Category: NBA

I can remember it vividly. Year 11 (junior year to most of you). My best friend’s voice riding the wind across the yard.

“Did you see it?”

I looked up, mouth ajar, eyes staring as if I was mid matrices exam. Then the follow-up.

“The Bucks have signed Bobby Simmons!”

Dilation. Pupils, mouth. Everything.

It was true. A quick—okay, slow (we’re talking ADSL speeds)—Google search (or was it Ask Jeeves?) confirmed the news. The NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player (MIP), coming off a season in which he averaged 16.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.4 SPG on .466/.435/.846 shooting, was joining the Bucks on a 5-year $47m contract.

And they were movin’ on up.

The promise

My excitement was palpable, even as a closet fan. Coming off a 25th-placed 30-52 season the year prior, Simmons’ arrival signalled change and upward trajectory in Milwaukee. But he wasn’t alone. T.J. Ford—yes, that new assistant coach—was back after missing his entire sophomore season due to a severe spinal injury, Michael Redd had just re-signed on a six-year deal (remember those?), and Andrew Bogut had arrived in town after being selected with the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft. Youth and promise. Sounds familiar, right? Oh, and they had a new coach too, moving off one Terry (Porter) for another (Stotts).

But the roster revitalisation wasn’t done. Not yet. Two months later, Milwaukee would trade for All-Star centre Jamaal Magloire in a deal that sent out Desmond Mason and a 2006 first-round pick (that would become Cedric Simmons). And just like that, the starters were set: two seven-footers up front, a big-bodied forward on the wing, a sweet-shooting two, and an exciting, young point. Read that sentence again and you could easily confuse it for this year’s squad.

So, with a revamped starting five that also strengthened the bench—2004-05 starters Joe Smith, Mo Williams, and Dan Gadzuric became reserves—the Bucks looked primed for a playoff push.

Bright beginnings

The season started with a bang—a 117-108 overtime win against the Philadelphia 76ers—and Simmons looked every bit the key free agent signing Bucks fans had hoped for, dropping 22 points to go along with a career-high-tying 12 rebounds. Up next, New Jersey. Kidd, Vince, RJ. SEGABABA. And when my best mate told me he’d organised his next door neighbour to record it on VHS for us (it was our only access to full NBA games), I became Bango after nailing an overhead half-court shot.

We watched it that afternoon (time difference and all that), dragging dining chairs into the corner of his room so we could get as close as possible to his box TV. The mid-2000s style meant every basket was a grind, and when Dan Gadzurichit the Bucks’ first field goal—an isolation, face-up jumper from the left block with 6:43 on the clock to make it a 9-3 Nets lead—I could finally move off the front of the chair. At the end of the first, the Nets led 29-17. By halftime, it was 55-50 and Simmons had gone just 1/6 from the field. He didn’t improve much after the break, missing his only attempt, but a 33-point second-half explosion by Redd secured a Bucks victory. Enthused, we chucked NBA Live into his PlayStation 2, let our inner Larry Harrises out, and had at it.

Three nights later, Simmons looked back to his Opening Night self, putting up 23 points, four rebounds, and three assists to lead the Bucks over D-Wade and the Miami Heat, giving Milwaukee their first three-game winning streak to start the season since 2001-02. They remained hot too. By mid-December, the Bucks were 12-7. By the New Year, they were 17-11. And despite cooling off by the time All-Star break came around, they remained in the black: 27-25.

Simmons, however, wasn’t quite living up to expectations, regressing statistically across the board thanks in large part to the inconsistent play his opening three games foreshadowed. 20 points one night become single digits the next. And across the season’s first three months, he seemed to be hurting more than he was helping (a plus/minus of -46). He would amend that on the back of a season-high 26 points (including 5/9 from three) in a two-point loss to the Houston Rockets to begin February, finishing the second half of the season at +95 despite the Bucks going just 17-20 over this stretch.

Overall, Simmons’ first year with the Bucks was solid if unspectacular: 13.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.1 SPG on .453/.420/.825 splits. More importantly, the Bucks had made good on that playoff promise.

A post-season taster

Despite the excitement, Milwaukee’s playoff run didn’t last long. Playing the second-seeded “Goin’ to Work” Detroit Pistons—Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, and Chauncey Billups—the Bucks were beaten in a gentleman’s sweep, experiencing their only taste of victory in Game 3 thanks to a combined 60 points on absurd 23/31 shooting from Redd and Williams, and a team-leading seven rebounds and 15 assists from Ford. Simmons chipped in with a steady 10 points, four boards, and three assists.

