Category: Basketball

For all intents and purposes, the Knicks have already done their job by taking Game 1 in San Antonio in a thrilling opener to the 2026 NBA Finals.

Home court advantage has been flipped, the first punch has been thrown, they’re now -134 to win the series on FanDuel, and the get-in price for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden is up to $8,782.

Big success.

But what they have in their grasp is an opportunity to put a dagger through the hearts of the San Antonio Spurs. Stealing one game on the road is series-changing; stealing two is potentially series-ending. As a result, the Knicks need to treat this game with just as much urgency as they did Game 1.

This whole series is going to be two exceptional basketball teams adjusting to each other, minute by minute, possession by possession. As a result, the plans you have early in the series might be thrown in the garbage just a few days later. At this point in the series, overall strategies are still being fleshed out.

One of them is figuring out if the Knicks want to be the fast team that’s pushing the pace or the slow team that’s methodical about their offense, looking to limit possessions and transition opportunities.

The last several years, they’ve been the slow team, but were unsuccessful in getting the Pacers to play to their style, leading to back-to-back playoff exits at their hands. This year, they played that style against an energetic Hawks team who struggled to generate offense in the halfcourt.

After that? They found something while trying to push the pace. A hobbled Joel Embiid allowed them to push the ball up the floor and generate easy looks in the paint. A lackadaisical and undisciplined Cavs team made it so that leaking out after a missed shot was an easy bucket over and over and over and over and over again.

Every series is different, and specifically for a unique team like the Spurs, there are pros and cons to each approach.

The biggest pro to being the team that pushes the pace and gets out in transition is not letting the Spurs set their physical and imposing defense, especially with Victor Wembanyama in the game. It takes an entire convoluted gameplan to get him out of the paint for an individual possession, let alone a string of them. They’re one of the best teams in basketball at preventing paint points, and you saw with the hesitation of slashers like Josh Hart and OG Anunoby that he can shut off anything within 10 feet.

Pushing the ball off a miss gives you time to generate shots at the rim with him trailing the play. Even if you don’t have numbers in a traditional sense, players like Hart can go coast-to-coast without worrying about going through a 7’5” freak of nature.

That in-game circumstance, though, is only one feature of the benefits of pushing the ball. The Knicks also have the clear advantage of simultaneously being the fresher and more conditioned team.

The top five players in this series in terms of minutes played in the postseason over the last month and a half are all Spurs. Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle have played 100 more minutes than Jalen Brunson, 150 more than Josh Hart, and almost 200 more than OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns. While this is a roster of young guys who can recover from grueling playoff games more easily, these minutes can add up, as we saw in 2025 with the Knicks.

Wembanyama has played 590, which is an entire game’s worth of minutes more than any Knick and at least two more than anyone not named Brunson. He played 38 minutes in Game 1, just the 10th time he’s done that this season and the 16th time in his career.

It’s important to note that Wemby has never played 36 minutes in four consecutive games in his career. The reason he’s avoided that in the playoffs? The multitude of blowouts in both directions has allowed him to rest in the fourth quarter. With a Knicks team that has not lost a game by more than one possession that they actually tried in since March (20 game sample), it’s hard to rely on that right now.

Playoff physicality, combined with the sheer number of minutes he has to play because of the disastrous on-off splits, is going to wear him down. He already looked gassed in the second half of Game 1, and despite extra rest days due to travel later in the series, it won’t get much better if these two teams are consistently going to war.

Making him cover more ground across more minutes in a physical playoff series will wear him out, but there is a flip side to all of this that the Knicks need to account for before deciding to be the faster team in this series.

Their half-court offense is extremely effective, at least in terms of getting quality looks. They’re relatively turnover-averse; they often end a possession in a quality look from 3, a layup, or a shot that Brunson knows he can make. Even with the human eraser in the middle, the team was still able to generate quality looks for much of the game despite battling through rust.

There’s also inherent risk to playing fast. A live ball turnover in transition is free points the other way. A miss usually results in your defense failing to get set, which will probably result in a Julian Champagnie triple.

The Knicks are also just not a fast team at their core. Despite hiring Mike Brown to play faster, the team has a very similar pace to the one they played under Tom Thibodeau. They take 6-7 seconds to get across half-court with Brunson bringing the ball up. They usually haven’t gotten the ball inside the arc until there’s less than eight on the clock. Even when visually playing faster the last two series, they’ve averaged under 97 possessions per game, one of the slowest in basketball.

The answer here might just be as simple as recognizing the situation during the game and adjusting to it. When you have an opportunity to gas them out, go out and run. If you’re flagrantly outexecuting them in the half-court, slow it down. Adjust to the moment.

It’s what the playoffs are all about.

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — gives their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: What are your thoughts on the following trade proposal?

This trade was suggested in a Hawks column on SI.

Ashton: I think I would do it.

Let’s start with the picks. They are worthless in the second round. It will be all college seniors and international prospects. The Cleveland and New York picks are going to be extremely late in the back half of the draft. But the picks may make some good future trade capital. But it is not the picks that I am interested in, other than some good board (boring for some) draft conversation.

It is the former number one draft pick, Zaccharie Risacher, in 2024. I thought he was rated too highly on draft boards, but Atlanta took him anyway with the first pick. Keep in mind that it was after Wemby-mania the year before, so Frenchmen were in high demand. Fellow Frenchman Alex Sarr was taken second in the 2024 draft.

But this isn’t a hit piece on a country that consistently produces top talent. Call it a hit piece on draft analysts. Zach (look, I am not typing the full name out) saw decreased usage in the Atlanta Hawks system but had some really nice games as a 6’8” small forward that tends to like the mid-range shots. That is the size and current Suns’ offensive system would support that for a change of scenery. The question is, why did the Hawks sour on him?

I think I will stay with the youth movement and take the former number one pick. In fact, I would call it a deal of the day. Which makes me skeptical that it would ever happen. Or even how Rod managed to find this trade, other than a thought exercise.

Voita: This is a very interesting trade proposal, and it’s one I’m not opposed to. Yes, it would be unfortunate to lose the shooting that Grayson Allen provides. At the same time, you’d be acquiring a young lottery prospect along with three second-round picks.

I’m not the biggest fan of Zaccharie Risacher as a prospect. However, for a team with limited avenues to get younger, more athletic, and add players with legitimate upside, he certainly scratches that itch.

A lot of people have been dismissive of the second-round picks included in the deal, and this is where the NBA’s revised draft lottery rules could actually work in Phoenix’s favor. Let’s say the Atlanta Hawks are a Play-In team in 2029. They finish as the ninth seed and ultimately end up in the lottery. That feels completely realistic.

Now, let’s say they wind up with the 15th overall pick in the 2029 NBA Draft. Under the new rules, their second-round pick would suddenly become much more valuable because the second-round order is reversed relative to the non-playoff teams. The team drafting first overall in the first round picks near the end of the second round, while the team drafting 15th ends up selecting near the beginning of the second round. That changes the math.

