Category: NBA

Early Monday morning, just before Media Day began, the Brooklyn Nets announced a “jersey patch” deal with Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant headed, of course, by Joe Tsai…

This deal differed substantially from other patch deals, which have gone for as much as eight figures per season. In the past, companies both big and small paid the freight to get the recognition that comes with every TV close-up of a Nets player at the free throw line, his jersey adorned with a corporate logo. There was Motorola, the big cellphone manufacturer, and All-In-One, a New York-based medical billing and IT company owned by a Nets season ticket holder. They also contracted with WeBull, an online brokerage, and Get Your Guide, a tourism company … in other words an eclectic group.

The Alibaba patch is simple, the company’s name spelled out in the company typeface on the left breast of the jersey opposite the Nike swoosh, part of a separate apparel deal. Alibaba says it will use the patch to support the team’s 60th anniversary celebration, according to the press release. The celebration will be a year-long campaign honoring iconic players, defining moments and milestones across the franchise’s history.

But the patch deal between the two Tsai entities isn’t the only eye-opener in the deal. The Alibaba jersey patch is only one part of a much bigger and intriguing sports technology deal, as a follow-up press release to the tweet revealed.

Alibaba Group and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment today announced a strategic multi-year partnership naming Alibaba an Official Technology and Cloud Partner of the Brooklyn Nets. The partnership pairs Alibaba’s cloud technology with the Brooklyn Nets’ live game replay, in-game entertainment and marketing initiatives, creating more immersive experiences for fans in the arena.

Cloud technology partner? Isn’t this A.I, although the press release doesn’t mention A.I? What’s going on here? Here’s how Toby Xu, Alibaba’s Chief Financial Officer, described it in the press release:

“Alibaba has long partnered with leading sports organizations worldwide, giving us a deep understanding of how to deliver technology at the scale and speed live sports demand,” Xu said. “We are excited to team up with the Brooklyn Nets to unlock new possibilities in sports innovation. As we head into the new season, we look forward to delivering immersive experiences for fans at Barclays Center and beyond.”

There it is: “immersive experiences,” the centerpiece of Alibaba’s foray into sports. As we reported back in May, Alibaba has worked with sports organizations around the world on such “immersive technology.” Indeed, in addition to its e-commerce business, A.I and Cloud innovations, Alibaba under Tsai has become a sports technology giant.

The company has been the official Cloud provider for the last four Olympiads and will have the same role in Los Angeles in a little less than two years. NBA China, UEFA, the European soccer federation, and amateur sports federations like World Aquatics have all bought in. For the big customers, “immersive technology” might be better described as “hyper-personalized,“ a way to get beyond the passive experience of sitting in front of a TV set. As an example, four months back, Alibaba and the NBA announced NBA Chat in China. Built on Alibaba’s advanced Qwen A.I. model and NBA’s historical data, player analytics and other digital assets, NBA Chat delivers real-time, comprehensive game insights directly on mobile devices.

Fans can dive deep into their favourite players’ on-court performance — from detailed career statistics and live shooting percentages to full offensive and defensive breakdowns of ongoing or past games, and even team tactical strategies — all at their fingertips.

In their press release, Alibaba and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment hinted about how the fan experience will be enhanced at Barclays Center but without much detail.

Beginning with the 2026-27 NBA season, Alibaba’s technology will power a Real-Time 360º Replay system at Barclays Center, bringing faster and more innovative replays. Through the in-arena “Nets Figure Lab,” fans will also be able to create personalized collectible cards using Alibaba’s technology.

Across the season, Alibaba and the Nets will use the partnership to test and scale innovative technology and marketing applications on and beyond game day, enhancing fan experiences while supporting the next chapter of Nets basketball. For the Nets, the collaboration represents an investment in the future of the franchise.

The “Nets Figure Lab” was not more fully described, but the “Real-Time 360º Replay system” is the core technology of the Alibaba Sports Technology initiative.

What might the technology look like? A year ago, when the Nets visited Macao as part of the NBA China tour, Alibaba showed off examples of their technology, like the brick, mortar and glass NBA House…

And there was a taste of the digital: game action on whatever screen fans prefer once the NBA games are broadcast in China this season…

Fans might ask isn’t this “Real-Time 360º Replay system” a bit of old hat? Haven’t we seen this on national TV games or even on YES Network? Things like 360 degree views, etc. have been a staple of sports programming for more than decade. The difference now is that the technology was exclusively the realm of directors sitting in front of banks of monitors in TV studios or in high-tech production trucks. Now the average fan will have it all right in front of them. Welcome to the age of hyper-personalized sports viewing, fan as director.

In short, think of cloud technology as the stadium where the game is being played and AI technology as the production team creating the full experience for the fans.

The Alibaba/BSE press release didn’t provide details, as we’ve noted, but the press release suggested the partnership will “test and scale innovative technology,” an indication that this is a work-in-progress. In fact, the ultimate end of the experiment is that fans will be able to create alternate endings, rejigger game flows, take events that occur and compare them to the opposite outcome and move on. Player impact and coaching decisions will get new scrutiny. In what form, at what level is something we will have wait on.

So it sounds like fun and the goal is no doubt making Barclays Center a sports technology hub … but like we said, this isn’t just about a jersey patch deal.

