MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 07: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic goes to the basket against Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half at FedExForum on October 07, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Wednesday, the Memphis Grizzlies, featuring Cameron Boozer, fresh off a sensational freshman year for Duke, took on the Orlando Magic.
The star of the Magic is another member of the Brotherhood, Paolo Banchero, and after the game, he had this to say about Memphis’s prize rookie:
“He looked pro ready, definitely composed. Thought he just played very good basketball, played within himself, took the right shots. Yeah, I think Memphis has something to be excited about with him.”
It’s still the preseason, and by definition, it’s really early in the NBA season. Still, we’ve seen a number of NBA veterans say really positive things about the rising young star.
On Friday, the Grizzlies play Chicago, where Boozer will again encounter former AAU teammate and ACC rival Caleb Wilson. That should be interesting, to say the least.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 08: James Wiseman #35 of the New York Knicks looks to pass as Felix Okpara #34 of the Washington Wizards defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden on October 08, 2026 in New York City. The Wizards won 111-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Knicks are back to playing basketball and are less than two weeks away from opening night. They’ve started 0-2, which nobody really cares about, but we’ve also now seen enough minutes from the exhibition matches to get a glimpse of who the winners and losers have been in the early portion of the preseason.
Winner: Jalen Brunson and his wrist
Should anyone have really doubted or even been remotely worried about Brunson’s offseason wrist surgery? No, the captain has repeatedly been the definition of reliable. So it was ridiculous to ever think that Brunson wouldn’t be prepared or would look off coming off of his injury. But fans are unreasonable. And also, he is a 30 year-old who had an operation on his shooting hand.
Fortunately for Knicks fans, though, he’s looked as good as any other Knicks. His three-point shot was off against the Wizards as he went just 1-for-6. But Brunson looks like he’s in midseason form. He’s taking his usual shots, which include, but aren’t limited to, driving layups, floaters, mid-range fadeaways, and pull-up threes, and he’s looked comfortable and confident in doing so. Defensively, he’s started the preseason giving good effort, and he’s already drawn multiple charges as well. Brunson and his wrist seem to be doing just fine.
Loser: Pacome Dadiet and his trade value
Coming into training camp and preseason, there couldn’t have been many expectations for Dadiet. He’s now had two full seasons of pretty much being non-existent. His Summer League left a lot to be desired. And he played worse than most fans could’ve imagined during the World Cup qualifiers for the Ivory Coast team. Yet even after all that, he’s found a way to disappoint so far in preseason. In the preseason opener, the team was clearly trying to give him an opportunity to either increase his trade value or at least win some spot minutes, and he failed to do that. And he wasn’t much better in game two against the Wizards.
It’s only been two games, but they’ve both been a failure for Dadiet. He’s scored just nine total points in 30 minutes of play and is shooting just 28.6% from the field without standing out as a playmaker, rebounder, or defender. Dadiet’s path to being a rotation player in New York was pretty thin to begin with. But whatever opportunity he had to at least help the team out by increasing his trade value may be slipping away now too.
Winner: Landry Shamet
Shamet is coming off of two straight training camps where his job wasn’t even guaranteed. He’s battled back from injuries and has consistently displayed a perfect balance of selflessness and staying ready. That led to him becoming an integral part of the Knicks’ rotation last year. And he was rewarded with a very nice four-year, $24 million contract. Shamet rewarded the Knicks and their loyalty by reportedly turning down offers from other contenders.
Now back with the same team for the third straight year-something he’s never done before in his career-the journeyman looks comfortable and confident. He looks poised to not just continue what he’s done but build upon it and has gotten off to an extremely hot start in preseason. He’s averaging 11.5PPG in just 13.5MPG and is shooting an extremely hot 53.3% from the field and 50% from three.
Loser: Miles McBride
The talk around McBride for much of the offseason has been about what the Knicks could get in a trade for him. And after the offensive struggles he went through in the Finals, there are some fans who may have forgotten just how good and valuable the reserve guard is. He’s still one of the best bench perimeter defenders in the league, and that, combined with his much improved three-point shooting, makes him so pivotal to what Mike Brown and the Knicks want to do. And nobody should be overly concerned about what he does or doesn’t do in the preseason.
That being said, he’s currently struggling mightily offensively. McBride has so far averaged just 3PPG on 18.2% shooting from the field and 11.1% shooting from three. There were some expectations that he’d showcase a little more after a full offseason to work on some of his weaknesses that got exposed against the Spurs. And fans were excited to see him fully healthy after he revealed that he was still hurt throughout the postseason run. He should be fine eventually, but it’s been a rough go for McBride so far.
Winner: Andre Drummond
Many fans had different reactions when Drummond signed with the Knicks this past summer. Some were excited, some were indifferent, and some were disappointed. New York still has a very long season ahead of them, and that should come with opportunities to upgrade at this position one way or another. And during said long season, Drummond will inevitably go through ups and downs. But so far, the veteran center has looked solid.
His pick-and-roll defense, something many were concerned about, has actually looked good. He’s been very active with his hands, and his defense there, especially when paired up with the also active Jose Alvarado, could be a fun tandem. Drummond’s finishing ability is concerning due to his lack of explosiveness. But his surprisingly solid defense, along with his elite-as-advertised rebounding, has been fun to watch.
Losers: Drew Eubanks, Ochai Agbaji, and Tony Bradley
Bruce Brown Jr. was looked at as one of the favorites to win the Knicks’ last roster spot given the team’s previous interest in him. Other than that, there really wasn’t a consensus. Some wanted James Wiseman for his potential. Others wanted Eubanks for his defense, passing, and experience. Others wanted Agbaji for… not really sure why.
Two games into preseason, it looks clear who Brown and the Knicks have the most interest in. Brown, Wiseman, and Jaden Akins are the only three of the training camp invitees to play in both games. On Thursday night against the Wizards, Eubanks, Agbaji, and Bradley were DNPs. Now, this may just be the way they are splitting up the minutes, and maybe those guys see minutes over Brown and Wiseman when they play the Timberwolves on Monday. Brown, although not overly impressive, has looked solid. And Wiseman, especially against the 76ers, looked good. Neither is locked in to make the roster just yet. But it seems like they are a head above Eubanks, Agbaji, and Bradley.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 28: Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens answers questions during a press conference during Boston Celtics Media Day at Auerbach Center on September 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Thursday’s preseason opener was the Celtics sicko equivalent of a gambling addict having gone six months without betting, and then hitting a six-leg parlay that they bet $0.50 on.
Low stakes. Unbelievably high dopamine levels.
After spending the longest offseason in 10 years sitting around and talking ourselves into this refreshed roster, we’re all the way back in and drinking the green Kool-Aid.
Not only did the Celtics beat the “Cavs” (the first team ever that I completely despise for reasons unrelated to their uniforms — those guys were a bunch of losers in the Eastern Conference Finals) but they beat them while sitting eight rotation players. Cleveland, by the way, played everyone but James Harden.
