Caden Starks

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## Early Life

Caden Starks was born on November 23rd, 2001, in Brookhaven, New York on Long Island to Austin and Vanissa Starks. His father is Italian-American with roots in New Jersey, while his mother, a Parisian native, has Congolese ancestry. Starks parents, who met in university while his father was studying drama abroad in Paris, got married right after graduation and moved to Long Island to start a family. The youngest of two siblings, him and his older sister Esmé, had a comfortable upbringing due to their parent’s jobs in theatre and art production. Both were also introduced to sports from a young age, with Caden having taken to basketball after attending a Knicks game with his father as a child and Esmé enrolling in soccer schools. Starks was introduced through his uncle to Frank Cimetti, a local youth basketball coach when he was nine years old. He began playing organised basketball in the seventh grade, and it was at that time when his father decided to transfer him to one of the top high school basketball schools in Suffolk County, Northport High.

## High School Career

As a freshman, Starks averaged 17 points and 9 assists a game for the Northport High basketball team, a school record for assists at the time. Northport went 16-3 en route to the Long Island Class AA Championship game, losing to Brentwood High. In his sophomore year, Starks broke his own school record for assists, with 11 per game as Northport went one better than last year, winning the Long Island AA Championship title in a final rematch against Brentwood. Going into his junior year, with the team moving on from their two primary scorers, Starks suddenly found himself as the first option in offence, averaging more than 20 points a game on much improved efficiency. However, the top seeded Northport were upset in the Final Four by Chaminade, failing to regain their title. Despite this, for his individual efforts, Starks was named Long Island’s Player of the Year by multiple sources.

Before the start of his senior year, Starks was featured in *Slam*, an American basketball magazine, and writer Bill Royson lauded him as "the best high school basketball player in Long Island, and possibly the entire state of New York right now". During the season, the school made the decision to move their home games to a much bigger arena in nearby Huntington, to satisfy ticket demand from alumni, local Long Island basketball fans, as well as college scouts who wanted to see Starks play. With averages of 24.5 points, 9.0 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, he was named Mr. New York Basketball, as well as unanimously retaining the Long Island’s Player of the Year award. Northport High finished the year with a 25–2 record, breezing through the bracket as the top seed to reach the championship game, where they would, yet again, face Brentwood High. Starks would go on to score a game high 27 points along with 12 assists to guide the team to a comfortable 80-62 victory in the final, to give Northport only their fourth ever Long Island AA Championship title, and a second in the four years Starks represented them. During the ring ceremony, the school made the decision to retire his #23 jersey and have it hung in the rafters of their arena.

### Recruiting

Despite his high school exploits, Starks was only considered a borderline four-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class by Scout.com, while Rivals.com, 247Sports.com and ESPN had him down as a three-star recruit. This was mostly considered to be down to a couple of factors, one being the unbelievably strong pool of high school players around the country that year, especially in the point guard position, and the other being that Starks played his basketball in a historically weak and somewhat obscure Long Island high school division. A handful of scouts were also concerned about his supposed lack of focus on basketball and determination due to his relatively comfortable upbringing, pondering whether he had the attitude to really knuckle down and work hard to progress his basketball career. Despite this, his stock in New York was relatively high, with all the major basketball programs in the state keen on offering him a scholarship. On September 26, 2019, Starks committed to the Syracuse Orange, having him stay in his home state for his college career. He was expected to be Syracuse University's starting point guard, as the basketball programs’s head coach, Jim Boeheim, was said to be a huge fan of his game and recruited him personally, making Starks decision to follow in the footsteps of a childhood idol, Carmelo Anthony, and choosing to play for the Orange a relatively easy one.

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## College Career

Starks played one season at Syracuse University, during the 2019-20 season, where he averaged 21.2 points (23rd in the NCAA, sixth in the ACC) and 8.2 assists (6th in the NCAA, first in the ACC) making him one of the premier point guards in the conference. Starks, alongside fellow freshman, shooting guard Dominic Harrell, helped guide the Orangemen to a 14-4 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the season. The two formed a lethal backcourt duo, with Starks leading the conference in assists and Harrell doing the same in scoring. The pair were nicknamed “The Long Island Splash Brothers” in reference to the Golden State Warriors backcourt pairing of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and the fact both of them grew up in Long Island. Their exploits also landed the pair in both the All-Freshman ACC team of the year and the First-Team All-ACC. Starks was also named in the All-Defensive ACC team, marking a sweep for him in the Atlantic Coast Conference team honours.

