Category: NBA

Steph Curry, Al Horford share how Yaxel Lendeborg can make early Warriors impact originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

A quiet offseason left the Warriors in a position that seems similar to previous season beginnings. 

The franchise’s goal remains the same: maximize the twilight of Steph Curry’s career by competing for another NBA championship. However, injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody paired with minimal offseason personnel changes create a new need for Golden State: immediate impact from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. 

“The nature of our league and social media and all the microscopes is that they’re going to expect him to be a 20-8-6 guy like right out the gate – or whatever number you put on him. His job is to block all that out,” Curry told reporters Tuesday in Hawaii at the team’s first day of training camp. “He’ll know if he’s impactful. He’ll know if he’s helping win games. The stats and the numbers will follow.” 

Lendeborg, the Warriors’ first lottery draft pick since 2021, will be closely scrutinized and used as a measuring stick for the team’s ability to stay afloat until Butler’s return. A reliance on statistical measurements, as Curry explains, will not adequately gauge the rookie’s on-court impact. 

“It’s our job to protect him in that,” Curry stated. “But he also needs to have confidence coming in that he can impact the game and he establishes his own kind of metric of what a good game is. And just allow him to grow into that.  

“He’s going to get opportunities though, so that’s going to be fun.” 

The immediate need for impact provides Lendeborg with plenty of opportunity to showcase that. It might even come in the form of a starting role; a rarity in a Steve Kerr-led team. 

Veteran center/power forward Al Horford already has praise for the rookie early in training camp. Most notably, perhaps, is the ability to fit into Golden State’s style of play.

“He’s able to kind of do a little bit of everything as a player,” Horford told reporters Tuesday in Hawaii. “So, I just feel right away for him… whether it’s creating his own shot, getting to the basket, finding the open guy – he’s understanding how to play and move without the ball. A lot of the things that coach wants us to do; he already has a good feel for it.” 

Curry echoed Horford speaking of Lendeborg’s offensive abilities. The feel, size and shooting ability that the rookie displayed during the NBA Summer League does not go unnoticed by the veterans. 

“You can tell he wants to make the right play,” Curry explained. “And for our offense, and our whole game plan, that’s usually going to shine when you’re seeing the floor and making good decisions.” 

On the defensive side, Horford pointed out the intangible skills that will help Lendeborg make the transition to the NBA level. 

“For him, we’re staying on him making sure that he’s communicating, making sure that he’s in the right position,” Horford explained. “And if he’s able to do those things, I feel like he’ll find his way.  

“But, it all sounds good until we start playing. He has to be able to show that he can hold his own defensively.” 

Lendeborg also has impressed Curry with his intangible skills. The Warriors’ franchise star notes that they will be key in the rookie’s growth. 

“I don’t think he’s afraid. He’s open-minded, he’s curious, he’s listening, he’s asking questions,” Curry described. “You can tell he’s locked in mentally.” 

“So, it’s a lot for a rookie to kind of absorb all this information, process it, and do it in real time. And then still have the confidence that even if you mess up, it’s fine, it’s the growing pains of your early career.” 

As much as Lendeborg wants to post numbers that will put him into Rookie of the Year discussion, veterans like Curry and Horford will be looking for the 24-year-old to impact the number in the win column. 

His ability to play within the Warriors’ system and focus on growth in the face of inevitable mistakes will be paramount the team waits for the return of Butler and Moody. 

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Is it too early to get excited about Walker Kessler?

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

He’s a personality guy. 

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

“The person is really exciting.”

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

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

What does that mean?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even from the perimeter?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That should change with Kessler down low.

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

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

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

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

So, what’s his ceiling?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Biggest Question

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

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

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

Best Case Scenario

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

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

Worst Case Scenario

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

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

Season Goal

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

Overall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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How Steve Kerr and the coaching staff are ‘reimagining' the Warriors' system originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have been winners during Steve Kerr’s entire tenure as head coach. But after missing the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, the nine-time NBA champion is shaking up the system.

“I think we need to reimagine our way of operating, both on and off the court,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke on “Dubs Talk.” “I think you know we’ve had a formula here that has been wildly successful. Some of those values we have to get back to. I think we’ve got to tighten the ship a little bit, but I think we also have to change some things on the court.

