CLEVELAND — Media day is chaotic. Players are asked very random questions about their summers. Some of it is interesting. Some of it isn’t.

There often isn’t a throughline to what is said, and it’s impossible to synthesize everything into one cohesive story. So instead of trying to do so, I’m going to just give you one interesting thing each player said that wasn’t covered in any of our other articles.

Let’s start with the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Donovan Mitchell

“I saw Peyton Watson at the World Cup, and I told Koby [Altman] — we were just talking briefly, I had nothing to do with him coming here — I was like, man, he’s tall as shit. Like, I didn’t know he was that tall.”

Small forward has long been a problem area for the Cavs. They’ve struggled to find a player who connects their dynamic backcourt with the imposing frontcourt.

Part of the reason for that is the unique skill set needed to bridge that divide. The ideal fit needs to be comfortable operating off-ball offensively as a shooter and tertiary playmaker. Defensively, they need to cover multiple positions, which includes defending the opponent’s best perimeter player and shifting up to the four if needed.

The Cavs have had players who could do one of those things. De’Andre Hunter and Max Strus delivered the offensive component, but weren’t perfectly suited defensively for that role. Dean Wade was the opposite.

We’ll see if Watson can be the missing piece at the three. What I can confidently say now is that Mitchell is right. Watson is indeed tall.

Thomas Bryant

“We have to be a collective unit out there on the basketball court.”

Some years at media day, you get a lot of talk about how the team will play differently. Pushing the pace, shooting more threes, and moving more off-ball are all things we’ve heard in the past.

The Cavs didn’t focus on that this time. There wasn’t much talk about X’s and O’s. Instead, they talked about being more connected on and off the court.

That makes sense, given how hastily assembled the Cavs were last season. They found instant success due to their incredible skill and how well their talents matched up. Yet, it never felt like they reached their ceiling despite advancing to the conference finals.

If I were to read between the lines here, the Cavs reasoning for that was a lack of cohesion. They’ve spent this summer trying to correct that.

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Nae’Qwan Tomlin

“I’m definitely the best dancer. Don can’t dance. Don can’t dance. He got no rhythm for real, and then a lot of people don’t really dance.”

As someone who can’t dance and certainly doesn’t do so in public, I give Mitchell credit for trying.

Ernest Udeh Jr.

Reffering to what he wants to improve: “Decision-making. First and foremost, I understand my role and what I bring to any given team that I’m on. Within those details and little facets is decision-making. What to do with the ball when it comes to me in a specific spot.”

Decision-making and being able to process the game are some of the most important skills. It’s also the area rookies struggle with most coming into the league. It’s good that Udeh recognizes this and wants to improve there.

James Harden

“It’s my left hand. It was swollen at the time (last postseason), so it was kind of difficult to dribble or shoot, or be effective. But I mean, there’s no excuses. You just figure it out. Do whatever it takes.”

Harden admitted that the left thumb that he broke in February was still bothering him in the playoffs. That isn’t surprising since he was often seen icing his hand after playoff games. However, it’s somewhat noteworthy for him to admit that.

The injured thumb on his dominant hand could be why he posted the worst turnover percentage of his career last postseason.

Jaylon Tyson

Referring to his poor off-ball defense last season: “It’s just laziness. … It was a lot of mental lapses, and I think that’s something that we went into with conditioning and being in even more of an elite condition.”

Tyson isn’t afraid to publicly point out his flaws. That also comes with an intense desire to fix those flaws. Last season, we saw him go from being a hesitant three-point shooter to being one of the most efficient in the league. This year, he’s targeting the defensive side of the floor.

Tyrese Proctor

“[Patty Mills] taught me a lot. Obviously, all the stuff on the court, footwork, technical stuff, balance, base, but a lot off the court. Just with the NBA and the environments that you play in and stuff like that.”

The second-year guard revealed that he spent three weeks in Hawaii with Mills training over the summer. You can’t find too many better guards to pattern your game after. This was in addition to representing Australia in FIBA qualifiers.

Safe to say, it was a busy summer for Proctor.

Tristan Enaruna

“I think I kind of found a spot here. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling confident. That definitely helps knowing what you’re getting into.”

Enaruna has the size and skills you want in a wing. Whether or not he can put it all together for the Cavs remains to be seen.

Mario Hezonja

“I don’t need to prove anything. I just need to give. That is my mentality. I think everyone knows what it is. I am not even coming here with my mentality of who I am back in Europe. … The mentality is giving. Giving to this team, giving to this coaching [staff], my teammates. Just giving back.”

A lack of skill wasn’t the reason Hezonja’s first stint in the NBA wasn’t successful, and isn’t a concern six years later. The question is whether Hezonja can buy into his place on the team, fit into what they need, and excel in that narrower role.

Based on Hezonja’s comments, he knows what he needs to do with this team and is willing to do so. We’ll see if he can back that up.

Craig Porter Jr.

“I feel like scoring. Just being able to open things up for other guys because everyone knows Donovan and James and those guys are going to do what they do on a nightly basis. It’s up to the rest of us to take some of that pressure off their shoulders.”

Porter has the potential to be a much more efficient scorer. The three-point shot has come a long way, and he’s a good finisher at the rim. The next step in his development is figuring out what to do when he’s cut off from the basket.

It’s much easier to envision Porter as the backup point guard if he’s a more multi-faceted scorer.

Meleek Thomas

“But specifically defense because I got to be trusted out there on defense before I could do anything offensively.”

Rookie second-round picks typically don’t make meaningful impacts on teams with championship aspirations. Thomas could be the exception if the scoring he showed in Summer League carries over to games that count. However, if he isn’t at least passable defensively, then it’s difficult to justify giving him minutes given the point-of-attack deficiencies already on this roster.

I’m skeptical of how impactful Thomas will be in his rookie season. It is, however, encouraging that he seems to know what he needs to do to get onto the court.

Riley Minix

“Guys are inviting each other to go to New York, to Phoenix, like to all these mini-camp places. We went to the U.S. Open together, which is pretty crazy. Guys are showing up, and you can tell on this team and in this organization, that’s part of the culture.”

As mentioned with Bryant’s quote, one of the main throughlines of media day was how this team is trying to establish a closer connection on and off the court. It’s difficult to communicate with players you don’t have a relationship with. That was perhaps an issue at times in the playoffs given how little experience the rotation had together.

Cleveland’s star players went out of their way to change that this offseason. Those plans included inviting even two-way players like Minix to events and making sure he felt like a valuable part of the team. That’s meaningful.

Evan Mobley

Reffering to what he worked on most in the off-season: “Getting go-to moves so when I get the ball in certain spots, knowing what I’m probably going to get to. That was a big focus for me this summer.”

Mobley wouldn’t divulge what those moves could be. “You’re gonna have to find out and see.”

Mobley has always been a good finisher around the rim, but the in-between game has been less than ideal for someone who has displayed good touch. Last season, he shot 46% on attempts between the restricted area and free-throw line (52nd percentile) and 31% on long mid-range shots (48th percentile). Both are passable but far from elite. Having something that he could go to in the second level would be a great way for him to supplement his offense.

Sam Merrill

“Experience is so important. You can’t replicate playoff experience. The every second pressure that’s out there, and how important every single possession is.

“I had some ups and some downs in the playoffs, like everybody did. I overall felt good about the way that I grew and felt like I got better and better, but again, how can I continue to get better at all facets of the game? Try and make life easier for Donovan and James, and for Evan and Jarrett [Allen]. The easier we can make life for them, the easier they’ll make it for us and the better we’ll be.”

A single elite skill like shooting can get you onto the floor in a playoff game. Being able to contribute in multiple ways will keep you there.

Merrill’s shooting was helpful at many points in the postseason. But becoming more comfortable doing other things like handling the ball, picking up a wider variety of defensive assignments, and finding ways to score inside the arc will allow him to showcase his shooting more often in the postseason.

Jarrett Allen

“More time together means more success.”

Merrill talked about the importance of playoff reps, but there’s something to be said about regular season ones as well. This group with Harden simply needs time to figure out how they want to play, how to perfect what they did well last year, and counters for when teams take away the high pick-and-roll like the New York Knicks did last postseason.