Oddmakers project the Nets will win fewer than 25 games. The delusionally confident Nets think they can win twice that many. 

They’ve set it as a goal, talking about it privately and now publicly. 

“That’s the goal from Day 1. We said our goal is to get 50 wins,” Terance Mann said Monday when asked by The Post about trying to lead a young, inexperienced group that, heretofore, has no idea how to win. 

“So you’re going to have to go in there with the mentality that we’re going to get 50 wins. And that’s through the guys with years [of experience] leading that. Most of us came from winning situations, so we know what it takes, and that’s just what we’re going to do.” 

It’s the start of training camp, so hope springs eternal. It just isn’t shared by many outside of the Nets locker room. 

And they’re fine with that. 

Their projected win total opened at just 19.5 and has climbed to 24.5 behind encouraging summers from 20-year-olds Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr., and what should be a potent frontcourt duo of vets Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle. 

“Man, at the end of the day, we’re just trying to win,” Brown said. 

Granted, they’re still projected to be among the league’s worst teams. 

Still, Porter was the first Net to publicly predict a 50-win campaign. And even though he admits his answer was to a leading question by controversial streamer N3on, Porter said what he said, and is standing by it. 

“Yeah, I mean the question was framed like he said, ‘Can you guys win 50 games?’ Of course I’m not going to say, ‘No, we can’t win 50 games,’” Porter said. “And I do genuinely believe you’re supposed to go out on the floor every night with delusional confidence and compete to win. And I do think we have the players that every single night our goal should be to win. And we can win. 

“Yeah, obviously the NBA is stacked right now. The Eastern Conference is stacked. There’s a lot of good teams. But we definitely did nothing but get better last year. And there were a lot of games that we were in last year that we could’ve won. So for me, we have no choice but to go up. And why not shoot for the stars.” 

The Nets might have a better chance of reaching the stars than winning 50 games, something they’ve done exactly once in their NBA history, en route to the 2002 Finals. 

But Porter is right in that they should be better. 

Their rookies suffered through the growing pains of a league-high 6,716 minutes last season. The only four teams in the past decade to play rookies more saw their win totals jump by 10.5 victories the next season, and another ten wins the next. 

That — plus Randle’s on-ball scoring and ability as a floor-raiser — is why the incoming All-Star had vowed they can “shock the world.” 

“It starts [Tuesday] with training camp and we just build from there. Stack days, continue to improve, come in with the right focus every single day. For me, when I do that and I’ve done that in my career, the teams that I’ve been a part of have done that… the results always follow,” Randle said. “We have great leadership in the coaching staff with Jordi [Fernández] and everybody else. We have the talent.

“It’s really just about the mindset, and not just coming in every single day, but coming in with intention and purpose, understanding things aren’t always going to be easy and knowing how to navigate those and showing up to work the same way whether you lose by 20 or win by 20, nothing changes, the process stays the same. So the biggest thing for us is just falling in love with the journey every single day, falling in love with the process and the results will follow.” 

And maintaining that delusional confidence, even if the losses chip away at it.

If you’re a guard with the Golden State Warriors during the Stephen Curry era, you better know how to make a big splash. That means both knocking down pure jumpers from way downtown, and also making winning plays that get the fanbase behind you and wins up on the schedule. You make enough splashes and you start making waves.

At GSW media day, fourth year guard Brandin Podziemski walked up to the podium on Monday and the first thing anybody noticed was the waves in his hair. We’re talking fresh waves brushed in and laid down, the kind of look that leads me to believe he’s a young man who spent the offseason with a durag, a soft brush, and a whole lot of patience.

Then he started talking, and the second thing I realized was how differently he was approaching his words than last year.

If you’ve followed this young fella for any amount of time, you know that’s a different Podz at the mic. I think he knows exactly why, going back to last October. Podz sat down with The Athletic’s Nick Friedell and laid out, with zero hesitation, where he saw himself in the Warriors’ family tree: “When they leave this thing, they got to leave it with somebody,” he said. “How can I have their trust? And they can go to [owner] Joe [Lacob] and [general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] and be like, ‘Hey, we want to leave it with him. He’s going to continue what we’re leaving.'”

He kept going. “So, I think about that all time, and I set myself up in that position to have that. And there’s a lot of other things than just skill that you need to be in that position.”

Unfortunately, the internet heard a third-year guard publicly measuring the drapes in a house where Steph Curry and Draymond Green still pay the mortgage. And that very same internet responded the way the internet responds to everything, which is loudly and without nuance. They booed this man at a baseball game!!

By March, Podz was walking it back a little, though only a little. In an NBC Sports Bay Area article by Nick Avila entitled “Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski explains viral comments were taken out of context” he said:

I think I could have worded them a little bit differently, but I also think how it’s perceived on the internet is a little taken out of context. Your biggest strength can be your biggest weakness and I think it’s gotten me to this point and obviously with anything in life, there’s going to be pushback, people aren’t going to like you for what you say or what you do. But I’m just going to stick with it. It’s worked.

I never hated the quote personally. I grew up in East Oakland hooping and I learned early that sometimes you gotta talk it while you’re still learning to walk it. Speak it, believe it, receive it.

