Category: NBA

Why tempered expectations for retooling Celtics are worth embracing originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

In an offseason full of painful departures for the Boston Celtics, there’s one change that actually might make the 2025-26 season more enjoyable than most currently anticipate: the absence of expectations.

After multiple seasons weighed down by championship-or-bust outlooks, a new-look Celtics squad is set to enter a season where it will be virtually impossible not to exceed most prognostications. The pendulum has swung so viciously that the team can endure the obvious bumps ahead in the road but embrace the little victories along the way.

You have to go back to the 2016-17 season to find the last time the Celtics were this devoid of expectations. That year, the Celtics jumped on the back of Isaiah Thomas, got a boost from the veteran addition of Al Horford, and watched a ragtag collection of role players pile up an Eastern Conference-best 53 wins before advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

It remains one of our favorite seasons, jockeying with the 2024 title team in terms of sheer enjoyment. Thomas blossoming from a Sixth Man into a top-five MVP candidate certainly injected joy, but so did watching how the likes of Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk thrived in their roles, all while Brad Stevens pushed the right buttons to get the most from a team that trekked to the East Finals against a peak-of-his-powers LeBron James.

Could the 2025-26 Celtics have a similar glow up?

OK, maybe a deep playoff trek is ambitious. But we’d submit that this year’s team with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard at the helm might have more top-end talent than that 2016-17 group. You can fret over the potential depth of this squad, but 1) We don’t suspect this is a finished roster, and 2) Gerald Green was starting key playoff games for the 2016-17 group, so it wasn’t like that team was swimming in depth, either. James Young and Jordan Mickey combined to play 54 games that year.

Sure, the 2025-26 Celtics have a rather obvious void at the big-man position after the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and, presumably soon, Horford. But the 2016-17 Celtics squeezed 77 starts and 1,600-plus minutes out of Amir Johnson.

The margin for error for the 2025-26 Celtics is razor-thin. If Brown tweaks a hamstring or White turns an ankle, then winning games could be a real challenge. Regardless of how competitive they are out of the gates, the Celtics will lean heavier into development than they have in recent seasons with hopes that some pain points this season will aid the team when Jayson Tatum is back at full health.

Vegas prognosticators currently project the 2025-26 Celtics at 43.5 wins. That slots them seventh in the East behind the Cavaliers (55.5), Knicks (52.5), Magic (51.5), Hawks 46.5), Pistons (45.5), and Bucks (44.5).

No one yearns to be a play-in team. And there’s absolutely a case to be made that, if Boston is trending in that direction before the trade deadline, leaning even further into a youth movement and other priorities (like getting below the luxury tax) ought to be a priority.

But it is going to be refreshing to watch games and just embrace the small victories. Maybe Brown blossoms in the 1A role and returns to All-NBA form. Maybe White lands that elusive All-Star nod. Maybe Pritchard morphs from Sixth Man of the Year into a legitimate starting-level guard.

More important might be the development of role players who will comprise the future core of this team.

Can recent first-round draft picks Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman use the 2025-26 season to prove they can eventually hold rotation roles on a title-contending team? Can Neemias Queta and Luka Garza evolve their games given the void in Boston’s frontcourt? Is Josh Minott capable of thriving in an expanded opportunity with the Celtics?

A quick aside here, too: Maybe it’s time Celtics fans embrace Georges Niang. The consternation with his addition, especially given his roots here, has been a little bizarre.

Yes, he put himself in the crosshairs a couple seasons ago by grabbing at Jaylen Brown’s knee during a game. Brown and Niang crossed paths at a WNBA game at the Garden last week and there didn’t look like there was any lingering animosity.

We also love how Niang acknowledged the fan angst, noting on a podcast last week: “You know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s— if I’m from Boston or not. They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced it with a minivan. Get the f— out of here!’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny, man, this got scratches on it, man.’”

Is Niang a long-term piece for this team? Probably not. But if this team is going to outkick expectations, he could be a big part of what’s ahead. If nothing else, he has an expiring — and very tradable — salary that could help future roster constructions. His self awareness, combined with his play style, ought to win over fans quickly.

