Category: NBA

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The San Antonio Spurs hit the road tonight to face Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. 

Detroit is riding a five-game winning streak, and my Spurs vs. Pistons predictions are eyeing them to keep it rolling this evening at home. 

Read more in my NBA picks for Monday, February 23. 

Spurs vs Pistons prediction

Spurs vs Pistons best bet: Pistons moneyline (-120)

The Detroit Pistons are the best team in the Eastern Conference at 42-13, sitting 5.5 games clear of the Boston Celtics. Detroit is searching for its sixth straight victory and has compiled a 21-6 record at home. 

While the San Antonio Spurs are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, the Pistons have won back-to-back meetings against them. San Antonio hasn’t been as great on the road either, going 18-10.  

JB Bickerstaff’s squad has also won four of its last five contests at Little Caesars Arena. Detroit will bring Victor Wembanyama & Co. back down to earth tonight.

Spurs vs Pistons same-game parlay

Duncan Robinson scored 17 points in Saturday’s win over the Bulls and he’s cashed the Over in three of his last four. The sharpshooter is averaging 13.2 points per game at home as well. 

Cade Cunningham is one of the best passers in the league, ranking second in assists with an average of 9.8. Since the All-Star break, he’s cashed the Over in both games, dishing out 13 dimes in each. 

Spurs vs Pistons SGP

• Pistons moneyline
• Duncan Robinson Over 10.5 points
• Cade Cunningham Over 5.5 assists

Our "from downtown" SGP: Harris handles the perimeter

Tobias Harris was just 2-for-5 from deep on Saturday, and he’s cashed the Over in triples in back-to-back games at home. 

Spurs vs Pistons SGP

• Pistons moneyline
• Duncan Robinson Over 10.5 points
• Cade Cunningham Over 5.5 assists
• Tobias Harris Over 1.5 made threes

Spurs vs Pistons odds

• Spread: Spurs +1.5 (-110) | Pistons -1.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Spurs +100 | Pistons -120
• Over/Under: Over 230.5 (-110) | Under 230.5 (-110)

Spurs vs Pistons betting trend to know

The Detroit Pistons have hit the 1H Moneyline in 36 of their last 45 games (+19.20 Units / 19% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Pistons.

How to watch Spurs vs Pistons

Spurs vs Pistons latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

If you’ve watched the Cleveland Cavaliers recently, you’ve probably seen a jaw-dropping pass or two from James Harden. Most fans knew of Harden’s playmaking — but actually seeing it in action, with those dimes being thrown to the players on your favorite team, is an entirely different experience than watching it happen for other franchises.

Harden’s dishing out nearly nine assists per game since joining the Cavs. While it’s a small sample size of just six games, he’s yet to finish with fewer than seven assists as a Cavalier. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. He’s a legendary passer who’s now running point guard for a Cleveland squad that set the league ablaze last season.

The Cavs had the third-highest offensive rating in league history last season. And even though their personnel have changed quite a bit since then, they still have enough firepower to make life feel like a playground for someone like Harden.

Whether it’s throwing lobs to Donovan Mitchell, spraying out to shooters like Sam Merrill, or dissecting his opponents in the pick-and-roll with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley — Harden’s arguably never had more options to pass to.

So, without further ado, here are 10 passes that show why Harden is having so much success on his new team.

Number One

Let’s start with the biggest difference Harden brings to Cleveland. He’s a BIG playmaker who can use his 6’5” 220-pound frame to navigate the floor and unlock options they haven’t had before.

Can you imagine Mitchell or Darius Garland playing with their back to the basket in the high-post like this? Probably not.

You might envision Evan Mobley in this spot, as he has operated this action before, but there’s a huge difference between being an above-average playmaker for your position (like Mobley) and being one of the greatest playmakers in league history. Advantage: Harden.

So what exactly makes the above play special?

Harden sets up in the high post. This starting position changes the dynamic of Allen/Merrill’s action. Being here allows Harden to deliver the ball to the roller or to the perimeter more easily than if he were standing in the corner or on the wing (where would Merrill even pop out if Harden is on the perimeter?).

The spacing just doesn’t work the same if Harden isn’t able to secure a deeper position.

Now watch the screen set by Allen. Washington isn’t willing to switch or play at the level of the screen because they recognize Allen’s threat to roll or catch with a mismatch. That means Merrill’s defender is on an island with no hope of contesting his shot.

The pass itself isn’t anything special. But Harden’s size permits the entire play to develop. Look below for another example of this.

Number Two

The Cavs set up in horns with Harden and Merrill on the elbows. Again, Harden’s ability to comfortably operate inside the perimeter sets him apart from Mitchell and Garland.

Jaylon Tyson cuts through the middle after entering the ball to Harden. From there, Allen sets a flare screen for Merrill — and when the Wizards (again) choose to prioritize covering Allen’s roll, Merrill wisely uses his man’s momentum against him and cuts backdoor for a layup.

But check the bounce pass from Harden. Specifically, where and when he throws the ball.

Harden has a knack for leading his teammates into open space. This pass is zipping towards the basket before Merrill even realizes he’s going to be open. So not only is Harden able to initiate plays from more advantageous angles — but he can read a defense to filth and deliver the ball with precision to generate easy buckets.

Number Three

Alright, let’s get to something flashy.

Harden’s one of the best pick-and-roll operators the game has ever seen. This behind-the-back pocket pass is one of the reasons why.

This begins with a subtle move to lead his defender into the screen. Then, when Harden senses that Kyshawn George is trailing behind the roll, he realizes the only way to deliver the ball through this window is to zip it behind his back before the pocket closes.

There’s really not much else to say about this. Anyone with eyes can tell you how ridiculous this is.

Number Four

Back to some nuances.

Harden’s size isn’t just an advantage when playing with his back to the basket. He can also use it to absorb more contact and play at a deliberate pace when driving to the hoop.

In this play, Harden is being hounded by Tim Hardaway Jr., but he never has to speed himself up to avoid losing control. He takes the contact, burrows his way into the paint, and then jumps to find the open man when Denver’s defense collapses.

Again, compare this to Mitchell or Garland. Undersized gaurds ineherently have to play with more speed in these scenarios. They don’t have enough size to play through this much ball pressure. But because Harden is able to take his time, it allows this entire play to materialize.

A quick dash to the hoop wouldn’t leave enough time for this to develop. Harden’s pace allows Mitchell to cut to the opposite corner. That causes Sam Merrill to dive to the corner, taking Christian Braun out of Harden’s space. Then, when Bruce Brown stays to clog the lane — Mitchell makes it to the other corner — and Jamal Murray has to dig down to cover the skip pass. All of this culminates in Harden walking into the lane and spraying it out to Tyson, who is now wide open.

But none of that happens if Harden isn’t able to work through contact and control the tempo. A smaller player would have attacked the rim at breakneck speed and had nowhere to go because the rest of the play hadn’t formed.

Number Five

Here we see another example of Harden’s deliberate pace.

Watch the consecutive hang-dribbles that Harden uses after curling around Allen’s screen. This momentary hesitation forces the Kings’ big man to commit to his drive. And that gives Allen the time he needs to claim space inside the paint.

And because Harden isn’t going from zero-to-100, he’s able to gently drop this bounce pass to where only Allen can catch the ball. Perfect process and execution.