“The game has changed quite a bit. It’s gotten faster, it’s gotten more spread out. I think how we practice and how we teach the players, film sessions, walkthroughs, detail. We’re undergoing some major changes in that regard, and that’s my message to the team on Day 1.”

Beyond a shift in coaching and mindset, Kerr preached cleaning up the margins. Golden State was sloppy with the basketball last season, ranking No. 28 in turnovers per game, a number that starts with the veterans.

Although Kerr allowed his leaders Steph Curry and Draymond Green to be loose with the ball in years past, he emphasized cutting down on their giveaways. While the turnovers were a consistent issue, the Warriors ranked middle of the pack in offensive rebounds with 11.4 per game, a mark Kerr clearly wants to build off of.

“It’s going to feel different,” Kerr said. “It’s going to look different. And what I’m hoping is that attention to detail and the spacing and the cutting that we’re implementing will clear up some of the pictures for our players and help us reduce our turnovers, get more offensive rebounds, and win the game in the margins. Because frankly, last year, we didn’t do that and we have to do so.”

Improvements in either category could boost the Warriors’ record in close contests. Golden State ranked 23^rd in clutch-time win percentage last year, going 17-22 (43.6 percent) in 39 such games.

The coaching staff clearly envisions a new philosophy, from the film room to concepts in practice, and those changes seem to be necessary if the Warriors are to bounce back from a disappointing 2025-26 NBA season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To the comps…

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

To the comps, part two:

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

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

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

The GQ Hype article that spotlights Spurs guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper has left some fans wondering if Harper will be comfortable coming off the bench this season. In the article, Harper comments that he is going to be this season’s Sixth Man of the Year. Castle immediately tells Harper he will not. When pressed by interviewer Cam Wolf on whether he thinks he will even be coming off the bench, Harper replies,

“What’s the political answer here? I’m going to do whatever the team needs me to do, man. If that’s come off the bench….That’s crazy. F*ck no. I ain’t coming off no bench.”

Castle goads Harper adding,

“Bro, all you got to know is you going to be in the starting lineup. Be ready to hoop.”

Wolf goes on to say “Later in the conversation, Harper walks the Sixth Man thing back: “’ was lying,”‘he says. ‘I had a smile on my face.’

At Spurs Media Day on Monday, News 4 San Antonio Sports Director Don Harris asked Harper about the comment. The twenty-year-old guard continued to roll back the comments shared in the article.

“Definitely some sarcasm into it, on the second part. But I feel I’ve showed that I’ve improved, that whatever the team needs me to do time and time again I feel like I’ve done it. So I mean, if it’s coming off the bench having to play that role, I’m totally fine with doing it because I did it last year.”

Harris then asked De’Aaron Fox how he as a two-time All-Star, max player can start while Harper needs more minutes to grow. Harris asked, “So what would you do if you were the head coach?” Of course, Fox responded responsibly stating, “I’m not the coach, it’s not my decision,” adding “We know we’re all going to play together. Obviously, we all don’t know what that’s going to look like, but we’re all talented…it makes us better as a team being able to share the floor together.”

Fox obviously has some years, some wisdom, and some experience at being asked tough questions. He handles the pressure extremely well, especially considering his struggles in the post season and the pundits shouting “trade him” in the offseason.

From the entire GQ article, it is clear that Castle and Harper have a tight friendship and rile each other up in a challenging and friendly way. But this is not the first time Harper has made comments (or been accused of making comments). His age and experience aside, it comes down to personality. Is he the type of player that will put his team first, or will his ego require more than a Spurs team designed on the ethic of players being “over themself” can provide?

For one, the idea of players being over themselves was generated by Pop. As Head Coach Mitch Johnson continues to make this team his own and step out of the shadow of the greatest NBA coach of all time, a dynamic in personalities may shirt.

Already we have seen how Victor Wembanyama differs from Tim Duncan, who differed from David Robinson. Each has paved their own way and shaped the team through their talent and personality.

In the same way, Castle and Harper are vastly different that Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. There is a more vocalized ego in their swagger, something older Spurs fans have not seen yet.

