For the first time in 20 years, the Carolina Hurricanes are back in the Stanley Cup Final, and they’ll look to bring the Cup back to Raleigh when they face the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights. They head into the 2026 Stanley Cup Final as the -155 betting favorite, and the -145 favorite on home ice for Game 1.
Despite dropping Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final, the Hurricanes hunkered down defensively and won four straight to move one step closer to delivering on their Stanley Cup odds.
Before Game 1 takes place on Tuesday, June 2, let's dive into the opening Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final odds and Conn Smythe odds.
Stanley Cup Final odds 2026: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes
Although the Vegas Golden Knights swept Colorado and have had three more days of rest, sportsbooks are still pegging the Carolina Hurricanes as the series favorites, with a 60.78% win probability.
Home-ice advantage remains a real factor for Carolina, which went 29-10-2 at the Lenovo Center during the regular season, and the Hurricanes have lost only once all postseason.
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Key matchup to watch: Battle of the Netminders
We're set up for a loaded offense vs. elite defense matchup, with the goaltending duel between Carter Hart and Frederik Andersen potentially proving decisive in who hoists the Cup.
After a two-year hiatus from the NHL, the Golden Knights took a flier on Hart, but the former top prospect struggled in Vegas, recording a .891 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average in 18 regular-season starts.
The postseason, however, has been a completely different story, as Hart has reverted to his early days with the Philadelphia Flyers, sporting a .924 SV% as Vegas ran the table against Utah, Anaheim, and Colorado.
Meanwhile, Andersen has stood on his head for Carolina, boasting a .928 SV% along with three playoff shutouts.
Conn Smythe odds 2026: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes
Player
Odds
Mitch Marner
+165
Frederik Andersen
+260
Taylor Hall
+600
Logan Stankoven
+900
Carter Hart
+1200
Jackson Blake
+1200
Jack Eichel
+1600
Nikolaj Ehlers
+4000
Odds as of 5-29 via BET99.
Our very own Josh Inglis called it two weeks ago, as Mitch Marner has shot up the Conn Smythe board after the Golden Knights took advantage of a Colorado Avalanche team that was banged up, with prior Conn Smythe frontrunners Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both dealing with injuries.
Relative to his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marner has been an absolute revelation in the postseason with VGK, leading all players in points (21). Now he's the odds-on favorite heading into Game 1 of the SCF.
If you’re bullish on VGK bringing home the Cup, dark-horse candidates for Conn Smythe would be Pavel Dorofeyev (+5000) or Brett Howden (+10000), who enter the Final tied for the playoff lead with 10 goals apiece, as each continues to benefit from playing alongside Jack Eichel and Marner.
For Carolina, Taylor Hall has enjoyed a second wind at age 34, with the former first-overall pick and Jackson Blake pacing the Hurricanes in playoff points.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes series prediction
With a superior defense and Andersen holding a longer track record of elite play relative to Hart, it’s going to be hard to overlook a Hurricanes team that has gone 12-1 this postseason.
This is a team that just held Montreal to an average of 17.8 shots per game over five contests, and I expect them to figure out VGK over the course of a seven-game series.
Prediction: Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup (-155) / Hurricanes in six (+450).
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 1 prediction
Game 1 winners in the Stanley Cup Final have gone on to lift the Cup 77.2% of the time since the best-of-seven format was introduced, and Carolina will land the first blow on home ice.
Rod Brind’Amour’s club has completely shed the label of being playoff “frauds,” and Tuesday’s Game 1 signals a full week since Vegas last saw game action.
Take the Canes to catch the Golden Knights sleeping a little.
Prediction: Hurricanes moneyline (-145).
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Well, the Montreal Canadiens had a great run this spring. A run that took the NHL by surprise, but it came to a grinding halt against a superior team, the Carolina Hurricanes. The Habs can at least say that they weren’t swept, but they were still beaten four times in a row, something that hadn’t happened to them since November (that included an overtime loss, but so did this streak).
Martin St-Louis shocked most pundits by electing not only to stick with the same lineups but also to keep the same lines and pairings. Arber Xhekaj took the warm-up, but in the end, he was once again scratched. It’s strange that in the first round, when he realized that things weren’t going right for his group, St-Louis made the adjustments needed, but in the Eastern Conference Final, for some reason, he refused to do it. It doesn’t send a great message to someone like Brendan Gallagher, who has been biding his time, hoping for another opportunity to give his all for the Sainte-Flanelle.
Straight from the puck drop, the Hurricanes had a two-on-one, and while they didn’t score, it didn’t bode well for the Canadiens. Within 10 minutes, the Hurricanes had taken a 1-0 lead, despite a coach challenge for goalie interference. By the end of the first frame, Rod Brind’Amour’s men were up 3-0 just like they were on Wednesday night. Carolina had 15 shots in those first 20 minutes while the Canadiens could only muster four, despite having two power play opportunities.
Essentially, it made it look like the game was going to be a remix of Montreal’s last three defeats, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be.
Man Down
In Game 4 on Wednesday, it looked like Kaiden Guhle suffered a knee injury, and that’s more than likely why Xhekaj took the warmup on Friday night. Ultimately, Guhle elected to play, and in the second frame, he took a long time to get back up after falling onto the ice. When he got back up, pain was written all over his face.
He’s a hockey player; he was never going to want to miss the game. Knowing how high the stakes were, though, it was up to the coaching staff to tell him they needed players who would be able to perform at their best for this do-or-die game. If they’re able to keep Brendan Gallagher in the press gallery because he doesn’t have the same level of energy as he once did, they should also be able to tell a player he’s not fit to compete.
Back To The Basics
In the final frame, down 5-0, Jake Evans got a puck in space by the net, and instead of taking the shot, he attempted a backhand pass. That right there was the embodiment of what went wrong for the Canadiens in this series. Or at least of the things they could control that went wrong. Because make no mistake, the Canadiens didn’t beat themselves, the Hurricanes beat them fair and square. Still, you need to shoot to score goals, there’s no two-way around that simple fact.