Ambition is fine, but I think the problem was the venue. In this franchise the torch gets passed down generationally on the floor, in the fourth quarter, when Draymond is barking coverages and Steph needs somebody to make the extra pass land somewhere useful. What I heard on Monday was a 23-year-old who figured that out without giving up the part of himself that said it in the first place. The confidence is still there but he knows he already put it out there on the microphone and now it’s time to put it out there on the hardwood.

The clock he was talking about last fall is real, too. Curry turned 38 in March and Draymond turned 36 the same month. When Podz talked about “when they leave this thing,” I’m guessing he was just doing math out loud. After watching a who’s who of young Warriors prospects disappear off the roster like a David Blaine magic trick, Podz should understand how quickly “future of the franchise” can become “former Warrior.” Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and James Wiseman are all different players with different circumstances and the same result: none of them became the guy Steph and Draymond left this thing with.

So now he’s done talking about it (at least for the cameras) and I think that’s the right call. It also means the only place left to put all that ambition is the box score, and every night this season people are going to look at it and ask whether the youngster who wanted the keys actually knows how to drive.

I tried to get waves in junior high school. It’s a lot of work man, I’ll tell ya. I’m sure anyone who’s ever had waves will tell you that the consistent brushing is the whole thing, morning and night, and the week you get lazy with it your head starts looking whupped.

I have a feeling trust with Steph and Draymond works the exact same way. If Podz wants them walking into Joe and Mike’s office someday to say leave it with him he just has to make the right play, sprint the defensive rotation, knock down the big shot, and come back tomorrow and do it again. That’ll be wavy, baby.

Jalen Brunson sat at the podium during Knicks Media Day on Monday with no cast, brace or any type of protection on his left wrist.

The captain is ready to go.

Brunson underwent offseason surgery on that wrist to repair a tendon issue. He notably played through the injury during the end of the playoffs en route to winning Finals MVP in spite of it.

“It was painful, but I clearly could play through it,” Brunson said Monday. “Did what I had to do every single day just to make sure I was right.”

Brunson didn’t fully realize the severity of the injury at first, waiting until early July for surgery rather than immediately after leading the Knicks to the NBA championship a few weeks earlier in June. He spent most of the summer in a cast.

“Didn’t think I necessarily needed surgery, so if that was the case, maybe I would have gotten it done sooner,” Brunson said. “So yeah, I was just playing through it, didn’t think anything of it, and I feel good. And we’ll see.”

During Thursday’s “Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart” block party, the All-NBA point guard said that he is “fully cleared” for training camp, which begins this week.

Speaking with The Post last month, Brunson opened up about the injury and his determination to play through it.

“I just knew that the opportunity rarely presents itself to be in a position like that,” Brunson said at the time. “So I just wasn’t going to let something that seemed minor take me out. Just [do] whatever needed to be done, [then] focus on it afterwards.”

For a well-known workaholic who loves grinding away hours in the gym, the injury affected his offseason routine.

“It’s reminded me a lot about patience, for sure,” Brunson said.

Extension talks between the Nets and Michael Porter Jr. are ongoing. But they don’t sound urgent or anywhere close to bearing fruit. 

Porter was Brooklyn’s leading scorer last season amid a career year. But he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season, and despite being extension-eligible since July 6, neither side seems to be in a hurry to hammer out a deal. 

“Yeah, I’ll leave the negotiations internal,” Nets GM Sean Marks said. “That’s obviously between the Nets and Mike and his agent. But they’re ongoing. The dialogue is ongoing. But again, we are in no hurry to do this. I don’t think he’s in any particular hurry either. 

“If there’s a meeting point that we feel like, ‘Hey, this works for both sides,’ then that’ll happen. But as we’ve mentioned before, this is not something that there’s an expiry date on it in the next couple of months either. So we both have time. Both sides have time to figure this one out.” 

Porter, 28, will surely have his name come up in rumors before the trade deadline. 

But the forward — on a $40.8 million expiring deal — can extend at any point this season. 

While Porter was never going to get the full four years, $234 million he’s eligible for, how much will he and agent Mark Bartelstein demand? 

“I have a great agent and I know him and Sean, they’ve been speaking some. But for me, I’m just excited to play basketball,” Porter said. “I never was a dude who played for a big contract or for the money. So for me, I’m just excited to play with these guys and be in Brooklyn and build this organization as one of the leaders. 

“I’ve voiced that I’d love to be in Brooklyn and that I’m enjoying playing with these guys. And I think we’ll be a lot better this year, obviously. … The way these young guys have gotten better just in one year, I’m excited to see what we can do. So that’s where my mind is at and I’m not even thinking about anything else.” 

Porter averaged 25.6 points on 48.2 percent shooting and 39.8 percent from deep through January, but took his foot off the gas after getting snubbed for the All-Star Game and fell off to 20.5 points on 40.9 percent shooting (including 25.6 from 3) in his last 14 appearances. 

For him, consistency is the key. 

“For Mike to come in here, to own that opportunity that he had, have a great year, for us we’re looking for consistency from him,” Marks said. “We’re looking for him to take another step on the defensive end of it, rebounding. So just become more of a complete player on the court. The other one is what can you do [with] the intangibles. That’s important for us in the locker room. 