Awarded a third seed in the NCAA March Madness Tournament, Syracuse easily dispatched their first round opponent, Vermont, 80-51, with Starks leading the way with 23 points and 13 assists. A second round matchup with 6th seed Yale proved to be a lot closer however, with a season high 43 from Harrell leading them to a 97-91 win in overtime. In the regional semifinals against Michigan State, Starks erupted for 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 15 assists in a 85–76 victory, setting up a date with rival ACC powerhouse Duke in the Elite Eight. Duke, the top seed who ran through the ACC with a 17-1 record, weren’t expected to have too much trouble seeing off Syracuse, and duly found themselves up 70-48 going into the final quarter. But a monumental comeback on the back of a 30-8 run for Syracuse saw the game tied at 78-78 with 13.1 seconds to go, and with Duke in possession, centre Derry Scott hit a fadeaway midrange shot to give them the lead. With no time outs remaining, and only 3 seconds left on the clock, Starks threw a cross court ball to Harrell, who completed a quick catch and shoot from beyond the arc and hit a miracle buzzer beater to give Syracuse the victory, 81-80, seeing the Orangemen into the Final Four, where their season would end with a 66-61 loss to eventual champions Dayton.

Immediately after the conclusion of the college basketball season, Starks declared himself eligible for the 2020 NBA draft. He later said that he originally planned to stay at Syracuse for possibly at least another year, but the prospect of potentially being touted as a lottery pick swayed his decision, as well as a talk with head coach Jim Boeheim, who felt that he was ready for the professional game. However, his partner in crime, Dominic Harrell, somewhat surprisingly chose to come back for his sophomore year, and reiterated his intention to graduate from college. For his outstanding play, Starks was named Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press as a freshman, being the first Orangeman to do so since Carmelo Anthony.

### Scout Report

In the months preceding the draft, Starks’ stock remained a solid lottery pick, with The Ringer especially high on him, projecting him to go in the top five as there were a number of teams desperately looking for an elite point guard. CBS Sports and ESPN, while still projecting him to go in the lottery, remained sceptical about him going high as the draft boasted a number of potentially franchise-changing guards. Reggie Miller, analysing the draft pool on TNT, said he was “surprised Caden Starks isn’t projected to be a top 3 pick in the draft”, calling him the best prospect from the class and one that “teams would regret passing over”. Bill Simmons on his podcast also added that “his ceiling is higher than any of the guards of this class” and was baffled why more teams aren’t “super high” on him.

 * Russell Westbrook
* Penny Hardaway
* Attacks the basket with a lethal first step and crossover ability
* Tremendous size for the point guard spot
* Solid passer with unselfishness, always looks for the open man
* Excellent mid-range game
* Great attitude, extremely coach-able
* Potential to be a bigtime scorer when given the chance
* Exceptional court vision and passing ability
* Solid rebounder for his position
* Great anticipation for steals
* Overcomplicates passes, going for flash over substance
* A mediocre defensive IQ
* Issues with complacency and determination
* Could get into foul trouble trying to force steals
* Forgets to slow down pace when required
* Questionable effort at times

### Draft Boards

Starks was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the ninth overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft.

## Professional Career

### Minnesota Timberwolves (2020–2027)

#### 2020–21 season: Rookie of the Year

 File:Damian Lillard shoots over Draymond Green.jpg  The  Timberwolves roster went through many notable changes after last season, trading away their star centre Karl-Anthony Towns along with other assets, and acquiring Jimmy Butler, Myles Turner and some other key pieces in return. The Timberwolves also added former fifth overall pick Dante Exum, as well as re-signing former head coach Tom Thibodeau. Starks immediately assumed starting point guard duties.

The Timberwolves finished the regular season with 56-26, which secured the 3rd seed and clinched the  Northwest Division, with Starks averaging 20 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds per game in a thoroughly impressive debut campaign in the league. At the end of the season, Starks was named the  NBA Rookie of the Year as well as earning  NBA All-Rookie First Team honours, helping the Timberwolves into the playoffs for only the second time since 2004.

In the first round of the playoffs, the 3rd-seeded Timberwolves defeated the 6th-seeded defending champions Los Angeles Lakers 4–2. They proceeded to sweep the 7th-seeded Phoenix Suns 4-0 in the second round, earning them only their second ever spot in the Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves fell 1-4 in the  Western Conference Finals to the top seeded Dallas Mavericks.

#### 2021–22 season: All-NBA 3rd Team

Starks, and the Timberwolves started the regular season right where they left off the last, once again finishing as the third-seed with an identical 56-26 record. However they were denied another Northwest division title by the Portland Trail Blazers. Starks improved his numbers in every major statistical category, and at the conclusion of the season, earned himself a spot in the  All-NBA 3rd Team, a first selection to an All-NBA Team in only his second season in the league.

