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NEW YORK — The term “unicorn” gets thrown around rather freely these days in the NBA.

So much so that the use of it is almost becoming frowned upon by those in the know. It’s nearly a cliche.

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The term describes a player who is basically a matchup nightmare. He’s the combination of speed, height and skill. He boasts a diverse skill set, ensuring he almost always has an advantage against whomever he goes up against, both on offence and defence.

The obvious exception to that advantage would be an on-court meeting of two unicorns, a scenario which basically defies the definition of the term, hence its dying popularity in usage.

Unicorns can protect the rim, step outside and hit the three and defend multiple positions. The breed is becoming more popular.

As it stands now, the unicorns that jump to the forefront begin with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, Anthony Davis in New Orleans and Kristaps Porzingis in New York.