All of which is our long-winded way of saying: Enjoy the ride. Expectations are going to spike the very second Tatum is back on a basketball court. We’ve been spoiled by the success of this team over the past decade — especially in recent seasons — but there’s nothing wrong with embracing a potential gap year.

We think there’s a very real chance this team performs well beyond expectations at the start of the season. Things might go sideways due to injuries or letting younger players take their lumps, but there are long-term benefits if that happens, too.

The Celtics have created flexibility with their roster. After waiving JD Davison on Thursday, the team is back below the second apron and carries an open roster spot. The team can lean into various pathways during the season, if potential roster moves don’t materialize sooner.

It’s easy to be discouraged by the talent drain. The Celtics needed to get their finances in order, and Tatum’s injury only made that a slightly easier to embrace. The absence of expectations is going to change the way we view games. It’s less about wins and losses and more about the process.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Steph Curry recalls hilarious hairstyle superstition from 2020-21 NBA season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry opened the 2020-21 NBA season with a new hairstyle that didn’t last very long.

The Warriors superstar rocked cornrows for the first three games of the campaign, but, as he explained in a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman — never again.

“What a time that was. Coming out of COVID, I had the struggle braids where I had just enough to close it up,” Curry told Morman. “And then I started the year, I don’t know what my percentage was, like high 20s, low 30s maybe. Everyone who knows how superstitious I am, I remember where I was. I was in Chicago, in our hotel after we lost to Brooklyn and we lost to Milwaukee the first two games of that season. I’m in the hotel taking out my own braids. I didn’t have my barber with me, I didn’t have anything. I just let it hang.

“And then I got hot in Chicago, and that crept. I kept that haircut — the nasiest haircut I’ve ever had — it was like a mushroom top, half-fro, half I don’t know, whatever. And when I had 62 [point], I still had that cut. That was like two weeks later. So braids to not, I won’t ever have them again — just off of that. It was a [two]-game stretch. Horrible.”

Curry, the greatest shooter to grace the game of basketball, opened that season shooting just 13-of-38 (34.2 percent) from the field and 4-of-20 (20 percent) from 3-point range.

Against the Bulls, Curry dropped 36 points on 11-of-25 shooting (44 percent) from the field and 5 of 15 (33.3 percent) from distance.

Three games later, as he mentioned, he scored his career-high 62 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, shooting an incredible 18-of-31 (58.1 percent) from the field and 8 of 16 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.

To this day, that remains the most points he’s scored in a single contest.

It is safe to say Cornrow Curry is a thing of the past.

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Warriors' Steph Curry admits he has eye on NBA's top-10 all-time scoring list originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry isn’t one to chase records, but he’d be lying if he said one in particular wasn’t in the back of his mind as he approaches Year 17 in the NBA.

Curry continues to creep up the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West in April for the 24th spot. Of the 23 players in front of him, only four — LeBron James (No. 1), Kevin Durant (No. 8), James Harden (No. 11) and Russell Westbrook (No. 20) — currently are active.

The Warriors superstar admitted reaching the top-10 is something he has his eye on — and something not far out of reach.

“I wouldn’t say I don’t care. I do the math every once in a while,” Curry told Complex’s Speedy Mormon in a recent interview. “Every time you catch somebody and they do the thing in the arenas like, ‘Oh, congratulations, you passed Jerry West,’ which was a special one for me, that’s when you’re like, oh, how far can I go? So I do the math. If I average 20-something [points], two and a half seasons, I’m playing 70 games, I do that math all the time just to get in your head how long do you have to play and to what level to catch the top of that list?

“But after I do that, I don’t think about it again until the next time it happens. So it’s just a fun way to keep yourself in the moment and give yourself, for a hot second, something to look forward to. But that’s not why I’ll keep going. It’s more that I want to get to a level where we’re competing and playing for championships.”

Curry currently boasts 25,386 points to his name, which is 2,903 points away from the No. 10 spot, currently occupied by Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony (28,289).

He is 819 points away from the No. 20 spot and 1,324 points away from the No. 15 spot.