In the playoffs, the Timberwolves faced the sixth seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round, once again sweeping them to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals, setting up yet another playoff rematch from last season in the second seeded Lakers. The two teams would split the first six games to set up a Game 7, where the Lakers would come out on top, ending the Timberwolves season.

#### 2022–23 season: First All-Star selection

The starting five of Caden Starks, Dante Exum, Jimmy Butler,  John Collins, and Myles Turner returned for a third consecutive season. This particular lineup would later be referred to as the “Loring Park Five”, a nickname coined by Amy Hawkins, a local basketball journalist covering the team, with the name owing to the fact the deals that sent Butler, Turner and Exum to the Timberwolves were concluded in the same hotel situated in the Loring Park area of downtown Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves, just as they did in the previous two seasons, finished with a 56-26 record, this time finishing as the 2nd seed and also wrapping up the Northwest Division title. Starks was named to his first ever  All-Star team, his first ever  All-NBA 2nd Team, as well as leading the league in assists.

For the third season running, the Timberwolves faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs, comfortably dispatching them 4-2 in the first round. However, they would go on to lose to the eventual NBA champions Portland Trail Blazers in seven games in the Western Conference Semifinals, resulting in yet another disappointing post-season exit.

#### 2023–24 season: Run to the NBA Finals

 File:Damian Lillard vs Russel Westbrook (23680791964).jpg  After another somewhat premature exit from the the playoffs, the Timberwolves and head coach Tom Thibodeau mutually agreed to part ways after three seasons. The front office moved quickly to replace him with Erik Spoelstra, in a move that was unanimously greeted with praise in both the sporting media and among NBA circles, pairing a veteran coach and two time championship winner with the Miami Heat with a young roster ready to take the next leap after a number of winning seasons. This development saw the Timberwolves go into the season as one of the favourites to win the championship, and by the All-Star break, saw themselves sitting atop the  Western Conference. However, a late dip in form saw them slip to the 2nd seed, finishing 53-29, their worst record since  the 2019-2020 season. This was still enough to give them another Northwest Division title.

Starks finished the season with over 25 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals per game, which saw him selected to the  All-NBA 1st Team, as well as the  All-Defensive 1st Team. He also once again led the league in assists and earned his second All-Star appearance. As a result of his play helping the Timberwolves to the second seed in the Western conference, Starks finished 3rd in MVP voting, losing out to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In the playoffs, the Timberwolves swept both the seventh seeded Memphis Grizzlies, and the third seeded Houston Rockets in the first round and conference semi finals respectively, to advance to the Western Conference Finals to face the top seeded San Antonio Spurs. After dropping the first game on the road, the Timberwolves then proceeded to win the next four, to win the series in five games to and become the Western Conference champions for the first time in their history, while also booking their first ever trip to the NBA Finals in the process.

Despite entering the finals on the back of a 12-1 playoff run, the Timberwolves started as slight underdogs against the Brooklyn Nets, who opened up the series with a close win at home. The Timberwolves bounced back with a blowout win to split the series on the road. Back in Minneapolis, the two teams would once again split the mini series, with the Timberwolves responding to the Nets going up 2-1 with a comeback win to level the series going back to Brooklyn. The Nets would take a 3-2 series lead in an epic double OT win, and then proceeded to close out the series on the road, handing them their first ever NBA championship.

#### 2025–26 season: All-NBA First Team selection

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## Career Statistics

### NBA

#### Regular season

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#### Playoffs

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### College

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### High School

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## Awards and Honours

### NBA

#### Team

* 3× NBA Champion: 2025, 2028, 2029

* 4x Western Conference Titles: 2024, 2025, 2028, 2029

* 7x Division Wins: 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2028, 2029

#### Individual

* NBA Most Valuable Player: 2027

* NBA Finals Most Valuable Player: 2029

* NBA Rookie of the Year: 2021

* 7× NBA All-Star: 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029

* 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2025, 2028

* 2× NBA Assists Leader: 2023, 2024

* 3× NBA Steals Leader: 2027, 2028, 2029

#### All-NBA Selections

* 8× All-NBA selection:

* + 6× First team: 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029

* + Second team: 2023

* + Third team: 2022

* 6× NBA All-Defensive selection:

* + 3× First Team: 2024, 2027, 2028

* + 3x Second Team: 2025, 2026, 2029

* NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2021

### College

* All-American Consensus Second-Team: 2020

* First-Team All-ACC: 2020

* ACC All-Freshman Team: 2020

* ACC All-Defensive Team: 2020

### High School

* Mr. New York Basketball: 2019

* 2× Long Island Player of the Year: 2018, 2019

* 2x Long Island Class AA Champion: 2017, 2019

* No. 23 Retired by Northport High

## Personal Life

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