Having a good feel for each player’s value on the trade market is an exercise NBA front offices would routinely perform. For this week’s Reacts, we wanted to see where the Brew Hoop community landed on who leads the team in trade value. In this article, I expanded on that exercise by ranking the entire team and even separating the players into tiers. Tiers mean you can make a reasonable case for any player within a tier to be ranked above or below another player within that same tier.

Crucially, these rankings are completely subjective and—unlike Rick Berry’s DOPE Index—I wasn’t working off some quantitative formula. However, I did find myself considering four main factors when constructing these rankings, and they were:

• Raw ability
• Age
• Contract size (how much money do they make annually?)
• Contract status (what is the length of their contract, and where are they in that contract?)

Remember, this is all relative to each player. For example, just because a player doesn’t have the potential to yield a first-round pick, that doesn’t mean that guy must be ranked below another player who does. Also, none of this means that the Bucks will or should trade any player; it’s merely a thought exercise. Anyway, without further ado, here’s how I ranked the squad.

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Tier 1

1. Ryan Rollins

At first, I thought the top spot was close between Rollins and Burries, but after thinking it through, Rollins clearly takes that spot. The 24-year-old has blossomed into a legit two-way lead guard—who helps you win basketball games in so many ways—on a $4m (!) contract. You rarely find guys that impactful to winning while making that little money. If the Bucks put Rollins on the trade block right now, they would undoubtedly get a good first-round pick, and maybe even two “bad” first-round picks. Now, I feel quite confident that if the Bucks pay up to retain Rollins next summer, he will be displaced from the top spot (almost regardless of how he plays). For now, though, this is a no-brainer selection at one.

2. Brayden Burries

That leaves Brayden Burries at two, an easy choice. Right this second, coming off an All-Summer League First Team performance, Brayden Burries’ value is through the roof. Now, no team would entertain trading their lottery pick—having not yet registered a single NBA minute—regardless of how they played in Summer League, but yes, for this exercise, Burries has the second-most trade value on the Bucks.

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Tier 2

3. Kel’el Ware

Kel’el Ware being in this spot is interesting because he benefits from what I like to call the “mystery box bump.” Ware is only entering the third year of his rookie deal, and there is still major intrigue as to what his ceiling is. He could develop into a unicorn-like centre who’s a matchup nightmare for opposing bigs, or he could completely peter out into an empty-calories guy with attitudinal problems. Ware is a mystery box, but right at this moment, he would fetch a decent first-round pick if traded. A team would bet on the raw talent, for sure. He may be worth two first-round picks in a year, or he may only be worth some seconds.

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Tier 3

4. Kasparas Jakucionis

Another player who falls somewhat into the aforementioned mystery box bump group, Kasparas Jakucionis edges out Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez by the slimmest of margins because he benefits from being largely untested. He’s coming off a rookie year with the Heat in which he played decently in the opportunities he got, but those were few and far between. So on the one hand, he’s got runs on the board as a 19-year-old rookie in the NBA—which puts him above Nate Ament, for example—but on the other hand, he hasn’t necessarily wowed in those chances. Additionally, Jakucionis is entering the second year of his rookie contract, which naturally gives him high trade value. Granted, KJ’s trade value definitely took a hit following his disappointing Summer League performance, but you can rationalise that by him having played for Lithuania just a week prior, having to deal with the chaos of being traded, etc.

5. Tyler Herro

Next is Tyler Herro. Obviously, Herro is the most accomplished player on this list and would be the most “sure thing” in a trade (maybe except for Rollins). If a team were to trade for Herro, they’d know what they are getting; it’s way less of a stab in the dark than it would be going for Ware or Jakucionis. Herro is a good NBA player. Sure, he’s bad on defence and has some quirks that rub people the wrong way, but this is a career 20-PPG scorer who shoots nearly 40% from three on volume. His contract is palatable right now at about $30m per season, but of course, he’s in the final year of that deal and will want a contract that will probably age poorly, which naturally makes it hard to have him much higher than fifth.

6. Jaime Jaquez Jr.

I was very close to putting Jaime Jaquez Jr. above Tyler Herro, but at the end of the day, he just doesn’t have the runs on the board as Herro does. Coming into the league as an older rookie after spending four years at UCLA, Jaquez has much less mystery box appeal. However, it’s inarguable that he’s reached a level where you’re almost certain that he’ll be a solid NBA player at the very least. I should note that Jaquez is in the last year of his rookie deal, so any team trading for him would need to be prepared to pay him next summer. This feels like the right spot.

7. Nate Ament

Nate Ament is another player who benefits from the mystery box bump. Being a “boom-or-bust prospect,” Ament has an extremely wide range of outcomes. At this point, that puts him right about here on the rankings. Like Ware, we could re-rank this in two years, and Ament could be way down the bottom or way up the top. For now, coming off a so-so Summer League but considering the bigger picture, seventh feels about right. I am confident that even after Vegas, a rival team would give up something of relatively high value to get the Virginia native if the Bucks explored trading him.

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Tier 4

8. Ousmane Dieng

OK, so relative to the value Dieng held when the Bucks picked him up, his stock has increased significantly. Ous has a lot going for him. First, he’s a former lottery pick and still just 23; teams love taking chances on young guys with pedigree. Second, he just put together a solid season in the first real chance he got to actually play consistently, which, at the very least, is enticing. And finally, his contract is solid at just under $6m per year for three years with a team option for the final season. I reckon a good number of rebuilding teams would happily part with some decent assets to get a longer look at Dieng on that deal. Props, Jon Horst.

9. AJ Green

Green has become a solid NBA role player who will check into the game and do his job: nail three-pointers—both off the catch and on the move—and be passable on defence. There isn’t much more upward mobility other than that, but lots of NBA teams need guys with this skill set. You can see how Green’s dynamism as a shooter separates him from a guy like Taurean Prince, who can really only shoot while stationary. On top of that, Green is on a totally palatable contract with an average annual salary of a tick over $11m.

10. Myles Turner

Here we get to Myles Turner. Look, this contract didn’t look great after last season—and it still doesn’t look all that good—but considering what some centres got paid in free agency this summer, ~$27m AAV doesn’t look as bad as it once did. Still, ESPN’s Ben Golliver recently reported that the Bucks have been trying to shop Turner this summer but haven’t found a suitor willing to take on his contract, validating his spot at 10 (for now). Crucially, I want to make clear that if MT performs at the level he is capable of in a new system, I could see him yielding a late first-round pick at the deadline. I don’t see AJ or Ous having that potential, but I also don’t consider either of their contracts to have negative value like I do Turner’s right now—still three years left to run.

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Tier 5

11. Jericho Sims

It might come as a shock that I have Jericho Sims this high—and I realise that I’m probably an outlier—but I reckon that if Sims starts the season well, he’ll have positive trade value at the deadline. In contrast, the two blokes below, in my mind, would have even or negative value. This means I think a team might trade a second-round pick in the, say, 35-45 range for Sims in exchange for half a season with him making the minimum. Crucially, Sims on the minimum makes trading for him much easier than trading for Kuzma or LeVert, increasing his value. Our friends over at the Silver Screen and Roll wrote about reports of the LA Lakers’ potential interest in the 27-year-old.

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Tier 6

12. Caris LeVert

The case for LeVert over Kuzma in this spot is simple: they’re both wings on expiring contracts and not in the Bucks’ plans, but LeVert makes about $5m less ($14.5m compared to $19.4m). There’s not a whole lot more you need to say, really. Neither player will be highly coveted by the team trading for them, but LeVert is easier to deal.

