Category: NBA

It was a tough offseason for the Warriors, who didn’t make any big moves and will enter this season without championship-contending expectations. 

But there’s something to be excited about.   

Yaxel Lendeborg is proving to be everything the Warriors hoped for when they selected him with the 11th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft. 

The 6-foot-9 forward is a crafty scorer, skilled playmaker and strong rebounder, all things the Warriors need with Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis out. 

In the Warriors’ exhibition game against the Lakers on Tuesday, Lendeborg finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot. It was his second preseason game with nine rebounds. 

“I think it’s a lot easier to get rebounds here,” Lendeborg said. “In college, the paint was always packed and there’s always somebody coming out of nowhere to rebound.

“These guys, I feel they’re more lazy to get the rebounds. I’m having clear-shot rebounds by myself. It’s crazy. I feel like I’ll have a lot of rebounding games where I’ll have like, nine to 12, something like that.”

That’s an exciting prospect for the Warriors, considering most incoming NBA players feel out of sorts while adjusting to a sped-up game with bigger and stronger competitors. 

Lendeborg appears to be having the opposite reaction. 

For him, this is easier than anticipated. 

The Warriors selected Lendeborg because they were hoping he was NBA ready. He’s 24 years old, which is typically a demerit on draft boards for teams coveting young talent who they can develop. 

But for the Warriors, who have aging stars, including the 38-year-old Steph Curry, 36-year-old Draymond Green and 37-year-old Butler, acquiring a player who could make an immediate contribution was the team’s priority. 

For those guys, the window to compete is now. And it’s closing. The franchise needs to do everything possible to prop it open a bit longer.

Lendeborg appears poised to enter the lineup and make a difference. 

Against the Lakers, he scored all 17 of his points in the first half on 7-for-11 shooting, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. His 9 rebounds were a game-high. 

Of course, all of this has to be taken with a grain of salt. It was an exhibition game. The Lakers were without their three stars in Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, the latter of whom is an elite rebounder. 

But still, Lendeborg has turned heads ever since the Warriors drafted him. 

He went from carrying Michigan to a national championship to leading the Warriors’ summer league team to a title in Las Vegas, including finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in the championship game against the Grizzlies.

Lendeborg appears to be the real deal. He’s unafraid. He’s ready. 

When it comes to the Warriors, who won four championships in eight years from 2015-2022 before failing to get past the second round of the playoffs the last four years, that’s some much-needed great news. 

In what was otherwise a very uneventful offseason, Lendeborg is proving to be a beacon of hope for the league’s modern day dynasty that’s trying to swim upstream once again.

Who: Phoenix Suns (0-1) vs. Chicago Bulls (0-0)

When: 5:00pm Arizona Time

Where: United Center — Chicago, Illinois

Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, Suns+

Listen: KMVP 98.7

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The Suns checked out of Heartbreak Hotel with a one-point loss in preseason game number one. That hotel is kind of like the one you check into for five hours of shut-eye on a long trip – not memorable – as these games don’t count. 

Our starters were mostly solid, and the team built a 19-point first-half lead. Things got sloppy as the team committed 22 second-half turnovers. Coach Jordan Ott will want to see a cleaner game tonight, especially as the Suns have had a game to dust things off while the Bulls are playing their opener. This is Tiago Splitter’s first game as Chicago’s head coach.  

It’s another chance to monitor all those season storylines: how it looks during the minutes Phoenix’s starters play, which players fighting for rotation spots perform well with the core, and who steps up on the back end of the roster.

Tale of the Tape

All of the statistics listed below are from last season.

Probable Starters

Injury Report

Suns

• Mark Williams — OUT (Shoulder)

Bulls

• Nicolas Claxton — OUT (Hamstring)
• Zach Collins — Game Time Decision (Toe)

What to Watch For

• Game one was a nice first step for integrating Miles Bridges with the starters. Will his overall game continue to gel?
• Per an SI interview on Tuesday, coach Splitter said of his two young starting forwards, “I want them to be a little more aggressive, dictating the offense instead of just waiting to attack.” This is a good opportunity to see how the Suns’ switchable defenders, such as Brooks, Bridges, and bench mobsters Rasher Fleming, Jordan Goodwin, and Koa Peat, perform.
• Will the free-throw shooting improve? Special attention to this for players such as Ighadaro, Fleming, Peat, and Khaman Maluach, who shot a combined 1-for-10 in the preseason game 1.
• Will Maluach get more run with the starters to see how that may look going forward? Or does it appear Ott is set on giving the rookie more time before being thrust into the starting lineup?