Even by the time the Cavaliers pulled their starters in the second half, the Celtics had outscored them by nine and it didn’t feel flukey. The story wasn’t red hot shooting from the Cs or the opposite from the Cavaliers. In fact, Boston made just 41.4% of their attempts from the field, while Cleveland sank 47.8%.
So, how did the Celtics win a game where they shot relatively inefficiently without key personel?
It was work.
Boston just did what they do. They controlled the possession battle, dominated the glass, and outshot the Cavs 99-92 by the end of the night. That number doesn’t even tell the entire story because Cleveland shot just 16 free throws to Boston’s 35.
Possession maxing is real and it’s spectacular.
The beautiful thing about it is that that aspect of the game will always be in the Celtics’ control. No matter who’s out there or how well they’re shooting, they can always be careful with the basketball and fight for extra possessions on the boards.
Their 56-39 rebounding advantage came without any of Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta, and Mitchell Robinson even dressing. It’s pretty insane when you think about it, especially against a frontline of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
When the full roster is available, or at least some of the big dogs, we could all be in for a supercharged version of the preseason opener. The Celtics have figured out their identity, and they still have another 11 days before they open the season.
Oh, and all of the wings that everyone’s been talking about battling for bench minutes all looked pretty solid. Baylor Scheierman was the best of the bunch. He took on a facilitating role against Cleveland’s regulars and did it comfortably. Scheierman put the ball on the floor, navigated the defense, and made shots off the dribble — a skill that could be key in the next step of his development.
He finished the night with 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while knocking down four threes.
dear Joe Mazzulla: let Baylor Scheierman rock out. 16 points, 4/7 3FG, 3 assists. pic.twitter.com/gryg7bs5vd
Both Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh had their moments, too.
It’s beginning to feel like Boston’s bench platoon is going to handle business in stride this season, regardless of which member’s number is called.
The depth is as real as the possession maxing, and just as spectacular.
Speaking of, Devin Carter completely stole the show off the bench, and he’s not even on the team! The former Providence Friar shattered whatever expectations the fanbase had for him and showcased his ability to get the rim, annoy opposing ballhandlers, and provide a spark.
His first action was a coast-to-coast push in transition, which he capped off with a loud dunk with Peyton Watson trailing closely in pursuit.
It literally got a loud “OH” out of me from my couch.
Celtics Devin Carter 17 PTS (5-9 FG, 1-3 3P), 5 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, +22 vs. Cavs
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) October 9, 2026
After having spent months without Celtics basketball it’s impossible not to overreact here. But it doesn’t feel like an overreaction.
The takeaways are still real. Boston’s system clearly works. They clearly have the personel to afford resting stars here and there. Brad Stevens might’ve sniped another demon from the Sacramento Kings scrap heap.
It’s almost too bad that there’s not more time between games to ride the high.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 19: Khaman Maluach #10 of the Phoenix Suns plays defense during the game against De'Aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs on March 19, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs showed why they are considered NBA Finals favorites in their first preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. Despite dropping the game 123-116, San Antonio’s starters shined in a first-half run filled with explosive offense.
Now the Spurs will head to Phoenix for a matchup with the scrappy Suns, who are looking for their first preseason win. It may be the first time we see San Antonio’s full starting lineup featuring De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper all playing alongside each other. Mitch Johnson announced that those three guards, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama, would start the first preseason game, before Fox was ruled out in a late-game scratch.
Whether the full starters play or not, game two of the preseason will give the Spurs another opportunity to experiment with lineups and see how this group gels.
Spurs Injuries: Jayden Quaintance – Out (knee), Tobias Harris – Out (calf), Maliq Brown – Questionable (back), De’Aaron Fox – Questionable (soreness), Malik Williams – Questionable (undisclosed)
Suns Injuries: Mark Williams – Out (shoulder), Miles Bridges – Questionable (ankle)
What to watch for:
Small-ball starting five
The Spurs are allegedly starting a smaller group, with Vassell effectively playing the four. That becomes a lot easier when you have a 7-foot-5 center in the middle of the floor. San Antonio did a pretty good job of gang rebounding around Wembanyama in the first preseason game. Saturday’s contest will pose an even bigger challenge, as they will be a smaller lineup, and the Suns are a more physical team.
Backup guards
David Jones-Garcia and Ja’Kobi Gillespie had impressive games in their first preseason contest, scoring 14 and 8 points apiece off the bench. San Antonio is going to need depth at guard if they are starting three of them and planning to stagger their minutes. Jones-Garcia and Gillespie will have a legitimate chance to earn minutes during the dog days of the regular season. More solid play in the preseason could earn them a larger role when the time comes.
Carter Bryant
The Spurs sophomore wing looked more confident in the first preseason game. He had 11 points on 3-for-8 shooting with 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and 4 turnovers. He still needs to be a bit more patient, but his aggressiveness is a welcome sign after some of his timid play last year. If Bryant makes a big leap in year two, the Spurs could have another versatile three-and-D player they can plug in alongside their three guards and Wembanyama. Watch to see if he can continue improving in the second game of the preseason.
While the Knicks and their fans have spent much of the summer celebrating their first championship in 53 years, the upcoming contract situations of a few players have loomed over their heads. And if said players wanted to secure their futures before the start of the season, they were in for a good dose of bad news on Friday.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Miles McBride, and Tyler Kolek all are extension eligible. Hart was asked about his future at the start of training camp and left the door open to anything. Towns and his on going negotiation’s progress, or lack there of, have taken over the news lately. And for good reason.
Many still believe that the two sides will eventually come together for a deal. But the fact that they are reportedly not even close is a bit concerning. Towns, as was on full display during the team’s championship run, is an incredibly pivotal part of the Knicks’ success. Losing him would be devastating as his shooting gravity and playmaking would be extremely difficult to replace. As if not being able to extend Town wasn’t bad enough though, the Knicks don’t seem close at all to really extending any of the other players as well either. And according to the Knicks themselves, it will remain that way for the foreseeable future.
We’ve all seen players make statements about how they want to hold off contract talks when the season begins because they want to focus solely on the upcoming season. But in a rare move, the Knicks were the ones to get ahead of the news and release an official statement.
“As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of,” a spokesperson from the Knicks said. “As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season.”
Again, it’s rare for a team to be the one to make this statement. And it’s a bit frightening for fans knowing that such important pieces of the core’s future remains largely unknown. One would like to believe that between Towns’, Hart’s, and McBride’s significance to the club and their desire to stay a Knick we’d have some clearer answers by now.
The second apron continues to loom large so it’s understandable, realistic, and arguably smarter to not extend all three. McBride, unfortunately, was likely playing his last season here regardless of how these extensions went. But to potentially have a future where all, or at least more than one of them, aren’t Knicks would quickly lower the ceiling of this team. The Knicks still would have a core of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby, along with Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, and Mohamed Diawara. But the Knicks are a significantly worse team without Towns and to a lesser degree, without Hart and McBride.