“Not just Mike — this goes for all the guys, specifically the guys who are a little older, who’ve seen it, been around. What’s their leadership look like? Can they take another step in that category? And Mike knows that. We’re expecting big things from not only himself and Moe [Wagner], and Keon [Ellis] and Julius [Randle]. … We’re asking them to lead by example, both o

The overwhelming trajectory of the NBA is working against the Knicks.

They’re out to buck an era-defining trend.

None of the past eight champions have repeated the following season; the Warriors in 2017 and ’18 were the last teams to do it, having lost in the 2019 Finals. Almost a decade of parity followed in a league that previously was ruled mainly by dynasties.

Why should these defending champion Knicks be any different?

“We write,” Josh Hart said during the team’s Media Day on Monday, “our own history.”

It’s more than just that none of those teams repeated. It’s how much — and how quickly — most fell off.

“Obviously, it probably shows the significance of the [collective bargaining agreement], the second apron, all those kinds of things,” Hart said. “At the end of the day, that’s the past. It has no precedent on what the future is going to hold. For us, we’re not really worried about it. We’re worried about etching our own stories and our own legacies.”

The current CBA, particularly with that second apron, makes it difficult for champions to keep their roster together without facing harsh penalties. It’s the main reason the Knicks had to let Mitchell Robinson walk in free agency.

Talent has become increasingly spread out across the league rather than condensed on a select few teams.

But the Knicks return the rest of their core beyond Robinson, and all still are in their respective primes.

“I think we have the confidence knowing that we did do it,” Jalen Brunson said. “That’s going to help us, but that can also hurt us. So it’s all about how we go into training camp and how we go into these first few weeks to see where we are as a team, and then we’ll be able to adjust or continue to grow.”

There is some experience with the situation among the core. The trio of Brunson, Hart and Mikal Bridges won an NCAA championship together at Villanova. Brunson and Bridges, in particular, experienced the thrill of that championship and won it again two years later.

They will lean on the knowledge gained from that experience.

“Just about not being satisfied, I think, is the biggest takeaway moving forward,” Brunson said. “You still wanna figure out how you can grow as a person, as a player. So I’ll use that experience.

“You just have to find a way to turn the page and move on, and I think it starts with the people who surround you. How quickly can they move on to the next thing?”

The Eastern Conference was shaken up around the Knicks over the offseason. A looming rivalry with the 76ers — now with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown — will be something they will have to hear about all year. The Pacers welcome back a healthy Tyrese Haliburton — the Knicks’ nemesis. The Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the Raptors brought back their 2019 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

And, as the defending champions, the Knicks — particularly with 34 prime-time games (tied for most in the league) — will be the matchup opponents have circled on their calendars.

“We’ll be hunted,” OG Anunoby said, “but we’re going to be hunting other teams as well.”

“To repeat is gonna take an even higher sense of discipline and execution,” added Karl-Anthony Towns. “And we’re gonna have to be even better than what we showed in the playoffs. All of us are aware that we’re gonna have to bring a whole other level to the table if we expect to have a chance to repeat.”

There are also potential off-the-court pitfalls — what coach Mike Brown called “elephants in the room.” The futures of Towns, Hart and Miles McBride are all uncertain, with each yet to sign a contract extension for which they are eligible. Towns and Hart on Monday didn’t shy away from letting it be known that they’re not exactly thrilled with the situation.

It has the potential to be a distraction that hovers over their effort to repeat.

“We can’t afford to have any slippage in our process,” Brown said. “We can’t afford to decline with our focus and our energy and our daily habits, to what our standard is.”

Added Brunson: “The first couple of weeks or whatever of the season is going to show us who we are and where we are.”

This group undid 53 years of Knicks history. Undoing eight years of NBA history — and etching their place in that special echelon of champions — is the new mountain to climb.

“I think we’re all excited for the opportunity to do it again,” Hart said. “I think you guys will see that with how we conduct ourselves, with how we play, that we’re not satisfied with getting one and that hungriness that we’re gonna have.”

For all the drama that surrounded the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, you wouldn't have known it judging by all the smiles at the podium during media day on Monday, Sept. 28.

The Lakers are coming off a second consecutive 50-win season under head coach JJ Redick and went with a complete roster overhaul in the wake of LeBron James' exit. President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka swung big, landing Walker Kessler to be their center of the future in a trade that sent two first-round draft picks and two unprotected first-round pick swaps back to the Utah Jazz. That move was followed up by filling out the roster around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves with supporting players who can dribble, pass and shoot. And after an offseason trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia, the new-look Lakers feel bought in.

USA TODAY Sports predicts the Lakers record in 2026-27 at 48-34, in large part due to the uncertainty surrounding so many new faces and the growing pains that are sure to come up at some point. Reaves acknowledged that on Monday.

"We're a very new team to one another," Reaves told reporters. "And there's gonna be some growing periods where things aren't going the way that we want them to go. But that doesn't change the goal at the end of the day, and that's to be as competitive as we can every single night."

"I think we're all underrated, if that makes sense, in different aspects," Collin Sexton added. "We're competitors. I feel like we added people that are willing to compete and we added guys that don't back down to anyone. I know for myself, I'm somebody that's not gonna back down to any challenge. I'm not gonna back down to anyone.

"... We're here."

Ziaire Williams took it one step further.

"We have a bunch of great passers on this team, great shooters, great defensive versatility," he told reporters. "I think we have everything we need to win an NBA championship."

