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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings' training camp and preseason are officially behind us, and the 2026-27 regular season is set to start again.

There's excitement surrounding the team in California's capital for their upcoming season following a tumultuous 2025-26 that saw injuries and losses pile up. In turn, it resulted in one of the worst seasons in Kings history since moving to Sacramento in 1985, finishing 22-60.

But now they have a clean slate. 0-0. It's a new day. There's a newfound energy that fills the Kings' practice facility at Golden 1 Center. And a reason to be hopeful that the Kings won't be as bad as they were in the previous year.

"Everyone's excited," Domantas Sabonis told USA TODAY. "There was a lot of guys who were hurt. A lot of guys that didn't play above like 20 games. So just being out there. Everyone's happy to be out there, you know go out there and do what you love."

Sabonis appeared in just 19 games with a torn left meniscus injury, Keegan Murray only played 23 games mostly due to an ankle injury. Zach LaVine missed half the season with a right pinky injury. All three have reported to camp healthy, ready to compete. Second-year center Maxime Raynaud did have a setback with a right knee injury in a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, but he'll be reevaluated in a week.

They recently lost newly signed former All-Star Ben Simmons after he sustained a torn Achilles injury that is believed to be a season-ending injury for Simmons.

The Kings' offseason wasn't very busy; it did have some moments. It was highlighted by the retirement of Russell Westbrook, a contract buyout for DeMar DeRozan and their 2026 draft class featuring No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff Jr.

With their offseason acquisitions and multiple players returning from last year, there's good reason why the Kings won't be as terrible as they were in the previous year, despite the considerable loss of Ben Simmons. Here's what the Kings need in the 2026-27 season:

At Madison Square Garden last night, the Knicks unveiled their 2025-26 NBA Champions banner, gave out some very fancy rings, and they even threw in an NBA Cup banner as well because hell, why not? It was a season for the ages. Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice were in attendance. Remember when the Yankees had events like these? Granted, the most recent ones phased out a championship flag going up a flagpole and just stuck to the rings, which I thought was unfortunate. That was fun! Oh well. Maybe we’ll see another one someday.

It’s a shorter day for us on the site today, but don’t miss Kevin running through the disappointment of Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s 2026 season (which was not a 50-50 season) and Kento wishing a happy birthday to a fella named Eddie Ford. Whitey would have turned 98 today, and it feels fitting that he and his pal Mickey Mantle had birthdays within one day of each other, albeit with Mantle three years younger. What a twosome they made for opposing teams to have to deal with in the 1950s.

Today’s Playoff Matchup:

Offday.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Did you watch any of the Knicks’ championship ceremony last night?

2. Here’s an Immaculate Grid-esque question: Who is the first player that comes to mind who played for both the Brewers and Rays?

Duke fans were understandably dazzled by the precocious and highly athletic play of freshman Deron Rippey, as he led Duke to a dominant win over Tennessee. You have to be mindful of the hype this early, but it’s inevitable that he’s going to get a lot of comparisons. We talked about his game having elements of Johnny Dawkins, Jason Williams, and Allen Iverson.

Rippey’s not really built like Dawkins or Williams. Dawkins was, and is, incredibly lean. Williams was explosive and muscular.

He’s somewhat closer to Iverson. Like Iverson, Rippey is deceptively strong. He debuted a much shorter hairstyle against Tennessee, which made his lean, muscular build much more apparent, and you saw an ability to maneuver in very tight spaces like Iverson. AI’s been retired since 2013, so a lot of people have forgotten how great he was in his prime. Here’s a reminder.

We don’t know if Rippey will ever get close to this, much less consistently, but on Tuesday night, we got a pretty good idea of his potential, and it’s considerable.

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Who's next? It's a question that lingers over every NBA season, but perhaps never more so than at the dawn of a new one.

The 2026-27 campaign begins this week after the NBA crowned a ninth different champion in nine years when the New York Knicks captured the 2026 NBA Finals. Despite the spotlight on New York, Victor Wembanyama remains at the forefront of the league conversation entering the season as the San Antonio Spurs star continues his ascent toward becoming the NBA's next dominant force.

Older superstars such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry are still among the league's biggest attractions, while established stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Jalen Brunson are squarely in their primes. But the NBA's next generation continues to gain ground, a trend reflected in USA TODAY Sports' Top 100 player rankings entering the season.

Twenty-five players under the age of 25 made the list, led by Wembanyama. The rankings also feature three teenagers, two members of the 2026 draft class and multiple young stars expected to shape the NBA's future for years to come.

Here's a look at the top 25 NBA players under 25, according to USA TODAY Sports.

The arena was amped, the fans were in their seats early, but the San Antonio Spurs laid a dud in the first half and could never recover as they suffered a 116-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Frost Bank Center on Tuesday night.

San Antonio shot just 29 percent in the first half, including a dismal 31 percent from three-point range in the opening 12 minutes. The Spurs began the second half on a 14-3 run to cut a 26-point deficit to just seven points, but turnovers and mistakes would halt their momentum as Oklahoma City built up their lead back to 15 points later in the period.

