Category: Basketball

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Suns fans and fans across the country.

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You can feel it, can’t you? That little tinge of excitement is creeping in as we inch closer to another season of NBA basketball.

The NBA Draft was more than 2 months ago. Summer League is nearly 2 months in the rearview mirror. We are now less than a month away from Phoenix Suns Media Day. Yes, we have officially entered that awkward portion of the calendar where you desperately want to get excited, but you know better. There is still some road left to travel before basketball actually returns.

Still, when you look back at what we thought the Suns needed to accomplish this offseason, it feels like quite a few boxes were checked.

They needed to bring back Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and Mark Williams. Done. Dillon Brooks needed an extension. Done. A team that entered the offseason without a first-round draft pick somehow ended up making one. And for a fan base that spent plenty of time talking about moving off the contracts of Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, well, that happened too.

Whether you agree with all of those moves is entirely up to you. Maybe you loved them. Maybe you hated them. Maybe you are somewhere in the middle, staring at the roster like a man examining a suspicious stain on the carpet and wondering how exactly it got there.

Either way, your opinion on those decisions is probably going to determine how you grade the Suns’ offseason. And that is the subject of this week’s Bright Side Reacts survey.

If you were standing at the front of the classroom with a red pen in your hand, what grade would you give the Phoenix Suns for the way they operated this offseason? What moves made sense? Which ones left you scratching your head? Cast your vote, then let us know in the comments why you landed where you did.

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Surrounded by thousands at Boston Common, Jaylen Brown took his final bow in the city he’s called home for the last decade Sunday afternoon.

Brown held his “741 Frequency Fest” block party in downtown Boston to celebrate his 10 seasons with the Boston Celtics. It was his last chance to say goodbye before officially embarking on his debut season alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers following this offseason’s blockbuster trade.

“Listen, I’m at a loss for words,” Brown told a sea of Bostonians. “When I got to this city, I said I’m going to go to war for this city. I met so many great people here. People that helped me in the community, that motivated me on my journey. People that have supported me even when I didn’t support myself at times.”

Brown continued: “I just want to say thank you to Boston, thank you to the city, and I love you.”

The entire time, he sported his 2024 Celtics championship ring.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and rappers A$AP Ferg, Joyner Lucas and Lil Baby were among those in attendance for the emotional gathering. Wu presented Brown with a “Jaylen Brown Way” Boston street sign, while Ferg joined him on stage to perform his debut single, “Just Do It,” which the two released in 2024.

Boston honors @FCHWPO with the Key to the City 🗝️ pic.twitter.com/XLWCeuPGDn

— 741Performance (@741Performance) August 30, 2026

There were food trucks, a 741 Performance pop-up shop set up, and a large sign that read “Thank You, Jaylen,” which hundreds of fans plastered with messages of gratitude for the 2024 NBA Finals MVP. It was as sentimental as it was a difficult day for the city, which has embraced Brown as one of its own, to reflect on everything he’s meant since becoming a Celtic over 10 years ago.

Brown went from a split reception filled with both cheers and boos on draft night to undergoing 119 playoff battles before helping Boston raise its record 18th championship banner. He began his career as a rookie rummaging for minutes off the bench to signing a historic $304 million contract extension in 2023 — all while remaining committed to his promise to impact the community through various initiatives aimed at leaving Boston a little bit better than when he arrived.

That he did.

Not only did Brown help the Celtics reclaim their place as the most winning franchise in league history, but he also became Boston’s most authentic athlete. He was as visible on the court as he was in classrooms across Boston’s inner-city neighborhoods, stopping by schools in Dorchester and Roxbury to connect with kids who rarely got the chance to watch their heroes perform live.

God is crazy ❤️

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) August 30, 2026

Brown went the extra mile, even when it wasn’t required to, making it his own obligation as someone who never forgot where he came from. From draft night to his farewell, Brown always carried the lessons taught by his mother, Mechalle Brown, and his late grandmother, Dianne Varnado, who passed away in 2023.

Few athletes succeed in Boston, whether homegrown or acquired through trade or free agency. Fewer earn the kind of respect fans across New England will forever hold for Brown. Plenty make their stop here, win a title, take their duckboat ride across the city and go about their business at the end of the pit stop. But that isn’t the case with Brown. He became much more than an honorary Bostonian. He wasn’t born here, but in a matter of a few years, it was as if he’d been here from the very beginning of his journey.

That’s rare.

There aren’t many whose impact spanned so far it could rally an entire army at Boston Common for one final goodbye.