Never say never when it comes to Curry.

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Celtics waive JD Davison, get back under second apron originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On Thursday, the Boston Celtics announced they have waived 22-year-old guard JD Davison.

Davison spent the first three years of his NBA career as a two-way player for Boston. The Celtics had converted his two-way contract to a standard two-year deal in April and picked up his team option for the 2025-26 campaign in June.

Parting ways with Davison puts the Celtics back under the second apron of the luxury tax. Boston now has an open roster spot, though any addition would put the organization back over the second apron.

The Celtics initially selected Davison in the second round (53rd) of the 2022 NBA Draft. The Alabama product appeared in only 16 games for Boston last season, averaging 2.1 points over 5.8 minutes per game. However, he thrived with the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League, averaging 25.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game to earn G League MVP honors.

Davison earned a championship ring with the Celtics in 2024. After appearing in only 36 games over three years with Boston, he should have a chance to earn more playing time with a new team for next season and beyond.

A call came from Luka Doncic a couple of times, at first making Marcus Smart think it wasn’t true and then eventually making him believe that Doncic was a Lakers salesman and that he wanted Smart to be a part of what they were building here in Los Angeles.

It wasn’t like they had a strong “relationship,” but Smart said he and Doncic have “a mutual understanding and respect for each other” from meeting on the court in past seasons.

So, when the calls came while Smart was training while trying to figure out his next move after he had agreed to a contract buyout from the Washington Wizards, he was swayed by Doncic to join the Lakers after clearing waivers.

Smart, who signed a two-year deal for $11 million with the Lakers, with a player option for the second season, smiled as he told the stories during his introductory news conference Tuesday about talking to Doncic and being persuaded to join him and LeBron James.

“It first came, my agent, I’m working out, and I get a call from my agent saying, you know, ‘Hey Luka reached out.’ And I’m like ‘yeah whatever’ you know?’ Like all right,” Smart said at the Lakers’ practice facility. “And then another day, same thing — Luka reached out again and now it’s real. It’s no longer what-ifs. It’s real and it’s something we need to talk about. And that was a great feeling, like I said, and that’s kind of what kind of got things going for me to be here and I’m excited to be here.”

The Lakers were in need of a point-of-attack perimeter defender such as Smart, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith going to Houston.

Read more:Newest Laker Deandre Ayton is ready to prove the doubters wrong

Smart was the NBA’s defensive player of the year in 2022 when he played for the Boston Celtics and has been on the NBA’s All-Defensive first team three times.

Knowing that Doncic and James are “two greats with [the] greatest basketball IQs that I’ve ever seen in this era” made it easy for Smart to become their teammates.

“And when you get a guy like Luka, calling, referencing, checking on you, trying to see where you at to see if you want to come and join something special that he’s trying to cook up over here,” Smart said. “And for him to say that he can really use my help, that meant a lot. Played against Luka a lot. Been on a lot of opposing ends of Luka magic. And to be able to come out and be on his side at this time, it means a lot.”

Doncic has a decision to make with the Lakers.

On Aug. 2, Doncic and the Lakers can talk about a contract extension.

He can sign a four-year deal for $224 million or a three-year deal for $161 million with a player option in 2028, which would then allow Doncic to sign a max deal in 2028 that would give him 35% of the salary cap for that season.

Meanwhile, Smart was asked what kind of recruiter is Doncic.

“It’s the same. He’s a competitor. He’s just the same way. He has that competitive nature when he’s talking,” Smart said. “He’s intrigued and that’s it. He didn’t really have to say much. Luka, his name, his ability, what he has done, [speaks] for himself. And for me, like I said, I’ve been on the other end of Luka magic. So to be able to come and join and see it and witness it on the other side is something that I was like, ‘why not give it a shot?’”

Smart, 31, played in only 54 games the last two seasons, injuries costing him time that he spent both with the Memphis Grizzlies and Wizards. In the 34 games he played between both teams, Smart averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and shot 34.8% from three-point range.

