Category: NBA

This came across on Instagram.

A cool collection of photos and stats surrounding Keldon Johnson, the 2026 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. The photos, most from his ranch, were the subject of many articles written after KJ invited some members of the media out to his ranch for an afternoon.

“Keldon Johnson, at home.

Keldon Johnson has been the Spurs’ unofficial DJ since his rookie season, when Patty Mills handed him the aux and told him to play Mariah Carey. He still runs the music before games off a giant speaker with a worn-out Spurs logo, and the playlist makes room for “Party in the U.S.A.” and “A Thousand Miles.”

In 2025–26, he broke Manu Ginóbili’s franchise record for points off the bench. The two are also the only Spurs to win Sixth Man of the Year.

The boots came with the land. “Ever since I got a ranch, it’s the everyday attire,” he told NBC. The pond on the property was recently expanded to fit a small boat and stocked with koi, bass, crappie and catfish.

Photography: @joshhuskin / L’Équipe; @jaredweissnba / The Athletic.
NBA photography: @imago.images”

Originally, I thought it was a magazine layout and when I looked up “Hoopsciety” I found their YouTube channel which featured this video on Gregg Popovich and Victor Wembanyama:

It is incredible to relive Wemby’s timeline in San Antonio since draft night. His time with Pop. His first two season ending with injury. His defensive stats. And then the exposiveness of his third season. The dominance and maturity leading to his unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, Western Conference Finals MVP, and his first Finals appearance.

The Spurs have such high expectations for themselves this season, it will most surely be a year to follow the Silve & Black.

Tewo more preseason games and less than a week until the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Go Spurs Go!

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Editor’s note: this is the first piece from new staff writer Joey Walraven. He’ll be contributing to our site’s coverage. Please give him a warm welcome as we’re excited for him to join our team at Peachtree Hoops.

Jalen Johnson was having his best year of his young career in 2024-25 before a torn labrum sidelined him remainder of the season. Many analysts viewed his absence as one of the most consequential in the entire league. Despite only playing 36 games and starting in all of them, Johnson was enjoying career highs in points, rebounds, and assists.

With the increase in both responsibility and production, the former first-round pick was slated for a big 2025-2026 campaign. In the midst of the Trae Young fiasco, which included unfortunate injuries and palpable tension between the Hawks and their star guard, Johnson became the focal point of the offense and saw himself molded into the best player on the Hawks’ roster.

Only missing ten games, averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, which were all career highs. Johnson also increased his three-point percentage, which increased the floor spacing for the Hawks and made them a more dynamic offense. With Young’s absence, who served as the team’s facilitator, Johnson molded himself into a true point forward, which led him to being tied for the second most triple-doubles in the league.

Johnson’s quantum leap was accompanied by a litany of accolades, which included being voted to both the All-Star team and Third Team All-NBA. Both honors were also career firsts.

Despite the improvement, the postseason was not quite as kind to Johnson. In the lone series against the eventual NBA Champion New York Knicks, the first time all-star struggled to establish the same dominance, as all the numbers he set career highs in took a substantial drop, especially his three-point efficiency, as he shot 29% for the series.

Johnson acknowledged his trouble during the team’s media day and vowed to improve his performance, stating, “the first month and a half, two months after the season, [all I watched] was film from that Knicks series. Just [seeing] how I can learn and grow from that. Because at the end of the day, I want to win championships.”

Part of Johnson’s playoff struggles derived from what seemed to be a form of a basketball identity crisis. Though he was the team’s best player and leading scorer, it seemed his deference to his teammates, namely CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, ultimately interfered with his ability to find his rhythm in the game and execute the same effectiveness he did throughout the entire season.

There were several points late in the season where the Hawks were forced to depend on McCollum and ‘NAW’ and were unable to get production from their lone All-Star. Johnson’s peak as a scorer will come when he is depended less upon as a facilitator and is able to focus the bulk of his energy on putting the ball through the net.

Former Houston Cougar Kingston Flemings with the eighth pick in this year’s draft will be an ideal candidate to lower some of the ball handling and facilitating responsibilities from Johnson. The transition to being a scoring dominant weapon will continue to improve the Hawks’ offensive versatility, and ultimately being a more dynamic unit once the playoffs arrive.

While Johnson is certainly a more than capable defender, it’s certainly an area where he can have some improvement. The addition of Luguentz Dort to the Hawks certainly removes the burden from Johnson to be a defensive staple, especially when pairing with defensive stalwarts Dyson Daniels and Alexander-Walker. Johnson admitted the three will be a problem for the league, stating the league could “pick their poison” for which member of their three-headed monster will cause nightmares for opposing teams.

Ultimately, for Jalen Johnson to maximize his potential, he has to play like he knows he is the team’s number one option. While scoring support from his teammates is obviously a requirement, he has to be the guy the Hawks funneling their winning plays through.

With the additions of support in terms of playmaking, perimeter play, and defense, the Hawks have the ingredients to unleash a deadly recipe on the NBA as Johnson continues to mold himself into one of the league’s best young stars. With his proven ability to improve in each year, if Johnson accepts the challenge to being his team’s undisputed alpha dog, not only will the Hawks make noise in the playoffs, but Jalen Johnson will find himself in the midst of MVP talks.

The Boston Celtics dominated the Philadelphia 76ers in their first of two preseason matchups, a 38-point rout. This was our first look at most of the Celtics’ top players, with Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Mitchell Robinson, Neemias Queta, and Sam Hauser all making their pre-season debuts and what a debut it was.

Joe Mazzulla isn’t one to tip his hand, but it’s no secret that gaining extra possessions is a core tenant in his basketball philosophy. That’s going to come through two main sources: crashing the offensive glass and an active defense. The extra possessions were found in abundance during Saturday’s victory.

Paul George was responsible for a good chunk of them, a promising display of what he can bring to this new iteration of the Celtics. He came away with a team-high five steals, tied with Baylor Scheierman. From the jump, it was easy to see how locked in PG was defensively, especially for a preseason game.