So while there’s certainly a chance these three second-rounders end up being throwaway picks, there’s also a realistic possibility they become far more valuable than many people assume. And when you’re a team like the Phoenix Suns, one that doesn’t have a surplus of draft capital lying around, that upside is worth paying attention to.

OldAz: “Opinions are like armpits, everyone has them, and most of them stink” (there is a less clean version of this that everyone only has one of, but I tried to keep this PG). In this case, my opinion is totally uneducated because I watched exactly 0.0 minutes of this kid playing last season.

At first glance, I noticed that he was getting a decent number of minutes for a playoff team, but accumulating pedestrian counting stats. This is even more true when the playoffs came, and he barely cracked the lineup. All this made the proposal look more like a salary dump than a trade. However, he is also a younger, longer athletic player who can defend well (according to reports), with an inconsistent offense that needs to be set up by others.

Considering the Suns currently have too many ball dominant players and lack length, athleticism and often defense I could easily be persuaded that this is not a salary dump but a “buy low” trade that accomplishes many things the Suns need to have this off season. All of this hinges on what Risacher really is. For that, you need to ask someone far smarter than I am, or at least someone who wants to watch Hawks games to see him play.

Rod: Risacher hasn’t lived up to the expectations of being the number 1 pick in the 2024 draft, but hasn’t been a bust. Jalen Johnson’s play has made him somewhat expendable in Atlanta. I think I’d do this if such a trade were offered (which I doubt). It would save the Suns $4.3 million in 2026-27 and $6+ million over two seasons while adding another young wing to the roster who, hopefully, can still grow as a player.

The three second-round picks are nice sweeteners, but most are likely to be in the high 40s or 50s (the 2nds they have from New York and Cleveland), which doesn’t make them exceptionally valuable…but still useful.

Q2: For various reasons, some fans think the Suns should either do a sign-and-trade to move Mark Williams or just let him walk (especially if he gets a big offer sheet from another team). A third option is signing him to a new contract and perhaps trading him at the trade deadline. If moving on from Williams is in the Suns’ plans, which option would you prefer?

Ashton: Let’s get our option one out of the way, sign-and-trade. Rod has mentioned in numerous comments that it immediately hard-caps the Suns. Nah, I still want to be frugal here when it comes to the Sun’s future roster plans. (Note: It hard caps the team at the second tax apron.)

Option 2 requires a lot more deliberation. It depends on where you are with the Suns’ finances. I would still like the organization to stay below the repeater tax for a second year or at least have some breathing space to bring back Goody and CG. But this requires a hard player cut in Williams, as I really do not think the Suns have an answerable center position player to fill the role.

Option 3 is more forward-looking and probably the best. Yes, you lose cap flexibility and maybe lose Goody and CG, but if Williams stays healthy (and that is a big if) then he becomes a tradable asset.

I still have to pick one of these options for a three-part question. Let Mark walk or pay the qualifying offer at $9,615,600. Free up some salary space, and then no one has to worry about his injury history. Option 2.

Voita: I wrestled with this decision quite a bit while putting together my blueprint for how I think the Phoenix Suns should operate this offseason. Ultimately, I landed on the qualifying offer.

If Mark Williams wants significantly more than that, it starts putting real financial strain on the roster. More importantly, it could make it difficult to retain players like Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. At that point, you’re probably crossing into first apron territory. Maybe the organization is comfortable with that. Maybe it isn’t.

For me, the ideal outcome is bringing Williams back, even if the final number comes in a little higher than the qualifying offer, because the goal isn’t necessarily about what Mark Williams is. The goal is finding out what Khaman Maluach is. Williams provides a buffer and provides stability. He gives Phoenix a starting-caliber center while Maluach continues to develop and earn opportunities. Then you reassess.

If Maluach takes a significant step forward, if he proves he’s ready for a larger role, then when the trade deadline arrives, you can start exploring the market for Williams. That’s the beauty of maintaining flexibility.

Of course, there is one exception. If Williams stays healthy and starts playing above the level we currently expect from him, then the conversation changes entirely. At that point, you’re dealing with a different set of circumstances. But entering the season, I think the smartest play is bringing him back, preserving continuity, and giving yourself another year to evaluate exactly what you have at the center position.

OldAz: Assuming they move on at some point, I would start with the last option of signing him to a reasonable new contract and then waiting for the deadline. A healthy athletic center on a reasonable contract is highly valuable at the trade deadline, and this would give more time for Khaman Maluach to develop and be ready for a bigger role. A sign-and-trade is also a reasonable option for the right return, so the only option I do not like (assuming they are parting ways) is letting him walk for nothing. I hate that type of asset management by any front office I am rooting for.

Rod: Unless Ott is certain that Maluach, Ighodaro, and a third low-cost free agent center can perform well as the Suns’ big man rotation from the beginning, I’d prefer re-signing him and looking for a midseason trade. My second choice would be going with a sign-and-trade. With a sign-and-trade, they could take back much less in salary (or nothing at all) and create a traded player exception that they could use later on.

Q3: The Suns have been bringing in a lot of players for pre-draft workouts that are projected to go undrafted (a little more than half so far). What are your thoughts on this?

Ashton: I had never considered this until I visited HoopsHype today and pulled the following in context of the question. This is who the Suns have worked out in the UDFA realm.

65 – Bryce Hopkins (PF, St. John’s, 22-269)
70 – Jaden Henley (SF, Grand Canyon, 22-39)
UNR – DJ Armstrong (SG, UMBC)
UNR – Miles Barnstable (PG, Tulsa)
UNR – Tre Donaldson (PG, Miami, 22-174)
UNR – Derrian Ford (SG, Temple, 22-201)
UNR – Sam Hoiberg (PG, Nebraska, 23-73)
UNR – Tramon Mark (SG, Texas, 24-245)
UNR – Robert McCray (PG, Florida St, 23-249)
UNR – Kashie Natt (SG, Sam Houston St, 23-114)
UNR – Grant Newell (SF, Western Kentucky, 23-262)
UNR – Shammah Scott (PG, Akron)
UNR – Corey Stephenson (SF, FIU, 22-28)

I can pick a few names from that list, but the question is whether the Suns intend to package the 47th pick with another player and are heavily considering UDFAs. It would make sense financially. Rod was right to sniff this one out. That is a lot of no-names. It certainly does not look like they will trade up.

Which I think we can kiss goodbye to the Suns’ 47th pick.

At least give Tobe Awaka a workout. One man that Valley Suns fans would love that guy.

Voita: I believe this is standard operating procedure. If you look at what the Phoenix Suns did last year, they followed a very similar approach despite owning both first- and second-round picks. A big part of the process is simply gathering information.