And so ended the Canes' frustrating run of unsuccessful Conference Final appearances, with a 6-1 win in Game 5. Brind’Amour’s team will now face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final starting on Tuesday. As for the Canadiens, they’ll go back home to Montreal, hold their exit meetings, and then head to their summer destination to heal the bumps, bruises, and ailments they’ve no doubt picked up along the way.
While this wasn’t the ending they had dreamt about, this young team can still be proud of having made it to the third round in what was, after all, just the fourth year of its rebuild. Throughout those six weeks of playoff action, the young Habs will have picked up a wealth of experience that will no doubt help them progress in the coming years, just like their early exit against the Washington Capitals last season did.
Although they themselves were unable to make it this far, the Philadelphia Flyers will be well represented in this year's Stanley Cup Final.
On one side, we have the Eastern Conference Champion Carolina Hurricanes, who had to get through the Flyers to get here in the first place, and on the other, the Vegas Golden Knights, who improbably swept and made quick work of the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.
Both sides are spearheaded by men who proudly went to battle for the Flyers for years: John Tortorella, who coaches Vegas and coached the Flyers, and Rod Brind'Amour, who coaches the Hurricanes and played for the Flyers.
With the Golden Knights, Tortorella has reunited with former Flyers goalie Carter Hart, who has enjoyed a blazing playoff run to this point. Hart, 27, is 12-4-0 this postseason with a 2.22 GAA and .924 save percentage.
The Hurricanes are where things get more nostalgic, though.
Led by Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes boast a decently sized contingent of former Flyers, which includes Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker, and Nick Deslauriers, who was traded to Carolina at the NHL trade deadline as a favor to the Flyers' tough guy and locker room favorite.
They also have forward Eric Robinson, a Bellmawr, New Jersey, native who played youth hockey for the Philadelphia Flyers Elite 14UAAA and Virtua Hockey 16 UAAAA, 16U, and 18U teams before moving on to the USHL and NCAA.
No matter the outcome, one recent Flyer will come away with a Stanley Cup triumph added to their resume.
Tortorella, Walker, and Deslauriers were all on the Flyers together just over two calendar years ago, with Walker the first to leave after being sent to Colorado at the trade deadline in March 2024.
Tortorella was next in 2025, and then Deslauriers this past deadline in 2026.
This year's Stanley Cup may sting for some, but it's important to remember that many of these departures were necessary, with the obvious exception of Gostisbehere, whose exile from Philadelphia remains head-scratching to this day.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 30: Nick Bonino #13 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a third period goal against Martin Jones #31 of the San Jose Sharks in Game One of the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Consol Energy Center on May 30, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ten years ago today, Nick Bonino brought the house down at PPG Paints Arena with a late game-winning goal in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.
The Penguins opened the 2016 Cup Final with a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks and it was quite the thrilling contest.
Pittsburgh was back in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2009 and the Penguins didn’t waste any time giving the home fans something to be excited about.
Bryan Rust opened the scoring just over seven minutes into the game and around a minute later, Conor Sheary extended the Penguins’ lead to 2-0.
The second period went more the way of the Sharks with Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau leveling the game at 2-2 headed to the final frame.
The third period was tightly played and it almost felt like the air in PPG Paints Arena was starting to reach a boiling point.
Then Nick Bonino blew the roof off with his late game-winner.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 24: Framber Valdez #59 of the Detroit Tigers pitches in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles during game one of a double header at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 24, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Detroit Tigers’ struggles in the late innings continued on Friday night when they dropped the weekend series opener against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Park, 4-3, in extra innings. Troy Melton gave his team seven strong innings for a quality start and Will Vest got credit for holding a 2-1 lead through the eighth, but alas… well, you know how this story keeps ending.
Another day, another chance to get back in the win column. On Saturday afternoon, the two American League Central rivals will battle again, this time with left-hander Framber Valdez taking the bump for the Motor City Kitties.
The 32-year-old’s last outing was among his best this season so far, throwing six frames of one-run ball on a solo home run plus a single along with two walks while striking out five Baltimore Orioles only to earn a no-decision in a losing effort. Valdez faced the ChiSox twice last year with the Houston Astros, throwing five innings in both to mixed results.
The home team will have fellow southpaw Anthony Kay climbing the mound looking to clinch a series win. The 31-year-old has had a superb May, putting up a tidy 1.98 but disconerting 4.27 FIP over five games stretching over 27 1/3 innings, allowing 22 hits (three home runs) and nine walks while striking out 24 — plus five hit batters and a wild pitch.
Kay has never faced Detroit in any of his 55 previous major league appearances. Take a look at how he stacks up against Valdez on Saturday.