George’s defense looked completely effortless. He wasn’t flying up and down the court or hounding defenders all 94 feet. He kept things nice and simple, relying on good positioning, and years of experience as one of the league’s premier defenders.

Three of PG’s steals came from reading the passing lanes with active hands. He led the team with six deflections, and the ones which resulted in Boston gaining possession all sparked fastbreaks, two of which the Celtics were able to convert to easy buckets.

An underrated aspect of Paul’s defense is, ironically enough, his offense. Being able to convert defensive stops into transition buckets by reading the floor and pushing the ball up the court will be an invaluable addition to a team that ranked dead-last in both fastbreak points and pace last season. Boston was also towards the bottom of the league (26^th) in turnovers forced per game at just 12.9, something they’ll be looking to remedy this year.

George wasn’t solely an off-ball specialist in Saturday’s game. He also had a Jrue Holiday-esque strip which led to a dunk of his own.

Even when he wasn’t the one to come away with a steal, he heavily influenced the Celtics’ defensive possessions to wreak havoc. He was extremely connected with his teammates, and incredibly active as well. Whether a play results in a stop or not, his defensive tenacity will wear down opposing players, especially with his versatility, being able to shut down stars and role-players alike. Tatum went as far as to call George Boston’s “defensive playmaker” alongside Scheierman.

Keep in mind, we’re still just talking about a preseason game. I wouldn’t expect Paul to average 5 steals a night over the course of the year, but if he maintains this level of activity, Boston’s defense will be hard to beat.

That night, Mazzulla said George takes things to another level defensively. “Great instincts. Great technique. Great positioning. It’s something he takes pride in and I think is very contagious,” he added.

And before Tuesday’s practice, Joe gave some encouraging words about Paul’s health. “He’s had a tremendous training camp from a physical standpoint… He’s in great shape. He feels great from that standpoint.”

PG certainly showed us that he’s moving well and ready to work. Now, we’re just under a week away from Boston’s regular season opener. It won’t be long until we can stop dreaming about what this team can accomplish and start seeing the results speak for themselves.

Jett Howard probably wasn’t a name you had penciled in as a Maverick before the offseason began, but here we are. The Mavericks signed the former 11th overall pick in the 2023 draft to a two-way contract this summer after three seasons in Orlando. The 6-foot-8 wing never quite found his footing with the Magic, but his role grew last season, when he averaged a career-high 5.5 points in 12.6 minutes per game while shooting 37.2% from three and 94.9% from the free-throw line. Those aren’t numbers that pop off the page, especially for a lottery pick. But Orlando drafted him 11th for a reason, and Dallas brought him in for a pretty obvious one: The guy can shoot. On a Mavericks roster that needs players who can space the floor around Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, that skill alone gives Howard a path to minutes. The question is whether he can do other things well enough to stay on the floor.

Big question

Can Jett Howard become more than a shooter? It’s that simple. The Mavericks don’t need him to come in and average 15 points a night. Dallas has plenty of players who will have the ball more than him. What they need is someone who can punish defenses when they decide to load up on Flagg, Irving, or another primary creator. Howard shot 37.2% from three last season on 2.6 attempts per game. Those numbers aren’t spectacular, but they’re respectable enough to force defenses to think about him.

Dallas doesn’t need him to be a star, but be a guy Dusty May can rely on to get a bucket when you need one. It also wouldn’t hurt to do other little things. Run around screens. Make the extra pass. Attack a hard closeout. Move without the ball. Compete defensively. If Howard can do those things consistently, a two-way contract will start looking like a pretty useful piece. If he can’t, he won’t log many minutes.

Best case scenario

Howard shoots the lights out and makes his way into the rotation. The Mavericks have several young, athletic players, but they also desperately need shooting. Dallas’ 2026-27 roster is packed with players 25 or younger, and Howard fits the team’s broader youth movement almost perfectly.

The best version of Howard isn’t a high-volume scorer. It’s a 6-foot-8 wing who can come into a game, immediately provide spacing, and knock down three or four shots without needing the offense designed around him. And there is something intriguing about putting a player like that next to Cooper Flagg. If Flagg develops into the offensive engine Dallas expects, defenses will collapse on him on plenty of possessions.

Howard’s job would be simple: find an open spot and make them pay. If he can also become a competent defender, things get really interesting. That’s the path to Howard playing 10 to 15 minutes a night instead of spending most of the season in the G-League. And considering he was the 11th pick just three years ago, I’m not ready to completely give up on the idea that there’s more here than what Orlando showed.

Worst case scenario

Howard becomes a shooting specialist who doesn’t shoot enough. A 37.2% three-point shooter sounds good until you remember that Howard only attempted 2.6 threes per game last season. His career three-point percentage is just 32.6%, so it’s fair to wonder whether last year’s improvement was a real step forward or simply a small sample.

And if the shot isn’t falling, what else is he giving you? He’s not a creator. He’s also not going to overwhelm opponents physically, even for his size. That leaves very little margin for error. The Mavericks already have plenty of players fighting for wing minutes. Max Christie, Zaccharie Risacher, Naji Marshall, Santi Aldama, Morez Johnson Jr., and others are ahead of Howard on the depth chart in some capacity. If Howard wants real minutes, he’ll have to separate himself from the rest of the pack with his shooting stroke. If he doesn’t, onto the G League he goes.

Season goal

Become too good for the two-way contract. Be the shooter you were last season, but with more volume when you’re in. I don’t expect him to become a regular part of the rotation immediately. But 10-15 games where Howard consistently looks like a rotation NBA player could make him a useful weapon. A simple stretch where he’s knocking down open threes, making smart cuts, and holding his own defensively should keep him on the floor. If he can do that, the Mavericks will have to figure out a way to keep him around. And honestly, that’s a pretty good season for a 23-year-old who is trying to revive his NBA career.

Overall

I like this gamble. Howard is exactly the type of player Dallas should be taking a chance on right now. He was once a lottery pick; he’s still only 23, and he has one skill that will always have value in the NBA: shooting. The Mavericks officially signed him to a two-way contract in July after his best statistical season in Orlando. Now he gets a fresh start. A little new scenery can go a long way.