Teams want as much intel as possible on prospects, even those projected to go undrafted. Maybe that player ends up helping your G League affiliate. Maybe he becomes a Summer League addition. Maybe he pops up later in a trade discussion or becomes somebody you’re interested in signing down the road. The more information you have, the better.

And it isn’t limited to the NBA roster. Even at the G League level, there are transactions and roster decisions that require organizations to have quality scouting reports and internal evaluations. That’s why I don’t think there’s anything unusual about what Phoenix is doing.

In fact, if you spend a few minutes looking through the workout lists on HoopsHype, you’ll see every organization doing the same thing. They’re gathering information. They’re building databases. They’re creating relationships. And they’re making sure they know as much as possible about the players who could eventually enter their orbit. That’s all part of the process.

OldAz: As with many questions, “It depends” is the right answer. The new Suns seem more focused on developing players and have done a good job finding fringe players that can contribute. However, last season, these were mainly veterans who came in and contributed. If the Suns are looking to fill up on more UDFAs, then I hope they have an eye for talent and a plan that mirrors the Heat of the last few years, who have more than once fielded a team that greatly overachieved with multiple UDFAs playing a big role.

The more likely answer is that they are trying to build up their G League affiliate so they can identify a diamond in the rough down the road. This is also a good way to do business in the NBA when you are not pitching pennies in the front office.

Rod: To me, it says that they’re mainly looking at players to add to the Valley Suns’ roster, especially players that may turn out to have hidden potential/talents. With the lack of future draft picks the Suns have, this seems essential to me, as they have to turn over every leaf looking for whatever hidden gems they can find. Gregory’s done a pretty good job of it so far, and hopefully he can pull another rabbit or two out of his hat this year.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

Suns Trivia/History

On June 6, 1976, trailing the Boston Celtics 3-2 in the NBA Finals, the Suns lost game 6 at home, 87-80, in a low-scoring contest. The Suns actually outshot the Celtics from the field (41.6% to 38.6%) but allowed Boston to get 16 offensive rebounds to their 8 and lost the overall rebounding battle 53-39. The Suns also sent the Celtics to the FT line 28 times, where the Celtics made 23, while the Suns made just 16.

On June 9, 1993, despite double-doubles by both Charles Barkley (21 pts, 11 rebs) and Richard Dumas (20 pts, 12 rebs), the Suns lost 100-92 to the Chicago Bulls to go down 0-1 in their first return to the NBA Finals since 1976. Barkley (9 of 25) and Kevin Johnson (4 of 13) had uncharacteristically poor shooting nights, while the Bulls shot well from the field, hitting 53.1% to the Suns’ 44.4%.

On June 11, 1993, Charles Barkley of the Suns and Michael Jordan of the Bulls each scored 42 points in Chicago’s 111-108 victory, marking the first time in NBA Finals history that opposing players each scored 40 or more points in a Finals game.

Important Future Dates

Mid-June (date TBD) – Teams can begin negotiating with their own free agents (following the Finals)
June 23 – NBA Draft First Round, 8 ET (ABC/ESPN)
June 24 – NBA Draft Second Round, 8 ET (ESPN)
June 30 – Teams can begin negotiations with all free agents
July 1 – Official start of the 2026-27 league year and moratorium period
July 6 – Moratorium ends, official free agent contract signings can begin
July 9-19 – NBA 2K Summer League 2026 in Las Vegas
Late September (dates TBD) – NBA Training Camps open

When the Celtics entered the 2025 2nd round vs. the Knicks, it felt like they were on a different level than New York. That was proven wrong and since that point, it has become clear that it is New York who is on a different level than Boston.

Three wins away from their first championship in 53 years, the Knicks look like they tower over everyone else in the Eastern Conference.

It became very clear as the 76ers, who came back from down 3-1 vs. the Celtics, were not only swept by New York, but embarrassed by them, that the gap between Boston and New York was bigger than any of us thought it was.

It is up to Brad Stevens and company to close that gap this summer.

Does making a marginal move like trading Sam Hauser for a center help the Celtics? Yes, but we need to be thinking bigger.

The trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White has shown us they are good enough to win at the highest level. Get more of a contribution from the younger players in the playoffs and the Celtics could be back at the top of the East next year. Maybe you think the Celtics’ exit and the Knicks run are both flukey and that Boston shouldn’t panic.

Is that something that the Celtics should be betting on?

The roster is just not good enough as is and when you have Jayson Tatum on your team, you owe it to him and yourself to be doing everything to win the championship every year.

That is why so many, myself included, feel that trading Jaylen Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo is something Boston should be exploring.

Antetokounmpo would give the Celtics so many different layers to both their offense and defense that Brown doesn’t, including getting to the rim more, which is something that Brad Stevens talked about at his end of season press conference.

Yes, you’d be losing some of the great stuff Brown does like those mid-range shots, but Antetokounmpo gives more than Brown does on both ends of the floor.

You could also keep the Tatum and Brown duo together, and find a way to use Derrick White to upgrade the roster with either a big man or a scoring guard to pair with the Jays. The way the Celtics offense fell apart in the first round was much more worrying to me than their defense was.

The Celtics have four tradable picks and a $27.7 million trade exception. They don’t have to move any of Tatum, Brown or White to make an aggressive move. Maybe the Pelicans would be willing to give you Trey Murphy for Hauser, one or two of the young wings and a bunch of draft picks.

When the Knicks felt they needed to catch up to the Celtics after Boston’s 2024 championship, they traded for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. They took big, risky swings and it is the Celtics’ turn to do just that. I don’t know that Boston has two moves like that in them, but they should be making at least one big time addition to close the gap.

Victor Wembanyama was strikingly calm.

Stephon Castle was markedly confident.

So what that the Spurs trail the Knicks 1-0 in the Finals? So what that those two guys are 22 and 21 years old, respectively? So what that no one thought they were ready for the league’s biggest stage?

They’ve proved everyone wrong, and they’re hellbent on doing it again.

The basketball world winced when Wembanyama suffered a concussion in Game 2 of the Spurs’ first-round series against the Trail Blazers and needed to enter the league’s concussion protocol. There goes the Spurs’ postseason run.

It rolled its eyes when San Antonio lost Game 1 of its second round series to the Timberwolves. So much for being the real deal.

It started writing the Spurs’ obituary when they faced Game 7 of the Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City against the reigning champion Thunder and its two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Welp, it was a good run.

But the Spurs didn’t flinch in any of those moments. They leaned on one another. Their belief in themselves over the last two months has deepened to form a well of confidence form which they now draw after squandering home-court advantage against the Knicks in a 105-95 loss on Wednesday.

Said Wembanyama: “I’m not worried the slightest.”

Added Castle: “We feel like we’re the better team. We didn’t play well, and we still had a chance to win.”