It’s not time for full on panic. Things like this have happened in the past with other negotiations, with everything eventually working out. It could also just be a leverage move. And the most important part is, all parties involved want to extend the marriage.
All that being said, it is hard to deny just how ominous of a start this is for a franchise coming off it’s highest of highs and looking to become the first team to win back-to-back championships for the first time in 53 years.
AMES, IA - OCTOBER 7: LaMelo Ball #1 and Jonathan Kuminga #24 of the Minnesota Timberwolves high five during the game against the Indiana Pacers on October 7, 2026 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The preseason continues on Sunday in full swing with a preview of the regular season opener. The Timberwolves will look to continue their good vibes from training camp and gain the meaningless “upper hand” against the Miami Heat before the rematch kicks off the 2026-27 regular season.
It seems interesting to schedule a preseason game against two teams that will begin their respective seasons against one another, but it will be something to watch for in this one. While the regular starters and rotation players will most likely only play the first half, if at all, tracking if either team tips their hand will be something to monitor.
Because of the offseason movement for both teams, with the Heat adding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Timberwolves subtracting Julius Randle and Naz Reid from the mix, this is the exact type of team that Minnesota could struggle with in their attempt to reconfigure their roster to a smaller, more athletic team. The Heat boast possibly the best frontcourt in the NBA and how the Wolves choose to guard Miami from the jump will be something to follow in this matchup.
"I'm excited to put on that jersey." 🔥
Giannis will make his Heat debut vs. the Timberwolves on Wednesday, Oct. 21 on ESPN!
Joan Beringer has a large role carved out for him this season. That combined with his youth and minimal playing time last season has coalesced to be a huge talking point leading up to this season. Beringer has done exactly what you’d expect from him in the first couple of preseason games: showed flashes of huge potential while combining that with very bad stretches that come with the growing pains of acclimating to the NBA.
This goes hand in hand with Miami’s reworked strength in the frontcourt. The 19 year old will be relied upon to matchup in the first half with both of these dominant bigs. How he fares in this one will be a big part of the lead-in to game number one when it counts. Always take preseason outcomes with a massive grain of salt, but tracking Beringer against Giannis and Bam before the season opener is something to be on the lookout for.
Anthony Edwards on Joan Beringer in camp
“Everybody knows his intensity is just like no other. His attention to detail has gotten a lot better, he’s super young, super athletic. We’re trying to keep him from falling on the ground so much because he goes after every shot. Get his… pic.twitter.com/x7vwcpSwp9
These first two preseason games have been a treat for Timberwolves fans who were hoping for a reworked offense with this new look roster. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball have done their best to continue that hype train heading straight up.
On Wednesday against the Pacers, Ant scored 19 points with four triples while LaMelo scored 14 points and added seven assists to his stat line. Though Ball did have five turnovers, it was still an extremely fun time to watch the two of them play off one another and launch treys from downtown. This was the exciting theoretical fit between them, and watching Ball operate from the top of the floor and setup the rest of his teammates is night and day compared to what Minnesota looked like for the past two seasons.
This will hopefully continue to be a big part of their identity moving forward. With the rim protection that the Miami frontcourt can provide, the Wolves’ outside shooting will be necessary to create good offense for the Timberwolves.
It will be a clash of styles, but with the looming early season regular season matchup, both teams will do their best to not show their hands. Minnesota’s outside shooting should cause Miami problems, and due to them losing a lot of their depth in the Giannis trade, the Wolves end of bench should get the better of Miami in the second half.
Bruce Brown is a solid eight-year NBA veteran who played 82 games for Denver last season but was squeezed this offseason and signed an Exhibit 9, non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Knicks (hoping to make their roster). He vented to New York reporters about the NBA's salary constraints and their impact (quote via Ian Begley of SNY.tv).
"The new CBA is good for certain players, right? Max guys, top free agents and maybe rookie extension guys. But other than that, like the middle guys, it kind of sucks for us. As you see, there's not that many people getting that full mid-level (exception) anymore – or even the tax mid-level (exception). It's tough, but that's just the way it is right now. So each time you're out there, you've just got to play your best and hope for the best."
Friday, the NBA officially pushed back on that narrative.
Recent reports asserted that the second apron is hurting “lower” and “middle” class players. That’s untrue. Since the implementation of the second apron, the number of players on team rosters has remained the same and annual salaries have increased by nearly $1.3 billion…
The NBA's point is that the water level remains the same: There are 450 NBA roster spots and the players will get 50% (roughly) of the NBA's Basketball Related Income. It's not just the middle class getting squeezed, under the old NBA CBA, the Pistons' Jalen Duren would have been a no-question max contract (maybe the 25% max, but a lot). Instead, he and the Pistons got into a protracted contract extension negotiation and took $76 million less than his max (at five years, $200 million).
As happens a lot with Adam Silver's NBA, it is lawyerly correct on the facts but can miss the bigger picture, the spirit of what the Second Apron does.
Where the second apron is hurting the league is fundamental — it's eroding fan trust and loyalty. Detroit fans want to believe in a 22-year-old All-NBA center like Duren, not worry he might bolt because the team has to play hardball to build a contender in the apron era. Knicks fans have gone from celebrating their first title in 53 years to watching New York need to lowball Karl-Anthony Towns because keeping a championship team together and below the second apron is near impossible. Fans in Boston watched the Celtics draft and develop Jaylen Brown, a guy who won a title there, who was committed to the community and invested there, but who the Celtics had to trade in hopes of retooling under the second apron around Jayson Tatum. Oklahoma City had to start losing role players to keep its core together and that's going to get worse in future years. Already people around the league are talking about if/when San Antonio might have to trade De'Aaron Fox to keep its core of Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper together.
If these fans — especially younger ones, where the league already struggles to keep engaged and watching full games — start to question their loyalty, that cuts at the foundation of the league in a way NBA Europe money can't replace.
But yes, the NBA players are still getting the same pool of money that they did before, and that pool is getting bigger.
It’s no secret there is disappointment surrounding the Warriors ahead of the upcoming season.
While Golden State retained Steph Curry for another two years on a $116 million contract extension, questions surround the rest of the roster. Curry will once again carry the offensive load as Jimmy Butler recovers from a torn ACL to start the season.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is seen during an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets. AP
For the second year in a row, it was a quiet offseason for the Warriors’ front office. Curry addressed the criticism and whether the front office has built a competitive team around him.
“I mean, I’m not an idiot. I know what it means in the sense of that window we had where coming off of ‘22, there were opportunities to get better, add new talent, and some worked out, some didn’t. And the jury is still out on how we end this entire journey with a competitive mindset,” Curry said to NBC Sports Bay Area.
“We knew there’s never really going to be a scenario where you’re going to be in the favorites conversation from a championship-contending perspective. There’s so many great teams out there. But for us to go through a year like we did last year where we had, and the year before in the playoffs, I get hurt, we take an early exit in [the] second round.
“Last year, I missed 40-whatever games. Availability was the biggest theme, and we’re still one game away from getting to a playoff run and who knows what happens. So, all that to say, I’ve had a really amazing career and journey. I want to win. All the other chatter doesn’t necessarily matter to me in terms of how I grade our seasons.”
Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy answers questions during a Golden State Warriors press conference. Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via APDraymond Green and Steph Curry will play together at least one more season on the Warriors. NBAE via Getty Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 08: Anthony Davis #23 of the Washington Wizards reacts during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 08, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards play the Detroit Pistons tomorrow night. Let’s preview.
Game Info
When: Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network
Injury Report
Wizards: Jamir Watkins and Tristan Vukcevic are out. Khris Middleton and Alex Sarr are day-to-day but according to … Greg Finberg of Bullets Forever (just had to be a little snarky here … WE LOVE YOU GREG!), Sarr is trending toward returning.
What to watch for
The Wizards are 1-0 in the preseason after beating the New York Knicks yesterday. However, it’s time for Washington to show what they can do at home. The Wizards will host the Pistons, a young team that was rebuilding not long ago but is now among the Eastern Conference’s best. Tomorrow night will be an opportunity for the Wizards to repeat what happened yesterday with the Dybantsa-Trae Young-Anthony Davis trio and show what’s in store this fall and winter.
New York Knicks Team President Isiah Thomas speak to members of the media Thursday July 28, 2005 in Madison Square Garden. (Photo by Daniel J. Barry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’re getting closer and closer to basketball, ladies and gentlemen. Can you smell it?
Preseason kicked off in South Philly on Monday, and the Knicks played a basketball game in the World’s Most Famous Arena for the first time since OG Anunoby’s Game 4 heroics last night. Before you know it, in 11 days time, a banner will be raised that carries the weight of 53 years of dread.
Speaking of those 53 years, it’s time to talk about the darkest days of that drought. The Patrick Ewing era ended with his bittersweet trade to the Seattle SuperSonics. The core that got you within an inch of glory in 1994 was gone, and the core that got to the 1999 NBA Finals wasn’t good enough to keep it going.
Before long, the team would be in the hands of an idiocracy that threatened to tank the franchise for good. By the time he was gone, the drought was over 30 years long and days like June 13, 2026, seemed more distant than ever.
Jeff Van Gundy Resigns (2001)
The post-Ewing era began in October 2000 and resulted in a 48-win team that fizzled out in the first round. That year’s deadline, the Knicks traded 2001 and 2002 first-round picks in separate deals for a solid young big in Othella Harrington and 35-year-old Mark Jackson in a reunion bid. Those picks became Jamaal Tinsley and Kareem Rush, which wasn’t much, but it’s the principle of trading the future for a fleeting present.
Going into 2001-02, the team continued to change. They bought out Larry Johnson just before the season after he agreed to retire due to his chronic back issues. The season started wobbly, but after a 5-8 start, the Knicks had rallied to win five of six after a double-digit victory in Milwaukee on December 4 and were heading home to play Indiana.
Three days after beating Milwaukee, head coach Jeff Van Gundy resigned. He had strongly considered stepping away in the offseason, but tried to grit things out in 2001-02. Just 19 games in, and after a heated practice where he felt his players weren’t playing with intensity, he quit. While the decision was made over the course of a few days, it hit the team and the public like a truck.
For those keeping track at home, here are the fates of the last four Knicks’ head coaches through 2001:
Rick Pitino (1987-89): resigned to go coach at Kentucky due to a dispute with the front office Stu Jackson (1989-91): fired midway through 1990-91 Pat Riley (1991-95): resigned to effectively become the franchise down in Miami Jeff Van Gundy (1995-01): resigned feeling burnt out.
How did the Knicks develop the LolKnicks label? Maybe this was the precursor.
Assistant coach Don Chaney, who had prior head coaching experience with the Clippers, Rockets, and Pistons, took over as the interim, but the bad vibes the team got from their coach resigning never went away, as the Knicks finished the year 20-43 and ended their 15-year playoff streak. Despite this, Chaney was retained for 2002-03.
Trading A Lottery Pick For Antonio McDyess (2002)
The Knicks weren’t ready to give up on the core of Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston, so they did what bad franchises do: they traded a lottery pick for a middling veteran.
At No. 7, the Knicks were making their highest selection since 1986. It was an opportunity to select someone who could be part of the franchise’s future. You can’t throw away these opportunities.
They selected Nenê, a star Brazilian prospect who’d grow into an uber-reliable veteran forward for the next 17 years. He never played a game for the Knicks and was soon traded with Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson, for Antonio McDyess, a 28-year-old All-NBA and Olympic gold medalist forward on the Nuggets. In a vacuum, it made a ton of sense to trade for a 20-10 forward to pair with two on-ball scorers in Sprewell and Houston.
There was just one issue. He wasn’t healthy.
McDyess missed 72 games in 2001-02 due to a partial tear in his patellar tendon and a moderate MCL sprain. He returned in March and looked terrible, but the Knicks deemed his medicals good enough to trade their first lottery pick in 16 years for him.
Then, during a preseason game in October 2002, McDyess broke his patella bone on a putback dunk. He would undergo another surgery and miss the entire season.
In April 2003, a re-imaging showed it wasn’t healing properly, and he required bone-grafting surgery, which added more time to the recovery. Doctors looking back believed he had an undiscovered stress fracture in the patellar bone that shattered during the preseason, which sounds like a major oversight by the medical team.
He finally made his Knicks debut on December 1, 2003, but only played a total of 18 games before being included in yet another disastrous trade for the team that was made by…
The Hiring of Isiah Thomas (2003)
*sigh*
On December 22, 2003, James Dolan fired Scott Layden and replaced him with his good ol’ buddy Isiah Thomas, a former playoff foe with the Detroit Pistons, as President of Basketball Operations.
Thomas was coming off a middling head coaching tenure in Indiana from 2001-03. His only front office experience was four years as part owner and executive vice president of the expansion Toronto Raptors from 1994-98. Former players in executive roles don’t usually go well, but at least for now, what’s the worst that can happen?
What do you mean it didn’t even take two weeks for him to mess something up?
The Stephon Marbury Trade (2004)
We’re an interesting fanbase. There are guys who were great here who are on our shit list forever. There are guys who were bad here that are welcomed back with open arms.
There are even guys who had bad tenures, caused a ton of drama in the orange and blue, and went out on bad terms, yet we love them. I guess that’s what happens when you made your own brand and were born and raised in Brooklyn like Starbury was.
On January 5, 2004, the Knicks cut bait on McDyess and traded him with Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, Milos Vujanic, two first-round picks, and the team’s longest-tenured player, Charlie Ward, to the Phoenix Suns for Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and Cezary Trybanksi.
While there was intrigue in the former Magic superstar, Hardaway was 32 and was a shell of himself. The real prize was the New York native Marbury, a 26-year-old offensive dynamo who had made two All-Star and All-NBA teams in the last four seasons. It seemed like a match made in heaven.
Unfortunately, as we’ll get into later, drama followed Marbury everywhere in his homecoming and it soon affected his on-court play. The Knicks became a circus in the mid-2000s and he was right in the middle of it.