Regular season results don’t matter much in the playoffs. Regular season habits do. That is what the Cavs need to get right this year.

“We have the ability to do great things, but we have to do the work earlier so that we can be able to play at our best longer.”

Note: Peyton Watson and Khalifa Diop did not participate in media availability.

BOSTON — At the start of Celtics practice, Payton Pritchard and Mike Conley dribble up the court in tandem. They share a laugh, and then Conley motions Pritchard toward the basket so they can begin another session of work together.

On paper, Pritchard and Conley have plenty of similarities: both are undersized, 6’1 point guards. Both are crafty scorers who rely on their footwork over their athleticism. Both are consistent three-point shooters (Conley has shot 38.7% from beyond the arc in his career; Pritchard has shot 39.4%).

But they’re at completely different points in their careers, and both are leaning into it.

Pritchard, who is 28 years old, is smack in the middle of his athletic prime and fresh off his best-ever season, in which he averaged career-highs of 17 points and 5.2 assists per game.

Conley is a decade older than Pritchard; he’ll be turning 39 next month. And he’s in the twilight years of his illustrious basketball journey; last year, he came off the bench for the very first time, averaging 4.5 points per game in 18.4 minutes. Seasons and rotations are unpredictable, but the expectation is that he’ll play a more limited on-court role again in Boston this year.

Still, the two undersized point guards are working closely together at Celtics training camp. And they’ve hit it off off the court, too.

“I love him as a person,” Pritchard said. “Great human being.”

Pritchard is excited for the chance to work with someone who’s had so much sustained success throughout his career; Conley is impressed by Pritchard’s indefatigable work ethic and unwavering desire to learn.

“Payton’s a menace, man,” Conley said. “He’s an absolute crazy person when it comes to trying to improve his game. I’ve been impressed with just the awareness to ask questions. He’s constantly asking, like, ‘What is your thought process with this? How do you break this down? I’m not as good at this, but I want to be good at that.’”

The two have worked closely together over the past couple of weeks. They have different scoring styles, but also similar limitations; both guards are listed at 6’1 and have relied on their craftiness to carve out successful NBA careers.

Pritchard is hell-bent on extracting as much knowledge from the longtime Minnesota Timberwolves guard.

“Tremendous career and player,” Pritchard said of Conley. “And just so many things he does well: passing the ball, [he] gets in the paint. Now, he shoots more floaters than I would; I’m more of a pull-up jumper, we talk about that. But just the way he sees the game, he’s somebody [that] when I get on the bench or outside the game, just seeing what he sees and picking his brain.”

Luka Garza knows Conley and what he brings to the table from a mentorship standpoint particularly well. Garza and Conley were teammates on the Timberwolves for three seasons and now reunite in Boston after one year apart.

“He’s the best,” Garza said. “He’s able to connect with every guy on the team. He has just a rare skill, but also just is the same, man. Every day, he shows up with a consistent, positive energy.”

Conley knows that’s one of his biggest value-adds to the Celtics: “My best thing is being able to connect with the guys; being able to share my experiences and help guys in real time, be another coach on the floor, be another coach on the bench.”

Pritchard thinks he’ll benefit a lot playing alongside such an accomplished point guard; Conley was an All-Star in 2021 and averaged double-digit points for a whopping 18 consecutive seasons, establishing himself as a model of consistency with the Memphis Grizzlies (2007-2019), Utah Jazz (2019-2023), and Timberwolves (2023-2026).

“I can really benefit — he’s somebody I looked up to, and somebody I hope, at the end of my career, if I can have a similar type of career and have as much success as he has, then that’s a very successful career,” Pritchard said. “So, I listen to everything he says.”

Conley, meanwhile, has been very impressed with Pritchard’s desire to pick his brain.

“[He’s] really shown that humility, shown that he’s willing to grow and be a better player,” he said. “But I mean, he’s got everything in his game, all the tools, his ball handling, his ability to score at his size, the strength, his balance. He’s gonna have a big year.”

We’re looking more broadly for today’s roundtable, since there’s just not much interesting happening with our Dallas Mavericks. Name one team who will outperform compared to last year and one team who might tumble down the standings.

Brian: It’s going be difficult to settle on one team to rise up the standings from last year to this one, given the season for optimism. I believe in the Grizzlies, Jazz and, to a much lesser degree, the Mavericks to make big strides in 2026-27. A combination of internal development, roster changes both in the draft and free agency, and a much-needed coaching change in Dallas should propel them all from where they ended last year.

A lot of teams at the top of last year’s Western Conference standings shored up weaknesses and/or doubled down on strengths. One team in last year’s play-in picture seemed to not do much of either. That team is the Golden State Warriors, and they should be terrified that they are going to stink in what could be Stephen Curry’s last year in his prime. They struck out in the LeBron sweepstakes this summer, are snakebitten by injuries even before the starting line between Butler and Moody, and have an average age somewhere around the 30 that Steph dons every night. Things are looking a bit bleak for the blue and gold. On the bright side, they’ll benefit from the play of wily vet-I mean, newly drafted rookie- Yaxel Lendeborg.

David: The Indiana Pacers are due for a massive bounce back. With Tyrese Haliburton returning, they’re going to look competent on offense, and year two of Ivica Zubac at center should be a lot better.  On the flip side, I think Houston is in for a wake-up call this year. Their roster is weird and clunky, and Durant is not getting younger. I think they have a season that makes them make a choice about the direction of their future.

Dalton: Call it a homer take if you must, but so long as Cooper Flagg stays healthy and Kyrie Irving plays at least 50-ish games, I think the Mavs could nearly double their win total from last year. For better or worse, I’m officially predicting 50-32. I think Dusty May’s style of offense will make Mavs fans happy.

I agree with Bryan on the Warriors. They remind me so much of the Mavs in Dirk’s twilight years. Big fish hunting every summer, in pretty much all the rumors, but ultimately nothing to show for it. And like Dirk, Steph is too loyal to leave despite all of that. Given that the Warriors’ peak was much higher than the Mavs’, winning four titles, the end of Steph’s career kinda gives me Chris Kaman PTSD. I think Golden State finally falls all the way off this year.

Ben: The Pacers will be much improved if Haliburton is healthy all year. They won 19 games and if they get back to being just an average team, that’s an improvement of more than 20 wins. That’ll be huge.

I don’t see any obvious candidates for a huge regression anywhere, so I’m gonna go out on a limb just on a hunch: the Spurs will have a season from hell. I don’t know exactly what’ll go wrong, and they’re too talented to have a huge drop-off, but I’m thinking they’ll have about 10 wins less than the 62 they finished with last year. If they win 67, well, then I’ll say this was all reverse psychology to make them more motivated.

Tyler: The Pacers are the correct answer. But, let’s get nuts for a second. Many of the most improved teams in the league this year will be all the teams who are positioning themselves for the draft. Because Adam Silver has made a mockery of the NBA lottery, you no longer can be plain bad and get the first pick, you’ve gotta be in the Chicago Bulls zone to have the best chance. Of that group, give me the Brooklyn Nets to actually be most improved. They have a great coach in Jordi Fernandez, a roster of, well, stat stuffing veterans who will be looking to get numbers, and they don’t have incentive to be awful! They’ll poke around and be sneaky competitive.

As for the regression candidates, I’m thinking the Detroit Pistons. I love Cade Cunningham just as much as anyone (shout out DFW high school hoops!), but the vibes around Detroit with the whole Jalen Duren situation just seem bad. Plus, some of the turnover on that roster has me asking questions. They won’t come close to the 60-win threshold of last year’s team.

Kirk: I agree with Dalton here. It’s not a normal zone for me, being positive about the Dallas Mavericks, but here we are. I suspect at least a 10 win improvement for the guys.

On the other side of things, I believe the Detroit Pistons are going to collapse somewhat. This Duren non-signing is the sort of thing which can poison a team, even if it’s a fight between him and management. The Pistons spam that pick and roll action and he’s at the center of it. The Pistons are also right not to pay him what he wants. Detroit’s superpower last year was playing harder than everyone else and I don’t think they bring that same fire.

Jaylon Tyson was one of the only things going right for the Cleveland Cavaliers at the start of last season.

