Category: NBA

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — gives their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: The Suns finished last season 10th in defensive rating.  Do you believe they will be better, worse, or about the same defensively in 2026-27?

GuarGuar: I think overall we will be around the same defensively, maybe slightly better overall with our rating. 10th is pretty good overall, so it’s not really a big problem if we finish the same. However, we were really streaky defensively last year, and I’d rather we be consistently around 10 all year than 6 for half the season and 18ish for the other half…as was the case last season. More minutes for Fleming and Maluach should help us defensively, and I expect Ott to play fewer small-ball lineups this season.

zenzino: I knew this set of questions was coming when grey_hound asked, “What happened to defense? All the answers seemed focused on offense,” and Keratosis concurred, saying many were guilty of that. In another part, Rod said he’d been going easy on us. I said, “Bring it!” And it’s been brought.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but my lineup ideas took defense into account. The reason it “seems” like the focus is on offense is that I’m not worried about defense. The grit and tenacity that last season’s Suns built their reputation on were largely about playing defense for 48 minutes. The foundation this coaching staff preaches is getting more offensive possessions on the defensive side of the ball.

I believe the Suns will be a little better on defense this year. Whether that translates to them moving up in the ranking or not depends on other teams.

Because of injuries and other factors, the Suns slid a little in the second half of the season. If they stay healthy, I don’t see that slide happening again.

This is also where the continuity comes in. Team defense, way more than offense, takes time and chemistry to develop. This is why (in addition to players wanting to show out) you don’t see any team defense in All-Star games and not much in Summer League. It takes time to learn those defensive schemes and learn the strengths and habits (good and bad) of your teammates.

I don’t think the Bridges trade necessarily made them better on defense, but it didn’t make them worse, either. Sheer and Man Man getting more experience will give them additional defensive length as well.

So, yeah…I definitely expect them to be in the top 10 and maybe move closer to 5 than 10.

Ashton: Well, shame on me for not realizing that the Suns finished 10th out of thirty teams. That isn’t bad. Also, I am just not a huge fan of defensive metrics, but a few commentators got up in arms about the lack of defense articles. So, what does Rod do? Dump the whole thing on the Fantable.

To me, defensive ratings are complicated and not the first stat I run to after the game. This is the formula.

Defensive Player Rating = (Players Steals*Blocks) + Opponents Differential= 1/5 of possessions – Times blown by + Deflections * OAPDW (Official Adjusted Players Defensive Withstand)

Yeah, screw that. That formula has been in place for over 20 years! I am not doing the math on that, as other factors come in. Such as, is the player a defensive pest? Can they smash-talk while switching? Are they going to get T’ed up and spend time on the bench? We know Brooks will take a seat. Booker will whine at the refs and take a seat. My guess is Bridges will be an enforcer based on his past history and probably have to take a seat. And I am not running the numbers on what losing RO and GA meant for the defense, but GA was decent. Also, I like watching defense based on the eye-test metric, but I can only watch one side of the court at a time. I would also add if the player stayed at a Holiday Inn the night before as a metric.

Another weird item is that I randomly ran into articles taking a skeptical view of both NBA and PFF (Pro Football Focus) analytic metrics over the course of putting this response together. Do not get me started on AI; it is a glorified data scraper that doesn’t like to play nicely in the “sandbox”. PFF was created by some British guy (shout-out to British Suns Fan) to better understand the game using hand-charted stats, and it was revolutionary for its time. But I tended to be on the side with the skeptical point of view. If the analytics were spot on, then we would all be rich on player prop bets or “Kashi market predictions”. Use the eye test and realize that analytics are helpful but not the end-all, be-all for capturing the nuances of mindset and play.

I still have to answer this question, and I think ranked 10th in defensive metrics is a pretty high bar to clear. Credit to Coach Ott, but I think the Suns regress from the mean. Call it closer to 15th in the league.

Rod: Overall, I see the Suns being at least as good, and likely better, defensively in 2026-27. A lot of that will depend on Ott, his lineups, and his player rotation schemes. I believe many of the Suns’ best defensive players will likely start games on the bench, and the more court time they get, the better the team’s overall defensive rating will be. There’s so much depth on this team; Ott needs to be the anti-D’Antoni coach and use that depth instead of running his starters ragged. I hope to see none of our starters playing more than 30-32 minutes a night because of that depth.

Q2: Which players would you put on the court as your Suns “All-Defensive Team” in 2026-27?

GuarGuar: My All D team for this season would be:

Goodwin
Brooks
Dunn
Fleming
Maluach

All those guys are dawgs on defense and get after it.

zenzino: Ok, let’s go.

Starting with the backcourt: Booker and Goodwin.

Yeah, I said Book. Deal with it. He’s a big, strong guard who doesn’t shy away from physicality. Olympic Book was a defensive stopper and he brings some of that to his NBA game. Is he always the best defender? No. Defense takes a lot of energy and he’s asked to do a lot of different things on this team. But, when he needs to be, he’s the best defensive guard on this team (yeah, I said that, too).

Goodie is a pest. He’s active, tenacious, and physical with good size and strength. His defensive rebounding ends opposing teams’ offensive plays.

Frontcourt starting with small forward: has to be Dillon Brooks.

He sets the tone. Physical and annoying, he gets under players’ skin. I really don’t think there’s any better option at SF.

The power forward position is the toughest one for me. The obvious answer is Miles Bridges. And while I can’t say I am well-versed in the ins and outs of his game, scouting reports say he is an able defender who often loses interest in defense. This could be my ignorance, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say Rasheer Fleming.