13. Kyle Kuzma

Read above, LOL. No, well, you could make the case that Kuzma has more trade value than LeVert because if the Bucks need to get up to a certain number to make a trade legal, Kuz’s contract is obviously more useful. In general, though, a ~$15m contract is more tradeable.

14. Kevin Porter Jr.

Eh, while Porter can certainly help the Bucks win games—if that is all they care about this season—he’s probably not in their long-term plans, considering the slew of guards acquired over the offseason. Other teams will know this and hold leverage over the Bucks, which will lower his trade value. Of course, something else that will lower that value is KPJ’s off-court history, like it or not. Look, Porter might fetch you a second-round pick if an experienced team needs a guy who can come in and immediately offer them some juice, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

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Tier 7

15. Bogoljub Markovic

Maybe you can convince yourself Bogi has some trade value if you rely on priors, since many draft analysts ranked him higher than where he ended up being taken—including our very own Finn Kuehl. Ultimately, though, he’s proven nothing of substance yet at the NBA level (and obviously it’s very early). If anything, Bogi’s stock has decreased since he was drafted. Now, I’m not saying the Bucks would even be interested in trading Markovic at just 21 years old, but if they were, they wouldn’t get much at this moment in time.

16. Pete Nance

Look, Pete Nance is a good player—and he happens to possess a skill set that has been sorely needed on this Bucks team—but at the end of the day, he’s a 26-year-old journeyman. I don’t doubt Nance is an NBA player, and teams would jump at the chance to sign him if the Bucks cut ties, but no franchise is going to give up assets for Nance. But hey, maybe that changes a year from now if he can really cement himself in Milwaukee’s rotation. I personally don’t see where the minutes are, but it’s not implausible.

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Tier 8

17. Gary Trent Jr.

Self-explanatory. This contract became one of the league’s worst the moment the ink dried, and absolutely everyone—including Jon Horst—knew it would be. We all understand what happened here; there’s no point belabouring it. Anyway, the Bucks might need to attach Brayden Burries and one of those Heat picks to incentivise another team to take this contract (I’m kidding… I think). Gary, get used to those Milwaukee winters, brother; you’ll be here a while… if your contract isn’t voided, that is.

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Alright, now that I’ve done my rankings, give me yours. Or just let me know where you agree or disagree. The players I was most unsure of were Jericho Sims, Kevin Porter Jr., Ousmane Dieng, and Myles Turner. I might make this an annual thing—we’ll see.

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Dean Wade started his offseason as a pretty big deal for the Sixers. For a team that needed more forward depth, defense, and a touch of extra shooting, he delivered. As a free agent signing on a good value four-year, $39 million deal, Wade was a pretty ideal addition for many fans.

Then LeBron James made his decision.

But the absolute shock and joy of LeBron’s signing shouldn’t completely overshadow Wade.

Even though Wade’s role has clearly changed with LeBron’s arrival, there’s still loads to like about what Wade has to offer. What he can do for the team on a nightly basis, how he can step up when others miss time, and the versatility he’ll help create.

Wade’s basic numbers for the Cavaliers weren’t flashy last season. In 22.3 minutes per game (with 38 starts), he averaged 5.8 points on a 58.0 true shooting percentage, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks.

Offensively, he brings enough shooting to keep defenses honest. His drawback as a scorer is that he isn’t very aggressive, either when attacking the basket (mainly against closeouts) or when firing from three. He’s averaged a modest 5.8 attempts per 36 minutes for his career and 3.3 per game last season, so his volume isn’t too high to scare defenses. His efficiency is solid enough, though, with a 36.2 three-point percentage last season and 36.7 percent for his career. Essentially, he’s a good enough shooter when he’s alongside a ton of other talent that defenses are always going to be more worried about anyway. Wade’s a solid ball mover as well. He’ll make smart extra passes and not force reads, which bodes well for him being a reliable connector alongside the Sixers’ many higher usage stars.

It’s defense where Wade will shine for the Sixers. He’s such a versatile forward, possessing not just great size at 6-foot-9 with length and solid strength, but the quickness to switch onto tough guard assignments. Regularly guarding 1 through 4 is no problem. Wade uses his range to bother forwards, contest drives to the rim, generate a solid 3.1 deflections per 36 minutes, and provide a touch of help at the rim with smart timing, help rotations and general awareness. He’s proactive in finding opportunities to break up plays as well with how he digs against drivers and cutters, and attacks the ball as a help defender.

Those same qualities translate to how he covers guards as well. He has the lateral quickness to cover shiftier players on the ball, and the timing and length to bother drivers and deter shots at the rim when guards do take him on downhill. Nick Nurse should love having the option of using Wade in matchups where the smaller Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe or Anfernee Simons may struggle.

Wade’s usage in the playoffs this year was a prime example. He started the first round spending a lot of his time effectively defending Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, and finished helping guard the craftier Jalen Brunson in the Eastern Conference Finals. Wade’s range is clear.

That versatility and impactful team defense is exactly what the Sixers need from role players who can seamlessly fit in and maximize star-heavy lineups.

Of course, now that LeBron is in town, Wade’s playing time won’t be quite as high as it was expected to be when he signed. That said, Wade averaging similar minutes to last season in Cleveland (22.3 a game) or even higher for some stretches of the year shouldn’t come as a surprise.

On a team with so many stars who can create and lead the offense, having a player like Wade who can plug in and play in any kind of lineup is hugely valuable. He can slot in and guard almost anyone as needed, and keep the offenese ticking with enough spot-up threes and reliable extra ball movement. He can let the Sixers upsize with forward-heavy lineups thanks to his ability to cover guards, or take on the toughest forward assignments when needed. Especially if the Sixers go smaller with two or three of Maxey, Edgecombe and Simons. It’s safe to say Wade will boost Nurse’s creativity and lineup options.

Wade is an excellent example of a player who does the little things well and is happy thriving on defense while others dominate touches offensively. That’s what these Sixers need, and Wade should start showing that from day one.

ESPN analyst Chris Spatola, 47, unexpectedly died on Monday, Sept. 21, leaving the college basketball world heartbroken.

Spatola, who ranks 10th on Army's all-time scoring list, deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2002-07 following his four-year playing career. He returned to college basketball as a staff member at Duke under his father-in-law Mike Krzyzewski, one of the sport's greatest coaches, from 2007-12 before becoming a broadcaster.

REQUIRED READING: Chris Spatola, ESPN personality and son-in-law of Mike Krzyzewski, suddenly dies at 47

"Chris Spatola brought a unique perspective to ESPN's college basketball coverage, shaped by his experiences as a student-athlete, Army veteran, coach and broadcaster," ESPN said in a statement. "He was thoughtful, prepared and passionate about the sport, earning the respect of colleagues, coaches, players and fans alike. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones during this difficult time."

It's clear Spatola meant a lot to numerous people in the industry. Those who knew him called him "kind," "egoless" and "an all-time dude" in tributes on social media.

Here are some of those tributes to Spatola:

College basketball, media world mourn Chris Spatola's death

Steve Kornacki, known for election day coverage for NBC, offered interesting perspective on Spatola's path to broadcasting. He said he hadn't seen him in years, but was always touched by what Spatola accomplished.

"This is just shocking," Kornacki wrote. "I grew up with Chris and while I hadn’t seen him in a very long time, I was so impressed over the years watching all that he became and achieved in life. He had to be the best basketball player to come through our small town and it was obvious back then he was going places. The kid I remember was friendly and warm and funny and great to talk to and also unusually smart and ambitious. And he put it all together in life.