Keys to a Suns Win

1. Play a clean game with fewer lost possessions, as seen in the second half Monday night. The preseason can set a tone, and one that includes sloppy ball control is not the tone we want.
2. New Bulls guard Norman Powell seems to go off on the Suns, as evidenced by three 20-point games in his last four matchups. Can he be defended soundly without unnecessary fouls or wide-open three-point looks?
3. The Suns’ center rotation takes advantage of Jalen Smith and a dinged-up big man crew for Chicago.

Prediction

Suns get the W in sound fashion, continuing to show the first unit’s potential and shooting better at the stripe, while taking advantage of the Bulls’ first-game sloppiness.

Suns 112, Chicago 98

A prevailing theme of the offseason, media day and the preseason has been Quentin Grimes’ prominent role on this Los Angeles Lakers team. His offensive punch as a shooter, driver and connective passer is appealing — and perhaps vital to Los Angeles reaching its ceiling on that end — but the Lakers are also hoping he can rediscover the defensive form he showed earlier in his career.

Thus far, through training camp and two preseason games, head coach JJ Redick is pleased with Grimes’ all-around performance. He scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting Monday night against the Sacramento Kings before following that up with 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors.

“I think he’s a guy that, If needed, can create some advantages and, for that second-side action, can finish advantages offensively,” Redick told reporters following Los Angeles’ 124-98 defeat to the Warriors. “I think his commitment to the defensive end has been really good throughout camp and in these first two games. We’re excited about him.”

Grimes seems nearly entrenched as a starter alongside Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, so his off-ball scoring and perimeter defense are crucial to his fit in the starting unit. He has plenty of experience thriving next to ball-dominant creators (Dončić himself included) and taking on arduous defensive assignments every night, so the blueprint for success is there.

Most intriguing about Redick’s comments above is believing Grimes “can create some advantages” himself. Presumably, much of the offense will flow through Dončić and Reaves but how much bandwidth might Grimes receive to initiate the occasional pick-and-roll or dribble handoff? He handled the ball fairly often during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers but they didn’t have the wealth of perimeter creation that Los Angeles does.

Still, it’s worth monitoring the level of freedom Redick grants Grimes in this offense, given the confidence he seems to have in his skill-set, and whether Grimes can maximize those opportunities. The play-finishing and perimeter defense are the most important elements but it’s possible he provides a bit more to make the Lakers an even more dangerous group offensively.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

There’s only been one preseason game and there’s already a laundry list of injuries. Sixers basketball could not be more back.

While Ariel Hukporti’s achilles injury is the only ailment that poses long-term problems for the Sixers, Nick Nurse had an update on three other players who’ve picked up bumps and bruises so far this preseason.

Dominick Barlow is still not practicing with what has been described as a back issue. Anfernee Simons was a partial participant with hamstring tightness. A hamstring issue is never what you want to hear, but at least it’s not related to the hand injury that plagued Simons last season.

Adem Bona seems to be progressing as the team had hoped. He is back on the court doing work as well as they get closer to the two weeks into training camp timeline the team gave when his injury was first announced. Unsurprisingly, all three players have already been ruled out for Thursday’s preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets.

While the Sixers wait for them to get back on the floor, especially the two guys in the front court, it appears to be all hands on deck to fill those backup center minutes. Nurse basically said that every front court player on the roster — even LeBron James — could be an option to play backup center minutes behind Joel Embiid.

“Dean [Wade] would be another candidate, I guess,” Nurse said. “If you call him a small five — he’s pretty good sized. I think LeBron is another candidate. I think he’s played some small-ball five as well. How many is that? That’s like four or five guys. So I think that we know probably go with that crew, unless something else emerges.”

While they try to figure out the backup center position on the fly, it looks like most of the big names will be available for Thursday’s game. Nurse said he’s hoping to get majority of their guys on the floor. It sounds like it could be the first (preseason) basketball game LeBron James plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.

“We should be able to get a majority of the guys out there tomorrow,” Nurse said. “Again, we’ll see. Was a pretty rough and physical today practice, so see how everybody comes out of it. We should be able to get them out there tomorrow.”

Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis is on the last year of his current contract. While it was known that serious negotiations wouldn’t begin until after the 2026-27 season, it’s also likely that he will not get a maximum contract, according to David Aldridge and Joshua Robbins of The Athletic. Here is a snippet from their article.

It is well known among other NBA teams that Davis, who holds a $62.8 million player option that he can exercise for the 2027-28 season, wants a contract extension or a new deal that would pay him at, or very near, maximum salaries. If he were to turn down his player option now, Davis would be eligible for up to a four-year extension, through the 2030-31 season, worth as much as $275 million total.

…

But there’s almost no chance the Wizards will give him that max extension — not with his injury history, not at his age, not with the team in this stage of its development and the punitive first and second aprons looming.

The Wizards are also trying to maintain salary flexibility over the medium term as they look to be competitive this season and beyond. After all, most of Washington’s key players are still on their rookie contracts.

Do you see Davis staying beyond 2026-27? Let us know in the comments below.

Oregon men's basketball coach Dana Altman is retiring, the program has announced: a stunning move, particularly since it takes place less than one month before the 2026-27 season begins.

Longtime assistant coach and former DePaul coach Tony Stubblefield will serve as the interim coach for the upcoming season, while Oregon said it will search for a permanent coach after the season.

REQUIRED READING: Michigan State or Illinois? Big Ten basketball preseason poll reveals razor-thin favorite

"I've loved every minute of coaching here, and stepping away is difficult and truly painful. I love coaching, it's what I know best and what I've been fortunate enough to do for almost five decades. I'm going to miss my coaches, my players and our incredible fans more than I can express," Altman said in a statement. "But I know this is the right thing to do at this time."

The winningest coach in program history, Altman has been at Oregon since 2010. He made the Ducks a consistent contender during his 16 seasons in Eugene, winning four Pac-12 regular-season title and four Pac-12 Tournament championships. He led the team to nine NCAA tournament berths, including four trips to the Sweet 16, two to the Elite Eight and the 2017 Final Four that was the program's first appearance in 78 years.

However, Altman is coming off his worst season of his tenure. Injuries and inconsistent play led to a 12-20 record and a 5-15 mark in the Big Ten that resulted in a 15th-place finish, the first time Oregon had finished worse than eighth in its conference and didn't win at least 20 games.

There was massive turnover on Oregon's roster going into the 2026-27 season, as well.

The timing of the decision is notable, considering the preparation for the 2026-27 season is in full swing. Oregon is set to participate in Big Ten media days on Thursday, Oct. 8, and its first scrimmage is scheduled against Seattle on Oct. 15. The Ducks officially kick off the season on Nov. 2 against Montana.

Why did Dana Altman retire?

Altman said in a press conference his energy was low and he took two weeks off in August hoping "my energy would return, and it didn't."

"Some people I trust and truly respect told me just delegate more and take it easier, back off a little bit, and I tried that for a couple weeks in September, and that's not me. It's not what I've done for 37 years," he said. "I looked in the mirror, and I'd be a hypocrite if I lied to myself and said I was the best coach for the job."

The former coach added that his health also played a factor, but he isn't facing anything serious.

"I had a physical last month, and I'm not as healthy as I should be, and not as healthy as I want to be," Altman said. "Nothing serious, nothing life-threatening, nothing like that. But I'm 68, and I want to hang around for a while."

Dana Altman record

Altman finishes with a record of 382-182 with Oregon. Combined with his tenures at Marshall, Kansas State and Creighton, Altman has a 792-425 record in 37 seasons as a Division I coach, the 15th-most wins in NCAA history.

Dana Altman age

Altman turned 68 years old on June 16. He began coaching in the 1980-81 basketball season as an assistant at Western Colorado. He had his first Division I head coaching job at Marshall in 1989-90, then Kansas State (1990-94), Creighton (1994-2010) and Oregon (2010-26).

Who is replacing Dana Altman? What to know of Tony Stubblefield

Oregon's coach for the 2026-27 season will be Tony Stubblefield, who is very familiar with the Ducks after spending 13 seasons on Altman's staff. He arrived with Altman in 2010 and spent 11 seasons as an assistant, including on the 2017 Final Four team.

Stubblefield got his first head coaching role at DePaul in 2021. After he led the Blue Demons to 15 wins in his first season, he was unable to build on it and was fired midway through his third season in 2023-24. He finished his tenure with a 28-54 record.