Across the series, though, to say he struggled would be an understatement. In his first taste of post-season action, Simmons was held to just 6.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.8 SPG, shooting a paltry 33% from the field while not attempting a single free throw, despite playing 31.8 MPG. Still, it was a season of growth and Simmons and the Bucks headed into the offseason full of optimism.

The E.N.D.

Despite being released in 2009, much of the Black Eyed Peas’ fifth studio album, The E.N.D.,was recorded in 2006. And its vocally-manipulated spoken-word hidden intro could easily be seen as an epigraph for the 2006-07 Bucks: “Everything around you is changing. Nothing stays the same. This version of myself is not permanent. Tomorrow I will be different. The energy never dies.” After all, the 2006-07 Bucks were changed.

In June, Ford was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Charlie Villanueva. In July, Magloire was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Blake, Ha Seung-Jin, and Brian Skinner. In August, Smith was traded to the Denver Nuggets for Ruben Patterson, while Jiří Welsch left the Bucks for Spanish ACB league club Unicaja Málaga. Then, in September, Toni Kukoč retired.

But the most devastating change happened in October. Simmons suffered an ankle injury in training camp and, in December, the Bucks announced that he’d undergone “successful arthroscopic surgery [and was] expected to be sidelined for the rest of the regular season.” With it, the energy did die.

New recruit Villanueva was limited to 39 games, Redd played just 53, and the Bucks finished the season 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 28-54 record. In June’s NBA Draft, they controversially used the sixth overall pick to select Yi Jianlian out of China.

Simmons returned in 2007-08, mostly in a reserve role, putting up 7.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1.1 APG. But the winning didn’t—the Bucks finished just 26-56. Then, on June 26, less than three years after inking his 5-year $47m deal, Simmons was traded along with Yi to the Nets for Richard Jefferson. And, just like that, the Bobby Simmons era in Milwaukee was done.

By that time, high school had finished for my best mate and me.

Our adolescence had too.

How will the Suns’ offense function next season? Will it become predictable again, like it did last year? The Suns weren’t exactly running a complex offense down the stretch, and far too many possessions ended with a three-point attempt.

From February 1 on, Phoenix went 15–18. And during that span, 46.9% of its shots came from beyond the arc. That ranked sixth in the league. They were also third in the NBA in the percentage of their total points that came from three-point range at 41.5%. That’s something the Suns have to change next season because, quite simply, it didn’t work. They need more ways to generate offense. Having players who can get downhill, attack the rim, and create pressure inside is something this team desperately needs.

Suns’ CEO Josh Bartelstein was on with Burns and Gambo earlier this week, and he said that “The league right now has evolved so much. Where the league was three or four years ago, where shooting was in high demand…of course you wanna have shooters…if you watch what’s happening now, it’s guys who can get downhill. Get two feet in the paint. It’s guys who can guard multiple positions. It’s athletic specimens who can meet you at the rim and block your shot. You got to be able to attack and play off closeouts and spray the ball around.”

Why were the Phoenix Suns willing to pay the price to acquire Miles Bridges?

CEO of the Suns and Mercury Josh Bartelstein explained their thought process earlier today.

Full interview: https://t.co/9uKCqzh2hmpic.twitter.com/rBOnxf1bV3

— The Burns & Gambo Show (@BurnsAndGambo) August 5, 2026

The conversation centered on the acquisition of Miles Bridges and how he could ultimately affect the offense. That naturally leads to another interesting question: Who will be the second-leading scorer on this team next season, assuming Devin Booker remains the top dog? Because if he isn’t, the Suns are going to have a multitude of other problems.

The majority of the community believes Jalen Green will fill that role. In our most recent Suns Reacts survey, 61% of voters picked Green to finish second on the team in scoring. Miles Bridges came in second at 22%.

I agree with the consensus that Jalen Green will be the second leading scorer for Phoenix next season. His talent, combined with his athleticism, should create plenty of opportunities for him to fill that role. Whether he can step into it, embrace it, and execute consistently will be one of the defining storylines of the season.

I can also see a world where Miles Bridges benefits tremendously from Devin Booker’s presence and the gravity he creates, as well as from what Jalen Green can do athletically. One thing Bridges does better when attacking the basket is passing, and that is an area where Green still has room to grow. Green can get blinders when he sees the rim. When he attacks with the kind of ferocity he possesses, finishing becomes the only objective. The more cerebral approach is understanding that defenses know what he wants to do. When they collapse, opportunities open up elsewhere.