The Spurs led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter before they let their lead slip through their fingers in the final six minutes of that period. They were outscored in the fourth quarter, 29-19.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson didn’t even need to watch film to pinpoint where they need to improve. It was obvious. It was glaring.

San Antonio gave up a whopping 50 points in the paint. It had only 16 assists. Wembanyama, who shot 51.2 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from beyond the arc this season, shot a woeful 6-for-21 from the field (28.5 percent) and 2-for-9 from deep (22.2 percent) in Game 1.

Gregg Popovich, who coached the Spurs for 29 seasons and led them to five championships before stepping down after suffering a stroke in Nov. 2024, sent Wembanyama a text after watching the team’s implosion Wednesday night.

The gist?

“I’ve been bad,” Wembanyama said. “And I’m better than this.”

The Spurs weren’t good, and they still had a 95-94 lead with 2:16 left. They let Jalen Brunson score 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. They committed five turnovers in that period while the Knicks had none. They were careless. They were outplayed.

They got in their own way.

That doesn’t instill fear in the Spurs. If they played their best and lost, that might have shaken them a bit more. But this was not that.

Heck, even if that had happened, this Spurs team would likely still believe in themselves.

If there’s anything this playoff run has taught us about them, it’s that they’re unflappable.

The Spurs’ stars might barely be of drinking age, but they’ve proved they’re mature enough to block out noise that can be deafening for players who are accustomed to big stages.

Too young? Too inexperienced? They’ve made a mockery of those narratives.

Counterintuitively, it makes you wonder if their youth is their superpower. There’s a certain cockiness that can come with not knowing any better.

Castle was quick to shut that down.

“I don’t know if that’s our youth talking,” he said. “It might just be more of what our character is like. I don’t think we’ll ever change from being this way, having this kind of confidence in each other, no matter how young we are.”

That deep belief in themselves is what has gotten the Spurs through three series. It has gotten them to the championship round earlier than anyone thought possible.

They’ve faced a 1-0 series deficit before. That didn’t faze them.

They dethroned the defending champs who many believed would become the league’s next dynasty. You think they’re afraid of the Knicks?

Wembanyama already indelibly stamped his name into postseason lore with a 41-point, 24-rebound, three-block performance against the Thunder in Game 1 of that series. You think he’s going to get in his head about a mediocre Finals debut?

Think again.

There’s a fearlessness about the Spurs.

No one thought they’d be here this quickly. They have nothing to lose.

And that makes them very dangerous.

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The NBA Draft is in less than three weeks, and the speculation about Cam Boozer is hitting new heights.

Part of it may be gamesmanship, as various front offices try to push players up or down to get their true target.

Subterfuge is actually one of our favorite parts of the whole process. In Boozer’s case, though, we’re not sure that’s necessarily what’s going on.

He’s been through the combine, and he’s done the interviews. Teams have a much better idea of who he is now.

The top three picks, as you probably know, are Washington, Utah, and Memphis, and there’s the consistent rumor that Oklahoma City would like to trade up to get him.

It’s not a bad position to be in, really, other than going to the Wizards. In our opinion, it’s less important to be an early pick than it is to be picked by a stable franchise. Memphis and Utah are remaking their teams, but management appears to be competent. And it would be hard to do much better than OKC.

• 2026 NBA Draft Profile: Cameron Boozer’s Unique Blend of Size and Skill
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• Cam Boozer’s ‘safety’ & ‘massive upside’ may make him NBA Draft’s top prospect
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• NBA Draft expert makes case for Cameron Boozer to go No. 1 overall
• “He’s going to make a run as an All-Star as a rookie” – Draft expert reveals Cameron Boozer is No. 1 on all NBA analytics draft boards
• Would Wizards Draft Cam Boozer? I BMitch & Finlay
• New Cameron Boozer Rumors on Wizards’ Interest amid AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson Buzz
• Duke Basketball: Analyst thinks Oklahoma City Thunder should move up for Cam Boozer
• Why Cam Boozer Might Be The Perfect Franchise Player For Washington
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Last month, St. John’s announced the signing of Senegalese forward Babacar Sane. Rick Pitino was quoted as being “extremely impressed” with Sane’s athletic ability. At 6-foot-8, Sane possesses the prototypical NBA forward frame, but his freakish 7-foot-2.5 wingspan places him alongside NBA champion Kawhi Leonard and Knicks forward OG Anunoby. The Senegal-born forward didn’t take the traditional route to college basketball. Instead, he joined the NBA Academy in Africa and was placed on Dakar Université Club, where he thrived.

Sane ended up joining G League Ignite alongside Pistons guard Ron Holland and other NBA talent. In 75 career games, Sane averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. The consensus around Babacar Sane has always been that he’s a prospect who has the raw tools to become an NBA forward but hasn’t taken that step just yet. Sane possesses freakish vertical jumping while still being able to create his own shot. Granted, his shooting splits across all levels haven’t been eye-popping; Sane has a viable jumpshot.

When watching film across three different continents for Sane, one thing is evident: He’s a phenomenal athlete. Sane’s film shows multiple clips of him finishing above the rim and impacting plays on both ends. Sane should thrive in Rick Pitino’s transition offense. His long strides and grab-and-go ability allow him to cover ground quickly, making him a threat in the open floor.

That downhill pressure often draws multiple defenders, creating open looks from beyond the arc, as seen during the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Sane averaged 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in the Intercontinental Cup, and those marks are pretty impressive because most of those G League Ignite players were kind of just looking for their buckets and not making the extra passes.

Sane works more in the off-ball player role, where he finds himself in a bunch of motions and is constantly cutting to the basket. The reason he’s gonna do well in this role at St. John’s is that Babacar has never had a point guard of the same quality as Quinn Ellis in terms of playmaking. Ellis has a special ability to find the right player at the right time, and I could count on multiple occasions how many times I saw a guard miss a wide-open Sane cutting to the rim. If Quinn Ellis can consistently find Babacar in transition or on cuts, this could be a lethal Big East pairing. Sane is nearly impossible to contain once he’s going downhill, and even when defenses do, he still gets to the free-throw line, where he converts at an above-average rate.

One of the big questions heading into this season will be how many minutes Sane will get. In 17 minutes per game at MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, Sane had 16 double-doubles in 28 games and had three games with 20-plus points. So if we adjust Sane’s minutes and he ends up playing 20–25 minutes, he could definitely average around 12 points per game off the bench and could be a big momentum shifter when he checks in.

The make-or-break attribute for Sane and his playing time will be directly tied to his three-point shooting, where he was about average everywhere he played. His jumpshot is not broken; it is actually workable. His base looks good, his arms are tucked in, and he’s not a stiff shooter. So knowing how Pitino gets the best out of all his players, there’s nothing stopping Babacar Sane from becoming Big East Sixth Man of the Year besides himself.