He returned to Oregon in 2024 and has been with the team for the past two seasons.

Stubblefield will hold a virtual news conference at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oregon basketball coach Dana Altman retiring less than one month before season starts

While NBA 2K doesn’t necessarily have a total monopoly on licensed NBA video games, it can sometimes feel like it’s the only shop in town, abusing its position to treat consumers badly. There have been years of griping about the game design and business practices that go into NBA 2K — criticism most of the major sporting franchises face — but consumers are taking the shuttering of 2K25’s online modes harder than usual.

2K is delisting NBA 2K25 after just two years

Its online servers will shut down, making even the single player modes unplayable pic.twitter.com/RYLPNoNOwG

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) October 7, 2026

Dexerto’s post has wording that moderately oversimplifies the circumstances. 25 will still be able to be played single player and offline, but, as the article by Cande Maldonado expands upon, the MyCareer and MyTeam modes will become unavailable.

The MyCareer mode, allowing players to create their own NBA stars, has been a cornerstone of the 2K product for years at this point, but since 2019’s NBA 2K20, MyCareer has been irrevocably tied to the game’s online services, which routinely stop being offered roughly two years into the product’s lifespan.

This means that customers are getting a relatively short lifespan out of a purchase that comes upwards of 80 Canadian dollars for its latest entry.

2K’s explanation for this is that “continuing to run online services for both our newer and legacy titles becomes commercially unfeasible,” which from a corporate perspective makes sense, but from a game design perspective, is ludicrous.

MyCareer, historically, was offered as a mode that could be played completely offline, and it was an intentional decision to over-incorporate online features into this part of play. While this has been an ongoing business practice, this year, fans are especially upset, and are directing their ire at NBA 2K.

Utter horseshit, but what the hell else is new from you, huh?https://t.co/JfaqovEtECpic.twitter.com/LLFSJSvnyn

— Matthew Johnson (@McJohnson922) October 5, 2026

This Tweet is one of many that expresses frustration towards the 2K franchise, which, as a whole, is not out of the ordinary. Fans of the series complain endlessly about every new game that comes out. To editorialize, the player-base of NBA 2K is in a state of near-constant unrest over updates, monetization, and perceived lack of care that the business side of the game puts into its releases.

While the incessant complaining might seem to be mere petulance (and in some cases, it is), the culture surrounding 2K is one that promotes large scale spending of real dollars for people to create virtual ballplayers, specifically in the MyCareer mode.

NBA 2K is one of its parent company, Take-Two Interactive’s, biggest moneymakers, responsible in large part for a roughly 25% increase in net revenue earlier this year, to the tune of $1.7 billion dollars.

It is a running thread in the community that NBA 2K players express frustration for the state of the game and its aggressive monetization, but follow their comments up by acknowledging that consumers are willing to pay any sum of money to play 2K, regardless of the quality of the title. And it is these types of perspectives that in part drive the type of consumer practices that Take-Two feel they’re able to get away with.

While the behaviour of Take-Two might not be different this year, the reaction from players has certainly been taken up a notch. And while a mass-movement to boycott the game, or call for some reform, could happen, it is unlikely. At this point, any competition is either defunct, in the case of NBA Live, or in a state of infancy, in the case of NBA The Run.

It’s certainly possible for some change in business practices to occur, but until there is either some serious competition, or its player-base shrinks massively, there is little hope for the NBA 2K product to improve in a meaningful sense. Fans of 2K treat the game in such a manner that there is relatively inelastic demand for its services at this point.

To paraphrase Ronald Wright, 2K getting better hasn’t happened yet because its players do not see themselves as exploited consumers, rather, as temporarily embarrassed NBA stars. Hopefully, a hard look in the mirror comes soon for the gamers.

In the spirit of overreacting to one preseason game, everyone is overreacting to Detroit’s preseason opening win against the Phoenix Suns. I am just as guilty as everyone else, but I think people are misdiagnosing the thing worth getting most excited about.

Ausar Thompson, fresh off of signing a new five-year, $155 million deal to become a core member of Detroit’s contending future showed out in his limited minutes against the Suns. The defensive forward scored 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go with three steals, a couple rebounds, and a couple of assists. Nothing eye-popping, to be sure. So what has everyone excited? The shooting stroke looked clean and the 12-footers were going down. The vision was sharp. The passes were crisp. People walked away thinking he suddenly developed a jump shot or a distributor. That’s true, in a sense, but he’s had those short jumpers in his bag for a while and his vision has always been good.