They wouldn’t be bitten by any of the players they traded away, but maybe they could’ve used the picks. The 2004 first landed at No. 16, and while Kirk Snyder was nothing crazy, both Josh and J.R. Smith were on the board. Trading the 2010 pick was even more asinine, and predictably, it landed in the lottery at No. 9 and became Gordon Hayward. Not your cup of tea? Paul George went 10th.
Isiah Thomas had a bad habit of trading future for present and having it blow up in his face every time.
Coaching Turmoil (2004-08)
In an eight-season span, the Knicks had seven head coaches. They had five in a four-season span from 2004-08.
There were a lot of reasons the 2000s Knicks were a comedy, but this was one of the main plot lines.
We begin with the holdover, Don Chaney. After a vote of confidence for 2002-03, the McDyess injury just unraveled the season from the start, and they went 37-45. The following year, they stumbled out to a 7-16 start and never recovered.
On January 12, 2004, despite rallying from a 15-point deficit to force OT, the Knicks dropped to 15-24 in a loss to Dallas. The crowd was chanting “Fire Chaney” at the Garden. They got their wish, just two hours before the next game began on the 14th. With such quick timing, Herb Williams became the temporary interim coach before giving way to Hall of Fame player and 1979 NBA champion coach Lenny Wilkens the following day.
The mess of how Chaney was fired is a whole different story. Wilkens stabilized the Knicks and got them to 39-43 and a playoff spot, but they were swept with swiftness by the New Jersey Nets. A new season with a fresh face in Jamal Crawford brought about expectations, but a disastrous 1-9 stretch in January prompted yet another Knicks coach to resign exactly one year and one week after taking the job on January 22, 2005. Another coach burnt out, huh.
Herb Williams was tasked with being a real interim coach this time, but could do little as a flawed roster sank to 33-49. That offseason, Dolan and Isiah went big fish hunting.
The top candidate was nine-time champion coach and former Knick Phil Jackson, who was ready to get back into coaching after taking 2004-05 off from the Lakers. The pursuit got serious, with face-to-face meetings even occurring between Isaiah and Phil. But as we’ll soon learn, incompetence isn’t attractive to smart people. Jackson went back to Kobe and won two more titles, but he’ll be back in New York soon enough.
Their second prize wasn’t so bad, though. Just over a year after he won a title with the Pistons in 2004, Larry Brown was let loose after Detroit grew tired of his flirtations elsewhere. The Knicks pounced, hiring him to the richest contract in NBA coaching history at five years and $50 million. 10 years after being spurned by Pat Riley for half as much, the Knicks made their move.
He was fired one year later. We’ll get to it in a bit, but the Knicks were historically awful in 2005-06 and it cost Brown his job, despite having $40 million left on his contract. Dolan would only have to pay $18.5 million of it, but it’s still a disaster.
Outraged with how things were going, Dolan hired Isiah Thomas himself to be the head coach in 2006-07 as a last stand. It’s certainly a bold move to give the executive destroying your franchise a promotion to also serving as head coach, but there’s a reason nobody likes this guy.
Progress was technically made when the Knicks started 29-34 in 2006-07, prompting the ever-wise Dolan to extend Thomas. Of course, the Knicks finished 4-15, but they had already made their bed. A disastrous 23-win year the following year finally saw Thomas fired from both roles, as Donnie Walsh took over the front office and Mike D’Antoni was hired as head coach.
Signing Jerome James (2005)
On August 2, 2005, Isiah signed Jerome James, the starting center from the SuperSonics, to a five-year, $30 million contract after his outstanding 2005 playoff run, where he averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds across 11 games. Despite not being much of a scorer, his breakout motivated the Knicks to give him a deal that, in modern-day terms, is like giving a player five years and $100 million.
It was quite a leap of faith. In his last season in Seattle, he averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds. His per-36 fouls per game were literally 7.6. Outside of 11 playoff games, he was not a starting-caliber player, let alone worth the salary. Expectations were high, hence the commercial above.
As a Knick, James played a total of 90 games across five seasons. All but four of them came in the first two.
He was out of shape for his first training camp. His work ethic was abysmal, and Larry Brown frequently punished him for it. In 2007-08, he was limited to just two games due to foot surgery and a severe knee issue that was described as his body rejecting the screws in his knee from an ACL surgery in 1999. That’s totally normal.
He finally got back to being able to play in December 2008, but he was just very out of shape. His body was a complete mess. After playing six minutes on December 19, his career was over. He ruptured his Achilles in practice a month later, was traded to Chicago a month after that, and never played in the NBA again.
It’s a historically awful contract, one that no Knicks fan has evaded hearing about, no matter the age.
The Eddy Curry Trade (2005)
Two months after getting James, Isiah doubled down on big men and got a disgruntled Eddy Curry from the Bulls in exchange for Jermaine Jackson, Mike Sweetney, Tim Thomas, a 2006 1st, a 2007 pick swap, and second-round picks in 2007 and 2009.
He was a fine player in Chicago, one who was worth a decent salary and averaged 16 points and five rebounds at the end of his rookie contract. Putting aside the fact that he was seven feet tall and grabbed way fewer rebounds than an average center, it’s a fine guy to trade for.
But that much? In a sign-and-trade? And you give him $60 million over six years to make the 23-year-old the sixth-highest-paid center in basketball? After seeing the Bulls drag their feet on an extension because of an irregular heartbeat? Seriously?
The players they gave up weren’t a big deal. Jermaine Jackson never played for the Bulls. Mike Sweetney replaced Curry as the starting center and was much worse before being out of the league by 2008. Tim Thomas played just three games as a Bull before being cut.
It’s the picks. It’s always the damn picks with Isiah.
The Knicks won just 33 games the year before. They added Curry, Jerome James, Nate Robinson, and rookies Channing Frye and David Lee, and hired the man who won a title with a Pistons team that was better than the sum of its parts two years prior. They made a gamble that it would all work.
It didn’t. At all. They won just 23 games. They had the second-worst record in basketball, and they’d get nothing for it. The Bulls got the No. 2 pick in the draft and had future All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge fall into their lap. Now, they messed that up by sending him to Portland for Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa, but the point remains.
The following year, the Knicks won just 33 games. The Bulls won a bunch more, exercising the swap and taking the No. 9 pick, which became future Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah.
The two top picks traded for Curry became two of the best big men of their generation. The second picks didn’t result in much, but the Bulls traded the 2007 2nd for Thabo Sefolosha and the 2009 2nd in a weird future swap with Portland, but the damage remains.
As for Curry on the Knicks, he had a great 2006-07, averaging 19.5 points and seven rebounds. After that, with four years left on his contract, he played a total of 69 more games as a Knick as he battled injuries, his weight, and a bad work ethic. Complete, franchise-altering disaster.