Sane has been a successful international player with Senegal and has been a solid role player on three different continents. But it’s time for him to break out of his shell and live up to the potential most scouts think he has. Look what Rick Pitino did for Dillon Mitchell—he wasn’t an NBA-ready player at the beginning of the season, and now he’s projected as an early-to-mid second round pick.

I’ll say this one last time: Babacar Sane is gonna be must-watch TV at Madison Square Garden with his glamorous dunks and ability to create offense through his movement alone. He is one of many new pieces for the Johnnies this season, and we should all be excited to see how Pitino uses him.

It’s June. The second game of the NBA Finals is later today. But here we are, still think about the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23-24, 2026.

FanDuel Sportsbook will say that AJ Dybantsa is the No. 1 pick and so will everyone’s mom, dad, sibling, better half and dog. Even Dybantsa thinks so himself. Ari Alexander of WHDH-TV in Boston (yes, BOSTON) had an interview with him which goes into depth about his thoughts about the Wizards, Utah and where he will be in the draft.

But let’s just take a step back. The Wizards don’t just have the top pick. They have the No. 51 and No. 60 picks thanks to previous trades. It’s possible Washington could trade these picks more higher draft selections or use them for a pick in 2027 or later. That said, let’s assume Washington stays put with the No. 51 and 60 selections.

So this ends up being a harder question, but it’s fun nevertheless. Who are your favorite prospects at No. 51 and No. 60? And yeah, you can always say who your favorite pick is at No. 1 as well. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

On Thursday, a project involving the NBA, San Antonio Spurs and Emirates unveiled a newly renovated space at Denver Heights Community Center. Jacob Tobey hosted a panel including NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, R. C. Buford, and Spurs players. Attendees involved NBA’s executive vice president, head of basketball operations James Jones, local politicians, families, and attendees of the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA basketball camps.

Renovations included roof and ceiling repairs, fresh paint, new court flooring, a scoreboard, backboards, wall tile improvements, technology, and gaming equipment to the center’s gymnasium and multipurpose room.

Following the ceremony, a clinic took place involving local youth. They and the families visited the library and received an introduction to the technology.

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Karl-Anthony Towns has taken full control of the New York Knicks offense this postseason.

NY is essentially playing Towns as a point-center and allowing him to both distribute the basketball but also find his own shot depending on the matchup.

That method has worked incredibly well for the Knicks as they find themselves up 1-0 over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Not only is Towns playing great offense, though, but he was pretty impactful against the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday night at the defensive end of the court.

His two-way ability has shined and in the win, the former Kentucky Wildcat felt his late mother’s presence.

“I don’t know what it was, but I just felt a calm and a peace that, I don’t know, had to be coming from the woman above,” Towns said on ESPN.

“I felt really confident about today, I felt good,” Towns said. “I felt like a kid. It was just fun out here. This is something that as a kid you always dream about. You always hope to be an NBA player, let alone to be in the NBA Finals.

“All day, it was just a weird feeling. It felt like I was a kid getting ready to play my Saturday AAU games and my Sunday AAU games. In a way, it felt like I was seeing her in the stands. It was fun, it was really fun, and it was really comforting.”

His mother passed away in 2020 due to complications with COVID-19. The Knicks will suit up for Game Two of the Finals tonight in San Antonio and are 5.5-point underdogs.

Tweet of the Day

Kentucky will play at a top-15 Virginia Cavaliers team next season!

Headlines

Devin Burkes becomes latest former player to join Kentucky’s baseball staff – KSR

Love it.

NBA eyes interaction between Jalen Brunson, fans in Game 1 – ESPN

Investigation update.

New mock draft has Otega Oweh getting drafted, Jayden Quaintance to the Knicks – KSR

What do we think?

Two fans get lifetime bans over selfie quest at NBA Finals Game 1 – ESPN

Sheesh.

Matt Ponatoski is Two Wins Away from a Baseball State Title – KSR

Pretty awesome.

Packers, WR Christian Watson reach $110.5M extension – ESPN

Big bag.

Pump It Up: Kentucky baseball enters offseason mode – KSR

The latest.

George Pickens’ status for minicamp, plus true competition at left tackle, more – CBS Sports

More drama.

Andrew Toney is somewhat overlooked today, which is really a shame.

Drafted out of the University of Lousiana by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1980, Toney quickly established himself as a superb offensive guard.

He was particularly lethal against the Boston Celtics, to the point where Beantown media called him The Boston Strangler.

He was a key part of the 1983 Philadelphia championship team, starting alongside Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, and Julius Erving.

Sadly for Toney, his career ran into real problems after about five years. He was having serious pain in his feet, and he and the Sixer disagreed about the cause. Ultimately, he was found to have stress factures in both feet, and the last three years of his career were difficult, personally and professionally. His relationship with the 76ers deteriorated and has never fully recovered.

He retired in 1988, because he never recovered from his feet problems.

His contemporaries knew how good he was. Charles Barkley said he was the best player he ever played with, and since he was teammates with Malone and Erving, that’s really saying something. Larry Bird and Sidney Moncrief thought he was right there with Michael Jordan.

Here are some of his career highlights. Keep in mind that Toney was just 6-3 and most of his scoring was not near the basket. Nonetheless, he shot 50% for his career.

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Karl-Anthony Towns did not arrive in New York needing to prove he could play, but the Knicks surely enhanced his game, and the partnership saw the Big Bodega reach a stage he could never quite grace during his time in Minneapolis.

If we’re talking legacies, Towns couldn’t have had a better start to building his. KAT was drafted with the No. 1 pick coming off one year of college ball at Kentucky. He went on to win the Rookie of the Year award. Would eventually partake in the All-Star game six times while on his way to earning three All-NBA selections.

And career-wide, Towns never took the pedal off the metal, boasting averages nearing 23 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists per game while shooting above 50% from the floor and nearly 40% from three.

That is a real résumé, to say the least. Winning an NBA championship with the Knicks, however, would make it read differently and put KAT in a completely different stratosphere.

Ask Towns himself, who has always made the loudest shooting case among modern bigs and has not even been a tiny shy about proclaiming himself an all-time great the GOAT at it.

“Honestly man, I ain’t gotta play like nobody. I’m me. I’m the greatest big man shooter of all time. That’s a fact,” Towns said back in December 2021, while still a Timberwolves hooper. “You can see the stats. I ain’t got to play like no one else. Everyone trying to find themselves to be the second version of me when I’m the first version. I don’t got to be the second version of someone else. I’m already an original. I don’t have to be a duplicate of someone else.”

Like it or not, the numbers surely support the argument. Towns became the first center to win the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2022, has cleared 42% from deep two different seasons separated by seven years, has notched more than 40% of his threes in six of his 11 years in the Association, and he’s now giving the Knicks a kind of frontcourt spacing and playmaking ability that both 1) Knicks fans spent years looking for, 2) pretended they could live without and win in the current basketball economy, and 3) was simply unheard of in KAT Land.