The question says ’26-’27 and not ‘to start 26-27’. So I am projecting that, for next season as a whole, Sheer will be the best defender at the power forward position. As I said in the SL Fantable, while Fleming didn’t show out, he quietly showed improvement in footwork and positioning, and the ability to guard 1-5.

Center is a tough one. I could do the same thing I did with the power forward position and project out but, I don’t think I’m going to do that. Man Man showed great improvement in SL, but he still has defensive areas that need significant improvement. While Oso can do certain things better than the other two (ball-handling, passing) I still have to give the edge to Mark Williams in rim protection and overall defense.

I think it’s interesting that so many people think MW is disposable at this point. His injury was a key reason the Suns’ defense declined towards the end of the season. Obviously, his health is always an issue. But he’s only 24 and will also get better if he can stay mostly healthy. He’s been in the league twice as long as Oso but has only played 26 more games.

So, to sum up, my All-Defensive Suns team is:

Booker
Goodwin
Brooks
Fleming
Williams

Ashton: If you made it through my rant on Q1 on analytics, I am still ready to rant. Analytics do not predict the future. But we only have current analytics from the 2025 and 2026 seasons to answer this question. What remains are at least three players. Booker, Brooks, and CG. Okay, pencil them in. Oh yeah, you have to pencil in Oso as well. Now, what to do with the forward position? I know! Let’s play everyone’s favorite subject. Small Ball!

CG (PG)
Booker (SG)
Dunn (SF)
Brooks (PF)
Oso (C)

I still think Brooks and Dunn are interchangeable at the forward position. Dunn needs to be brought in for what he was meant to be, a defensive wizard.

Rod: First off, I’m not considering offense as part of this equation. I’m looking at this strictly from the point of view of who put on the court if all you’re concerned with is getting a defensive stop and getting the ball out of the opponent’s hands. With that in mind…

We’ve got to have Goodie on this team. All hustle, all the time, and 13th in steals last season make him a no-brainer choice here.

After Goodie, the choices become a little more subjective as I think there are more than just 4 other players you could select for this team. Depending upon the matchups with the opponent’s lineup, you could tailor the defense to them specifically…but for now I’ll just go with a kind of “generic best” that I think would defend well in almost any situation.

At SG and SF, who do I choose? Brooks comes to mind first in this group, but then we’ve also got Highsmith and Dunn…plus Fleming at SF if we really want to go big on D. Oh, isn’t it good to have so many choices!?!

For the PF slot, we’ve got Fleming and perhaps Oso to consider. Fleming has the better physical tools, but Oso’s BBIQ and versatility can’t be dismissed easily.

And at center, Williams or Maluach? Mark actually had the best defensive rating on the team last year, but I love the way Khaman challenges people at the rim. Intimidation also plays a part in defense, and if Khaman develops a rep as a shot-blocker early on, that could push him into the top center spot for this team.

It’s certainly still mostly pure guesswork on this question, but, for now, my All-Defensive lineup would be Goodie, Dunn, Brooks, Fleming, and Maluach.

Q3: Which Suns player do you believe has the best mix of offensive and defensive talent?

GuarGuar: I’d probably say Dillon has the best mix of offensive and defensive talent. He’s really improved these past couple of seasons offensively, and we know the impact on D he brings on a nightly basis. He might be slightly overrated as a defender, but his energy on that end is very much real and contagious.

zenzino: I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of disagreement on this from the Book haters, but Devin Booker is the best two-way player on the team.

Obviously, he’s the best offensive player on the team with his ability to create shots for himself and for his teammates. His mid-range is money, he can drive to the basket, and while he shouldn’t be a volume 3-point shooter, he can hit them at a decent clip when he’s allowed to pick & choose when he shoots them. He has a lot of gravity and is top 10 in the league at getting blitzed for a reason: everyone in the league respects his ability to score. In his ‘down’ year last season, he still averaged almost 26 points and 6 assists per game.

Granted, he’s not the best defender on the team. But he’s much better than most give him credit for on BrightSide. As I said in the last question, as a guard, he plays with size and physicality. We saw him be a lockdown defender during the Olympics. We’ve seen it in key moments for the Suns.

Some might say, Dillon Brooks. While Brooks is a better defender and his offense was huge for the Suns last season, we don’t know if he can keep that up now that opposing teams know that side of his game. He can create his own shot, but he went to the ‘Kobe Bryant School of Passing,’ so we know when he wants to score, he’ll take the shot whether he should or not, and is not good at setting up his teammates. His 3-point percentage also went down from 39% to 34% last season because his strength is catch-and-shoot 3s.

Yup, I’m pretty comfortable saying Booker is the best two-way player on the team.

Ashton: It is clearly Booker with the best offensive and defensive skill set. All the metrics align, and he is the one I would want on the court in any crunch.

Rod: I pretty much have to go with Brooks on this one. He plays hard on both ends, keeps the rest of the teams pumped up to play D, and, in general, gets under the opposing teams’ skin. He doesn’t always make the best decisions on the court, but he has the confidence to make one and go with it rather than hesitate. On D, he also doesn’t back down from anyone. The Suns have a few better offensive and defensive players, but I don’t believe any other player on the roster has a better two-way skill set than Brooks.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

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Suns Trivia/History

On August 5, 1999, the Suns traded Pat Garrity, Danny Manning, a 2001 1st-round draft pick, and a 2002 1st-round draft pick to the Orlando Magic for Anfernee Hardaway. Two years later, as part of a three-team trade, the Magic would trade that same 2002 first-round pick back to the Suns along with Bo Outlaw in exchange for Jud Buechler in order to shed salary and create cap space. The 2002 1st-round pick that was traded away and later reacquired by the Suns was ultimately used by the Suns to draft Amar’e Stoudemire. If not for the Suns’ second trade with Orlando, Amar’e Stoudemire would have likely never been a Phoenix Sun.