Detroit Tigers (22-36) vs. Chicago White Sox (30-27)
Time (ET): 2:10 p.m. Place: Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois SB Nation Site:South Side Sox Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 59: LHP Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.28 ERA) vs. LHP Anthony Kay (4-1, 3.96 ERA)
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 6-5 vs. Worcester Red Sox
SS George Lombard Jr. 0-3, 2 BB, K, SB — no hits, but getting on and causing trouble RF Spencer Jones 2-4, HR, RBI, BB, K — lucky no.13 on the year 3B Oswaldo Cabrera 1-3, BB, K 1B Tyler Hardman 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K C Payton Henry 0-4 LF Ernesto Martinez Jr. 2-4, HR, RBI DH Ali Sánchez 0-3, BB, K 2B Jonathan Ornelas 1-4, SB CF Duke Ellis 0-4
Elmer Rodríguez 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR — back-to-back rough outings for ERC Dylan Coleman 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K Yordanny Cruz 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K — another impressive outing from the Scranton Shuttler Rafael Montero 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K (loss) — former big leaguer has had a rough go of it with Scranton Yerry De Los Santos 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 12-11 vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats — six-run seventh erased a 10-6 deficit
RF Jace Avina 2-4, BB, K CF Garrett Martin 2-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, SB — 16th homer of the year leads the farm system 3B Coby Morales 3-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB DH DJ Gladney 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, 3 K LF Jackson Castillo 3-5, RBI, K, SB C Manuel Palencia 1-5, RBI, K 1B Abrahan Gutierrez 2-5, 2 RBI SS Owen Cobb 1-5, 2 K 2B Kevin Verde 0-3, K
Jack Cebert 4 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 3 HR — wore it and put Somerset in a deep hole, but they climbed out of it Matt Keating 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR Harrison Cohen 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K Chris Kean 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (win) Ben Grable 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (hold) Chris Veach 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (save)
Eric Genther sends this one to a galaxy far far away!! The 3 run homer puts the 'Gades back on top! pic.twitter.com/DBhUi7w7Gi
— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) May 30, 2026
Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 7-1 (7) vs. Daytona Tortugas, was originally scheduled to be a doubleheader but game 2 was rained out, they’ll try for the doubleheader again today
SS Jackson Lovich 1-4, 2B, fielding error 3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 2-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB 2B Hans Montero 0-3, BB C Luis Puello 0-4, 3 K LF Willy Montero 2-4, 2B, RBI, K, SB DH Engelth Urena 0-2, 2 BB, K CF Luis Durango 0-3, K 1B Austin Green 1-2, HR, RBI, BB, K RF Gabriel Lara 1-3, RBI
Mac Heuer 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (win) — best start of the 2025 eight-rounder’s pro career Jose M. Rodriguez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K Parker Seay 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K Pedro Rodriguez 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Florida Complex League Yankees:L, 8-2 vs. FCL Tigers
3B Richard Matic 2-4, 3B CF Wilberson De Pena 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, K C Queni Pineda 1-3, K SS Leni Done 0-4 DH David McCann 1-4, 2B, K 2B Dexters Peralta 1-4, 2 K LF Estivenzon Montero 1-4, K 1B Justin Capellan 0-4, K RF Isael Arias 1-3, SB
Omar Gonzalez 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K (loss) Enixon Sanchez 1.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 2 K Austin Breedlove 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K Marco Manzano 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - APRIL 18, 2026: Ryan Clifford #20 of the Syracuse Mets hits a three-run home run during the first inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders at NBT Bank Stadium on April 18, 2026 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Leah King/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Syracuse scored seven runs in the third inning but managed to lose anyway. The Red Wings tied the game in the seventh initially, tallying two runs off Jonathan Pintaro. A Kevin Parada put the Mets back in front in the eighth, but Dylan Ross couldn’t hold the lead in the ninth, sending the game to extras tied at 8. After a scoreless tenth and a failed top of the 11th for the Mets, Alex Carrillo ultimately gave up the walkoff hit to Philip Glasser. Rough scenes all around.
Another extra inning game, but this time a win. Chris Suero got the walkoff hit, blooping a single into center in the bottom of the tenth to drive in the game winning one. Oddly, Portland had to use a position player, sending catcher Raudelis Martinez to the mound in the tenth despite only using three pitchers previously. The minor leagues man.
More importantly than all that, the rehabbing Jorge Polanco homered and walked two times while DHing, and encouraging sign as he works his way back from wrist and Achilles injuries.
Brooklyn scored ten runs on only six hits thanks to a whopping ten walks. As said previously, man, the minor leagues. Most of those runs came against former Met farm hand Bryce Montas de Oca who managed only a single out while hitting two batters, walking four, and allowing six runs.
Elian Peña broke out of his recent funk, homering and walking twice to lead a 8-0 win over the Marauders. Jamari Baylor also had a nice day at the plate, doubling twice in a three-hit performance to raise his season OPS to .842. On the mound, Nicolas Carreno had another nice performance as well, striking out seven in 5.2 scoreless innings. His ERA is now down to 1.43 on the season.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki sits in the dugout during a game against the Athletics at Angel Stadium on May 21. (Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Three weeks ago The Times published an article in which general manager Perry Minisian said the Angels are “very competitive” and “our best baseball is in front of us.” He then cited run differential and team ERA as examples. After getting swept by the Dodgers by a combined 31-3 the Angels had the worst run differential, worst won/loss record and are at or near the bottom in all pitching and hitting categories in MLB.
Since owner Arte Moreno believes that “winning is not a top priority,” he must be very pleased with both the work of his GM and the team’s performance so far this season. That the three games against the Dodgers were sold out was not because of fans’ desire to see this “very competitive” Angels team.
Rob Nelson Dana Point
The Angels’ ultimate indignity is its own hometown newspaper doesn’t regard it highly enough to staff its games with a full-time writer. The Angels are irrelevant in Southern California and the owner isn’t self aware enough to realize it.
Ron Yukelson San Luis Obispo
I just wanted to give praise to the Angels TV and radio broadcast teams. Even with the Angels having the worst record in baseball, and having suffered 10 straight losing seasons, the broadcast teams approach the games professionally and always with a positive attitude. As a lifelong Angels fan, it always reminds me of that saying “hope springs eternal.”
Steve Shaevel Woodland Hills
Passing on the playoffs
So far, viewing each round of the NBA playoffs, the transformation into the WWE is complete. The NBA has become unwatchable, allowing full-blown, no-holds-barred grabbing, holding and even hugging, with or without the ball, and not even trying to hide it. Physicality has always been part of the NBA game, mostly inside the paint, and never to the extent we are witnessing today. No more traveling calls, rarely calls for over-the-top or blatant shoves in the back to grab a rebound. Hand-checking starts at 70 feet from the basket. This is not great defense — this is simply offensive.
Pat Levitt Los Angeles
Can’t buy good health
So what are the odds of both Kiké and Teo Hernández going down in back-to-back games? Hopefully Tommy Edman will soon be back to play infield or outfield.
