Category: NBA

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 12 pick will play out with Oklahoma City Thunder making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Oklahoma City Thunder 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 12 (via LAC), No. 18 (via PHI) and No. 37 (via DAL)

Oklahoma City Thunder 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 12 overall, Aday Mara, C, Michigan

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

After winning the 2025 NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder could add even more lottery-caliber talent, like Michigan center Aday Mara, in the 2026 NBA Draft. While leading his team to win the NCAA championship, Mara became one of the prospects who helped himself the most during March Madness. The 7-foot-3 big man, who transferred from UCLA, is a fantastic rim protector. Opponents only attempted 20.4 percent of their field goals at the rim when the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was on the court, per CBB Analytics, which ranks near lowest among all NCAA players. He can also pass well, finding some awesome outlet looks in transition and at the rim.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Aday Mara player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Center
• Current Team: Michigan
• 11.6 points per game
• 6.9 rebounds per game
• 2.3 assists per game
• 67.4 field goal percentage
• 25.0 three-point field goal percentage

Oklahoma City Thunder 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 18 overall, Karim Lopez, F, International (Australia)

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

The Thunder have drafted multiple players from Australia's NBL and could dip into this well again by selecting Karim López with their pick from the Philadelphia 76ers. While the Mexican-born forward still needs some development, he is physically gifted and widely seen as the top prospect from this class currently playing overseas. He exploded for 32 points (11-of-13 FG) with eight rebounds, two blocks and one steal against Melbourne on Jan. 30. Even if he is a draft-and-stash player, that is ideal for a team with a rotation as crowded as the Thunder.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Karim Lopez player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Forward
• Current Team: International (Australia)
• 11.9 points per game
• 6.1 rebounds per game
• 2 assists per game
• 50.2 field goal percentage
• 32.6 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oklahoma City Thunder NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 21 pick will play out with Detroit Pistons making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Detroit Pistons 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 21 (via MIN)

Detroit Pistons 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 21 overall, Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

While they are one of the best teams in the league this season, the Pistons are still struggling from the perimeter and will want more talented 3-point shooters on their roster. A simple fix would be drafting Texas Tech sophomore Christian Anderson, who had the most unassisted 3-pointers (61) among high-major players, per CBB Analytics. After moving from the two-guard to point guard, the All-Big 12 Most Improved Player recorded more than twice as many assists per 100 possessions as a sophomore compared to when he was a freshman.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Christian Anderson player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Guard
• Current Team: Texas Tech
• 18.9 points per game
• 3.6 rebounds per game
• 7.6 assists per game
• 47.9 field goal percentage
• 42.5 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Detroit Pistons NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 14 pick will play out with Charlotte Hornets making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Charlotte Hornets 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 14 and No. 17 (via PHX)

Charlotte Hornets 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 14 overall, Braylon Mullins, G, UConn

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

Braylon Mullins, a five-star recruit and former McDonald's All-American, was a breakout star in the NCAA tournament after hitting one of the most improbable 3-pointers in March Madness history. Mullins continued to show a winning mentality, helping the Huskies earn a spot in the national championship game. The Big East All-Freshman wing shot 40.7 percent on 3-pointers during his first 18 games in the starting lineup. He is a useful off-ball threat, too, which gives him an immediately practical role at the next level.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Braylon Mullins player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Guard
• Current Team: UConn
• 12 points per game
• 3.5 rebounds per game
• 1.4 assists per game
• 43.5 field goal percentage
• 34.5 three-point field goal percentage

Charlotte Hornets 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 17 overall, Jayden Quaintance, F, Kentucky

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

Jayden Quaintance recorded just one start during his sophomore campaign as he recovered from a torn ACL, meniscus and fractured knee. The big man is still one of the youngest players in this class, but he has shown flashes during his time at Arizona State and Kentucky. When healthy, he is arguably the most talented defender in this draft class and could help a team that desperately needs frontcourt help, like the Hornets. But health may cause some concern for evaluators.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Jayden Quaintance player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Forward
• Current Team: Kentucky
• 5 points per game
• 5 rebounds per game
• 0.5 assists per game
• 57.1 field goal percentage
• 0.0 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charlotte Hornets NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

They started calling Hector Cortes, "Sombrero Man," because it was Latino Night at a Charlotte Bobcats game more than a decade ago. The Spectrum Center jumbotron showed this local middle school teacher wearing his oversized charro hat "dancing like a maniac," he recalled, and soon enough the sombrero became part of Cortes's identity as a Charlotte resident, as much as his Mexican roots and upbringing rooting for the Lakers in the Los Angeles area.