"Just a huge, total success story who I know made a lot of people from his Groton-Dunstable Middle School days proud. RIP to him and deepest sympathies to his loved ones and many friends."

ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Mike Monaco worked college basketball games with Spatola over the years, saying he was lucky to know him.

"Shocked and devastated to hear the news about Chris," Monaco wrote. "Just keep staring at the screen. Simply a damn good human being. Smart, witty, curious, principled, and kind. And man did he love his family. Praying hard for his family & all those lucky enough to know him."

Numerous tributes noted Spatola's love for his family, including Baylor coach Scott Drew, who called him a "great friend."

"Chris was a friend and someone I really respected," Drew said. "So many Great Memories of Baylor Games he announced. He often talked about his family and I know how much he loved them. Praying for the Spatola Family."

Here are some of the other best tributes to Spatola:

Getting the phone call today on this one stung hard

Chris was an exceptional man, husband, and father.

As an Army officer, he served his country proudly in support of OIF.

As a basketball player, he is Army’s 5th all time leading scorer and more importantly was a great… https://t.co/2l0Nj9V7Rs

— Cons (@CaptainCons) September 23, 2026

I could not possibly come up with the words to describe how shocked and devastated I am to learn of Chris Spatola’s untimely passing. It will never make sense or seem real. Chris was one of the all time great dudes. A terrific broadcaster but most of all a treasured friend who…

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) September 23, 2026

Devastated to hear the news of the loss of Chris Spatola. Brilliant, funny, dedicated to his family, hoops and his crafts of coaching and broadcasting. My prayers are with his beautiful family. I’ll remember him like this-coming out of practice-fired up for a game. pic.twitter.com/RulD7vK1Wm

— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) September 23, 2026

Chris Spatola was an incredible human being, caring for everybody around him and showcasing his rich passion for basketball with the manner in which he called games. The sport was better because Chris was a part of it. Beyond the hardwood, Chris was a family man who graduated…

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) September 23, 2026

Heartbroken and devastated to learn of Chris Spatola’s passing. Chris was a major part of my basketball journey and someone I truly looked up to. I’ll always be grateful he got to see me become a head coach and call several of my games on ESPN. More than anything, Chris was an…

— Bryan Hodgson (@CoachBHodgson) September 23, 2026

The news of Chris Spatolas passing is as brutal as it gets. A loving family man who gave a lot 2 a lot of people including this country. He was as prepared a broadcaster as I’ve ever been around. I can’t tell you how many times he called me about teams I had seen. RIP gut punch.

— Steve Lappas (@stlappas) September 23, 2026

It’s been an extremely difficult day since I heard about Chris Spatola this morning. None of us is guaranteed another day on this earth. Tell your family every chance you can that you love them. Chris will be missed. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) September 23, 2026

Just devastating news. So many of us in the sport worked with Chris at various media outlets. He was a great teammate on every broadcast. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved Chris. https://t.co/ZiZ85xad2O

— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) September 23, 2026

Chris and his wife Jamie have been two of the most supportive people since I started at WRAL. Chris has come through in a pinch time after time when I needed someone to analyze basketball for me on WRAL. He reached out three weeks ago to tell me he’s proud of me. RIP Chris. https://t.co/zBYhWNqzT5pic.twitter.com/vTvAeTHMi0

— Chris Lea - Sportscaster (@ChrisLeaTV) September 23, 2026

My first salute.
My plebe.
My little brother.

Love you Chris Spatola little bro be thou at peace.

#24 pic.twitter.com/COFHs0NnQz

— Captain Coach Kwas (@BabeKwas) September 23, 2026

This is how I will choose to remember @Chris_Spatola.
Called countless games with him. Bonded over Stern and Sopranos and old school rap.
Tough-minded. Honest. Loved his wife and kids. My thoughts and prayers to his family. pic.twitter.com/H2nAFO6Wyg

— Rich Hollenberg (@RichHollenberg) September 23, 2026

Chris Spatola was so smart. So knowledgeable on so many things. When you were around Chris you knew you were around someone that cared. Was committed to excellence. He held himself to such a high standard . His family deserves our prayers and needs to know our admiration for him.

— Tom Crean (@TomCrean) September 23, 2026

So many happy, memorable moments spent working with Chris. From the Big 12 Tournament to long College Basketball Saturdays at ESPN.
Chris was always prepared & always delivered.
May God bless a great family man, a veteran and friend to so many. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GMGtHSTImX

— Kevin Connors (@kevconnorsespn) September 23, 2026

With heavy hearts this morning, we mourn the passing of Army Basketball alum Chris Spatola ‘02.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Be Thou at Peace. pic.twitter.com/UIN40YNDgT

— Army Men's Basketball (@ArmyWP_MBB) September 23, 2026

This is gut wrenching news.

Prayers to Chris’ family.

Every day is indeed a gift.

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 https://t.co/ZkpmVjeFT3

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 23, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball world mourns Chris Spatola's death: 'All-time great dudes'

Steph Curry reveals rare eye condition diagnosis during Warriors' dynasty run originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry single-handedly changed the game of basketball when he and the Warriors ran the NBA throughout the 2010s — and he did so with a rare eye condition.

Curry, speaking exclusively to People Magazine’s Natasha Dye, recently revealed he learned that he was dealing with a rare condition called Keratoconus in 2018.

“It was 2018, and I didn’t know I was really dealing with crazy blurred vision or distorted images — it was just the way that I saw things, and we compensated around it,” Curry told Dye.

It actually was then-Warriors general manager Bob Myers who noticed something off about Curry while watching a game from home.

“He texted me after the game because apparently the telecast kept showing me when I was on the bench, and he was like, ‘You’re just squinting, looking like you couldn’t see anything. Have you gotten your eyes checked? You should probably go do that because that wasn’t normal,’ ” Curry recalled to Dye.

Curry took Myers’ advice and went to see an optometrist.

And while he initially thought it was nothing, his visit revealed much more.

“They told me that I had a rare condition called Keratoconus, the irregular-shaped cornea that obviously leads to blurriness, distorted images,” Curry told Dye. “What I found out about it was it’s a progressive condition that can deteriorate your vision over time and it’s irreversible if it goes in the wrong direction.”

By the start of 2018, Curry already was a two-time NBA champion. He went on to win a third title later that summer.

During the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Curry averaged nearly 27 points per game on nearly 50-percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range. Not bad for someone struggling with their vision.

Years later, the 38-year-old shared that he now gets his eyes checked every six months. While he shared that it took him some time to get used to wearing contacts during games, he now is a self-proclaimed “trained professional” at putting in his contacts after finding the right fit and prescription.

He added that he’s worked with Glaukos to get on a treatment plan that’s helped his anxiety about where things could go.

Curry doesn’t even want to imagine what his life might be like had he not taken Myers’ advice all those years ago. But it’s given him an uplifted energy knowing he can actually see on and off the court.

“I joke that when I’m all done, my memoir should be called The Whole Time I Couldn’t See,” Curry told Dye, with a laugh.

That would be quite the fitting title.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a precarious position. On one hand, they just had their most successful postseason run since trading for Donovan Mitchell four years ago – earning their first Eastern Conference Finals bid since 2018. However, on the other hand, the way they were so thoroughly dismantled by the New York Knicks made it apparent that they were far from a true title hopeful.

The first part of the offseason only served to further this gap. While the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics all got better, the Cavaliers lost Dean Wade (one of the team’s best connectors) and Keon Ellis, and they completely flailed on the LeBron James sweepstakes.  