On August 8, 2000, Kevin Johnson retired from the Phoenix Suns for the second and final time after being called back into service during the regular season after Jason Kidd broke his ankle. Although Johnson had not played in an NBA game since April of 1998, he stepped right back into the Suns’ starting lineup almost 2 years later to start in six of the Suns’ final 10 regular-season games and came off the bench to play in all nine of the Suns’ playoff games before the team was eliminated in the 2nd round by the Lakers. After his 2nd retirement, KJ went to the NBA on NBC studios to call games during the 2000-01 regular season.

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Important Future Dates

Sept. 28 – Media Day
Sept. 29 – Training Camp opens
Oct. 5 – Suns @ Pistons (preseason) 4:00 PM
Oct. 7 – Suns @ Bulls (preseason) 5:00 PM
Oct. 10 – Suns vs. Spurs (preseason) 7:00 PM
Oct. 14 – Suns @ Spurs (preseason) 5:00 PM
Oct. 16 – Suns vs. Jazz (preseason) 7:00 PM
Dec. 15 – Most players signed to new contracts can be traded
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Jan. 15 – All players signed to new contracts can be traded
Feb. 11 – Trade Deadline
Feb. 19-21 – NBA All-Star 2027

Over the past few years, the Houston Rockets have assembled one of the most talented young teams in the NBA.
A large portion of such trade value is retained.

If another superstar enters the trade market, Bleacher Report thinks Houston has two of the most valuable players in the league to offer.

Grant Hughes of B/R ranked Amen Thompson at number five and Reed Sheppard at number 10 in his July 31 assessment of the NBA’s top ten trade assets, and Houston was the only team with two players on the list. However, we all know the Rockets are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very unlikely to trade Amen Thompson, so for the purposes of today’s discussion, let’s focus on Reed Sheppard.

Sheppard, who is ranked No. 10, gives Houston another young talent who might draw a lot of attention.

Despite having a little role early in his career, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft has continued to be a fascinating member of Houston’s backcourt. However, even with all that, I am unsure if I would keep Reed Sheppard. Reed Sheppard’s main strong suit was shooting, which he was good at as he shot 39% from three, but it feels that’s his only calling card offensively.

After Sheppard made 39.4% of his 3-point attempts the previous season, Hughes emphasized his shooting. The Bleacher Report writer also mentioned Sheppard’s career statistics of 18.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.0 steals per 36 minutes. “If he develops as a playmaker and figures out how to survive being a target of the opposing offense,” Hughes wrote, “Sheppard has legitimate star potential.”

Houston has more trade weapons than just their two young guards. The Phoenix Suns’ 2029 first-round pick, which will ultimately belong to either Houston or the Brooklyn Nets, was named by Bleacher Report as the NBA’s third-best trade asset. Hughes listed the Rockets’ hold over Phoenix’s 2027 first-round choice as one of the league’s most valuable future assets. Houston has a lot of versatility because of that collection.

Without making another significant trade, the Rockets can keep developing around Sheppard, Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Kevin Durant. But Houston has the youthful skill and draft money to make a strong offer if a player who could change the franchise becomes available.

Over the past few weeks, both the point guard and shooting guard Mt. Rushmore have sparked a lot of great conversation and insight. Shifting our attention to the small forwards, I expect this rendition of the mountain to do the same.

For the Knicks, the three-spot is not just another position. It is a goldmine of pure scorers, gritty enforcers, and players who seamlessly match New York City’s energy. The top two spots on this rock were quite simple to chisel in. They are franchise legends, making significant impacts on their era of basketball. Spots three and four, on the other hand, provided a bit more of a challenge.

Let’s head back to the mountain and get this all settled.

Carmelo Anthony

Okay haters, let’s get the counterargument out of the way. Yes, his overall playoff resume during his Knicks tenure is far from perfect. But Carmelo Anthony took New York basketball out of the dungeon and made it matter again. After years of inhabiting the NBA’s desert, one of basketball’s greatest scorers willingly took on the pressure of Madison Square Garden to get the Knicks back to relevance.

A complete offensive force, Anthony possessed the physical strength to punish smaller defenders in the post and combined it with a soft shooting touch from the perimeter. He was the focal point of 2012-2013’s 54-win season, capturing the scoring title by scoring 28.7 points per game. Whether it was his 62-point explosion or the clutch threes on Easter Sunday, Melo delivered moments that defined a generation of Knicks basketball. Earning seven All-Star selections as a Knick, he sits at seventh on the franchise’s all-time scoring list despite only playing six and a half seasons in New York. There is no denying that Carmelo Anthony’s face belongs on the mountain.

2015 Carmelo Anthony in a phone booth pic.twitter.com/3Qkg4EHd7B

— Pitless (@pitlessball) March 26, 2025

Bernard King

If we are talking about peak performance, Bernard King might have had the highest ceiling of any Knicks player. Before a devastating knee injury changed his career trajectory, King was arguably the most unstoppable player in the NBA not named Magic Johnson or Larry Bird.

An expert of the mid-range and one-person fast break, King completely overwhelmed defenders with speed, power, and an unblockable release. Capturing the 1984-85 scoring title, he averaged a mind-boggling 32.9 points per game. On Christmas Day against the Nets, he dropped 60 points, the highest single-game total on Christmas. During the 1984 playoffs, King put the team on his back, averaging close to 35 points per contest against the Pistons and Celtics.

No one has scored more points on Christmas than Bernard King!

In 1984, he dropped an #NBAXmas high 60 PTS, 7 REB & 4 AST for the @nyknicks 💪 pic.twitter.com/exVqs7viMG

— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 23, 2018

To put it simply, one cannot tell the story of the New York Knicks without showing Bernard King the love he deserves. Like Melo, King is a total lock to make our Mt. Rushmore.

