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Former Virginia coach Tony Bennett, who led the Cavaliers to the 2019 national title, has been hired by the Lakers as an NBA draft advisor to Rob Pelinka, the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager. Bennett’s record was 364-136 from 2009-24.

“As we refine and build out our NBA draft and scouting processes, we could think of no better basketball mind than Tony Bennett to have as a resource," Pelinka said in a statement. "Tony’s track record of forming culture, with high-character, high-skill and high-IQ players is revered and respected across all basketball circles. Tony will be an incredible asset to our basketball leadership, to our scouts and to our draft department as a whole. We are truly excited."

Virginia honored Bennett in a ceremony before Saturday's 86-83 win over Miami, naming the court at John Paul Jones Arena after him.

Bennett was the AP national coach of the year in 2007 and 2018. He led Virginia to six ACC regular-season championships. He previously coached at Washington State from 2006-09.

“When Rob and I began talking, what stood out to me was the chance to help out such a storied organization,” Bennett said in a statement. “The Lakers carry a tradition that speaks for itself, so to be connected to it and assist Rob and the Lakers in any way I can is exciting.”

Bennett played under his father, Dick Bennett, at Wisconsin-Green Bay before playing four years in the NBA, including three for Charlotte from 1992-95.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Each season, the NBA’s Most Improved Player award signals the arrival of a rising star – a player who has taken a meaningful leap forward from contributor to franchise cornerstone.

Recent winners such as Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant and Tyrese Maxey have combined for over 25 All-Star appearances. Antetokounmpo, of course, went on to win multiple MVP awards and lead the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA Championship – a reminder that this honor often precedes true superstardom.

This year’s race appears similarly compelling. The top three contenders all rank inside the league’s top 33 in Value Over Replacement Player, indicating that their improvement on the court has translated into tangible on-court value, not just inflated counting stats.

Using FTN’s new NBA StatsHub, let’s break down this year’s NBA Most Improved Player candidates and determine whose leap has been the most impressive as the regular season enters its stretch run.

Defining the Award

According to NBA.com, the Most Improved Player award is intended to recognize an ascending player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons – often one whose growth has directly contributed to his team’s success.

Since the 2011-2012 lockout-shortened campaign, only one player has won the award while playing on a team that finished with fewer than 37 wins, reinforcing the importance of team context in the voting process.

Last year’s winner, Dyson Daniels, was a relative outlier. He joined Pascal Siakam as the only players in the past decade to capture the award while averaging fewer than 20 points per game. Daniels’ candidacy was bolstered by elite defensive production, highlighted by his 3.1 steals per game.

Overall, Daniels improved his per-game averages by 8.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals – a statistical jump that helped the Hawks improve their record by four wins from the year prior.

Using the above historical framework as context, we turn to NBA StatsHub to evaluate this season’s leading contenders.

Jalen Johnson (+110, DraftKings)

FGOE: +2.1%
PTOE: +0.7
Team Record: 29-31

Jalen Johnson has emerged as one of the league’s breakout stars this season, posting career-highs across the board with 23.0 points, 10.6 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game. He and Nikola Jokić are the only players averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists this season, putting Johnson in rare elite company.

The advanced metrics reinforce that production. Johnson owns a +2.1% Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation, indicating that his scoring efficiency exceeds league-average expectations based on shot quality. He ranks eighth in the league in the NBA in Value Over Replacement Player, a strong signal of all-around impact. Among Hawks players with at least 600 minutes logged, only Dyson Daniels (+7.3) has a better Net Rating than Johnson (+4.3).

Johnson’s improvement isn’t confined to one area – he has scaled his role while maintaining efficiency, contributing as a scorer, rebounder and facilitator. Entering the stretch run, he has positioned himself as the clear frontrunner for this award.

Jalen Duren (+360, DraftKings)

FGOE: +4.6%
PTOE: +1.0
Team Record: 42-14

The primary case for Jalen Duren centers on his role as the No. 2 option on the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. Team success has historically carried weight in Most Improved Player voting, and Duren’s scoring jump has coincided with Detroit’s rise to the top of the Eastern Conference.

