Category: NBA

Shooting is one of those things that, when you have it, you probably don’t appreciate it nearly as much as when you don’t. After all, the entire point of basketball is to put the ball in the hoop. So when shots are falling, your natural inclination is to think, “Yeah, that’s what’s supposed to happen. When the shooting disappears, it becomes a glaring weakness, and suddenly you start reminiscing about when you had it.

That is going to be one of the more interesting storylines for the Suns this season, especially from beyond the arc. Phoenix shipped out two high-level three-point shooters in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, who combined for 371 made threes last season. That accounted for 31% of the team’s total makes from deep. That is a substantial amount of shooting going out the door and wearing Hornets’ teal.

It also becomes one of the primary concerns when you look at the projected starting lineup. Combine the career three-point numbers of Jalen Green, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams, and you get 4,296-of-12,387 from deep. That’s 34.7%. The NBA average last season was 36.0%. So on paper, the projected starting five enters the season with a very real shooting weakness.

What is the combined career three-point percentage of a potential Suns starting five of Jalen Green, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams?

4,296-of-12,387. 34.7%. pic.twitter.com/NM6To8xty9

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) September 7, 2026

That is one of the reasons Luke Kennard’s acquisition is not only important, but necessary for this team. It also feels like he may be someone the fan base, and perhaps the league at large, is underestimating when it comes to his potential impact in Phoenix.

As we’ve worked our way through our annual SunsRank exercise, Kennard has consistently been ranked lower by the community. He was pushed into the Wild Card tier and ultimately ranked as the 11th-best Sun, falling behind both Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming. The writing team has him eighth. Perhaps the optimistic ranking by the Bright Side writers leans more heavily on what Kennard has already proven throughout his career, along with what this team will need from him and how prominently he could be used.

We know he is going to be asked to knock down shots, but Kennard has never really been defined as a high-volume three-point shooter. He is a career 44.2% shooter from deep, yet he has averaged only 4.3 attempts per game across nine seasons. For context, Grayson Allen, Collin Gillespie, Jalen Green, Royce O’Neale, Dillon Brooks, Devin Booker, and Jordan Goodwin all attempted more threes per game last season than Kennard has averaged for his career.

There are exceptions, though. His career high came in 2019–20 with Detroit, when he attempted 6.5 threes per game. Then, in 2021–22 with the Clippers, he averaged 6.0 attempts while leading the league at 44.9% from beyond the arc. That is something worth remembering.

Kennard attempted only 3.1 threes per game last season, the second-lowest mark of his career. That doesn’t mean he lacks the ability to handle more volume. His history suggests that when the attempts increase, the efficiency can remain elite. Kennard has led the league in three-point percentage three times in his career, and two seasons ago with Memphis, he averaged 6.1 attempts per game.

Expectations in Phoenix should be even higher. He may need to surpass his career high of 6.5 attempts per game and find himself living in the 7+ attempts per game range. If there’s anything we learned from Jordan Ott’s system last season, it’s that there is a good chance that happens. The Suns averaged 40.8 three-point attempts per game last season, fifth most in the NBA. In total, 45.3% of their shots came from beyond the arc, which ranked seventh.

So while Phoenix acquired Miles Bridges to help attack the rim, the Kennard acquisition represents a continuation of a philosophy that already exists. The key is finding balance. The Suns can’t be a team that ranks seventh in three-point attempt rate while also ranking 29th in field goals made inside 5 feet. If they want to be successful, they have to find a better balance between generating shots at the rim and creating quality looks from deep.

Kennard is going to be an important part of that. He has proven throughout his career that he can knock down threes at an elite rate, and Phoenix will need both him and Collin Gillespie to provide that shooting off the bench. Jordan Ott can weave them in and out of different combinations throughout the game, especially when they’re playing alongside lineups that lack reliable three-point threats.

Luke Kennard may not start, and he may not be one of the first names you think of when evaluating this roster. But shooting has a way of making itself incredibly valuable when you don’t have enough of it. Phoenix lost 371 made threes this offseason, and somebody has to replace that production. Kennard has spent his career proving he can make them. Now the Suns need him to prove he can make a hell of a lot more of them. 

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With the signing of 7-footer Grant Nelson to a two-way deal on Friday, the Brooklyn Nets roster seems set, barring some huge surprise. They now have the full complement of 15 players on standard NBA deals and three on two-way contracts. They will invite players to training camp which starts September 29, ultimately sending four of them to Long Island for G League duty. That should be it.

The roster is very young, no doubt the youngest in the league for the second straight year with eight of the 15 on rookie contracts, and five of them unable to legally drink in New York because they’re under 21. Two of the 20-year-olds — Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. — will be the highest drafted rookies in back-to-back years since 1995 and 1996. Only one player will be over 30 — Julius Randle who will turn 32 . They will also reflect the team’s new mantras of positional height and versatility — no more small ball. Ten of the 18 are 6’9” or taller, topped by Nelson at an official 7’0” in bare feet.

Will they win some games? They think so. Jordi Fernandez eschews gloom and doom, thinking his team will win a lot more than any pundits think (and we’re not going to dwell on what they think. No we are not.) Julius Randle told Mikel Brown Jr. they “will shock the world.” And Ben Saraf in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, published Thursday laid out the players’ goal.

“I think this year we want to win as many games as possible. Last season, there were more opportunities for the younger players, and I think that really helped all of us. But this year it’s about winning. Whoever helps the team win is going to play,” he said. “Making the playoffs is definitely a dream. I think this year our team has been built well, and I really believe we can do it. That’s our goal.”

Not the “play-in,” not the more amorphous “post-season” but the playoffs which would require around 40 wins. Optimism reigns.

Of course, optimism always reigns this time of year. Most teams by now, as Bobby Marks (no relation) has said, in love with their rosters. Not every team thinks it can contend, but they generally will like how their rosters fit their plan. It takes until around mid-December, conveniently when free agents signed over the summer can first be traded, for ownership and management to realize the plan has holes.

As for Nelson, his signing is yet another sign the organization likes him. Despite some physical setbacks, Brooklyn has remained positive about his development. They signed him to an Exhibit 10 after he went undrafted, waited through seven weeks of rehab, then played him in Long Island with minutes restrictions till he got healthy enough and gave him a 10-day with the big club. After his patella tendinitis, aka jumpers’ knee, re-emerged and he wasn’t given a second 10-day, they kept him around on. Following a non-surgical treatment after the season, they gave him a spot on the Summer League roster, even travelled him to Sacramento and Las Vegas knowing he still needed recovery time wouldn’t plan. Finally, he got a two-way which will have an opportunity for minutes. That’s commitment.

Next up will be signing players to those Exhibit 10 contracts, some of which will mean camp invites, some of which will simply be a way to fill out Long Island’s roster. They can bring 20 players into camp.

So knowing all that, should we play the rotation game? Who we might see vs. the Charlotte Hornets on Opening Night, October 21. At the moment, barring those surprises, we are likely to see the Aura Bros — Egor Demin and Michael Brown Jr., both aged 20, starting in the backcourt along with the two high scoring veterans, Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle at the 3 and 4 and Day’Ron Sharpe at the 5.

That’s the easy part. Also likely to see minutes in Fernandez’s typically deep rotation are guards Terance Mann, Nolan Traore and Keon Brown as well as bigs Josh Minott, Noah Clowney and Moe Wagner. Saraf and Danny Wolf may be getting niche minutes. Defense is likely to play a big role in who plays.

Do we expect big improvements from some of the eight players on rookie deals, aged 22 to 20?

