/SG, LA Lakers

• 2017/18 Stats(Rookie) 63 Games/23 Games Started, 23.2 MPG, 7.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (47/40/70) 3.4 Win Shares
• 2018/19 Stats(Sophomore) 15 Games/3 Games Started, 26.2 MPG, 11.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (46/44/70) 0.9 Win Shares

Hart would seem to have hit his peak in terms of the basketball mountain. National championships do not come easily, lots of ingredients needed to come together at the right time for NOVA to take down the nets. Josh Hart was a massive chunk of the ingredients needed to win the title, he played a great tournament. Showing excellent leadership, basketball IQ, and just enough offensive acumen to warrant a late first round pick. It seems like that’s a typical landing spot for a player of Hart’s caliber coming out of college. Hart flirted with the 2016 NBA draft, before pulling out to attempt for a back-to-back national championship run. Villanova fell short of expectations, but Hart was fine all season. A great senior will almost always be taken after a good freshman. NBA teams want the extra few years of time to mold the draftees into what they have envisioned for their franchise. When the Lakers selected Hart 30^th overall, they weren’t looking for more potential. They had plenty of that with Ball, Ingram, and selected just before him, Kyle Kuzma. What Magic wanted in the late first round was more sturdy than super. Wanted more consistency instead of more hype. Well, you get the point. It’s as if Magic said “hey, let me go ahead and get a safe pick, Lonzo gonna be enough as it is”.

Many had rightfully assumed Lonzo was going to make the most noise on the court last season. As we know already from earlier in the article, Kyle Kuzma was the most impressive for the Lake Show in season one. After Kuzma, it’d be up for debate. Lonzo had a fine season, statistically more impactful than Josh Hart. My argument would be that what Lonzo did as the number two overall pick just wasn’t as much of a win for the Lakers as what getting Hart at number 30 meant. That’s the best way I can say Lonzo was fine, but Hart was a gem at 30^th overall. While the numbers won’t make you rub your eyes on first glance( around 8 points, 4 rebounds, and a couple assists).

Upon further review, the advanced stats paint a better picture for Hart. Part of the middling production was court time. 23 MPG is nothing to sneeze at for a rookie, but you get what you play. Lakers couldn’t expect a 20 point scorer when they were barely giving the kid 20 minutes of run. His PER 36 Minutes stats look much better. With a better looking all-around line of 12.2 PPG/6.5 RPG/2APG. The rebounding from the guard spot is a huge plus. While it’s not something you necessarily look to grade for a guard of the bat, a guard over five rebounds a game is tough to come up on. Originally a darling of a pick to have a bust out 2^nd season, some of those expectations shifted when LeBron came in( hey he really does change everything guys). With Hart again looking at filling a super sub role, you wouldn’t expect much more than a gradual increase in his production.

With Ingram and Rondo out due to suspension at the very start of the season, Hart was able to get an uptick in his projected playing time. After that, he’s mostly come back to his mid 20’s role in terms of court time. I’d feel most comfortable about Hart staying long term with the Lakers. He has a glue guy quality, but don’t sell him quite that short. There is nothing wrong with a glue guy and most every team needs them to maintain some form of cohesiveness. Hart is more than that though; he is turning into close to a knockdown long range bomber. Although it’s not an ideal same size at 15 games, it’s enough of one to know the progression makes sense. Being an older more experienced rookie, he was able to come in and show a confident outside shot from the jump. Three triples per game isn’t high volume by today’s standards. This season however, he’s taking close to double the attempts from his rookie season.

His efficiency has actually gone up while his volume has risen. He’s shooting a smooth 44% from deep. What I’m sure the Lakers (and especially LeBron) love most is probably his defense. A steal and a half per game is towards elite territory when considering his game time is at around 25 minutes per. His PER 36 steals per game? 2.0. That’s great by itself. The team is allowing an offensive rating of 109.9 with Hart on the floor; it jumps nearly ten points when Hart comes off the floor. Magic Johnson has shown at the very least that he can get massive value on late 1sts. The Lakers will find their mesh, just uncertain who will remain with LeBron. On a decent team with more playing time, Hart could be closer to a 18-20 PPG scorer, and the rebounding for his size is more than you can ask for at a guard position.