Bill Bradley

You cannot carve an accurate mountain without honoring the figures that helped bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Starting at small forward for both the 1970 and 1973 championship teams, Bill Bradley was the epitome of a team-first basketball player. A perfect contrast to the isolation play of Anthony and King, Bradley was not flashy or the primary offensive engine. Instead, he was an incredibly intelligent, unselfish player capable of executing Red Holzman’s system perfectly. Understanding spacing better than most, he moved without the ball flawlessly. He consistently hit open jump shots, serving as the perfect connector alongside Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Earl Monroe.

Not possessing the scoring titles, Bradley is still a two-time champion and Hall of Famer whose number 24 hangs in the Garden rafters. That is enough to put him as the third face on our small forward Mt. Rushmore.

Latrell Sprewell

With the first three spots of the mountain inhabited by Melo, King, and Bradley, spot number four needed a specific brand of energy to round out the group. Latrell Sprewell provided that exact energy.

The 1999 NBA Finals run is sacred ground for Knicks fans. New York was an eighth seed with absolutely no business competing for a title. Yet, Sprewell put the franchise on his back and willed the Knicks forward. Not just a productive player, he was a cultural phenomenon, perfectly capturing the gritty, underdog mentality of the city. When the offense completely shut off in the postseason, Spree served as the engine keeping the team alive. Completely carrying the offensive load against the Spurs in the ’99 Finals, Sprewell thrived under pressure and made fans in the Garden roar like no other.

He was the ultimate wildcard. For that, he takes our final spot.

The Snubs

Before we officially close the book on this debate, we have to give a shoutout to the players that missed the cut. Though they fell on the wrong end of the selection, we cannot ignore how much these players meant and continue to mean to the franchise.

Fully understanding the recency bias, leaving OG Anunoby off the mountain hurts. The definitive perimeter of our championship team, we also do not win the title without him dismantling the opposition’s best wing every game. Of course, his “Hand of God” tip-in sits as one of the greatest moments in NBA history. However, when comparing his relatively short tenure to the massive footprint left by Sprewell in the late 90s, Spree edges him slightly, for now.

Then there is Anthony Mason. Mase served as the heart, soul, and muscle of Knicks basketball in the 90s. Playing point-forward, he was completely ahead of his time. But because he split so much of his time playing power forward, it felt right to leave him off the pure small forward list.

Finally, we need to show respect to Larry Johnson and RJ Barrett. Providing unmatched leadership, LJ gave us the legendary 4-point play. On the other hand, RJ was the polarizing prodigy that helped rebuild New York’s broken culture and serve as the bridge to the current championship era.

Larry Johnson hits the CLUTCH 4-point play to defeat the Pacers in Game 3 of the 1999 ECF! 🔥#TeamDay | @nyknickspic.twitter.com/AJ7ZerAE09

— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 1, 2018

Okay, so the rock is set. The official New York Knicks Small Forward Mt. Rushmore features Carmelo Anthony, Bernard King, Bill Bradley, and Latrell Sprewell. We get two of the greatest scorers in franchise history, the historic glue guy of the 70s championships, and the chaotic energy of the 1999 Finals run.

Now, it’s your turn. Where did I go wrong? Who did I disrespect? Am I completely out of my mind for leaving Anunoby off after this title run? Let me know who makes you mountain below.

The roster for the Hawks in 2026-27 continues to take shape even as the Jonathan Kuminga saga drags on. This week has brought us the news that two players from last year’s team won’t be back — the two having signed contracts with two different teams in Israel.

First, former two-way player Jacob Toppin didn’t quite have the big summer league performance he was looking for in a return to live basketball for the first time in months after a labrum injury ended his 2025-26 season. He’s now decided to sign with the basketball division of Hapoel Tel Aviv:

ג׳ייקוב טופין אדום 🚩
כל הפרטים: https://t.co/qYgZlBNBgVpic.twitter.com/7zKV8rEjqK

— Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) July 29, 2026

The team plays in the largest city of Israel in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Their crosstown rival in the same league also made a recent move for a Hawk.

Keaton Wallace just yesterday was reported to sign a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv:

Maccabi Tel Aviv signing NBA guard Keaton Wallacehttps://t.co/g91J0M52Bl

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 5, 2026

Wallace was on a two-way deal with the Hawks in 2024-25, but he earned a full contract ahead of last season. He appeared in 53 games for the team last season, although for a total of just 536 minutes.

Last week, Spurs CEO R. C. Buford stated that 8-10 members of the Spurs roster were joining Victor Wembanyama in Paris to work out. A few of the photos released on social media show Kelly Olynyk as part of the squad.

Spurs just posted this video, but you mary have missed this detail…

Kelly Olynyk was on the Spurs roster for the 2025–26 season after San Antonio acquired him from the Washington Wizards in July 2025. 

However, Olynyk's contract expired at the end of the 2025–26 season,… pic.twitter.com/BVVlqEGl3L

— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) August 4, 2026

Olynyk was acquired by the Spurs last summer in exchange for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and a 2026 second-round draft pick. Although he played sparingly during the season, Olynyk offered a vet presence to the chemistry of the fledgling core.

Since free agency began, there have been no official reports of Olynyk signing for the 2026-2027 season. In the meantime, it seems he has continued to bond with the members of the Silver & Black. He is in the photo of the team at the Louvre seated in front of the Mona Lisa.

A week of hoops, art and camaraderie.