Fred Wallin Westlake Village
The Dodgers have seemingly managed to perfect every aspect of running a baseball juggernaut. Why can’t they keep their players healthy?
Bill Hokans Santa Ana
It simply may be a function of today’s near wall-to-wall sports coverage, but it sure seems like pro athletes spend a lot more time injured. Bone chips, ACLs, MCLs, pulled hamstrings, multiple Tommy John surgeries and the recent epidemic of dreaded oblique strains just for starters. You’d think with the tremendous advances in sports medicine, year-round conditioning and, yes, “load management,” players of all sports would be healthier than ever.
John Merryman Redondo Beach
Tough critique
Listening to Shohei Ohtani’s assessment of his own performance on Wednesday, one would have thought he got shelled. All he did was pitch a no-hitter for six innings and walked a few batters. If he were a pole vaulter, he would set the bar at 20 feet and lament that he reached only 19.
Mike Schaller Temple City
Remembering Kyle and Kobe
Even for non-racing fans, one cannot ignore the mastery and dominance of one Kyle Busch in the NASCAR racing circuit. The stamina, coordination, reflexes and maneuvering of a vehicle at such ridiculously high speeds is more than admirable. His 234 wins placed him as tops in his field.
As with Kobe Bryant, his sudden and tragic death deeply affected me.
And, as with Kobe, both were just 41 years of age! Way too soon to have such icons taken from us and the world of sports.
Rick Solomon Lake Balboa
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May 14, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) has a mound visit with catcher Gary Sanchez (99) in the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Jacob Misiorowski has vaulted himself into the Cy Young conversation by allowing one run in five May starts combined. He leads the league in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine, and hits per nine. He’s also throwing harder than literally any starter we’ve ever seen. (Probably.)
And yet, despite Misiorowski’s unhittable stuff and 1.83 ERA (220 ERA+)*, his teammate, Kyle Harrison, actually has a lower ERA. After six scoreless innings against the Cardinals on Tuesday, Harrison’s ERA dropped to 1.57 (256 ERA+). While Harrison’s peripheral numbers aren’t quite at Misiorowski’s level, they’re still good, and the results are obviously there.
* A quick reminder on ERA+: it’s a way of measuring ERA while accounting for the league environment of the time, with 100 as average, 110 as ten percent above average, 90 as 10 percent below average, etc.
Misiorowski and Harrison are both really good. There are plenty of pieces out there breaking down why. My purpose here today isn’t to analyze their play as much as it is to do what I love doing: look back at history.
I do not expect Misiorowski and Harrison to maintain ERA+ numbers of 220 or higher for the entire season. To say that would be unprecedented would be an understatement: in full-length AL/NL seasons since 1900, only 16 qualified starters total have had an ERA+ of 220 or higher. Still, I was curious about historic pitching partnerships. What are the best single-season teammate pitching duos in baseball history? Who might we say Misiorowski and Harrison are “chasing?”
To create my long list of candidates, I looked for “qualified” starters who finished in the top five in the league in ERA+ and also had a teammate in the top 10. (Right now, Misiorowski ranks fourth in the league; Harrison, who is a couple innings short of qualifying, would be third.) I came up with a little formula—nothing fancy, but a way of ranking these duos to see who came out on top. (I assigned points based on average ERA+, average bWAR, and ERA+ rank in the given season.) I was pleased with the results, and I’m going to share the top seven-ish duos here, then add a couple others that stood out.
7. Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, 2019 Astros
The 2010s were a weird time for the Astros. They’d tanked as hard as anyone has ever tanked in the first half of the decade—three consecutive seasons with at least 106 losses between 2011 and 2013—but that tank job actually bore fruit, and by 2015 they were back in the playoffs. They won the World Series in 2017, which also started a more-or-less unprecedented run of seven straight years in which they made it to at least the ALCS. They were back in the World Series in 2019, a series which they lost in seven games to the Nationals… and then shortly after the season, news of the sign-stealing scandal that benefitted them in the 2017 and 2018 seasons rocked the baseball world.
Amidst it all, the 2019 Astros had one of the best rotations of all time. Cole and Verlander finished first and second in all of baseball with a 185 and 179 ERA+, respectively. In bWAR, Verlander was third and Cole fifth, while in fWAR, Cole was first and Verlander fifth. Verlander just edged Cole in Cy Young voting; he got 17 of 30 first-place votes, and Cole got the other 13. They won a combined 41 games and struck out a combined 626 batters, and neither had a WHIP over 0.895.
If that wasn’t enough, Zack Greinke was on that team, too. He finished ninth in the league with a 154 ERA+.
Neither Cole nor Verlander was great in the World Series, though. Cole went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA, but Verlander really struggled: he went 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts and had nine strikeouts to six walks in 11 innings.
6. Dolf Luque and Eppa Rixey, 1923 Reds
I promise I won’t get super deep into old dudes you’ve never heard of, but I’m just spitting out what the formula gave me.
This is an unbalanced duo: Luque had an all-time good season, while Rixey was run-of-the-mill good. But it was a down year for pitchers, so even though there’s a 62-point split between them in ERA+ (Luque at 201, Rixey at 139), Rixey still finished third in the league, so that’s kind of weighing heavily on this rating.
Luque was just mowing everyone down. In one of the major outlier seasons in baseball history, he went 27-8 with a 1.93 ERA (201 ERA+) and led the majors in both bWAR and fWAR, wins, ERA, ERA+, and shutouts, and led the NL in FIP, hits per nine, and homers per nine. He had one other good season in 1925 (though not nearly on this level), and several others I’d call “solid,” but he was really only a superstar in 1923. The Reds were good at 91-63, but finished second to the Giants in the NL.
Rixey made the Hall of Fame in 1963. He’s what I’d call a “dubious selection,” but he won 266 games in a 21-year career, and that didn’t include a peak season lost to World War I.