However, players of Duren’s archetype have rarely captured this award. The last traditional center to win Most Improved Player was Jermaine O’Neal in 2002. Unlike perimeter creators, interior finishers are often more dependent on playmaking around them to generate efficient scoring opportunities. Cade Cunningham’s emergence as an elite facilitator has undoubtedly played a role in Duren’s scoring increase from 11.8 points per game last season to 18.0 this year.

It’s also worth noting that Duren averaged 11.6 rebounds during the 2023-2024 campaign, compared to 10.5 rebounds this season. While his efficiency metrics are strong – +4.6% Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation – the overall statistical leap is less comprehensive than some of his peers. Based on historical precedent, he would be an outlier if he were to win this award in 2026.

Deni Avdija (+450, DraftKings)

FGOE: +0.1%
PTOE: 0.0
Team Record: 28-31

Like the other candidates in this year’s Most Improved Player race, Deni Avdija is enjoying a career-best campaign. He has increased his scoring by 7.5 points per game compared to last season while nearly doubling his previous career-high in assists.

However, much of that statistical growth appears to be volume-driven rather than efficiency-driven. Avdija ranks 151st out of 273 qualified players in Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation and 147th in Points Over Expectation, indicating that his scoring has largely aligned with expectation rather than exceeding it.

Defensively, Avidja has struggled, too. Portland’s defensive rating is 7.2 points better with him off of the floor this season, and he is tied for the second-lowest defensive rating on the Trail Blazers in FTN’s Player Ratings.

Health is another complicating factor. Avidja has played meaningful minutes in only one game since the All-Star break and appears likely to miss additional time while managing a bothersome back injury, which could limit his ability to build momentum in the race.

The Takeaway

NBA StatsHub illustrates that Johnson has improved across the board while maintaining strong efficiency metrics as a scorer, rebounder and a facilitator.

Duren’s role on a top-seeded team strengthens his candidacy, but historically, voters have leaned towards players who create offense independently rather than those whose production is heavily tied to surrounding playmaking.

Avdija’s statistical jump is notable, yet his efficiency profile and recent back injury make his path to the award more complicated.

The NBA’s Most Improved Player award has historically rewarded meaningful, measurable leaps in production – not merely expanded opportunity. When evaluating this year’s top contenders using recent precedent, Jalen Johnson is a clear standout among his peers.

When Lon Rosen was in his role as executive president and chief marketing officer of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he "only dreamed" of having the reach that the Los Angeles Lakers have.

Fourteen years and three World Series championships later, Rosen is returning to the Lakers -- the same organization where he started his three-decade career as an intern -- as their new president of business operations. The first piece of new owner Mark Walter's front office overhaul is officially in place.

"Let's face it," he told reporters. "I'm very fortunate to be involved with two very iconic global brands."

Rosen spoke with a small handful of beat reporters on Tuesday night in a wide-ranging, 20-minute conversation. These are the biggest takeaways:

New Lakers exec: Lakers hiring Dodgers exec as new president of business operations

It’s been said that hindsight is 20/20.

Is it?

It likely depends on how far removed you are from what you’re trying to see. The past is a vacuous concept. Anything you do is in the past a milesecond later. Perhaps it’s most accurate to say that hindsight will eventually be 20/20.

Is it time to relitigate the Kevin Durant trade yet?

Probably not. We won’t have a comprehensive picture of the decision for another couple of years. That said, we’re over halfway through the first season of The Durant Experience. We can introduce the topic.

So, let’s.

Rockets didn’t spare much for Durant

It would not be fair to look at Jalen Green’s stats.

(Proceeds to take just a little peek at Jalen Green’s stats).

The former Rockets guard has played 11 games in the Valley. He’s averaging 24.8 points per 75 possessions, which is good, with a 46.1 True Shooting % (TS%), which is…

Unspeakably awful? Impervious to hyperbole?

Bad. It’s very bad.

Yet, it seems likely that injuries have hampered Green. He looks compromised. That’s unfortunate, but it’s only rational to observe that this looks like a wasted season for a 24-year-old with no time to waste.