He appeared in 133 games over three seasons, but only averaged 11 minutes per game for his career and never started a game. Dallas probably won’t hand him a ton of minutes either. But the opportunity is different. The Mavericks are trying to build around Cooper Flagg, and that means finding players who complement him.

Shooting matters. Size matters. And if Howard can put those things together, there’s a role for him. No one expects Howard to suddenly become the second coming of Klay Thompson, but there’s a reasonable chance Dallas gets more out of him than Orlando did. And if he can turn 37% three-point shooting into something closer to 40% while becoming a reliable team defender, the Mavericks may have found a very useful rotation piece hiding on a two-way contract. That’s worth taking a swing on.

Dave Bing is sort of a basketball version of Forrest Gump, only smarter.

A native of Washington, D.C., Bing met Marvin Gaye playing basketball. Unable to keep up, Gaye sang on the sidelines. They remained friends for years.

At Syracuse for a time, he roomed with Jim Boeheim and got to know law student Joe Biden.

After his playing career, he founded the NBA Retired Players Association. He started Bing Steel in 1980; in 1984, Ronald Reagan awarded him the National Minority Small Business Person of the Year. 

In 2008, he ran for mayor of Detroit and won. Later, he worked on the 2009 bailout of the auto industry with – surprise – President Biden.

In short, the man has a very long list of accomplishments.

But in his day, he was a formidable basketball player, as you’ll see in this video from the 1976 All-Star game.

He was 32 here, and the Detroit Pistons had traded him away, thinking that he was a bit long in the tooth.

He wasn’t done – Bing played until 1978. The great thing about him?

The second chapter was just as exciting as the first.

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Where were you when the Houston Rockets drafted Yao Ming?

It’s a vivid memory for me as a Houston Rockets fan. I distinctly remember a fan in a street interview declaring that Ming would be the “best center ever!” I can’t find easy confirmation of this memory online, but it’s burned into my mind.

If you missed it: Ming is not the best center ever. Depending on whether you value longevity or peak, he’s on the fringes of the top 20. Can you really put Ming ahead of Dikembe Mutombo? Bob Lanier?

Longevity. What a thoroughly dirty word in relation to Ming’s career. The basketball gods were rough with the gentle giant:

What if they’d afforded him more grace?

Ming’s career should have gone differently

The man was 7’6″, 310 pounds, and – this is important – actually good at basketball.

He’s four years older than LeBron James if you needed your heart broken into a million pieces and scattered into the wind like the ashes of your childhood dreams. Ming should have been the Rockets’ Nene of the James Harden era. He should barely be a decade into his retirement. He should have retired when TikTok came out, and instead, he retired when “Tik Tok” by Kesha came out.

Look at his beastly 2006-07 stats. Ming averaged 25.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game with a 60.1 True Shooting % (TS%) and 5.0 Box Plus/Minus (BPM). He made the All-NBA Second Team. Ming was a certified franchise player.

Sure, he only played in 48 games, and sure, players this size have dealt with injury problems almost without fail, but none of that mattered because Ming was going to be the best center ever, and wrestling is real.

The decline didn’t even start there. Ming had a comparable 2007-08. The Rockets decreased his minutes through 2008-09, but on a per-minute basis, his production was comparable.

And then, just like that, it was effectively over. Which gets us back to the central question: What if it hadn’t been?

Let’s be honest. We all know the Houston Rockets win the 2007-08 championship if Ming and Tracy McGrady stay healthy. This group is a testament to roster construction.

Ming, the interior scoring hub, and McGrady, the prolific shot creator, flanked by a who’s-who of mid-00s role players. Shane Battier, perhaps the most archetypal three-and-D in NBA history. Louis Scola, a perfect third option for an era when the midrange counted towards floor spacing. Bobby Jackson, the quintessential sparkplug, and Dikembe Mutombo, the best backup big in the NBA backing up the best big man in the NBA –

Fine, besides Dwight Howard.

Although Ming was certainly more offensively gifted than Howard. For that brief, bright, beautiful moment, you could make the case that Ming was the best center in the NBA. Jokes aside, the Boston Celtics were the most super-y super team since the 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers. They may have stifled even this fantasy Rockets championship run, but the NBA Finals’ Western Conference spot was the Rockets’ to lose.

And, through no fault of their own, they would lose it.

Yao Ming’s Rockets career was cut short

What’s the point of this article?

I almost regret writing it. The Rockets kick off the 2026-27 regular season one week from this moment. Why are we chasing the ghost of Yao Ming’s career?

Short answer? A photo of Ming alongside Alperen Sengun made the rounds and made me sad. Long answer?

Let’s see what we can cobble together.

It is worth remembering that so much of what we consider success in the NBA comes down to luck. Luck is everything. Ming was lucky enough to be born 7’6″, and he was unlucky enough to be born 7’6″. With his mass, that’s a time-tested formula for having a short-but-successful NBA career.

Luck could be on the Rockets’ side in 2026-27, or it could oppose them once again. Maybe the journey matters more than the destination. Ming’s body wouldn’t allow him to make good on his potential:

But I still remember how hopeful I felt before that happened.

Ben Simmons sheds light on why he signed with Kings, what he can bring to team originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Ben Simmons had a simple theory about where he would end up this offseason. Whichever team actually showed up to see him in person, rather than just offering a camp invite, would be the one that signed him for real.

That is exactly how his story with the Kings played out.

Speaking at Media Day with NBC Sports California’s Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan, Simmons explained his thinking when asked why Sacramento made sense as his landing spot.

“It’s not in the cocky way or anything, but for me, I knew the first team that came to see me, to see where I was at physically and on the court, they were going to sign me,” Simmons said. “That’s how I felt from the moment [general manager] Scott [Perry] came down and saw me.”

Perry traveled to Florida in late August specifically to watch Simmons work out, which was followed by an hour-long meeting between the two. Simmons later visited Sacramento for in-depth medical exams, an on-court workout and meetings with coach Doug Christie and other staffers before signing a one-year, $3.5 million contract.