“Yeah, I’m very motivated. You know, the last two years, for me, was in my eyes, a disappointment,” Smart said. “Injuries kind of stopped me and held me back. But like I told my wife and my family, you know, everything happens for a reason. And it’s funny that 12 years ago, I could have been here [with the Lakers] and now it’s full circle and I’m here. And like I said, everything happens for a reason. And I just look at those reasons was for me to be here, to not play for people to look at me and say, ‘you know what, maybe he isn’t the same?’ And now that allows me to be in a place where I’m supposed to be.”

Smart was at his best with the Celtics, where he spent nine years and reached the playoffs every year, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2022.

Over the course of his 11 seasons in the NBA, Smart averaged 10.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

The Lakers were 50-32 last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

But he knows the Lakers are about winning championships and the chance to play with Doncic and James in high-stakes basketball games played a part in his decision as well.

“It’s at the top,” Smart said. “I mean, the main goal, the reason you go out and you compete the way you compete is to try to win championships and what better place to be able to do that than here, where the show starts and where the show ends. So, that was definitely a big part of it, being able to get back on that stage, being able to get to a team that definitely could use me and I know I can make an impact and I can help as well and that was a perfect fit here.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Warriors star Steph Curry explains loyalty to Drake amid Kendrick Lamar feud originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

When Kendrick Lamar’s award-winning “They Not Like Us” song broke out after Team USA’s win over Serbia in the Olympic semifinals last summer, nearly the entire arena sang along to the catchy diss track.

But not Steph Curry.

The Warriors’ superstar was caught in a viral video unenthused by the song choice while his teammates, including NBA megastar LeBron James, said he “loved it” while others jammed out.

“Damn with this song,” Curry said in the video. “It’s not the only song in America.”

Some speculated it had something to do with Curry’s close relationship with hip-hop icon Drake, whom Lamar dissed during a heated music feud last year, or if it was simply just Curry being agitated by how often and overplayed the song had become.

Almost exactly one year later, Curry explained his viral reaction to the song in that moment during a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman.

“It was both,” Curry admitted. “Everywhere we went, that’s all I heard. And the fact that they knew who I was with. You can’t do anything about what the DJ’s playing. But I got sick of it at a certain point.

“It was funny that the cameras caught me because that was from the soul.”

The loyalty goes both ways, too, as Drake has Curry’s No. 30 tattooed on his arm with a halo.

Curry and Drake go way back, supporting each other’s professional careers but also having a real family-type bond as the rapper and Curry’s wife, Ayesha, both are from Toronto.

Well, now the Warriors’ Chase Center in-arena crew knows which song not to play during home games.

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Jonathan Kuminga reportedly not accepting Warriors' offers, in no rush for deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors still haven’t made a move this offseason, and that won’t change until the Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved.

New reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania indicates that might not happen anytime soon.

“The Warriors’ entire offseason has been essentially on pause for one player, and that’s restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga,” Charania said Thursday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “They have wanted to figure out his situation before making their other offseason moves. I saw Jonathan Kuminga this morning at a workout in Miami. He’s in good spirits. He had a good workout.

“He did tell me, though, that he is in absolutely no rush on doing a deal with the Warriors right now, and he is not accepting their current offers. He added that he wanted to continue to explore options with his agent, Aaron Turner, whether that’s continuing conversations with the Warriors, but also sign-and-trade options that are available to him in the marketplace.”

Twenty-four days into the offseason, it has been a staring contest between both sides.

Kuminga, who was selected No. 7 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, is seeking a situation where he can be a consistent contributor and the future of a franchise that backs and believes in him. That hasn’t been the case for Kuminga in Golden State over the last four years.

The Warriors aren’t moved by the offers they have received thus far, as the Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the strongest pursuers to land the athletic young wing.

“I’m told the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings are two teams that have made concrete offers with the Warriors over the last week or so,” Charania added. “They’re two of the more aggressive teams with Kuminga. They’re also offering him an opportunity for significant minutes and a starting-caliber role in their lineup — and those are two things he wants more than anything.