In the same breath, that could also be part of what helps Green become the second leading scorer. Bridges showed in Charlotte that he can be a willing passer on his way to the rim. If Green is cutting from the weak side, he can benefit from those passes and use his athleticism to put an exclamation point on the possession.

Regardless of who finishes second on the team in scoring, I think we’re going to see a much more entertaining version of Suns basketball. Don’t get me wrong, everybody in the arena loves it when the team hits a three. It’s kind of like a home run; everybody gives a high five. What really gets people out of their seats, though, is when beautiful ball movement ends with a slam dunk or an easy two points at the rim. That is something Jalen Green can provide with regularity.

And that may ultimately be the biggest difference between this offense and the one we watched stumble through the end of last season. Phoenix shouldn’t have to live and die by the three-point line anymore. If they want to surpass that 38.5 over on FanDuel, Booker will have to create gravity, Bridges will have to collapse defenses, and Green will have to use his athleticism to punish the openings that follow. The goal isn’t to abandon the three. It’s to create better ones while rediscovering everything that can happen before the ball ever gets there.

In the midst of summer, members of the Spurs are in Paris, France working out and visiting a national art museum. Keldon Johnson made an appearance at a summer basketball camp in Laredo, Texas. And this weekend, the Spurs are hosting a back-to-school at the Frost Bank Center.

Meanwhile, somewhere in San Antonio, Luke Kornet is moonlighting as a roadside assistant.

Way to go, Kornet! Well done! 👏🏻

WATCH: Spurs' Luke Kornet helps out San Antonio motorist having car trouble

LINK – https://t.co/SeIczd9hfu#nba#porvida#sanantonio#gospursgopic.twitter.com/MlVCRtmyj3

— JeffGSpursZone (@JeffGSpursZone) August 6, 2026

A TikTok user posted this video of Kornet as he pulled over to help a motorist who was having car trouble.

It seems no matter where Kornet is, he makes the day brighter. Good on ya, Luke.

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Earlier this summer, Cleveland Cavaliers free agent guard James Harden was arrested on Saturday, June 26, outside of Houston after having a handgun visible in the car during a routine traffic stop. The handgun was not carried in a holster as it should’ve been. Harden was booked later that same day and released on bond.

It looks like this situation will not follow Harden and presumably, the Cavaliers are not going to have this dark cloud hanging overhead to start the upcoming season. It was reported by TMZ that the case against Harden has been dismissed.

NBA star James Harden's Texas gun case dismissed. https://t.co/xMiXGGlfpCpic.twitter.com/SiZwKYrPzp

— TMZ (@TMZ) August 7, 2026

It was also reported by The Athletic that Harden and the Harris County (Texas) District Attorney’s Office “completed an alternative resolution agreement.” Those details aren’t known at this time.

It appears Harden will be able to put this situation behind him and now fully focus on his contract negotiations with the Cavaliers.

Harden has been delaying his new contract with the Cavaliers to offer some flexibility for roster upgrades. It has been rumored that Harden’s deal will be a two or three-year agreement, but the specifics depend on what the Cavs do elsewhere on the roster.

As the season slowly approaches, it is beneficial for both Harden and Cleveland not to have a legal issue dangling over both the player and the team.

Harden played in 26 regular-season games with the Cavs last regular season after being traded to them in February in a deal that saw Darius Garland head to the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds on .466/.435/.840 shooting splits. He also appeared in 18 playoff games with Cleveland, averaging 19.2 points and 5.5 assists per game.

One of the goals of the current collective bargaining agreement is to break up superteams like the 2024 championship squad — or at least spread the wealth when it comes to high paid talent. New York, particularly Jalen Brunson, had to take considerable discounts to keep the Nova Knicks together and bring home a championship. The Oklahoma City Thunder had to trim around their edges this offseason to stay competitive and maybe more importantly, under the second apron.

Those economics were part of Boston’s decision to trade Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia and while Paul George makes roughly the same amount of money as JB, he has one year less on his contract. PG13 may not be the ideal veteran partner to pair with Jayson Tatum and some have speculated on who might be a better fit as the 28-year-old JT enters his prime.