Would he have gotten hurt in Houston? Now you’re invoking The Butterfly Effect. It’s too speculative, even if watching Green in Houston often felt like being in an episode of Punk’d.

(Ashton Kutcher).

Dillon Brooks is having a career year. He’s averaging 20.9 points per game. The Rockets miss Brooks. His point-of-attack defense would be useful this year. Put a pin in that.

Khaman Maluach is averaging 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. That said, there’s no reason to assume Houston would have drafted Maluach. They could have picked Cedric “I’m not a” Coward, who’s been sensational for the Grizzlies, and was selected one spot later.

Again, we’re getting too hypothetical. Other than Coward, there’s nobody left on the board you’d look at and even entertain over having Kevin Durant, besides Derek Queen, who distinctly could not play alongside Alperen Sengun. For argument’s sake, let’s say Houston gave up Green, Brooks, and the median player picked between 10th and, say, 20th in a wide-open 2025 NBA Draft for Kevin Durant.

Mistake?

Rockets’ Durant trade is aging…decently?

I’ll say this: I’d rather have Coward and Brooks than Durant right now.

Call it a hot take. Coward is young and very much a player the Rockets’ young core could conceptually use. The Rockets could gradually phase Green out as they phased Coward in. They’d have less intense expectations and a clearer future outlook.

Now, they’re downright confusing. Is this team operating on Durant’s time, or the young guns? We’ve been over this ad nauseam, but if Houston hadn’t made the Durant trade, we wouldn’t have to.

That said…

If we assume Houston doesn’t draft Coward, this was still (in my opinion) the right decision. A flailing Green, good veteran, and some kind of Noa Essengue or Joan Beringer (both intriguing young players, to be clear) remains an excellent price for Kevin Durant.

Some fans will evaluate strictly through the lens of result. It seems more reasonable to factor process into your analysis. The Rockets made this deal under the pretense that it gave them a fighting chance of winning an NBA title in 2025-26. Fred VanVleet’s injury dashed those dreams.

If you’re still a Green truther…I don’t know what to tell you. It would be generous to say that he’s on track to be Zach LaVine. If you’re unfamiliar with LaVine, he’s the guy who averages 20 points per game every year and, somehow, is untradeable at the deadline because of how little impact he has on his team’s success.

That’s not to say Green can’t succeed. Any number larger than zero is not zero. There’s a non-zero chance he wins an MVP award in his career, but it’s likely less than one percent. The more likely result is that the centerpiece of the Durant deal is a player the Rockets won’t miss.

They had lots of time to draw that conclusion.

The Golden State Warriors wrap up their brief road trip on Wednesday night with a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. Tip-off is set for 4:30 PM PT in Memphis and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Previously with the Warriors:

Golden State had a chance to make it two wins in a row but ultimately came up short in their 113–109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Playing without Stephen Curry once again, the Warriors had to find ways to generate offense, and De’Anthony Melton answered the call with a team-high 28 points.

However, in a tight game where every possession mattered, turnovers proved costly for Golden State. The Warriors committed 20 turnovers, which the Pelicans converted into 18 points. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr emphasized the importance of taking care of the ball as the team continues to navigate injuries and a shortened rotation.

What to watch for tonight:

The Warriors will remain shorthanded for at least one more game, as Melton has been ruled out on the second night of a back-to-back. Al Horford, however, is expected to return after sitting out Tuesday’s game for load management.

Horford will look to build on his recent strong performance against the Denver Nuggets when he knocked down five threes and finished with 22 points. His floor spacing could be especially important against a Memphis team that is dealing with injuries to multiple frontcourt players, including starting center Zach Edey.

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, have lost six of their last seven games and are 0–2 against Golden State this season, giving the Warriors a solid opportunity to bounce back and close the trip on a positive note.

Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!! 

Projected Starters

Warriors: Pat Spencer, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, Draymond Green

Grizzlies: Ty Jerome, Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells, GG Jackson, Kyle Anderson

How to watch Regular Season Game 59

Who: Golden State Warriors (30 – 28) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (21 – 35)

When: Wednesday, February 25th, at 4:30 p.m. PT

Where: FedExForum — Memphis, Tennessee

TV and Streaming: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing some of their best basketball of the season, but could be hitting another bump in the road.