Everything that could go wrong for Cleveland was trending that way. Darius Garland lost a toe. De’Andre Hunter lost his mind. And Lonzo Ball lost… everything.

The perfect 15-0 record that Cleveland had to begin the previous season had turned into a 15-11 start that made everything feel like it was on the brink of disaster.

Tyson was their lifeline.

His sophomore breakout kept them afloat and provided a beacon of hope. He was a nightly energizer who paired hustle with elite three-point shooting. Without his timely performances, last season might have been DOA.

But as the year went on, Tyson’s impact faded.

Inexperience and mental errors led to him falling out of the rotation. The goodwill Tyson built at the start of the season wasn’t enough to keep him on the court during their run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He looked out of place.

Entering year three, Tyson will need to carry forward the early success from last season while identifying what went wrong near the end. Let’s break down how that can happen.

Last Year’s Leap

Tyson nailed the most important checkpoint in his development last season.

He went from being a questionable shooter — to one of the best role players in the league. Tyson improved his rookie numbers by 11%, finishing in the league’s 98th percentile for three-point shooting.

Adding a legit outside shot to his game made all the difference for Tyson.

He was able to slot comfortably into any lineup and provide the type of floor-spacing that flourishes in today’s NBA. Tyson not only buried 45% of his attempts from the corner, but matched that efficiency from above the break, as well. This made him the all-around off-ball threat he needs to be.

Other strengths from Tyson’s sophomore season included his ability to pass and create out of short-roll. This made his pairing with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden seamless, and gave Tyson an outlet to still be a creator even if he isn’t initiating the play himself.

Finally, Tyson proved he can impact winning on the margins. He molded himself into being a scrappy, physical defender who could disrupt opponents whenever he wasn’t veering too hard into foul trouble (more on that later). His hustle puts him over the top when everything is going as planned.

The foundations of a true 3-and-D wing were laid during Tyson’s sophomore season. Getting there requires sustaining this growth and polishing the rest of his game.

Where to Improve

The Cavs are counting on Tyson to maintain his presence as a shooter. This was the skeleton key that unlocked everything else for him.

But even if he shoots the same percentage next season, Tyson still has room to increase his volume.

Tyson was in the 38th percentile for three-point frequency last season. That’s too low for a player who was drilling 45% of his attempts. The good news is, Tyson can afford to sacrifice some of that efficiency in favor of more volume. He shot so well last season that even a modest regression would keep him above league average.

Expanding his game should be the goal. Tyson can be quicker to pull the trigger and more adept at creating for himself. A pull-up jumper or downhill drive would go a long way to making him a three-level scoring threat.

As for defense, Tyson needs to stay focused.

He led the Cavs in fouls last season and constantly put himself into trouble by overreacting or being too physical away from the ball. There’s value in pushing the line on physicality. But knowing when to reel it in is a skill that hopefully comes with experience.

Tyson has the tools to be a good defender. He’s a strong, passable athlete who isn’t afraid of anyone. He just needs to understand that less is sometimes more. Being in the right spot at the right time is more valuable than sprinting to recover a blown rotation.

Conclusion

Tyson has a strong future even if he maxes out as the player he was last season.

He’s a quality floor spacer who can occasionally handle the ball and will play hard as hell on defense. He might frustrate you with a bad foul or a blown rotation — but at least you know his heart is in it.

Still, a stagnation in Tyson’s development would feel frustrating. He’s so close to being one of the league’s premier role players.

A small bump in any aspect of his development would get him there. Whether it’s a more refined approach to defense or slightly expanding his offensive game, Tyson is knocking on the door of being the type of player every NBA team needs.

The bright lights of Media Day have been dimmed. Now, as Noah Clowney said Monday, it’s all about five words: “Let the best man win.” With so much unsettled, not surprising on a team that’s still the league’s youngest, the Brooklyn Nets had their first practice Tuesday at HSS Training Center. We’re only three weeks before opening night at Barclays Center and just a week before preseason starts in Charlotte on October 6.

An eye test around the practice court revealed a number of things about the 20 players assembled in front of the Great Window, but none more than the physical appearance of some key younger players. We got somewhat of a look at their newly honed physiques Monday, but they were seated, stationery, not moving about the court.

As has been noted, no player has caught more attention than Nolan Traore, still the youngest player on the team, nearly two months younger than rookie Mikel Brown Jr. According the rosters distributed to the media Monday, he’s added an inch of height and 10 or so pounds of weight, clearly a lot of it muscle.

“He’s a year older, and maturity is important — presence, confidence, all that. And you can see him with his sleeveless, and how much [bigger he is],” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said. “It’s great. He’s put the work in. You watch him move around and play. It’s a second-year player, now he knows a little bit more about what is the NBA, and I’m excited to watch him play.”

At 6’4” in bare feet, 6’5” in sneakers, and 190 pounds, along with a 6’8” wingspan, Traore more looks the part of an NBA point guard, not the waif we saw on the court last season. And although he missed Summer League following an ankle scope, he says he’s healthy and ready to go now.

“My knee is completely fine now, so there’s no concern,” Traore told reporters. “For me, [the offseason] was more the physical aspect. Obviously the shooting, too. I worked a lot on it and I feel good now. Changed a few things, too. 

“Offseason was a lot of [time in the] gym. That was the main thing. Focusing on just getting better as a player, watching clips from the playoffs or watching reads. Working on my shot, too.” 

Indeed, Traore was one of several younger players who noted how they had worked with shooting coach Dave Love and others this summer. Grant Nelson, the 7-foot two way who also missed out on Summer League, said he too used his rehab time to focus on shooting mechanics.

Traore’s new found strength should help him correct a near-embarrassing stats. As Brian Lewis noted, of all NBA players who attempted at least 100 layups, his 44.4% finishing rate was dead last. He thinks the added muscle should help.

“Yeah, for sure. Now instead of going around players like I was doing, maybe I’ll go through them a little bit more, and I’ll be able to absorb contact way more than last year. So of course it’s going to help me,” said Traore, adding finishing is part muscle and part mentality. “You’ve got to have both, but it’s easier when you’re stronger.”

At one point, Traore was the fourth youngest player in the NBA and he did show some ability to score in other ways. Over the last month and a half, he averaged better than 11 points a game and looked the PG role. Now, though, he will be facing competition. Brown Jr., is the Nets highest draft pick since before they moved to Brooklyn, and will get minutes. Demin, the second highest pick in that 16 year span, will likely play not just as the wing and shooting guard but the point as well. Plus there’s Keon Ellis who was brought in to be a point-of-attack defender (and has the team’s highest career 3-point shooting percentage at 40.7%).

To paraphrase Clowney, may the best point guard win.

Fernandez, though, is happy he will have that variety of guards and thinks finishing will not be a problem.

“I think he’s a good finisher,” Fernández said. “Once again, you guys are judging a rookie going into the NBA, a 19-year-old at the time. He’s 20 now. So I don’t see any problems in his finishing.”

Who knows, he may not even be done growing. People around HSS Training Center said they have noticed changes even since he was seen shooting around in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile at the other end of the age range is Moritz “Moe” Wagner, who is third older player on the team at 29, behind only Julius Randle (31) and Terance Mann (also 29.) A veteran whose signing didn’t get a lot attention among fans, his addition did get kudos from decision-makers around the league, one calling him at “great pick-up” in part because of that veteran status, his leadership on the court as well as the locker room.

He told the media that he hopes he can help on defense, something the native of Berlin is noted for as a physical player and something the Nets were lacking last year. They have improved in the area, though, with his addition and that of Julius Randle. Can’t hurt that Traore, Demin and Ben Saraf are noticeably bigger, stronger as well.

“I’ll be honest with you, I love this. I want to be disruptive. I want to be active on the ball,” Wagner, 29, said. “I don’t think it’s a secret — I’ve been in the league eight years — I’m not a shot-blocker. I contest shots and I give it my all, but I’m not Anthony Davis. I’m not going to beat people up on the rim.

“So I like to be aggressive early, and I want to be disruptive and be able to make people speed up and take charges and stuff like that. So I’m actually extremely excited about that stuff because it plays a little more towards my strength. [Fernández] is super aggressive at the ball screen and stuff like that. We have all these quick guards, they’ll help you to eat up space. So it’s been super fun so far.”