Number Six

Back to some highlights.

Harden’s bounce pass might be the most underrated aspect of his game. He makes this pass look easier than it is.

The extra beat he takes to look at the corner and open Noah Clowney just enough to squeeze the ball through that window is the difference between an Allen dunk and a turnover.

Number Seven

We’ve seen the bounce pass. Now let’s look at a different delivery.

This is an easy read. Harden comes off the screen and immediately draws two to the ball. But watch how he releases this pass. Harden jumps and floats this over-the-top pass with a downward trajectory to drop the ball perfectly into Mobley’s hands.

Once more, Harden’s height gives him access to a pass that Mitchell and Garland don’t have. Both could have made this read — but only Harden could serve this dish as cleanly as he did.

Number Eight

This is just a brilliant play.

Harden recognizes that Mobley has drawn a mismatch and is being fronted in the post. So while all eyes are on Tyson’s screen — Harden sails a pass over the defense for an easy dunk.

Making this pass from the logo, without wasting any time dribbling, is why Mobley is able to punish his mismatch before Brooklyn recovers.

Number Nine

In this clip, we get to see our first drive-and-kick from Harden.

It begins with a nasty crossover to get around Michael Porter Jr, a skill that we haven’t focused enough on. Harden’s as slippery as they come, and his ability to break his defender in isolation is what makes him such a threat, to begin with.

After dispatching Porter, the Nets are forced to send a second defender to stop Harden’s drive. Now Harden can either dish to Allen in the dunker’s spot — or — more effectively, jump hook a pass to the 47.5% three-point shooter in the corner. Harden chooses the more difficult pass and is rewarded with an assist.

Number Ten

I don’t need to tell you that this pass was nasty. I just figured we’d end on a high note.

Draw attention to the touch required to throw a lob this softly after breaking out in transition. Harden floats this pass gently to the rim, and all Mitchell has to do is jump and guide it home.

Seriously, I can’t comprehend how the ball hangs in the air for so long when taking into account how fast Harden is running. It’s the type of pass that only an all-time great can make.

If you want to watch all of these plays together, check out the tweet below.

Put together some of James Harden's best passes as a Cavalier (so far). Here's what stands out:

– He's the first BIG playmaker on this team. Has access to angles that Garland/Mitchell don't

– Can play with his back to the basket. Unlocks so many options they didn't have before pic.twitter.com/chWeGQo8uW

— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) February 20, 2026

Why does it seem like the NBA is always facing a crisis right after the Super Bowl? Sometimes it’s load management, sometimes it’s players not trying in the All-Star Game, and this year it’s tanking. The moral outrage about teams losing on purpose is overwhelming all other coverage of the league right now, but it’s important to note where it’s coming from. Surely there’s some Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards fans upset their teams are refusing to play their best playersin the fourth quarter of close games, but I’d wager most of them are fine with the plan to increase their lotto odds during a lost season in hopes of adding a future star.

The outcry over tanking mostly amounts to outside noise, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem. There’s nine or 10 teams incentivized to lose every game the rest of the season right now, and that’s not a good look for the league. It’s just that in rushing to find a medicine to cure tanking, the NBA risks giving itself bigger problems from the side effects.

The NBA is going to address tanking for next season, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania, and former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is on the panel advising Adam Silver. Here are the ideas under consideration to fix tanking, according to Charania. I’ll give my take on each of these as we go through them.

• First-round draft picks can be protected only for top-four or top-14-plus selections (pretty good)
• Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date (Pointless)
• No longer allowing a team to pick in the top four in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-three finishes (Feels too drastic … how about can’t do it three years in a row?)
• Teams can’t pick in the top four the year after making the conference finals (Stupid)
• Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records (Don’t love it)
• Lottery extended to include all play-in teams (Don’t hate it)
• Flatten odds for all lottery teams (A step too far)

Some of these ideas are fine and some of them are terrible. I still haven’t seen a really good tanking fix that both helps bad teams get a shot at acquiring stars and also incentives teams to win every game. What I do know is that a lot of the proposed tanking fixes would have unintended negative side effects and open up new pathways for bad PR for the league.

My two main takeaways on these anti-tanking measures are this:

1. NBA tanking won’t be as bad as it is right now every year, and the problem should correct itself next season
2. None of these get to the heart of what really is the NBA’s biggest issue.

Why is tanking so bad right now? It’s because the 2026 NBA Draft is loaded, and because one player can make a bigger impact in basketball than any other sport. If you’re a team without a star, you have three ways of trying to acquire one: draft them, trade for them, and sign them in free agency. A real star hasn’t changed teams in free agency since Kawhi Leonard joined the Clippers in 2019, so that one is mostly off the table. Trading for stars usually requires a ton of assets out the door that makes it really different to build around the star once you get them. Drafting stars is the best pathway because it gets a young player on a cost-controlled contract and allows them to forge a stronger connection with a fanbase that watches them grow up over the years.

Tanking is the most sensible path for a bad team to take; to me, it’s just part of the NBA lifecycle. The Jazz and Wizards both already decided they won’t be tanking next year by acquiring Anthony Davis and Trae Young (in Washington) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (in Utah). Teams already know they can’t tank forever, and they shouldn’t be. A rule change that bans teams from moving up in the lottery three times over four years seems like a modest fix that could really help. In this scenario, the Spurs couldn’t have moved up for Dylan Harper with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft because they already moved up for Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle in the previous two years.

Coming up with new rules now hurts the teams who already made their rebuilding decisions at the trade deadline. Take the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls, for example, who have been forgoing tanking for years to try to get in the playoffs. This plan has led the Bulls to pure mediocrity, and at the trade deadline they finally came to their senses to sell Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, and others. The Grizzlies couldn’t break through in the West either and started trading their best players. If the NBA puts in anti-tanking rules now, then it essentially punishes teams that just chose this path instead of the ones who made it a problem in the first place.

Tanking isn’t the NBA’s biggest problem. The number of games is.

Most of the NBA’s problems can be fixed by shortening the schedule. The 82-game regular season is just too long. Today’s game has more space to cover and more movement than ever before, and it’s simply too physically demanding on players’ bodies over the course of the regular season plus playoffs.

High school and college teams play about 40 games max in a season, usually a little less. The WNBA plays 44 games right now. A European powerhouse like Real Madrid plays something like 68 games between a couple different leagues, then has shorter playoff run. Only the NBA makes its champion play 100+ games per season (the Thunder played 105 games in their 2025 championship season), and in this era of modern basketball, the game is way worse off for it.

Trimming the season to 60 or 65 games would be an ideal number. Suddenly “load management” isn’t as much of a concern because games are more spaced out. Tanking isn’t as much of a problem either because there’s fewer games to light on fire. The standings usually don’t really change that much after the 60-game mark as it is. Every game would feel a lot more important, which is the main thing the NBA wants to establish.

Trimming the season down by 20 games would be costly for both the owners and the players, but it’s possible some of that money could be made up in the long-run with a better overall product. Sometimes, you need to take a step back to take a step forward, and that should be the NBA’s intention as it evaluates what’s wrong with today’s game.