Their championship window seemed to be slamming shut before it was ever really open. That is, until the Cavaliers front office got creative – orchestrating a five-team deal that cost them Dennis Schroder, Max Strus, and future draft capital to net Peyton Watson, the best two-way wing/forward left on the market at that point. 

Now, the Cavaliers are officially all the way in. They made the big swing for Watson, shipped out Darius Garland for James Harden (then extended him), and gifted Donovan Mitchell a heavy extension. Cleveland has exhausted pretty much all their resources, but is it enough?

The 2026-27 Cleveland Cavaliers, On Paper

If you take one thing away from this article, it should be that everything kind of hinges on Watson. Since the Nuggets drafted Watson with the 30th overall pick, he’s always been a tantalizing defensive prospect. Folks compare him to prime Jonathan Isaac because of his combination of length, defensive playmaking, and lateral agility. He’s regularly in the upper echelon in block rate (93rd percentile block rate in the first three years of his career), despite not being a center and taking on tough perimeter defensive assignments. 

In 2024-25, Watson began to flash some off-the-dribble upside, and then last year, courtesy of some injuries and his maturation as a player, it all started to coalesce. In the month of January (15 games), Watson averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.5 blocks per game on 59.6% true shooting. To put that into some perspective, since the 2014-15 season (right around the start of the pace-and-space era), there have been 364 such instances where a player under 24 years old put those numbers up in a 15-game span (per Stathead). The only players who did that and haven’t made an All-Star team yet are Miles Bridges, Josh Giddey, and Cooper Flagg (who will surely be earning that honor someday soon). 

Peyton Watson self-creation leap pic.twitter.com/6oKZwf5eIr

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) January 23, 2026

That’s a very small sample, and an admittedly cherry-picked one at that. Injuries kept us from seeing how it would portend in a postseason setting, and the last time we saw him in the playoffs, his touch-and-go contributions on offense relegated him to 14.2 minutes per game. 

His January scoring numbers won’t be a necessity for this Cavaliers team. At most, he’ll be a third option behind Harden and Mitchell, and an innings eater when one/both of them is off the floor. 

What I’m really curious about is how good of a shooter he can be. Last year, he hit 41.1% of his 3.6 threes per game, but in the three years before that, those numbers were 32.8% and 1.8, respectively. Which sample size truly encapsulates who Watson is as a shooter today?

The pessimist in me still thinks he’s a below-average shooter (just so hard to shed the non-shooter label once you’ve been branded with it), but if I’m wrong, Watson’s combination of spacing, secondary creation, and defensive versatility would make him by far and away the best fifth starter this iteration of the team has rostered. 

Speaking of the core four, Allen is about as metronomic as they come. Pencil him in for another top-10 center season in 2026-27. Harden’s also pretty consistent, but staring down his age-37 season, he’s far from a sure thing. Meaningful regression from him would increase the need for Watson’s independent scoring flashes to stick. 

Mobley needs to get back to his 2024-25 form for this team to have the top-end talent to make this all work. After finishing 12th in the NBA in Estimated Plus-Minus that season, Mobley fell all the way to 59th last season (per Dunks & Threes). Some of this was probably a byproduct of him being overburdened at the start of the year (Cleveland was dealing with a lot of injuries), but a lot of it seems to be a lack of consistency in his aggression. On some nights, he’s willing to bulldoze his way into a crowded lane for a thunderous jam. While on others, he lingers around aimlessly, further confounding the Cavaliers’ spacing predicament. It’d also be nice if Mitchell upped his playmaking and didn’t lay goose eggs so often in the playoffs (his volatile nature can be both charming and damning), but his reliance on forceful side-to-side movements seems to have a deteriorating factor on his body, and at this point (next year will be his age-30 season), he is who he is. 

To build this star-studded starting five, the Cavaliers had to sacrifice their depth. Jaylon Tyson took a big leap in Year Two – going from 14th percentile in EPM as a rookie to 77th percentile last year. Continued growth from him as a junior will be critical to the Cavaliers’ success. Sam Merrill will continue to be a wicked sharpshooter with defensive limitations. But after them, it’s Craig Porter Jr., Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Mario Hezonja, Thomas Bryant, Tyrese Proctor, Maleek Thomas, and a few other non-household names. It would be nice if one or two of those guys could punch above their weight (my bet would be Porter). Injury luck also needs to be on their side. 

How Good Are The Cleveland Cavaliers?

As of right now, FanDuel gives the Cavaliers the sixth-best odds of coming out of the Eastern Conference (+900, 10%). I think that undersells them a bit. 

To me, the Knicks and Toronto Raptors are in a class of their own. Before the Watson sign-and-trade, I expected Cleveland to regress to the point where they’d be participating in the play-in. But now, I think the Cavaliers belong in the same tier as the 76ers, Celtics, and Pacers. I’d even go as far as to say that the Cavaliers starting five puts them at the top of that group.

Last year, the Cavaliers were a very good offensive team (6th in offensive rating) and a middling team on the defensive side of the ball (15th in defensive rating). Adding Watson goes a long way toward fortifying their front line, and while losing a trustworthy veteran shooter like Max Strus isn’t great for their offense, the versatility that Watson opens up, coupled with having Harden for a full year and any potential improvements that come from Tyson, should keep them in the same ballpark on that end of the floor. This means that the Cavaliers have a real chance of being a top ten unit on both sides of the ball. Who else in the East – other than the Knicks and Raptors – can you confidently say that about at this point? Probably the Celtics, but that’s about it. 

Things have changed for the Cavaliers. They are no longer the team that won 64 games in 2024-25, or the one that people anticipated to win the East at the start of last year. However, the idealized version of Watson is the best wing the team has had since The King was still in town. If that dice roll pays off, the Big Four remain formidable, some bench pieces rise to the occasion, and injuries don’t derail them, this could be the most complete version we’ve seen of them yet. But if they don’t, a teardown may be in order. One thing is certain: this is the year that rubber meets the road for the Cavaliers, one way or another. 

So much of the coming season is uncertain for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They restructured their whole core and brought in a new star point guard in LaMelo Ball, and jettisoned cornerstones of the team’s past identity in Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Mike Conley Jr. They even switched owners.

Within that restructuring, there are many new roles being created for different players. It seems like only Anthony Edwards will slot back in where he was last year.

Jaden McDaniels will suddenly be a featured shot creator. Jaylen Clark will be expected to be a rotation piece. And notably, Joan Beringer will have to make good on his potential, considering he is basically the only remaining piece of the return for Karl-Anthony Towns.

However, hidden in all of this is a recent first-round pick that the Timberwolves will have to work with more closely and with more finesse.

T.J. Shannon Jr. came out of Illinois as a terror in transition. Since he entered the league, Shannon has struggled to find regular rotation minutes, despite his clear strengths in one of the most important single skills in the league: attacking the basket.

This difficulty comes largely from how he does what he is so good at on paper. Shannon requires the ball in his hands nearly at all times to be effective. After an exciting rookie season in which he was the X-factor against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Shannon found himself out of the rotation as a sophomore player.

Part of this has to do with his injury history, but the larger reason is that he simply could not fit into a team that had so many different egos and creators constantly battling and bouncing off each other. He failed to be a complementary piece when that was all the team needed.

That, however, changed in the playoffs. Shannon was a real difference-maker against both the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs in the first and second rounds, functioning as a shot creator when the team lost scorer after scorer to injury or emotions and lacked anyone to take over possessions.

Now, with that new role established as necessary, but the opportunity to make it happen no less nebulous, Shannon seems to be setting up for a make-or-break season. So much of this Timberwolves season relies on him, and so much of his career relies on this single campaign, and yet it’s hard not to look at what he is doing and what he has done, and to think that both he and the team would be better served doing something else.