Brown is now in Philadelphia, playing for one of Boston’s most historic rivals and joining forces with one of its most hated villains in James. Still, it doesn’t matter. When the time comes, and the tribute video draws the attention of 19,000-plus people inside TD Garden, that respect will once again become apparent.

As deserved, Brown will receive his flowers, his applause, and the unwavering love he secured through a decade of living up to the standard of the Celtics uniform. That’ll always be here waiting for him, regardless of however many trips he makes back to Boston or what uniform he’s wearing.

That’s the bond he forged, and it will live on long beyond his departure from Boston.

Why unconcerned Steph Curry is not rushing Warriors contract extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

PALO ALTO, Calif. – If there are any thoughts or concerns that Steph Curry isn’t going to be a Warrior for life, that thinking certainly isn’t coming from him.

Curry on Saturday became eligible to sign a new maximum contract extension as he prepares for his 18th season in a Warriors jersey. On Monday at the Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club, the business of basketball wasn’t on his mind.

But he did once again reiterate his goal to close out his career with the Warriors, and he has confidence that will be the case.

“There’s no question I want to be here the rest of my career, and I’m pretty sure that’s going to happen,” Curry said to NBC Sports Bay Area in an exclusive interview.

The 38-year-old is under contract through the 2026-27 NBA season for $62.6 million, making Curry the highest-paid player in the league by annual salary. The NBA’s Over-38 Rule means Curry can only be under contract for no more than three years. The maximum deal he can now sign is for two years and $136.7 million.

Those numbers aren’t lost on Curry. They also aren’t causing any worries. 

“The deal and the contract stuff will happen at the right time, and we’re not letting it be a distraction from our preparation for the season, and the fact that the team we’re coming back with has a lot of familiarity,” Curry continued.

Last season was disappointing for Curry and the Warriors as a whole. Injuries derailed the excitement the Warriors carried into the season, leaving them with a lowly 37-45 record. Curry brought magic to LA in the Warriors’ first play-in tournament game, but momentum couldn’t be carried to the second game, where they fell to the Suns in Phoenix. 

“Hopefully we can be healthy and just have a chance to show what we’re capable of, myself included, missing so many games last year,” Curry said. 

Curry averaged 26.6 points per game in Year 17, the fifth-highest of his career, and was named to his 12th All-Star Game. Any postseason awards were off the table, though. Curry played just 43 games last season, which was his third-fewest outside of playing five games in 2019-20 and 26 in 2011-12. 

For more than two months, Curry was stuck to the sidelines watching the Warriors struggle as he rehabbed a tough case of runner’s knee. The injury is a “new norm,” as Curry describes. Refreshed from a long offseason and ready to begin training camp in four weeks, a motivated Curry always has been a good sign for the Warriors and a scary one for their opponents. 

He hears the noise and he knows the doubts. Neither brings a bead of sweat. 

“The goal stays the same,” Curry says. “Extension stuff, we’ll figure that out at the right time. But I’m ready for Year 18. It’s kind of crazy that it’s been this long, and I’m still trying to play at a very high level to help us win, and I’ll be able to do my job.”

Monday was about a different kind of business that Curry always is happy to talk about and promote. The day marked the seventh annual Workday Charity Classic, benefiting Steph and his wife Ayesha’s Eat. Learn. Play. foundation that continues to invest millions into the children of Oakland. 

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy was on scene for the charity golf event, as was Kirk Lacob, the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations, and his younger brother Kent, who stepped aside last summer after spending a decade in the franchise’s front office. 

Bay Area legends like Steve Young and Joe Thornton also swung their clubs for a great cause. Like all of Dub Nation, those two Hall of Famers aren’t ready to see Curry permanently trade the hardwood for a golf course quite yet. 

The same sentiment is shared by Ayesha, whose voice holds as much power as anybody in Steph’s playing future. 

“Of course,” she said. “Steph is the hardest-working man in the room. He has no days off. He hasn’t stopped since last season ended. He’s ready. He’s ready to get out there. I think we’re going to be in for some fun surprises over the next couple of years.”

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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Bucks fans and fans across the country.

A little over three months ago, as part of our build-up to the 2026 NBA Draft, I dove into the history of the tenth overall pick. From generational players to busts and everything in between, the slot is riddled in volatility—unless your name is Paul, in which case it seems you’re destined for big things (see Pierce, George, Westphal, and Silas*). Framing all of this was my assertion: the Bucks are at a crossroads and this pick can either make or break their future.