Here are the five biggest takeaways from Lakers media day on Monday Sept. 28:

For all the drama that surrounded the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, you wouldn't have known it judging by all the smiles at the podium during media day on Monday, Sept. 28.

The Lakers are coming off a second consecutive 50-win season under head coach JJ Redick and went with a complete roster overhaul in the wake of LeBron James' exit. President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka swung big, landing Walker Kessler to be their center of the future in a trade that sent two first-round draft picks and two unprotected first-round pick swaps back to the Utah Jazz. That move was followed up by filling out the roster around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves with supporting players who can dribble, pass and shoot. And after an offseason trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia, the new-look Lakers feel bought in.

USA TODAY Sports predicts the Lakers record in 2026-27 at 48-34, in large part due to the uncertainty surrounding so many new faces and the growing pains that are sure to come up at some point. Reaves acknowledged that on Monday.

"We're a very new team to one another," Reaves told reporters. "And there's gonna be some growing periods where things aren't going the way that we want them to go. But that doesn't change the goal at the end of the day, and that's to be as competitive as we can every single night."

"I think we're all underrated, if that makes sense, in different aspects," Collin Sexton added. "We're competitors. I feel like we added people that are willing to compete and we added guys that don't back down to anyone. I know for myself, I'm somebody that's not gonna back down to any challenge. I'm not gonna back down to anyone.

"... We're here."

Ziaire Williams took it one step further.

"We have a bunch of great passers on this team, great shooters, great defensive versatility," he told reporters. "I think we have everything we need to win an NBA championship."

Here are the five biggest takeaways from Lakers media day on Monday Sept. 28:

Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? It’s a concept that the needs of a human being fall into five distinct layers, typically visualized in the shape of a pyramid, with the most fundamental items required for survival at the bottom (air, food, water, shelter, etc.), and the least essential items (respect, status, and reaching one’s potential) near the top. It’s essentially the scale between a person’s wants and needs, and it illustrates that one cannot reach self-actualization without first supporting that ideal with a foundation of the needs below.

NBA basketball teams are built in mostly the same way.

At the base are the things a team needs to exist: players, a court, goals, equipment, rules, etc.

Then you have items like uniforms, coaches, and referees.

Closer to the top come the flashier things. An adoring fanbase, endorsements, fame, success, stardom, etc.

But in the case of the Utah Jazz, historical failure to win an NBA championship means that Utah has never reached basketball self-actualization — consistently falling short of their ultimate potential. This is why Ryan Smith’s first course of action with the franchise was to tear it down to its most fundamental level. The star players were the first to go. Then the veteran coach. Then the supporting cast of talent. He even sucked the life and color from Utah’s uniforms, leaving them with a bare-bones and hideous appearance as a visual representation of the team’s self-inflicted serfdom.

In order to climb the ladder to self-actualization, the Jazz first had to fortify their most fundamental needs.

And they’ve done exactly that, drafting and nurturing young players who could develop into future stars, adding established talent to blaze the trail to a brighter tomorrow, and replacing the team’s neon rags with robes of purple.

We’re witnessing the twilight of a revolution, but ushering in a new age of greater competition is the easy part — converting potential into wins is harder.

Thankfully, we got a glimpse into the Utah Jazz’s organizational direction at media day, and using what I’ve learned, I proudly present to you Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Much like the work of Maslow, Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs outlines the biggest developments of Utah’s offseason and how crucial they are to reach the team’s ultimate goal.

And best of all, I’ve illustrated Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs by my own hand, for your scientific reference. Would you believe me if I told you that zero artificial intelligence was involved in the creation of the image below?

Base: Hard work and character

When asked what he’s looking for in the starting lineup, Will Hardy didn’t talk about ability, positions, or even mention any player names. Instead, he put an emphasis on players’ mindsets; he focused on character.

“I’m looking for competitors,” Hardy explained.

“I’m looking for people that want to win. I’m looking for people that are willing to give themselves to the group. If everybody on our team can take ten percent of their self and put it in the middle, we’ll have the ability to have those learnings happen faster. If we have to navigate through the choppy waters of big ego, it can be harder.”

Then instead of issuing a warning to his players, or tempering the expectations of those in attendance, he took a moment to vouch for the roster Utah had meticulously constructed over the offseason.

“If there’s one thing I am sure of today, it’s the character of the guys we have on the team.”

Josh Okogie, who arrived in Utah via free agency this Summer, really likes what he’s seen in the Jazz’s approach. There is a lot of space for mediocrity in the National Basketball Association, but with his experience, Okogie sees potential embodied through action when he observes his teammates, his coaches, and the direction of the organization as a whole.

In every controllable metric, the Jazz are doing what is necessary to win at a high level.

“This is a very unique team,” Okogie began. “I’ve played on a lot of different teams, and I’ve seen the habits of good teams and the habits of bad teams. … I would say this team is unique because their style of play is different than what you would see in the modern game today.”

Okogie chose to sign with Utah despite a comparable offer from the Denver Nuggets because the trajectory of the Jazz is incredibly attractive. This is no longer a start-up building from the ground floor; Utah is already on the ascent.

“I think we have all the tools and ingredients to be a pretty good team.”