Vic treated the guys to a tour at the Louvre while together in Paris 🖼️🇫🇷

Photos by @carterdbryant 📸 pic.twitter.com/k1PekYaQZ2

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 5, 2026

If Olynyk signs a contract, this will be his fourteenth NBA season. At 35, he might not be quite ready to hang it up. He could also be scouting a post-playing career. The Spurs have helped many players transition into coaching, front office, and scouting by utilizing their off court basketball talents. Only time will tell where Olynyk will be come October.

For now, he’s in Paris with a group of guys ready to make another Finals run.

On an unrelated note, happy belated birthday to Tarris Reed, Jr. who celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday. His first since being drafted by the Spurs.

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NBA history spans 80 seasons, and as CelticsBlog readers well know, the Boston Celtics have won a league-high 18 championships. This month, we are recapping each of those title years.

Elite Three-Peat

The Boston Celtics reached an elite milestone by winning the NBA Finals in 1961, adding to their 1959 and 1960 banners. They became just the second franchise to collect a trio of consecutive titles. The first was the Minneapolis Lakers from 1952 to 1954.

Since then, the Chicago Bulls won three straight championships from 1991 to 1993, and a second time, 1996 to 1998, and the Los Angeles Lakers won from 2000 to 2002. No team has won more than three straight years except the Celtics, who went for eight in a row. as we know.

The MVP

A large factor in Boston’s success, literally, was 6-foot-10 center Bill Russell, who in five seasons changed the Celtics from a pretty good team to a dynasty with four titles. Russell was awarded Most Valuable Player of the 1960-61 season in a vote by players, which was the process then. Oddly, Russell was chosen to only second team All-NBA, behind Wilt Chamberlain, but that vote was by sportswriters. (Insert pondering-face emoji.)

This was Russell’s second MVP (1957-58 was the first). He would win five in his career because of his defense, rebounding, passing and intellect. To this day, he is universally known as the best defensive player of all time. In fact, as calculated by basketball-reference.com, he has the highest Regular Season Defensive Win Share, the highest Playoff DWS and the highest Total DWS of anyone who’s ever played in the NBA or ABA. By far.

Unfortunately, the Defensive Player of the Year award was created more than a decade after Russell retired.

The regular season

In 1960-61, NBA conventional wisdom was that the Celtics had gotten too good for the rest of the league. The results supported that theory, as both the regular season and postseason were nearly drama-free for the two-time defending champs.

The season began with an adjusted schedule, going from 75 games per team to 79. The Celtics’ final record was 57-22, which was 11 games ahead of the Eastern second-place Philadelphia Warriors and six games better than the West-leading St. Louis Hawks. Boston was third in scoring at 119.4 points per game while allowing a league-low 114.1. The Celtics also easily won the season series against all of the other teams, the only one close being St. Louis (6-4).

The blueprint to success

The rest of the league had to be wondering when they would ever beat Boston again. But as the saying goes, there were levels to this, and head coach and general manager Red Auerbach knew it.

First, the Celtics were fortunate that free agency was not yet a factor in building a roster. There were no expiring contracts that would allow players to change teams at will.

Succession plans were vital, as well. Careers were generally shorter in the early NBA than today, first because players stayed in college for four years, and later because their bodies wore down more quickly than today’s athletes. Modern training methods and medical treatments were still in the future, and travel was done on commercial airlines, trains and even buses, not in the comfort of private jets we see today. Scheduling quirks such as three games in three nights — with load management not yet invented — also had an adverse effect.

In Boston, MVP Russell and leading scorer Tommy Heinsohn were both entering their prime at age 26. Star guards Bob Cousy (age 32) and Bill Sharman (34), were aging but still highly effective, and Red Auerbach had developed supremely talented shooter Sam Jones (27) and defensive ace K.C. Jones (28) to step into their roles and not miss a beat when the time came.

Hard-nosed rebounder and defender Jim Loscutoff had turned 30, but 6-6 forward Tom Sanders from NYU was the eighth pick in the 1960 Draft. The man known as Satch would soon be ready to succeed the legendary “Loscy.”

By all indications, Auerbach had all that figured out before the rest of the league caught on, and the proof was in the results.

Eastern playoffs

The postseason was as stress-free as the regular season. The Celtics had a first-round bye while the Syracuse Nationals swept the Philadelphia Warriors, 3-0. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 37 points and 23 rebounds for naught, and Boston would not have to contend with him.

The Celtics handled Syracuse with ease, 4-1, with a 19-point average margin of victory. They won Game 1 at home by 13 points, lost game 2 away by 17, then finished off the series with three straight routs. Russell was the leading rebounder in each contest and topped the Celtics in all three main stat categories: 20.6 points, 31 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. It’s a shame that blocked shots weren’t tracked until well after Russell’s career ended.

NBA Finals

Not even the St. Louis Hawks could slow down the Celtics juggernaut in 1961. Meeting for the fourth time in five years, the Hawks had twice taken Boston to seven games. Not this time. Celtics in five.

Game 1 in Boston went to the home team, 129-95, and they also won Game 2 on the parquet, 116-108. After the Hawks squeaked out a four-point win at home, the Celtics seized control by winning Game 4, 119-104. Back in Boston, Russell dominated Game 5 with an MVP performance of 30 points and 38 boards. The Celtics took the lead with a 37-23 third quarter, then held the Hawks at arm’s length to claim Banner #4.

Turning point

Bob Pettit dropped 40 points in the Hawks’ must-win Game 4, yet the Celtics ran away in the second half to win by 15.

It was over when…

Pettit and Cliff Hagan combined to average nearly 58 points per game, but Boston more than offset that with six players averaging between 12 and 22 points. Boston also demolished the Hawks in total rebounds, 369-304, thanks mostly to Russell’s 28.8 per game.