_{*Paul Silas is listed as the 10th overall pick on the NBA’s official website but 12th in other locations because of the league’s territorial pick rule at the time, which allowed teams to select local college players in a bid to increase fan support.}

Since then, as you’re well aware, the Bucks drafted Brayden Burries with the 10th overall pick. It was, at the very least, a somewhat surprising selection. After all, Burries was widely expected to be off the board by then. NBADraft.net had him going ninth to the Dallas Mavericks, as did The Ringer, CBS, and No Ceilings. Heck, so did we. The Bucks also seemed pretty set in the backcourt, with Tyler Herro, Ryan Rollins, and Kasparas Jakučionis all good enough and young enough to be part of the team’s long-term plans—not to mention Kevin Porter Jr., who picked up his player option just days after the draft. Yet, somehow, we the Bucks got him.

As a Buck, Burries has looked so good it’s surprising Jon Horst hasn’t been arrested for grand larceny. But his Summer League showing—23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 4.3 APG; First Team honours—was almost undersold by his nonchalance, like he’d been there before, and so it wasn’t until later we came to realise we hadn’t talked enough about him.

From this stems this week’s poll. Could the combination of Burries’ nonchalance and our apparent indifference to his play actually mean something more? Is it all foreshadowing? That, somehow, we actually know more? That Burries will become the next great Buck, so good that his Summer League play won’t even register as a footnote in his eventual story? Destiny and fate and all that…

And so I put it to you, Brew Hoopers, so that we’ve got it in ink on paper (or at least darker pixels on lighter pixels) as proof of our prescience: just how good will Brayden Burries become?

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Let’s keep the sports analysis rolling, Dub Nation. Welcome to Oklahoma City, the final stop before we leave the Northwest division for good. This last team on my list in my division by division recap of the offseason shenanigans is the team that didn’t have the greatness to repeat as champions last season, the Thunder. They went to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals but ultimately fell short in a contentious battle against the uprising San Antonio Spurs.

But the Thunder were the #1 seed and had a dominant regular season run, including sweeping the Golden State Warriors in their season series. I’m not going to pretend there’s a silver lining buried in there somewhere. They outplayed the Dubs and did everything they could to erase the trauma that the Golden Empire inflicted on the OKC franchise over the last decade.

Draymond on the Thunder:

"You have to like each other which you can tell they love each other which leads to all the magic, you have to understand roles which they definitely understand their roles. They got their top dog, they got their No. 2, everybody come in and they know… pic.twitter.com/esSnJJc6jT

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) November 12, 2025

OKC just won 64 games but injuries and that silver-and-black buzzsaw in Texas sent the ex-champs home. They’ve had to spend the offseason pissed off about it while trying to keep their salary cap from exploding from having to pay all their talent. Oklahoma City traded away Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins this summer all to duck the second apron tax penalties. Three rotation guys from a 64-win team, gone, just to keep the books clean. Most teams that lose three rotation players call it a rebuilding summer, but not the Thunder baby!

And after all that, look at who’s still there: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, and Chet Holmgren. BALLERS! Although I wonder how Chet’s stock is after the Spurs series.

The Thunder could be forced to trade Chet Holmgren soon if he continues to struggle against Victor Wembanyama, per @talkhoops

“The second apron is rearing its ugly head with OKC in real time and will continue to do so as long as the Thunder keep that big three together. They… pic.twitter.com/oMsj2Z0fM5

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) August 11, 2026

They re-signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $75 million deal, and Kenrich Williams came back too. Cason Wallace inherits the starting job Dort just vacated, and he’s not walking into it cold; he averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and nearly two steals a night in barely 27 minutes off the bench last year. They also added Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz in the draft, a name to file away as the expectation is he’s ready to eat soon.

ESPN names Bennett Stirtz, Aday Mara, Nikola Topić, and Thomas Sorber as the Thunder's X factors for the 2026-27 season.

“It might be cheating to group four players together as an X factor. But after the Thunder felt compelled by financial reasons to trade away some of their… pic.twitter.com/t8q64cuFjr

— SleeperThunder (@SleeperThunder) August 27, 2026

Per Roundtable sports:“Stirtz’s advantage could be simplicity. He does not need the offense placed in his hands to demonstrate value. If he reliably makes open threes, defends at an NBA level and avoids mistakes, Daigneault can use him without redesigning the rotation. Nikola Topić possesses intriguing size and playmaking potential, but Oklahoma City may need him to control the ball to discover the best version of his game. Those opportunities become difficult to provide when Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell and several other guards have already earned trust.”