No, it’s not his three-point shooting that needs to move forward to help the Timberwolves, nor would a leap in defensive ability really do much to solidify him going forward.

The best way T.J. Shannon could help the Minnesota Timberwolves win a championship would be as an asset equivalent to a first-round pick that the front office can use to find a real difference-maker that they don’t need to work around as heavily as they need to for Shannon.

Let me explain.

T.J. Shannon spent much of last season wallowing on the bench. Between injury and a lack of role, there was no real reason to play a wing who could neither shoot from distance nor defend at an elite level.

Shannon’s strength comes in the pressure he applies to the rim. It was what made him so effective against Nikola Jokic, who does not defend the rim at all, and Victor Wembanyama, who has conditioning issues that prevent him from being the excellent rim protector he is when tested too often throughout the course of the game.

It was as if Shannon had completely overloaded Wembanyama in that first game of the series against the San Antonio Spurs by simply attacking the rim time after time after time. He broke the reigning defensive player of the year with sheer rim volume. That deserves both recognition and mention.

“He gonna have to block it every time, I ain’t gonna stop going downhill. I told him that when he said a little something…

He gonna have to block it every time, man. I know he ain’t gonna block it every single time. I’m gonna dunk on him”

– TJ Shannon on Victor Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/LUxYgEADCw

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 5, 2026

However, not every team has Nikola Jokic or Victor Wembanyama. Not every team lacks a capable backup the way either of those two teams does for their best players. Not every team will expect their center to be the only capable rim protector, leaving Shannon to exert his will against them.

No, the more common situation is what we saw happening during the regular season. Shannon will come in for spurts, will attack in transition, and will find himself a few layups with his strong left hand. However, as his minutes wear on, he will become less and less helpful to the team, as his shots don’t drop, as he fails to defend beyond tipping away passes, and while Chris Finch continues to get more and more upset at his effort from the sideline.

The situation was perfect for Shannon in that playoff run, as it was for the guest star appearance that happened against the OKC Thunder just a year prior.

Ironically, it is Shannon’s ability to get to the rim, draw fouls, and make opposing teams’ defenses’ lives hell that makes him both so valuable in the postseason and so much less useful during the regular season, when depth is playable, and teams can overcome foul problems to their best players in a vacuum.

Just that ability to force a foul differential seems so much stronger than it is. No, when it comes down to it, Shannon struggles to be an impact player when he is not in the perfect situation to succeed.

That makes him the definition of a specialist. There’s nothing wrong with being a specialist; however, it means that his value is capped at being a decent situational bench piece who explodes against specific types of opposition.

What it also means is that Shannon will be far less useful than the other players vying for his playing time at the backup forward position in Jaylen Clark, Ayo Dosunmu, and whoever else joins the fray, due to his lack of versatility.

In many ways, Shannon’s season has been put in a far worse situation by the signing of Jonathan Kuminga, which pushes Shannon from being a suitable small-ball four, with similar athletic traits and measurables to Miles Bridges, to being a tweener forced to come off the bench, who needs the ball in his hands and will have to rely on LaMelo Ball to make him play at his best when he gets minutes with the starters.

This to me would indicate that it’d be TJ Shannon. 6-6, 220 and is physical and athletic enough to defend and rebound. Leaning into getting him as many reps as possible is great with me https://t.co/UbU1XPQmcr

— Jack Borman (@JackBorman) July 15, 2026

Instead of trying to thread this needle, it may behoove both the player and the team to find somewhere else. The Timberwolves are still searching for meaningful depth pieces. They lack the draft capital to make a deal to find that after moving their 2033 first-round pick for LaMelo Ball.

Maybe it is Shannon that can be that extra young player slash pick capital that the Wolves need to find the final piece for their puzzle. In that situation, Shannon would be able to get more touches and minutes. He would have to fit in less, and maybe that could come with a large payday or a larger role for the older-than-you-would-expect young player.

For the Wolves, it comes as a very easy opportunity to get a playable rotation player.

Some would argue that the worst thing to do when entering a presumed spat of contention is to trade off young players with promise for veterans. However, it seems impossible that Shannon’s breakout will come on a Wolves team that can no longer help him reach those heights and needs him to be someone he is not.

With the Wolves so close to contending, and Shannon so far from being the player that the team needs, a mutual parting of ways is likely the best path forward.

Jericho Sims had the best year of his career over the 2025-26 campaign, playing as the Bucks’ backup center. Averaging 5.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.6 APG, Sims was the gritty, athletic rim-runner who put in the dirty work. He earned himself increased playing time by showing his willingness to hustle and fight for boards on one of the league’s worst rebounding teams. Especially as starting center Myles Turner struggled to convert in Milwaukee’s choppy offense, Sims got more first-team reps and started nine of Milwaukee’s final 12 games.

Sims is one of the league’s best rim finishers, with world-class athleticism, great strength, a huge wingspan, and a tireless motor. Despite being relatively small for an NBA center at 6’10,” he scored on 83.4% of his attempts at the rim. Sims was also used heavily for his plus rebounding, especially on the offensive end, where he hauled in 2.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Crucially, he’s also agile enough to switch onto smaller wings and guards when covering the pick-and-roll.

Having said all of this, Sims struggled heavily in several other facets of the game. He has virtually no offensive game outside of the paint and shot just 62% from the line. He was also pretty turnover-prone, averaging 1.1 giveaways per contest despite his extremely low usage. Sims also struggled with foul trouble much of the time and got called for a crazy number of illegal screens.

This season, the 27-year-old will find it much harder to get first-team reps following the arrival of Kel’el Ware. Ware is younger, has a perimeter game, is a better defender, and is a more willing rebounder, meaning there isn’t a real argument for Sims to get more minutes than Ware.

Although he opted into a $2.8m player option this summer, Sims is also reportedly a trade option for the Bucks as they look to clear cap space and accumulate even more draft capital. The Lakers and Knicks have shown interest in acquiring him as a high-energy, versatile backup. His salary would make it very easy for buyers to pick up, and, with Milwaukee managing a crowded big man rotation, he could be on the chopping block come February.

Sims’ athleticism and high work rate helped him log career highs and work his way into the Bucks rotation throughout last season, but it’s his small, expiring contract that could make him especially useful to general manager Jon Horst and the Bucks front office.

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Who’s next in our Ranking the Roster series?

Dylan Harper may have not been crowned the 2026 Rookie of the Year, but he had some of the best stats from his draft class, not to mention making his way to the NBA Finals.

Ata recent auction, his rookie card went for a whopping $320,860.

The All-Time Highest Public Sale for any Dylan Harper Card!

Final Sale Price on this 2025-26 Bowman Chrome Autographs SuperFractor Dylan Harper Signed Rookie Card: $320,860

Email Sell@Goldin.com to consign your Harper Items to one of our upcoming Elite Auctions! pic.twitter.com/1g478xo2Mx

— Goldin (@GoldinCo) September 20, 2026

According to Goldin Auction, 2025-26 Bowman Chrome Autographs SuperFractor Dylan Harper autographed rookie card achieved the largest payday for a public auction.

Harpers cars are a hot commodity. He recently also had an autographed 2025 Topps Chrome SuperFractor sell for $280,000. The card was one of a kind and graded a 7 by Professional Sports Authenticator Collectors Club. A 7 has been as assessed as near mint condition.

Collecting Spurs memorabilia is one thing, but the kind of cash it takes to obtain these types of mementos is next level. For now, I’ll stick to my bobblehead nights and t-shirt giveaways.