Literally Everything About The 2005-06 Season
The disastrous acquisitions of Jerome James and Eddy Curry shot the Knicks’ payroll to a league-high $124 million for 2005-06. Dolan was deep in the luxury tax for a team he expected to be a contender in the Eastern Conference. A Hall of Fame coach with this much talent around him can’t fail.
It did. The Knicks lost a franchise-record 59 games. They were over $62 million into the luxury tax and were one of the worst teams in basketball. Channing Frye, a rookie on that team, openly called it the most dysfunctional team he had ever been a part of.
A large part of that was Coach Brown himself. The team had 40 different starting lineups, and Frye said they “didn’t even know who was starting with 30 minutes left on the clock”. He tried to undercut Isiah’s role in the front office. He tried to mold players into his rigid way, even though the roster was completely antithetical to it.
The hiring of Brown was bizarre in and of itself. He had clashed with Marbury, the team’s clear star, during the disastrous 2004 Summer Olympics. He’s a defensive coach on a team with a dozen bad defenders. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. His quotes in the media, while honest, were easy soundbites that ate him and the team alive.
The season was lost by the trade deadline, so the Knicks thankfully didn’t try any all-in moves. You still got some bizarre ones, like trading for 33-year-old Jalen Rose and trading disgruntled second-year player Trevor Ariza and Penny (who had played 41 total games in the last two seasons) for Steve Francis, a rapidly regressing former superstar with a bloated contract. It’s truly incredible how they keep doing this to themselves.
By the end of the year, there were six different five-game losing streaks, a 10-game losing streak, and a nine-game losing streak. They decided to pull the plug on Brown before the season ended, yet didn’t fire him immediately. They kept him in charge for two months, made him go through pre-draft interviews and workouts, and then fired him days before the 2006 NBA Draft. All the while Dolan and Isiah ignored his requests for a meeting, presumably about his status.
Speaking of Isiah, he was sued in January 2006 by Anucha Browne Sanders, the team’s former senior vice president of marketing and business operations, for being fired after reporting sexual harassment by the team president. In the midst of this, somehow, through player testimony, we learned that Starbury had sex with an intern who worked for Sanders in 2005 after a group outing at a strip club.
In October 2007, the court ordered MSG to pay Sanders damages of $11.5 million.
What a disaster. And they didn’t even have their pick because of Eddy f’ing Curry.
Knicks-Nuggets Brawl (2006)
Isiah became head coach that October. Just two months later, the Knicks welcomed Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets to Madison Square Garden on December 16. In the final two minutes of what would become a blowout loss that dropped them to 9-17, Melo was still in the game for Denver.
Isiah told him from the sideline that he shouldn’t be in the game anymore and not to go near the basket. Many believe what happened next was ordered by Isiah himself, even if the ensuing brawl wasn’t the intended consequence.
Mardy Collins fouled J.R. Smith hard on a fast break, prompting a scuffle that got much of the two teams involved. Melo came in and put his hands on Jared Jeffries, but things didn’t truly get out of hand until Nate Robinson swung at J.R., prompting the future Sixth Man of the Year to charge and tackle the three-time Dunk Contest winner.
An utter melee ensued, one in which Melo tossed Channing Frye to the ground as people tried to break up J.R. and Robinson. Just as things seemed to be calming down, Melo then snuck Collins with a right hook and backed away as Jeffries looked like Isaiah Stewart trying to get his lick back.
All 10 players on the court were ejected, and punishments would soon come. Melo would be suspended for 15 games; J.R. and Robinson would both be suspended for 10, and smaller suspensions would come for Collins (6), Jeffries (4), and even a one-game suspension each for Nenê and Jerome James, who both left the bench.
This happening just two years after the Malice in the Palace was a disaster for David Stern and the NBA, which was trying to clean up the league’s act. A big press storm followed the brawl, one that clouded over the team in the coming weeks. As if they couldn’t get worse PR in the national media, Francis used the race card in response to the media coverage. All in a day’s work for this clown show of an organization.
Stephon Marbury Stokes The Final Flames of Drama (2009)
Isiah’s reign of terror mercifully ended in April 2008, but the mess he gave to Donnie Walsh was so deeply entrenched that it was going to take a while to dig out of it. The ultimate goal? Cleaning the cap sheet for the stacked 2010 free agency class.
While on a road trip just 12 games into the 2008-09 season, Walsh shipped out Mardy Collins, Zach Randolph, and Jamal Crawford in a pair of trades just before a game against the Bucks in Milwaukee, which prompted the team to have an extremely short bench that night.
By the trade deadline, Walsh somehow got Chicago to take Jerome James (along with Tim Thomas and Anthony Roberson) for Larry Hughes, while also swapping out Malik Rose for Chris Wilcox. All of these moves helped clean a rough cap sheet, and he did it without trading future assets.
While this was the overarching storyline of a rebuilding year, the drama continued with the end of Starbury in New York.
He was playing out the final year of a four-year, $73 million extension and, while not being a total hindrance due to its expiring nature, his drama was hurting a team that was trying to turn the page from his disastrous era as the team’s face.
He came to blows with Isiah early in their final season together in 2007-08, but a new era quieted rumors of the two sides splitting early. Yet, the signing of Chris Duhon clearly showed D’Antoni had other plans at the lead guard spot. When the new kid on the block won the starting job, Marbury, who had played just 24 games the year prior, refused to play.
The first 10 games of the year, he didn’t dress despite being fully healthy. After a wash of trades, he legally had to dress that night in Milwaukee, but D’Antoni was open to more than just him being a body on the bench. With J Crossover gone, D’Antoni offered real playing time for Marbury, over 30 minutes a night. At this point, with the city having turned against their once-hometown hero, Marbury refused and was later suspended after dogging D’Antoni in the media. He’d never play another game as a Knick.
The second-highest-paid player in basketball was banned from practices and from sitting with the team on the bench by early December. He’d spend the next three months in exile from a team that was trying to see what it had in a young core of Wilson Chandler, David Lee, and Duhon.
The buyout finally came on February 24, allowing Marbury to sign and play down the stretch for the Celtics. Somehow, someway, he’s a beloved face on Alumni Row 17 years later as a proud Knick after how awful his tenure was.
One Pick Away From Steph (2009)
Heading into the 2009 NBA Draft, the Knicks had a clear target with the No. 8 pick.
D’Antoni, the architect of the Seven Seconds or Less offense in Phoenix, wanted the skinny point guard from Davidson, Wardell Stephen Curry.
His family, most importantly his father Dell, wanted him to be a Knick.
As he’d later recount on a podcast with his son, Dell flat-out told Don Nelson that he didn’t want Steph to be taken No. 7 by the Warriors. Dell wanted his son to play in the Mecca. Unfortunately for him and the Knicks, there was no real leverage the Curry’s had, prompting the Warriors to just pick him anyway.
The Knicks were left to go with their backup option, Arizona forward Jordan Hill. They could’ve selected USC guard DeMar DeRozan or any number of guys who’d go on to be in the league for the next decade, but they picked Hill.
Despite selecting him No. 8 overall, he played just 24 games as a little-used bench player before being sent in a salary dump at the 2010 trade deadline.