One player who needs a big season is Clowney. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of 2026-27 so this is his time. He didn’t have a bad year in year three, averaging 12.4 points on 40/33/80 splits to go along with 4.1 rebounds in 27 minutes per in 66 games. But he started 60 of those games and that’s unlikely this time around, not with the addition of Randle. As every Nets fan knows, he’s had some highly promising games over his short career — a week with games of seven and four blocks in the last week of 2023-24 and four games with four or more 3-pointers just last season. They’d just like to see more of it.

Overall, decisions are likely to be driven first by developmental priorities … but unlike the last two seasons, Fernandez will not have worry about the lottery. Brooklyn may have to (okay, will likely to) swap firsts with the Houston Rockets. They also control the New York Knicks unprotected first. Both will likely to be low in a reportedly mediocre and top heavy draft. No the prior it was the last two drafts, both seen as “generational.”

We shouldn’t be tied to the tyranny of positions 1-through-5, either. Fernandez and others in the organization talk about position-less basketball, positional height and versatility going to be crucial. How many times will we see Demin, Brown Jr. and Traore together? How often late in games with Randle be pounding the ball down at the 5? Will Clowney get time at the 5 in certain situations? Minott at the 4? Will they find time for Joshua Jefferson who they liked a lot in the draft? What about the three two-ways? The Nets have used two-ways more than most teams the last two seasons as part of their development scheme.

It should be interesting.

What about MPJ and Julius Randle?

Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron and Capsheets.com had Erik Slater and Brian Lewis on last week and the headline out of the podcast was speculation about whether Michael Porter Jr. or Julius Randle, two proven NBA scorers aged 28 and soon-to-be 32, will be with the team past the trade deadline in early February…

New podcast on @ThirdApron

Another offseason review with @ErikSlater_ and @NYPost_Lewis joining the show to discuss the Nets transactions while I break them down from a salary cap perspective.https://t.co/HDctsCJ0KR

— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) September 4, 2026

The suggestion is that contending teams looking to improve their chances will offer Brooklyn assets that are more in line with their time line, whether younger players or draft picks … although the Nets already have a clear league lead in first (13) and second (19) round picks. In addition, the Nets and MPJ seems to be at an impasse about an extension beyond his $40.8 million expiring deal. So, if that doesn’t work out, Sean Marks & co. would be in danger of losing MPJ without any compensation (although the Nets can extend him at any time up till July 6 next year.)

However, Randle thinks he an MPJ will work well together, telling a fan in Brazil (where he was on a Skechers promotional tour with O.G. Anunoby of tip-in fame) he thinks the two bigs play different games and can complement each other…

Como vai ser o encaixe entre Julius Randle e Michael Porter Jr. no Brooklyn Nets?

Perguntei para o Randle hoje no evento da Skechers: pic.twitter.com/I5D0VNprfE

— Gabriel Martins (@caradossports) September 5, 2026

“It’s gonna be great. Two completely different type of players as far of style of play. I think we actually complement each other very well,” the three-time NBA All-Star said. “I can do a lot with the ball, with the dribble, you know creating and he’s a great catch-and-shoot guy, can really space the floor. We’ll complement each other very well.”

FYI, Randle has a player option of $35.8 million come July.

Ben Saraf takes stock

Of all Brooklyn’s first rounders last year, Ben Saraf was the subject of the most fan skepticism and that’s being kind. He was seen, at No. 26, as an NBA lemon by a loft of fans, and/or an indication of how the Flatbush 5 was filled with bad choices … despite the fact that a 26th pick doesn’t produce a lot of stars and that he was the eighth youngest player out of the 600 or so who donned NBA uniforms last year. And please don’t mention to those fans that Hugo Gonzales was taken at No. 28!

Saraf remains optimistic about his NBA journey. In that same interview with the J-Post where he spoke about the team’s optimism, he spoke about his belief in himself.

While at a community event in Rishon LeZion in Israel last month, he spoke with Joshua Hallickman he expressed confidence that his second year will give him a push.

“During my workouts over the past few months, the Summer League and our team practices, I already feel like the game has slowed down for me a bit. You have to get used to the pace and understand better what’s expected of you,” he said. “This summer, I’m focusing a lot on improving my shooting, getting stronger physically, learning how to take care of my body and how to prepare for games. Those are all things you learn during your first NBA season, and I’m happy about that.”

As a combo guard, he’ll need to shoot better to get minutes in a backcourt that includes four other 20-year-olds in Egor Demin, Mikel Brown Jr., Nolan Traore and Drake Powell, a 22-year-old rookie in Joshua Jefferson plus Keon Ellis and Terance Mann.

He admits as well, that there were some tough times.

“It was really important for me to prove to myself that I was capable, even if I had to take a step back. I wanted to stay mentally strong, and I think by the end of the season I was playing much better and had some good games. But the goal now is to start next season already playing a meaningful role with the team.”

Indeed, at Hallickman points out, there were some bright spots particularly late.

After spending part of the year in the G League, the 20-year-old responded with arguably the strongest stretch of basketball of his young NBA career. Over Brooklyn’s final four games, he averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists while logging more than 32 minutes per contest. The highlight of that run came when he scored 19 points in back-to-back games against Milwaukee and Indiana, showing the poise, confidence and playmaking ability that made him one of Europe’s most highly regarded prospects.

His shooting still wasn’t that respectable — 46/19/88 — in that stretch but in one of the two 19-point outings, he went to the line 10 times in 36 minutes, hitting nine of them. Also, his head coach often praised his defense and he averaged close to a steal a game in 21 minutes last season.

Saraf told Hallickman that the high point of the season was not a high score but the game the Nets played vs. the Portland Trailblazers in Brooklyn on March 6. It was the first time three players with Israeli passports had taken the court together in the NBA. He, Danny Wolf and Deni Advija spent a total of 66 minutes running up and down the court at Barclays in front of a lot of Israeli flags.

“I think the most exciting and emotional moment was the game where there were three Israelis playing together on the same court with all the Jewish fans in attendance. It was so much bigger than basketball. That was definitely the most powerful moment of my season.”

Saraf didn’t mention any of the protests related to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Iran but instead noted how well he was treated and his connections with Israeli and Jewish communities in the U.S.

“It’s amazing. There are endless Friday night dinners. Even when I travel to other places, I meet many Israelis and Jews doing gap-year programs or volunteering, and I’m always invited over,” he told Hallickman. “That’s also true when it comes to Chabad houses (Jewish community centers) across the country. I try to go whenever I can. I also visited a Jewish school in Cleveland to talk with the kids. It’s great. I really appreciate all that support.”

Although he didn’t play for the Israeli national team in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers this summer, he expressed the hope he’ll be able to in the future.

“It’s a huge dream. Honestly, whenever I play for the national team, that’s when I enjoy basketball the most. Those tournaments are the most fun for me, and it’s always an incredible experience. I’m also really excited to watch the youth national teams. They’re doing an amazing job. I think we have a lot of talented prospects and that we can become a really strong national team in the future. I’m very excited about that.”

Long Island Nets busy, too.

Just as Sean Marks has been filling out the Brooklyn roster, Long Island’s GM, Matt MacDonald, has been doing the same, making small trades to acquire G League rights to players, drafting a French guard in the G League international draft and working with Brooklyn on both Exhibit 10 and two-way signings.

One transaction this week in particular caught our eye, a trade for rights to Isaiah Wong, a 6’3” combo guard who grew up in Piscataway, N.J. and attended the University of Miami. The 25-year-old has experience in the G League, NBA and the Spanish League, generally conceded to be the best pro league outside North America.

Overall, Wong has played 21 NBA games having been taken by the Pacers at No. 55 in the 2023 NBA Draft after he’d been named ACC Player of the Year, a third team All-American and helped Miami reach their first-ever Final Four.