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With a new NBA season on the horizon, I decided it was time to run one final NBA 2K27 simulation.

The goals were simple:

Could Cooper Flagg become an MVP?

Could the Mavs win an NBA championship with their current roster as the core?

And, perhaps most importantly:

How far can this version of the Mavericks actually go?

The rules

No trades.

It’s too easy in fandom to start adding Cade Cunningham or both Thompson twins and run amok across depleted rosters. Instead, I wanted to see how far this core could take us.

Whatever the front office has built, Cooper has to make it work.

Whatever young players develop, they develop.

Whatever weaknesses show up, we have to live with them.

And if Dallas eventually needs to make a move?

Too bad. I already took the trade machine away.

This isn’t about building the perfect Mavericks team.

It’s about finding out whether the team they actually have can become the perfect version of themselves.

And, well, we know how Year 1 went.

Year 1

Cooper Flagg wins Rookie of the Year.

The rest of the season?

Basically a horror movie.

Moving on.

Year 2

Things get better.

The Mavs win the NBA Cup, with Cooper Flagg taking home Cup MVP honors.

Dallas then beats the Spurs in the playoffs before eventually losing in the Western Conference Finals.

Progress!

One series away.

Ahead of schedule and The Mavs are building something.

Year 3

OK.

This is getting ridiculous.

Cooper Flagg averages 32.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG and 6 APG and wins MVP, becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history.

And he’s not alone.

Risacher wins both Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player.

The Mavs make it all the way to the NBA Finals.

Amazing.

And then they lose to the Detroit Pistons in six games. Maybe we should have traded for Cade Cunningham after all.

Was that the Mavs’ chance?

One series short again?

I hope not.

Let’s keep going.

Year 4

Cooper Flagg makes All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive Second Team.

And then…

The Mavs draw a tough matchup and lose in the first round to the Spurs.

Of course they do.

Kyrie retires as a Dallas Maverick, which is sad- but bittersweet.

We draft a new point guard with the Lakers’ pick.

And then we move on.

Year 5

Cooper Flagg has really come into his own at this point.

He’s now a 96 overall in NBA 2K and averages 32 PPG, 10 RPG and 5 APG.

He wins his second MVP.

He also wins Clutch Player of the Year, makes All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team.

Wow.

What a year.

And yet…

It still doesn’t translate into playoff success.

The Mavs lose in the second round to the Timberwolves.

At this point, this is all starting to feel a little too much like 2007 Dallas Mavericks, isn’t it?

The power of Dirk compelled me forward.

Year 6

Year 6 feels almost… ho-hum.

Cooper is once again All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team.

The Mavs enter the playoffs as the No. 4 seed.

And honestly?

It feels like organizational-pressure time in 2K.

No more excuses.

Round 1: Portland

Win.

Round 2: Minnesota

Win.

Round 3: San Antonio

Win.

And if you’re paying attention, you know what that means.

We’re exercising some demons from these previous fake playoff runs.

Sound familiar?

Maybe a little 2011-esque?

By the time we reached the Finals, I decided I couldn’t just simulate the entire series at once.

I had to do it game by game.

Game 1: Win.

Game 2: Win.

Game 3: Win.

Are you kidding me?

A sweep?

No.

Surely not.

Game 4: Loss.

Game 5: Loss.

Game 6: Loss.

LET THE NBA 2K CONSPIRACY THEORIES FLY.

What in the David Stern is happening? I’m about to return this digital purchase to Xbox. Maybe it’s been recalled.

And then…

Game 7: Win.

THE MAVS WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP.

Cooper and Sergio are stars in the series.

And yes, Naji, PJ, Gafford, Risacher — they all contributed. We better let Kyrie at the podium.

I’ll also note that Cooper shot 46 percent from three in the Finals. So there it is.

Six years.

Two MVPs for Cooper Flagg.

One NBA championship for The Mavs.

Did I buy a Dallas Mavericks-biased copy of NBA 2K27? I don’t care. Roll the credits.

Play We Are the Champions by Queen. Now we can start the season.

Former Blue Devil Cooper Flagg had a tremendous rookie season last year, winning Rookie of the Year over former roommate and teammate Kon Knueppel.

What will he do for an encore? Well, it’s going to be interesting.

First, many fans think that he’s grown significantly. And at 19, that’s certainly possible. He entered the NBA at 6-9. If he’s now 6-10 or 6-11, with his mobility and skills, he’s that much more of a problem.

But that’s only part of the problem the rest of the NBA faces: according to his trainer, Matt MacKinzie, Flagg has put in the work to be significantly improved this season.

You can be sure he put a lot of time in the weight room as well. If he’s up to, say, 220, that would mean he’s gained 15 pounds. If he’s grown taller as well, he’s going to cause a lot of problems. And if he has improved his outside shooting, he’s going to be a nightmare.

• How tall is Cooper Flagg? Dallas Mavericks’ highly discussed height growth speculation finally got a resp
• Cooper Flagg set to terrorize the entire NBA in 2026-27 according to insider workouts
• Cooper Flagg Leads Talented Group of Mavericks Wings Into 2026-27 Season

Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line

The NBA game forces players into boxes. They’re asked to play specific, and sometimes simple, roles to help the team. The best players can both fit into and transcend that box when they need to.

Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s unorthodox basketball upbringing has made him a unique player. He didn’t play in the AAU circuits or even in high school. Instead, his skills were developed through high-level pick-up games that reward all-around talent rather than someone who is just an expert at one or two things.

Most players come into the league having already been forced into their mold. Tomlin didn’t, meaning he possesses skills that are uncommon for someone in his position. Those are seen most when he’s running in the open court or when attacking off the dribble if a defender closes out too hard.

That versatility is intriguing. Yet, it means little if you ultimately can’t fit into the box that the NBA puts you in. This is what Tomlin needs to figure out this season.

The simplest offensive role for him would be as a stretch four who operates mostly from the corner since he isn’t a pick-and-roll finisher. The Cavs tried him in that role last season, but he struggled to make a positive offensive impact once opponents stopped closing out to him, aside from being a strong offensive rebounder.

You can only attack closeouts if you’ve given your defender a reason to actually close out. Tomlin didn’t do that last season, as he went 26-for-107 (24%) on corner threes. That was the worst percentage for a power forward last season from that spot. That’s on pretty high volume as well, since over a third of his field-goal attempts came from the corner. It’s difficult to envision Tomlin as a valuable member of an NBA offense if this doesn’t drastically change.

Developing a corner three-point shot is easier said than done — especially for someone turning 26 this season. Even though Tomlin is younger than most in terms of basketball developmental years, he isn’t a young player waiting to mature physically. At 26, you typically are who you are.

Similar concerns are there defensively. Tomlin can nominally defend the three and the four, but last season he was often too slow to defend more athletic threes and wasn’t sturdy enough to hold his own in the paint against bulkier fours. This is partially why the Cavs were in the 37th percentile for defensive rebounding percentage when he was on the floor. Tomlin would be better served if he could guard at one of those positions well, as opposed to being in between both.

Tomlin is a jack of many trades, but a master of none. He isn’t a defensive specialist or a marksman. Those archetypes can work on their own, depending on how good a player is at their specialty. However, there isn’t often room on the court for someone who is merely passable at a lot of things. That is most useful if you can fit into a role first, and then expand your game from there.

Tomlin’s path to the league is nothing short of remarkable. His career has been an unquestioned success since the moment he signed his first NBA contract last season. Most players with his backstory don’t make it to this point. Yet, if he’s going to sign another contract or be more than the 13th man on a roster, it’ll be because he finds his role. And he’s running out of time to do so, considering this is the final year of his deal.