The Tracy McGrady Trade (2010)
Jordan Hill wasn’t good, but they picked him between Steph Curry and DeMar DeRozan in June 2009. It’s ridiculous to give up on this guy that quickly, and it says a lot about the front office’s drafting ability and thought process. Jeffries and Hughes were okay role players. None of these guys would come back to bite you.
The Knicks were so desperate to offload salary that they shipped their 2009 lottery pick, a 2012 first, and a 2011 pick swap that would not convey just to get rid of both Hughes and Jeffries’ salary figures for the following season. In the modern day, getting a 31-year-old who spent his 20s as one of the league’s most dynamic scorers would be a jackpot, but T-Mac didn’t have nearly as much longevity as some of the stars do now.
Neither McGrady nor Sergio Rodriguez played for the Knicks past April 2010. McGrady, particularly, played abysmally in 24 starts down the stretch and had to settle for a veteran minimum with the Pistons that summer.
It was the final step to unlocking over $32 million in cap space, more than enough to get one of the major prizes in free agency. If they were shrewd enough, they could even get two!
Some of the names available? Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, the list went on and on.
But there was one real prize.
The Disastrous Pitch To LeBron (2010)
In another life, the 2010-11 Knicks have Steph Curry and LeBron James. Think about that for just a quick second.
We conclude Part III of our story by recounting the failed pursuit of a 25-year-old LeBron James, the consensus best player in basketball who was seriously considering leaving his hometown of Cleveland for greener pastures as an international superstar.
That stardom, naturally, prompted him to take a meeting with the Knicks on July 1, 2010. Now, he also took meetings with teams like the Bulls, Nets, Clippers, Cavs, and the Miami Heat, but they got him in the building, and that’s what mattered.
Bill Simmons (whose credibility isn’t a slam dunk) said in 2020 that, going into free agency, New York was his first choice. Despite everything we just talked about in the previous decade, the generation-defining superstar was ready to turn this organization around if the meeting went well.
By all accounts, it was a disaster. “Dolan was Dolan,” Simmons said on his podcast, and the entire pitch was based on LeBron using the city to upgrade his stardom. There was no concrete structure for winning, just marketing.
The centerpiece of the meeting, which was so bad that the Knicks weren’t granted a second one, was the following video that was lost media for over a decade until residential deep diver Pablo Torre found it in 2024:
Outside of the opening skit of a “deleted scene” in The Sopranos (which was shot multiple times for Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to be shown in their meetings!!!!), it is completely impersonal. It’s just a bunch of names, some more problematic than others, pitching New York to… somebody.
On July 8, LeBron signed with Miami after a pitch from old friend Pat Riley that was, you know, about winning. Almost like that’s why he’d leave Cleveland in the first place.
The Knicks settled for Amare, a great signing that looked awesome after his first season and initial pairing with Carmelo Anthony via trade, but later turned into another mess of a deal as he dealt with injuries.
The LeBron pursuit encompasses the rot that the organization had. Isiah was gone; they found stability in the coaching staff, but there was still James Dolan in the middle of it. As long as he had his fingerprints on the operations, the 37-year drought was going to continue.
He played in a career-high 82 regular season games – one of the league’s 18 Iron Men in 2025-26 – started more than half (43) of the regular season and nearly played as many minutes last season (2,061) as he did in the previous four seasons of his NBA career combined (2,569).
The two-year, $12 million contract signed with the Lakers during the 2025 offseason was looking like a steal for the franchise for the first half of the season.
But then LaRavia started slumping.
His perimeter shot went from reliable to suspect, with the Pasadena, CA native shooting 26.2% on 3-pointers during the final 23 games of the regular season.
Jake LaRavia (12) has regained confidence in his jump shot. NBAE via Getty Images
LaRavia’s offensive aggression dipped along with his shooting percentages.
And after being a focal point in the rotation the entire season, his playing time in the playoffs diminished, including receiving a pair of DNP-CD’s (did not play – coach’s decision) in the Lakers’ final two playoff games of their second-round sweep to the Thunder.
“This summer was a summer reflection and intentionality for me,” LaRavia said. “The second half of the season last season was not the way that I intended it to go. You hit mental lapses in the season. I hit a mental lapse last season and I wasn’t able to shake back from it. And as a professional athlete, that can happen, but when you play on this stage, that can’t happen. So this summer, a lot of it was just mental reflection for me and working on that side of the game.
“The other thing was just working on my jump shot because that was the biggest thing. I’m going to come out every game, I’m going to play hard. I’m going to play defense. I’m going to crash and I’m going to rebound. But consistency with the shooting was a very big thing for me.”
Jake LaRavia continues to bring defensive hustle, along with his tweaked shooting form. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
LaRavia’s reflections, which include daily journaling, are paying off during the Lakers’ preseason, with the 2022 first-round pick being one of the more consistent performers.
After Thursday’s win over the Kings, LaRavia’s averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists so far during preseason.
Most impressively, he’s shooting 53.8% (7-of-13) on 3s so far after making tweaks to his jump shot. He has worked with Lakers coach JJ Redick, one of the best shooters in NBA history, and assistant coach Beau Levesque on his form during the summer.
“Jake had a really nice base and foundation to shoot with, so it wasn’t like he was completely revamping his shot,” Redick said. “It was small tweaks. And ultimately the tweaks don’t matter if they don’t give you confidence. And so I feel like he’s shooting the ball with a lot of confidence right now, and he feels confident in his shot.”
The hope is that LaRavia will maintain his confidence even when the results aren’t in his favor.
The 24-year-old understands he’ll have shooting slumps.
It’s the nature of an 82-game regular season.
But the hope is that the physical, and mental, changes will yield more consistent results for LaRavia outside of when he is or isn’t making shots.
“One thing that kind of changed for me this year was focusing more on the input rather than the output,” LaRavis said.
“So not really focused on my makes or my misses, but am I doing everything in my control to give myself the best opportunity to make the shot? So as far as the output goes, I’m not really concerned about how many shots I’m making right now because at some point I’m gonna also miss shots. But as long as the input stays the same, then I’ll be consistent.”
Who is the Lakers’ biggest X-factor outside of their Big 3?
There are nine new players.
We know Luka Dončić is an offensive wizard who’s a top-four NBA player. We know Austin Reaves is a borderline All-Star. We know Walker Kessler is an elite rebounder and rim protector who’s ready to run through a wall for the Lakers.
Luka Doncic (77) of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after scoring during the first half at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Corey Sipkin for NY Post
But we also know that the best teams in the league are deep.
We know that if the Lakers are going to make any noise in the playoffs, they need a cadre of fresh legs. They need guys who are willing to star in their roles.
So, who’s the team’s dark horse? Who’s the unsuspecting player who could make a major difference?
It could be Sandro Mamukelashvili, a playmaking forward who’s already putting his stamp on the team. He’s a great scorer. He can fill in the slack when Doncic or Reaves needs a rest.