Last week, longtime beat writer and Sports Illustrated’s John Karalis speculated on a possible deal that would land four-time NBA champ Steph Curry with the Celtics and in a recent SB Nation poll, our readers agreed that he’d be the best fit over Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving.

OK, who voted for a Kyrie reunion, guys?

If you’re looking at a potential timeline for Brad Stevens and the Celtics front office, the next 2-3 years could be Tatum plus the current roster plus some aging superstar/Hall-of-Famer looking for one last run at a championship. Curry might be at the top of that list. AD and KD are probably past their “could be Celtics” phase of their careers, but could it make sense down the road to pursue Damian Lillard or Jimmy Butler?

For now, George is a green and Boston is firmly in the Eastern Conference mix. Our friends at FanDuel have the Celtics (+1400) just behind the Knicks (+950) and Sixers (+1100) to raise Banner 19.

The Lakers spent a ton of money this summer re-signing Austin Reaves and trading for Walker Kessler, but they also made small moves that could have a big impact.

Matisse Thybulle and Zaire Williams have been brought on to bolster the wing position. In the NBA Draft, the Lakers traded up a spot to acquire Cameron Carr, and when you add in two-year forward Adou Thiero, there is suddenly a nice group of players that have a potential for a breakout year.

For our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we asked fans which player from this group would outperform their contract, and Thybulle was the top pick.

Thybulle is reportedly healthy now after some injury-riddled seasons. If that turns out to be true and he plays in the majority of regular season games, then he could absolutely be a steal for the Lakers.

As a defensive player on the perimeter, he provides a skill this roster desperately needs. Thybulle was named Second Team All-Defense in his second and third years with the Sixers, and a return to that level would guarantee significant playing time for him.

Last year, with the Blazers, he averaged 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 30 games, while making 39.8 percent of his 3-pointers.

Carr also got a ton of love from Lakers fans, with 34% voting for him. As a rookie, how good he will be is unknown, but his Summer League play was very encouraging.

He was scoring with ease on and off-ball and averaged 18 points per game in Las Vegas Summer League, helping the Lakers advance to the semifinals. Carr played so well that it’s possible he could crack the rotation and log meaningful minutes immediately.

However, he’s still a rookie, and how he’ll play against true NBA competition remains a mystery. Thybulle is a much more established player and likely someone head coach JJ Redick can trust more. Also, given his defensive play, what he provides might be more important than Carr getting buckets.

Whether it’s Thybulle, Carr, or someone else that breaks out for the Lakers, hopefully it’s one of the players on a team-friendly deal.

Winning in the margins is huge in the NBA, and having a player that can outperform their contract is how teams can compete and thrive under this current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

When people discuss who is the GOAT in basketball, it’s often a debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

On an episode of “The Big Podcast” hosted by Shaquille O’Neal, he questioned why former teammate Kobe Bryant isn’t included in the conversation.

“There’s only three people in the GOAT conversation. Listen, I’m arrogant, but I’m not dumb,” O’Neal said. “It’s Kobe, Bron and Mike, that’s it.”

O’Neal was originally asked why he isn’t considered in the GOAT conversation; he was then confronted about a bias of shooting guards who are in the conversation, to which O’Neal admitted that players have their sub-categories.

“For so long it was just Mike and Bron, and I’m like, ‘I understand, great picks, but what about the Kobester?’ ” O’Neal said.

Bryant is no doubt one of the NBA’s greatest players. He spent his 20-year career as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, leading them to five NBA championships. Bryant was a two-time Finals MVP and a regular-season MVP in 2008.

Bryant’s five NBA titles eclipse James, who has won four championships in his 23-year career, but do not surpass Jordan, who won six NBA titles and was crowned Finals MVP in all six series.

Bryant was known for his “Mamba Mentality,” which focused on his relentless effort to try to win games and perform well while dealing with adversity.

With so many iconic moments in his career, Bryant’s greatest performance came on Jan. 22, 2006, when he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the third-most points in a game by a player. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 in 1962, and Bam Adebayo tallied 83 in 2026.

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The Milwaukee Bucks announced their coaching staff earlier on Friday. Under new head coach Taylor Jenkins, only Darvin Ham and head of player development Jack Herum will return to the Bucks for the 2026-27 season. The rest of Milwaukee’s new coaching personnel—including Summer League head coach Pat St. Andrews—are all new hires or returning to Milwaukee after previously leaving.