Victor Wembanyama suffered his worst shooting performance of his young career, finishing with 12 points on 1-13 shooting (7%) and 13 rebounds. After the game, Head Coach Mitch Johnson declined to cast blame solely on his star player. 

“I think everybody struggled pretty equally,” Johnson said when asked about Wembanyama’s performance. “I know his field goal [percentage] will stand out, but we all participated in that one.”

Johnson said his team did not come out firing as expected, saying the Spurs may have been a bit excited and could not properly channel that energy when needed.

“It didn’t feel very connected,” he said. “Execution wasn’t very good, and I thought we competed and played hard, just didn’t feel like we put our energy in the right places.

Stephon Castle, who led the Spurs with 24 points on 9-for-20 shooting, agreed with his coach’s assessment of the game.

“I think that we got excited with shots,” Castle said of the offensive struggles. “We were taking the first one instead of making them work on defense and finding a better shot.”

Despite Johnson not wanting it to stick, Wembanyama’s poor night was the highlight of the evening. Last season, he averaged 18.4 points per game during the regular season against the Thunder. After the game, the Spurs’ big man admitted he did not feel like himself for most of the night.

“I need to go back to playing the basketball I like,” Wembanyama said. “This is not the sport I like right here. I’ve got no reason to be hesitant, no reason to not be myself. I’m good when I have fun. I missed a lot of shots I usually don’t miss. But after that, I didn’t go back to these shots, and I wasn’t decisive. I might be overthinking it. I don’t need to do more. I need to think less probably.”

Wemby added that he did not feel like himself, and when asked he said “for many reasons” but did not go into it.

Oklahoma City’s defense was a tough nut to crack for the Spurs, but their offense was led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32 points on 48 percent shooting from the floor. Jared McCain added 20 points, including going 6-for-8 from deep. Chet Holmgren rebounded from a poor Western Conference Finals to score 14 points and pull down seven boards.

With Wembanyama struggling, the Spurs’ three-guard lineup trio of Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper combined for 56 of San Antonio’s 104 points on the night. Devin Vassell had a poor night with seven points on 25 percent shooting.

“We can’t get away with these type of mistakes against a team like this,” Wembanyama said.

With one game down and 81 left to play, the Spurs will hope that their clunker will be behind them early, and they can learn and move on. Who waits for them next? Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in Austin on Friday night.

“It’s good to get the first one (bad game) out of the way,” Johnson said. “Got a lot of tape to look at and learn from.”

Game Notes

• Despite the loss, the Spurs fans made the Frost Bank Center feel like Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals all over again. It was loud from the opening tip and when the Spurs made their second half comeback attempt. Nice job, Spurs faithful!
• Dylan Harper hobbled over to the bench in the second half after grimacing, but was only out for a few moments before returning to finish the game.
• Carter Bryant had a few moments where he shined and others where he still is showing some growing pains. This will be a big season for the second year player and he’s one I am keeping my eye on as the season goes on.
• I know fans may overreact to this game, but breathe. Let’s see how the team responds to the loss in Austin on Friday.
  

LeBron James scored 14 points on his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers as they defeated champions the New York Knicks on the NBA season's opening night.

The 41-year-old James, entering a record-extending 24th season in the league with his fourth team after his summer move from the LA Lakers, also racked up seven assists as his new side triumphed 106-100.

Tyrese Maxey top-scored with 28 points for the 76ers, while Jaylen Brown, who also made his debut after joining the 76ers from the Boston Celtics in a high profile trade for Paul George, scored 19 points with eight rebounds and six assists.

The Knicks enjoyed title celebrations prior to the match, raising their third title banner to the rafters at Madison Square Garden in the presence of a crowd that included celebrity Knicks fans Ben Stiller and Spike Lee.

The Knicks ended a 53-year title drought with their victory over the San Antonio Spurs in last season's NBA Finals but were unable to open their season with a win as the 76ers held out after taking the lead in the third quarter.

Jalen Brunson led the scoring for the Knicks with 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns picked up 19 points with 12 rebounds.

"I could be a lot better," James told broadcaster NBC. "Still getting my rhythm, obviously just a little bit over two weeks with the new squad.

"But I like the way we played. I think we played exceptionally well, especially defensively."

In the opening match of the NBA's 81st season, the Detroit Pistons fought back in the second half to win 121-113 against the Boston Celtics.

Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren added 22 points each and Duncan Robinson scored 15 of his 21 in the fourth quarter as the home side secured their victory with a 23-0 scoring run.

Celtics debutant Paul George scored 38 points for his new side in a match between last season's top two regular-season teams.

In the night's final encounter, back-to-back NBA most valuable player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they completed a 116-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Stephon Castle top-scored for the Spurs with 24 points but his side were unable to match the form that saw them put out defending champions Thunder in last season's Western Conference finals.

Victor Wembanyama made just one basket in 13 attempts for the Spurs but contributed 13 rebounds and six blocked shots and scored 12 points largely thanks to 10 free throws.

"Obviously, this is the team that eliminated us from achieving our goal," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

"But for us, I think it was more like we're just happy to be back. It's a longer summer when you don't win and we felt that this summer."