Jaren Jackson Jr. doubled down on the endorsement of his coach and veteran teammate, highlighting the hard work and positive attitude of his younger peers and the approach they took during the offseason.

“These guys work! That’s what stands out for sure — they work all the time,” Jackson excitedly shared when asked his observations of the youngsters in Utah. “Darryn, Key, Ace, they’re always shooting right here after we’re done playing. They’re always working out together, they’re always going over stuff — they just never want to stop working.”

“They should be proud of themselves for the work they’ve put in. I don’t ever have to say that to them, because they always want so much more for themselves.”

Which leads us perfectly to the next level of Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and it’s all about the improvements made in Utah’s young core.

Center: Self-Improvement

Utah took a very traditional approach when it came to rebuilding. Tearing the team down to nothing and rebuilding through the draft is textbook for a small-market franchise, and the Jazz did just that.

And the reward for their labors is one of the more intriguing batches of young talent in basketball.

Keyonte George, obviously, took a massive leap in his third year, turning himself from a mid-first-round draft pick into a fundamental piece of Utah’s future. Look no further than his freshly inked 5-year, $157.5 million extension for evidence of the organization’s faith in him.

But to shift the prevailing narrative and turn the page of his career from that of a promising up-and-comer to a certifiable star, his defense needs to improve. He knows it, and he wasn’t shy when acknowledging the focus he’s put into growing as a defender.

“Whether it’s learning personnel, being a good help-side defender, being a good one-on-one defender, being one of the guys that you don’t really want to hunt towards the end of the game, that’s what I’ve been focused on. So that’s the strength, different footwork, and different technical stuff.”

Keyonte’s development isn’t all hypothetical, either. He made it clear that he’s made observable improvement in two specific facets of the game.

“I’m able to move better — stay in front. This year, the main thing for me is really focusing on personnel, because once you start to pick up on players’ go-to moves and you figure out how teams want to play, you can play the game within the game on that side, so that’s what I’ve been focusing on.”

Ace Bailey possesses clear potential to bloom into stardom, and is building muscle onto his slender frame — a much-needed development for a player whose height will likely match him up against the full-grown men who terrorize the NBA from their perch on the wings.

The rest of the original young core, Filipowski, Sensabaugh, and Collier, are all pursuing internal improvement to earn a permanent place with this team before the winning train is soaring down the tracks.

Filipowski revealed a lingering injury — a herniated disc — that had been hindering his performance a season ago but has since fully recovered.

Brice Sensabaugh understands that he may have to wait until restricted free agency to re-sign with the Jazz, but plans to utilize this season as a method to cement his place on the roster.

“I’m just keeping my head on straight,” Sensabaugh resolved. “And you know, whatever happens happens.”

Development of the young core is essential to raising the ceiling of this team, but there’s one figure who stands atop it all. His performance, his growth, and his rise will be the biggest difference-maker for a franchise anxious to become an undeniable threat to those who sit atop the NBA.

Peak: DP

No, that DP doesn’t stand for Dr Pepper (which coincidentally is at the top of my personal hierarchy of needs); I’m referring to Darryn Peterson. The final draftee of Utah’s tanking era. The prize for the Jazz’s years of anguish. The player whose arrival marks a great shift in the Jazz’s future.

He needs no further introduction — Darryn Peterson is practically all that Jazz fans have talked about since June — but a few quotes from media day are drenching Peterson’s already blazing flame of hype and converting it into a fireball monstrous enough to send Smokey Bear into retirement on sight.

And the most notable quote of all belongs to Mo Bamba, of all people.

Having played for 7 different NBA franchises in his 8-year career, Bamba has shared the court with many exceptional players. When asked if Peterson reminds him of any players across the league, Bamba laughed as he drew a gargantuan comparison.

“This is going to sound crazy, but I see a lot of Kawhi in him,” said Bamba. “Quiet, bucket-getter, mid-range… Obviously two very different positions, but I see a lot of Kawhi.”

“I was talking to Nurk a couple of weeks ago, and he sees a lot of Dame, and I think that one is a little more comparable, because position-wise, scoring-wise, pull-up game, offensive talent-wise, and capability-wise.”

“I hate that Darryn is going to see this,” he laughed.

But if the Kawhi comparisons make you concerned about Peterson’s personality, Keyonte George’s declaration of friendship should put any anti-social allegations to bed.

“We sit next to each other in the locker room. We hang out with each other off the court. I go to his house and he comes to my house. We got the same dog. So, like, I mean… that’s my dog!”

It may take Darryn Peterson a few years to truly become a star for the Utah Jazz, but if you direct your attention to Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a clear and reliable foundation sits beneath him.

Utah’s path to self-actualization is not hypothetical — this is a team built to reach that peak.

Calvin Barrett is the Associate Editor for SLC Dunk. Originally from Springville, Utah, he currently lives in Japan and has covered the NBA and college athletics since 2024.

Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? It’s a concept that the needs of a human being fall into five distinct layers, typically visualized in the shape of a pyramid, with the most fundamental items required for survival at the bottom (air, food, water, shelter, etc.), and the least essential items (respect, status, and reaching one’s potential) near the top. It’s essentially the scale between a person’s wants and needs, and it illustrates that one cannot reach self-actualization without first supporting that ideal with a foundation of the needs below.

NBA basketball teams are built in mostly the same way.