The key to the success will be making it work for everybody involved — from the players to the coaching staff, through the front office and back to the families and significant others involved.

We all know the influence family can have on a player. Look no further than Kawhi Leonard and “Uncle Dennis” to see how some egos are groomed from the outside to ruin what is going on within the franchise.

That’s not to say Dylan Harper is getting bad advise or being bolstered in a way damaging to his career, but he does come from a family of successful players and coaches. Hopefully those voices are preaching patience, experience, and the opportunity for multiple championships.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

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It wasn’t a lot of fun for Duke to play against Ty Jerome when he was at Virginia, but that guy was a winner. He understood Tony Bennett’s system perfectly and led his team brilliantly.

As it has turned out, he’s become valuable in the NBA too. He’s expected to start for the Memphis Grizzlies, where he’s now a teammate of a former Duke star and current NBA rookie, Cameron Boozer.

Here’s what Jerome says about Boozer, after working with the star rookie throughout the preseason: “I think Boozer has got to be one of the most mature 19-year-olds I’ve seen. On the court, off the court, feel for the game. His ability to shoot, pass, and dribble at that height is super impressive. I think he’s just going to impact winning.”

You think? That’s all he’s ever done. There’s no reason to think that’ll stop now.

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Warriors' Steve Kerr was ‘shocked' by Steph Curry's eye condition revelation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steve Kerr had noticed something about Warriors’ star Steph Curry for years. He just never knew what it actually was.

Curry recently told “People Magazine” he was diagnosed with keratoconus, a rare and progressive eye condition, back in 2018 — disclosing it with a joke about his eventual memoir title. Speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke, Kerr was asked to react to the revelation and to Curry’s own line about the diagnosis.

“He said it would be ‘The Whole Time I Couldn’t See,'” Burke relayed to Kerr, asking what he made of Curry’s accomplishments as the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history knowing he had been dealing with blurry vision.

“It’s funny, because over the years, I’ve seen him at times kind of squinting — either back at me in the huddle or on the court — and nobody ever came and told me, ‘Yeah, he’s got this eye condition,'” Kerr said. “I don’t think anybody really knew. So yeah, I was shocked when that story came out. But imagine how good he’d be if he could see straight.”

The numbers make Kerr’s shock understandable. It was actually former general manager Bob Myers, not Kerr, who first noticed Curry’s squinting on television broadcasts and urged him to get examined during the 2018-19 NBA season.

At the time of his diagnosis, Curry was already a two-time champion in the middle of a stretch where he averaged nearly 27 points per game on close to 50-percent shooting and 43 percent from three — performing at an MVP level while relying almost entirely on muscle memory to compensate for a condition that was actively distorting his vision.

Seven seasons removed from his diagnosis and treatment, Curry has been remarkably consistent, shooting 92.3 percent from the free-throw line and 40.3 percent from three since. He now manages the condition with biannual checkups and has worn corrective contacts throughout that stretch — meaning the version of Curry Warriors fans have watched break record after record was never actually seeing the court the way everyone assumed he was.

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BOSTON — Jayson Tatum spent part of his Media Day press conference on Monday recounting how much he learned from Paul George on his basketball journey. He saw George thriving with a similar build, so he pulled from George’s style and emulated his mannerisms. As he looked back on those childhood memories, he looked up and saw George (wearing the No. 13 he acquired in a trade from Ron Harper Jr.) awaiting his own interview. They embraced as George approached the podium.

“As you get older in this league, it’s a weird cycle where you come in as a young guy and you throw on this shield to go against your idols,” George said. “You carry this ultra-competitive spirit, and then when you get older and you become the veteran and the older guy, I feel more and more guys have appreciated what I’ve done in my game, that have taken a liking to my game, the more I’ve leaned into that, helping them become better versions of what I am. That’s been the case with JT, Brandon Miller … whatever I can do to help them.”

George enters his 17th NBA season focused on helping Tatum, while at times pulling from his newfound health to produce at the level he had prior to the string of injuries he dealt with in recent years. The Celtics also know he and free agent addition Mike Conley Jr. will prove invaluable as mentors for the team’s ascending talent. While many of them grew up, George battled with LeBron James in back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals with the Pacers, triumphantly returned from a gruesome broken leg and sported one of basketball’s signature shoes.