The coach thinks Wagner will help the team’s defensive culture.

“No, the reality is we have an identity defensively and we’re going to stick with what we believe works. … Then the more you grow, the more you can expand your coverages,” Fernández said. “So we’re going to be an aggressive team on both ends of the floor.”

He will face some competition for minutes as well. The Nets frontcourt has some versatility with Michael Porter Jr., Randle, Day’Ron Sharpe, Clowney and two ways Grant Nelson and Chaney Johnson. Josh Minott while a natural 3 could find time at the 4 as well.

As he did on Monday, Wagner talked about his love of the city he will now call home.

“I’ve always loved New York. I love that I get an opportunity to play here, and at a point where this organization is trying to make the next steps to win. I’m excited to be here,” Wagner said.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in New York. This is somewhat of a home to me in America just because it reminds me a lot of where I’m from. Brooklyn is as close as it gets in the U.S. to Berlin. So I’m not necessarily new here. … I take the subway all the time. I love the subway. It’s so convenient, cheap when you go into Manhattan. So yeah, I’ve actually lived here for quite some time. So yeah, I love Brooklyn. I love New York.”

He’s also noted his brother and German national team teammate, Franz Wagner, spends time in the city, indeed the borough, as well. Could he recruit Franz Wagner, a 6’7” 25-year-old wing and one of the Magic’s top young players? He’s not saying and Franz has four years and $180 million left on his deal with Orlando.

However, in talking to his own Media Day this week, Franz admitted he’ll miss playing without his brother for the first time this year. Franz said it’s “definitely a little weird” being alone at the house in Orlando without Moe by his side.

Well, there is a way to cure that!

• Nolan Traore bulked up for second Nets season with eye on fixing glaring weakness – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Moritz Wagner looking to be disrupting defensive force for Nets – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets raise the bar for a crowded young core at training camp: ‘Let the best man win’ ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News

Can you feel it in the air? It’s Knicks basketball scent.

New York keeps working through the early days of training camp, gearing up for a preseason matchup with the 76ers on Oct. 5.

Meanwhile, here’s the latest we’ve heard about the Knickerbockers inside the Tarrytown facilities and elsewhere.

Mike Brown

On Andre Drummond being quicker and more explosive than expected:

“He’s a little quicker and more explosive.”

On Andre Drummond replacing Mitchell Robinson by being himself:

“We’re not expecting Andre to come in and be Mitch or impact the game in a lot of different ways that Mitch did. Just be yourself, but everyone else has to step up and box-out a little harder. All those things will make us a top-level team.”

On Drummond’s veteran experience, instincts and mobility:

“He’s a veteran. He’s been there, done that with a few different teams, and he’s a big body, he’s got great feet. Seems like his instincts are pretty good on both ends of the floor. His feet are quicker than what you could imagine. He’s really light on his feet, which is a good thing.”

On the Knicks still discussing a potential White House visit:

“No, that’s still something that our guys, the organization, is internally discussing. Whatever we decide to do we’ll all do together.”

On his expectations for the Knicksover the 82-game regular season:

“We’re not playing at that level for 82 games. You know, we played at a pretty high level, and … that’s not going to happen over 82 games. You know, for me, the 82-game season is about trying to find your way.”

On expanding the Knicks’ offense around Karl-Anthony Towns and experimenting with different lineups:

“Obviously playing with KAT at the elbow a little bit more than what we did [in the regular season last year]. Being with this group for a year now, you get a better feel of what players can do what. Like I didn’t know if OG could be as effective as he was in the pick-and-roll game. Same with Mikal. So to try to continue to find ways to get those guys involved at the top of the floor is something that we’ll take a look at.

“We have great cutters that have tremendous size. We’ll continue to mix that in, and we all know that KAT is a really good facilitator at the elbow. Maybe Andre [Drummond] is too? I don’t know. Maybe we move OG to the five a little bit more than what we did last year. So there are a lot of different ways we can go with the team on both ends of the floor. The biggest thing is knowing that nothing’s set in stone.”

On carrying over the Knicks’ playoff offense into the new season while continuing to evolve:

“There’s a lot that will carry over for this year. We’ll also experiment with some new things here and there, but the stuff that we had in the playoffs may not work during the regular season. So we have to be ready to evolve or pivot as the year goes along and hopefully come close to playoff time, we’re trending upwards so that we feel we’re in a pretty good spot with the confidence needed to take off from there.”

Jalen Brunson

On Andre Drummond’s potential importance to the Knicks:

“Can be a big key to this team.”

On Drummond replacing Mitchell Robinson by being himself:

“Obviously, Mitch was near and dear to all of our hearts. I think the best part of the situation Andre is in, he’s not coming in to be Mitch. He’s coming in to be himself. So we’ve gotta give him the confidence to go out there and be himself.”

On getting to know Drummond at his birthday party:

“I’ve known him from afar. It’s always been mutual, like hi and bye. Always respect. That was like first time we really got to sit down and have a conversation. It was kind of an icebreaker type of thing.”

On his offseason wrist rehabilitation:

“I just feel like I didn’t do my normal summer stuff. I feel good, but also I know that it wasn’t just my normal summer.”

On how this wrist rehabilitation compared with his previous hand injury:

“It was similar, but I was shooting earlier than I was this time. I was in a cast longer than I was before, when I broke my hand. Plus, [surgery] was a little bit earlier — I think I got surgery right after it happened. I didn’t get surgery until like three weeks later [this time] because I didn’t know it was a necessity.”

On not viewing his disrupted offseason as catching up:

“I don’t want to say I’m catching up. I feel good, but also I know that it wasn’t just my normal summer.”

On the praise from LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo:

“I really do appreciate it. I respect the hell out of them. It’s honestly really cool … I really do appreciate it, and it shows where I’ve grown, but still got a lot of work to do.”

On experiencing the championship summer in New York and finding time to decompress:

“It exceeded expectations, honestly. Winning in New York was no joke. It was a really cool experience. … Have I decompressed at all? Not really. I’m gonna be honest with you, not really. But I’ve had times where I had time to relax. I enjoyed that. I spent time getting away from everything. Most times, it was rehabbing. Once I was out of the cast and cleared, I had obligations I had to go through, so I did all of that. But I feel good. And I know where to go to get to my happy place. I know where to go when I need to decompress. I’m good.”

On what the Knicks can add to the offense after unlocking something during the playoffs:

“I feel like we can do a lot more, do a lot of different things. I think we unlocked something last year in the playoffs at a time of need and it worked. It’s gonna be fun to kind of integrate it from the beginning of the season, too.”

On the Knicks learning they need each other to win:

“I think as a group, we figured out that we need each other to win, obviously, and we need each other to be on the same page. You never know when things are going to turn for you, when things are gonna click for you. But as long as you keep putting the work in every single day, you keep tapping the rock, tapping the rock, eventually it’s going to break.”

On getting to know Rajon Rondo and hosting him at Tarrytown on Tuesday:

“I got to talk to him, got to really get to know him this summer. I definitely watched him. He was just so creative and someone who was innovative in the way they play basketball.

“Definitely an icon when I was younger. So it was really cool to get to know him and his family.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On Andre Drummond’s rebounding ability:

“One of the best rebounders of our generation.”

On the freedom he felt after winning the championship:

“The ability to celebrate and rejoice and have that joy of a kid without being judged. And also just the freedom of being able to really talk your s— for real, like being able to say you’re the champion and no one being like, well, this or that, whatever.

“It was a much more freeing experience now being an adult and being in that situation than I think I would have ever realized when I was young.”

On how winning the championship differed from how he imagined it when he was younger:

“When you are young, you’re looking at a championship as a sense of accomplishment. I think for me, in that moment winning it, it felt very freeing because a lot of the questions I know people had on me were put to rest.”

On refusing to change himself despite outside criticism:

“I just was never going to change who I was, even when the world was asking me to change who I was, so I could be the character in their story. I just was going to continue to be me.”