The true revelation, and the thing that could unlock his game and the Pistons’ potential, is his handle. He looked so much more confident in running the offense and navigating multiple defenders and reads because the handle was tight, and he was in total control of the ball. He could better execute what he’s always seen and processed. In previous years, the handle was so loose that he was dangerously turnover-prone and might be a step or two late with his passes. Not against the Suns. It was peak efficiency (for a non-shooter).

More specifically, it’s the kind of execution that turns Thompson from a total offensive liability that could be schemed against and played off the floor during the playoffs, and suddenly becomes a weapon that allows you to play as many minutes as your endurance and the situation dictate.

Everyone, including the Pistons, knew Thompson’s perimeter shot was lightyears away if it ever comes at all. If he is ever going to be a plus offensive player, it was always going to be because he has the ball in his hands with the ability to use his athleticism and his processing to find opportunities for himself and for teammates closer to the rim. The Pistons wanted to develop those talents last season, but it barely lasted 10 games. They were forced to pivot because it became clear his handle was so janky that it was effectively self-destructive.

At Pistons media day, Ausar talked a lot about being open to being more selfish, which really meant being more aggressive with the ball in his hands.

“I feel like the way I was working on it was stepping out of my comfort zone. You know, being even extra aggressive. Sometimes, you know, I make a lot of the right reads, so sometimes you know, just be a little selfish,” Thompson said.

A Thompson with a tight handle can certainly be more aggressive and, yes, selfish. He will more effectively use his burst to get to the free-throw line, dish out to open teammates when defenders collapse on him, and navigate pick-and-rolls or hedging defenders.

It also allows him to get to his own spots where he will have a more confident and smoother transition into his jumper, even if the range of said jumper is limited to about 16 feet out. Space is space, and a Thompson with an improved handle can create space and take advantage of the space created by his teammates.

That doesn’t mean that Ausar is suddenly destined to score 18 points a game or average seven assists tonight. But it does mean he would have an offensive role on the floor as a primary or secondary ball handler, in high-leverage situations. More importantly, it keeps his All-NBA defense on the floor as much as possible.

It is the kind of thing the Pistons need to be contenders. Ausar showed the promise of the offseason in Game 1 of preseason. React accordingly.

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s unusual for an NBA coach to willingly use their first timeout in the opening minute of a game.

But that’s exactly what Lakers coach JJ Redick did during his short-handed team’s 124-98 blowout loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night at Chase Center after an “insane” start to the game, as Redick put it.

Even within the context of the Lakers being without a significant part of the roster that’s expected to be in their rotation come Opening Night against the Warriors in two weeks. 

The Lakers started Tuesday’s against the Warriors with an offensive possession that nearly used up the entire 24-second shot clock before Sandro Mamukelashvili drove into the paint and turned the ball over, sparking a Warriors fastbreak that ended with Brandin Podziemski knocking down a 3-pointer off a second-chance opportunity.

By the Lakers’ next possession, Redick had already seen enough. 

After just a couple of passes after his team got the ball back, the Lakers coach got up from his seat on the team’s bence to signal for a timeout 52 seconds into the game. 

“When you draw up a first play, and then give them a second play that is a play we’ve scripted for ten days, or whatever it’s been, and they don’t run either correctly, that’s unacceptable,” Redick said. “You’re not ready to play. That got us off to a poor start.”

The Lakers’ poor start spiraled into a bad first half. 

The Warriors jumped out a 45-31 lead at the end of the opening quarter, and led 81-53 entering halftime.

“The way we started that game was insane,” Redick said. “I don’t know the reasons why, because this group has been awesome for the two months I’ve been around them. The first half was unacceptable.”

Redick made sure his players knew his feeling during halftime. 

“I feel like being out there already, we kind of already know that we had to get in under control,” Adou Thiero said. “So coming in and being able to talk about it at halftime, JJ came in and he just let us know straight forward what it was.”

The Lakers’ early struggles against the Warriors happened while Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Collin Sexton were all on the bench in street clothes. 