Notable facts and stats

• Tommy Heinsohn again led Boston in Finals scoring, averaging 22.0 points per game.
• Bill Sharman retired after this season, and a few years later began a successful coaching career. He led the Utah Stars to the 1971 championship of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The very next year, he coached the LA Lakers to their first ever NBA championship. His assistant coach was K.C. Jones.
• After playing them in the NBA Finals four times in five years, the Celtics and Hawks did not meet again in the playoffs until 1972, when Atlanta had moved to the Eastern Conference. Boston is now 11-2 in playoff series vs. the Hawks. 1958 remains the only championship year in Hawks’ history.

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Notable changes elsewhere

1961 brought a few major changes across the NBA that would make a significant impact.

• The Lakers moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles.
• Oscar Robertson (who won Rookie of the Year) was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Royals, and Jerry West was selected no. 2 by the Lakers. Both would dominate statistically, be named to double-digit All-NBA teams and All-Star Games, win one championship, and when their careers ended would be widely considered the two best guards in NBA history. Both also had numerous playoff battles with the Celtics (spoiler alert: all unsuccessful).
• Lenny Wilkens also entered the league as the sixth overall pick by the Hawks, becoming a nine-time All-Star. He went on to coach the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1979 crown, and his 1,332 coaching wins ranks third all-time. He’s been inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Wilkens would’ve been a perfect fit for the Auerbach Celtics.

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Banner Years continues tomorrow with a review of the 1961-62 season and the road to winning Banner #5.

How Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy foreshadowed the team's quiet NBA offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

July is annual moving month in the NBA, 31 days of recruitment and negotiations, with many deals discussed and a few consummated. Except for the Warriors, who approached July 2026 with barely a whisper and nothing close to a roar.

It is profoundly disappointing. To their credit, though, they indicated 46 days earlier that this could be the case.

General manager Mike Dunleavy put Dub Nation on alert on May 15. Golden State’s offseason priority, he said, was to curb its maddening habit of self-destructive turnovers. To be less reckless. Smarter with the basketball.

“The top priority is to take care of the ball, limit turnovers,” Dunleavy said on the afternoon it was announced that Steve Kerr would be returning as head coach.

“And then after that, we’ll try and get better in every which way.”

As if that alone would be enough for the Warriors to make a full recovery from a 37-45 season that ended with an NBA play-in tournament dud. It was difficult to believe such a soft vision would suffice under CEO Joe Lacob, whose ambition is unlimited. Dunleavy surely was underplaying his hand. They would bait hooks, chase stars and peer under stones to improve the roster.

Wouldn’t the Warriors respond to such a disappointing season by scouring the trade market? Even if it meant parting with some future draft capital. While window-shopping around the league, however, Dunleavy & Co. quickly discovered potential trade partners were unimpressed with the available options on the roster.

The bulk of the roster consists mostly of replaceable talent. The Warriors needed a couple younger but established veterans to support the aging core. They needed, one would think, to address the acute shortage of elite athleticism.

“In the grand scheme of things, not a lot about the roster,” Dunleavy said of last season. “This just isn’t about the roster, frankly. I don’t think we came up short because of the talent on the roster. It was injuries and things we could control.”

Injuries brought an abrupt halt to the momentum generated while winning nine of 12 as the calendar flipped to 2026. Jimmy Butler III sustained a season-ending torn right ACL on Jan 19. Stephen Curry was sidelined 11 days later with runner’s knee. Moses Moody missed the final 10 games after sustaining a torn patellar tendon on March 23.

Golden State opened the 2025-26 NBA season with two elite talents, Curry and Butler, on its roster. The surrounding talent was, on its own, barely competitive. The Warriors were 12-26 – 11th in the Western Conference standings – after Butler went down. They were 9-18 without Curry and 3-7 over the final 10 games without Moody. Kerr spent the second half of the season coaching a bottom-five NBA roster, getting sporadic appearances from Kristaps Porziņģis and rare glimpses of Al Horford.

But Golden State, it must be said, spent the first three months dancing on the edge of mediocrity – before the injuries struck. The Warriors were 25-19, eighth in the West, before Butler left the lineup. A play-in tournament team.

Which is why the front office took measures to improve the roster, most notably a tepid effort to recruit LeBron James.

“Do we need to get better roster-wise? I think so,” the GM acknowledged in May. “But we didn’t get to a point where we played a team where the roster is better than ours. For that reason, we were more focused on the stuff that we can control.

“We’ll always look to be better, talent-wise, roster-wise, all that. But . . . the discussions weren’t really about that. It was more with the team that we have. How can we be better? And what are the things we need to do to build on for long-term success?”

Dub Nation had been warned. The priority was internal development rather than external additions. Do not expect gifts in July.

And none came.

The Warriors were instead content to bring back Porziņģis and Horford, hoping their bodies allow them to suit up for 50-60 games each. They brought back De’Anthony Melton, hoping his first healthy summer in three years can launch him toward 70 games, which also is a reasonable goal for Curry. They brought back Gary Payton II because he has a unique set of skills and is great for the culture.

The only new face with a chance to immediately improve the roster is forward Yaxel Lendeborg. He brings the spirit of a veteran, but it’s best to remember that he is a rookie.

The Warriors anticipate evaluating the first half of the season while awaiting the midseason returns of Butler and Moody. Meanwhile, Dunleavy & Co. still have some latitude with the roster. But it’s hard to fathom striking gold in August or September.

Dub Nation had been warned that 2026-27 was lining up as a “gap year.” The offseason focus would be on internal development rather than external additions. Do not expect gifts in July. None came.

Austerity always is disappointing, as it lays a welcome mat for ennui.

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Dillon Brooks has agreed to a three-year, $73 million contract extension with the Suns that will keep him in Phoenix through the 2029-30 season, according to multiple reports. 