5. Hal Newhouser and Dizzy Trout, 1946 (and sort of 1944) Tigers
I swear this is true: I ranked 127 different duos with my formula, and the 1944 and 1946 seasons of Newhouser and Trout came out right next to each other, at 5th and 4th, respectively. I’m going to essentially ignore the 1944 season; most of the league’s stars were in the military, but Newhouser was deemed unfit due to a congenital heart defect. He was probably the best player left in the league during the time, and won back-to-back MVPs in 1944 and 1945. Detroit won the World Series in ‘45.
Luckily for Newhouser’s Hall of Fame case, he was just as good in 1946, when the stars returned. In 1946, Newhouser went 26-9 with an AL-leading 1.94 ERA (190 ERA+) and 8.5 K/9, an astronomical number for the era. He earned 9.7 bWAR, and led the AL in FIP, WHIP, and H/9. Only Ted Williams’ brilliant return season kept Newhouser from winning a third straight MVP.
Trout also didn’t fight in the war. He was just as good as Newhouser in 1944 but not nearly as good in 1945. In 1946, Trout went 17-13 with a 2.34 ERA (157 ERA+) and 7.6 bWAR, an excellent season, but really his only year that I’d call “good” that occurred outside of the war years.
Detroit finished second in the AL in 1946, 12 games back of Williams’ 104-50 Red Sox.
4. Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown and Orval Overall, 1909 Cubs
I’m happy to talk about this one just because Orval Overall is one of the great baseball names.
The Cubs had a dynasty in the second half of the 19-aughts. They won three consecutive pennants from 1906-08, and the World Series in ’07 and ‘08. This is the “Tinkers-Evers-Chance” team, and while a casual glance suggests they just had a ton of really good pitchers, it seems more likely that they had a historically good defense that was particularly well-suited to the baseball of the time. To illustrate the point: the 1907 Cubs had five of the top seven players in all of baseball in ERA+. That seems to me to be far more a reflection of their defensive prowess than the talent of guys like Overall, Carl Lundgren, Jack Pfiester, and Ed Reulbach.
Still, we need to acknowledge the numbers these guys put up, and the season that grades out best is 1909. Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown, so called because of a farming accident in his youth, is one of the great Deadball pitchers and a solid Hall of Famer. He peaked from 1906-1909; in ’09, he led the majors in innings pitched and wins (27) and had a 1.31 ERA (193 ERA+). Overall was almost as good that year, and went 20-11 with a 1.42 ERA (179 ERA+) and led the majors with 205 strikeouts and 6.5 K/9. He was a very solid pitcher from 1907-09 but was essentially out of the league after the 1910 season despite being only 29 years old.
But the 1909 Cubs, though they went 104-49, failed to win the pennant for the first time in four years. The winners that year are among the best teams of all time: the 1909 Pirates, led by the great Honus Wagner, went 110-42 (.724, the third-best winning percentage ever).
A brief historical curiosity: the team that actually had the two starters with the best combined ERA+ in the history of baseball is the 1907 Cubs. The aforementioned Pfiester and Lundgren had ERA+ numbers of 214 and 211 that year. But sometimes bWAR doesn’t make any sense to me, so let’s play “which one of these players is worth 5.7 WAR and which is worth 1.7?”
By the way I’ve framed the question, you can probably guess that Pfiester, who has better numbers, is the one with 1.7 WAR.
I don’t get it, but that’s the number one season of all time for combined ERA+ of the top two qualified starters on a team. In addition to the 1909 duo discussed above which has the second-best combined ERA+ ever, the 1906 Cubs duo of Brown and Pfiester is also seventh. I think the lesson here is that Tinker, Evers, Chance, catcher Johnny Kling, and third baseman Harry Steinfeldt were all quite good with the glove.
3. Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, 2005 Astros
I don’t know about you, but I just don’t like these guys. I became a baseball fan in the late ‘90s and turned 17 in 2005 and Clemens and Pettitte mean two things to me: Yankee dynasties and PEDs. I don’t like either.
Clemens was 42 in 2005, so you’ll understand why I think about this season much like I think about Barry Bonds’ seasons of a similar vintage. Old Man Clemens started 32 games, threw 211 innings, and led baseball with a 1.87 ERA, 226 ERA+, 6.4 hits per nine, and 7.8 bWAR. He also led the NL with a 2.87 FIP.
Pettitte was 33 in 2005 and coming off an injury-plagued season. He hadn’t had an ERA+ over 135 since 1997, but in ’05 he went 17-9 with a 2.39 ERA (177 ERA+) and earned 6.8 bWAR.
What’s a little funny about this is that both Clemens and Pettitte were outpaced in fWAR by their teammate, Roy Oswalt. He won 20 games, so he finished higher than Pettitte in Cy Young voting (Clemens, Oswalt, and Pettitte finished 3-4-5). It was quite a trio. The Astros, as a Wild Card team, beat the Braves in the NLDS and the Cardinals in the NLCS but were swept by the White Sox in the World Series.
2. Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, 2015 Dodgers
People might quibble with the way I’ve put this together because I exclusively used ERA and not anything more advanced than that (and thus bWAR instead of fWAR). That matters quite a bit for a season like 2015, because there is a huge discrepancy in bWAR and fWAR for Greinke that year. By the runs-allowed-based bWAR, Greinke, who went 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA and 222 ERA+, led all pitchers with 8.9 WAR. But he had a FIP that was more than a run higher than his ERA, so by the measure of fWAR, he had only 5.3 WAR, eighth in the league.
Of course, if you use fWAR instead of bWAR, Kershaw moves from third (7.2) to first (8.6), so there’s some balance achieved. Kershaw in 2015 was on one of the great heaters in pitching history: from 2011-17, he finished first, second, first, first, third, fifth, and second in Cy Young voting. He won ERA titles in five of those seven years, and in ’15 he was coming off an MVP award.
Those Dodgers had holes, though. They still won the NL West, but with just 92 wins, and they lost in the NLDS to the Mets. Kershaw and Greinke both pitched well in that series.