Golden State went 0-4 against this team and the Thunder have proven themselves to be in a higher class recently. OKC responded to a Game 7 conference finals loss by trimming payroll and running it back with the same three-star core all 28-and-under. The gap between the younger Thunder and the older Warriors didn’t close over the summer. But if the Dubs can be fully healthy, I’ll always like their chances in a shootout, even against a difficult Thunder puzzle.

Being a dad is a special feeling.

No job is harder, but no job is more rewarding.

Surely Tyrese Maxey has applied his 1% better every day philosophy to fatherhood. The Sixers’ star guard became a dad to a baby girl this offseason. Baby Marvel — Tyrese loves Spider-Man and The Avengers movies — has already been in the gym, though the only dribbling she’s doing needs to be wiped away with a bib.

While it’s impossible to top that, Maxey did something else incredible this offseason. He successfully recruited LeBron James, arguably the greatest basketball player who’s ever lived, to sign with the Sixers.

Not a bad offseason for No. 0.

It’s been a special few months for Maxey, but he has the chance to make his own heroic comic book ending this season.

Maxey had a career year in 2025-26. After what you could consider the first down year of his career in the Sixers’ nightmarish 2024-25 campaign, he averaged career highs with 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game last season. He was named an All-Star for the second time and given his first All-NBA nod (Third Team).

With a Most Improved Player Award also on his mantle, Maxey has racked up an impressive list of individual accolades before the age of 26. Adjusting to yet another new role and leading his team to an NBA championship would put quite the punctuation mark on Maxey’s career before he even really enters his prime.

While Maxey came to the Sixers post-Process, he was far from immune to the organizational turmoil that’s plagued this team for over a decade.

During his rookie year, he watched from the bench as Ben Simmons made The Pass to Matisse Thybulle. After basically saving their season with a brilliant Game 6 down in Atlanta, Maxey played less than 15 minutes in Game 7 against the Hawks. For reference, Furkan Korkmaz started and played 18 minutes while George Hill (21 minutes) and Shake Milton (5 minutes) played minutes that easily could’ve gone to Maxey.

Alas, Doc Rivers.

He took the ensuing Simmons holdout and the arrival of James Harden in stride. He took a massive leap as a shooter and fit whatever role the Sixers needed. The following season, he was part of a team that went ice cold against the Celtics in Game 6 in what could’ve been the Sixers’ first Eastern Conference Finals berth since 2001. Instead, they were embarrassed in Game 7 in Boston and another point guard holdout commenced as Harden famously called Daryl Morey a liar.

Maxey was undeterred, winning his MIP award in 2023-24 before another Embiid injury essentially derailed the season. We did get a glimpse of what Maxey can do in big playoff spots with his epic Game 5 performance at Madison Square Garden to force a Game 6 against the Knicks. If the Sixers found a way to win that series, Maxey’s efforts in that game would be talked about more (they should, anyway).

Even the way he closed Game 7 out against the Celtics last season with sensational finishes at the rim shows he’s a big game performer. That’s a trait that shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle when we have “who should take the last shot?” debates about these Sixers.

In his locker, Maxey has a figurine of the character Venom. For the uninitiated, Venom — sometimes a Spider-Man villain, other times somewhat of an anti-hero — is an alien symbiote who combines with a human host, enhancing the powers of both the symbiote and host.

Maxey has taken many forms as a Sixer.

Don’t bet against him figuring out how to get some of the NBA’s mightiest heroes to assemble.

Another Knick turns 30 this week! Days after Mikal Bridges reached the milestone, Captain Jalen Brunson celebrates his birthday today.

Born August 31, 1996, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the Knicks captain hits the 30-year mark about 11 weeks after delivering New York its first NBA championship since 1973 and earning Finals MVP. Brunson capped the series with 45 points in the championship-clinching Game Five against the Spurs, a Knicks Finals record. Not a bad year so far, all things considered.

Brunson spent much of his childhood in southern New Jersey, including Cherry Hill, but his father’s basketball career kept the family moving. Rick Brunson played nine NBA seasons before transitioning to coaching, and the family eventually settled in the Chicago area, where Jalen attended Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. His mother, Sandra, played volleyball at Temple, where she and Rick were both student-athletes.