“I told them at halftime: I’ve had a handful of these games as a coach where you’re missing star players and a lot of your depth – and I still expect to win,” Redick said. “I expect us to play to our standards, and that first half did not meet my expectations; and I let them know that. Austin and I joked because I’ve gone in there before and said ‘I’m not going to raise my voice’, and by the end of it I’m yelling. I regulated, but you can still hold them accountable, and I do think they responded.”

The Lakers outscored the Warriors 45-43 during the second half, but the damage was already done from the dreadful start.

JJ Redick said the way the Lakers started the game against the Warriors was "insane" and that their first half was "unacceptable".

JJ: Redick: "They responded. When you draw up a first play, and then give them a second play that is a play we've scripted for ten days, or whatever… https://t.co/CilCYAkQIypic.twitter.com/KdaPp7a6zj

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 7, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Jeff Hamilton has become a household name for his luxurious leather jackets. He has been a part of sports history by crafting several iconic pieces, including the jacket that Kobe Bryant wore in the locker room after winning the 2001 NBA Finals. In his booth at the 10th anniversary of ComplexCon on Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the designer displayed a sparkly jacket paying tribute to that moment.

Hamilton discussed how being a part of the inaugural ComplexCon in 2016 helped boost his confidence after a stint away from his work.

"When I came to the first ComplexCon in Long Beach and first and second and third, I really got really inspired," he reflected in a conversation with USA TODAY Sports while wearing a colorful jacket from his collaboration with Supreme. "It had a lot to do with me to come back out of retirement. Because I really, that's the first time that I saw where you're in direct contact with the actual culture makers and the shape makers and the public and that resonated.

"And when I walked through the aisles, people knew who I was and it was very flattering. Not from an ego standpoint, to know that I had over the years created some kind of impact that whatever I did for me, because I was passionate, not from a business standpoint, resonated with the ultimate fan."

Hamilton also shared some insight into the current state of athlete fashion, pointing out LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jordan Clarkson as sartorial leaders.

"All the guys dress very well," he said. "… At this stage, they have stylists and they have great taste, but also they have unlimited budgets."

While he declined to pick a favorite fashionable athlete, Hamilton's choice for favorite designer was easy.

"My GOAT is Ralph Lauren," he said. "That I can answer unequivocally because those are the things that I still look up to that I admire that he's able to have for a lifetime."

Hamilton currently has partnerships with Formula 1, Jordan Brand, Yohji Yamamoto and more. He is continuing his own winning legacy and designed the jacket that Karl-Anthony Towns wore in the New York Knicks championship parade. He said he is styling two players for the NBA's opening night, Jaylon Brown and Towns' teammate Miles McBride, and he also has a jacket for Knicks president Leon Rose in the works.

"We have a lot of dishes to be served pretty soon," he promised.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Designer behind Kobe Bryant's iconic title jacket still shapes NBA fashion

In the shadows of their crosstown rival Knicks, the Nets are looking to improve on their 20-win season last year.

One of the main pieces in their rebuild is 2025 No. 8 overall pick Egor Dëmin, who showed promising flashes during his rookie year and even more signs of growth during the Summer League.

Dëmin picked up where he left off in Las Vegas on Tuesday night during Brooklyn's first preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets (124-90 win), scoring six points (2-for-3 from three) with five assists in a limited 18 minutes of action. After the win, Dëmin expressed confidence in his development and believes he's ready to take the next step in his career.

"Yeah, my goal is to translate not just a part of what I did in Summer League, but even more, right?" Dëmin told the New York Post's Brian Lewis. "Obviously I had some more time after Summer League, and I kept working on that stuff. And I think I’m even better right now than I was in Summer League."

The BYU product averaged 21.0 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in three Summer League games and 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the California Classic (two games). By comparison, Dëmin averaged just 10.3 points across 52 games during his rookie season.

Head coach Jordi Fernández said he liked what he saw from the 20-year-old on Tuesday night, noting his improved strength and comfortability on the court.

"Yeah, you see him with five assists in the first group; so he leads that group in assists, which is great," Fernández said. "Egor was good. I want him aggressive to shoot or to touch the paint, and he’s done it the whole summer. He’s worked at it, he’s stronger, and now he’s very comfortable getting there. So, it’s great. He’s got to keep doing it, got to keep finding his teammates or getting good shots."

Teammate Michael Porter Jr. added after the preseason win that he believes Dëmin can "make a humungous jump" in his sophomore season.