The gimmick was part of the distraction on most nights. From the heartbreak of losing the original version of the Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans in 2002 and the heartache of watching another expansion team that has yet to win a playoff series in the 21 years since the NBA brought pro basketball back to Charlotte. The current version of the Hornets, which changed its name from Bobcats before the 2014-15 season, hasn't even made the playoffs in a decade.

So Cortes can't quite explain exactly what's happening to his favorite NBA team, only that he figured out the vibe was unmistakably different by March 26. The New York Knicks were in town and however loud "Sombrero Man" gets, he usually can't match the transplant New Yorkers that fill up Spectrum Center. Only this time, "The Hive" was alive with the sounds of Hornets fans.

NBA POWER RANKINGS: Who tops list ahead of playoffs?

"It's finally paying off, all the years. But now it almost feels weird, like 'Oh my God, we're winning games,'" Cortes said in a telephone interview. "Forget about winning games, we're winning games by 20, 30 points, which is for us, the Charlotte fans, unbelievable and unreal."

During an NBA season in which potential trades and historic levels of tanking often superseded discussion of the actual games, the Charlotte Hornets are perhaps the league's most endearing story at the moment.

After starting the year with a 4-14 record, the Hornets won more than 62% of their remaining games playing an aesthetically appealing style. They have the NBA's best offensive rating since Jan. 1 and rank among the top 10 in the league in NET rating. They feature the first rookie to lead the NBA in 3-pointers (Kon Knueppel) and an intriguing star point guard (LaMelo Ball) maturing alongside a lineup whose leading scorer is another homegrown draft pick (Brandon Miller). A promising front office executive (Jeff Peterson) hired one of the current favorites for NBA coach of the year (Charles Lee).

Charlotte will host its first NBA postseason game since 2016 against the Miami Heat as part of the NBA's play-in tournament on Tuesday, April 14. The Hornets will be the team no opponent in the East wants to face to begin the 2026 NBA playoffs. It's, in part, because they're the one galvanizing a city's basketball scene.

As the Hornets began to win this season, an entire fan base began to re-emerge.

"We talk about it every day. The Hornets are this city's first love. It was the first pro sports franchise in the city," said Kyle Bailey, host of "The Kyle Bailey Show" on WFNZ Radio in Charlotte and the Hornets pregame radio show. "It's just been such a long run of not just bad, but futile basketball, front office, all of it. It was almost like they tried to suck the life out of people here they were so bad. This is without a doubt the most connected people have been to this team in a long time."

So this happened today! Had a quick FT call with @MilesBridges today in class and since I couldn’t make it to the game after all, I’d like to think that mine and my students good vibes helped Miles and the team get that W against the Knicks!!!! #HiveMentalitypic.twitter.com/aDPjz0HN0x

— SombreroMan (@FKNTORO) March 21, 2025

The numbers back the sentiment up.

The Hornets set a new single-season record for sellouts (25) at the Spectrum Center this season, including a record 15 in a row to close the regular season. The franchise went from 22nd in the NBA in attendance last year to 13th this season. They drew over 100,000 more fans to their games than two years ago, when the team ranked last in the NBA in total attendance.

It has conjured up memories of the original Hornets, who routinely led the league in attendance at the old Charlotte Coliseum as Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning and Dell Curry helped introduce the city to the NBA during the 1990s.