On how playing in a smaller market helped his development before arriving in New York:

“We talk about (playing in a) small market as a bad thing. It was a great thing for me because it protected me from having to be a perfect form of myself for the big media markets and stuff. I was able to really grow and hone myself as a person and fine-tune the things that I needed to so when I got (to New York), which wasn’t part of my plan, I was truly the best version of myself.”

On continuing to work rather than complain about criticism or a lack of immediate success:

“I’ve kept my head down and continued to try to be the best human I could be in the world, be the best player I could be even when I needed things to work on. Instead of complaining about why I didn’t get the love or have the immediate success, I just got back in the gym and worked on my game. And this was a year where I finally had enough lessons to really put it together and was given the opportunity to do something special.”

On his mother encouraging him to remain himself:

“My mom always told me to be who I am and never be ashamed to be who I am. To be unapologetically myself even if the love that I love to show people is not reciprocated.”

On mental strength not requiring him to change his personality:

“I think mental fortitude and mental strength doesn’t need to come with a frown on it. You can still smile and have an amazing amount of mental strength and have that Mamba Mentality”

On preparing for the possibility of being traded to Milwaukee midway through last season:

“We were on Zillow looking at Milwaukee. Like, ‘Hey, babe, I went around town, and it’s not that bad. This could be a good spot right here.’”

On embracing whatever role the Knicks needed from him during their championship run:

“Whatever was needed, I was willing to do at the highest level and be a star in my role. I think, in my career, I’ve always talked about my versatility, and it took that word versatility to get this championship.”

On balancing the playoffs with his father’s hospitalization:

“That was at the end of the season, too, and I missed every practice; I missed every shootaround. I only showed up to play the games, and I went right back to the hospital. Shoutout to my team.”

On finding validation through his own approach:

“Is my way the most glamorous way of doing it in the world, especially in the social media world? Absolutely not, because everyone wants instant validation, everyone wants instant gratification. But it is true in the long run, the good guys always win.”

On his championship, family and personal life coming together:

“My skill, my experience and my personal life all came together at the right moment, at the top, top, top of the game. There’s a lot of euphoria in the Towns family right now.”

OG Anunoby

On Andre Drummond:

“A great player. We know he can help us a lot.”

Andre Drummond

On why joining the Knicks made sense for him:

“I think it just made the most sense in terms of where I’m at in my career, what this team had just done — they had just won a championship — and with the addition of my veteran leadership and what I bring to the table, it just made sense for me to come here. I had a bunch of different options, but this option was the best one for me. I grew up a Knicks fan from young… So it’s a true honor to put this jersey on.”

On taking open 3-pointers without hunting them:

“For me, if the shot is there, I’ll take it. It’s not something I’m hunting. Same thing in Philadelphia. It’s not a shot I’m hunting. If it’s a good shot, I will take it.

“It’s a shot I’ve worked on. Same thing here. I’ve got the green light to do it. If the shot’s open, take the shot. But my main goal is to help the team the best way I can.”

On the skills and durability that have kept him in the NBA:

“[I am] a master at what I do. I’m able to rebound the ball at a high clip. Obviously with the addition of the 3-point shot, being able to be a good pick and roll defender, and just being a great locker room guy overall is what keeps me around.

“I stay healthy. I take care of my body. I do the necessary things to make sure I’m able to play the game at a high level.”

On being the lone newcomer to the Knicks:

“This is the first time I’m the only new guy to a team. So it feels kind of weird. Like an outcast trying to fit in but the guys are very welcoming, they made me feel very welcome to be here.

“Everybody’s been very nice and showing me the ropes of how to be a New York Knick.”

On what he gave Brunson for his birthday:

“I gave him a nice hug.”

On getting a head start learning the Knicks’ system:

“I’ve been here [in Tarrytown], just learning their system and how they flow both on offense and defense. So I’ve got a head start on what’s to come.”

On choosing the Knicks in free agency and growing up as a fan:

“This was the best option. Being born in Mount Vernon and then moving to Connecticut very young, I’ve always been a Knicks fan — from Amar’e [Stoudemire] to Patrick Ewing, the list of greats in this organization, it’s a true honor to put the jersey on.”

On Knicks fans taking over Philadelphia during the playoffs:

“It was crazy. It felt like an away game the whole series. They came down and took over the entire arena.

“Crazy seeing some of the fans from [Philadelphia] even wearing Knicks jerseys, too, so the Knicks fanbase is just far and wide. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world. It’s the basketball Mecca, so they did what they were supposed to do.”

On what he still brings as a veteran center:

“I’m able to rebound the ball at a high clip, still. And I’m a very good locker room guy.”

Josh Hart

On playing with his finger wrapped for the rest of his career:

“Just so I don’t got to answer this question anymore. There is no other surgery for me to get besides a joint replacement. If I get a joint replacement, I can’t play with it and my career is over. So it will be wrapped until I retire.”

Mitchell Robinson

On resolving his past issue with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla:

“At first, we had a little issue because I’m like, ‘You gotta say sorry for fouling me,’ …But he apologized, and now we’re on the same team, so it’s going to be great, just build together and stuff like that, get to know him as the year goes on. I feel like it’s going to be epic.”

Stephen A. Smith

On refusing to criticize the Knicks this season after their championship:

“This year, I will not say a negative word about my New York Knicks. They erased a 53-year drought. They can do no wrong this year to me. They are the reigning, defending NBA champions until further notice, and they will be treated like that on this show by yours truly.”

On what he still expects from the Knicks:

“You gotta make the playoffs. Can’t stink up the joint, gotta make the playoffs now. Can’t be getting bounced out in the first round.”

On not needing LeBron James in New York after the Knicks’ championship:

“We don’t need him in New York. But I’m gonna say something on national television that might shock a lot of people. We know that [LeBron] and I don’t mess with each other. We know that story. If the New York Knicks had lost, I would have come on national TV and begged LeBron James to come to the Knicks. I woulda offered to carry LeBron’s bags. I woulda offered to caddy for him, occasionally, while he’s trying to learn golf.

“But I am not lying, I am not exaggerating, and I am not engaging in hyperbole. If the New York Knicks had lost in the NBA Finals, I would have begged, and I mean begged, LeBron James to come to New York.”

Malika Andrews

On Karl-Anthony Towns supposedly getting an “unreasonable” offer from the Knicks:

“From what I am told — similarly to what Jalen Brunson did — he is also willing to take a pay cut. But the pay cut that the Knicks are asking him to take, he views as unreasonable.”

The New York Knicks annihilated the Sixers in the second round of the playoffs en route to snapping their 53-year championship drought last season. The vibes around Philly were Decidedly Bad after that humiliation, particularly since Knicks fans overtook the Wells Fargo Center for Games 3 and 4 of that series.

But on Monday, LeBron James managed to retcon that gut-punch into a positive for his new team.

“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden,” he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “One of the best places I’ve ever played. I think it’s the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, ‘Hey, I can’t.’ I couldn’t do it.”

Had Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs knocked off the Knicks in the NBA Finals, LeBron very well could be up in New York right now. That likely would have been about as well-received as Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016, but championship rings don’t come with asterisks.

Paul added that “LeBron is always judged different” and “that’s a very fragile thing.” He implied that LeBron didn’t want to parachute in and create chemistry issues, which already seem to be festering in New York due to unresolved contract extensions.

LeBron put it even more simply Monday, though.

“Y’all wouldn’t have let me lay that down, at all,” James said, referring to the media. “But much respect to the Knicks, obviously. An unbelievable team, unbelievable players. Shout out Jalen Brunson. I love that guy, he’s unbelievable. But yeah, I’m happy where I’m at, and I’m looking forward to it.”

So, to put the domino effect of the past few months into context:

• The Knicks won the 2025-26 championship.
• The Celtics struck out on Giannis because they couldn’t bear to part ways with Hugo Gonzalez or Baylor Scheierman, apparently.
• After striking out on Giannis, the Celtics proceeded to trade Jaylen Brown to the Sixers for Paul George and a pair of draft picks.
• The Sixers—who were not originally on LeBron’s radar at all—suddenly piqued his interest after they acquired Brown.
• Three weeks later, LeBron signs a minimum contract with the Sixers.

Ironically, the Sixers’ two biggest rivals helped them create an on-paper superteam this offseason. It’s now on the Sixers to make good on that.