What can he do? Here’s his Miami highlights:

Wong played a single game with the Pacers in 2023-24, then he got 20 games of action the next year in Charlotte…

After Charlotte didn’t renew his deal, he went overseas, playing first in Lithuania with Zalgiris, a Euroleague team, then in Spain with Gran Canaria. Wong averaged 14.6 points a game along with two assists and two rebounds.

Personally, he has an interesting distinction. His paternal great-grandfather was Chinese, meaning he can play for the Chinese national team. Can’t hurt. Will he choose Long Island over the Canary Islands? No word yet, but unless he gets signed to an Exhibit 10 contract and gets the customary bonus of $85,000, he’ll be limited to the standard G League deal, which tops out at $49,000, less than what he can get overseas.

Final Note

Meanwhile in L.A., the city’s two teams are in turmoil. The Lakers former owners, the Buss family, are feuding as Jeannie Buss tries to preserve her role as NBA governor. With her siblings undercutting her to sell their final 17.8% of the team to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, she wouldn’t control enough stock in the operating company to qualify for a seat on the NBA Board of Governors. She’s going to court it appears.

Meanwhile, across the great expanse of the city, Steve Ballmer is also considering suing the league after Adam Silver put the hammer down on his ownership of the Clippers. ICYMI, the Clippers have to give up their first rounders from 2029 through 2033 and pay a $30 million fine. Ballmer and his CEO, Gillian Zucker, are suspended for a year while Lawrence Frank faces six month unpaid leave. And it an under reported and under appreciated part of the ruling, “the Clippers organization and personnel are subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office for a period of five years.” That appears to mean that the league office will now play a role in Clippers’ basketball operations. How’s that going to work?

All of it, of course, is the penalty for circumventing the NBA’s salary cap rules. In the year after Pablo Torre first uncovered the scandal that involved Kawhi Leonard’s lucrative no-show deal with a team partner, the league’s high-powered law firm, Wachtell Lipton not only confirmed what Pablo found out, but found three more suspect agreements … and announced there may be more to come.

The general belief is that neither law suit will succeed and Josh Kushner, Jared’s brother, will take Jeannie Buss seat and Ballmer will have to find another hobby for a year. However, the lasting effect of all these West Coast machinations, including the circumstances that led Laker owner Mark Walter to sell in the first place, may very well be that Adam Silver’s new theme song is “No more Mr. Nice Guy” across the board.

Silver has long been seen as a conciliator compared to his predecessor, David Stern who was more of a hanging judge. That was fine as long as team valuations soared into the stratosphere and scandals could be brushed aside. Now, though, there’s a sense of crisis because the game’s integrity is at the center of the league’s success. Without it, more fans will be even more cynical and cynics make for lousy fans.

Cheating on the cap, a failure to fully vet new owners’ net worth and the gambling scandal are all part of that integrity problem. Gambling could indeed by the worst blow. The budding investigation has already nabbed four former NBA players including a Hall of Famer and will likely explode in the next few months. Two former players, including MPJ’s brother Jontay, have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with authorities in the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office. Gamblers are too. Will other, big names be tarred?

While the Clippers’ scandal has taken up a lot of Pablo Torre’s time of late, he also tackled the gambling scandal back in February and a close reading of what he found out then should have sent tremors through the NBA offices on Fifth Avenue. There were some bad actors out there. No word on when things will get laid out publicly but watch for news about sentencings of those who have pleaded guilty. Often at those sentencing hearings, defendants must “allocute,” that is, reveal what they have told the feds and prosecutors put it in the larger context. That could be painful for the league.

Anything that could harm the Nets going forward? It seem unlikely. MPJ has explained he had nothing to do with his brother’s gambling, mostly on G League games (!), and we have no reason not to believe him. As for cap circumvention, that’s certainly not been a problem. Brooklyn hasn’t crossed the cap since the Mikal Bridges trade and no one is suggesting the Tsais aren’t among the wealthiest people in the world.

As one insider noted to us, “we’re boring.” Let’s keep it that way!

There were a few upsets on the Killers and “Dirty” Players half of the Spurs Villain Tournament, but none of that intrigue carried over to the Former Spurs and Haters side of the bracket.

As you can see below, all the top seeds advanced to Round 2. The only semi-competitive matchup was Stephen Jackson vs Dennis Rodman, the latter of whom was surprisingly ranked 7th. I’m disappointed that Rodman is gone so soon, as I personally think he has an argument as the most disliked player who’s ever played for the Spurs, though Jackson’s up there too. Other than that matchup, everything else was chalk, so let’s now continue previewing Round 2 of our tournament.

Round 2: Former Spurs

1. Kawhi Leonard vs. 4. Richard Jefferson

The Nephew is back in the news, and Spurs fans are rejoicing once more. It’s a shame since he was supposed to be the heir to the dynasty, and Kawhi used to be a fan favorite. Then his true colors were revealed during the 2017-18 season when he abandoned the team and rehabbed a nagging knee injury privately, which he used as an excuse to ask for a trade. It seemed like a death knell for the team at that point, but I think everything eventually worked out in the Spurs’ favor.

Kawhi should win this in a landslide, especially since Jefferson has a surprisingly high seed in the bracket. Sure, he had three disappointing seasons in San Antonio and jokingly called the city a dump, but he’s had more positive things to say about the organization than negative ones. I’ve never had any ill will towards RJ, and all the “insults” he’s levied against the Spurs are in jest, though sometimes it does get old — especially when you hear him calling games 24/7. Plus, if RJ never flamed out in San Antonio, then we wouldn’t have witnessed one of the greatest shoves ever.

2. Stephen Jackson vs. 3. Robert Horry

Stephen Jackson’s one of the most unlikeable players I can think of, and that’s before factoring in my Spurs fandom. He’s called out Pop more times than every other NBA player in history combined, constantly bringing up a story where his ego got in the way of the betterment of the team. He also hates Tony Parker with a passion, calling the latter selfish and claiming that the Spurs would’ve won more titles had TP sacrificed more. I actually agree with the selfish claim to a certain extent, but for it to come from Jackson of all people is just ironic.

Horry, meanwhile, has a true love/hate relationship with the franchise and its fans. He played a crucial role in both the 2005 and 2007 title runs, but has gone on to call the organization “boring” since the locker room lacked drama. Horry also said that Hakeem was “20 times better than Tim Duncan,” which is an absurd statement for two of the 10 greatest players ever. I’d never ridicule anyone for believing Hakeem’s in the same tier of greats as Timmy, but to say he’s 20 times better is one of the most disrespectful things I’ve ever heard.

Round 2: Spurs Haters

1. Phil Jackson vs. 4. Uncle Dennis Robertson

For someone so accomplished, Phil Jackson sure does seem insecure about the success of others. He infamously claimed that the Spurs’ 1999 title deserves an asterisk because it came during the 50-game lockout-shortened season, which led to The Admiral purposefully leaving him hanging at the 2000 All-Star Game.

Jackson’s opponent is none other than our favorite uncle, who was recently handed a five-year ban from conducting any business with the NBA following the Aspiration scandal involving Kawhi. He seemed to be the mastermind behind both the Kawhi trade out of San Antonio and the shady deals that have now come to light with the Clippers. Spurs fans were the first victims of Uncle Dennis’ shenanigans, but the extent of his illegal dealings surprised even me.

2. David Stern vs. 3. Mark Cuban

It seems strange to have a former commissioner on such a list, but Stern fining the Spurs $250,000 for resting players back in 2012 was more a message to the entire league than him singling out San Antonio specifically. To be fair, the Spurs popularized the load management that fans all love today, and that was exactly the type of thing Stern wanted to prevent when he was still in charge. I honestly believe that both Stern and the Spurs did what was in their best interests, so I’m fairly surprised that he was a higher seed than Mr. Shark Tank himself.