"This fan base has been waiting to just show up and support a team they can be proud of and I think they're seeing it now," said Curry, the former Hornets guard who now serves as a team ambassador and local broadcast analyst. "Even when the Hornets first got here, we didn't win a lot, but people understood we played hard and people wanted to come out and support and that feeling is here in the building and in the city right now."

This postseason run could last just one game due to the single elimination format of the play-in tournament. The Hornets would still need to win a road game against either the Philadelphia 76ers or Orlando Magic to secure a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But unlike previous years when the Hornets entered the postseason as a longshot, this appears to be the beginning of the organization's rise under new ownership after Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the team in 2023 to a group led by private equity investors Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. Only one player in the Hornets' starting lineup is older than 24 years old and they're all under contract at least through next season.

"I think this group has earned the respect or notoriety of the league," Lee said. "The last couple years haven't gone the way I think that we wanted, or that we would have hoped, and this year the progress that we made as individual players but also as a collective group and organization is definitely just raising people's attention levels to the Hornets."

Sometimes, he still has to remind them. Like before Sunday's win over the Knicks in the Hornets' regular season finale.

Knueppel said he and his teammates caught themselves reflecting on being at Madison Square Garden during the preseason, and how it didn't feel like much time had passed. In the locker room, however, Lee showed them the NBA standings when their record stood at 4-14 and where the NBA standings stand now.

He wanted them to remember just how long it has been.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charlotte fans savor Hornets vs. Heat NBA play-in tournament home game

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 19 pick will play out with San Antonio Spurs making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

San Antonio Spurs 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 19 (via ATL), No. 35 (via UTA), No. 42 (via POR) and No. 44 (via MIA)

San Antonio Spurs 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 19 overall, Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

German big man Hannes Steinbach is a name worth watching in the 2026 NBA Draft. While his team missed the tournament, the All-Big Ten post is an instinctive rebounder with great hands, including an absurd 24 rebounds against USC on March 4. Additionally, the center is one of the more prolific pick-and-roll finishers in college basketball. He shined during the FIBA U19 World Cup, too, and scouts love that he is a smart basketball player who can make great reads. Steinbach could make an excellent backup to Victor Wembanyama.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Hannes Steinbach player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Forward
• Current Team: Washington
• 18.5 points per game
• 11.8 rebounds per game
• 1.6 assists per game
• 57.7 field goal percentage
• 34.0 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Antonio Spurs NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 2 pick will play out with Indiana Pacers making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Indiana Pacers 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 2

Indiana Pacers 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 2 overall, Cameron Boozer, F, Duke

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

Duke freshman Cameron Boozer was dominant during his first NCAA season, earning national collegiate player of the year honors. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, rival teams believe Boozer would be the "preferred selection" for the Pacers because of his "potential fit" alongside Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac. The ACC Player of the Year isn't a human highlight reel, but he offers consistency and a diverse, impactful skill set. More importantly, he can bring a culture of winning after multiple championships in high school and an elite Duke team that made it to the Sweet 16 before a heartbreaking last-second loss.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Cameron Boozer player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Forward
• Current Team: Duke
• 22.5 points per game
• 10.2 rebounds per game
• 4.2 assists per game
• 56.5 field goal percentage
• 40.9 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana Pacers NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

Jerry West’s legend was so well established when he retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 1974 that he’d already been the inspiration for the NBA’s logo. Half a century later, West remains seventh all-time in points per game and holds the points-per-game record for a playoff series, numbers even more remarkable because he did it without the three-point shot.

But, of course, West wasn’t done. As a scout and general manager, he was a key architect of the Showtime Lakers teams of the 1980s and later acquired both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to build another dynasty. West also was an executive for the Golden State Warriors in their heyday, providing crucial advice on player personnel.

Through it all, however, West struggled with depression and a sense of self-loathing, and had trouble with intimacy, much of it a by-product of a hardscrabble childhood in West Virginia with a domineering father.

That dichotomy, his outer success and inner turmoil, are the heart of “Jerry West: The Logo,” a new documentary for Prime Video, from “black-ish” creator Kenya Barris, directing his first documentary.