This is a make-or-break season for Tomlin.

Steph Curry wants ‘no drama' in Warriors training camp as extension looms large originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

In case you have not heard, Steph Curry does not want to go anywhere.

He has stated his desire to end his NBA career with the Warriors countless times in recent years, and especially this summer. He has made it abundantly clear.

So, despite outside speculation and the national media entertaining unrealistic hypothetical scenarios, the Warriors superstar will remain with the only NBA franchise he has ever known.

For how long and for how much? That remains to be seen.

Curry spoke exclusively with ESPN’s Anthony Slater on Wednesday, where he addressed his looming contract extension, which he became eligible to sign starting Aug. 29, with Warriors media day and training camp taking place next week.

“I don’t want there to be no drama,” Curry told Slater. “No talking points. This team should be competitive and go win.”

“[The contract] is going to happen at the right time, once I have all the information I need to make the decision that is right. The team’s been great having that conversation back and forth. If I don’t sign, it won’t affect me in terms of my play or carrying that weight. But I’ll make the decision when I’m ready.”

The Warriors reportedly have presented Curry with different contract options to choose from, including signing the two-year, $136.7 million max extension he is eligible for off his current $62.6 million expiring deal for the 2026-27 NBA season, or a deal with slightly less money that is structured to give both him and the team more flexibility with future decision-making.

If Curry signs the max extension, it will significantly lower Golden State’s projected salary cap space next summer. With their current expiring contracts, including Curry ($62.5M), Draymond Green ($27.6M) and Jimmy Butler ($58.6M), the Warriors are projected to have more than $100 million in cap space next summer.

“We’re in a very interesting situation,” Curry explained to Slater. “All the different salary cap conditions of whether I sign for a max or less or whatever it is, I want to be on a competitive team. I want to have an opportunity to have some flexibility because we haven’t had that in years past, the recent past.

“… This team should have flexibility to make necessary moves if things happen. Those are always just the considerations. For me, information and patience is key. It’s just a very unique situation all the way around based on where we’ve been the last four years, where I’m at in my career, what our team looks like this year and the absolute desperation to win. Trying to balance all that.”

It is unclear what direction Curry will go in with his next contract, but it’s safe to assume he always has the organization’s best interest in mind when making such big decisions about his future on the court.

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Let us rewind for a moment.

It is June 18, 2026. The New York Knicks are finally NBA Champions, parading through the Canyon of Heroes amongst an expansive sea of orange-and-blue faithful. Jalen Brunson takes the microphone, holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy over his head, ready to address a fanbase that has waited for this moment since 1973. When he speaks, he rightfully takes the time to acknowledge his teammates and thank his coaches. But he doesn’t stop there. He also takes time to address the people he’s used as motivation for as long as he can remember—the haters.

Of course, some may view this as holding a grudge. But this isn’t the Michael Jordan Hall of Fame speech 2.0. These words don’t reflect pettiness on Brunson’s part. Instead, it highlights the true foundation of his success. His quiet and relentless edge and determination to silence doubters made him the reigning king of New York and a poster child for underdogs everywhere.

As summer comes to an end and training camp draws near, the traits that led Brunson to an NBA Championship also shine through in a different avenue. His family officially launched a management group. It is a new advisory firm dedicated to supporting athletes, executives, and NIL talent.

What’s the name of this firm? Well, it’s Thirty-Third.

On thirty-two separate occasions during the 2018 NBA Draft, front offices looked at the resume of one of the most decorated amateur basketball players. They said, “no thanks,” and went in a different direction. It took until the 33rd pick for Dallas to call his name and make him a Maverick. When you look at his pre-draft bragging list, it’s hard to fathom how a player with that much success could fall to the second round.

Let’s have a read through his accomplishments. I bet you can’t get through it without your eyes watering up and forcing you to blink (thanks for that one, Russell Richardson).

In 2014, he won gold with FIBA Americas at 18. A year later, he was an Illinois Class 4A Champion, the state’s Mr. Basketball, a McDonald’s All-American, and the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. Then, he went to the FIBA Under-19 World Cup, won gold, made the All-Tournament Team, and took home MVP. That was all before he arrived at Villanova.

As a freshman Wildcat, he won a national championship. By his junior year, he didn’t win another title; he brought home all the glory. He was the consensus National College Player of the Year. He took home both the Wooden and Naismith Awards. He won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard. He earned AP, USBWA, NABC, and Sporting News Player of the Year honors. He was a first-team All-American and the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Today, his jersey hangs in Villanova’s rafters, providing him a place among collegiate immortality.

Still, NBA talent evaluators scoffed at the idea that Brunson would amount to anything notable after college. Even with all the evidence to the contrary, 32 other names that did not rhyme with “Falen Dunson” came through the speakers. They paid closer attention to his height, or lack thereof, than to his footwork. They focused on his vertical instead of his efficiency. Others’ misfortunes translated into a draft steal for the Mavericks.

Crazily enough, they ended up underestimating him too.

The draft-night disrespect was only the opening scene of a story flooded with underappreciation and nonsensical criticism. The haters followed him to Dallas, where the Mavericks brass showed their incompetent roster-management skills more than once. We’re not even talking about Luka here!

After landing the steal of the century, the Mavs never truly recognized Brunson’s value. Eligible for a contract extension before the 2021-22 season, Brunson’s team put a four-year, $55 million deal on the table. Given the financial climate, this was a huge bargain for Dallas and a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the Mav brass looked the old gift horse in the mouth (or whatever that saying is) and hesitated. They prefer the reliable “wait-and-see approach,” claiming they needed to evaluate a sample size before committing that much green.

Then Luka got hurt, allowing Brunson to step into the primary role, where he brilliantly orchestrated the offense. Even with all the chips on their side of the table, Brunson’s camp went back to the front office and said they were still willing to commit to the prior deal. Unfortunately, it takes two to tango, and Dallas wasn’t in the mood to dance.

By the time the Mavs realized they needed to pay the man, the price went up, and the relationship was rockier than the Shipwreck Coast in Australia. Look it up; it’s real rocky.

Of course, one team’s failure is another one’s success. Dallas’s fumbling of the Brunson situation led to good old Uncle Leon swooping in and bringing him to the Knicks on a four-year, $104 million contract.

Surprisingly (not), the media pooped all over that decision.

The reaction to the signing was incredibly negative. Critics laughed at the Knicks for committing that kind of money to a “role player.” Bleacher Report even went so far as to grade the acquisition a C. To many “experts,” the Knicks overpaid for a secondary piece who made his name by riding Luka’s coattails.

Even as Brunson immediately changed the culture of a cursed franchise, new avenues for doubt emerged. He led New York to the playoffs, earned an All-Star spot, made the All-NBA Second Team, and became the Garden’s go-to guy. Still, the chuckleheads behind desks and cameras would not retreat. Becky Hammon even went on national television and told the world that even though Brunson was a phenomenal talent, a team couldn’t win with a 6-foot-2 guard as their “1A.”

He faced the same skepticism on draft night. This time, the audience was bigger… by a lot. None of it was about his production. Instead, it was about old rules chiseled in stone: “short” dudes can’t lead a team to the promised land.

Of course, Brunson went and smashed that old stone to bits.

He won NBA Clutch Player of the Year. He led the team to the NBA Cup and won the tournament MVP. Then, in a postseason where everybody could find reasons the Sixers, Cavs, and Spurs would beat the Knicks, Brunson went and won a flippin’ championship.