Kershaw will certainly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and Greinke should be.
1. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, 2001 Diamondbacks
When I started this exercise, the first duo that came to mind was Johnson and Schilling. I suspect that many of you went there first, too. Without having to tweak anything, they came out on top of my automated rankings.
That’s mostly due to Johnson, who was just absurdly good in 2001. That was the third of four straight years in which he won the NL Cy Young, and it was probably his best season: he was 21-6 and led the majors with a 2.49 ERA, 188 ERA+, 2.13 FIP, 1.009 WHIP, 6.5 H/9, 13.4 K/9, and an incredible 372 strikeouts. That’s the most strikeouts in a season in the last 53 years, but when Nolan Ryan struck out 383 batters in 1973, he did it in 326 innings. Johnson did it in 249 2/3.
(Only one other player has struck out that many batters in a post-1900 season: Sandy Koufax, in 1965, had 382 Ks in 335 2/3 innings.)
By the measure of fWAR, Johnson’s 2001 season is the sixth-best ever by a pitcher.
Schilling wasn’t as good as Johnson in 2001, but he was still pretty darn good. He was traded to Arizona halfway through the 2000 season, and while he’d been a very good pitcher with the Phillies in the ‘90s (he’d led the league in strikeouts twice), he ascended to another level in Arizona. It was Schilling who led the league in wins in ’01 with 22, and his 157 ERA+ was, to that point, the best of his career. (He’d surpass that, barely, two years later.) By bWAR, 2001 is Schilling’s best season at 8.8.
This duo is not remembered for what they did in the regular season, though. Their performances in that year’s Fall Classic are truly the stuff of legend. Here’s what they did in the first six games of the series:
Schilling, g4: 7 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K (ARI loses 4-3 in extras)
Johnson, g6: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K (ARI wins 15-2, series tied at 3)
Schilling started game seven and went 7 1/3 innings, struck out nine, didn’t walk any, and gave up two runs. Miguel Batista got the second out in the eighth before handing a 2-2 game over to Johnson, the day after he’d thrown 104 pitches in game six. He got four outs without allowing a baserunner, and the Diamondbacks walked off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth to win a classic.
This feels right. Johnson is a top ten pitcher of all time, and Schilling is probably in the top 20. They were both at or near their best in 2001, and they have the World Series to add to the legend.
Others of note
The first cut is from the 2002 Red Sox. That’s mostly because of Pedro Martínez, who I think was, between 1997 and 2003, the greatest starting pitcher of all time. But look at Derek Lowe, who was 21-8 with a 2.58 ERA (177 ERA+) in ’02, fresh off three years closing games for Boston.
In the Year of the Pitcher in 1968, Bob Gibson didn’t have a teammate worthy of duo status. But in the AL, the two best pitchers were on the same team: Luis Tiant and Sam McDowell, who both pitched for Cleveland, finished second and third in the league in ERA+.
I thought Koufax and Don Drysdale might be near the top, but their best seasons didn’t quite align. The closest they came was in 1964, but Koufax missed some time that season so his bWAR was a little lower than his other best years, and the formula had them at number 26.
There are two particularly balanced examples from recent history. One is Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee of the 2013 Phillies. They finished with 8.8 and 8.5 bWAR and ERA+ numbers of 163 and 160. The other is the 2017 Nationals, who had Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg with identical 178 ERA+ numbers (Scherzer had a 2.51 ERA, Strasburg 2.52). Scherzer led the NL in both versions of WAR that year and won his third Cy Young. Strasburg was just as good, but in 25 fewer innings.
Of note to Brewers fans is, of course, 2021, when Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff peaked at the same time. Because their bWAR numbers aren’t all that high (they each had 5.3), the formula doesn’t love that season (it’s ranked 48th). But Burnes and Woodruff were second and fourth in the league in ERA+, by far the best showing for any Brewers duo.
Misiorowski and Harrison probably won’t add their names to this list this season (a likely limit on both pitchers’ innings being a major obstacle), but who knows!
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 27: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a single during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I find it funny that anything you read about Justin Wrobleski said he didn’t strike anyone out this season, yet in the first inning last night, he struck out the side. The only reason for that is simple: that’s baseball.
PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 19: AJ Dybantsa #3 of the BYU Cougars dribbles the ball while being guarded by Nic Codie #10 of the Texas Longhorns during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is not difficult. Don’t get cute. Don’t get smart. Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins should keep it simple and just pick the guy they think is likely to be the best NBA player and move on to the next opportunity.
There are several reasons for this. For starters, decades of NBA Draft experience says that the answer to the question in the headline is simple: do not pick for fit. Washington Wizards general manager and the team’s decision-makers would be wise to accept this lesson, even in a year with multiple high-quality prospects.
BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is expected to the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. | Getty Images
The most famous blunder stemming from picking for fit was probably when the Portland Trail Blazers chose Kentucky center Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan because they thought they needed a center.
As former Indiana University head coach Bob Knight said, “Then play Jordan at center.”
This leads me to the second major reason to pick upside and talent over fit — team needs and fit is a moving target. The reality is that no team is so talented that they can’t use another great talent. If they’re truly having a positional logjam, they can always make a trade. It turns out, other teams will pay for talented players.
But even without injuries, team needs change fast. For example, look back to 2020 when the Wizards picked Deni Avdija over Tyrese Haliburton, in large reason because the front office at the time thought they were well-stocked at guard. After all, Bradley Beal was a two-time All-Star and John Wall was slated to return.
Their trade of Wall brought back Russell Westbrook — another guard.
Tyrese Halburton spent last season in street clothes recovering from an Achilles tear, but he should have been Washington’s first round pick in 2020. | Getty Images
The case for picking Avdija was that he had good size and and some guard-like skills, and that he’d pair well with Rui Hachimura as highly switchable forwards. That was the theory.