It’s wild that the NBA got terrible press for a bad dunk contest, which is a meaningless event. Meanwhile, this Super Bowl was unwatchable, uncompetitive trash, and so was the Super Bowl before it, but no one ever uses that as an example of why the NFL is broken. The last NBA Finals featured incredible competitive play, a true Cinderella story in the Indiana Pacers, and a superstar putting his body on the line to try to win a championship in Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his Achilles.

The NBA Finals had toughness, drama, great competition. The Super Bowl had none of it. So why are we always stuck arguing about tanking with people who don’t watch the Jazz or Wizards, or something similar?

The NBA has dissolved the value of each game because there’s too damn many of them. It’s the one thing that ties all of the league’s problems together. There is no real way to fix tanking, at least not one I’ve seen. I’m in favor of reasonable tanking measures, but not wholesale changes. If the NBA wants to address its underlying problems, start by shortening the season.

Draymond Green hilariously roasts Kendrick Perkins' Warriors, Steph Curry remark originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The long history between Warriors forward Draymond Green and former NBA center Kendrick Perkins continues to live on.

With Golden State’s star guard Steph Curry expected to be sidelined for at least three more games with right patellofemoral pain syndrome, Perkins suggested that the Warriors simply should rest their stars for the rest of the season.

“Shut ‘em down for the remainder of the season,” Perkins expressed on “The Road Trippin’ Show.” “Let’s be real, this Warriors team is not going anywhere. Draymond Green, I don’t know where his mind is at, but it’s definitely not on the game of basketball. He looked horrible [on Thursday against the Boston Celtics].

“Shut Steph down. Let those guys play it out. See what guys fit. Right now, I would let the rest of the Warriors team outside of Steph play this season out and audition to see if they want to be here.”

Of course, Green did not back down and hilariously responded to Perkins’ comments that were most specifically directed at him.

“In the world we live in, these guys need something to talk about every day,” Green stated on “The Draymond Green Show”. “And so, they make the biggest deal out of [something with] no deal.”

In the Warriors’ last two games before the All-Star break against the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 9 and the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 11, Green finished strong, combining for 31 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Unfortunately, the 35-year-old had a rough game in Golden State’s 121-110 loss to the Celtics on Feb. 19, scoring zero points in just 19 minutes played.

“Going into the All-Star break, everybody was like, ‘Oh my god, man, Draymond turned back the clock. Draymond played great,” Green said. “And then one game after the All-Star break, you have a rough game, and then this guy goes, ‘I don’t know where his head is at, but it ain’t on basketball.’ You’re not allowed to have a bad game anymore. I think it’s very interesting.”

Green then turned his attention to Perkins, who only averaged more than 10 points per game in a season once in his 14-year NBA career.

“Needless to say, yeah, Perk, you never had bad games,” Green responded to Perkins’ comments. “Perk, we’ve seen you play, big fella. We saw you, big dog, you played. To go in on a bad night, Perk, you played.

“We got the clips. We got clips of your screen-setting. We got clips of your jump shots, Perk. We got clips of your jump hooks. You played big Perk. Careful, man. We can start pulling clips now, big Perk…You know how it goes to have one bad game. I can promise you, big Perk, I ain’t where you were at the end of yours.”

"You're not allowed to have a bad game anymore!" Draymond Green reacts to "Big Perk" comments in the media about him lately…

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! pic.twitter.com/2IX9LlRLF0

— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) February 23, 2026

During the 2025-26 season, Green is averaging 8.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, but is shooting at an abysmal rate of 40.9 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point range.

The Warriors certainly will need every bit of help they can get to make a playoff push with 25 games left to play in the regular season, and that starts with Green and Curry, who have been the pillars of the team and the organization for over a decade.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Moses Moody's mom shares throwback foreshadowing Al Horford as Warriors teammate originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

A childhood photo is bringing things full circle for Moses Moody.

Moody’s mom, Rona, shared a throwback image on social media from Chris Paul‘s 2015 “CP3 Camp,” showing a 13-year-old Moody posing in front of a display featuring Al Horford’s wingspan.

@mosesmoody at CP3 camp in 2015 at the age of 13, now teammates 🥹#DubNation@warriors@CP3@Al_Horfordpic.twitter.com/xWcFZXcudC

— Rona Moody (@MzRMoody) February 23, 2026

At the time, Horford was in the middle of his prime with the Atlanta Hawks, fresh off multiple NBA All-Star seasons and widely regarded as one of the league’s most versatile big men.

Moody, meanwhile, was just beginning his own basketball journey.

Six years later, the Warriors selected Moody with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He quickly carved out a role as a steady presence on the wing, contributing to Golden State’s 2022 championship run and continuing to develop into a key rotation piece.

Horford’s path, too, eventually brought him to the Bay.

After stints with the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder — including an NBA title with Boston in 2024 — the veteran big man signed with the Warriors ahead of the 2025-26 season.

That move ultimately connected the two in a way neither could have imagined back in 2015.

What once was a simple camp photo now stands as a rare full-circle moment — a young Moody posing in front of an NBA star, years before becoming his teammate on the same court.

And while the moment centers on Horford, it carries another subtle layer: the photo was taken at Paul’s camp — years before Moody and Paul briefly shared a locker room during the Warriors’ 2023-24 season.

Now, the picture looks less like a coincidence — and more like a preview.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Since February 3, 2025, De’Aaron Fox has been a member of the San Antonio Spurs, before that, he spent the entirety of his career with the Sacramento Kings.

On Saturday night, the Spurs hosted the Kings in the second of their games taking place in Austin.

Before the game, Kings head coach Doug Christie was asked about the transition Fox has made in taking his game to South Texas. Christie served as an assistant to the Kings from 2021-2024 before taking the head coaching position in 2024.

“When he first came in he was all speed, everything was speed, speed, speed, and then he started to find his game. I think watching him [in Texas], he has so may different weapons and he’s an unselfish player, so that plays right into wheelhouse. His ability to use his speed to get downhill to create advantages….it just takes his game to a different level. There was a steady progression to his game. Watching him, defensively, being on a team like this with a rim protector and multiple guys on the perimeter who play defense allows him to gamble a little bit because of his quickness and his anticipation skills. I thought there was a steady climb in where he was going and what he was doing. He iss a three-point threat in the open court and in one-on-one situations.”

Fox has had to transition from being the leader of the Kings and face of a franchise to playing next to a generational player.

In fact, even as his role seems to diminish, his statistics have not. He is averaging almost three less shots per game and consequently two-points less per game. And he’s only shaved about a minute if playing time from his average. But overall, his rebounding, assists, steals, blocks, and personal fouls are right in alignment with his career averages from his time in Sacramento.

In other words, Fox hasn’t changed, his surroundings have. And having this leading man and supporting cast has elevated his team overall. Add in a certain level of health that has upheld the Spurs throughout this season, the second best schedule in the Western Conference does not seem as farfetched as it did only a few weeks ago.

Older Spurs fans might remember how David Robinson handed the baton to Tim Duncan, allowing Duncan to become the face of the franchise and focal point to the team’s offense. Robinson’s willingness and humility not only elevated Duncan at a healthy pace, it built the foundation for multiple title runs.

Although Fox came in after Victor Wembanyama was drafted, his humility and selflessness resonates with the Spurs culture. Mitch Johnson recognized it immediately.

“It’s been incredible to see…a twenty-eight-year-old All-Star in his prime that wants to sit next to the face of the franchise, who’s twenty-two and still figuring out as good as he is, and want to complement him and be enthusiastic about growing with him.”