Unsurprisingly, Cuban was delighted to see San Antonio punished for sitting its players. By that point, he had developed a fierce hatred for a Spurs team that routinely clashed with his Mavs in the playoffs during the 2000s and early 2010s. Cuban even made it personal by insulting the Riverwalk and felt that the Spurs’ success was largely due to lottery luck, and it certainly didn’t help that the rival teams are from the same state but in two cities with distinct cultural differences.

In May, Jaylen Brown was down bad. The Sixers had just pulled off their first-ever 3-1 series comeback in franchise history to beat Brown’s Celtics in the playoffs for the first time in more than 40 years. That also marked the Celtics’ first blown 3-1 lead in franchise history. (We truly hate to see it.)

While the season ended in clear disappointment, Brown raised eyebrows across the NBA when he said it was “my favorite year of my basketball career” on his Twitch stream afterward. Brown’s co-star, Jayson Tatum, missed most of the season while recovering from a torn Achilles, so that quote naturally set off a firestorm in the national media.

Does Brown care more about his production than he does about winning? Did he want his own team? Was it finally time to break up the Jays? (As it turns out, we got a clear answer to that last question two months later.)

The national media being what it is these days, the reaction was completely devoid of the context surrounding that quote. That context is what should give the Sixers hope about their outlook heading into the 2026-27 season.

What Brown actually meant

That Twitch stream wasn’t the first time that Brown said the 2025-26 campaign was his favorite season.

“I think this has been my favorite season so far, being able to get an opportunity to lead a group,” he told reporters in late December. “A group of guys who … Some of us have some championship experience, but we have five or six new guys who haven’t really played NBA basketball. And now, we look like one of the better teams in the league. And that’s just credit to our coaching staff and credit to our leadership that we’ve been able to get those guys comfortable. And we’re playing some good basketball right now, so it means everything.”

Ever since they drafted Brown in 2016, the Celtics have made six appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, earned two NBA Finals berths and won a championship in 2023-24. They were in the inner circle of title contenders for most of Brown’s NBA career. But after Tatum tore his Achilles in the second round of the playoffs in 2024-25, expectations were far lower for the Celtics heading into last season.

In other words, last year was Brown’s first taste of a no-one-believes-in-us season. And that’s exactly what he referenced on his Twitch stream.

“Being able to be a part of the group that just through the uncertainty that came to compete and came to went to war,” Brown said. “I’ll take a team like that any day of the week.”

Once the National Media Outrage Machine took off, Brown followed up a few days later to clarify his remarks.

“The expectations for this team was to fail,” Brown said on another Twitch stream. “The expectations for this team was to be nothing. Just to give in, and to quit. This team did the exact opposite. We fought every single day. We fought for everything.”

Brown also detailed how he relished watching the growth of young teammates like Hugo González, Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta.

“You got to see all of these guys, all of my teammates, grow,” Brown added. “I got to see them overcome adversity as a group, up close and personal. … Obviously, we’re not satisfied with the result. If it sounds like an excuse, it’s not. But to fight and maneuver through adversity and grow, and galvanize with a bunch of guys and to have that mindset and approach, this was my favorite year.

“I wouldn’t say by far. By far would be a stretch, because obviously winning the championship is great. But I’m telling y’all, this was my favorite season.”

Brown will be coming into a far different situation in Philly than he did in Boston last season. Expectations are through the roof for the Sixers after the offseason they just had. He also won’t be looked at as the clear-cut leader of the team.

Does that mean Brown is guaranteed to become a malcontent? Hardly.

“To be honest, it doesn’t have to be anybody’s team,” Brown said during his introductory press conference with the Sixers. It just needs to be based in respect and work. And that’s kind of my approach. I want to earn everybody’s respect and trust, which takes time. “Obviously, it’s a lot of guys with talent, there’s egos, but to win, you’ve gotta be able to sacrifice, you’ve gotta be able to have trust and communication. I want to come in transparent. I want to come in with my agenda on the table, ‘Look, this is what I’m here to do, this is what I want to do. I want to win.’ And we kinda can figure out how to respectfully move around each other.”

Although the Sixers are expected to be among the title favorites heading into the season, questions abound about them. How will they be able to solve the “one ball” problem? Can they put their egos aside for the greater good? Will Brown be willing to recede into a smaller role fresh off a career year? Can he prove the analytics dorks wrong?

Brown has the opportunity this season to continue defying expectations, albeit in a different way than last year. He’ll also have the chance to watch and help facilitate the growth of young teammates, from VJ Edgecombe and Labaron Philon Jr. to Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow. Just because this Sixers roster is more like his early-2020s Celtics squads than last year’s Celtics doesn’t mean he’s destined to become unhappy in Philly.

If anything, the chance to prove everyone wrong again—particularly those in Boston who’ve suddenly begun to question his impact now that he’s gone—should fuel him all year.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

Follow Bryan on Bluesky.

The NBA’s parity era lived to see another year in 2026 when the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs for the championship. The Knicks’ triumph marked the ninth straight year the NBA has had a different champion, and it’s not just a no repeat streak. It’s true that no team has won back-to-back championships since Kevin Durant’s Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, but it’s even more remarkable that no franchise has multiple titles over the current nine-year stretch of unique champions. Will both runs continue as the league enters the 2026-2027 season?

It’s easy to feel resigned that one of the top teams is destined to win the 2027 championship, but that simply isn’t the way it’s worked out in recent years. I only had the Knicks at No. 5 when I wrote up the list of teams that could win the championship last year, and the Spurs were nowhere to be found. There could be more surprises in store this season as salary cap casualties and the risk of injury from a physicality demanding style of play continue to hang over the league.

I see nine teams that can actually win the championship entering this new season. Let’s rank them by their chances of winning it all.

9. Boston Celtics

I’m higher on Boston as a regular season team than a playoff team. The Celtics have an ingrained identity under Joe Mazzulla that has produced an average of 59.5 wins per season during his four years as head coach, an astounding number. Boston is widely expected to take a step back after the Jaylen Brown trade this year, but I’m not so sure. They will be getting a full year of Jayson Tatum this season, and they’re also adding Paul George and Mitchell Robinson to the roster. I think Payton Pritchard and Derrick White could be better without Brown hogging the ball, and I wouldn’t be surprised if young players like Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman can show improvement from last year. It’s possible Boston will miss Brown during the playoffs, but they also lost in the first round last season with him as their best player. The biggest concern for the Celtics to me is if Tatum can still be a First-Team All-NBA caliber player after an Achilles tear. I also still don’t really trust the Neemias Queta and Robinson center pairing to stay healthy and effective throughout a playoff run. Ultimately, Boston is really good every year, and I don’t expect that to change. If they catch a couple lucky breaks during their playoff run, I still think this team has some title equity.

8. Houston Rockets

The Rockets’ season ended in disappointing fashion last year with a first-round playoff loss to a Lakers team that was missing Luka Doncic. I think Houston can be better this year because of the return of Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams from injury, plus internal development from their talented young core. VanVleet’s preseason ACL tear was devastating for a team that lacked reliable ball handlers behind him, and Adams’ ensuing season-ending ankle injury was almost as bad because it took away Houston’s greatest strength (offensive rebounding). VanVleet and Adams should be ready for opening night, giving the Rockets two veterans that help solidify their identity and take some pressure off the young guns. Houston’s ceiling will be determined by if Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason have another leap in them, and I think that’s totally possible. Sengun is good for 20 points per game every season at this point, and as he enters his age-24 campaign, I could see him as either a three-point shooter or free throw magnet. Thompson just feels too athletic to fail even if the jump shot never really improves, and it’s possible he turns into an even better mid-range scorer. Sheppard can go as far as head coach Ime Udoka will allow him to go even with some obvious holes in his game. We haven’t even mentioned Kevin Durant yet, who feels perfectly suited to be a hyper-efficient complementary volume scorer this year. The Rockets will have a very good defense and generate tons of extra possessions. I expect this to be a high floor team that also has a high ceiling if a few things go right.