It could be Matisse Thybulle, who’s a talented wing stopper and is going to be looked at to fill the hole Marcus Smart left behind.
It could be Jake LaRavia, who’s apparently made leaps this offseason as a defender and scorer.
It could be any number of guys, ranging from the young and athletic Adou Thiero, to the 3&D-skilled Quentin Grimes, to the three-level scorer Collin Sexton.
But there’s one name that keeps coming up. Everyone mentions him. Everyone has been struck by him.
Ziaire Williams has surpassed everyone’s expectations in training camp.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Ziaire Williams speaks to the media during media day Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in El Segundo, Calif. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Heading into this season, the Lakers have been lacking one apparent thing: an athletic and high-flying perimeter defender.
Williams fits that bill. And he’s looking for a fresh start. That could be a powerful combination.
The 25-year-old Williams is entering his sixth season and is now playing for his third team following being selected as the 10th overall pick by the Grizzlies in the 2021 draft.
Williams has a 6-foot-10 wingspan. He’s physical. He’s scrappy.
The 6-9 forward’s defensive skills shined at moments during his last two seasons with the Nets, who failed to reach the postseason. But the tanking Nets only won 46 combined games the last two years. That doesn’t exactly inspire lockdown defense.
Things will be different with the Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Ziaire Williams (11) plays defense during an NBA preseason game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, Monday, October 5, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
They need his skill set. Doncic wants to win his first championship. The 17-time championship Lakers are tired of not getting past the second round of the playoffs the last three seasons.
Williams fits the bill. If he can be a pillar of stability in his role for the Lakers, he could help propel them to another level. He needs to be aggressive. He needs to transform into the athletic perimeter disruptor they desperately need.
He has quick hands. He has good timing. And now he’ll have protection behind him, with Kessler patrolling the paint down low. He can take risks. He can take gambles.
So far, training camp brought the best out of Williams.
Austin Reaves (15) of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates during Game 3 of the second round of the NBA playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, May 9, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Lakers coach JJ Redick even had to modify a recent practice because things became so physical. Guys are competing for the final two starting spots. They’re eager to prove themselves to their new coach.
“It was a dogfight, but that’s how it’s supposed to be,” Williams said Oct. 1, flashing a smile. “Guys competing. It was good, though.”
Williams said “there’s not really anything I’m not comfortable with” on the defensive end, something that’s music to the Lakers’ ears.
The Lakers need someone who’s young, hungry, athletic and willing to take on the challenge of guarding some of the league’s top wings.
Williams has shown glimmers of his potential.
Now he needs to show consistency.
If he can star in his role, the Lakers’ ceiling gets even higher.
Speaking in an episode of “The Zach Lowe Show” that published Thursday, Oct. 8, Haliburton addressed the origin of the rift, which came during the 2025 in-season tournament, which has since been rebranded to the NBA Cup.
It was then that Haliburton hit a big 3-pointer late in a game against the Bucks and then mocked Lillard’s long-time “Dame Time” celebration, by looking at his wrist, mimicking looking at a watch.
“Do I regret it? No, because it was obviously a lot of fun for our organization, and the run we went on in the in-season tournament was a lot of fun,” Haliburton told Lowe. “It just added to it, so it was fun.
“I think what I do regret more than anything is what me and Dame's relationship has become. Because he was a guy who checked on me a lot, early in my career, especially when I got traded. We talked a lot, and I got his permission to be announced as the letter O, because that's his thing."
Haliburton, the No. 12 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft to the Kings, was traded midway through his second season when Sacramento shipped him to the Pacers.
The two players have shared several links; both ruptured their Achilles tendons during the 2025 NBA Playoffs and both missed the entire 2025-26 NBA seasons. And both have battled throughout their careers, most notably during Lillard’s two seasons in Milwaukee, from 2023-25.
The Pacers and Bucks, who are Central Division rivals, produced several fiery games in which tempers flared; the Pacers eliminated Milwaukee in consecutive postseasons while Lillard was there.
"I would love to have a conversation, because I just think it became more than it ever needed to be," Haliburton added, referencing the "Dame Time" celebration. "A miscommunication. Put it on me. I was young. In the moment, I was having fun with it, but it was probably a little much, and whatever happened from there happened.
"But he's a guy who I have looked up to the majority of my life," Haliburton said. "Part of the reason I wear (jersey number) 0 is Damian Lillard. He's a guy I would love to at least be more cordial with again, but it's love, for sure."
This continued with a story NBA insider Zach Lowe shared during an episode of his podcast that was released on Thursday night.
“I have a good Kings story for you… I heard this about a week ago; I’ve called up people who can verify it. It has been verified. They went out to [a] fancy training dinner, team, the whole team, the staff, everything. And at the dinner, Vivek Ranadivé spoke, and he kind of turned the dinner into a roast of lots of people in the room, telling them all the ways in which they have been failing as players, coaches, executives, whatever,” Lowe said.
NBA insider Zach Lowe sharing a story about the Sacramento Kings. (X/@ZachLowe_NBA).
“And I checked with the Kings, and they confirmed the gist of what I would say. Some people were alarmed and were like, ‘This is not going over the way you intended.’ Some people thought, ‘I get what he’s doing. He’s using the fact that we’ve become a media punchline to motivate us,'” he continued.
“He’s not saying, ‘I, Vivek Ranadivé, believe these things about you. But here’s what people say about you. Prove us wrong. But it was described to me as a prolonged roast that landed with some of the audience, and some of the audience not as much.”
Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein, right, smiles as he talks with Sacramento Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive, left, and Kings assistant general manager Mike Bratz after a pre-draft workout with the Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, June 11, 2015. AP
It would be interesting to hear about this “prolonged roast” from Kings players, particularly the ones who didn’t take kindly to whatever Ranadivé (who has been a Kings owner since 2013) had to say.
Sacramento Kings forward Leaky Black (19) gets poked in the eye by Los Angeles Lakers forward Adou Thiero (1) as he goes for a rebound during the second half of a game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, Oct. 8, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Perhaps not having his dad in the Lakers’ locker room will free Bronny up to showcase more of his personality. It definitely freed him up to showcase his singing voice, which was shown during a Sports Illustrated video clip of the Lakers’ team trip to Slovenia.
Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court during the second half of a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. Getty Images
The 22-year-old Lakers guard was climbing into a golf cart and belted out, “I just can’t wait to be king!” which is the title of a song from Disney’s “The Lion King.”
Clips of Bronny’s singing have gone viral on social media, and fans are pointing out the lyric’s irony, given LeBron’s “King James” nickname.
Bronny still has a long ways to go before living up to his father’s “King” moniker. After all, he averaged 2.9 points over 8.9 minutes per game during the Lakers’ campaign last season.
But Bronny should have more of a defined role on Los Angeles’ roster this season, in part because his father’s 33.2 minutes per game must be taken by somebody after LeBron joined the 76ers in free agency.
LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Oct. 8, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Lakers fans would love if Bronny was able to turn these song lyrics he was singing into the truth.
Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Oct. 8, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