His Minnesota years were never empty, even though the franchise’s struggles made them look meager, and started to build a wrong narrative about Towns’ true talent.

Towns spent nine seasons with the Timberwolves, became the first bona fide face of the franchise after Kevin Garnett’s prime, and helped them reach the playoffs in 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The biggest breakthrough came in 2024, when Minnesota beat the defending champion Denver Nuggets in Game 7 and reached the Western Conference finals for the first time since Garnett’s 2004 Wolves did it.

Then came the homecoming.

Towns grew up in New Jersey, starred at St. Joseph High School and returned to the area with the Knicks via trade before the 2024-25 season. In New York, his numbers carried immediate weight: 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 52.6% from the field, 42.0% from three and 82.9% from the line.

Now he is in the 2026 NBA Finals as a central piece and 1B to Jalen Brunson’s 1A. KAT entered the series averaging 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the playoffs while shooting 57.2% from the field and 48.9% from three, then opened his first-ever finals with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in New York’s Game 1 win over the San Antonio Spurs. That’s all FanDuel needed to turn the Knicks into the new favorites to win the title, listing them at -134 odds.

Speaking of legendary big-man shooters, it’s fair to say that a ring might not place Towns in Dirk Nowitzki’s tier. Dirk still has an MVP award, a Finals MVP, 14 All-Star selections, 12 All-NBA selections, and also won a title in 2011, leading the underdog Mavs team against the mighty Heatless.

But a ring would make Towns a champion in New York, and bulk up an already-packed résumé and help him overtake a few big shooters out there. Outside of Dirk, it’s fair to say that KAT would have done more than enough to consider him a better big-boy shooter than walking-glass Joel Embiid, perhaps the second-best ever only behind Dirk (best shooting PF) and legitimately the No. 1 and undisputed top shooting center in history, breezing past Nikola Jokic.

On top of that, and with a title under his belt, Towns would no longer be just labeled an elite shooting big with a questionable playoff track record and just a few monster regular seasons. He would be the Knicks center who helped end a title drought dating back to 1973 alongside Jalen Brunson and the rest of the Manhattan Mob. He won’t be even remotely close to joining the absolute best centers to ever grace hardwood courts around the L—although he will have a solid case to crack the top-20 easily—but he will once and for all get his name legitimazed and shut all of his naysayers’ mouths in one fell swoop.

And for Towns, that’s all that’s missing.

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Blue and orange are pretty popular colors around New York City these days.

For the first time in 27 years, the New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals, and after a thrilling Game 1 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, one thing’s for certain — even if basketball wasn’t your thing before, we’re all Knicks fans now, and we have to dress the part.

Luckily, the world of sports merchandise goes far beyond jerseys and a lot of what’s available looks just as at home on the streets of NYC as it does in the stands at MSG, and naturally, with the Knicks making a run this deep into the playoffs, fashionable merch is in high demand.

Both in store and online, Knicks gear is flying off the metaphorical shelves.

“I feel like we made the best bet ever,” Danielle Snyder, the co-founder of DannijoPro, a premium label that combines fashion and sports fandom, told The Post ahead of Game 2. The brand’s Knicks bestsellers include the Game Day tee, satin bomber jacket and and a letterman half zip with a crocheted collar, but Snyder notes that it’s been difficult to keep things in stock and many of its top products are currently sold out.

She cites “the power of the Knicks brand” as a reason why DannijoPro’s designs have caught on with regular New Yorkers and famous fans alike. Gary Vaynerchuk and Spike Lee have received custom-made pieces from DannijoPro and Brooke Shields and her daughter Rowan Henchy were spotted in DannijoPro at The Garden.

“It’s not just a garment…” Snyder said. “It’s a premium product that’s tied to emotion, experience, a specific roster, historic run.”

Terez, founded by Zara Tisch, is another brand in the premium sportswear space. Its Knicks bomber jackets, baby tees, and crewneck sweaters have been bestsellers throughout the recent postseason run.

“I never knew I wanted to even be in the sports category, but our mission has always been about bringing people together,” Tisch said. “In the male-dominated industries, we need to celebrate the women behind the athletes, the women at home, the women in the field and the women on the team.”

Knicks fans aren’t just searching for new merch; vintage Knicks gear is in-demand, too.

“After last year, which was an incredible run, this year has doubled that,” Michael Spitz, owner/operator at the East Village vintage shop Mr. Throwback, told The Post.

Mr. Throwback stocks vintage hats, T-shirts and more, in addition to new customs the shop is designing and selling.

“You can’t walk into any other store and find what you want,” Spitz said. “You would need a DeLorean to take it back to 1994 and go to Sports Authority or Champs or Modells and buy it, but you could buy it now.”

DANNIJOPRO

New York-based label Dannijo, known for statement crystal work, bold silks and powerful storytelling, is taking fandom fashion to a new level with Dannijopro — “a new era for premium fandom.” The officially licensed NBA gear is inspired by the founders’ “love for sport, style, artistry and nostalgia with the power of being on a team.”

While styles are selling out quickly, these are still available in most, if not all, sizes:

• The Captains Crewneck ($115.00)
• The Letterman Pull-over ($275.00)

Terez

Terez is a woman-owned sportswear brand catered toward women “designing clothing the fan wants to wear not only to the stadium, but during their everyday lives,” per founder Zara Terez Tisch. The brand counts Anne Hathaway among its famous fans; Hathaway was spotted at MSG last year in a Terez x Knicks bomber jacket.

While that style is sold out (as are many of the brand’s other Knicks best sellers), these are still available to add to your cart now:

• Unisex NY Knicks Sweater in Blue Tie Dye ($298.00)
• Knicks Technicolor Crew ($165.00)
• New York Knicks Marquee Stripe Crew ($198.00)
• NY New York Knicks Embossed Crew in Light Gray ($230.00)

Mr. Throwback

You don’t have to be in NYC to shop vintage from East Village shop Mr. Throwback. The brand’s vintage and custom designs are available to shop online, too. In fact, they’ve been fielding more online orders than normal since the Knicks secured their spot in the NBA Finals.

New York or Nowhere

It will always be New York or Nowhere, but right now, it’s NBA Finals or Nowhere. The iconic NY brand dropped some new Knicks-inspired designs especially for the Finals, including “The Finals or Nowhere” tee and a “Knicks 6th Borough (Finals Edition)” design.

The NBA Finals pieces are available to preorder now, but if you’re looking for something in stock, these pieces are available in a range of sizes now:

• Knicks Always Crewneck ($145.00)
• Knicks Downtown Varisty Jacket ($315.00)
• Knicks Trophies Hoodie ($155.00)

Mitchell and Ness

Mitchell and Ness is one of the leading brands for licensed athletic apparel, and if you’re looking for a vintage jersey, this is the place to get it. In addition to fun New York-themed T-shirts, you can snag jerseys from every era of Knicks basketball, from the ’50s through the early ’10s.