“I’m from L.A. and was a fan of the Showtime Lakers growing up,” Barris says, so he put his name in for the project figuring he’d at least get to meet a hero. “But we immediately hit it off and I felt a kinship with him.”

That ability to connect was part of West’s magic, as attested to by the string of NBA legends who pay tribute to him in the documentary, including Lakers such as Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Pat Riley and O’Neal, along with Steph Curry and Michael Jordan.

Vlade Divac was traded by West to secure the rights to Bryant, but he selected West to introduce him at his Hall of Fame induction. In a recent phone interview, Divac praised West as “a father figure when you needed it and a friend when you needed it. He was very honest and he cared about people and helped you achieve your goals. He's one of the best guys I ever met. Period.”

Barris, who did extensive interviews with West before the Laker icon died in 2024, spoke by video recently about making the documentary, which also includes NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledging for the first time that West was the sport's logo. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Read more:Jerry West, Lakers legend and architect of 'Showtime' era, dies at 86

Jerry had already opened up about his life in his memoir, "West by West," but do you think this was still cathartic for him?

His book really drew me to doing the documentary because it was so honest. I think the idea of him actually saying these things out loud in front of a camera with his kids and his grandkids around was a catharsis for him.

Did he feel he was nearing the end?

Jerry would say, "I feel like I'm in God's waiting room." He didn't like getting old because he was so much in touch with his body as an athlete — he could jump higher and run farther than his friends. When I first met him, he was on the treadmill and jogging with weights. He was in his 80s but was saying, "I used to be able to jog with more weights."

He was feeling old but I don't think that he thought he was about to pass.

Was he annoyed by his depiction in HBO’s Lakers series “Winning Time,” which generated controversy in 2022?

The show was entertaining, but it really bothered him and he didn’t think it was fair. I think that series might've pushed him into wanting to do this, if I'm being completely honest.

He and his family talk openly on camera about his mental health issues.  Was it hard to balance that tonally with his great accomplishments in basketball?

I did not want to make something that was morose or a melodrama. But it would not be complete if he didn't talk about the struggles. When I first met him, he was just coming out of a depression and anyone who's ever been through that understands that it is actually a struggle. So forming a whole picture of who this character was was really important. And also it was important for his family because they lived through this with him as well. They were sad to see him suffer, but they had suffered through it too.

We wanted to really talk about who this character was and what formed him. Most of who we are is formed between the ages of 0 and 12 and in those years, Jerry saw a lot and went through a lot of stuff.

Read more:How Jerry West vs. HBO became TV's biggest feud in years

When his older brother was killed in Korea and his father put the casket by the Christmas tree …

That was crazy. If we could get the audience to understand who this man was, it would give them empathy for everything after.

As a GM [general manager], he was a white guy in this predominantly Black sport, but he came in with a chip on his shoulder, too, and he saw these young players who hadn’t had strong father figures and came from socioeconomically deprived places like he did and he was able to build real relationships with them.

He didn't want to talk about it a lot in the doc, but he did a lot for civil rights and for players' advocacy of the NBA, for the Black players, who didn’t have the same voice that he had. But he did it quietly.

One thing the documentary avoids is the contentious relationship with Phil Jackson — who isn’t even mentioned — and the cause of West’s departure from the Lakers right after he built that dynasty. Did he not want to discuss it?

We spoke about it. You can't have that long a career and not rack up some controversial things. But I did not want this to be a salacious look at the negative accounts. I got in there the idea of a strain with the Lakers, but I wanted to make sure to not defile that relationship based upon certain things that I wasn't going to dig into. It was not a gotcha sort of documentary. It was more of a tribute to him.

People have wondered if he had stayed on, whether he could have stopped the relationship between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal from going south, and I would have been interested to know what he thought.

We did talk about that. He believes that he could have got them to stay together and he said that he believes they could have gone on and won four or five more championships.

Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone’s talking about from the L.A. Times.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Alas, the 2026 NBA postseason is upon us. It took a while to get here. About six months, in totality.