Alongside Kevin Durant, James and Kobe Bryant, George represented the superstar Tatum aspired to becoming. And he wasn’t the only one. When the Celtics acquired George in July, Jordan Walsh immediately attempted to contact George and work out. They did so several times, and Walsh already learned several moves and tips from the veteran that he plans to utilize this season while attempting to become more of a threat offensively.

“We all, us younger guys, grew up watching these guys play,” Walsh said. “It was funny, the other day I was talking about how LeBron got drafted the year I was born, and I got to play against him, which was crazy. So having moments like that where it’s like, somebody you watched growing up, who was a legend in the game and now you gotta change your lens and look at them as an opponent. It’s a special thing. It’s a gift, but it’s also something that comes with a little more respect and humility to go out there and compete against them.”

Walsh said Brown also took time to mentor younger players and given his age, Tatum and Brown served as inspirations for him as much as the oldest remaining players in the league. Tatum bridged that gap by inviting players, including Walsh, to work out in Los Angeles during the summer and begin the process of getting to know each other’s games. They golfed, went out to dinner and held workouts with many of the Celtics’ players, who joined the workouts when they could. Those continued late in the summer into September in Auerbach Center.

Payton Pritchard gravitated toward Conley, who chose Boston out of a desire to play for one of the league’s most historic franchises before his career ends. They bonded over their love for golf, with Conley beating Pritchard 2-1 during their LA matchups, and talked about ways Pritchard could learn from the veteran entering his 20th year. Conley, older than his head coach Mazzulla, believes he still has more left to contribute on the floor, and stressed that the Celtics can follow he and George’s urgency to win their first championship late in their career. Ultimately, his greatest contributions could come off the court. Pritchard plans to pick his brain constantly.

“It’s just about giving them more and more to their plate every day I can,” Conley said earlier this month. “If there’s something I see, I’m not quiet about it. I’m just gonna say, hey, do this next time or look at this option, how many options do you got out of that? Me and Payton work a lot one-on-one with our workouts before practice or before five-on-five we play on a hoop or whatever. We’re talking the game all the time, ‘I shoot a floater, you should shoot a mid-range shot,’ … I’m excited to get my hands on different opportunities and give my brain to as many of those guys that are willing to listen and willing to learn from any input I have.”

I know you’re tired of reading about Amen Thompson’s jump shot.

The Houston Rockets aren’t immune to the usual offseason fare. Everyone’s stronger, everyone’s got the right mindset, and most importantly, everyone has improved their jump shot.

Until the season starts and it becomes apparent that some players have regressed. How is that possible? They spent all summer posting video footage of themselves beating non-NBA players in empty gym drills!

Cynicism aside, there’s reason to be optimistic about the Rockets. Many of their key players are young, so improvement is expected. Just don’t go into 2026-27 expecting Thompson to morph into a knockdown three-point shooter.

What is a reasonable expectation for the youngster?

Rockets’ Thompson can improve his shot

The Gold Standard for a wing improving his jumper is Kawhi Leonard, but actually, Leonard’s shot was never broken at the NBA level. He shot 37.6% from three as a rookie, and rarely (if ever) dipped below league average.

Of course, he worked with Chip Engelland before his rookie year.

In college, Leonard shot 25.0% from three-point range. So, that’s at least a bit of Engelland proof of concept that’s directly applicable to Thompson.

Skeptics will point out that Leonard is an outlier case, and they will be 100.0% correct. It’s rare for such a poor shooter to make such an improvement.

But it does happen.

How about LeBron James? He shot 29.0% from deep as a rookie (granted, this was what most NBA historians know as the Yao Ming Era), and didn’t start consistently shooting around league average until his 9th NBA season (age 27).

Need a less GOAT-ish example? Tobias Harris hit 26.1% of his rookie season threes and wasn’t very good until his sixth year (age 25).

Here’s where Thompson is a weird case. At 21, he was an older rookie. So he’s heading into age 24 season, and it’ll be his fourth year.