James Harden had his right thumb wrapped during postgame interviews after the team’s win over the New York Knicks. Now we know why.

The team announced on Wednesday afternoon that Harden injured his right thumb on Tuesday. X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture of the distal phalanx. Harden will undergo treatment and is questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

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A non-displaced fracture is a broken bone, but that bone hasn’t shifted or moved. It’s still in place. And the break occurred at the tip of the thumb, which is preferable to having it break lower.

The severity of the break will determine how long it takes for a full recovery. It could heal completely in two weeks or could be closer to four.

Right now, it seems like Harden could be attempting to play through it given that he’s listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, which is an option. He could do so with a brace on it.

It’s also worth pointing out that Harden is left-handed. The injury is on his non-dominant hand, which is obviously preferable.

The Cavs are still working through how to best play with Harden, and they don’t have much time to figure it all out with only 23 games left. Missing a few weeks with an injury would be costly for a team trying to put the pieces together.

At the same time, the Cavs need to be fully healthy heading into the playoffs. This team won’t likely reach its ultimate goal. There’s pros and cons to either approach.

Harden has played seven games with the Cavs. He’s averaging 18.9 points and 8 assists on .494/.488/.867 shooting splits.

When the Dallas Mavericks traded Anthony Davis, they were mocked for the sheer lack of assets they acquired. Most expected that the trade would only amount to salary cap relief, but the Mavericks may have found something extra.

That cherry on top, was Marvin Bagley.

In his 6 games with the Dallas Mavericks, Bagley has averaged an impressive 13.5 points, and 8.5 rebounds, all while only playing 23 minutes per game. This may have come as a shock to many Mavericks fans, as Bagley’s reputation is of a bust who was drafted before Luka Doncic. But this “breakout” isn’t that surpirising.

Bagley has slowly evolved as a player since he was drafted, having to completely change his role after being taken 2nd overall. Many hoped that Bagley could develop into the next dominant two-way superstar, believing that his offensive game would rapidly improve.

But it never did, leading to most labeling him as a bust within just a few years. It also didn’t help that he was drafted ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young, both players being passed over by Kings G.M. Vlade Divac.

So how did Bagley turn his career around?

By focusing on the things that top 3 picks do not often do.

Bagley has become everything you want in a backup big man, from incredibly high effort, to defensive switch-ability. His touch around the rim is also a breath of fresh air, as watching Daniel Gafford or Moussa Cisse attempt jump-hooks is maddening. Bagley’s rebounding, especially on the offensive end has been sorely lacking since Dereck Lively got hurt. His box score numbers don’t look all that impressive, but the advanced metrics tell a different story. Bagley grades very highly in most defensive playmaking metrics, and players shoot 8 percentage points worse when he is contesting a shot, according to Databallr.

So, it seems obvious that he should be resigned this offseason, but it may not be that easy. Since Bagley is on a minimum contract, the Mavericks only have his non Bird Rights, meaning they can only offer him 3.7 million next season, according to MavsCBA. This means the only way they can bring back is to pay him part of the Mid-Level Exception. This brings another set of problems, as it would be ideal for the Mavericks to find one high end role player with the MLE, rather than splitting it into two.

But there may be a solution.

This solution is to shuffle the deck of your existing role players. Instead of using the MLE to find a 3-and-D wing, use either Gafford, or P.J. Washington, allowing the Mavericks to use the MLE money on Bagley. While this may seem like a winding process to sign a backup big man, it’s something that should happen anyway, regardless of Bagley.

If they do manage to resign Bagley, a center duo of him and Dereck Lively becomes very interesting, if Lively can stay healthy. Rather than having two centers who do the exact same things, the Mavericks could have real versatility, with centers who have very different skillsets.

Either way, it has been fun to watch a player find his role in the NBA, and no matter what team he plays for next season, Marvin Bagley III has found a home in the league.