At Stevenson, Jalen won a state championship and Illinois Mr. Basketball honors. At Villanova, he won national championships in 2016 and 2018, then became the consensus National Player of the Year as a junior. Dallas selected him with the 33rd pick in the 2018 draft, making him the last of four Villanova teammates called—a fact most definitely not lost on the uber-competitive Jalen. Over his first four seasons, he developed from a reserve into a central figure on the Mavs team that reached the 2022 Western Conference Finals.

That summer, Jalen inked a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knickerbockers. The deal drew skepticism at the time, but Brunson quickly became the lead guard New York had spent decades seeking. He has since earned multiple All-Star and All-NBA selections, won the 2025 NBA Cup and its MVP award, and led the Knicks to the 2026 championship. On August 6, 2024, he became the 36th captain in franchise history.

Before Jalen arrived, the Knicks had made the playoffs once in the previous nine seasons. Four years later, they were champions. Rick had played for the 1998–99 Knicks, the franchise’s previous Finals team, and Jalen completed the circle by leading the orange-and-blue past the Spurs, the same team that defeated Rick’s Knicks.

The connections that brought Brunson to New York ran deep. Knicks president Leon Rose began his career as Rick’s agent and later represented Jalen. Tom Thibodeau had known Brunson since childhood through Rick’s NBA and coaching career, then hired Rick as an assistant in June 2022.

And the personal connections continue: the front office not only traded for Jalen’s BFF and Villanova teammate, Josh Hart, but also surrounded him with former teammates Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, and Ryan Arcidiacono. Sometimes it seemed like Leon’s long game was less about Jalen and more about luring Jay Wright to the NBA.

Brunson practices his trade with strength, footwork, and deception. The 6-foot-2 left-hander changes pace, backs down larger defenders, pivots through traffic, and uses his body to create space. He absorbs contact, is a league leader in drawing charges, and is unafraid of smashing his way through much taller trees (especially French ones) or taking the game-winning shot as the clock expires. The steel in his veins and his big-shot chutzpah helped make Captain Clutch the King of New York.

At 30, the mileage from that contact-heavy style will be worth monitoring, and coach Mike Brown may increasingly look for ways to preserve his champion. The injuries start to pile up as the seasons tick by: Jalen has suffered numerous ankle sprains, fractured his left hand during the 2024 playoffs, and played through a left wrist injury during the 2026 championship run before undergoing surgery in July. But his unparalleled craft should age better than a game dependent primarily on vertical explosiveness.

His 2024 extension includes a player option for 2028–29, allowing him to negotiate another contract before his 32nd birthday. By signing early rather than waiting for free agency, Jalen gave the Knicks the financial flexibility to build a championship-caliber roster around him. Reports estimated that decision left hay bales of money on the table, but he has trusted the organization to take care of him in time.

So happy 30th birthday to a man destined for the rafters of MSG and the halls of Springfield. If there is a birthday cake involved, I hear he likes the marble cheesecake at Veniero’s Pasticceria in the East Village.

Go Knicks.

The Spurs may still be a few weeks from training camp, but Julian Champagnie is already representing the team. This Saturday, September 5, the Spurs three-point assassin hosts a meet and greet at Physicians Premier Emergency Room at the corner of Potranco and Grosenbacher on San Antonio’s westside.

See the Facebook post:

Physicians Premier Emergency Room

“JULIAN CHAMPAGNIE IS BACK AT PHYSICIANS PREMIER POTRANCO!

We’re excited to welcome back San Antonio Spurs superstar Julian Champagnie to Physicians Premier Potranco for another special Meet & Greet! 

Join us for another opportunity to meet Julian, snap a photo, and grab the autograph of one of your favorite Spurs!

Saturday, September 5th

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Physicians Premier ER– Potranco
12314 Potranco Rd., #102
Corner of Potranco & Grosenbacher

Bring your family, your Spurs spirit and your cameras! 

This is a FREE community event. We can’t wait to see you there!“

Champagnie signed a 3-year/$45M contract this summer. He’s an essential component of the Spurs continued success. He has also bee one of the more visible members of the team, making multiple appearances. His infectious and warm demeanor have endeared him to fans of all ages. This session is a great way to engage Spurs fans and prepare them for the 2026-2027 pandemonium soon to ensue.

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The Wizards got a fascinating prospect when they chose Will Riley 21st overall. He’s 6-9, skilled, has a funky tough-to-defend (especially if refs keep letting him use that carry elongated hesi dribble) game, and a good helping of competitive moxey.

He had some good moments last season, though I was less enamored with even “the good stuff” than many others seemed to be. I’m still in the maybe he could be good someday if he works hard camp. As befits a 19-20-year-old rookie, Riley needs to get better at everything.