Darvin Ham is the most recognizable name among Jenkins’ assistant coaches. Ham served as the lead assistant coach for four seasons, including Milwaukee’s championship-winning season in 2021. He then spent a turmoil-filled two years in Los Angeles, where, despite posting a winning record across his two seasons in charge, he was fired after a first-round playoff exit. Ham was a candidate to fill the New Orleans Pelicans’ coaching vacancy in the summer, but he ultimately remained in his role as the Bucks’ assistant coach. Ham has worked with Jenkins before in Atlanta for five seasons and in Milwaukee for one.

Two of the Bucks’ assistant coaches, St. Andrews and Brad Jones, worked with Jenkins as assistant coaches in Memphis. Others have ties to Milwaukee; Vince Legarza returns to the Bucks after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant with the Suns, and Schuyler Rimmer spent four seasons with the Bucks from 2018-22 as a video coordinator. Some of the Bucks’ new assistants have experience from around the league. Johnny Carpenter was an assistant for the Indiana Pacers last season but turned down the opportunity to coach the Pacers’ Summer League team to join Milwaukee.

T.J. Ford will also join Milwaukee’s coaching staff, his first coaching role in the NBA. The former eighth overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, Ford spent two seasons with Milwaukee as the team’s starting point guard and made 127 appearances, averaging 10 points. After retirement, Ford spent time coaching high school and AAU basketball, including his own Adidas-sponsored team, TJ Ford Elite.

Joe Boylan, the highly-touted coach who seemed set to join Jenkins’ coaching staff, won’t join the Bucks. Boylan shifted course in early July to join new coach Dusty May and the Dallas Mavericks,

Dave Joerger, a longtime assistant to Doc Rivers, will take on an assistant coaching job in Denver, while Greg Buckner joins the Orlando Magic.

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

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the hunt for two different wings, making themselves known as potential suitors for both Atlanta’s Jonathan Kuminga and Denver’s Peyton Watson. Earlier this week, we asked you to vote on which 23-year-old forward you would want to see in Cleveland the most.

Watson comes in as the heavy favorite, pulling more than 85% of our vote. Kuminga grabs just 14%.

I’d have to say I agree with the results.

Watson had a career-best year last season, improving his efficiency and becoming a genuine threat from downtown. He’s got the raw potential of a 3-and-D wing who has taken the necessary steps forward to make that potential a tangible reality.

Kuminga, on the other hand, still has more to prove. He hasn’t been a good three-point shooter at any point in his career so far. And he hasn’t fully fit in with either team he’s been on to this point. The Golden State Warriors didn’t want to play him, and the Atlanta Hawks don’t want to pay him. Maybe both of those franchises are making a mistake by undervaluing him. Either way, it’s on Kuminga to change the narrative.

The Cavs remain active in pursuing both Kuminga and Watson. The Nuggets are looking to avoid the second apron, making it more difficult for Cleveland to acquire him in a trade. Kuminga, on the other hand, is likely more available.

Either wing would fit in Cleveland. The Cavs have needed athleticism and length at small forward for years. Acquiring one of them would help fill that need and move them up from 10th on FanDuel for championship odds.

In order to vote in our next poll, all you have to do is make a free account on Fear the Sword and wait for our next react survey to drop. You can find it in our feed, or right here in our posts.

Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler trolled Steph Curry in a recent series of pictures posted on Instagram.

Butler, who is on a trip to Amsterdam, posted pictures of his overseas workout — but with a twist. It appears Butler photoshopped Curry’s face over his own in each of the five photos.

Curry commented on the Instagram post, “What is wrong with you” along with a laughing emoji.

Butler has earned a reputation for his comedic demeanor off the court. In 2023 with the Miami Heat, Butler showed up to NBA Media Day with a bizarre hairstyle that later became known as “Emo Jimmy.”

Steph Curry’s comment on Jimmy Butler’s IG:

“What is wrong with you ” pic.twitter.com/R9q6AQ2Bon

— aly ✶ (@jinthirty) August 7, 2026

This also isn’t the first time Butler has involved Curry in one of his humorous antics as the Warriors duo previously pranked former teammate Buddy Hield.

Butler and Curry are obviously close enough to joke with one another, including the latter calling out the former for his hilarious Instagram post.

While the Warriors are keeping things lighthearted off the court, the team has several question marks heading into the 2026-27 season.