At 30, “Captain Clutch” keeps silencing doubters. He proved Dallas wrong. He proved 32 teams that passed on him wrong. He even forced the media to eat their previous statements and admit that he was indeed a 1A superstar.

A complete masterstroke, starting Thirty-Third is the ultimate “nanny-nanny” to everyone who attached the word “nope” to his name. By focusing on athletes, executives, and underserved markets like women’s professional sports, Brunson and his family are building something to help others avoid the same challenges he was forced to navigate. They are ensuring talent and production drive value, not preconceived notions and archaic scouting philosophies.

Undervalued at every single turn of his basketball life, Brunson never altered his game or mindset. He took on the disrespect and burned the pillars of unjustified criticism to the ground. Once the thirty-third pick, he is now a champion, finally silencing the haters who fueled his flame.

Ramp to Camp: Who will be the Celtics' X-factor this season? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Which member of the Boston Celtics is most likely to elevate the ceiling of the team based on their play during the 2026-27 season?

In the latest installment of our Ramp to Camp series, we asked our panel to predict the one player — not named Jayson Tatum — who might emerge as the biggest X-factor in Boston’s overall success this season.

The way we look at it: Tatum sets a high floor for Boston’s season based on his MVP potential, but the complementary pieces around him might ultimately determine Boston’s ceiling.

So who is capable of pushing that ceiling the highest?

Our panel landed on three different choices and we could certainly make an argument for each of them. Derrick White is vital to winning basketball and finding his shot would undeniably aid Boston’s chances of success. If Hugo Gonzalez or any of the team’s stable of young wings have a breakout season it would help fill the obvious void left by Jaylen Brown’s departure. And we are quite bullish on the Neemias Queta/Mitchell Robinson pairing and the energy that duo can bring at a souped-up center position.

But our choice for Boston’s 2026-27 X-factor is Paul George.

It’s been well established throughout this series that it’s unfair to suggest that George, at age 36, is a 1-for-1 replacement for Brown’s production. Brown is coming off a top-6 finish in MVP voting in his age 29 season. They are two different players and Boston is banking, in part, that George’s skillset might better complement Tatum at this stage of their careers.

If the Celtics are able to keep George upright for 50-plus games, and if George’s postseason play resembles anything close to what we saw against the Celtics in Round 1 of the playoffs in April, then Boston will outkick outsider expectations.

If George can’t stay healthy and struggles to maintain his impact at an advanced age, it narrows the margin for error throughout the roster. Tatum has to be Superman, even as he’s still working his way back to full health, all while White and Pritchard have to find even more consistency with their offensive output.

George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals over 30.7 minutes per game last season. A Philadelphia team with a negative net rating for the regular season was +3.6 points per 100 possessions with George on the court.

George can play off the ball and punish opponents as a 3-point threat if teams put too much attention on Tatum.  His turnover percentage was basically a career low last season, and he averaged 10.2 potential assists per 100 possessions, including 2.7 rim assists per 100 (a mark that ranked in the 88th percentile for his position). He can still cause havoc on the defensive end and generate a bunch of turnovers with his length.

Invariably, the conversation comes back to health. If George is Boston’s X-factor, then they are leaning heavy on a player that has played north of 56 games just once in the past seven seasons. He totaled 78 regular-season games in two seasons with Philadelphia, including 37 a year ago.

But listen to George gush about how he feels entering the 2026-27 season and you can convince yourself quickly that he can still raise this team’s ceiling with his play. There’s nothing left for him to accomplish, individually, at this stage of his career, even if he is playing for maybe one more contract.

We asked George what motivates him now at age 36.

“That I’ve never won a championship,” he said. “And, as you get older, you look back on the years, and obviously two years in Philadelphia — not wasted in terms of the team not having a chance but just physically not being able to give everything I have because of my body. And so to be on the other end of that now, that’s what I’m gunning for.

“And [a title is] the only thing on my mind. I’ve learned how to be the 1 guy, I’ve learned how to play off guys. You learn all of these things in your career and I think now it’s time to put it all on the table and give everything you have to try to be the last team standing.”

If the Celtics want to be the last team standing, George is the X-factor, and they need to keep him standing.

Josh Canu: Editor

Hugo Gonzalez. The hype continues to grow with Gonzalez and understandably so. He plays Celtics basketball the way Joe Mazzulla wants it to be played — with effort, hustle, defense, and passion. If the Celtics overachieve this season it will be because Gonzalez took a massive leap. I expect guys like Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, and Sam Hauser to step up as well, but Gonzalez has the best chance to be the X-factor that could vault the Celtics up the standings.

Justin Leger: Producer, Multi-Platform Content

The obvious answer is Derrick White. The Celtics reach a whole new level of dangerous when his shots are falling. However, I’m going to go in a different direction here and say Mitchell Robinson is the biggest X-factor. Boston’s lack of frontcourt depth was glaring in its first-round playoff loss to Philly. Is Robinson the answer?

Nick Goss: Producer, Multi-Platform Content

Derrick White. His defense has been great, but he cannot shoot 32.7 percent from 3-point range again. He needs to be able to consistently hit outside shots if this team is going to be successful in the playoffs.

Michael Hurley: Producer, Multi-Platform Content

I’m going with Hugo Gonzalez. He obviously had some massive swings last year but he was also a teenager. That year of experience will be huge for him as he continues to carve out a do-it-all role under Joe Mazzulla.

Kevin Miller: Vice President, Content Creation & Strategy

Mitchell Robinson/Neemias Queta. If that duo’s offensive rebound percentage is near the top of the league, there will be big success for this team in the regular season.

Jason Levine: Executive Producer, Content Integrations

It’s gotta be my guy, Hugo. If he can be a 3-and-D guy, at minimum playing 25 minutes per night, that’s a win. But I think we have to wait until Year 3 to see any more than that.

Bruce Thornton

The Rockets traded into Thornton in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft, and the Rockets immediately got some nice surprises in Summer League from the 6’2” point guard. During his performance in Vegas this summer, Thornton averaged 18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assist, 2.6 steals, and 40 percent from the three-point line. He had big scoring nights of 27 and 23. The issue for the 23-year-old from Ohio State is that the Rockets suddenly have a crowded point guard room. Fred VanVleet is back in the fold, Reed Sheppard will be looking for more minutes this year, Marcus Smart was signed as a free agent, and Amen Thompson can also play some point guard as well. Point guard minutes might be tough to come by. But the rookie has some downhill playmaking chops that the Rockets currently lack, and if he can prove himself stout enough defensively, there’s still a chance to get on the court for Ime Udoka.

Oscar Tshiebwe

Tshiebwe signed with the Rockets this past summer after spending his previous two seasons with the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz organizations. He was a two-way player at both organizations, spending time with the G League affiliates and with the varsity. The 6’8” center, despite being undersized, is a voracious rebounder, so he will fit right in alongside Steven Adams in Houston’s center rotation. In 2024, Tshiebwe earned G League Rookie of the Year after setting a new league record for rebounding, averaging 16.2 boards per night that year. His combined stats for his two seasons in the G League are 14.5 points, 16 boards, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks. He shot 56 percent from the field. However, being that he is more of a traditional center, he’s not much for floor-spacing shooting. He also got some extended run in the Association for the Jazz last year, playing in 27 games for Utah and averaging 16.6 minutes per night. He brought in averages of 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on 61.3 percent shooting. With the Rockets organization seemingly reluctant to play Clint Capela more (he might be cooked), Tshiebwe could find himself with some back up center minutes. Especially if the oft-injured Adams happens to go down again.