7. Los Angeles Lakers

I could make an argument for the Lakers to be as high as fourth on this list, and it’s all because of Luka Doncic. NBA championships are won with S-Tier superstars, and Doncic is very much in that group. We’ve seen him drag a team to the NBA Finals before when he has another high-level offensive creator next to him with a dominant rim protector behind him, and he again has that set up this year in Los Angeles. Austin Reaves is really good and could be primed for an All-Star campaign. I thought the Lakers gave up way too much for Walker Kessler, but there’s no doubt he fills their biggest need as a defensive paint protector. The real question for the Lakers is the forward spots. I like some of the buy-low fliers on this roster with Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero, and Chris Manon, and it’s essentially that one or two of them pop this season for this team to actually be championship caliber. The Lakers can also count on having a very good coach who will push all the right buttons in JJ Redick. The path is harrowing in the Western Conference, but the Lakers have the pieces to potentially put together a title run this year, even if it’s a bit of a long-shot.

6. Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers were crowned offseason champs after trading for Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James in free agency, but hanging an actual banner will be far more difficult. The Sixers have some obvious questions heading into the year. How healthy can Joel Embiid be without a quality backup center behind him? Can this be a championship-level defense? Is Brown willing to take a step back as a volume scorer and improve as a spot-up shooter? For all of the issues this team could have, the raw talent level is overwhelming if they can stay in one piece. LeBron is one of the great problem solvers in league history, and he could be the connective tissue this team needs at both ends come playoff time. The Sixers will be uniquely suited to attack mismatches in the postseason, especially if Embiid can be on the floor. Head coach Nick Nurse can run some really interesting pick-and-roll combinations, and there’s just no way to account for Brown’s bulldozing drives or Maxey’s elite speed in certain actions. I also sort of like the bench here, with Dean Wade being a perfect glue guy and Anfernee Simons being an overqualified seventh man. If Philly’s stars are willing to sacrifice, there’s a chance they’re a huge pain to deal with come playoff time.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves have consistently made deep playoff runs with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, but their failure to fully break through in the Western Conference led to the franchise making some huge changes this summer. LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga are in, while Julius Randle and Naz Reid are out. This version of Minnesota will be faster and more creative with the ball in their hands, and that should lead to a higher offensive ceiling. The pairing of Edwards and Ball in the backcourt will be must-see TV. Edwards was overtasked as a lead decision-maker, so now he can fully slide to the two next to one of the league’s best passers in Ball. Both players are great pull-up three-point shooters, and that could level the playing field against OKC and San Antonio deep in the playoffs. There’s a lot of pressure on Gobert and Jaden McDaniels to hold together the defense. Kuminga will also need to buy into his role as a defensive stopper and rebounder and give up some of his isolation scoring dreams. The bench, led by Ayo Dosunmu, could be pretty solid, especially if Jaylen Clark and Joan Beringer break out. I like the risks Minnesota took this summer, but it could all come crashing down if Ball keeps getting injured or Gobert starts to decline with age. For now, I’m optimistic on the Wolves, and I’m buying that their new style could add some much needed variance to their playoff performance that could help them get over the hump.

4. Toronto Raptors

The Kawhi Leonard cap circumvention scandal is finally resolved, the Clippers have been crushed, and it clears the way for his return to the Raptors. Leonard was a top-5 player in the league last season with the Clippers, and he should have all the motivation he needs to continue his dominance this year assuming he eventually lands in Toronto. The Raptors badly needed someone to score in the halfcourt against set defenses in the playoffs, and Leonard remains among the best alive in that regard with his unstoppable mid-range scoring. He’ll once again have an elite co-star in Toronto in Scottie Barnes, who played like a mad man in the playoffs last season and could be in line for All-NBA honors if he does it again this year. Barnes is one of the league’s best defenders, and he keeps growing as an offensive player. The Raptors got nothing out of Immanuel Quickley in the playoffs last season, and I feel like he could be another key piece for making a run in the East. Collin Murray-Boyles should be primed for a big leap in year two, while rookie Allen Graves could also be an instant impact player. I really like what’s brewing in Toronto as long as Kawhi is there when it counts.

3. New York Knicks

The Knicks looked like nothing special in the regular season last year, and it felt like they were on the verge of disaster when the Hawks took a 2-1 series lead over them in the first-round of the playoffs. Everything changed from that point on, with the Knicks unlocking a level of greatness reserved for only the best championship runs in league history. New York crushed everything in its path on the way to the NBA Finals, and then mounted multiple all-time comebacks to win their first championship since 1973. Almost every key piece is back for this year save for Mitchell Robinson (now in Boston), and while the East is again improved, the Knicks are setting the bar everyone else is trying to measure up to. It’s hard to come up with reasons for why New York would fall off this year. Jalen Brunson should have at least one more season at his apex predator level, Karl-Anthony Towns finally found the perfect role and a coach who trusts him, and OG Anunoby is the epitome of a star in his role. I really think the Knicks can go back-to-back if things break the right way again. Nothing about last season’s championship was a fluke. So why are the Knicks at No. 3? I just feel like the two teams ahead of them have more margin for error.

2. San Antonio Spurs

Victor Wembanyama might be the best player in the world entering this season at 22 years old, but the scary thing is how much room he still has to get better offensively. Wemby didn’t really have a mid-range game he could fall back on, and it hurt him late in the playoffs. If he shows any improvement in that area, the Spurs will be an even tougher team to defend when it matters most. I think San Antonio should have a better supporting cast around their franchise player this year. Dylan Harper could take a big leap in year two if he gets enough usage. De’Aaron Fox can’t be any worse in terms of shot-making than he was in the playoffs last year, and some positive regression to the mean there could make a big difference. Tobias Harris was an overlooked addition that could prove valuable. Stephon Castle is still improving as he enters this third season, and hopefully he can cut back on the turnovers and show a little shooting improvement. The thing left unsaid here is that Wembanyama’s defense is good enough to lift San Antonio to title contention by itself as long as the rest of the pieces can fit in around him. If he continues to make strides offensively, the Spurs should be making deep playoff runs for the foreseeable future.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

I thought the Thunder looked like a potential dynasty at this time last year. It may have been proven true if the team’s second and third best creators, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, didn’t both get hurt at the worst possible time late in the playoffs. Chet Holmgren’s disappearance against Wembanyama in the Western Conference Finals might have been an even bigger issue for OKC, considering they will probably have to go through the Spurs every year. I really thought Holmgren looked like a borderline top-15 most valuable player in the world before his crash out against Wemby, and I want to believe he can overcome the mental hurdles in that matchup. Williams is a different story, and he seems like an even better bet to bounce-back from the hamstring injury that dogged him throughout the second half of last year. Add in Mitchell’s ascension and a bigger role for Cason Wallace, and I still think the Thunder are the team to beat even if I don’t feel as confident about it as I did a year ago. It will be fascinating to see if any of young bench players can take a leap between Nikola Topic, Aday Mara, Thomas Sorber, and Bennett Stirtz. The Thunder really do need some reinforcements after losing Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, and Lu Dort as cap casualties, but it’s a lot to ask for those aforementioned youngsters to be ready for the fire of playoff basketball. Ultimately, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s impossibly great one-on-one scoring plus an elite defense is enough to give the Thunder the top spot in these rankings. No one will be anointing OKC with a preseason championship this year, but they still have all the pieces to win a second ring.

For guard Quentin Grimes, the decision to join the Lakers this summer was a “no-brainer.”

Because for the 26-year-old Grimes, the Lakers offered several appealing factors: stability, familiarity and opportunity. 