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Aside from the LeBron James sweepstakes, Golden State was extremely quiet in free agency. Its most notable move of the offseason was selecting Yaxel Lendeborg as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

As Butler and Moses Moody recover from injuries, the Warriors have once again placed the offensive load on Curry’s shoulders. While the 38-year-old remains an elite player, that is no easy task for a star who is hoping to get his squad a playoff spot.

Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2025-26 player reviews! The series will look at the players who finished the season with the San Antonio Spurs on guaranteed contracts and who played consequential minutes and/or a vital role (so no two-way players because we hardly saw them this year, no players who were traded away, and none of the deep bench centers, since they were both irrelevant and are now all gone).

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Harrison Barnes

2025-26 stats: 77 games, 25.8 MPG, 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 38.8 3FG%, 4.6 3PA

Contract Status: 1 year, $8 million remaining (no options)

Age: 34

Barnes came into his second season in San Antonio entrenched as a starter and, initially, proved he deserved his spot. He started the season well, posting impressive numbers in October and November for a Spurs team that proved more ready to win than anticipated, even as it battled injuries. Before his inexplicable December-January slump, Barnes was shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc and earning praise on every broadcast because every three-pointer he took looked like it was going in. He was also doing the things expected of him outside his main role as a floor-spacer adequately, but the shooting was his main contribution.

Then December came, and as the days went by, Barnes started to look fallible from outside and not as springy on his drives and on defense. As the new year came in, Barnes was unrecognizable as a shooter, which made the general mediocrity of his other contributions stand out. His subpar rebounding for the position in particular was exposed by Julian Champagnie, who put an emphasis on cleaning the glass and was a more dynamic shooter to boot. Barnes was demoted to the bench, his role declined, and the Spurs might have considered moving on from him, using his expiring contract to get an upgrade at the deadline, if not for the cap constraints adding salary would have represented this summer.

Eventually, Barnes regained his previous form as a shooter, but by that point things had changed. Champagnie as a starter made it harder for opponents to put a center on Wembanyama, something that happened even when Barnes was hitting shots consistently. Keldon Johnson was slowing down a little but was still on a Sixth Man of the Year run. Carter Bryant was still getting minutes, and by that point starting to actually deserve them. More importantly, the Spurs were dominating opponents on both ends with their new starting unit and rotation, destroying teams on their way to the second seed in the West.

Barnes didn’t have a large role in the playoffs once San Antonio got there and didn’t make much of an impact on his limited minutes despite the occasional good stint. In the end, he was a serviceable backup who always stayed ready to play and was a positive locker room presence.

Looking ahead

In a way, Harrison Barnes’ role change is the perfect representation of the shift in expectations for the 2025/26 Spurs. The veteran forward was a perfectly fine placeholder for a team that probably went into the season with playoff aspirations, but once it became obvious that San Antonio was ready to contend, the margins started to matter and streamlining the rotation became a necessity.

The coaching staff did that last season and the front office got an upgrade this summer, so why is Barnes still in San Antonio? There seem to be many reasons. First, Barnes proved to be a consummate professional after arriving from Sacramento, on the court, in the locker room, and as a citizen. He consistently made charitable donations since his arrival in the city. His quiet leadership was likely valuable to a very young roster filled with high-profile lottery picks, a status Barnes once possessed. He proved to be extremely durable and always eager to play, never complaining about his role. It’s not a surprise the Spurs were willing to bring him back on a small deal, even though they have too many forwards on their roster now.

The other reason is that Barnes can still play. He struggled in a tiny role in the postseason but finished the regular season averaging 39 percent from beyond the arc despite shooting under 30 percent for an entire month. He’s neither a bruiser who can guard bigger players and rebound nor a ball handler who offers secondary creation, but he knows his role and tries his hardest on defense. As the months passed last year, he wasn’t as effective using the change of pace on his drives to create room to finish at the rim, but he’s a crafty player. There are much worse options as injury insurance and as a depth piece in case of a trade that depletes the forward rotation.

Barnes could also be trade bait himself on his expiring contract, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him leave San Antonio next summer, unless he takes the minimum, as the team gets more expensive. If he does, he’ll still be a success story, considering how productive he was and the fact that the Spurs were paid to acquire him. For now, he’s still on the roster, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get some minutes when Mitch Johnson needs shooting.

Top performance

December 2 vs. Memphis Grizzlies: 31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-12 3PFG

Six of Barnes’ seven games scoring 20 points or more happened between November and December, as he looked spry and deadly from beyond the arc. In his best game of the season, he helped a Spurs team missing Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle take down the Grizzlies. The early stretch in which Wemby was out but San Antonio kept winning proved that they had a strong roster and not just a superstar, and Barnes was a big part of keeping the team afloat during that time.