“The Warriors do not want anything that is being offered to them in sign-and-trades, and on the other hand, with Jonathan Kuminga, he is not ready to move forward with taking any of the Warriors’ current offers. He’s not in a hurry to do a deal there yet.”

The standoff continues.

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Niang shares hilariously self-aware take on replacing Porzingis in Boston originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Georges Niang knows the drill, it appears.

The veteran forward was part of a three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Niang to the Boston Celtics in early July. The deal was primarily a cost-cutting move for the Celtics, who saved more than $22 million in cap space by replacing Porzingis’ $30.7 million salary with Niang’s $8.2 million expiring contract.

That’s a positive development in Boston’s quest to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax. But with all due respect to Niang, the trade doesn’t exactly get the Celtics closer to Banner 19. And as a Massachusetts native who grew up in Methuen as a Celtics fan, he’s well aware of how his addition is being received.

“I’m a Boston kid — I then get traded for Porzingis,” Niang told co-hosts Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on The OGs podcast. “You know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s— if I’m from Boston or not.

“They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced it with a minivan. Get the f— out of here!’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny, man, this got scratches on it, man.'”

There’s a reason why Porzingis is nicknamed “The Unicorn” and Niang goes by “The Minivan.” The former is a highly-skilled, 7-foot-2 big man who’s an elite 3-point shooter and rim protector, while the latter is a wider-bodied, 6-foot-7 forward who’s more of a “glue guy” role player than game-changer.

To Niang’s credit, he understands that talent discrepancy and is determined to make an impact however he can on a Celtics team that’s in “reset” mode after losing Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles.

“Now I’m kind of in the mode of like, OK, obviously JT is out, but Boston has done a really good job, if you’ve looked at it when guys miss games, (they still win),” Niang continued. “It’s their culture, it’s who they are.

“So it’s like, ‘OK Georges, now what can you do to maximize what you have to help them win games?’ Because you don’t wanna be in Boston losing, that’s for sure.

“That’s kind of how I’ve transitioned my mindset. It’s like, ‘OK, what can I do this summer? Can I come in in the best shape that I’m in, and also mentor and kind of teach (the younger players), and also learn, because they’ve won championships, and kind of dial that all into one and focus every day on like, ‘How can I win the day, and then win games?'”

Whether Niang actually gets that opportunity is unclear. The Celtics are currently just barely over the second apron and could further cut costs by dealing Niang or Anfernee Simons to another team, either before the 2025-26 season or ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February.

If Niang is on the Opening Day roster, however, he’ll be fully prepared for whatever reception C’s fans give him at TD Garden.

Lainn Wilson ready to lead Santa Cruz Warriors after ‘surreal' NBA Summer League originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Attendance was estimated at just under 8,400 fans. The feeling more closely resembled a packed house at Chase Center, especially for the man leading the Warriors on the sidelines to open the California Classic. 

After spending the last four seasons as the Warriors’ head video coordinator, Steve Kerr, Mike Dunleavy and others felt the best next move for Lainn Wilson was leading their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. NBA Summer League served as the perfect slate of exhibitions for the first-time head coach, as was earning a comeback win against the Los Angeles Lakers in his first game. Warriors players doused Wilson with water in the locker room to celebrate the win, and he still was taking in all his emotions at the podium. 

“Pretty surreal,” Wilson admitted. “It doesn’t really hit you until you’re out there. The crowd out there was much larger than I expected it to be. To collectively feel that energy in the building, there’s nothing more fun. 

“There’s a lot of work that goes into it, but to me, this is why we play the games. This is why we compete. When you’re out there, there’s a lot of life and energy.” 

His path is nothing like Kerr, Jason Kidd, Tyronn Lue, so on and so forth. The majority of NBA head coaches had professional playing careers. Not Wilson. The 33-year-old never even played past high school in Augusta, Ga. 

Wilson had a dream that could have been torched by numerous road blocks and barriers. Instead, he has done everything in the coaching world the past 15 years that has led to patrolling the sidelines of Chase Center, UNLV’s campus for summer league and now Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz.