The deal is fully guaranteed and does not include any options, according to Arizona Sports.

The first year of the deal will pay Brooks $22 million. 

ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report Brooks’ contract extension. 

The 30-year-old Suns star is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game and helped the team reach the postseason after missing out the previous season, a team that had Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal all on the roster. 

“Villain is here to stay,” Brooks told The Arizona Republic. “Championship is all on my mind.”

Brooks had arrived in the desert last offseason after the Rockets included him as part of a deal to acquire Kevin Durant from Phoenix. 

Brooks, who is going into his 10th season in the NBA, averaged a team-high 26 points during the postseason while shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range. The Suns’ run in the playoffs was brief and ended in a 4-0 series sweep by the Thunder. 

A former standout at Oregon, Brooks began his career with the Grizzlies after he was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Rockets and then traded to Memphis on draft night. 

He went on to play six seasons in Memphis before ending up in Houston once again as part of a five-team trade in 2023. 

Brooks played two seasons before being moved to Phoenix. 

He has a reputation for being a bit of a pest in the league with his hard-nosed play. 

Brooks even went as far as to sit courtside at a game during the Lakers series against the Thunder to troll LeBron James.

Dillon Brooks will be bothering the NBA on behalf of the Phoenix Suns for years to come.

The veteran has signed a contract extension with the Suns, he confirmed to the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The Republic confirmed Brooks' deal is a three-year, $73 million extension that ties him to Phoenix through the 2029-30 season.

"Villain is here to stay," Brooks told The Republic. "Championship is all on my mind."

ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the news, via Brooks' Klutch Sports agent.

The forward joined the Suns last offseason as part of the massive trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. Phoenix, which is led by five-time All-Star Devin Booker, also got Jalen Green in the deal.

Brooks played in 56 games last season for the Suns, averaging a career-high 20.2 points with 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per outing. Phoenix was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The former Oregon standout was drafted by the Rockets in the second round of the 2017 draft. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night, where he spent six seasons.

Brooks landed back in Houston in 2023 as part of a five-team trade. He played two seasons there.

Brooks has developed a reputation as an antagonist in the NBA because of his gritty style of play and bold expression of his competitive nature. During the Thunder's playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers in May, he sat courtside to troll LeBron James.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dillon Brooks contract extension details: Suns lock in NBA 'villain'

The Phoenix Suns acquired Dillon Brooks as part of the Kevin Durant trade, and on the surface, many of us viewed him primarily as salary filler. Then we witnessed the profound effect he had on the culture and direction of the team last season.

With Brooks entering the final year of his contract, it became important for the Suns to work with him on an extension and ensure that he remained part of what they are building. That extension officially came through Wednesday evening, as Phoenix agreed to a three-year, $73 million deal with Brooks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks has agreed to a three-year, $73 million contract extension through 2029-30, Mike George of Klutch Sports tells ESPN. Brooks has become a key part of the Suns two-way, hard-nosed culture under Jordan Ott and lands a new guaranteed long-term deal. pic.twitter.com/loV1DWs2z5

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 6, 2026

He will now remain with the Suns through 2030, allowing the organization to retain one of the pillars of its culture moving forward.

This is a fantastic deal for both Dillon Brooks and the Phoenix Suns. The 30-year-old Brooks was eligible for a much larger veteran extension, one that could begin at 140% of his current salary and include 8% annual raises. That placed the maximum value at approximately $125 million over four years, with an average annual value of $31.3 million. Instead, the Suns retained him on a far more manageable and team-friendly contract, one that carries an average annual value of roughly $24.3 million.

Two weeks ago, I wrote that the ideal contract for Dillon Brooks would be three years and $75 million. The Suns did even better than that.

It’s also a great signing because Phoenix has several young wing players developing within the organization, and they’ll now have Brooks as one of the veterans guiding them in the locker room. That kind of influence is nearly impossible to quantify. These young players possess size and physicality, and now they’ll learn from one of the NBA’s best irritants about how to become more effective on the defensive end. We saw Jordan Goodwin and Collin Gillespie elevate their games while playing alongside Brooks last season. The same opportunity now exists for Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat, who are waiting in the wings.

This extension is about far more than keeping a productive rotation player. It’s a bet on identity. The Suns have spent the past year trying to establish a culture built on toughness, accountability, and competitiveness, and Brooks has been at the center of that effort. The contract preserves flexibility, rewards one of the team’s emotional leaders, and keeps an important veteran in place as the next generation develops. If Phoenix is serious about building something sustainable, this deal checks every box.

There's a chance that four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson sees his time with the Dallas Mavericks come to an end after two seasons.

Thompson, 36, joined the team in July 2024 as a result of a six-team trade, signing a three-year, $50 million contract after spending the first 13 seasons of his career with the Golden State Warriors.

Last season, Thompson appeared in 69 games for the Mavericks and started eight. He averaged career-lows in multiple statistical categories including points (11.7), field goal percentage (39.3%), 3-point percentage (38.3%), free throw percentage (76.6%), rebounds (2.1), assists (1.4) and minutes played (21.7).

If indeed the 2026 season was Thompson's final season in Dallas, the aging sharpshooter and his agent will soon field calls from teams around the league ready for his services. He has one year left on his contract and the Mavericks owe him $17.5 million.

They could opt to put Thompson in trade negotiations, but given the season of career-lows he's coming off of, some could view it as a risk to trade for the 36-year-old and likely give up assets. The other option would be via buyout clause in which Thompson would become a free agent and choose his destination.

In that scenario, Thompson would have multiple potential landing spots including some familiar to him. USA TODAY Sports' NBA reporter Lorenzo Reyes wrote that two possible places for Thompson to land are the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.