The regular season was an entertaining one, for sure. Let’s not get that mistaken, however, it became a war of attrition, on many fronts. Some teams limped across the finish line.

The Los Angeles Lakers were one of those teams, as both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered season-ending injuries that has their opening round postseason series against the Houston Rockets in doubt. But according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Doncic will be getting re-evaluated on Tuesday.

Sharania joined the Pat McAfee Show and provided an update on Doncic’s injury prognosis.

“The expectation is that Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will both be out to start the first round.

Luka Doncic spent the last week in Spain and he underwent multiple injection treatments in that hamstring.

He will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.”

Sharania added that Reaves will likely be out through the first week of May, with an oblique injury that has kept him out of commission and away from the hardwood since April 2^nd. It goes without saying that the Lakers are a much different team without Doncic and Reaves.

It also shouldn’t be penciled in that they will both be sidelined through the entirety of the series. Players typically are willing to risk their bodies during the postseason.

Even a limited version of Doncic is far better than whomever the Lakers are forced to replace him with. As for the Rockets, they will need to capitalize on the matchup, regardless. They’ve played down to their competition throughout the season, having lost to teams that they’ve been much better than.

Tanking teams, even. Houston lost games against the Dallas Mavericks (twice), Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings (twice), New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls, who jumped out to a 41-21 lead after the opening period.

NBA All-Star Norman Powell has surprise reunion with first basketball coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Norman Powell was on the road to success.

Part of his basketball education was learned, not on the court, but in the car. It was during road trips to games that he and his coach Stacy Dooley would talk fundamentals, crack jokes and develop a bond.

It was also where a pact was made. Powell was in the passenger seat of Dooley’s car when his journey to the NBA officially began.  

“You’re my coach now,” Powell told him. “I’m serious about this. We have to start doing training and stuff now. So, since you’re my coach, it’s kind of your job now.”

A job that Dooley accepted.

“I said, ’You know what? You’re right,” Dooley recalled. “I said, ‘We’ll go ahead and do this.’ I said, ‘If you’re serious about it, I’m going to be serious about it, as well.’ That’s when it kind of took off.”

It was a long road ahead, but it took Powell from his hometown of San Diego to UCLA and then to the NBA, where he just completed the first All-Star season of his career with the Miami Heat. And the entire way, Powell said Dooley was not just his coach, but his mentor and father figure.

“He saw something in me,” Powell said when he and Dooley had a surprise reunion on NBC’s “Launching Legends.” “Potential, or just a kid with a single-parent household that he related to. But he really took me under his wing and helped me every step of the way.”  

‘I don’t want to let this family down’

The first step in their basketball relationship had been gaining the trust of Powell’s mother Sharon.

Dooley was coaching at the Boys & Girls Club in San Diego when a 12-year-old Powell joined his team.

“My first impression of Norman was he was a really quiet guy, but he was super serious,” Dooley said. “At 12 years old, he had a ton of energy. I mean, he could run for days.”

He became Powell’s first basketball coach.

“And since that day,” Powell said, “[Dooley] has always been a big brother, mentor for me.”

As Powell’s talent became evident, Dooley suggested he play club ball against older competition. For that he would need Sharon’s permission.

“She mulled it over a little bit, and she eventually agreed to doing it,” he said. “But there were some stipulations involved.”

One of which, he said, was when driving to practice, Sharon did not want older children in the car with her young and impressionable son. He agreed.

“I took him to our first practice, and it was just me and him,” Dooley said. “And when I came back, she was waiting there and she saw that it was just Norman coming out of my car that went a long way with her. We established some trust at that point.”

With Dooley still in his 20s at the time, he said it was the first time someone put that kind of trust in him.  

“I took that as a badge of honor,” he said. “And I’m like, you know what? I don’t want to let this family down.”

He never did.

“He wasn’t just one of those coaches that wanted to use a player for their talents, to get ahead,” Powell said. “He actually, really cared.

“He was always there. If my mom needed help. If I needed help with anything. He was a sounding board, for me … He took a lot of time just being there for me, coaching me, teaching me, life lessons on and off the court.”