Getting stronger is a given — that’s necessary for virtually every young player, and he’s no exception. I’m not entirely sure he’s done growing yet. Don’t be surprised if he measures at 6-10 when training camp begins. He’s not just young, he looks youthful — like a teenager still developing physically. That’s not criticism of him or the pick, by the way. It’s good that he had some of those positive games last season given where he is physically.

His game has promise, but “not bad for a young guy” doesn’t last long in the NBA, especially when the team is shifting from losing on purpose to competing for wins. Riley last season was average to below average across the board. He shot worse than average on twos and threes, though he did knock down 80% of his free throw attempts. Getting to the line was a relative strength — he was slightly above average in free throw attempts per team possession.

I think there’s some relatively easy fixes on the three-point shooting. Specifically, I’d like to see him stop clicking his heels, kicking a leg forward or back, and generally manage his footwork to give him a more stable shooting platform when possible.

If he was on another team, I’d likely be annoyed by the ball handling, which is heavy on what the rulebook would say are egregious carries. Since he’s on the Wizards, I’m more worried about how he’ll adapt if the league office tells officials to start calling carries in a manner resembling the actual rule.

Specifically, Rule No. 10, Section II-d:

A player who is dribbling may not put any part of his hand under the ball and (1) carry it from one point to another or (2) bring it to a pause and then continue to dribble again.

Perhaps a bigger issue for Riley is increased competition for minutes. He’s a forward who can play traditional SF or PF roles (depending on the opponent’s size, strength, and athleticism). At forward, the Wizards will have Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, AJ Dybantsa, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, and Justin Champagnie in the mix. Possibly Khris Middleton too, unless he’s taking over for Anthony Gill in the Team Dad role.

Even if Coulibaly, George or Dybantsa pick up some guard minutes (perhaps cutting into Tre Johnson’s or Bub Carrington’s time), Riley’s going to be in a battle for playing time. Hopefully he’s using the summer to prepare for it.

Let’s talk doppelgangers. This is the latest installment of the annual dog days tradition of running Wizards players through my Statistical Doppelganger Machine. The Machine compares the player’s performance across 14 categories and tells me which NBA player seasons since 1977-78 are “most similar.”

The Machine includes age as a factor, but not height or position. Despite that, players tend to get comps from the same position group.

1. Shaedon Sharpe | 2022-23 | Portland Trail Blazers | Age: 19 — This was Sharpe’s rookie year, and it wasn’t bad for a teenager (PPA: 64). He was “about the same” in year two before improving to close to average the past couple seasons. One potentially important difference: Sharpe is a plus athlete with an array of stunning highlights. I think Riley had more craft in his game as a rookie than Sharpe did in year four, however.
2. Malaki Branham | 2022-23 | San Antonio Spurs | Age: 19 — Branham’s age 20 season is next on the list, which is somewhat disconcerting because he didn’t get better. His 275 minutes with the Wizards last season was probably the best stretch of his career, and he managed just a 57 PPA — exactly what Riley posted last season. Branham’s rookie PPA was 53. Keep in mind, replacement level is 45.
3. J.R. Smith | 2004-05 | New Orleans Hornets | Age: 19 — Smith was an athletic wing with some questionable decision-making. His most famous NBA moment was probably getting yelled at by LeBron James for dribbling out the clock in a tie game of the NBA Finals instead of initiating an action to attempt a potentially game-winning shot. That said, Smith wasn’t bad — he played 16 seasons, eight of which were in the average-plus range.
4. Ja’Kobe Walter | 2024-25 | Toronto Raptors | Age: 20 — I’m sure I’ve seen Walter play, though I don’t have a distinct memory. The numbers say he improved in his second season — shooting a lot less but much better.
5. Kevin Porter Jr. | 2019-20 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Age 19 — I think Porter’s name showed up as a comp for one Riley’s teammates. Porter’s talent was undeniable. His maturity and on-court decision-making were challenges, however. He’s on his fourth team in six seasons, and he’s actually been good for the Milwaukee Bucks. It seems improbable that Riley would have the kinds of off-court issues Porter did, and the Wizards are surely hoping he can make faster on-court progress.

Some of the honorable mentions are interesting, like Peja Stojakovic and Stephen Jackson. Riley doesn’t shoot it like Stojakovic, and he’s not a maniacal competitor like Jackson (at least not so far).