• New York Knicks Cream Concrete Apple T-Shirt ($50.00)
• Carmelo Anthony New York Knicks 2010-11 Blue Swingman Jersey ($150.00)
• New York Knicks Black Hardwood Classics Coffee T-Shirt ($38.00)

Faherty x Jalen Brunson

Ahead of the NBA Finals, Faherty teamed up with current NY Knicks captain Jalen Brunson on a capsule collection with seven pieces.

Most of the pieces in the collab are only available in one size and have extremely low stock, but this hoodie with Brunson’s personal mantra — “the magic is in the work” — is available in nearly every size offered. If you’re looking for a cozy way to show off your Knicks fandom, this might be it.

• Jalen Brunson High Standard Fleece Hoodie ($198.00)

Off Season

Founded by NFL wife Kristin Juszczyk, inspired by designs she’d create for herself and other NFL WAGs, Off Season is “a new vision for sports-inspired style” that has expanded into the NBA. Off Season’s Knicks designs blend sport and style seamlessly for your new favorite blue and orange pieces perfect for any season.

• New York Knicks Off Season x NBA Unisex Track Pants ($185.00)
• New York Knicks Off Season x NBA Women’s Halter Top ($105.00)
• New York Knicks Off Season x NBA Unisex Standard Puffer Jacket ($375.00 $265.00)

Guizio

Just a few weeks after the brand went viral when Kylie Jenner wore one of its Perfect Classic Tanks on Celebrity Row, Guizio dropped its New York Forever Shrunken Hoodie ($168) — a cozy, cropped zip-up hoodie in Knicks blue with an orange applique.

Jill Martin

Temps are rising in NYC, but if you’ll be watching the games from home, a blanket hoodie from Jill Martin is the perfect way to relax and cheer on the Knicks from the comfort of your own couch. The brand calls it “the best hoodie in the world” and notes it’s “the perfect blend of lounge and streetwear.”

Just in time for the NBA Finals, the brand dropped a new hoodie with a New York Knicks 2026 NBA Finals embroidered chest design in four different colors.

• New York Knicks 2026 NBA Finals Unisex Blanket Hoodie ($89.00)
• New York Knicks Regulation Size Fanny Pack ($49.00)
• New York Knicks Remix Logo Cropped Sherpa Lounger Jacket ($210.00)
• New York Knicks Cropped Sherpa Hoodie ($99.00)

Daphne

While “Giggly Squad” host Paige DeSorbo’s fashion line Daphne doesn’t have anything outwardly sporty among its catalogue of “ready to lounge” basics, Knicks fans can get free orange embroidery on white or navy Hannah tees ($68.00) with the code GOSPORTS.

Barring a trade involving the selection, the Boston Celtics are currently slated to hold the 27th overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. 

This will mark just the second time in franchise history that the team has selected from this exact draft position. The first instance came in 2018, when Boston accomplished precisely what it hopes to replicate this year. With the pick, the Celtics selected Robert Williams out of Texas A&M, a raw but immensely talented big man who eventually developed into one of the NBA’s premier defensive anchors. Williams not only became a cornerstone of Boston’s defense but also served as a key asset in the trade that brought Jrue Holiday to the organization. 

There are a ton of trade rumors circulating around this time every year so in this world (article) where trades are turned off, let’s look at some potential big man options that could be there at pick 27.  

Tarris Reed Jr. | 6’10’’ – 263 | UConn | 22 

15 pts | 9 rebs | 2 asts | 2 blks | 1stl | 60/0/62 | 61 TS% 

Tarris Reed Jr. may not be one of the flashier prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft class, but he has quietly established himself as one of the most dependable and NBA-ready big men projected to be available in the late first round. 

After transferring from Michigan to UConn, Reed put together a breakout campaign that showcased many of the traits NBA teams covet in a modern role-playing center. Reed possesses the size, strength, and physicality necessary to compete against professional frontcourts from day one. 

Reed’s greatest strength is his work in the paint, particularly as a rebounder and rim protector. His 24.5 defensive rebound percentage and 14.2 offensive rebound percentage, both ranked in the 82^nd percentile illustrating how he can consistently impact games by controlling the glass on both ends of the floor. Reed uses his strength and positioning to carve out space and secure possessions. His motor rarely wavers, and he embraces the physical battles that come with playing center. 

Defensively, Reed is an effective shot blocker who relies more on timing and positioning than pure athleticism. Reed does an excellent job protecting the rim, relying on both strong positioning and verticality while also possessing the ability to elevate and make plays as a weak-side help defender. Although drop coverage projects as his ideal defensive scheme at the next level, he has shown impressive fluidity on the perimeter for a player weighing 265 pounds. Several of his steals this season came from jumping passing lanes near the top of the key and turning those opportunities into transition dunks. His average of three stocks per game (two blocks and one steal) highlights the quick hands, instincts, and reaction time that should translate well to the NBA. 

Offensively, Reed thrives in the role of a traditional center. He is a powerful screen setter who creates space for ball handlers and excels as a roll man in pick-and-roll situations. He shot 69% at the rim last season and has also shown an array of different finishes around the paint area. One of the more encouraging developments in his game has been his growth as a passer. Reed has shown an improved ability to read defenses from the high post and make quick decisions, a skill that should help him fit seamlessly into NBA offenses that value ball movement and decision-making from every position. He posted a career high 17.8 assist percentage last season which ranked in the 95^th percentile for his position. He should be ready to go day one as a handoff passer.  

The primary concerns surrounding Reed revolve around his perceived potential as an older prospect and limited offensive game. For a team like Boston, however, Reed’s strengths should outweigh those things. It would be astronomically good for Reed’s career if he was to develop a reliable three ball, but I just don’t think he needs it.  

The Celtics have consistently valued intelligent, physical players who understand their role and contribute to winning without requiring touches. Reed checks each of those boxes. If he can do the hustle/dirty work big man things and make smart passes for a playoff team he will be just fine.  

Henri Veesaar | 6’11 – 227 | North Carolina | 22 

17 pts | 9 rebs | 2 asts | 1 blk | 60/43/61 | 66.4 TS% 

Originally from Tallinn, Estonia, and developed through the prestigious Real Madrid system before coming to the United States, Henri Veesaar emerged as one of the more intriguing international big men in college basketball.  

Offensively is where Veesaar will make his mark, and his greatest strength is his versatility. He is a legitimate shot maker at the big spot who can knock down three-pointers, particularly in pick-and-pop situations (1.24ppp), while also possessing touch around the rim and in the mid-range. The accuracy at which Veesaar converted his attempts as a player that shot an array of shots from every distance was really impressive. His 67.7 2-pt percentage, Relative True Shooting percentage (9.9), and Effective field goal percentage (66.7%), all ranked in the 98^th percentile or higher last season.  