Bust

(Oh come on, we know who this is)

 1^st Overall Pick, Markelle Fultz PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ers

• 2017/18 Stats(Rookie) 14 Games/0 Games Started, 18.2 MPG, 7.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (40/000/48) 0.2 Win Shares
• 2017/18 Playoff Stats(Rookie) 3 Games/0 Games Started, 7.7 MPG, 1.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 SPG, FG/3pt/FT% ( 14/000/75) 0.00 Win Shares
• 2018/19 Stats(Sophomore) 18 Games/15 Games Started, 26.2 MPG, 8.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, FG/3Pt/FT% (43/30/58) 0.4 Win Shares

Man, Markelle Fultz. Poor kid just can’t catch a break. Coming out of Washington after one productive, statistical but not successful season, Fultz had all the buzz. The kid could really go, he had all the athletic ability to go along with what looked to be a smooth offensive game. He even had a nice looking jump shot that went in plenty during is season in the PAC-12. Now it would appear that Danny Ainge pulled a fast one over on the poor 76ers. Imagine slotting Jayson Tatum in the lineup with Ben Simmons as opposed to Fultz. Probably would look a lot less clunky, wouldn’t it? Of course during draft season nobody was thinking Fultz would turn in the season he eventually did.

If looked at in a grand scheme/big picture view, Fultz might not appear as poor during his rookie season as he truly was. His PER 36 minute stats were very respectable. While his shooting percentages obviously would remain sloppy, his overall stat filling looks much better when projected against regular court time. PER 36 lines of 14.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 7.5 APG, and almost 2 steals. As proven throughout his minimal court time though, Fultz has got some major shooting issues. After last season’s debacle, adding in Fultz being a virtual DNP-CD during the playoffs, the 76ers probably were hoping his confidence wasn’t shot at this point. Coming into season two for Fultz coach Brett Brown made the eyebrow raising move to insert Markelle into the starting lineup.

That experiment has not gone well by most accounts. Fultz has had a gif filled season thus far. I’m talking pump-faked free throws, and him legitimately looking as if the Space Jam MONSTARS came down and took his talent during one spastic display when tying his shoe earlier this season. Fultz by all accounts has dropped his trainer (take long enough), which is a major decision having based so much trust into him. It’s one thing to go through growing pains, but Fultz has not really shown us much this season. Flashes of athletic ability and the occasional rainbow three, sure. Anything including long , extended runs of good play? Yeah that’s no really happening in Philly for Fultz. I mean Fultz could shoot in college. Now he’s taking less than one three point shot per game, and shooting around 40% from the field overall. Not a good look for anyone, let alone a scoring lead guard. The 76ers than officially hit the Fultz is a bust panic button, trading for disgruntled Guard/Forward Jimmy Butler. The move was necessary, but also very telling. Assuming Butler intends to stay in Philly long-term, where does that leave Markelle? A 6^th man? A bench warmer? A bounce back story superstar?

Personally, if Fultz can recoup any of his value during the season, I’m dealing him out of town more quickly than you can say best of luck. The problem with that is if Philly is contending like they want, is giving Fultz 20+ minutes going to work? I’m not saying he won’t be able to get back to what he was suppose be, I’m saying we need to see some actual signs before we can even consider him becoming a serviceable NBA player. His stats this season are not much better, and that’s with an actual playing time increase. Like I said, he received a starting role from Brown. The opportunity and talent on the 76ers is there to nurture Fultz into a good NBA player. He should not be shooting 30% on less than one three pointer per game. That’s unacceptable. His planning and court vision is visible at times, and he’s still an athletic dude. I’m honestly perplexed by his situation.

The 76ers tried to make a reason for him to red shirt essentially, and it actually seems to have made things worse. Sitting a season and healing was a godsend for Embid, and later Simmons. Fultz looks lost more often than not when on the court. You don’t become a number one overall pick with that lack of confidence. The number one pick is supposed to be an alpha; I have yet to see any of the out of Markelle. I’m hopeful as a basketball fan that this guy can turn this train around. I want to see him develop into a star. Philly is nasty with Embid, Butler, Simmons, Fultz and JJ, IF Fultz can turn potential into production. If not, he is not longed for Philly. Hell, I’d say he’s actually closer to becoming Anthony Bennett level bust than anything resembling a contributor on a playoff squad. Time will tell, but time has been pretty telling already. It’s not a good look when you type Markelle Fultz into the Google bar and it suggests “Bad” & “Bad Shot” as the next words.