Except…well…Haliburton was the better prospect. No insult to Avdija but still. Haliburton was crazy productive in the NCAA, had an infectious and ebullient leadership style, and a funky-junky jumper and all-around game that just worked. He was All-Rookie, and in four seasons was a two-time All-Star, twice named All-NBA, and was the best player on a team that reached game seven of the NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, back in Washington, Westbrook wanted out after a season and suddenly the Wizards were back in the market for guards.
The point: needs change. Often fast.
The third major reason to pick talent over fit is that even savvy basketball executives have difficulty determining how players actually fit together — even when the players are established veterans. The Milwaukee Bucks paid a ransom for Damian Lillard because it seemed a sure thing that Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo would make a devastating pick-and-roll combo. On the court, they were kinda okay together but true synergy never coalesced.
The reality is that skilled players usually can figure out how to work together effectively. They can develop fit. Not always, of course — ego, money, health, and other factors come into play too. But that’s true even when positions and skills seem to fit like puzzle pieces. Think about Kyrie Irving asking for a trade after three straight trips to the NBA Finals, which included winning a championship. He wanted out from LeBron James’ considerable shadow despite what seemed to be an ideal on-court fit.
Could the Wizards pick Darryn Peterson with the No. 1 overall selection? | Getty Images
The fourth major reason: NBA teams are choosing young men in their late teens or early twenties. Most prospects — especially those at the top of the draft — have been the best player on virtually every team they’ve ever played on. Some guys will learn lessons from NBA-level competition and work themselves into stars. Some will adapt themselves into roles with varying degrees of responsibility. Others won’t rise to the challenge or they’ll get distracted and never become contributors.
Which is which is challenging enough without layering on guesses about how they’ll fit on court with other NBA players.
The only exception to the rule is if two or more prospects are essentially equals. Then go ahead and pick for a perceived positional need. This kind of thing is pretty rare, though. Especially at the top of the draft.
This year’s NBA draft is strong at the top. My stat-based prospect evaluation tool Ye Olde Draft Analyzer (YODA for short) has four players with grades consistent with being the number one overall pick in most drafts — Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson. But they’re not co-equals.
A strong majority of public-facing talent evaluators believe Dybantsa has the highest upside. The betting odds at FanDuel agree on the top pick and point towards a hierarchy of Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, and Wilson.
This doesn’t mean Dybantsa should be the pick. The lesson for the Wizards is to conduct a thorough evaluations, decide which of these prospects is most likely to have the best NBA career, and then pick that guy. Let the coach and the players figure out how to make it work on the floor. Make a trade down the road if they can’t. But don’t waste time guessing at perceived fit. The first step in building a great basketball team is collecting talent.
The Hens offense had a good night, but Carl Edwards Jr. and the Hens bullpen did not.
Edwards Jr. is being stretched out as a starter for whatever reason. Probably because Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg liked him as a Cubs reliever nearly a decade ago. Anyway, he got shelled right out of the gate much like his last outing and was pulled before the first inning was over. Scott Effross allowed two run in the second, and so it was 6-0 real quickly.
It was 7-0 by the time the Hens got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Max Anderson drilled an opposite field homer, and two batters later Jace Jung launched his seventh of the year to make it 7-2 Columbus. Corey Julks immediately followed with another solo shot, and Tomás Nido doubled. Kerry Carpenter singled to right to get Nido to third, and Ben Malgeri doubled in Nido to make it a 7-4 game.
Anderson was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the fifth, and two batter later Jung cracked a two-run shot, his second of the game. 7-6 Columbus.
Lael Lockhart Jr. allowed two runs in the eighth, and Luke Ritter one in the ninth. The Hens got a run in the bottom of the eighth when Tyler Gentry singled against Daniel Espino and Trei Cruz doubled him in.
Carpenter went 1 for 2 with a pair of walks and a strikeout in his first rehab game with the Hens. Trei Cruz had the double and two strikeouts. Cruz shouldn’t be too far from readiness, particularly as the Tigers need him to play shortstop and center field, so all he has to do is be slightly more effective than Zack Short.
Jung: 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR, BB, K
Julks: 2-5, R, RBI, HR, 3 K
Cruz: 1-5, RBI, 2B, 2 K
Clark: 1-4, BB
Edwards (L, 1-4): 0.2 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start at Fifth Third on Saturday with the Clippers up 3-1 in the series.
The Baysox clobbered lefty Carlos Peña in this one, and they found that clobbering pitchers was fun. So they continue to add on as they ran away with this one.
Peña got through the first, but the second was just a parade of hits that wouldn’t end. He didn’t even walk a batter, but the Baysox racked up seven runs in the second inning, knocking him out of the game.
Luke Taggart took over, but left in the fourth with two on, and Johan Simon got a grounder that went for an error on first baseman Chris Meyers to plate another run. Eric Silva gave up another in the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, Justice Bigbie doubled to lead off and a flyout and a ground out were enough to score him. Thayron Liranzo has been red hot the past few weeks after a slow start, and he crushed his seventh homer of the year, this one right-handed, in the seventh. That’s six homers in Liranzo’s last 12 games.
Thayron Liranzo goes to the opposite field for his 7th home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/uzaIPNbURN
Catcher Aaron Antonini pitched 2.1 innings, which tells you all you need to know really. First baseman Andrew Jenkins got the final two out.
Liranzo: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB, K
Bigbie: 1-3, R, 2B, BB
Peña (L, 3-2): 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday.
West Michigan Whitecaps 4, Lansing Lugnuts 2 (box)
Carlos Marcano gave the Whitecaps a solid short start and the bullpen held up in this one as they evened the series on Friday.
Marcano needed 55 pitches to work through three innings, and for whatever reason the Tigers refuse to stretch their pitchers out. He allowed just one hit and two walks, striking out four in a scoreless outing.
Caleb Shpur doubled and then stole third in the third inning. Woody Hadeen singled him in for a 1-0 lead.