Several other teams expressed interest, but mostly in the form of training camp invitations rather than a guaranteed roster spot.

“I had a bunch of teams that wanted me to come to camps and play for a spot and things like that, which is fine,” Simmons said. “I think they would have had different decisions if they had seen me. But I think I’m right where I need to be at the right time.”

That confidence comes after Simmons sat out the entire 2025-26 NBA season without appearing in a single game, following years of recurring injury issues dating back to his time in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Asked about his emotional state heading into training camp, Simmons pointed directly to his health.

“I’m just excited to get going and be able to do it healthy — with nothing in the back of my mind where I can be hesitant with certain things,” Simmons said. “I’m taking a few hits already in practice and it felt great. I’m ready to go.”

For a Kings team that signed Simmons specifically to add size, playmaking and defensive versatility behind rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr., a healthy, confident version of Simmons — even in a reduced offensive role — represents exactly the value they bet on when Perry made that trip to Florida.

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Warriors coach Steve Kerr answers five questions on NBA's current, future state originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The last five decades of basketball have included Steve Kerr as a central figure in a variety of ways. Let’s count a few. 

By the mid-80s, Kerr had become a known name at the University of Arizona. Kerr twice was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection, tore his ACL playing for Team USA following his breakout junior year, and came back to help lead the Wildcats to the Final Four. He then was the very last pick of the second round in the 1988 NBA Draft, No. 50 overall. 

It took until Kerr’s fourth team, the Chicago Bulls, for him to find his home in the NBA. Kerr played for three teams in his first five years in the NBA and averaged 5.0 points and 15.5 minutes per game. In his first season with the Chicago Bulls, Kerr scored 8.6 points per game and averaged 24.8 minutes. That was his first of three straight championships in Chicago from 1996 through 98. 

When the Bulls dispersed, Kerr went to San Antonio and won his fourth straight title to close out the 90s and won his fifth in his final season as a player with the 2002-03 Spurs. He began broadcasting alongside Marv Albert in 2003 and left in 2007 to become the general manager of the Phoenix Suns, where in three seasons they had a win percentage of 63.0 (155-91). 

Kerr took his first crack at coaching going into the 2014-15 season and has been the Warriors’ head coach ever since. The Warriors won their first championship in 40 years in Kerr’s first season, which started a run of five straight trips to the NBA Finals and three more rings for his fingers. 

He has one finger free after the Warriors’ championship in 2022, making Kerr a nine-time champion – five as a player and four as a coach. He also thought his days coaching the Warriors might have reached the end of the road at the end of last season. Kerr is back, signing up for his 13th and 14th seasons coaching the Warriors, and with his return, we have five questions for him on the current and future state of the NBA.

All questions were part of an exclusive interview with myself, Kerr and Bonta Hill in Hawaii during Warriors training camp, except for the third, which was a question of mine at a recent practice.

Where do you see this league in five years when it comes to offensive principles? 

“I mean, it’s always hard to predict those things, but the trends of pace and space continue to evolve. It’s not necessarily like analytically you’re tracking speed and pace. It’s more what are teams running to kind of emphasize those concepts, and what I’m seeing is fewer play calls and more flow basketball, more concepts just being executed. 

“And the faster the game, the more difficult it is to get organized. So you have to figure that out without slowing down a called play, and that’s a lot of what we’re working on right now.”

Are you seeing a little bit, though, of a big man revolution at the same time, where a lot of teams are going two-big at times, but there’s still the pace and space too? What’s the balance there right now in the NBA?

“I think for a while everybody thought going small was the best way to go. Now teams are playing the same style, but with bigger players. So ideally, if you can play with pace and space with four guys who are seven feet tall, hell yeah, let’s do that. 

“But I think what’s happening is the younger players who are big with size, guys like Karl Anthony Towns or Victor Wembanyama, they’re growing up shooting threes and handling the ball and making plays. So you’re seeing a whole generation of young players come up with a different skill level than when my generation was coming up, where it was more specialized, you know, specific to certain positions. 

“It’s positionless basketball. But man, these guys are more skilled than ever, and such big size. It’s really impressive.”

You talk a lot about how skilled today’s players are. What is the one skill most required to have success in today’s NBA? 

“I don’t know if there’s one, but I think compared to the old days, it’s hard to be a specialist anymore. In the old days, like everyone had three seven-foot guys who they knew their job was to guard Patrick Ewing, or Shaq, or Hakeem [Olajuwon], and that was why they were on the team. Today, that specialization doesn’t really exist nearly as much. 

“No matter what position you play, you need to be able to process and understand the game better. It’s faster. Decision making happens quicker. … I said this to you guys the other day: My checklist is dribble, pass, shoot, and process. Today’s players need to do all four of those things pretty well, and if not well, then they have to do them serviceably to be able to survive.”

Are we moving closer to covering the game the right way in terms of the media base? Because it feels like the playoffs were a lot of fun to watch. People focused on San Antonio and the Knicks and the way they played, and OKC or whatnot. What do you think of all that?

“I honestly think that we are, all of us in the NBA, we’re all part of a soap opera. Like, we are. It’s not just a sport. You look at the way fashion is now covered in the NBA. That’s impacted what guys are wearing to the game. That’s brought in a lot of other fans who maybe otherwise wouldn’t have been interested. The day-to-day soap opera of conflict and style and everything in between, it’s actually good for the league. 

“It draws a lot of attention. It draws a lot of ratings. The flip side is for the players and the coaches, you got to have thick skin, and ignorance is bliss. I don’t look at any of that stuff on social media, so that part’s good. But it’s never been more difficult to be an athlete in today’s age because of the vitriol, the anger they get, and so we try to help our guys understand that this is part of the machine. 

“This is part of the soap opera. You have to embrace it, but don’t take it very seriously. The only people that matter are at your home and in the gym.”

Between the Bulls, the Spurs, and the Warriors, you’ve been with all these dynasties. The way the league is now, though, is the parity good? Is it good for the league, and will we ever see another dynasty the way the league is now?