Final Score: C+

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Up next: Julian Champagnie

Previous Reviews

Jordan McLaughlin

Carter Bryant

Luke Kornet

Dylan Harper

Keldon Johnson

This week, we’ve garnered your thoughts on trader drafter Jon. Often praised for his ability to secure heists via trade, Horst’s drafting reputation has, well… been a point of contention.

Prior to polling, it seemed that Bucks fans were largely down on Horst as a drafter, but what seems to be consensus and what’s actually consensus are sometimes two completely different things. As a teacher, I see this all the time. On this occasion, however, the voting—and consensus—is clear: Horst sucks.

In truth, it’s hard to ignore the reality of Horst’s draft selections. D.J. Wilson is out of the league. Jordan Nwora is too. Andre Jackson Jr. is hanging by a thread (though he may have found a lifeline), as are MarJon Beauchamp, Chris Livingston, Tyler Smith, and AJ Johnson—if they haven’t already dropped. You know it too:

G may: It was a failure in team building. There’s no reason to nuance it. He had picks. He missed worse than Rickie Weeks swinging for the fences on a curveball in the dirt in the leadoff spot.

R984: No high picks, sure. But look at where Miami picked the collection of good players we just got from them. 1 out of 6 isn’t good enough. Not nearly good enough.

Theshackman: No. And if you think about this as “overall return on draft capital” (picks traded away) it looks even worse.

While the majority of fans (51%) clearly think Horst has let the Bucks down with his selections, it’s not so cut and dry for all, with 36% of voters thinking it’s nuanced:

Knuckles: My answer then was in the middle: we need to draft better moving forward and fortify our floor, and lean into player development, but that is not where the Bucks were for a while. We have a new identity now to lean into and we should, but I also don’t want to ignore the nuance that led us to making some of these choices in the first place.

Sportsfanwisc: I went with the middle ground. The NBA as a whole gets a D grade for player development. Around the draft and polls such as this I scroll through NBA drafts as a sobering reminder out of 60 picks only 20 to 25 will play any meaningful minutes.

Kaz5: My point is only that drafting guys is really, really challenging. Even going off of the best information available at the time, no one really, truly knows what is going to happen. That doesn’t mean that you give each and every GM a pass every time, but keep in mind that nothing in the draft is certain.

Of course, the empaths among us, despite making up just 13% of voters, weren’t without rationale either:

BucksInMA:I think people are a little harsh – Donte outperformed his draft slot and Horst’s second round success in genuinely really good.

BenDrankin3000: I chose he has been treated too harshly. I think he deserves some criticism for drafting, I just think a lot of the criticism has been a bit over the top. He didn’t exactly have a ton of high picks to work with.

In all, it seems Horst has indeed lost broken his compass when it comes to the draft—at least as far as fans are concerned. Here’s hoping Burries’ and Ament’s play this season is good enough to start righting that ship.

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Former Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke died earlier this year from the effects of heroin and cocaine, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office announced on Friday, Aug. 7. The office ruled Clarke's death to be an accident.

Clarke was pronounced dead by authorities on May 11 after being found unresponsive in his bedroom, according to Friday's announcement. A deputy medical examiner conducted an examination of Clarke at the DME’s Forensic Science Center on May 12 and the cause and manner of death were certified Aug. 7.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office stated that its report will be available at a future date. Clarke was 29 years old.

Clarke was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Gonzaga and enjoyed initial success in the league, earning all-rookie honors while averaging a career-high 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension with Memphis in 2022.

STACEY KING: Cause of death revealed as tributes to Bulls icon continue

Clarke's sudden death happened almost six weeks after he was arrested in Arkansas for improper passing, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing and exceeding the speed limit and trafficking a controlled substance. He had just finished his seventh NBA season, all of which he spent with the Grizzlies.

Clarke allegedly led Cross County Sheriff's Office deputies on a miles-long chase on April 1, with speeds reaching over 100 mph, and was found with over 230 grams of kratom in his possession, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Memphis Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Clarke's career had been derailed in recent years by injuries. He played in just six games during the 2023-24 season due to a torn Achilles and missed all but two games this past season due to calf and knee ailments.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brandon Clarke's cause of death revealed: How Memphis Grizzlies star died