The (very limited set of) data here doesn’t know what to do with that. James and Harris both took longer to find their stroke, but if age is the more relevant variable, Thompson is close to where Harris was. He’s also worked with Engelland, but most who’ve found success with him started earlier, whether in college or their first couple of NBA seasons.

So, long and short, this has been an exercise in futility. It’s unknowable. Some will also point out that Thompson’s jumper will be perhaps Engelland’s greatest challenge yet.

The reality is that Thompson is likely to never be a “good” shooter. The objective is to get him to a place where a wide-open three is a good shot for the Rockets’ offense. Here’s a (not very) fun fact: Thompson shot 21.6% from deep last year. When he was designated as wide open by NBA.com? Yup:

21.6%.

That’s the same number. This suggests that the vast majority of Thompson’s threes were wide open. That’s likely to hold in 2026-27, but if he could get that number up to around 27-28%, it would be indicative of real improvement and a reason for optimism:

Although unfortunately, not reason enough to stop writing about it.

Warriors training camp takeaways: Steve Kerr unveils team's new 5-Out offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LAIE, Hawaii – Warriors coach Steve Kerr described the first day of training for the 2026-27 NBA season on the campus of BYU-Hawaii as “good,” “spirited,” and “competitive.” 

The focus was installing new concepts defensively and offensively, naturally bringing a bit of chaos. After an early media day Monday morning, the Warriors flew to Hawaii and had a later practice Tuesday. While they did go live on Day 1, it was hardly an intense scrimmage. 

“It was controlled for all the live stuff,” Kerr said. “It was up and back maybe three times max. So it was controlled. We were trying to work on our transition defense, halfcourt execution.” 

Did anything specifically stand out to Kerr? 

“Nope,” he said. “Just a good, solid practice.” 

Yet there still was plenty to talk about. Here are three takeaways from the first day of Warriors training camp, which featured comments from Kerr, Al Horford and Steph Curry. 

5-Out offense 

The Warriors aren’t operating from a blank slate. This is Kerr’s 13th season as the team’s head coach. It’s Year 18 for Curry, and Year 15 for Green – all being in Golden State for both players. All three also appear rejuvenated in getting back to the drawing board. 

Tuesday’s practice was the first step in Kerr implementing a new offense. A major emphasis of his is having more of a 5-Out offense. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they already hit a bump in the road of their goal.

Kristaps Porziņģis’ ability to stretch the floor as a 3-point threat and be difference maker out of the post at 7-foot-2 is ideal in what Kerr wants to accomplish. The problem is, Porziņģis is nowhere near Warriors training camp. He did not travel to Hawaii, is out indefinitely to what the Warriors are calling a “health issue,” and Kerr is characterizing him as day-to-day once they come home from training camp. 

So, the Warriors are adjusting but not pivoting off their new philosophy. The goal is to get out on the perimeter and find actions that put pressure on the defense and give the Warriors as much of an advantage as possible in as many possessions as possible. 

The impetus in the Warriors’ shift is clear: The league has been changing and the Warriors can’t keep playing catch-up as a team that has missed the playoffs in four of the last seven seasons. 

“The evolution of the game, as it changes, if you don’t change with it, you’re going to fall behind,” Kerr said. “The league is filled with really smart people, coaches, analytics departments, young players who are as skilled as ever and you have to keep up with what’s happening. I think for the longest time, we played with two bigs, kind of played off the elbows. We didn’t play the five-out style that has kind of taken over the league, so over the last year or so, we’ve been, I would say, kind of leaning that way. 

“And this year, we’re really trying to hammer it home and create a system and a set of circumstances where our guys can make easier decisions.” 

As always, the Warriors’ offense goes as Curry goes. He has to be on board and in sync with Kerr’s adjustments. How does he view a five-out offense? 

“There’s a couple ways to think about it,” Curry said. “It’s a copycat league kind of mentality where a lot of teams that are trying to do it with different personnel, a lot more shooting bigs as threats that can make 5-Out become more of a problem. 

“But I think the biggest part for us is trying to make sure spots are interchangeable. So, no matter where you are on the court, you have options, and we’re all on the same page. We’ll see that a little bit more early in possessions, but I think it’s just a good way to get organized early in transition so that you have options and everybody’s a threat on the floor.” 