“It’s a good question. I think you have to get into the CBA dynamics. I don’t like the fact that once you build a good team, you have to start getting rid of players. I would like to see teams able to hang on to their players, like what we’ve done. I mean, it’s so special for our fans to have watched Steph [Curry] and Draymond [Green] together for 15 years now, and for a long time, Andre [Iguodala] and Klay [Thompson] and the whole group. Seems like that may be more difficult than ever to accomplish. 

“I like parity, but I’d like to see teams be able to stick together too.”

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On a night dominated by the apparent status of Kristaps Porzingis, the absence of the Latvian big was felt at times during the Golden State Warriors’ 101-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Steve Kerr’s intention to spread the floor in a so-called ‘5-out’ alignment banked on players who are able to space to floor — including their center. Porzingis happens to fit that profile, while also being 7-foot-3-inches. Without Porzingis — and also not having Al Horford available tonight — the Warriors were not only small, they were bereft of shooting and spacing personnel.

That was apparent at times during this game, where the Warriors were able to rally back from a significant deficit, albeit during a time when both teams’ main characters’ nights were finished (one of them, Luka Doncic, did not suit up for the Lakers).

Once again, it was rookie Yaxel Lendeborg who stood out. He finished with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in just under 24 minutes of time on the floor. He once again flashed familiarity and comfort as an offensive player within Steve Kerr’s often-intricate scheme while displaying motor and hustle that gave the Warriors a couple of second-chance points.

Yaxel goodness: 1. Makes the skip to the corner upon seeing the double 2. Hustles to get the ball back, leads to a Podz 3 https://t.co/ReLSLq4pZE

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 14, 2026

Lendeborg’s touted versatility as an offensive operator was apparent tonight. As an off-ball spacer, he has been showing promise, especially off of Steph Curry’s on-ball adventures through the pick-and-roll. Lendeborg can be a corner spacer taking advantage of ‘tag’ situations, as he does below:

Steph high PnR on the SLOB, Yaxel on the weak side corner. His man tags, pass to Yaxel in the corner and drills the three. Spacing option. https://t.co/wTE2YtWddN

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 14, 2026

Interestingly, Lendeborg can also be the main character in a spread pick-and-roll configuration, with Curry playing the role of mostly standstill spacer. Lendeborg has on-ball juice and the handle to be able to keep such possessions stable, while also making use of change-of-pace craft in order to create a window for him to score up close:

Kerr yells "Thumb up Charles" for a spread angle PnR with Bassey as the screener for Yaxel. Again, the trust in Yaxel in PnR reps has been intriguing, with Steph as a standstill floor spacer. Yaxel comes off the screen, gets in the paint, sees Kessler meeting him to contest but Yaxel uses the Pinoy step to bump Kessler and get him up in the air to create the window.

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 14, 2026

There is plenty of evidence with regard to Lendeborg’s role versatility on offense. Perhaps his most important role in a Curry offense is as a screener, either on or off the ball. Off the ball screening provides Lendeborg ample opportunity to take advantage of Curry’s gravity through slipped screens and subsequent cuts toward the rim:

Dubs go to their "2" action with Gui playing the Draymond role as the elbow hub. Yaxel slips inside, catches the pass and finishes against contact. https://t.co/29fNMayCmV

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 14, 2026

There are, however, points of improvement for the young rookie. Lendeborg has work to do on the other end of the floor. He has the length and athleticism to make eye-popping defensive plays, but occasionally the little details escape him.

He has a knack for being out of position when defending the ball. He has a habit of standing straight up in lieu of being in a proper defensive stance. He can be caught with one foot leading out, enabling ball handlers to blow past him and taking advantage of his slow hip swivel.

Yaxel point of improvement: defends the PnR, gets switched onto Reaves, front foot leading out, gets blown by. Hip slow to open up. Positionally needs to be better. https://t.co/FaM6yjHCzy

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 14, 2026

Overall, Lendeborg has shown much more good than either bad or mediocre, which is a promising indicator of his ability to contribute right away — important, given the dearth of top-flight personnel surrounding Curry. However, Kerr made it a point that the team is far from where they want to be, although stating that they were ‘working on the right things.’

Steve Kerr a week prior to the opener: “We’re not anywhere close to where we want to be, but we’re working on the right things.” https://t.co/6ux63RSDqL

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 14, 2026

The Warriors will have their preseason finale on Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center.

The plan for the Lakers had been to turn their fourth preseason game into a dress rehearsal for the upcoming season.

But that was not the case.

The Lakers did get the preseason debut of center Walker Kessler on Tuesday night, a good sign for them to see their biggest acquisition of the summer play.

But on the flip side, Luka Doncic didn’t play in the Lakers’ 101-89 loss to the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena because he was resting.

“He’s not injured, just getting the night off,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

So, it was left up to Kessler, Austin Reaves and the rest of the available Lakers to sort things out. And Reaves and Kessler were on point.

In just his second preseason game, Reaves was doing his thing, scoring 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including four for seven on three-pointers, with seven assists and four rebounds. But forced to handle the ball more with Doncic out, Reaves also had seven turnovers.

Read more:Why Lakers' Jake LaRavia isn't counting his made shots during preseason resurgence

Kessler started and had 11 points, nine rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal in 16 minutes.

For the Lakers, it was good to see Kessler on the court. They gave up a lot to get him from the Utah Jazz — two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps and then signing him to a four-year, $130-million contract.

Kessler played in just five games last season with the Jazz recovering from a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

He missed the first three Lakers preseason games with a left pinky injury.

Kessler yearned to play again.

“Yeah, I mean it was a lot of fun being out there again,” he said. “It’s been so long. Before the game I was actually pretty nervous, to be honest. But, getting out there and just playing with the guys, it was a blast. I can’t really, you know speak to…I think I have a certain presence on the floor, but I think my teammates around me did a great job of playing defense on the perimeter. I think we shared the ball really well tonight. Just how it was, especially in the first half. It was a lot of fun.”

He began his night with a defensive rebound, which allowed the Lakers to set up their offense early in the first quarter.

Kessler then cut to the basket, took a pass from Reaves and scored on a layup, his first points of the preseason.