Johnson went on to complement how Fox allows Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper to make their own mistakes as part of their growth. In moments where Fox could feasibly take over the game, he stays back so that the team as a whole can grow into the champions they hope to be.

“I really, really appreciate his willingness to try and grow with the group, even though he’s probably a little bit ahead in terms of just experiences.”

Fox, although not initially listed as a 2026 All-Star, Fox was chosen by Adam Silver as a replacement for Giannis Antetokounmpo, an acknowledgement of the Spurs place in the standings not belonging to one singular player.

Fox also hit the game winner for USA Stripes in the All-Star competition.

On a court with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Donovan Mitchell, Fox was fed the ball and trusted by a team of all-time great players.

A vote of confidence at that level says it all.

---

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

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

It has been nearly a full year since Kyrie Irving has played in an NBA game. With his shutdown for the remainder of the year now official, he will not play his next game until at least 19 months post-ACL surgery. That is a lot of time. 19 months ago, the Mavericks were fresh off a run to the NBA Finals. Cooper Flagg was well away from playing his first game at Duke. There was a different president 19 months ago. All of this is to say, when Kyrie Irving suits up (hopefully) on opening night in October, he will not be the player he was against the Sacramento Kings on March 3 of last year. In fact, he may never be that player again. And to expect the Kyrie Irving of old would be misguided. 

Irving turns 34 on March 23. In the history of the NBA, there have only been three players who are Irving’s height (6’2”) or shorter to average more than 20 points per game at age 34 or older: Lenny Wilkins, Steph Curry, and Damian Lillard. All three guys are generational talents like Irving is, but none of them were coming off a major injury. In fact, Lillard sustained a major injury (torn achilles) after playing at that level and age for the entire year. When Irving went down, he was averaging almost 25 points a night in 36 minutes. To get back to that point, he would have to be the outlier that Curry is, who averaged over 29 points in his age-34 season. It just doesn’t happen, and the surgical aspect of the situation substantially reduces the likelihood of a return to form.

Recently, another guard who sustained a major injury last spring, Jaden Ivey, spoke with reporters about the impact of his leg surgery after his latest DNP:

“I’m not the same player I used to be. That’s why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead. I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.” -Jaden Ivey on his DNP
🎥 @CHGO_Sportspic.twitter.com/9wkMXE7Qqb

— Eazy (@SpeakEZsports_) February 20, 2026

Ivey, 24, was a former top-five pick. He averaged 17.1 points at Purdue his sophomore year and got his average up to 17.6 points per game in his third NBA season before sustaining a broken left leg in January 2025. Now, after starting just five games this season, he says his old self is “dead”. It was a somber reminder that real life is not NBA 2K, and these recoveries can take a serious mental toll on players. I am not saying that Irving feels the same way, but if major surgery can impact a guy as young and talented as Ivey, then no one is safe from the ramifications. Not only is history working against him, but the mental hurdle Irving has to overcome is massive, and it only grows as the time between on-court appearances increases.

Despite all of this, there is a little sun peeking through the clouds. Even though Ivey and Irving are small guards who rely on quickness and ball-handling to be effective, there are key differences between them. For one, they did not have the same surgeries. Ivey broke his fibula, which is a much less common injury than the ACL tear Irving sustained. What was once a death sentence, recovering from an ACL injury now feels pretty systematic. And aside from being the better player, Irving has the number one resource for recovering from surgery at his disposal. Klay Thompson missed nearly three full seasons of his prime due to two separate injuries that he sustained back-to-back. If anyone can get Irving to the place he needs to be, both mentally and physically, it is Thompson. So, although Irving will probably never be the player he was, there is reason to hope for it, as my fellow contributor Michael Harris detailed.

I personally do not think Irving will get back to that level. My expectation is very low for his production next season and beyond. I do not view him as a piece of Cooper Flagg’s future, nor a piece you should move mountains to keep. But I will happily take any and every moment above expectation he gives us. Now that Dallas is out of cap hell, Irving is a luxury the Mavericks can afford. He is a locker-room positive, has plentiful experience to pass on to Flagg and the Mavericks’ draft pick this season, and is a reminder of better times. If you expect to see the player we all saw a year ago, you will be disappointed. But if you expect nothing, Irving will have plenty of pleasant surprises. 

Being selected first overall is the ultimate gift and curse.

On one hand, you’ve shined so much in your pre-NBA career that a team believes you are the premier talent in your age group. You often arrive at a downtrodden franchise heading an effort to turn things around. Fans see you as a savior and a franchise pillar, the likes of Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, and most recently Cooper Flagg.

But, if you’re unable to live up that lofty status, the four-letter B-word seeps into the conversation. That word may hound you for the rest of your career — even if you grow into a helpful role player who sticks in the league for many years.

Ask any Hawks fan what they think of former number two overall pick Marvin Williams. They won’t point to five years as a starting small forward on Atlanta playoff teams in from 2008 to 2012. They won’t point to a body of work that includes a productive 15-year NBA career.

The conversation centers on what he wasn’t. He just wasn’t either of the two All-NBA point guards that followed him on draft day back in 2005.

Enter Zaccharie Risacher, number one overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

It’s obvious he’s not having the offensive breakout everyone hoped for after closing last year’s rookie season on an absolute tear. And most recently, he’s been benched in the starting lineup for CJ McCollum (starting with yesterday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets — but possibly for the foreseeable future).

Last season, after coming back from injury from January 30th until the postseason, Risacher scored 14.9 points in just 25.7 minutes per game while shooting 52% from the field and 42% from three. You could practically see the confidence grow with every shooting explosion. The tortured fanbase could finally feel justified in the organization nailing their bet on an unconventional pick in a down draft cycle.

This season is a different story. Both his scoring impact and efficiency are down from his rookie season, and it hasn’t been offset by improvements in other ‘little areas’ of basketball.

To be clear, this isn’t the end of his NBA career nor his time with the Atlanta Hawks. But it’s undeniable that his development hasn’t gone to plan.

So, that begs the next question:

What has gone wrong so far?

This season has been a different case from his rookie season, when most rightfully expected him to take some time to adjust to the speed and physicality of the NBA game. Some of his biggest issues in my eyes in 2025-26 have been:

Not enough growth in his upper and/or core body strength

His numbers finishing at the rim and through contact most distinctly bear this out. Per databallr, Risacher is getting to the rim 9.2 times per 100 possessions, placing him in the 88th percentile in the league. But his rim finishing shooting percentage is 3.2% worse than league average.

Risacher’s passing vision is limited, and often it seems as if he predetermines when he’s going to try to get a shot at the rim regardless of the position of the defense. Jalen Johnson is in his direct line of view, but his attempt over/through two guys goes poorly:

“When we get in the lane and break the paint, having our eyes out and passing the ball out allows us to get more catch-and-shoot threes,” coach Quin Snyder had to say about his team’s process before the Nets game. “They’re obviously highly efficient shots. When we’re getting our shot blocked when going to the rim, it’s a pretty good indication that maybe there was an opportunity to get off the ball earlier.”