Having bonded with Powell, and earned the trust of his mother, Dooley said he felt a sense of responsibility.

“He kind of started to fill that dad void for me and role,” Powell said.

With that came some tough love.

The first example of that may have been having Powell compete against older players.  

“He let me practice with the older guys, and I think that really helped me develop my skill and understanding of basketball and what it was going to take to be really good,” Powell said.

Dooley described himself as a serious coach and a no-nonsense guy, attributes that helped him build a rapport with Powell, who was serious about basketball from a young age.

“’I’m tough on you right now, but it’s for your benefit,” he’d tell Powell. “So, don’t take anything I say personal. And then I would finish it off with a joke.”

The jokes would continue on their car rides during travel ball, with Powell saying the humor lightened the mood in between games.

“It would be random stuff,” Dooley said. “Basically, things I would observe on the street, different people. I’m a people watcher.”

‘That kind of validates the trips’

He watched as Powell developed into an NBA prospect, winning a state title at Lincoln High School and going on to play at UCLA for four years.

“As time went by, I was like, ‘You know what? This is actually going to happen,'” Dooley said.

Powell was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and traded to the Toronto Raptors. He spent five-plus seasons with the Raptors, helping to lead the team to its first championship in 2019.

“Wow, that was really amazing,” Dooley said. “So, it’s already a little surreal seeing someone you know, that you’re close to, on TV playing professional basketball. And then when it got to a point where they’re in a NBA championship run.”

Three teams and six seasons later, at the age of 32, Powell became a first-time NBA All-Star.

Dooley was at All-Star Weekend to celebrate the latest accomplishment in Powell’s career.

“Super thankful for your part in it and being the first coach to coach me, take me under your wing, show me right from wrong, be hard on me in every single drill, trying to bring the best out of me,” Powell said to Dooley on “Launching Legends.” “So many different memories that we’ve had … All the different jokes and things that have happened with our road trips. But I’m super grateful for you. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it wasn’t for your time and dedication and sacrifice.”

And for being behind the wheel on his long road to success.

“That kind of validates the trips and the jokes and the tough love and everything,” Dooley said. “That’s pretty amazing.”

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 3 pick will play out with Brooklyn Nets making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Brooklyn Nets 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 3, No. 33 and No. 43 (via LAC)

Brooklyn Nets 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 3 overall, Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

While he is no longer perceived as the near-certain No. 1 overall pick that he once was due to relative inconsistency and injury issues, many scouts and evaluators feel that Darryn Peterson is the most talented player in this class. The Nets had the worst offense in the NBA and could change the course of the franchise by selecting Peterson. It is incredibly rare to find a prospect who is able to score as efficiently as Peterson did while holding a usage rate as high as his was this season.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Darryn Peterson player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Guard
• Current Team: Kansas
• 19.8 points per game
• 4.4 rebounds per game
• 1.7 assists per game
• 44.2 field goal percentage
• 38.4 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brooklyn Nets NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 5 pick will play out with Utah Jazz making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Utah Jazz 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 4

Utah Jazz 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 5 overall, Kingston Flemings, G, Houston

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

The Jazz had the worst defensive rating in the Western Conference and could potentially improve that by selecting Houston freshman Kingston Flemings to join Keyonte George in their backcourt. The All-Big 12 guard has several games when he has recorded at least three steals, notching eight against Arizona State earlier this season. He scored 42 points against No. 11 Texas Tech on Jan. 24. Flemings helped lead Houston to the Sweet 16, and with highs as high as his were this season, it will not take long for him to hear his name called on draft night.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Kingston Flemings player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Guard
• Current Team: Houston
• 16.4 points per game
• 3.9 rebounds per game
• 5.3 assists per game
• 47.5 field goal percentage
• 39.2 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah Jazz NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 1 pick will play out with Washington Wizards making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Washington Wizards 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 1, No. 51 (via MIN) and No. 60 (via OKC)

Washington Wizards 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 1 overall, AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