Either of the two would make complete sense.

Klay Thompson to Golden State Warriors?

Thompson began his career with the Warriors when he was drafted in 2011. He helped them to become one of the league's dynasties, while he became a five-time All-Star, Olympic gold medalist and recognized as one of the best shooters in NBA history.

He and Stephen Curry formed the dynamic, sharp-shooting backcourt duo nicknamed the "Splash Brothers." And with Draymond Green as an enforcer, the big three would be back together again, albeit a lot older than their initial stint together. A reunion amongst them would be the full-circle moment that many want to see, maybe with the exception of rival opponents.

As Reyes wrote, "there would be no fit better for Thompson than Golden State. Coach Steve Kerr is still there. Stephen Curry is still there. Thompson knows the system intimately and the Warriors — who tied for 17th last season in 3-point percentage (35.6%) — could definitely use a shooter like him."

The Warriors might not be a championship contending team leaning on Curry and company. Adding Thompson may not move the needle in wins but nostalgia itself will provide enough energy to make due with however things played out.

Klay Thompson plays for the same franchise as his dad

The other possible landing spot for Thompson is another familiar place in La-La Land. The Lakers could be an intriguing destination if Thompson became available for multiple reasons.

The most obvious one is that Thompson was born in Los Angeles, has ties to the area and his dad, Mychal Thompson, played four seasons with the Lakers, helping them win back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988. Before Thompson signed with the Mavericks in 2024, his pops was very vocal in his desire for his son to play for the same legendary franchise as him. And even voiced his disappointment when his son didn't choose the Lakers. If bought out, this could be a second chance to make things right and go back to the place he once called home growing up.

He'd also join a team with ball-dominant guards that command defensive attention in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The spacing on the floor that they would create would fair well for Thompson who would be the ultimate catch-and-shoot player.

Additionally, Reyes wrote, "Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves will dominate ball-handling duties, and Thompson excels at slipping past defenders without the ball in his hands. Coach JJ Redick, who was a sharpshooter in his own right, also knows how to maximize a talented sniper like Thompson."

Reyes added that when Thompson signed with the Mavericks in July 2024, one of the main reasons he chose Dallas over his hometown LA was to play alongside Dončić.

Things in Dallas changed for Thompson once Doncic was traded to the Lakers in February 2025, now he has a chance to rejoin the Slovenian superstar. If Doncic needs another shooter, Thompson is the guy.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Klay Thompson could opt to return to home, if Dallas doesn't work out

The biggest talk around the Golden State Warriors lately has been Draymond Green’s contract. Shortly after LeBron James announced that he would be signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Warriors re-signed Green for one year and $27.7 million.

For some fans, this was seen as an overpay, but the reality is very simple: Green was always going to get that deal, unless James joined the Dubs. Green had the opportunity to opt into a one-year deal that would pay him that same figure, but chose to opt out to allow the Warriors maximum flexibility as they chased the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. There was, without question, an understanding and a handshake that the Warriors would allow Green to recoup all that money should James sign elsewhere, barring another move that Draymond signed off on.

But there was one part that some people found a little more surprising. Green did not negotiate for a no-trade clause when he re-signed, but does receive a 15% trade kicker, which. means he’ll receive roughly $4.2 million should the Warriors trade him at any point during the season. Both the trade kicker and the lack of a no-trade clause were in the previous deal that the four-time All-Star opted out of.

Anyone who knows Green is probably not surprised by this. And on his popular podcast and YouTube show, The Draymond Green Show, the defensive star explained himself:

“I think it was something that we could have fought over, but it wasn’t worth fighting over,” Green said, as transcribed by NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think if the Warriors want to trade me at some point in the season, they want to trade me. I’ve never been a guy who wants to stay somewhere where I’m not wanted.”

That makes perfect sense, and it’s very in line with how Green has approached these things in the past. He’s made it abundantly clear that he wants to be a Warrior for the rest of his career, but only if he’s actually wanted.

Barring a superstar becoming available, it is almost a guarantee that the Warriors won’t trade Green this year. He’ll enter free agency next offseason, and likely re-sign on a more modest deal that aligns with Steph Curry’s future.

Legendary ESPN commentator Dick Vitale announced Wednesday, Aug. 5 that he's progressing positively as he battles his fifth cancer diagnosis.

The 87-year-old college basketball personality shared the message on X, noting that he's responding well to treatments.

"Just received good news from my oncologist that my bloodwork results were very good," Vitale wrote. "I keep (praying) that the Immuno Therapy treatments are very effective in wiping out the cancer."

REQUIRED READING: Dick Vitale health update: College basketball analyst confirms melanoma diagnosis

Dicky V made a few broadcast appearances for ESPN last year, but was diagnosed with melanoma for the second time in April. He signed a contract extension with ESPN through the 2027-28 season in June 2025.

Vitale was first diagnosed with melanoma and lymphoma in 2021, before being declared cancer-free in 2023. He then was diagnosed with vocal-cord cancer in 2023 and lymph node cancer in 2024, before again being declared cancer free in May 2025.

Vitale won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance in 2022 amid his cancer battle and has helped keep the V Foundation alive in Jim Valvano's honor. Valvano, a close friend of Vitale's, died of adenocarcinoma in 1993.

"I've beaten melanoma," Vitale wrote in April upon announcing his latest fight with melanoma. "I've beaten lymphoma. I've beaten vocal cord cancer. I've beaten lymph node cancer. I'm four-for-four and I'm fully confident I'm going to make it five-for-five."

Vitale has yet to announce a timetable for a return to broadcasting games.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dick Vitale announces he's progressing well in latest cancer battle