Or sometimes, he goes in expecting contact without the balance to finish if the expected contact doesn’t arrive:

Lack of a functional handle when faced with ball pressure

This was never a real draw to his game, though he’s at least shown he can handle the ball in the open court a bit. But in halfcourt settings especially, he has a tendency to fumble the ball at even the slightest bit of contact.

These possessions, like recently against the Minnesota Timberwolves below, are all too common. Jaden McDaniels is a premier on-ball defender in the NBA to be clear, but Risacher never looked like he had any shot to get past him to the rim here:

Shifting shot mechanics from shot to shot

In fairness, he hasn’t looked completely lost as a shooter or anything. For his NBA career, he’s shooting 36% on threes on 8.6 three-point attempts per 100 possessions. But he self-creates fewer than 5% of his three-point attempts and makes for his career and is quite clearly a streaky catch-and-shoot guy. In short, he needs a high-level creator to set him up for good looks (more on that later).

One big worry, however, is his oddly low free throw shooting percentage, a common leading indicator of true shooting talent, for example. Last season, he shot 71% from the free-throw line — just fine and no better. But this year, strangely, that number is all the way down to 60%.

I’m no biomechanics expert, but it seems to me that his shot is very upper body-dependent, and his pushy release doesn’t look particularly consistent. I think it’s something that can be ironed out with repetition, because otherwise inconsistent mechanics is something that could cap his overall shooting talent.

Not daring enough to play-make for others, movement shoot, or cut

There are a lot of ways to make yourself useful on offense without a high-level handle. You can read the floor and make quick passes upon receiving the ball. You can move and cut off the ball.

But after flashing these tools last season, Risacher hasn’t built upon this foundation.

The area I think he should tap into more is moving off ball around screens into catch-and-shoot opportunities. That’s simply a more dangerous play type than a standstill catch-and-shoot possession — you can threaten the defense into reacting to your movement even if you don’t touch the basketball.

It’s too much to ask him to be Kyle Korver or anything, but at his height and with his mobility, this should be more of a weapon in his arsenal.

His assist to turnover ratio is up from his 1:1 ratio last season, but I think he can continue to be more ambitious with his passing in coach Snyder’s ‘0.5 second’ system.

It’s a similar story with his cutting frequency. Per the NBA’s tracking numbers via Synergy, Risacher has been right at 8% of his possessions ending from a cut in each of his first two seasons. No growth from year 1 to year 2.

In short, the best way to optimize his offense is to be a jack of all trades. Someone multi-faceted — dangerous to a defense in a variety of ways.

His fit on offense was predicated upon having Trae Young as the focal point

Young is one of the best creators in the NBA. Young found Risacher often last season, and Risacher responded by shooting 38% from three when sharing the court with him (including a small sample this season). Trae Young is now in D.C., and while Jalen Johnson has assumed responsibility as the head of the offense, his ability to find Risacher can’t quite compare.

It’s possible that next season, they Hawks bring in another high-level playmaker to team with Johnson and Dyson Daniels — either via draft or free agency — and that acquisition could be a boon to Risacher’s offense. But in the meanwhile, he’ll need to find other ways to impact the game.

---

Risacher was never going to be a typical high draft pick. Almost all of those players historically have on-ball creation skills to build an offense around. Zaccharie’s skillset always lent himself to being a glue guy — someone whose offensive values comes from being set up by others, whether as a catch-and-shoot guy or off screening or off cutting.

There are also two angles to this conversation: the foresight angle and the hindsight angle.

Throughout the draft evaluation process, there was no real consensus in a draft class that was light on talent as compared to other drafts. We here at Peachtree Hoops still never felt as through Risacher was the guy even despite this, due to concerns with his low ceiling, rawness, and the opportunity cost to add a two-way center at a position of need.

Even in hindsight, though, things have clearly gone a good bit worse than envisioned. The trio of AlexSarr, Stephon Castle, and Donovan Clingan, for example, have flashed levels of productivity Risacher hasn’t (with Reed Sheppard, a.k.a. the Mahomesian prospect, in that conversation as well).

But that decision was made almost two years ago at this point. It is what it is.

So now what?

I’d be remiss to not mention that there are areas in which Risacher has shown clear improvement. His defensive impact is very apparent on a team lacking size at the small forward position. He’s a legitimate disrupter defending both on and off the ball, averaging more steals and blocks (2.8 ‘stocks’ per 100 possessions) than in his rookie season.

Risacher injects energy in the fight for rebounds (a big weakness on this squad). His assists per 100 possessions are up while his turnovers per 100 possessions are down. His +/- impact is there. I promise you, it hasn’t all been bad.

But when his offense is just barely functional to this point, that hangup remains an anchor on any other value that he provides.

I still believe he can be a very helpful and impactful role player, but it’s time to stop envisioning Risacher as a foundational player to the franchise.

Not only does he require a significant amount of continued development just to reach the point where he can be a starting wing on a competitive team, there has been nothing to suggest that his ceiling is any higher than that.

Additionally, a different front office head than the current one ultimately spearheaded that pick. The current general manager, Onsi Saleh, has less incentive to force a square peg into a round hole.

“[The starting lineup change] doesn’t reflect in any way my personal belief in Zacch,” coach Snyder had to say after the Nets win on Sunday. “It actually could be a positive for him to be in the game at a different stage. Different matchups with guys. I think that was the case [today]. He looks relaxed. He competed. Zacch’s about all the right stuff. His development is something that’s going to continue to happen whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.”

Again, I still think the 20-year-old still has a productive NBA career ahead of him, but in my opinion the Hawks should continue to develop him while also regarding him as no more than a rotational wing signed to a mid-value contract over the next two future seasons — that is, assuming his fourth-year team option is picked up.

The story of his career is still being written, and I would implore you to not write off someone who doesn’t even turn 21 for a couple of months. But it’s not too early to adjust expectations accordingly — a process both the franchise and the fanbase may have already kicked off.

After a couple wins against the cellar-dwelling Indiana Pacers, the Wizards took on a surging Charlotte Hornets and got buried under an avalanche of threes. The Hornets made 25 in the game — one shy of their franchise record. Along the way, Charlotte connected on 12-14 from deep in the third quarter alone.

The Wizards did give up some open and wide-open looks in that ridiculous third quarter, but in fairness that kind of shooting is largely outlier flukish luck. Even All-Star teams going against All-Star level “defense” won’t make 12-14 from three-point range.

The Hornets deserve some credit too. Several of those threes came from stellar offensive design — multiple screens and side-switching player movement that befuddled the Wizards and created open looks. While the Wizards made a habit of dying on screens and not communicating effectively on switches, but those actions are tough to cover, and the league as a whole has had difficulty keeping up with them over the past couple months.

Overall, I’d have to say there wasn’t much to learn in this one. Washington was missing several players, head coach Brian Keefe kept the team’s available maintstays on a tight minutes leash, and gave biggest minutes to the two-way and 10-day guys. All part of the Keep That Pick campaign.