Lefty Ethan Sloan allowed the Lugnuts to tie it up in the fourth, but bounced back with a scoreless fifth inning. Doubles from Ricardo Hurtado and Garrett Pennington in the sixth made it 2-1 ‘Caps. In the eighth, they loaded the bases and a two-run single from Clayton Campbell made it 4-1.
Kelvis Salcedo’s command just wasn’t there in this one. The offense made a nice push late to come back, but couldn’t complete the task.
Salcedo just couldn’t find a groove in this one. His fastball velocity was down, and while he only walked one in three innings of work, he was behind in counts though much of his outing. He gave up a solo shot in the second inning, and three runs in the third before departing. Jatnk Diaz settled things down in the fourth, but then surrendered a pair of runs in the fifth. So it was 6-0 Cardinals at that point, and Yendy Gomez balked in another in the sixth.
Zach MacDonald continues to mash and play a good center field. He crushed a rocket to left in the top of the seventh for his 12th home run on the year with Beau Ankeney board. 7-2 Cardinals.
In the eighth Newremberg Rondon (I can’t help but think Nuremberg) doubled to lead off the inning and singles from catcher Hunter Dobbins and Jordan Yost singled in Rondon. The Cardinals went back to their pen, but Jude Warwick greeted Jesus Garcia with a double to left to plate Dobbins. Yost was thrown out trying to go first to home, but Warwick took third on that play, and Nick Dumesnil lifted a sacrifice fly to score him.
So it was 7-5, but the Flying Tigers couldn’t muster anything more.
MacDonald: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, K
Yost: 1-4, RBI, K
Dobbins: 1-2, R, BB
Salcedo (L, 0-2): 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, BB, K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday with Palm Beach leading the series 3-1.
Aleiman Cruz gave the Tigers a very good start and they pounded out 14 hits to crush the Yankees on Friday. Cruz scattered three hits and no walks over four innings of scoreless work, striking out five.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees stands next to Nick Kurtz #16 of the Athletics at first base in the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park on May 29, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Just as it looked like the Yankees were swooning, they’ve pulled out of it. Five straight wins will do that, with New York now within 1.5 games of Tampa Bay and one off their highwater mark above .500 for the season. It’s times like these that the club’s stellar starting rotation feels so imposing; coming off a quick stretch in which Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole, and Cam Schlittler all shoved, the Yankees can casually toss out another player with an ERA that’s threatening to go under 3 in Ryan Weathers tonight. When your starting pitching gives you a great chance to win every night, well, you’re gonna win a lot of games.
It’ll be another long day’s journey into night today, with the Yankees and A’s facing off at 10 pm EST. Before that, Andrew will get you caught up with today’s Rivalry Roundup, and Matt’s profile of Rube Oldring will be the next entry in our Yankee Birthday series. Later, John analyzes the opening salvos in the CBA negotiations from the MLBPA and the league, Josh discusses The Backup Catcher situation, and Kento analyzes Amed Rosario’s quality work at the plate.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Athletics
Time: 10:05 p.m. EST
TV: YES Network, NBCSCA
Venue: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, CA
Questions/Prompts:
1. Have Carlos Rodón’s back-to-back solid starts convinced you that he’s all the way back?
2. The A’s, at 27-30, are just one game back of first in the AL West. Who do you favor in this division of sub.-500 clubs?
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
Feb 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) moves the ball against Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
This one is a bit personal for me.
I’ve been a Nikola Vučević fan since he was traded from Philadelphia to Orlando, and for years I hoped the Montenegrin big man would eventually suit up for the Boston Celtics. That trade to Orlando happened back in 2012, when I was still in high school. Fast forward 14 years, and the wish finally came true when Boston acquired Vučević.
Unfortunately, 12 games into his Celtics tenure, Vučević suffered a fractured right ring finger against the Dallas Mavericks and missed the next 14 games.
In the 16 regular-season games he played for Boston, Vučević averaged 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and two assists while shooting 34% from 3-point range and 43.9% from the field.
The numbers don’t jump out, but there are plenty of explanations as to why he wasn’t an instant fit.
The biggest factor was the injury. Vučević simply didn’t get enough time on the court with his new teammates to learn everyone’s tendencies and settle into the system. From the moment he arrived in Boston, he was already playing catch-up.
Vučević has never been known as a great defender, so adjusting to Joe Mazzulla’s system was always going to take time. With such a strong emphasis on communication and knowing every assignment, he needed reps that he ultimately never got. By the time he returned from injury, he had only four games left in the regular season to ramp up before the playoffs began.
Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens also acknowledged the impact the injury had on Vučević’s season. “He’s our only unrestricted free agent. I thought, obviously, getting traded here when he did, he had some moments. Broke his finger, that probably set him back,” Stevens said.
There were flashes during the season that showed what Vučević could bring to the roster. Against Brooklyn, he posted 28 points and 11 rebounds. In his Celtics debut against Miami, he recorded a double-double in a win.
In the playoffs, though, Vučević struggled.
Facing the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round was never an ideal matchup for him, and that showed throughout most of the series. His season ultimately ended with a DNP-CD in Game 7.
“This was a hard matchup for all of us. I think when I looked at it the other day, he ended up being a plus in the series, but it was back and forth with all those guys,” Stevens said.
“I thought Vuč gave us all that he had and did what we asked. It was a hard matchup,” Stevens added. “I have a lot of respect for Vuč as a person and as a pro. I know he was really good in our locker room. I thought he was a really good person to have around.”
As the team’s lone unrestricted free agent, it’ll be interesting to see what Vučević prioritizes this offseason. Is it money? A contender? A mix of both?
If the Celtics want him back, they can certainly offer him a chance to compete for another title, though it would likely need to come on a team-friendly contract, if not a veteran minimum deal.
If Vučević is open to returning, I’d be all for bringing him back on a reasonable contract. He’s still a solid frontcourt option and could provide valuable depth alongside Neemias Queta and Luka Garza.
Golden Knights
Hurricanes