Stability in the form of a four-year, $60 million contract (with a player option for the 2029-30 season) after playing for four teams over the previous two years (Knicks, Pistons, Mavericks and 76ers) coming off his rookie scale deal and qualifying offer in 2025-26. 

Familiarity with multiple Lakers personnel: Grimes was briefly teammates with Lakers superstar Luka Doncic in Dallas before Doncic was traded to the Lakers. 

Lakers coach JJ Redick also trained Grimes for a couple of days during the 2023 offseason. 

Grimes enters the 2026-27 season with an opportunity to be on the first unit for the Lakers alongside Doncic, star guard Austin Reaves, marquee offseason addition Walker Kessler and an unknown fifth starter. 

“Everybody wants to be wanted as a player, and I feel like there was a lot of mutual interest between me and the Lakers for a while now,” Grimes told ESPN LA in July. “Nobody expected Luka to be with the Lakers — we had a good little run with Dallas. I knew JJ. I knew Jarred Vanderbilt. I knew Kurt Rambis …[assistant coach] Greg St. Jean. It was kind of like a no-brainer and a great fit, honestly.”

And after so much movement over the last few seasons — including being traded three times in one year — Grimes can be settled with a team that’s shown how much it values him. 

But this next step in his career will come with greater expectations. 

Grimes started his career with the Knicks as a consistent rotation player — and sometimes starter — under former coach Tom Thibodeau, sometimes tasked with guarding the opponent’s best perimeter players.

But over the last couple of years, he’s been able to show off more of his offensive skill set. This was especially true during his 28 games with the 76ers to close out the 2024-25 season in which he averaged 21.9 points and 4.5 assists as a starter during a down season for Philadelphia.  

In 2025-26, after accepting a one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer with the 76ers last summer as a restricted free agent, he settled back into mostly playing as a key reserve with multiple guards/wings ahead of him on the depth chart. 

But with the Lakers, his responsibilities will grow. 

He’ll be expected to be a consistent offensive contributor while also being tasked with being the team’s primary point-of-attack defender.   

“That was really one of the biggest points, talking with JJ and them, having them being able to pitch me what my role would look like,” Grimes said. “Having a pretty big offensive role within the team. But also having a big leadership role on the defensive end as well. Taking on that challenge every night of guarding the best players and wanting that responsibility. I want to have that challenge every night.”

As we’ve gone through the SunsRank exercise, I think one thing has become clear. This team has depth, at least on paper. Much of that depth is rooted in young players who still have to live up to their potential. If they do, that depth becomes real. The goal is to keep developing and avoid plateauing, because if you don’t, it doesn’t take much to start slipping down the rankings.

Ryan Dunn is a perfect example. At the end of last season, after the Suns were swept out of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the consensus between the community and the writers had Dunn ranked 10th overall in SunsRank. Now, after one summer without any real basketball being played outside of Las Vegas, he has fallen to 13th in both the community and writers rankings.

#	2025-26 SunRank	Community SunsRank	Writers SunsRank
9	Royce O’Neale	Khaman Maluach	Oso Ighodaro
10	Ryan Dunn	Rasheer Fleming	Khaman Maluach
11	Rasheer Fleming	Luke Kennard	Rasheer Fleming
12	Khaman Maluach	Haywood Highsmith	Koa Peat
13	Haywood Highsmith	Koa Peat	Ryan Dunn
14	Jamaree Bouyea	Ryan Dunn	Haywood Highsmith
15	Koby Brea	Pat Spencer	Jamaree Bouyea
16	Amir Coffey	Jamaree Bouyea	Pat Spencer
17	Isaiah Livers	CJ Huntley	CJ Huntley
18	CJ Huntley	Koby Brea	Koby Brea

There are a multitude of reasons why this can happen. First and foremost, the Suns made changes this offseason, and some of the players they acquired are being ranked ahead of those who were already here. But when we use the subjective term “best” and ask who is actually better than Ryan Dunn on this roster, the movement starts to make a little more sense. Ahead of him are Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, and Koa Peat, all players drafted after Dunn in 2024. We’ve seen Dunn for two seasons now, and we believe we have a better idea of what his ceiling might be. So it’s on him to climb back up the rankings through performance and progression rather than plateauing like he did last season.

Now we turn our attention to The Pillars, the reliable rotation players who will provide stability and help hold this roster together. They might not be the stars, but the Suns need them to consistently do their jobs if this team wants to reach the goals set before the season begins. Within this tier, you’ll find three players who returned to Phoenix on free agent deals that are widely viewed as below market value. You’ll find one player who arrived via trade, and another who certainly makes an impact, even if it isn’t always pretty.

Here are your SunsRank Pillars.

The Pillars

Collin Gillespie

GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	STL	FG%	3PT%	FT%	OFFRTG	DEFRTG	+/- (TOTAL)
80	28.5	12.7	4.1	4.6	1.2	41.8%	40.1%	87.4%	113.7	110.0	+200

Gillespie got paid this offseason, with the Suns re-signing him to a four-year, $48 million contract. He’s a shining example of internal development for Brian Gregory and his staff. Gillespie arrived in Phoenix on a two-way contract in July 2024, earned a full NBA deal in July 2025, and now enters the 2026–27 season making $10.7 million.

It’s a feel-good story. And the opportunity is there for that story to continue, as Gillespie figures to be one of the primary players leading the second unit this season.

Jordan Goodwin

GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	STL	FG%	3PT%	FT%	OFFRTG	DEFRTG	+/- (TOTAL)
70	22.5	8.7	4.9	2.2	1.5	41.3%	37.1%	69.6%	113.4	110.1	+93

The feel-good stories don’t stop with Gillespie, as Jordan Goodwin is another player who worked his way into a multi-year contract. He signed a three-year, $19 million deal with the Suns this offseason, with the final year coming in at $6.8 million on a player option. He controls his destiny.

Goodwin may be listed at only 6’3”, but he plays far above that. He was second on the team in offensive rebounds per game last season and remains a tenacious defender who helps reinforce the Suns’ identity with the second unit. He has another opportunity ahead of him this season to build on what he started last year.

Every team needs a Jordan Goodwin. The Suns have theirs, and it just so happens that his name is Jordan Goodwin.

Mark Williams

GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	BLK	FG%	3PT%	FT%	OFFRTG	DEFRTG	+/- (TOTAL)
60	23.6	11.7	8.0	1.0	0.9	64.4%	1.000%	77.1%	111.3	113.3	-42

You want another player who signed a new contract with the Suns this offseason? Let me introduce you to Mark Williams, who agreed to a three-year, $38 million deal after putting together the healthiest season of his career in his first year with Phoenix. Williams played 60 games last season, 15 more than he ever appeared in during any of his three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.

He’s one of the more interesting storylines heading into this season for a couple of reasons. First, you have Khaman Maluach waiting in the wings, which creates a delicate balance between developing the future and trying to win now. Second, Williams is likely the fifth option offensively for the Suns. So how does he balance that role while remaining effective on the defensive end?

We saw him handle it well last season. The hope is that he can do it again.

Miles Bridges

GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	STL	FG%	3PT%	FT%	OFFRTG	DEFRTG	+/- (TOTAL)
77	31.0	17.1	5.8	3.2	0.6	46.0%	33.3%	82.2%	118.3	114.8	+147

Miles Bridges comes to Phoenix as one of the most scrutinized players on the roster, both on and off the court. The justified public scrutiny surrounding his acquisition, following his legal troubles in the past, is going to keep a spotlight on him. And given what the Suns gave up to acquire him, most notably a 2033 first-round pick, there will be plenty of scrutiny on his performance as well.

The court of public opinion can be harsh. Combine that with poor performance on the basketball court, and it becomes even harsher. Can Bridges overcome all of that and put together a productive season in Phoenix?