Thoughts & Observations

• With Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic in street clothes, Anthony Gill got his first start of the season and the 16th start of his career. Nice that it happened against Charlotte, so Hornets play-by-play man Eric Collins could talk about Gill coming from Charlotte.
• Kyshawn George played pretty well in his first game back from a toe injury.
• Bilal Coulibaly exhibited shocking offensive aggression (for him) from the opening tip. He scored Washington’s first 11 points, and it was more than three minutes before anyone other Wizards player even attempting a field goal. He finished the period with 15 points — the highest offensive output in a single quarter in his career.
• Coulibaly’s previous high for a quarter was 13.
• Note I jotted during the first quarter: LaMelo has the weirdest shot in the NBA. It got even weirder later when he hit a contested and fading three off one leg with the shot clock expiring. He hit 10-15 from three-point range.
• Kudos to the Wizards defense for holding Ball to 2-5 shooting on twos. (No, this is not a serious observation.)
• It’s a little weird to talk about a 33-year-old lacking experience, but I think it might apply to Gill. Example: in the second quarter, he turned down a wide open catch-and-shoot three and instead drove into multiple defenders…and turned it over. The lesson? Take. The. Open. Shot.
• After Coulibaly’s personal best first quarter, he got zero minutes in the second and just eight minutes the rest of the game.
• The Christian and Scooby halftime show was great. If you haven’t seen the show, Google it. You’re welcome.
• I get that the franchise wants to lose so they can keep that first round pick and improve their odds of getting the highest possible draft slot. Even so, why would they start the second half running a postup for Bub Carrington who was being defended by Ball — who’s three inches taller?
• Charlotte’s offensive rating (points per possession x 100) through three quarter was 146. League average this season: 115.4.
• Charlotte is on a seven-game road winning streak.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	HORNETS	WIZARDS	LGAVG
eFG%	63.8%	59.5%	54.3%
OREB%	36.4%	19.6%	26.1%
TOV%	13.0%	11.9%	12.8%
FTM/FGA	0.207	0.143	0.208
PACE	92		99.5
ORTG	140	121	115.4

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Bilal Coulibaly	17	33	166	28.8%	4.8	329	-6
Jaden Hardy	22	42	156	21.2%	3.6	178	6
Kyshawn George	18	34	137	24.8%	1.8	185	-21
Sharife Cooper	22	42	119	25.8%	0.4	139	4
Jamir Watkins	16	32	136	28.1%	1.8	185	13
Alondes Williams	34	66	132	10.9%	1.2	89	4
Anthony Gill	31	59	126	11.8%	0.8	66	-33
Will Riley	31	59	140	12.3%	1.8	65	-4
Tre Johnson	19	37	91	31.2%	-2.8	2	-21
Bub Carrington	30	58	55	21.5%	-7.5	-81	-27

HORNETS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
LaMelo Ball	27	53	199	32.2%	14.2	530	20
Kon Knueppel	28	55	135	33.9%	3.7	242	33
Brandon Miller	26	50	145	26.6%	4.0	210	7
Josh Green	23	45	199	12.2%	4.5	234	10
Ryan Kalkbrenner	15	29	204	14.7%	3.8	299	24
Tidjane Salaun	21	40	245	7.9%	4.1	172	-9
Grant Williams	26	49	105	14.4%	-0.7	39	33
Pat Connaughton	11	21	107	11.9%	-0.2	68	-17
Tre Mann	21	39	98	18.0%	-1.2	31	-3
PJ Hall	17	32	71	19.8%	-2.9	-22	-7
Xavier Tillman	4	7	33	26.6%	-1.5	-208	-4
Sion James	21	40	24	13.0%	-4.8	-120	-2

Since James Harden has arrived in Cleveland, everything has been exactly what one would hope for. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 5–1, the offense looks rejuvenated, and the team’s vibes haven’t been higher this season. Nothing seems like it could detract from the momentum this team has built, as it now finds itself in the third seed of the Eastern Conference. Well, nothing except for the fact that we all know how Harden carries himself with his new clubs.

This is the honeymoon phase—a term that anyone who has been in a relationship knows all too well. Star-crossed lovers become so enamored with each other that they ride the euphoria and push all concerns to the side. Unfortunately, Cavaliers fans should keep in the back of their minds while they enjoy this initial phase of the James Harden experience. That, according to history, it will not last forever.

It would be nice to think the Tobias Fünke train of thought—“It didn’t work for them, but it could work for us”—didn’t have validity, but the pattern has too much credibility. Ask the fans of the Nets, Sixers, and Clippers how the initial portion of the James Harden experience went.

You go on Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, or even just talk to friends, and the quotes eerily all line up to paint the same picture. Harden joins Team X, and suddenly it’s, “Oh wow, he looks reinvigorated.” “Maybe something has changed?” Harden looks phenomenal for a stretch, which allows fanbases and front offices to quiet any reservations they had about the trade.

Then, Team X hits a bump in the road—whether it’s getting bounced from the playoffs or falling short of expectations—and things get dicey fast. The dialogue around the team and Harden suddenly pivots from, “Where did this guy come from?” to, “Will this team ever look like it did when he first arrived?” Next thing you know, the NBA trade deadline features Team X trying to appease Harden as he looks for his next venture, because your team didn’t cut it.

This is all part of the Harden experience. James Harden is an NBA mercenary. Mercenaries aren’t sentimental; they don’t get emotionally attached. In Harden’s case, if he doesn’t get what he wants quickly, things get sour fast.

This is nothing against Harden—he doesn’t hide his wishes or tendencies. This is very much out in the open. A key factor to consider when getting into the Harden business is that he never gets comfortable, always willing to press the buttons necessary to maximize his chances of winning a title. This is an important piece of information that Koby Altman and the Cavaliers front office were, without a doubt, aware of.

The Cavaliers, with all their chips on Harden, either unknowingly or unwillingly, have put themselves on a rapid and delicate timeline. This is probably the most open the Eastern Conference will be for the next few years, with the Pistons sitting at the top, the Celtics recuperating and reintegrating Jayson Tatum into the fold, and the Knicks looking like the main threats to Cleveland’s chances to represent the East in the NBA Finals.

It’s fair to anticipate that Cleveland has made some indication to Harden that they will either extend him or provide incentives for him to remain in town through next season, at minimum. The Cavaliers are currently benefiting from the Harden experience and show no signs of slowing down. The team should ride this momentum into the postseason. However, it is the playoffs that will set the tone for the team heading into next season, based on the recent chapters of Harden’s career.

This is the deal that Cleveland signed up for. Harden has always shown his cards. If the Cavaliers expect a different response from their newest star, then they got into the wrong business.

Coming into the season, the Boston Celtics weren’t taken nearly as seriously as in recent years. The team was dismissed early and so, too, were Jaylen Brown’s chances of mounting a legitimate MVP case.

Brown, the lone man in the driver’s seat with Jayson Tatum sidelined, has reshaped not only how he’s perceived but also how his teammates are seen. Boston’s surge from being counted out after its offseason yard sale, combined with Brown’s growth, has put the entire league on notice. Even four-time NBA MVP LeBron James joined the Brown-for-MVP conversation, offering his support following Boston’s 111-89 win over his Lakers on Sunday night.

“He’s playing great basketball,” James told reporters, per CLNS Media.

What Brown has done soars far beyond the usual feel-good Cinderella run. He hasn’t just been dominant; he’s been efficient. The front office moved on from established veterans like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Al Horford, turning instead to less expensive and less experienced contributors such as Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and rookie Hugo González, with no intention of tanking. Instead, they recalibrated to build a system that allows everyone to shine and contribute. And at the forefront of what has become a well-oiled machine, designed by Joe Mazzulla, has been Brown himself.