His second basket was a left-handed layup early in the second quarter. Shortly after, Kessler blocked a shot by Warriors center Charles Bassey from behind, a display of his defensive presence.

Another good sign, less than a minute later, was when Kessler got an offensive rebound and bounded back up for a dunk.

When the Warriors went to their small-ball lineup in the first quarter, it meant the 7-foot-2 Kessler would be tested on defense, because his man was 6-2 Gary Payton II. It meant Kessler was forced to play defense on the perimeter and not down low where the Lakers prefer him.

Still, Kessler held his own.

While he was out and unable to play, Kessler learned a few things about himself.

“Yeah, I think what I missed most was competing,” Kessler said. “Quite frankly, competing to win, and I think as far as making me a better basketball player, I just think it has made me long to go try to win every game and win every night. So returning, I think it makes me a little better basketball player.”

The Lakers lost to the Warriors for the second time this preseason. Their other two games were victories over the Sacramento Kings. They play one more preseason game, Friday night against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena, and then open the season against the Warriors at home on Oct. 21.

Before the game, Redick said the plan was for the Lakers to “continue to work on us.”

“We have kind of circled this game, not as a full dress rehearsal, just in terms of our scout presentation, but we gave the guys a sample of that this morning and at shootaround,” Redick said. “Not as much game-planning necessarily, but just kind of the sequencing of how we present prior to a game. We’ll do the same thing pregame with a brief personnel tape. We just want to get better. I mean, that’s the biggest thing. We want to get healthy, we want to get better, we want to continue to build our fitness and cardio level and find a rhythm. And it’s been a little disjointed with having some guys out.”

Redick said rookie Cameron Carr, guard Collin Sexton (lower leg) and forwards Ziaire Williams (right foot contusion) and Adou Thiero (undisclosed) “are still day to day” with their injuries.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

A second-half rally by the Warriors saw them pick up a second win of the preseason against the Lakers, 101-89.

In a game highlighted by Walker Kessler’s debut for the purple and gold, LA built up a 20-point lead with the regular rotation players on the floor. However, the drop-off to the bench was drastic and that lead quickly drained away in the second half.

The purple and gold turned the ball over 30 times, leading to 26 Golden State points. They also shot just 33-76 from the field and 9-34 from three.

Quentin Grimes opened up the scoring for LA, knocking down a triple. He led Los Angeles early with five points. Steph Curry had three for the Warriors. Walker Kessler scored his first points as a Laker on a layup. He also made his defensive presence known by altering shots. 

Golden State called a timeout after falling behind by seven. 

Out of the break, the Warriors went on an 8-0 run to take the lead. Austin Reaves answered with a jumper to stop their run. De’Anthony Melton had nice production off the bench for Golden State with five points. Reaves, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jake LaRavia all drained triples for Los Angeles.

Reaves was the first Laker in double figures with 11 points. At the end of the first, the game was tied. 

Kessler erupted early in the second period, scoring four points and blocking a shot. Jaden Hardy also knocked down a three for LA. Los Angeles was up by five at the 8:18 mark. Reaves then began to take over, putting up 10 points. Grimes converted on back-to-back layups, helping keep the Lakers up big. 

LA was on a 13-4 run.

They continued to dominate the quarter, shooting 56% from the field. Most of their points came in the paint, winning that battle, 30-20. Kessler ended the half with 11 points and nine rebounds. Reaves had 23 points and six assists.

At halftime, the purple and gold were up by 13. 

While Kessler did not play in the second half, Reaves began the third period with a jumper for Los Angeles. He also knocked down a triple to help LA take a 20-point lead, but the Warriors responded with a 14-0 run. Mamu ended that run by scoring on a driving hook shot.

At the 4:17 mark, LA was up by seven.

Los Angeles ended the quarter going 6-20 from the field. They missed seven attempts from behind the arc. They also had 18 turnovers. Nobody really found offensive rhythm, allowing Golden State to make it a closer affair.

Going into the fourth period, the Lakers were up by four. 

The final frame began with LA’s bench on the floor. Brandin Podziemski tied the game. The Warriors jumped ahead by six thanks to another triple from Podz and one from Gui Santos. 

After a series of turnovers and poor plays, the Warriors went up by eight. Gary Payton II scored four in a row to make it happen.

Newest Laker Rafael Castro scored his first points as a Laker on an alley-oop dunk. With the game winding down quite fast, Golden State had the commanding lead.

Key Player Stats

Reaves finished with 28 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 25 minutes. Kessler ended with 11 points and nine rebounds. Mamu scored 10 points with seven rebounds and two assists.

Grimes pitched in with nine points and six assists. LaRavia logged four points with three rebounds and two assists. Jaden Hardy chipped in 10points, most in garbage time.

The Lakers’ last preseason matchup will be against the Denver Nuggets on Friday at 7:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Celtics fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Before the inaugural Three-Point Shootout at the 1986 All-Star Game, Larry Bird famously walked into the locker room and casually asked, “who’s coming in second?” Two hours later with a raised finger before the winning triple even went down, he backed up the trash talk and won three shootouts in a row.

The modest Jayson Tatum probably wouldn’t even joke about who might come in second in scoring this season for the Celtics — before you say ask, yes, Tatum is leading the team in points — but let’s speculate before the year kicks off on Tuesday in Detroit.

The obvious candidate might be the newly anointed $44 Million Man Payton Pritchard, who signed a two-year extension yesterday. Whether he’s coming off the bench as a former Sixth Man of the Year or starting with Tatum, Pritchard is going to be key offensive weapon after averaging a career-high 17 points per game in 2025-2026.

There’s also Derrick White and Paul George who head coach Joe Mazzulla has said will definitely be part of the opening five on Opening Night. White had a down shooting year last season, but with a little more scoring punch around him, he might settle into a more complementary role with a higher efficiency. After playing just 78 games for the 76ers over two seasons, George looks primed for a comeback year in green. He’s vowed to be JT’s #2 and 20.5 points per game career average would be a welcome sign in Year 17.