Center Rotation 

Next in line behind Porziņģis on the Warriors’ depth chart of centers is who he won a championship with in 2024 as a member of the Boston Celtics. Al Horford is back for his second season in a Warriors jersey, and the team will remain cautious in how to maximize his minutes and who he fits best next to. 

Ideally, Horford wouldn’t be the Warriors’ starting center. Kerr would like to play him 18 to 20 minutes after the 40-year-old averaged 21.5 minutes per game last season. In a perfect world, he would come off the bench, be a key part of the second unit and still be able to close certain games. 

But the unknown of Porziņģis’ availability could change the equation for Horford. If so, he and Draymond Green will have to be much better together this season. 

“I think Al’s great next to anybody, honestly,” Kerr said. “I think one of the things that we’re trying to do with the changes that we’re making are to give us more spacing for cutting angles, which would hopefully help a combination like Draymond and Al.” 

Green and Horford are two of the smartest players in the NBA. They’re great passing big men whose defense can change the outcome of games. Horford, who had a 36.1 3-point percentage last season, is a better shooter than Green, and the hope is a 5-Out offense can allow both of their best offensive qualities to shine. 

That isn’t how it went last season when the two shared the court. Horford and Green produced a minus-13.8 net rating together in their first year as teammates, including a lowly 99.3 offensive rating. Horford is confident they can succeed as a tandem, and knows there are areas he’d like to see improve. 

“I like the fact that him and I defensively, we seem to kind of feed off each other out there pretty well, and then on offense he’s such a smart player,” Horford said. “He’s always looking to make the right play, first of all, and a lot of the times I end up benefiting because I’m going to be open in certain spaces on the floor. So, it’s just being prepared to shoot the ball when he delivers. And then for me this year too, it’s just continuing to get familiar with him, with his passing and how he’s thinking. 

“I feel like he’s always two, three steps ahead with plays and everything. So, just really making sure that I’m trying to be in sync with him as quick as I can.”

Behind Porziņģis and Horford are Charles Bassey and Graham Ike. Neither are considered stretch big men. Their lack of being a threat from long distance doesn’t change any of the tweaks the Warriors are bringing in. 

And, Kerr isn’t shunning them for taking an open shot – at least until it’s time to nix that experiment. 

“I’m happy with open threes for both Ike and Bassey,” Kerr said. “Now, over time, you have to prove that it’s worth it. But both guys have worked hard on that, and I want them shooting those threes in camp and we’ll see where it goes.” 

Bassey did shoot 40.5 percent on 2.2 3-point attempts per game in the G League for the Santa Cruz Warriors last season, and though Graham Ike’s 34.8 3-point percentage in college on low volume doesn’t hint at a future threat from long distance, his 79.6 free throw percentage over his last three years is a strong indicator of good touch and the possibility of extending his range. 

Steph + Draymond Forever

The strongest statement Kerr made all day was regarding Green and his role on the Warriors. Let’s get one thing clear and out of the way: He isn’t coming out of the starting lineup. 

“The number one thing for me is that I’m going to keep Draymond and Steph together as much as possible,” Kerr said. “Those guys are still top of the league when it comes to offensive rating when they’re together. But like every season, we have new additions. We’re going to find the combinations that make the most sense for us beyond the Steph-Draymond level.” 

Even in an injury-filled season for Curry and a frustrating campaign for Green, the two continued to be the Warriors’ peanut butter and jelly. Numbers don’t lie, and the advanced stats saw Curry and Green put up a 117.7 offensive rating in 889 minutes together. Kerr isn’t splitting up those kinds of results, especially as Jimmy Butler rehabs a torn ACL. 

In so many ways they’re the opposite. In so many other ways, their chemistry is up there with the all-time greats. 

“Well, the plan is to play him with Steph,” Kerr said to a follow-up question. “So, if I bring Draymond off the bench, I’m also bringing Steph off the bench. I’m not comfortable telling Mike Dunleavy or Joe Lacob that I’m going to bring the two of them off the bench. Safe to say, they’ll both be starting. 