Oso Ighodaro

GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	STL	FG%	3PT%	FT%	OFFRTG	DEFRTG	+/- (TOTAL)
82	22.0	6.5	5.1	2.3	0.9	65.3%	0.0%	45.3%	114.8	109.7	+161

And then there’s Oso, the analytics darling who seems to raise all ships offensively whenever he’s on the court. There’s still plenty of room for growth, especially as a rebounder, rim protector, and someone who can impact the game more consistently on the defensive end. Oh, and did I mention shooting? Yeah, that ship has probably sailed. But Oso brings enough ancillary skills to affect the game in other ways. Much like Mitchell Robinson, he doesn’t need to shoot to make an impact

---

And now? Time to SunsRank!

Payton Pritchard has come a long way in his career, and has earned the right to be a starter in the NBA. He is almost certainly one of Boston’s top-5 players coming into the 2026-27 season. Is there a chance that the former sixth-man of the year is best utilized off the bench, though?

Nate and Nirav debate:

Nate says starter

I feel very comfortable saying that starting Payton Pritchard is the right option. The numbers and fit make it an easy call to make.

He’s taken a leap in each of the last three seasons, and is now one of most balanced scoring guards in the NBA. That’s not an exaggeration, there’s almost no level of the floor where he’s not highly efficient. Among guards, Pritchard ranked in the 84th percentile at the rim, the 97th percentile in the short mid-range, and the 91st percentile at the line. With the 5th most 3PA per game at his position, he knocked down a solid 37.7% from distance.

This kind of shot profile is underutilized coming off the bench. The production is great, but the value is heightened when it’s built into the Celtics’ best lineup from the opening tip. With Pritchard as a starter, you’re focusing on getting off to a strong start, instead of needing a lift or change of pace from the bench.

An understandable question to address is that if Pritchard was so effective off the bench, why not allow that to continue. The answer for me is about fit and lineup optimization.

As the team’s two most effective creators, Pritchard and Brown had some play style overlaps that benefited from both of them having an opportunity to lead their respective units. Pritchard’s output skyrocketed in every single category with Brown on the bench, and his role was muted when they shared the floor.

The net rating further supported the need to give them room to create. With both players on the floor, they had a respectable +6.6 net rating. With Brown and no Pritchard, it rose modestly to +7.0. With Pritchard and no Brown, it nearly doubled to +13.7.

The historical data paints the same picture, as the numbers hold very true across their last five seasons together.

The team benefited from the strategy of using them as separate forces. With Brown out of the picture, and Tatum in the mix to start the year, that idea is no longer necessary. In fact, it’s far more beneficial to maximize Pritchard and Tatum’s playing time together.

Take that same five year sample. While Payton and Jaylen always remained positive together, they fared even better apart. For Pritchard and Tatum, their relationship is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Across 2,884 minutes, they have an elite +13.1 net rating together. Though still solid, it dips noticeably when they play without each other.

This is a pairing that unlocks the best parts of their games. For Tatum, it’s a ridiculous advantage to have a guard with a lightning fast trigger that spots up and spaces the floor from 30+ feet. It makes double teams and help defense significantly harder with Payton one pass away. Both of them can also work as the screener in actions, which lets Boston flip who’s creating and who’s spacing, and forces defenses into tough decisions.

You also can’t leave him open for a second so help defense is unpleasant and miscommunications are a death sentence pic.twitter.com/3eICIqQVdB

— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) August 25, 2026

For Pritchard it does mean a downtick in responsibility, but with much easier looks as a trade off.

To make up for that, you can scale up Pritchard’s role and maintain his influence on bench scoring by staggering him effectively. He can either start the game with a longer stint and lead the first bench unit, or he can sit early and then come back eventually when it’s Tatum’s turn for rest. 

They also have a new resource in Paul George. With George, Pritchard, White, and Tatum you can easily stagger any of them to lead a bench unit. You’re not left needing one bench spark plug to make the difference.

For as synergistic as his fit with Tatum is, the same has been equally true alongside both White and Queta. The three of them had a +15.2 net rating in 853 minutes last season. Ensuring that those three and Tatum have as much time together as possible is a recipe for success. With his combination of spacing and creation, I have no doubts George can slide right in with that group as well.

Starting Pritchard is how the Celtics put the best group together, and take advantage of their strongest partnerships. For me, this one is a no-brainer.

Nirav says sixth-man

Every so often, we come across players like Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford who have all the skills they need to be great, but for some reason, they just excel in that sixth man role. Pritchard may just fall into that category as well.

Payton has primarily come off the bench in his career, with the exception of the last season in which he started for 50 of his 79 games played. He had an outstanding year with the increased opportunity, but he did struggle with his shot early on.

It wasn’t long after the mid-way point of the season where Joe Mazzulla decided to put Pritchard back into the sixth-man role, and Payton immediately saw a huge explosion in his production, scoring at least 24 points in six out of the next seven games.

From that point, Pritchard only started in two more games for the rest of the season, one of which both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White were inactive. Now, even with that offensive explosion, Payton’s season averages coming off of the bench don’t appear to be clearly better than his numbers as a starter – that is, with the important exception of his efficiency.

Pritchard saw a small decrease in his minutes and attempts, in part due to the return of Jayson Tatum just 13 games after PP went back to the bench. Despite that, he saw his field goal percentage rise from 45.6% to 47.7%, his three-point percentage from 34.8% to 42.9%, and his free-throw percentage from 86.7% to 94.7%. This came in a year where if Payton’s season averages as a starter were to hold, it would have been his lowest FG% since the 22-23 season, and the lowest 3P% of his career.

Another thing to consider with sending Payton to the bench, someone else has to step into the starting role. Currently, it’s safe to assume that Derrick, Jayson, and one of Neemias Queta or Mitchell Robinson are locked in. Paul George will likely get the nod as well, though I wouldn’t rule out a bench role for him just yet. If George does end up starting, Sam Hauser would be the perfect fit to round out the lineup.

White and Tatum are the offensive engines that primarily handle the ball and create shots. Even PG has the ability to do both, though at this stage he may be utilized as more of a spot up shooter. Having another creator would be a luxury, but having another catch-and-shoot threat like Hauser makes the lineup more complete.

They would be deadly from every spot on the floor. Even without Queta/Robinson being outside threats, defenses would have a tough time finding a weak link, especially with the screen-setting ability of the bigs. Having PG and Hauser to kick it out to would make them think twice about doubling. Tatum and White’s ability to read the floor while attacking would help dissect the opposing teams, spotting and taking advantage of any mismatch which presents itself.

Not only that, but with ball-security and maximizing possessions being such a focal point of Mazzulla Ball, having Payton use his playmaking skills to maintain order with the second unit gives the team a level of depth and continuity that will be hard for opposing teams to rival. Out of all players who had at least 100 assists last season, Pritchard ranked 10^th highest in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.74. That may just be the most underrated tool he could bring to the bench.

Payton has been a sort of spark plug for the Celtics over the past several years. He’s proven that he can come in hot at any moment. By bringing him off the bench, Boston can maximize their potential through the entirety of the game while still packing a punch with their starting lineup. After all, it’s not about how you start a game – it’s about how you finish it.

So, CelticsBlog readers, what do you say? Should Pritchard start or come off the bench next season?

The 2026 Los Angeles Lakers will be a new era for the team, as they will look vastly different after a busy offseason that has been built around Luka Dončić, with hopes of winning an NBA title for the 18th time in franchise history.

Robert Horry, who helped win three of the Lakers’ five titles in the 2000’s said he believes top free-agent acquisition Walker Kessler will be the difference-maker this season.

“When you watch what Walker Kessler brings to the game, he’s so incredibly skilled and we haven’t had a big since AD that can block shots like that, pop out for threes,” Horry said. “So I just hope he stays healthy — Him missing damn near all season, how much rust has he developed?”