Earlier this offseason, we asked you, the community, to put your Nostradamus hats on and tell us how many games you think the Bucks will win this season and which Buck has the best chance of earning some hardware. Soon, courtesy of our first Roundtable of the season, we’ll talk predictions too. But what do folks outside of our Bucks-centric universe think? Let’s check in.

Record

The community predicted the Bucks winning 31 or more games. Outside, the vibes are less optimistic. ESPN picked the Bucks to finish with a 25-57 record and in 14th place in the East:

Meanwhile, the Bucks will pivot after reaching the end of the Antetokounmpo era but still have a collection of solid veterans, led by Tyler Herro and Myles Turner, and a mix of young talent. 

Sports Illustrated had Milwaukee finishing 15th in the East with a 24-58 record—an average of Chris Mannix, Liam McKeone, and Blake Silverman’s individual picks—but didn’t offer a justification beyond that. The Sporting News’ Stephon Noh sees things similarly for the Bucks, also predicting them going 24-58:

The Bucks were a bad team when they were missing Giannis last year, going 15-31 in those games. Now, they’ll have to live through a whole season without him. Milwaukee does have some solid players on its roster… But the Bucks have no high-end talent. The Bucks also have a lot of young players who are going to have to play and may not contribute to winning right away. Brayden Burries looked impressive in Summer League but is still just 21 years old. Nate Ament is much more of a project. 

Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, on the other hand, sees things even more grimly, envisioning the Bucks mustering just 18 wins:

The Milwaukee Bucks emerged from the Giannis trade with a decent collection of quality NBA players. On some nights, they’ll probably look pretty competitive. But we had to balance the wins and losses somehow. The East is going to be loaded and someone has to finish last in the conference. Without a single superstar on the roster and a handful of veterans who seem destined to be traded before February, the Bucks are a prime candidate for that dishonor. On the bright side, Milwaukee fans should be treated to plenty of developmental minutes from Brayden Burries and Nate Ament.

But it’s not all doom and gloom! The Athletic’s John Hollinger sees the Bucks exceeding expectations—at least as far as surpassing BetMGM.com’s preseason over/under of 26.5 wins:

One consequence of the Giannis trade is that the Bucks have a much deeper roster than last season. Adding the grab bag of surplus Miami Heat players — Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakučionis and the draft pick that became Nate Ament — gives the Bucks several halfway-decent players, making it difficult for them to be truly horrible. The Bucks also traded two fungible players for Caris LeVert, which, again, didn’t send an earthquake through the East but gave them another rotation-caliber player.

Combined with a couple of other factors, I think this is a beatable number for Milwaukee, even if the Bucks move on from a couple of vets in-season (Herro, Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma seem to be likely trade candidates). First of all, they have a first-year coach in Taylor Jenkins, who should be a major upgrade from Doc Rivers playing out the string a season ago. (Rivers had a great coaching career, but the tail end of it … yeeeeah.) Second, rookie Brayden Burries looked awesome in summer league and may have been severely underdrafted at No. 10.

I certainly don’t expect the Bucks to be good. But are 30 wins that outrageous for a Rollins-Herro-Jaquez-Ware-Turner lineup that brings Burries, Kevin Porter Jr., LeVert and Kuzma off the bench? I think they have a decent chance to be annoyingly frisky and stay on the fringes of the Play-In Tournament race. Not exactly “Bucks in six!” material, but my outlook is more optimistic than most.

If this isn’t enough to return your spirits to where they were, Bucks legend Jeff Teague will. He thinks things will work out just fine in Milwaukee, predicting the Bucks to be a “seven seed, six seed” with Taylor Jenkins taking home the Coach of the Year award.

Beyond wins and losses

As part of his 2026-27 Central Division preview, Yahoo! Sports’ Nekias Duncan had quite a bit to say about the Bucks—likes, question marks, best and worst case scenarios, and more. But it was his lineup to watch that caught my attention:

LINEUP TO WATCH: Rollins-Burries-Dieng-JJJ-Ware. If the “likes” section wasn’t enough of a signal, these are probably the five players I’m most excited to watch this year. Give me the mix of drives and pull-up shooting this group could provide and live with the results.

I had Rollins-Herro-Dieng-Jaquez-Ware sitting in my “Notes” app as my preferred starting five since the Giannis trade—well, at least until I came to accept the seemingly inevitable double big approach—but even with all my Burries fantasying didn’t dare insert him into that. Of course, as I should have realised, this doesn’t preclude that lineup from existing (forgive me, it’s been a big offseason). And now I need to see it. Often.

Draymond Green weighs in on Gary Trent Jr.

As you know, the NBA is still investigating the Bucks and Gary Trent Jr. for possible cap circumvention. On his podcast, Draymond Green shared his two cents on the matter. As you’d expect, he did so in typical stream of consciousness manner, with thoughts jutting angularly from one spot to the next as if his jump shot caroming off iron:

The Bucks are reportedly being investigated by the NBA for possible salary cap circumvention in the deal with Gary Trent Jr. The punishment could be equally as severe, if not worse, than the Clippers’ punishment if found guilty. Now, here’s what I will say. No way this could be worse, a worse punishment, because I mean I guess when you think about it it is circumvention ‘cause you could get a player for cheap. But it’s not the same. It’s not near the same. I do think the punishment will be extraneous but this really will set the Milwaukee Bucks franchise back. And I think if this was to happen—see what you got to remember is this. I think if this was to happen, I think the Bucks owner would then sell. Because, unlike Steve Ballmer, who’s the wealthiest owner, um, unlike Steve Ballmer who has a team that’s in Los Angeles, the Milwaukee Bucks lose five first round draft picks and they can never be good for 20 years. So, I think you’d see that owner sell the team, uh, if this is the case because they’re going to, they’re going to be—like they can’t rebuild. No free agent’s going to Milwaukee. They’ll have to pay like a fourth tier player max money to come to Milwaukee. So, if this is the case, I think the Milwaukee Bucks will be on sale shortly thereafter. But we saw how long it took the Kawhi investigation to play out. So, I think this will take a while. And I don’t think it’ll come back nearly as bad or, or any, um, punishment because I just don’t think—even if that was the case, like how do you get record of that? I just don’t know. I don’t foresee it. You know, there’s—what I will say, you know, there are deals made beforehand in any business all the time. So, no one puts it on paper. When you’re doing good business with someone, you don’t put it on paper. So, I don’t know how they would be able to find this if this even is the case.

Yeah, time to take a breath. Then again, this is the same guy who thought it was “absolutely beautiful” Kawhi Leonard didn’t get the bulk of the punishment for the Los Angeles Clippers’ salary-cap circumvention, has taken Leonard’s word that he didn’t know anything about it, and questioned why the league even has a salary cap.

More Milwaukee community moments

After recently being spotted surprising Lincoln Avenue Elementary students who were displaced after their school was destroyed by a fire earlier this summer, the Bucks continue to embed themselves into the Wisconsin community. Tyler Herro appeared at the Green Bay Packers’ home opener, while Ryan Rollins, Cormac Ryan, Kel’el Ware, Jericho Sims and Taylor Jenkins attended WWE’s Monday Night Raw at Fiserv Forum:

PR working overtime? Perhaps. But it’s great to see these Bucks out and about in their community regardless.

Okay, now we can get back to our Bucks bubble and wait for the actual games to play out—prove ‘em wrong, fellas!—starting next week when preseason kicks off. In the meantime, if you’ve heard anything more about the Bucks, whisper it down the lane in the comments.

Is it too early to get excited about Walker Kessler?

We know that he’s an elite rebounder and rim protector. But so far, there’s something about him that just, well, feels like the type of thing that can really tip a franchise in the right direction. 

He’s a personality guy. 

“I look at him as a two-way talent, and I think the fit is exciting,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said Tuesday when asked what excites him most about the center, before emphasizing his next sentence.

“The person is really exciting.”

In the three media availabilities Kessler has had with reporters since the Lakers acquired him on a four-year, $130 million deal — which included LA trading a slew of assets to Utah — Kessler has already made a big impression.

He has said multiple times he’d run through a wall for the Lakers. 