“I want to put those guys together, because all the tape work we did last year, all the analytics, they all show that when those two guys are together, they are still at the top of the league. And where the league has changed, it’s spacing. With what we did last year, what we learned from last year, yeah, there will be combinations that we’re going to find that we’re going to lean into when those guys are on the bench, and then the question becomes when one of them’s out, then what are we looking at? Those are all the things coaches have to figure out.” 

There will be changes seen and felt to start off the Warriors’ season. Curry and Green aren’t one of them.

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Why De'Anthony Melton's first healthy Warriors training camp is boon for team originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – In the weeks before Klay Thompson departed in July 2024, the Warriors were lining up potential replacements. None existed, so they opted for a tag-team approach, bringing in Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton.

Hield would deliver 3-point shooting a half-tier below Thompson, while Melton would bring the stellar perimeter defense offered by prime Klay. Results were mixed.

Hield was traded in February. Melton remains, but his two seasons with the Warriors have been spotty due to health issues that have limited his availability – beginning with NBA training camp.

That will change this season. For the first time in three years, Melton is coming off a summer not dedicated to recovery and rehabilitation. The 6-foot-3 guard spent the past two summers mending his back (2024) and strengthening his knee after ACL surgery (2025).

The summer of ’26 provided time for Melton to focus on his overall game, allowing much better odds of giving the Warriors the two-way contributor they visualized two years ago. His surgically repaired left knee feels “well,” he said this week, so there are no limitations.

“It’s a little different,” Melton said of his summer regimen. “But I think every year and every summer, I used to kind of go through not necessarily a rehab stage, but a time where you work on managing your body and making sure you’re reaching tip-top shape once the season rolls around. For me it was just more so just maintaining and getting strengthened in certain areas.”

A fully healthy Melton – he expects to play both sides of back-to-back sets – might be ready to join Stephen Curry to form potentially the strongest Golden State backcourt since Thompson.

“I’m excited for De’Anthony,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area in a recent conversation. “Last year, he had he had a great first two-thirds of the year. He was fantastic. And then, without Steph and Jimmy (Butler), we really had to rely too heavily on Melt and some of the other guys.”

After missing six weeks last season, Melton was activated Dec. 4 and spent his first 24 games coming off the bench with mixed results. His defense was solid, but his shooting was erratic even while scoring in double digits 15 times. After Curry was sidelined on Jan. 30, Melton’s efficiency nosedived. Over the rest of the season, he shot 39.1 percent from the field, including 28.9 percent from deep while playing through a sprained right thumb.

In addition, Melton too often dribbled into trouble, leading to the highest turnover rate of his eight-year NBA career. Clearly feeling an increased burden without Curry and Butler, Melton lapsed into numerous “hero ball” moments.

“With Steph out, I think Melt was trying to take on too much responsibility,” Kerr said.

Melton doesn’t disagree.

“I think going through those times, I was just trying to figure out the best ways for my team to kind of win honestly, to be in the best position,” Melton said this week. “Some of the instances where I had to stay aggressive, and at the same time the coaching staff was telling me to stay aggressive and try to create advantages.”

Finding the right partner to start alongside Curry in the backcourt is one of the vital elements to the Warriors having a chance for success this season. One option is Brandin Podziemski, hardly a conventional shooting guard. The other is Melton, who has Curry’s endorsement.

“He’s just versatile,” Curry said last season. “Defensively, he can guard on the ball, point of attack. He plays passing lanes. He’s just smart. Quick on his feet and has a crazy wingspan where he can be a pest out there.

“And then offensively, he’s a solid knock-down shooter. Can catch and shoot, but he’s one of the few that has a pace to him where when he puts the ball on the floor, he can create something. He’s a prototypical starting 2 guard and he’s played on good teams, so he knows what that level looks like. I’m happy that he’s healthy and able to do it for us.”

Melton, 28, might be healthier now than he was after that Jan. 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The next step would be proving he can stay healthy through his first full Golden State training camp and maybe impressing the coaching staff enough to earn a starting role.

“Just to be able to start (camp) from the jump is definitely refreshing for me,” Melton said. “Just to get off to the year at a good start is important.”

On a training-camp roster with more questions than answers, Melton wants to be a staple. He’ll never be a five-time NBA All-Star like Thompson, but he has the goods to make things at least a little easier for Curry.

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