Next up: Tre Johnson

In the history of the NBA, there have been over 350 head coaches, and among all these coaches, there has never been an individual who exerted a greater influence on the shape of professional basketball than one Arnold “Red” Auerbach.

Auerbach’s legacy is not just the championships that he won as a coach and as a general manager; it’s the influence that his players have had on the game, as they became coaches themselves, and as they mentored players and assistant coaches.

When Red passed away in October, 2006, the Boston Globe published a coaching tree which showed that 23 of the league’s 30 coaches could trace their lineage back to Auerbach.

Rather than dwindling away over the past twenty years, Auerbach’s coaching tree is as robust as ever. Today, 28 of the 30 coaches in the NBA can trace their lineage back to Red Auerbach, with many having multiple paths back to the Celtics legend.

It has been over sixty years since Red coached his last game, and almost twenty years since he passed away.

So why has his coaching tree thrived? In part because Red had a habit of acquiring smart players who turned into successful coaches themselves. Four players coached by Red Auerbach went on to win NBA titles as coaches themselves (Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, Tommy Heinsohn and KC Jones), with a fifth, Don Nelson, coaching 2,398 games. In the 69 years since Red Auerbach won his first title in 1957, he and members of his coaching tree have accounted for 40 of the championships awarded during that span.

Going back to coaches active in 1966, Red’s last year on the bench, only Alex Hannum and Fred Schaus can claim coaching trees of any magnitude in today’s NBA, and for both of them, this is because they coached Larry Brown, who, through Gregg Popovich, has had a massive impact on coaching in the NBA. Today, Gregg Popovich has connections to thirteen NBA coaches, which is an impressive achievement for a coach who has only been retired for a couple years.

For Schaus, the only branch active today is the Popovich connection through Larry Brown, and for Alex Hannum, there are only two branches active: His connection through Larry Brown and his connection through Pat Riley.

On the other hand, Red’s coaching tree has impacted the NBA through five distinct branches. Coaches that can trace their roots back to Bill Sharman, K.C. Jones, Tommy Heinsohn, Bob Cousy and Don Nelson can be found on NBA sidelines today.

Note: to conserve space and minimize redundancy, full lineages to Red are only given once for each coach in the narrative below.

Atlanta Hawks: Quin Snyder was an assistant for Mike Brown. Mike Brown was an assistant to Rick Carlisle, who played for KC Jones, who played for Red Auerbach. Snyder was also an assistant to Mike Budenholzer, who was an assistant to Gregg Popovich, who was an assistant to Don Nelson, who played for both Tommy Heinsohn and Red Auerbach.

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla was an assistant to Ime Udoka, who both played for and was an assistant to Gregg Popovich.

Brooklyn Nets: Jordi Fernandez was an assistant to Mike Brown

Charlotte Hornets: Charles Lee was an assistant to Mike Budenholzer, as well as Joe Mazzulla.

Chicago Bulls: Tiago Splitter played for, and was an assistant under Gregg Popovich

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson was an assistant to Mike D’Antoni, who played for Bob Cousy, who played for Red Auerbach.

Dallas Mavericks: Dusty May – No connections to Red Auerbach

Denver Nuggets: David Adelman was an assistant for Michael Malone, who was an assistant under Don Chaney, who played for Tommy Heinsohn, who played for Red Auerbach

Detroit Pistons: J.B. Bickerstaff was an assistant under his dad, who was an assistant for KC Jones with the Washington Wizards. He was also an assistant to Kevin McHale, who played for KC Jones.

Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr played for Gregg Popovich

Houston Rockets: Ime Udoka played for, and was an assistant under Gregg Popovich

Indiana Pacers: Rick Carlisle, who is the longest tenured coach currently active in the NBA.

Los Angeles Clippers: Tyronn Lue was an assistant under Doc Rivers, who played for Pat Riley, who played for Bill Sharman, who played for Red Auerbach.

Los Angeles Lakers: JJ Redick played for both Doc Rivers and Stan Van Gundy. Stan was an assistant under Pat Riley.

Memphis Grizzlies: Tuomas Iisalo was an assistant to Taylor Jenkins who was an assistant under Mike Budenholzer

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra was an assistant to Pat Riley

Minnesota Timberwolves: Chris Finch was assistant under Kevin McHale, as well as being an assistant under Michael Malone.

New Orleans Pelicans: Jamahl Mosley was an assistant under Rick Carlisle

New York Knicks: Mike Brown, who was an assistant under both Rick Carlisle and Gregg Popovich.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault – Has no connection to Red Auerbach

Orlando Magic: Sean Sweeney was an assistant under Dwane Casey who was himself an assistant with Rick Carlisle.