At the base are the things a team needs to exist: players, a court, goals, equipment, rules, etc.

Then you have items like uniforms, coaches, and referees.

Closer to the top come the flashier things. An adoring fanbase, endorsements, fame, success, stardom, etc.

But in the case of the Utah Jazz, historical failure to win an NBA championship means that Utah has never reached basketball self-actualization — consistently falling short of their ultimate potential. This is why Ryan Smith’s first course of action with the franchise was to tear it down to its most fundamental level. The star players were the first to go. Then the veteran coach. Then the supporting cast of talent. He even sucked the life and color from Utah’s uniforms, leaving them with a bare-bones and hideous appearance as a visual representation of the team’s self-inflicted serfdom.

In order to climb the ladder to self-actualization, the Jazz first had to fortify their most fundamental needs.

And they’ve done exactly that, drafting and nurturing young players who could develop into future stars, adding established talent to blaze the trail to a brighter tomorrow, and replacing the team’s neon rags with robes of purple.

We’re witnessing the twilight of a revolution, but ushering in a new age of greater competition is the easy part — converting potential into wins is harder.

Thankfully, we got a glimpse into the Utah Jazz’s organizational direction at media day, and using what I’ve learned, I proudly present to you Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Much like the work of Maslow, Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs outlines the biggest developments of Utah’s offseason and how crucial they are to reach the team’s ultimate goal.

And best of all, I’ve illustrated Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs by my own hand, for your scientific reference. Would you believe me if I told you that zero artificial intelligence was involved in the creation of the image below?

Base: Hard work and character

When asked what he’s looking for in the starting lineup, Will Hardy didn’t talk about ability, positions, or even mention any player names. Instead, he put an emphasis on players’ mindsets; he focused on character.

“I’m looking for competitors,” Hardy explained.

“I’m looking for people that want to win. I’m looking for people that are willing to give themselves to the group. If everybody on our team can take ten percent of their self and put it in the middle, we’ll have the ability to have those learnings happen faster. If we have to navigate through the choppy waters of big ego, it can be harder.”

Then instead of issuing a warning to his players, or tempering the expectations of those in attendance, he took a moment to vouch for the roster Utah had meticulously constructed over the offseason.

“If there’s one thing I am sure of today, it’s the character of the guys we have on the team.”

Josh Okogie, who arrived in Utah via free agency this Summer, really likes what he’s seen in the Jazz’s approach. There is a lot of space for mediocrity in the National Basketball Association, but with his experience, Okogie sees potential embodied through action when he observes his teammates, his coaches, and the direction of the organization as a whole.

In every controllable metric, the Jazz are doing what is necessary to win at a high level.

“This is a very unique team,” Okogie began. “I’ve played on a lot of different teams, and I’ve seen the habits of good teams and the habits of bad teams. … I would say this team is unique because their style of play is different than what you would see in the modern game today.”

Okogie chose to sign with Utah despite a comparable offer from the Denver Nuggets because the trajectory of the Jazz is incredibly attractive. This is no longer a start-up building from the ground floor; Utah is already on the ascent.

“I think we have all the tools and ingredients to be a pretty good team.”

Jaren Jackson Jr. doubled down on the endorsement of his coach and veteran teammate, highlighting the hard work and positive attitude of his younger peers and the approach they took during the offseason.

“These guys work! That’s what stands out for sure — they work all the time,” Jackson excitedly shared when asked his observations of the youngsters in Utah. “Darryn, Key, Ace, they’re always shooting right here after we’re done playing. They’re always working out together, they’re always going over stuff — they just never want to stop working.”

“They should be proud of themselves for the work they’ve put in. I don’t ever have to say that to them, because they always want so much more for themselves.”

Which leads us perfectly to the next level of Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and it’s all about the improvements made in Utah’s young core.

Center: Self-Improvement

Utah took a very traditional approach when it came to rebuilding. Tearing the team down to nothing and rebuilding through the draft is textbook for a small-market franchise, and the Jazz did just that.

And the reward for their labors is one of the more intriguing batches of young talent in basketball.

Keyonte George, obviously, took a massive leap in his third year, turning himself from a mid-first-round draft pick into a fundamental piece of Utah’s future. Look no further than his freshly inked 5-year, $157.5 million extension for evidence of the organization’s faith in him.

But to shift the prevailing narrative and turn the page of his career from that of a promising up-and-comer to a certifiable star, his defense needs to improve. He knows it, and he wasn’t shy when acknowledging the focus he’s put into growing as a defender.

“Whether it’s learning personnel, being a good help-side defender, being a good one-on-one defender, being one of the guys that you don’t really want to hunt towards the end of the game, that’s what I’ve been focused on. So that’s the strength, different footwork, and different technical stuff.”

Keyonte’s development isn’t all hypothetical, either. He made it clear that he’s made observable improvement in two specific facets of the game.

“I’m able to move better — stay in front. This year, the main thing for me is really focusing on personnel, because once you start to pick up on players’ go-to moves and you figure out how teams want to play, you can play the game within the game on that side, so that’s what I’ve been focusing on.”

Ace Bailey possesses clear potential to bloom into stardom, and is building muscle onto his slender frame — a much-needed development for a player whose height will likely match him up against the full-grown men who terrorize the NBA from their perch on the wings.