However, the most obvious answer to the poll question is that it doesn’t matter. On any given night, any of those players could pop off for 30+ points with everybody else slotting in at #2, #3, and #4 in random order. If the first two preseason games are any indication, Boston will play a very democratic style of Mazzulla Ball with everybody getting their touches and looks. Everybody will eat and the vibes are good.

TORONTO — No, the preseason results don’t actually matter. Knicks coach Mike Brown instead harps on the process.

Whatever this process was, though, it was ugly.

With Knicks starters — as well as veteran bench pieces Landry Shamet, Andre Drummond and Jordan Clarkson — sitting out the team’s preseason game (since it was the second leg of a back-to-back) against the Raptors on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena, it was a chance for those battling for bigger roles and roster spots to help their cases.

Brown went with Jose Alvarado, Miles McBride, Mohamed Diawara, Bruce Brown and James Wiseman as his starters.

The Raptors, however, used their normal starting lineup — which now includes Kawhi Leonard. And the Knicks reserves got crushed by a staggering 50 points — 148-98 — to continue their winless preseason (0-4).

“It’s not necessarily what’s on the scoreboard at that particular time,” an unconcerned Brown said. “It’s are you doing the right things to be better and/or get better? And in the first half, what I was most disappointed in was we weren’t putting bodies on bodies. Fifteen second-chance points in one half is not good. Thirty fast-break points in one half is not good.

“And then the way they sped us up, and us not necessarily touching the paint and trying to spray it and/or making quick decisions is not good. So that’s what I was most disappointed in in the first half. I really didn’t care about the score, especially with the group we had on the floor.”

Mikal Bridges made the trip here and went through a workout on the court pregame, though the four other Knicks starters — as well as Shamet, Drummond and Clarkson — stayed home.

Drew Eubanks, Tyler Nickel, Pacôme Dadiet, Tony Bradley, Ochai Agbaji, Kevin McCullar Jr., Tyler Kolek and Jaden Akins were the other Knicks who saw action.

They trailed by 20 after the first quarter.

The deficit ballooned to 28 early in the second quarter, reached 35 just past the midway point of the quarter and was at 38 by halftime.

It didn’t get much better in the second half, as the Knicks backups looked overmatched going against a playoff team that just added a superstar to its ranks.

“You never want to lose in that way,” McBride said. “But at the same time, we just gotta move on. Preseason is for those reasons. Missing eight of our guys, you just want to come out there and have a positive mindset. Go out there and play hard. There were things we could’ve definitely done better, but they’re a playoff team and you add a Hall of Famer with them.”

Leonard had his way with the Knicks with 21 points in 16 minutes, with Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles adding 19 apiece and RJ Barrett chipping in 17. The Raptors as a whole shot 57.3 percent from the field.

This was like those blowouts the Knicks punished opponents with during their championship run — except this time with the roles reversed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers finished their preseason with a whimper, as they fell to the Orlando Magic 132-116 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate.

Three stars of the game

First star: Franz Wagner

20 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds

The Magic have skilled pieces, they just don’t fit together. That changes when Wagner is able to create for others as easily as he did on Tuesday.

Orlando’s offense makes sense when Wagner is attacking downhill, getting to the line, and kicking out to shooters. This was the offensive formula new head coach Sean Sweeney wants to see from his team going forward.

Second star: Paolo Banchero

24 points, 3 assists, 8 rebounds

The Cavs didn’t have an answer for Banchero inside. He went 7-for-8 in the restricted area and 8-for-10 in the paint overall.

This was a stark contrast to what we saw Sunday. Then, Cleveland’s defense did a good job of containing Banchero by mostly making him a jump shooter as he went 1-for-10 from the field that game. That formula was lost entirely in this matchup in what was an overall awful defensive outing for the Cavs.

Third star: Meleek Thomas

16 points, 0 assists, 3 rebounds

Thomas was the lone Cavalier standout in this game. He made the most of his opportunity in the fourth quarter by putting up 14 of his 16 points then.

It’s worth pointing out that Thomas’s scoring hasn’t exactly translated to an off-ball role. Whether or not he can show these same skills playing away from the ball could determine the rookie’s impact this season. That said, the flashes you see when you put the ball in his hands are incredibly encouraging.

Dud of the game

Evan Mobley

14 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists

This wasn’t an objectively bad game, but it was the continuation of an underwhelming preseason for Mobley. The Cavs have talked about wanting to get him comfortable in the offense. He hasn’t looked that way, as this showing was on the heels of a 3-for-10 shooting performance on Sunday.

You don’t want to make too much of preseason, but there hasn’t been much from these three games that would make you believe a drastic leap is coming.

Cavalier who deserves a shoutout

Jaylon Tyson

12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Tyson continues to showcase the well-rounded game he teased at times last season. He seems much more comfortable creating with the ball in his hands. That pairs well with a solid three-point shot and the consistent energy he plays with.

Play of the game

Kenny Atkinson has talked about using Mario Hezonja in the post when he has a mismatch. This shows how doing so can lead to an easy basket.

Here, Hezonja gets a mismatch on him, backs his guy in the post, and then forces Goga Bitadze to step up to help. That help defense gave Jarrett Allen a runway to get into the lane and draw a foul.

Efficient scoring often comes down to whether you can create and exploit mismatches. Plays like this show how Hezonja can do that.

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Quote of the game

“We got to have a first line of attack that’s a little stronger.” – Assistant coach Mike Gerrity

Defense starts at the point of attack. You can’t protect the rim if the guards are consistently getting blown by on the perimeter. That forces you into rotation, opens up driving angles off ball, and leaves you vulnerable to three-pointers.

This was a bad game all around, but the reason this got out of hand was due to a lack of perimeter defense.

Stat of the day

The Magic put up a 109.7 half-court offensive rating (92nd percentile)

This number represents how poorly Cleveland played on that end. You don’t give up that high of a half-court offensive rating without struggling to contain the ball. When you can’t contain the ball, the offense can continually get easy looks just by making one or two passes.

It’s just preseason, but Cleveland’s defense has left a lot to be desired in three exhibition games after setting the goal of being a top-five defense.