The young coach on the rise began his ascension at the University of Georgia, where Wilson spent four seasons as a student manager for the men’s basketball team and then two more as a graduate assistant. Wilson then did all the dirty work, literally, for the Grand Rapids Drive, the former D League team of the Detroit Pistons. He has been a D League video intern and assistant coach in the NBA’s minor leagues, and was an assistant video coordinator for the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Warriors ahead of their 2021-22 championship season. 

Each role prepared him for the next. Roaming the sidelines as the main person in charge this summer gave Wilson a new appreciation, and has him ready to fill Nicholas Kerr’s shoes in Santa Cruz. 

“At least for me, I’d say a lot,” Wilson said to NBC Sports Bay Area. “I basically got a little bit of a runway into running a team. It’s a lot of the logistics stuff that I haven’t been in charge of before, like planning out practices. Now it gives me something to work off of where I can now say, ‘I liked this, I didn’t like that.’ And then obviously getting feedback from players and the staff as far as what they thought worked and didn’t.

“It just kind of gives me a strong framework to go off of for the Santa Cruz season.” 

The Warriors under Wilson went 5-3 this summer, 2-1 at the California Classic and 3-2 in Las Vegas. He’s happy with how they understood concepts better each day, gelling more as a team while trying to keep things as simple as possible. Like his players, Wilson felt more comfortable with each practice and game. 

Adjustments and lessons were made in real time. Wilson and the Warriors were hit with a delay of game when his players took too long to be back on the court after halftime of the California Classic finale. Full timeouts are shorter in summer league, and he even received his first technical foul out of frustration during the first game in Las Vegas. 

“I think the guys could tell I was a little more comfortable and a little more at ease as it went on, just because I was starting to understand the flow of things and how I wanted to do it,” Wilson said. “By the end of it I thought I was in a pretty comfortable spot of what to expect, staying locked in on the game.” 

Length of games are shorter in summer league. Players have 10 fouls until their day is over. Everything feels rushed from a coaching and practice standpoint. The part Wilson found to be the hardest might come as a surprise. 

“To me, it’s the messaging,” Wilson said.

The Warriors had 19 players on their summer league team, with 18 healthy enough to play. An NBA roster holds 15 players, and a good chunk stay in their warmup gear all game long. All but four players were rookies without any NBA game experience. Each tried to make a big impression, either on the Warriors or the rest of the league. 

Not everybody received an equal opportunity. That’s life, that’s basketball. Those decisions didn’t always come from Wilson either. 

Many of them came from the front office regarding who is in the game plan for a particular summer league game. 

“It’s different to be in a spot where you’re telling a group of guys going into every game, ‘Hey, you’re not playing.’ As an assistant, you’re not really having those kinds of talks,” Wilson continued. “It’s just the consistency of everything. You’re just always having to constantly think of the dynamic of being consistent and keeping guys in the fold so there’s no major surprises. Even though they’re being told they’re not playing, I do think they appreciate the fact that you’re at least straight up without leaving stuff to the imagination.” 

Wilson’s way of thinking there sounds like a direct correlation of learning from Kerr. The four-time NBA champion as a head coach is a master communicator and delegator. Kerr is quick to give credit to others, oftentimes praising Wilson’s help the past few seasons in player development, video preparation and especially his use of analytics. 

His usage and importance went beyond his Golden State title. Kerr wants his players and staff to feel empowered, and Wilson gives him ample credit in getting him to where he is today.

“Steve has always been great, especially after I first started out here,” Wilson said. “My role always expanded, even within the video part of it. He let me do scouts, walkthroughs with the team, player development stuff. So I was kind of just doing a little bit of everything, and just getting a lot of tremendous experience. 

“I never would have thought just even speaking in front of the team about something would be in the works, especially being in a video role. But this team’s always been great about giving these opportunities.” 

A drive that spanned about 100 miles from his Augusta home to the Georgia campus started Wilson’s coaching journey 15 years ago. Off campus, his basketball classroom has only grown, with summer league on the sidelines having Wilson ready for Santa Cruz and getting him one step closer to being the next video room standout to hold the title of NBA head coach.

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