“This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about as well,” James told reporters. “Like, nobody gave him a shot to start the season, and he’s averaging what, 30 (points)? It’s a popularity contest sometimes.”

James continued: “I don’t know the criteria for the MVP anymore. I kind of stopped giving a damn about it a long time ago. I got my own personal issues about it.”

Brown is competing against Cade Cunningham and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the leaders of the Eastern and Western Conference’s top seeds, along with Nikola Jokić, a perennial MVP candidate and three-time winner, and Victor Wembanyama, who is in the midst of a breakout season of his own. There is a legitimate case to be made for each, but at the very least, no MVP discussion should exist without Brown’s name mentioned. By any reasonable measure, he is as qualified as the league’s current frontrunners and, in some cases, more qualified than several players routinely mentioned in the conversation.

It hasn’t been as simple as Tatum’s touches being absorbed by Brown, thus inflating his scoring figures and nudging him into MVP consideration. It’s been far more than that. Brown has embraced a leadership role, even when it lacks glamor. He has invested not only in his own growth but in that of his teammates as well, a commitment that shows up in his playmaking. On Sunday night, against the Lakers, Brown tallied seven assists, and it did nothing to diminish his 32-point performance.

The constant pursuit of elevating both himself and the Celtics collectively has made this season’s version of Brown markedly different from what we’re used to seeing.

“He’s the kind of guy who relishes in getting 1% better, whatever that looks like,” Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “He just cares about winning. At the end of the day, he wants to win. He’s smart. He knows the game, knows the league, knows what wins, knows what doesn’t win. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of our team, and if you look at last game, he gets a triple-double. Tonight, he picked and chose his spots.”

Brown spent the night finding different ways to score, attacking whoever the Lakers put in front of him. He played with a relentless motor, knocking down difficult shots one after another while flashing his stepback so frequently it became a daunting task to defend him.

LeBron James to me on the “s*** (Jaylen) said about Bronny,” their relationship and why he thinks Jaylen should be a real MVP candidate: pic.twitter.com/vBfn8cO1EE

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) February 23, 2026

It’s one thing to scroll through social media and find validation from fans. It’s another to wind down after a blowout win while a future first-ballot Hall of Famer sings your praises from the opposite locker room, and Brown understands that fully.

“It’s an honor for LeBron, who’s arguably the best player to ever play the game, giving me some high praise,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media. “I’m just grateful. I wake up every morning grateful, humbled, in the position I’m able to be in and put my best foot forward every single day.”

Hearing what James said brought back memories of Brown’s debut, as he shared. He couldn’t help but smile while thinking back on what James told him a decade ago, and how far he’s come since then as a household star, now with a championship, a $286 million max contract, and an NBA Finals MVP to his name.

“My first start was against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and after the game, he came up to me and told me, ‘You’re going to be an All-Star one day. You’re going to be a great player.’ He also said, ‘You’re playing for a great coach,’” Brown recalled of his rookie days under Brad Stevens.

“That was my first start in the NBA. I had a good game back in 2016. So we talked about that at the All-Star Game (this year) — ‘Remember that, 10 years ago?’ And he smiled and said, ‘Of course. I’m not surprised at anything you’re doing right now. So just keep proving people wrong, keep doing what you gotta do, and keep leading your team, and people will take notice.’”

Brown still remembers the reception that greeted him on Draft Night, when a mix of boos and cheers echoed through TD Garden during the team’s draft party. Then-majority owner Wyc Grousbeck addressed the decision, only to be met with even louder expressions of disappointment from those in attendance. For better or worse, Brown has held tightly to those moments, the ones that have shaped him both as an athlete and as a person.

Those experiences have molded him, helped him overcome his lows, and prepared him for his highs. Now, they’ve carried him into the most challenging season of his career, and so far, it has gone nearly perfectly. The Celtics sit at 37-19, winners of eight of their last 10 games. Regardless of the odds or the shifting MVP discourse, Brown isn’t changing a thing.

“We still got 26 games left, so just come with the same mentality I’ve had from Day 1,” Brown told reporters. “Don’t let the praise, the warmth, or the criticism make or break you. Just come out and be Jaylen Brown, who I am. I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world; I play both ends of the court night to night. I’m available, which is hard to do. I’m a leader; I help lead my team, empower my team to come out confidently — stuff that doesn’t always show up on the analytics. And I’m a winner. I come out and try to win every single time.”

Duke and Arizona looked like the teams to beat in the upcoming men's NCAA Tournament after taking down No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Houston, respectively, on Feb. 21.

The No. 3 Blue Devils beat the Wolverines 68-63 behind Cameron Boozer's 18-point, 10-rebound and seven-assist performance. Guards Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster added 26 combined points in the win.

NCAA Tournament top 16 seeds: A rough day just hours after reveal

Bracketology: NCAA Tournament field prediction has new No. 1 seed

Meanwhile, the Wildcats defeated the Cougars 73-66 behind a career-high 22 points from Anthony Dell'Orso, who played 34 minutes off the bench for the national championship contenders.

There will be a shakeup in the polls on Feb. 23, as No. 6 Iowa State fell to No. 22 BYU and No. 12 Kansas was upset by unranked Cincinnati. No. 18 Vanderbilt also lost to unranked Tennessee.

Here's a look at the latest risers and fallers for March Madness as the regular season winds down:

March Madness bracket predictions

Risers

Duke

• Projected seed: No. 1

Duke is coming off a 68-63 win over No. 1 Michigan on Feb. 21 and looks to be the new frontrunner for the No. 1 overall team in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils are 25-2 on the season and their two losses are to Texas Tech and North Carolina, which are both virtual locks for March Madness.

Duke still has remaining games against Notre Dame, Virginia, NC State and UNC in the regular season.

Arizona

• Projected seed: No. 1

Arizona was the last undefeated team in Power Four until it lost to Kansas on the road Feb. 9, before losing again to Texas Tech in its next game. The Wildcats bounced back on Feb. 21, though, defeating No. 2 Houston 73-66 on the road.

Arizona is back to being a contender for the No. 1 overall seed, along with Duke.

Florida

• Projected seed: No. 2

Florida was shaky at times early in the year, but has hit its stride in recent weeks and is dominating the SEC. The Gators have won 12 of their past 14 games, including wins over Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Florida's frontcourt trio of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu might be the best in college basketball and starting guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee are also heating up, which could be scary for opposing teams facing the reigning national champions.

UCLA

• Projected seed: First Four Out

UCLA coach Mick Cronin went viral for the wrong reasons after its blowout loss to Michigan State on Feb. 17. However, the Bruins turned around and defeated No. 10 Illinois 95-94 at home on Feb. 21, which is a huge boost to their resume.

UCLA still has some work to do but holds an 18-9 record with ranked wins over Purdue and Illinois, two of the top projected teams in March Madness.

Fallers

Houston

• Projected seed: No. 2

Houston is coming off back-to-back losses to Iowa State and Arizona and appears to have fallen behind both schools in the Big 12's pecking order. While the Cougars are still national championship contenders, they have some work to do to get back onto the No. 1 seed line.

Kansas

• Projected seed: No. 3

Kansas was blown out by Iowa State on Feb. 14, before defeating Oklahoma State on Feb. 18 with limited help from star guard Darryn Peterson. The Jayhawks then suffered perhaps their worst loss of the season on Feb. 21, falling to unranked Cincinnati by 16 points at home.