What this game will be remembered for Meleek Thomas’s fourth-quarter breakout

You don’t want to get carried away by a garbage-time preseason performance. Yet, the Cavs have to be pleased with what they’ve seen from Thomas in these three exhibition games.

This strong on-ball scoring outing doesn’t mean that Thomas will have a place in the rotation when the season starts, but at the same time, the other guards in the depth chart haven’t exactly shown that they’re more deserving of those minutes either. If he does get a shot in the opening night rotation, we can point back to the close of this game as to why.

The Toronto Raptors may have been facing the New York Knicks’ C-Team, but that wasn’t why fans packed the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

New York could’ve grabbed randoms off NBA Twitter and the electricity in the building would’ve remained.

Here are a few thoughts and quotes to drop in your group chat after the Raptors defeated the Knicks 148-98.

He return

“I tried to get those guys as much as possible on the court together so they can figure out the chemistry and spacing” – Darko Rajakovic.

It’s been 2,682 days (seven years, four months, and three days) since Kawhi Leonard last donned a Raptors uniform in front of the Toronto faithful. That was when Leonard authored a mesmerizing one-man show against the Warriors before Head Coach Nick Nurse called (a now untimely) timeout.

Leonard seemed intent on knocking down a triple to begin his second stint in Toronto, with the superstar’s first three shots coming from beyond the arc. He eventually hit a three-pointer from the left wing, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.

He followed that by posting up Jose Alvarado on the left baseline, before drilling a turnaround fadeaway. Leonard’s first points as a 35-year-old Raptor technically came at the free-throw line. That’s basically comfort food offence for a team that has previously struggled when things slow down in the playoffs or opposing defences resort to zone.

“I wanted to get after it and get tired,” said Leonard. “I still want to get in better shape but it was fun to play.”

When Leonard returned in the second quarter, he transported us back to 2019 with a right-corner triple that required a friendly bounce courtesy of his favourite rim in the league.

Leonard was everything we remembered him to be. He finished with 21 points and five rebounds on 50 per cent shooting. He also added two steals. This was all accomplished in 17 minutes of play. Have the rest of the pre-season off big guy.

Chalk it up to rookie nerves

“I have huge trust in Allen and his three-point shooting.” – Darko Rajakovic

After missing the first two pre-season games in Quebec City and Vancouver, Allen Graves finally made his debut. If Leonard hadn’t dressed, Graves would have been the apple of everyone’s eye. It’s probably best that wasn’t the case, at least early on, as it seemed Graves had understandable “first-game-as-a-pro” jitters.

In less than four minutes, Graves picked up three fouls, with the third coming after he bowled over Drew Eubanks while trying to grab a defensive rebound.

For the most part, Graves was parked in a corner on offence. He missed his first three attempts from deep but finally knocked down his first bucket as a professional in the second quarter. It should be noted that he was wide open on these attempts, which should be a common occurrence playing alongside Leonard and as opponents dare him to shoot.

I loved how active he was on the court. There was a play where he chased down his own miss and poked the ball loose, subsequently resulting in Ja’Kobe Walter getting two points.

The trio needs a nickname

“Scottie and CMB, they’re very talented…they make things easy.” – Kawhi Leonard

Speaking of Graves, fans were finally treated to the beautiful and blinding chaos that comes with the rookie playing next to Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. The trio made their debut in the back end of the first quarter. They were flying.

Flanked by Walter and Jamal Shead, the group forced a shot-clock violation, a handful of turnovers and deflections, a dead-ball and the Knicks’ bench into never-ending uncertainty.

Shortly after, Head Coach Rajakovic tried a different combination with Immanuel Quickley and Leonard. It’ll be fun to see what kind of lineups the coaching staff deploys with Toronto’s newest set of triplets.

That’s an interesting development

“When Kawhi is on the floor, he attracts so much gravity…they really complement each other well.” – Darko Rajakovic

It seems that even though Brandon Ingram may be in Los Angeles, his signature baseline fadeaway remained behind in Toronto, specifically in the hands of Barnes. The All-Star normally resembles a running back with the ball in his hands, but he was silky-smooth on the baseline and knocked down numerous jumpers with a high degree of difficulty. Ingram would have been proud.

As for Murray-Boyles, he finished a perfect two-of-two from distance. He averaged less than one three-point attempt a game in his rookie year, while shooting 34 per cent. If he can average around two three-point shots while maintaining a similar average, that would be incredible. Toronto shot 35.4 per cent from three last season.

“Collin worked so hard over the course of the summer on his shooting,” said Rajakovic. “We need more guys that can be willing to take shots.”

Eyes on Darko

“At the end of our conversation, he always tells me to go play basketball.” Kawhi Leonard on Darko

Pre-season reps are valuable, even for the coaches. With 1.2 seconds left in the first half, the Raptors forced a turnover, inspiring Rajakovic to call a timeout. The exhibition was already a blowout at that point, but Rajakovic wasn’t going to let a learning opportunity slip by.

The Raptors drew up a play that involved Leonard screening for CMB on the left elbow, before CMB pivoted into a screen for Leonard. This triggered the inbound, which Leonard caught on a ‘76ers bounce cut’ (what I’m tentatively calling the route). Before Leonard could add to his stat line, he was fouled.

A big part of the 2019 championship run was Nurse’s development. He started the season as an unknown variable type of coach, but later evolved into a mad scientist. Rajakovic’s continued progression will also play a pivotal role in determining the ceiling of the 2026-27 Raptors.

A New York state of mind

“We have good guys that are about the right stuff, are all in, and have embraced our culture.” – Mike Brown

Before the game, Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown was asked how the team plans to stay locked in despite potential distractions (Karl-Anthony Towns). With zero hesitation, Brown highlighted an organization-wide commitment to chasing one very obvious goal, and it’s more than just a verbal promise.

“We have our standard written down that everybody signed, similar to a contract,” said Brown. “This way, it allows all of us, starting from the top down, to hold each other accountable.”

The Knicks fall to 0-4 in pre-season play, once again proving that these are practice reps on public display.