"I’m excited to play with Egor," Porter said. "He’s a phenomenal shooter and scorer, but also a great passer. So he can do a lot of things on the court, rebound, push the break, shoot the ball. And now that he’s getting in the paint and finishing around the rim, he’ll make a humongous jump."

When asked about his goals for the 2026-27 season, Dëmin is focused on winning.

"To win as many games as possible," Dëmin said. "Our process is oriented now on getting there each day, at least a little bit, but getting there, no matter whether it’s a game day, practice day, or an update."

Brooklyn gets its first chance at that goal when the team opens the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 21 against the Hornets.

LeBron James decided to suit up for the 76ers this season, but that sure doesn’t mean he wants to live in Philadelphia. In fact, he’s going to extraordinary lengths to avoid being there any longer than necessary. News emerged this last week that LeBron has decided to live in New York for the 2026-27 season, commuting to Philly for games and practice. That sounds like a colossal pain on the surface, considering it’s roughly a two-hour trip from city-to-city — but don’t worry, King James isn’t driving, instead he’s taking multiple helicopter trips a week to cut his travel time down to 30 minutes.

This wasteful and frankly ridiculous travel scheme would be one thing if it were on LeBron’s dime, but news that the travel is being paid for by Fanatics raises major questions about how the NBA is allowing a benefit like this. It feels especially hypocritical less than a month after the league announced significant sanctions against the Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer for circumventing the salary cap with improper payments to Kawhi Leonard that exceeded his salary.

LeBron is making the NBA veteran minimum of $3.87M this season — but these arranged helicopter flights are so numerous and prolific that they might as well be baked into his deal. It was reported on Tuesday that James has taken as many as 12 trips via helicopter in a single week, and while it’s difficult to estimate the value of those flights taken on a privately owned helicopter, the service Blade, which is basically Uber for people who want to ride by helicopter, has a listed price of $4,645 one-way for trips from New York City to Philadelphia. This means LeBron would have racked up over $55,000 on trips alone in one week, and if we estimate he will be taking six trips per week during the regular season (and this still might be on the low side), then his benefit from these flights is tantamount to $668,000.

It’s a far cry from the $28M that Kawhi Leonard was paid under the table by sponsors of the Clippers, but it still rolls up to raise questions about how the NBA will deal, not just with direct payments, but questionable benefits that come from signing specific NBA contracts.

Fanatics is throwing up their hands and pleading ignorance, saying that LeBron has “access to corporate aviation,” as part of the endorsement deal he signed with the company in 2024. Most reasonably people would agree that there’s a fundamental difference between chartering a private jet to attend an event as part of an endorsement deal and taking 12 helicopter trips a week to facilitate NBA practices.

The water is made even muddier by the fact that Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin was a former partner of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owner of the 76ers. While Rubin sold his shares in the company in 2022, he remains extremely close to the 76ers organization. There are no fewer than 50 published photos of Rubin either sitting courtside at Sixers games or in the tunnel with players, all of which were taken after he sold his stake in the team.

Would these flight benefits be extended to LeBron if he signed with the Cavaliers? It’s clear Rubin is not simply a former owner of the Sixers, but a dedicated superfan who attends as many high-profile games as possible, maintaining a close personal relationship with the organization.

It’s not like LeBron couldn’t easily afford the trips with his own money. The charter flight fees are a drop in the bucket for a man who has earned over $575M from basketball alone, and is worth well over $1B when factoring in his endorsement deals. The question is more about how the NBA plans to enforce (or ignore) contracts, in an era where seemingly everyone is finding creative ways to circumvent the cap with extra kickers on deals. It also comes at a time when it’s fair to have scrutiny of any player movement decision when numerous players have deals with predictive marketing (gambling) companies. Giannis Antetokounmpo raised eyebrows by announcing his ownership stake in Kalshi shortly after he wasn’t traded during the 2025-26 NBA Trade Deadline, while it was reported that LeBron James has an agreement with Polymarket, which will pay him more this season than his NBA salary.

LeBron made massive waves when he spurned his long-term agreement with Upper Deck to sign an endorsement deal with Michael Rubin and Fanatics in early 2024. Two years later he signed with the team Rubin has direct ties to, and now he’s getting benefits from this side deal that enable a travel schedule no other team could match. It might not be against the NBA CBA to have agreements like this, but the whole situation feels extremely icky.