Thankfully for Kansas, Peterson played 32 minutes in the loss after pulling himself from the game against the Cowboys.

Vanderbilt

• Projected seed: No. 5

Vanderbilt, losers of three of its past five games, is quickly falling out of contention to be the higher seed for the Round of 32, should it reach that stage of the NCAA Tournament.

The Commodores have dropped back-to-back games to Missouri and Tennessee, who are looking to surpass Vanderbilt in the SEC order. The losses were only by five combined points, though, showing how slim the margins can be between winning and losing.

Vandy ends the regular season with games against Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee again, which could all go either way.

Clemson

• Projected seed: No. 9

Clemson was looking to compete with North Carolina to finish second in the ACC standings, until its current four-game losing streak started. The Tigers are 20-8 on the season, but have lost four straight, including three against unranked teams in Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State.

The Tigers have upcoming games against Louisville and North Carolina, two ranked teams. Things could get ugly quick if they can't win at least one of those two games, in terms of seeding and even avoiding the bubble.

When is Selection Sunday 2026?

The 68-team bracket for the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be unveiled on 6 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 15.

March Madness 2026 schedule 

The 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will transpire over the next three weeks, which will end with the Final Four and the national championship game in Indianapolis.

Here’s a rundown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA Tournament:

• First Four: March 17-18 (Buy tickets)
• First round: March 19-20
• Second round: March 21-22
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (Buy tickets)
• National championship game: April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (Buy tickets)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA tournament bracketology teams rising, falling in bracket predictions

LOS ANGELES — Jaylen Brown broke into a toothy grin as he chest-bumped Payton Pritchard at the center of Crypto.com arena, moments after Pritchard crossed up Austin Reaves en route to his sixth three-pointer of the night.

Brown, Pritchard’s longest-tenured teammate, relished the offensive explosion.

“Payton has been playing at an All-Star level,” Brown said after the Celtics 111-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. “And I’m happy to see it. Nobody happier to see it than me.”

Pritchard’s three-pointer extended the Celtics’ lead to 22 points, their 37th win of the season all but secured. And, a team that was once heralded by many as destined for the lottery extended their lead for second place in the Eastern Conference.

On the sidelines, Jayson Tatum chuckled, in awe of Pritchard’s masterful offensive display (the Celtics guard finished the afternoon with 30 points on 10-14 shooting).

Jayson Tatum can’t believe Payton Prichard is absolutely cooking LeBron and the Lakers. pic.twitter.com/WfbK8RFzkO

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) February 23, 2026

But afterwards, in quintessential fashion, Pritchard said he wasn’t a finished product.

“[There’s] another step I can get to,” Pritchard said. “So, just gonna keep working — and I’m gonna get to it.”

In one sense, Payton Pritchard was the story of the Celtics’ blowout win over the Lakers — the 27-year-old has been on a tear as of late, averaging 23.6 points and shooting 54.4% from the field in his last 7 games (since Anfernee Simons was traded to the Chicago Bulls).

Payton Pritchard, the NBA’s most efficient isolation scorer this season, overcame an ice-cold start to the year to average 17.6 points and 5.4 assists per game, both career-highs.

But, was Pritchard the story of the Celtics’ Sunday afternoon victory? Is he the story of the Celtics’ season?

Jaylen Brown, of course, deserves plenty of the limelight

In the victory, Brown talled 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, putting forth another all-around performance that earned praise from LeBron James himself.

“This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about some as well,” James said, per CLNS Media. “Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season. And he’s averaging what, 30 [points]? Just under 30? It’s a popularity contest sometimes, I tell you.”

Brown has received his fair share of accolades this season; in January, he earned his first-ever Eastern Conference Player of the Month selection. Last week, he started in an All-Star game for the first time in his NBA tenure. And, before the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick stated simply that there were no holes in Brown’s game.

Is Brown’s leap the story of the Celtics’ season?

There’s a strong case to be made. Jaylen Brown has played some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 29.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists — all career-highs.

It’s unusual for a player in their 10th season to make such a substantial lap — Brown is scoring 7 more points per game than he did last year — and it’s the first time in his career he’s been in MVP conversations.

“I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world,” Brown said. “I play both ends on the court night-to-night. I’m available, which is hard to do. I’m a leader. Help lead my team, empower my team to come out and play confidently, stuff that doesn’t always show up on the analytics. And I’m a winner. I come out and try to win every single night.”

In some ways, Celtics-Lakers was all about the young bucks

It’s hard to boil down the Celtics’ success to the elite play of one player, when all season long has so loudly been about the team. Contributions have come from different players every night — for a stretch, it was Josh Minott starting games for Boston (Minott is no longer on the team).

For a couple-month period, Jordan Walsh, who started 20 consecutive games, was the talk of the town. For a stretch, it was Hugo Gonzalez, who began to break through at just 19 years old.

A hallmark characteristic of this group has been that regardless of who is available, the same attention to detail is on full display.

Nowadays, Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman regularly start games for Boston, with Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic coming off the bench.

There were turning points in Sunday’s beatdown that felt like the Celtics’ success could largely be attributed to the team’s trio of young defenders: Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh.

Mazzulla said that Brown pulled all three aside — as well as Sam Hauser — at Saturday’s practice in Santa Monica in order to go over some of the Lakers’ stars offensive tendencies. That extra scout carried over into Sunday’s game; James, Austin Reaves, and Luka Doncic combined to shoot just 22 of 53 (41%) from the field.

And, Brown liked what he saw from that trio in action on Sunday afternoon.

“Hugo made some big plays for us,” Brown said. “Baylor was amazing tonight. Defense is what we’ve got to continue to elevate.”

The Celtics, in turn, tallied their third consecutive victor.

They now have the NBA’s fourth-best record (trailing only the Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs) and third-best net rating (trailing only the Pistons and Thunder).

After the win, Mazzulla was asked what he thought was the story of the Celtics’ season.

His answer perfectly reflected the Celtics’ mindset: focus on the right now, on the controllables. Focus on the process, not the result.

“The story’s not done,” Mazzulla said. “We are only a product of what we do tomorrow, what we do the next day, and that’s just the story. If we would have lost this game by 1, tomorrow’s film session [would have] to be as detailed and as disciplined as it is going to be with the result that we had. And so that’s the story. It’s not done yet.”

Asked Joe Mazzulla what he thinks the story of this Celtics team has been:

“The story's not done. We are only a product of what we do tomorrow, what we do the next day, and that's just the story. And if we would have lost this game by 1, tomorrow’s film session has to be as… pic.twitter.com/kM8dPvM0UW

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) February 23, 2026

Mazzulla doesn’t expect Monday’s Celtics film session to feel any different on the heels of a victory as it would feel after a loss. After the 22-point win, he noted the Celtics gave up two back-cuts and an after-timeout lob to LeBron. He also noted that the Celtics overhelped on several three-point attempts.

All of those plays — win or loss — is what the group will focus on tomorrow.

“We haven’t done anything,” Mazzulla said. “All we’ve done is stick to the process of winning on both ends of the floor, put our head down. [We] don’t overreact to a good win or to a bad loss. And, [we] get better in the next game.”