Philadelphia 76ers: Nick Nurse was also an assistant under Dwane Casey.

Phoenix Suns: Jordan Ott was an assistant under Kenny Atkinson

Portland Trail Blazers: Micah Nori is connected to Red Auerbach through Dwane Casey, Michael Malone, and Chris Finch

Sacramento Kings: Doug Christie was an assistant to Mike Brown

San Antonio Spurs: Mitch Johnson was an assistant to Gregg Popovich

Toronto Raptors: Darko Rajakovic was an assistant to Taylor Jenkins

Utah Jazz: Will Hardy was an assistant to Ime Udoka as well as Gregg Popovich

Washington Wizards: Brian Keefe was an assistant under Luke Walton, who was an assistant under Steve Kerr.

Warriors star Steph Curry recalls how his early failures led to success originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen Curry stepped on the court during an AAU tournament in Nevada, determined to prove deserving of a scholarship to a major college. Maybe even Duke or University North Carolina, a couple hours’ drive northeast of his hometown of Charlotte.

All the big-name coaches were in the building and Curry, a scrawny but earnest teenager, would provide them with a glimpse of all his greatness and glory.

He was awful.

And it was one of the best things to ever happen to him.

Asked on Sunday to recall a memorable brush with failure, Curry paused briefly before reliving the moment during a panel discussion at the University of San Francisco. 

“I was in the recruiting kind of window of the time, and I was trying to find my way to the highest level of basketball that I could play,” he said. “And there was this one tournament in Las Vegas, an AAU tournament that I played in, and it was the first time that I knew that all these coaches were going to be around the court. The Who’s Who. I grew up in North Carolina, so the who’s who of ACC country, and I put so much pressure on myself.

“It’s like this is my moment. If I want to play high Division I basketball, I have to take advantage of this weekend – or else the opportunity is going to pass me by.”

It was the game of the day, in the afternoon, and Curry planned to take his fellow youngsters to basketball church and deliver a hoops sermon. Stardom was beckoning.

“That was a game where all the coaches were there,” Curry recalled. “And I had 14 turnovers.

“And what came out of that, was in my mind, I had failed. I had kind of underperformed, got overwhelmed by the moment, talked myself out of just enjoying it. Playing the way that I know how to play.”

What Curry could not have known was that lurking in the shadows of such famous coaches as Mike Kryzyewski (Duke), Roy Williams (North Carolina) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State) was another coach with a much lower profile but insight that proved keener than his more acclaimed colleagues.

Davidson College coach Bob McKillop saw the turnovers. Probably counted and winced at each one. But he noticed something else that lit up his mind.

While Curry was profoundly displeased with his performance, McKillop looked beyond the stats and came away impressed.

“He told me it was the fact that my body language didn’t change, and the way that I talked to my teammates didn’t change, and my ability to hustle back on defense,” Curry recalled. “None of that stuff was in my head. It was just how I played the game. It was all about the failure of the results and the stats.

“And for him, that was one reason – or the main reason – why he wanted to offer me a scholarship that next month was because he got to see the intangibles of things.

“So even through failure, you’re going to have an opportunity to show who you really are.”

McKillip saw a kid whose character remained intact when it might have been forgiven if he had lost his composure. Or barked at the referees. Or threw up his hands in disgust. Or worse, point fingers. The coach realized he was watching a unique 16-year-old. One who did not allow an appalling performance to crush his spirit.

“I didn’t really understand that element until he called it out,” Curry said. “And so, for a failure to be a reason that I got an opportunity at the next level, I kind of took it and ran with it.”

Curry describes McKillop as “a mentor.” Even now, nearly a quarter-century after they met, they share a bond that stays too tight to snap. Curry still reaches out to his college coach and McKillop has made numerous trips to the Bay Area to spend a couple days with the kid who became a superstar.

It’s important to note that McKillop always stressing education to his players was among the reasons Curry returned to Davidson in 2022 – less than two months after leading Golden State to an NBA Finals victory – to earn his degree in sociology.

The journey traces back long before Curry led the Warriors to four championships or won back-to-back MVP awards. Before he entered the NBA, much less playoff basketball.  Before he was “Steph.”

Curry’s road to ultimate career success began with an epic failure that didn’t turn him sour. His emotional integrity remained in place. All these years and accolades later, that has not changed.

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