The rest of the original young core, Filipowski, Sensabaugh, and Collier, are all pursuing internal improvement to earn a permanent place with this team before the winning train is soaring down the tracks.

Filipowski revealed a lingering injury — a herniated disc — that had been hindering his performance a season ago but has since fully recovered.

Brice Sensabaugh understands that he may have to wait until restricted free agency to re-sign with the Jazz, but plans to utilize this season as a method to cement his place on the roster.

“I’m just keeping my head on straight,” Sensabaugh resolved. “And you know, whatever happens happens.”

Development of the young core is essential to raising the ceiling of this team, but there’s one figure who stands atop it all. His performance, his growth, and his rise will be the biggest difference-maker for a franchise anxious to become an undeniable threat to those who sit atop the NBA.

Peak: DP

No, that DP doesn’t stand for Dr Pepper (which coincidentally is at the top of my personal hierarchy of needs); I’m referring to Darryn Peterson. The final draftee of Utah’s tanking era. The prize for the Jazz’s years of anguish. The player whose arrival marks a great shift in the Jazz’s future.

He needs no further introduction — Darryn Peterson is practically all that Jazz fans have talked about since June — but a few quotes from media day are drenching Peterson’s already blazing flame of hype and converting it into a fireball monstrous enough to send Smokey Bear into retirement on sight.

And the most notable quote of all belongs to Mo Bamba, of all people.

Having played for 7 different NBA franchises in his 8-year career, Bamba has shared the court with many exceptional players. When asked if Peterson reminds him of any players across the league, Bamba laughed as he drew a gargantuan comparison.

“This is going to sound crazy, but I see a lot of Kawhi in him,” said Bamba. “Quiet, bucket-getter, mid-range… Obviously two very different positions, but I see a lot of Kawhi.”

“I was talking to Nurk a couple of weeks ago, and he sees a lot of Dame, and I think that one is a little more comparable, because position-wise, scoring-wise, pull-up game, offensive talent-wise, and capability-wise.”

“I hate that Darryn is going to see this,” he laughed.

But if the Kawhi comparisons make you concerned about Peterson’s personality, Keyonte George’s declaration of friendship should put any anti-social allegations to bed.

“We sit next to each other in the locker room. We hang out with each other off the court. I go to his house and he comes to my house. We got the same dog. So, like, I mean… that’s my dog!”

It may take Darryn Peterson a few years to truly become a star for the Utah Jazz, but if you direct your attention to Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a clear and reliable foundation sits beneath him.

Utah’s path to self-actualization is not hypothetical — this is a team built to reach that peak.

Calvin Barrett is the Associate Editor for SLC Dunk. Originally from Springville, Utah, he currently lives in Japan and has covered the NBA and college athletics since 2024.

Brandon Ingram won’t be available for the start of the season, the Clippers announced.

The team discovered a partially torn Achilles tendon in Ingram’s foot during his heel surgery in May. Both issues were dealt with by doctors, however, the Achilles injury was not previously disclosed.

There is currently no timeline for Ingram’s return.

Though, interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden noted the recovery time for a partially torn Achilles is “six months less” than a fully torn Achilles injury.

“It wasn’t until we got our hands on [Ingram] here that we started to see where he was at with his progression,” Redden said. “He won’t be ready for the start of the season, and we’ll reevaluate when we get there.”

Ingram missed the final two games of the Raptors’ first round playoff matchup against the Cavaliers because of the heel injury.

“I had been dealing with some pain throughout the year with the Raptors, especially coming down crunch time with the Raptors. I didn’t quite know what it was. Near the end of the season, we figured out what it was and surgery was the best thing to do,” Ingram said.

The 29-year-old forward was traded to the Clippers earlier this month in exchange for Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. Last season, Ingram averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 47.7% from the field 38.2% from three.

Bronny James wanted to make it clear who came out on top the last time he played his father in golf.

"I won," James told reporters as he cracked a smile at Los Angeles Lakers media day on Monday, Sept. 28. "He's pretty pissed about this."

It was a quick, lighthearted moment that drew laughs from those in attendance, but it also helped address the elephant in the room: for the first time in his now three-year NBA career, Bronny won't be sharing a locker room with LeBron James.

"Feels like he's not here," James said matter of factly. "I don't really have an opinion on that. That's my dad, I spent 22 years, almost, with him. Just another experience that I'm gonna be a part of, and I'm excited to see how it's gonna feel during the season, too. Looking forward to it."

LAKERS SEASON PREVIEW: Lineup, roster, prediction and biggest question mark

Bronny James wanted to make it clear who came out on top the last time he played his father in golf.

"I won," James told reporters as he cracked a smile at Los Angeles Lakers media day on Monday, Sept. 28. "He's pretty pissed about this."

It was a quick, lighthearted moment that drew laughs from those in attendance, but it also helped address the elephant in the room: for the first time in his now three-year NBA career, Bronny won't be sharing a locker room with LeBron James.

"Feels like he's not here," James said matter of factly. "I don't really have an opinion on that. That's my dad, I spent 22 years, almost, with him. Just another experience that I'm gonna be a part of, and I'm excited to see how it's gonna feel during the season, too. Looking forward to it."

LAKERS SEASON PREVIEW: Lineup, roster, prediction and biggest question mark