What does that mean?

“It’s a great question,” Kessler said, flashing a smile. “For me, it’s just doing the little things and just competing my tail off every night and doing all the little stuff, whether that’s setting a hard screen, crashing the glass, sprinting the floor, just doing all the things it takes to win.”

It’s not lost on Kessler that the Lakers went all in on him. 

They have zero tradable first-round draft picks through 2033 after trading two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two pick swaps (2028 and 2030) to the Jazz for him.

Kessler seems genuinely grateful they took that gamble. “When you have someone backing you and someone that shows you the belief that they have in you, it makes it a lot easier to want to make them proud and want to make them feel like you’re doing your absolute best for them,” he said.

Kessler has already excited everyone around him. Jake LaRavia said Kessler changes everything defensively when he’s on the court.

“It’s going to make us wings and guards feel a lot more comfortable being a little bit more aggressive defensively, maybe being able to pick up full court a little bit more,” LaRavia said. 

Added Matisse Thybulle: ““[I] just feel like I can fully live up to my defensive potential because of having a rim protector like Walker.”

As for Kessler, he’s all in on the Lakers. 

Redick recently said he believes the Lakers could be championship contenders this season. Kessler didn’t hesitate when asked if he agreed. 

“I believe so,” he said. “No question. Yeah, undoubtedly.”

What does he think of the Lakers’ defense?” We’re going to be a nasty defensive team,” he said.

Even from the perimeter?

“I think people aren’t taking into account how good our perimeter defense is going to be with some of these guys,” he said.

Oh, yeah, who?”I mean, Thi [Adou Thiero], Ziaire [Williams], Quentin [Grimes], Bull [Thybulle], Van [Jarred Vanderbilt], Jake — I could go through the whole team.”

OK, what do you think about Redick’s coaching style?

“In film, I was ready to go fight somebody or something,” he said. “He’s such a good motivator. He’s incredible.”

And your chemistry with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves?”It’s not hard to be a fit when the guys are as good as they are,” he said.

Kessler is so positive. His excitement is palpable. It’s obvious he’s already making a contribution to the team, and we haven’t even seen him take the court yet wearing Purple-and-Gold.

Everyone wants to play with him. Everyone likes him. Everyone believes he can turn things around for the Lakers on defense.

Last season, the Lakers were 20th in defensive rating (115.5) and 27th in rebounds (41 per game). They averaged just 4.3 blocks per game.

That should change with Kessler down low.

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In 2024-25, Kessler was second in the league in blocks (2.4), and he contested 7.5 shots per game at the rim, which tied him for fifth most in the league, according to NBA.com.

Last season, we only got to see a glimpse of Kessler. He averaged 11.1 points and 12.2 rebounds in five games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Kessler, who essentially has only played three NBA seasons, believes he hasn’t even begun tapping into his potential.

“No, I haven’t,” he said. “I think that Utah did a great job of letting me show kind of like my baseline, just play hard, play good defense, rebound, set good screens, be a lob threat. But no.”

So, what’s his ceiling?

“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t reached it yet. I’m just going to do the best I can and be the best I can become.”

It’s all very exciting for a Lakers team that had a porous defense last season led by an inconsistent center in Deandre Ayton. They now have a beast down low, as well as someone who should be a lob machine alongside Doncic on offense.

Kessler wants to be great. He’s willing to lay himself on the line for the Lakers. And it’s obvious that everyone is already responding to him.

There are still a lot of questions. How will he fit in alongside Doncic and Reaves on the court? Will he become the All Defense-type player the Lakers need him to be? Will he complete the Lakers’ Big 3?

But as of now, all signs point to yes. Not only is he a potential game-changer on the court but he’s also the type of guy who excites the team behind the scenes. 

As much as the Lakers want this to work, he wants it every bit as much.  

“I don’t really feel pressure,” he said. “I just feel grateful. Grateful for this opportunity and grateful to play for this franchise.”

Mike Conley Jr. raves about Jayson Tatum's leadership for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jaylen Brown’s departure from the Boston Celtics won’t just impact the team offensively and defensively on the court, it also will force other players to step up and take on more of a leadership role.

Jayson Tatum, as the team’s best player and face of the franchise, is shouldering more of a leadership responsibility entering the 2026-27 NBA season.

And the team’s most experienced player is impressed with what he’s seen so far.

“From the outside looking in, I always thought (Tatum) was one of the best players in the league. Getting to know him now, he’s a guy I feel like is really coming into his own as a leader,” Celtics guard Mike Conley Jr. told reporters Wednesday.

“A guy that’s ready to make a jump. I think after the last couple years with the injury, he has a lot to prove, and he’s out there trying to prove it. I’m excited for him and his growth throughout the time I’m around him. I’m going to try to help him as best I can.”

Conley provided some specific examples of Tatum stepping up as a leader.

“In L.A. he called everyone and said let’s go work out, let’s go meet, let’s spend about seven or eight days out there and go golf, go out to eat,” Conley said. “He’s setting up all kinds of things off the court.

“He’s bringing in huddles after practices and every workout we have, he has something to say, calling guys out and just really taking ownership of the situation. I think that’s big.”

Conley is about to enter his 20th season. He and Kevin Durant are the only players from the 2007 NBA Draft who are still playing.

The 39-year-old guard isn’t a starter-level player anymore, but he remains one of the most respected veterans in the league and a great locker room presence. His experience and wisdom should help Tatum and many other Celtics players improve as leaders this season.

NBA veteran forward Caleb Martin begins his eighth professional season and his third with the Dallas Mavericks as the calendar marches toward opening day. Martin is on the third year of a $35 million contract he signed with the 76ers in the summer of 2024. He joined the Mavericks as part of a bizarre move by former General Manager Nico Harrison in February of 2025, just before the trade deadline, in exchange for Quentin Grimes. In the shadow of the Luka Doncic deal, the trade received little notice, but among ball-knowers was widely considered a terrible trade.

Martin remains with the franchise entering the 2026-27 season, but has very little role, given the makeup of the roster.

Biggest Question

Will Caleb Martin remain with the Dallas Mavericks for the entire 2026-27 season? Look, I’m not going to lie that talking about a player this way can make me a little uncomfortable. I don’t know Caleb Martin, by all accounts, he’s a consummate professional and a good teammate. Some players I grow weary of and I get very aggressive when discussing their flaws or what they can’t bring to a team. Not Martin. He’s simply not very good and he gets paid a lot of money and he’s an irregular reminder of how much of a failure Nico Harrison actually is.

One has to think Martin is the number one player the team hopes it can move. The issue is two-fold: first, he makes a decent amount of money (he’s making $10 millon this year and just under that for his player option next year), but not so much that it’s impossible to move. Rather, he seems to have hit his absolute ceiling as a player with the Miami Heat before signing with the 76ers in 2024.

Let’s say you wholly disagree with me though, let’s say you think he’s a functional NBA role player. The question then becomes this: what is Caleb Martin’s role with this team? Dallas has too many forwards. He’s the one least interesting to the team’s future.

Best Case Scenario

The ideal scenario for a positive Martin season is for him to play the veteran role, giving spot minutes when the team is blowing out an opponent or on the bad end of a beating. And, when he does play, he connects at or above 35% from three-point range, which is what happened last season in just under an attempt per game.

I don’t see Martin as a trade candidate unless there’s a $10 million gap in salary somewhere. He’s got the kind of contract where a team would have to send draft picks out versus getting one.

Worst Case Scenario

Martin has to play a significant number of games and minutes. As mentioned in the introduction, there’s not a path for Martin to see playing time given how many forwards are on the roster. The exception to this rule is simple: if the Dallas Mavericks deal with the injury bug again.

The NBA is trying a new path to prevent tanking and Dallas doesn’t technically own their pick this year, so there’s really not much of a reason for Martin to play at all.

Season Goal

Cheer heartily from the sideline, hit a three from the bench when called upon, mentor the younger players on the roster by being professional in the face of little promised playing time. If he can do one or all of these things, then he’ll have filled a role on this busy roster.