The Wizards finished with the worst record in the NBA and would benefit tremendously from a lottery win. They had the second-worst offense in the league and could instantly inject life into their offense by selecting AJ Dybantsa, the NCAA scoring champion and Julius Erving Award winner. He emphasized that point during his one game for BYU in March Madness, putting up 35 points and 10 rebounds. The Big 12 Rookie of the Year led the nation in unassisted points scored (680) by a wide margin this season, per CBB Analytics. The emerging star also had 40 points against Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament on March 10 and averaged a stellar 28.8 points per game over his final 17 appearances.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

AJ Dybantsa player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Forward
• Current Team: BYU
• 25.3 points per game
• 6.7 rebounds per game
• 3.8 assists per game
• 51.3 field goal percentage
• 34.0 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Washington Wizards NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 10 pick will play out with Milwaukee Bucks making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Milwaukee Bucks 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 10

Milwaukee Bucks 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 10 overall, Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

The Milwaukee Bucks, potentially heading toward an ugly Giannis Antetokounmpo divorce, must simply draft the best player available with whatever pick they have and will likely keep Louisville floor general Mikel Brown Jr. highlighted on their big board. The All-ACC guard has deep shooting range and was among the freshmen leaders in 3-pointers made from beyond 25 feet (27) this year, per CBB Analytics. Brown was averaging 29.2 points per game over his last five appearances, including 45 points against NC State on Feb. 9, while hitting 10 shots from beyond the arc, before an injury on Feb. 28 forced him to miss March Madness.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Mikel Brown Jr. player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Guard
• Current Team: Louisville
• 18.2 points per game
• 3.3 rebounds per game
• 4.7 assists per game
• 41.0 field goal percentage
• 34.4 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Milwaukee Bucks NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 24 pick will play out with New York Knicks making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

New York Knicks 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 24, No. 31 (via WAS) and No. 55

New York Knicks 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 24 overall, Chris Cenac Jr., F/C, Houston

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

It was an up-and-down season for former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American Chris Cenac Jr. at Houston. He did, however, got hot at the perfect time. During his first game in the Big Dance, the big man recorded a season-high 18 rebounds, while also knocking down a 3-pointer and grabbing a steal. Then in the Round of 32, he showed off more scoring with some impressive cuts to the basket, dropping 17 points against Texas A&M. He was quieter in the Sweet 16 but still managed 10 rebounds.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Chris Cenac Jr. player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Forward-Center
• Current Team: Houston
• 9.5 points per game
• 7.5 rebounds per game
• 0.8 assists per game
• 49.3 field goal percentage
• 34.5 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York Knicks NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs

The NBA regular season is over, which means many teams are shifting their focus entirely to the 2026 NBA Draft.

With nearly half of the teams done with games for the season, their scouts and front office executives will soon determine which future pros they may add to their roster for next year. After an exciting March Madness tournament won by the Michigan Wolverines, several prospects showed exactly what they can offer in the league.

As many collegiate players announce their intention to declare early entry to the 2026 NBA Draft, we can start to develop a more clear picture of what this class may look like.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of picks one through fourteen, will be held May 10 in Chicago, followed immediately that week by the draft combine, also in Chicago.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the No. 29 pick will play out with Cleveland Cavaliers making the selection.

Our draft order is based on Tankathon.com and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Cleveland Cavaliers 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 29 (via SA)

Cleveland Cavaliers 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 29 overall, Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

After transferring from Xavier to Texas during the offseason and then leading his team to the Sweet 16, Dailyn Swain became one of the more intriguing breakout players in college basketball. The All-SEC forward is versatile and contributed a little bit of everything for the Longhorns on both sides of the ball, scoring well both in the paint and on fastbreaks. Another element that is notably compelling is that Swain is efficient one-on-one in isolation against his defenders.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 10.0 here

Dailyn Swain player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Guard-Forward
• Current Team: Texas
• 17.7 points per game
• 7.6 rebounds per game
• 3.4 assists per game
• 54.3 field goal percentage
• 34.5 three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cleveland Cavaliers NBA mock draft: latest predictions before 2026 playoffs