During his first three seasons in the league, Kessler was emerging as one of the best big men in basketball as he was coming off a 2024-2025 season where he averaged a career-high 12.2 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.7 assists, and 11.1 points per game.

Last year, Kessler was already putting up similar production, but his season would quickly come to an end after suffering a torn labrum injury.

“So it’s going to be really interesting to see what he can do because he is the key. Not Luka, not AR, he is,” Horry said.

When the offseason began, Dončić had one request to the Lakers front office, and that was finding him a big man.

The Lakers granted his wish when they acquired Kessler from the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade deal that featured them trading away two unprotected future first-round draft picks and two first-round pick swaps, including a four-year, $130 million contract extension that will pay him $30.1 million next season.

With a potentially healthy Kessler on the Lakers roster this year, it will be a new Lakers trio that will feature him, Dončić, and Austin Reaves.

Sandro Mamukelashvili has yet to wear his Lakers uniform in an NBA game but is already making the most of his time with the team.

Mamukelashvili appeared in an interview on the golf course with Deondre Hawkins of ESPN and spoke about the team’s recent trip to Luka Dončić’s home country of Slovenia.

“First of all, shoutout to Luka. I think the organization was amazing, the way they planned everything,” Mamukelashvili said. “They showed us a lot of great places, and Ljubljana is a really, really nice city.”

“Plus, it was great for the new team. It was a bunch of new guys on the team, and you know, all of us being together, it didn’t even feel like it was a lot of new guys.”

First Look : Lakers Forward @Mamukelashvili5 Steps In For A Little Lakers Talk Daily with @Hawkins_Deondrepic.twitter.com/4QGGTi5QkC

— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) September 5, 2026

Mamukelashvili said the team jelled well, and he left feeling excited for this season because of how excited everyone else was.

Aside from the trip, Mamukelashvili and his Lakers teammates have been spotted golfing throughout the offseason. He was asked who is the team’s second-best golfer after Austin Reaves.

“I’ve been hearing a lot about Bronny [James],” Mamukelashvili said. “They say he’s really, really good, and that he actually plays a lot. … So I’m kind of looking forward to seeing the Luka, Austin, Bronny tournament.”

The new Lakers forward was one of the key depth pieces Rob Pelinka, the team’s president of basketball operations, made over the offseason. Mamukelashvili will join the team as a sixth-year veteran after bouncing around the league with the Bucks, Spurs and Raptors.

Mamukelashvili is a year removed from a career high, averaging 11.2 points per game, as well as 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

While the Lakers are enjoying their time off the basketball court, the NBA season is rapidly approaching. The team is expected to report for training camp on Sept. 29.

The 2026-2027 season is a pivotal year for the Lakers, who are transitioning to new ownership for the second season in a row.

They are also about to enter a new era of Lakers basketball that features the team fully embracing Dončić as the main guy after LeBron James’ departure during the offseason.

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After the big-time star player, what matters most in the modern NBA? Billy Crystal might say that “is a question for the ages,” yet the picture gets clearer when reviewing some of the proven teams or the ones that have ascended at rapid speed. 

The San Antonio Spurs’ build fits the latter category because of their talent, plus they’ve had someone committed to doing the hardest jobs: Stephon Castle. Anyone who watched him at UConn in 2023-24 probably knew he was bound to have a great pro career because of his skills and the special something beating in his chest. And they are correct so far.

Castle wasn’t setting the league on fire out of the gate, being an ineffective 3-point shooter and being unsure of when to assert himself offensively at times. Yet his value illuminated like the lights coming out of Marsellus Wallace’s briefcase in Pulp Fiction 10 games into his career when he dropped 10 points in the fourth quarter of a one-point loss at home against the Utah Jazz.  

That was his first time scoring in double figures late and it felt like a glimpse of the future. Then within a handful weeks, it felt like he should have been starting despite being green, but the Spurs don’t usually hand things over quickly. On some nights, it may have been difficult to see his full value when he scored in single digits or missed easy ones at the rim, but this is why one must be entrenched in their basketball philosophy.

He came into the league with grown-man strength, so it was easy to tell, even then, that offensive shortcomings would be corrected with added reps and improved mechanics. On top of that, he had Chris Paul’s approval and the future Hall-of-Famer had said they share the same competitive nature. Notably, Castle inherited some of Paul’s best qualities the next year, showing them early as the team waited for De’Aaron Fox to rehab from his hamstring injury.

Part of the reason I thought so highly of Castle as a rookie was that he found a way to make the rest of the Spurs’ season fun by taking on a bigger role after Victor Wembanyama went down with a blood clot. Thank goodness Castle did because there’s only so many years fans can take of not being competitive. His late-season push secured his Rookie of the Year award, too.

At that time, one of the signs that he was improving quickly was that his usage was higher and so was his effective field goal percentage (slightly) than when Wemby was playing. Additionally, lots of unfinished business was left on the table in 2024-25 as they had both assisted each other 60 times. When fans look back on it, they saw the rise of Area 51, which hit the ground running the next season as both players increased their pass frequency to each other. Each of them started scoring more easily with help.  

Castle, particularly, as a rookie was not very efficient when scoring on passes from Wemby because he would rush some shots, boldly try to maneuver through traffic and he hadn’t gotten completely comfortable against faster coverages. None of that is abnormal for a youngster. 

Still, I didn’t think he’d be that good the next year and that’s part of what made the 2025-26 season so special. His points-per-game average increased by two, his EFG percentage went up by 4.5 points, and he recorded 80 percent extra assists. One of the ways he was able to raise his deep-shooting percentage was by taking more shots off the catch but it still needs more work.

In the playoffs, he was seen guarding up against Julius Randle in round two as well as being on the perimeter. His versatility makes him a mobile sentry. 

The average committed NBA fan is generally sharp. Outside of San Antonio, it’s hard to say how he is viewed by them, but I took the liberty of ranking him. The process included reviewing the rosters of every team and writing down the names of the players I would take before him. Consider how every championship team needs someone like him to defend the other team’s best perimeter player and that there aren’t 20 ballers in the NBA who will do that and score 15 points nightly. Castle is one of those guys, and there were only 25 names before his on the list (see at the bottom). 

It matters little that 39 players scored more per game (minimum of 65 games) in 2025-26 and that he’s still a below-average 3-point shooter (33.2). Winning requires having an all-round game and that’s what the Spurs are molding.  

My basketball philosophy states that defense and rebounding are the most important ingredients to winning a championship, and that’s why I’d pick Jrue Holiday before Damian Lillard. That’s also the same reason why Castle, who is sort of like an upgraded version of Holiday, is more of a winning player than a lot of popular guys. Keep in mind that he was four points shy of being on second team All-Defense in 2025-26.  

Despite his game’s imperfections, he’s not far off from being an All-NBA-level player. When coach Mitch Johnson praised him as a rookie, saying he “embraced everything we’ve thrown at him,” it reminded me of the times fight promoters, proclaimed their prospect would be champion, and I believed them.

List, in no order:

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Jalen Williams
3. Nikola Jokić
4. Luka Dončić
5. Anthony Edwards
6. Kevin Durant
7. Deni Avdija
8. Kawhi Leonard
9. Stephen Curry
10. Zion Williamson
11. Cade Cunningham
12. Jayson Tatum
13. Jaylen Brown
14. Tyrese Maxey
15. Jalen Johnson
16. Paolo Banchero
17. Giannis Antetokounmpo
18. Tyrese Haliburton
19. Pascal Siakam
20. Scottie Barnes
21. Jalen Brunson
22. OG Anunoby
23. Karl-Anthony Towns
24. Anthony Davis
25. Donovan Mitchell