Overall

No one signed up within the Mavs Moneyball staff for this profile, which leaves it to me. This is a harsh profile. I won’t lie, but he’s a person who represents bad process from the previous regime. Perhaps he’ll get spot minutes, but an ideal situation is us not having to think much about Caleb Martin in the 2026-27 season.

Editor’s note: Burries and Turner were tied at the last possible moment we could schedule the next article, so we flipped a coin and landed on Burries at six.

It’s time to look at Brayden Burries, the Bucks’ new rookie prospect who has created some serious buzz with fans after his scintillating Summer League performance. Burries is a 6’4” combo guard with NBA-ready size at 205 pounds. He is well-rounded and checks the box as an athlete, but he may not excel in any one area besides his motor. Burries has shown he’s a good decision-maker, with consistent highs and limited lows (though young players will always have hiccups).

Burries averaged 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 2.0 steals during his Summer League campaign (along with just 0.3 turnovers). He controlled the game with a veteran’s basketball IQ. All of this creates serious expectations not only from Bucks fans, but from fans league-wide. If we look at the roster and Milwaukee’s current guard rotation, it is a logjam for minutes, but Burries’ skill set lets him slot in next to anyone and make an impact, whether as a primary ball handler or in an off-ball role. He’s even shown himself to be able to impact defensively and get on the boards, along with an ability to score at every level with a variety of moves. You can see him complementing most players on this team, which will make it even easier to find him minutes.

Burries was a key piece for the Arizona Wildcats in a very successful year as they pushed deep into March, falling in the Final Four. He has shown he is a winning player who can be at the centre of a winning culture, and the hope is that it will transfer to the NBA. We are looking at a player with all the skills to succeed immediately at the next level, impact at both ends of the floor, and make serious contributions to a winning team—that’s what separates him from many other rookies.

All of this comes together to create league-wide excitement about what Burries can be for the Bucks and shows he can make a serious impact on a winning team.

Now we’re really getting down to business. Who’s up at five?

Kobe Bryant’s No. 8 is headed back to the auction block, and this one comes stitched with a remarkable piece of Lakers history.

The Realest is auctioning a signed, game-worn Bryant jersey from the 2003-04 season — the only No. 8 Bryant jersey to reach the market featuring an NBA Finals patch — with expectations that it could command several million dollars.

And this wasn’t some jersey that spent most nights hanging in a locker.

Bryant wore it across at least 17 documented games as the Lakers went a staggering 16-1, including 8-0 in the playoffs. It was on his back for all three Western Conference series-clinching victories during Los Angeles’ march to the 2004 NBA Finals.

The jersey also survived some vintage Kobe nights: his season-high 45 points against the Warriors, the circus shot against the Rockets and a 42-point masterpiece against the Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.

The season carries another layer of mythology. It was during 2003-04 that Bryant created his “Black Mamba” persona, while making his final playoff run alongside Shaquille O’Neal.

Originally auctioned by the Lakers on Bryant’s jersey retirement night in 2017, the jersey hasn’t been publicly offered since.

It will debut at ComplexCon in Los Angeles on Oct. 3-4 before traveling through Asia. The auction closes Nov. 8 — an appropriate finish for one of the rarest pieces from Bryant’s No. 8 era.

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Back in May, I asked if the end of the tanking era would usher in minutes for Justin Champagnie. My thinking on Champagnie hasn’t changed, but my answer has. Which is to say, I still think Champagnie is an average NBA player, and that if the Wizards hold an open competition for forward minutes, he might just take minutes from more ballyhooed teammates.

But while the Brian Keefe and Will Dawkins say they’re excited about the internal competition at training camp, I suspect it’s going to be managed competition. Meaning, they already know who they want to get the bulk of the minutes, and the real competition will be about who starts vs. comes off the bench, and who gets 28 minutes and who gets 20.

Even with the team trying to win games this season, my guess is that Champagnie will be the odd man out — in part because the team cannot lose sight of their long-term goal of contending for a championship in the next few years rather than striving to make the playoffs.

With any luck, several of the Wizards youth — the guys they want to play ahead of Champagnie — will actually be better this season. It’s certainly possible that Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George will be better, more productive players this season. Same for AJ Dybantsa. Barring injury, there’s zero chance Champagnie will take minutes from Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, or DeAndre Ayton.

My guess is that after playing 1,300+ minutes each of the past two seasons, Champagnie will have a “break glass in case of emergency” role, at least to start the season. And I wouldn’t be shocked to see him end up in a trade package during the year. For me at least, it’d be fun to see him land with a team that could actually use what he does well.

That’s because what he does well is reasonably valuable. Specifically, he scores efficiently despite meh shooting from deep (just 31.9% last season), competes on the boards and defends. He shot over 60% on twos each of the past two seasons, and he avoids turnovers.

He gives up some size, and he doesn’t do anything great, which is why he went undrafted, and the Wizards would prefer to play his younger, bigger, more skilled, and more athletic teammates — even if they’re not better this season.

This is the final stop in this year’s annual Statistical Doppelganger Machine series. As mentioned previously, the machine runs a player season (in this case Champagnie from last season) through an algorithm that compares that player’s statistical production to every other player season since 1977-78 and then tells me which were “most similar.” The algorithm uses 14 different bits of information, including the usual stats, age, and playing time. While position is not a factor, players tend to generate comps from a similar position.

To the comps…

I interrupt before getting started to note that as is sometimes the case, Champagnie’s top comp for his 2025-26 season is himself from the 2024-25 season. By my reckoning, Champagnie was actually slightly better in 2024-25 than 2025-26 (114 PPA to 105), but the category by category production was pretty consistent. This is interesting — consecutive seasons totaling more than 2,600 minutes with average-plus production. If I was in the front office of another team, and I needed a rotational forward, I’d be trying to pry Champagnie from the Wizards on the cheap.

To the comps, part two:

1. Patrick Patterson | 2013-14 | Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors | Age: 24 — Patterson was a talented forward who had an array of injury problems. He played for five teams over nine seasons, even defying the “oft-injured” label a few times — 82 games at 28 years old, 81 at 25, 79 at 26. His best full season was probably 2014-15 — a 122 PPA in 81 games mostly off the bench.
2. Jake Layman | 2018-19 | Portland Trail Blazers | Age: 24 — I have only vague memories of Layman, and for good reason. He didn’t play a ton or for long — six seasons with Portland and Minnesota. This was his best season (95 PPA over 71 games and 1,327 minutes), his health and production declined, and he was finished at 27.
3. Omari Spellman | 2019-20 | Golden State Warriors | Age: 22 — This was Spellman’s second and final NBA season. He wasn’t bad — 83 PPA as a rookie with the Atlanta Hawks, and a 90 with the Warriors in this comp season. Even with low minutes (805 as a rookie and 886 in year two), that’s usually a profile that builds towards a bigger role. Instead, the Hawks dumped him to the Warriors, the Warriors lumped him into the mega deal that landed Andrew Wiggins and D’Angelo Russell, the Minnesota Timberwolves dumped him to the New York Knicks, and the Knicks waived him. Spellman’s built a good career playing overseas ever since.
4. Dorell Wright | 2009-10 | Miami Heat | Age: 24 — This was the start of the best stretch of Wright’s career. He posted a 97 PPA in this comp season, followed by a 118 (playing all 82 games) for Golden State, a 138 PPA the next season, and then a 113 with Philadelphia at age 27. His production declined from there.
5. Santi Aldama | 2022-23 | Memphis Grizzlies | Age: 22 — This comp is super interesting to me. I’ve liked Aldama as a player and thought his reputation was accelerating past his reality. Through five seasons, I have him with three that rated average or better with a peak PPA of 111 in 2024-25. He has another almost average year (97 PPA at age 23). While I suspect few would agree, there’s a case to be made that Champagnie is at least as productive as Aldama, if not better.

The honorable mentions are a mix of useful role players — several of whom fit a “tough-as-nails” mold like Champagnie seems to. The list includes: Kelenna Azubuike, Jae Crowder, Tari Eason (age 21), and Caleb Martin. No one who’s going to transform a franchise, but useful players in the right role on a good team.

My hope for Champagnie is that he gets a chance somewhere. I don’t think it’ll be in Washington, but perhaps he can be part of a trade that will net the Wizards something they need while getting him minutes with a team that can use him.