Any way you want Veesaar to score, he has the skills to do so. Unlike many shooting bigs, he is comfortable putting the ball on the floor for a few dribbles, attacking closeouts, and making the extra pass when defenses rotate. He also flashed the potential to be more than just a handoff passing big. He does a good job of connecting the team and getting the ball to guards quickly to keep the action going, but he has some rip and run reads that are super fun.  

He isn’t a great athlete, but he was still able to be really effective as a finisher at the rim. He can be a vertical spacer catching lobs and someone who shows touch down there with hooks and floaters. He also plays with extreme fire and an intensity that I see every time I watch him. Defensively, Veesaar isn’t going to be an explosive shot blocker, but he does have the height and wingspan/standing reach to be solid down there. He played drop most of the time at UNC, and I expect that to be his main coverage in the NBA. I thought he moved solidly enough for a player his size but not well enough to switch onto guards of course and even get out to stretch bigs effectively. He can really benefit from a team at the next level honing in on his closeout technique as I think he can be so much more impactful there.  

Veesaar cleaned the glass well last season, posting a 21.9 defensive rebounding percentage. Even though he was a monster in this aspect for the majority of the season, there were certain matchups that could negate his size on the boards with seals and very physical play. From an NBA perspective, Veesaar projects as the type of center every team is searching for: a floor-spacing big who can pass, move the ball, and fit into modern offensive systems. His combination of size, shooting touch, and feel gives him a relatively high floor, while continued physical development is essential for him growing his game at the next level. The biggest questions revolve around strength, physicality against NBA-caliber centers, and whether his defensive mobility will hold up against the best of the best. 

If Veesaar can show enough of the skill and shot making ability to get him on the floor early on and work through some of the physical and defensive stuff, he can turn into a really good pro.  

Chris Cenac Jr. | 6’10’’ – 240 | Houston | 19  

9 pts | 8 rebs | 24 minutes | 48/33/62 | 54.6 TS% 

In a world of superheroes like Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman, 19-year-old Chris Cenac Jr. is Potential-Man. He arrived at the University of Houston as a five-star recruit after starring at Isidore Newman and Link Academy, where he built a reputation as a high-level finisher, rebounder, and emerging perimeter threat. 

His profile blends rare physical tools, developing skill, and a still-evolving sense of consistency, making him one of the more intriguing big men in the 2026 NBA Draft class. Offensively, Cenac is best described as a face-up big with the upside to have real shot making versatility. He is comfortable operating from the elbows and perimeter, where he can attack closeouts, take straight-line drives, or rise into mid-range jumpers after relocating to open space. His shooting mechanics are generally considered clean and projectable, and he has shown enough perimeter confidence, spot-up threes and occasional pull-ups, to suggest real long-term floor-spacing potential if his efficiency stabilizes.  

However, he is not yet a consistent self-creator, and much of his scoring comes from transition runs, cuts, putbacks, and finishing plays as a roll man or lob threat which can give a team a reason to play him early while he develops. His athleticism and motor on the glass strike me as the most translatable skills for Cenac off the jump. His 26.1 defensive rebound percentage illustrates his glass cleaning ability.  
 
Defensively, Cenac offers more upside than polish, but I cannot express how special his movement skills look on some possessions.  

His length, agility, and vertical pop allow him to protect the rim in spurts, rebound outside his area, and switch onto smaller players. He also has some impressive plays in two on one situations, shutting down multiple options as he moves. At Houston, he was often deployed in a physical, defense-first system that highlighted his activity level and rebounding instincts more than pure shot-blocking dominance. He does not yet anchor a defense consistently, but he shows the tools to develop into a multi-positional defender who can play both drop coverage and switch-heavy schemes depending on matchups. The main concerns are strength and discipline; he can get pushed off his spots by more powerful bigs and can drift into foul trouble or over-aggression on closeouts.  

Because of the range of outcomes his potential brings, evaluators generally view him as a first-round talent with real long-term upside, but also a player who will need patience and development before fully translating his tools into reliable NBA impact which may cause him to slide on draft night. Boston is looking for contributors right now, but at some point, the value and intrigue might align.  

There was no tournament program with his name, no first name even among the starters at the scorer’s table.

More than a decade later, Tom Crean still blends shock and awe at the first impression of OG Anunoby, then an unknown, lightly recruited three-star prospect, per 247Sports, not inside the nation’s top 200 in the 2015 class.

“We saw him for the first time in Atlanta, at an Under Armour tournament,” Crean told USA TODAY Sports. “We didn’t know his name; wasn’t even in the program.

“We go see the book, it just says ‘Anunoby.’”

Major sports events present an "enormous platform to do stupid things", says NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

A spectator ran on to the court during game one of the NBA Finals in San Antonio on Wednesday, with a young man filming himself on his phone as he approached Victor Wembanyama.

He stopped in front of the San Antonio Spurs star, without appearing to make contact with the 22-year-old Frenchman, before two security guards swiftly bundled him away.

He was arrested on charges of intentionally interfering with a lawful gathering, and criminal trespass for entering the court area despite having notice that such entry was prohibited.

An NBA spokesperson confirmed that the court invader and a second individual will receive a lifetime ban from all NBA arenas. The league did not disclose what role the second individual played.

"I've never been in that situation, I didn't know how to act," said Wembanyama, the NBA's defensive player of the year.

"It really surprised me, almost as much as that time where a bat crossed the court," added the France international, referring to an incident during a Spurs game in January 2024.

Commissioner Silver said: "I even hesitate to describe that person as a fan. They seemed to have an ulterior motive for doing so.

"It's unfortunately part of all sports," he added.

"I think the other side of the coin of global attention is that somebody realises that there's this enormous platform to do stupid things. The consequences are dramatic if you do this."

Silver also said extra security will be required at New York's Madison Square Garden if US President Donald Trump attends a game later in the NBA Finals.

Trump said he will take up an invite from New York Knicks owner James Dolan and "maybe do both" game three on Monday and game four on Wednesday.

• White House wants DHS to reopen for World Cup

The NBA incident comes a week before the start of football's World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Pitch invaders have been increasingly common in football, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having been targeted for selfies on multiple occasions.

Several fans invaded the pitch during an Inter Miami friendly in Puerto Rico in February, with one hauling Argentina captain Messi to the ground.

There have been at least three further incidents during Miami games in the US and Canada this season.

Messi and Portugal rival Ronaldo are set to play in their sixth World Cup, with their group games being played in the US.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said it was "a concern" that five people made it on to the pitch during their win over Turkey at Euro 2024 in Dortmund.

"Today the intentions of the fans were good," said Martinez. "But you [must] understand there's a difficult moment if their intentions are wrong."

A pitch invader also made contact with Ronaldo as he was warming up for a Nations League game against Germany last June.

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