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 Bucks fans and fans across the country.

For most of the last ~eight seasons, the Bucks have entered the year with the realistic expectation that they can compete for a title. Naturally, that brings a lot of excitement and enthusiasm. However, with Dame tearing his Achilles in the 2025 playoffs, last year was really the first preseason in a while where nobody held that same expectation. Now, did people think the team would be good? Yeah. And man, don’t we all look silly now? But as far as going all the way, nobody expected that.

Still, after the stunning acquisition of Myles Turner and the retention of some key role players, most fans were relatively excited about the team, ‘chip equity notwithstanding. There was significant intrigue about how it would all work. Could Myles Turner be a superior version of Brook Lopez? Who was the second banana to Giannis? And so on. I mean, I know I was still very excited to watch.

But this season presents a whole new kettle of fish to break down. Yes, it seems unlikely that Milwaukee makes the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to watch. The novelty of this team is off the charts! Just to name a few reasons for intrigue:

• Two new lottery picks to monitor (the org’s first lotto selections since 2016)
• What do the Heat recruits look like?
• What changes will we see with a new coach (and coaching staff)

Therefore, for this week’s Reacts question, we wanted you to compare how you felt last year with how you feel this year in terms of excitement for the season. As always, let us know why you voted the way you did in the comment section.

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick was an elite sharpshooter during his NBA career. But he doesn’t crack his own top five greatest shooters in NBA history.

Long before taking the head coaching role with the Lakers, Redick joined Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” and was asked to name his five best three-point shooters ever.

“Oh, that’s easy. That’s easy. Steph [Curry] is first. Everybody else is way down the list to me,” Redick said, which Green agreed with.

“In no particular order, the other four, it’s Klay [Thompson], Kyle Korver, Ray Allen, Reggie Miller. To me, those are the guys.”

J.J. Redick names the 5 greatest 3-point shooters in NBA history

“Steph is first. Everybody else is way down the list to me. In no particular order, the other four it’s Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver, Ray Allen, Reggie Miller”

“I don't want to disparage the previous iteration of… pic.twitter.com/URfg76vQzp

— dank (@cptdankkk) September 7, 2026

Until the splash brothers surfaced, both Allen and Miller were put near the top of everyone’s list. So, those four make sense to just about everyone.

But Kyle Korver is a somewhat surprising pick, if only because his career accolades don’t come close to the other four legends on Redick’s list.

True basketball fans know though that Korver was one of the purest shooters of his generation, including one season with the Atlanta Hawks where he shot a staggering 49.2% from three-point range.

Korver finished his career with a 42.9% three-point percentage, which is 10th-best all-time and actually better than Steph Curry’s current 42.2% career three-point percentage.

Korver’s 2,450 career three-pointers made is eighth-most ever. But Paul George is one three away from tying him, and Kevin Durant is less than 100 away from his final tally.

Draymond Green didn’t seem to have any issue with Redick including Korver, as he was nodding his head while the Lakers coach gave his list.

Some other notables that were omitted include Damian Lillard, James Harden, and possibly Redick himself.

Behind Will Richard's offseason hunger for regular Warriors role entering Year 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Will Richard’s rookie year with the Warriors was solid by any rational standard. Selected late in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, he spent much of the season in the team’s rotation, making 21 starts and even posting his first 30-point game.

What Richard took into the offseason was the last two games: A play-in tournament win over the Los Angeles Clippers, followed by a loss to the Phoenix Suns that eliminated the Warriors from playoff contention.

Richard was among four designated spectators for both games, with a DNP-CD against the Clippers and glued to the bench until the final 66 seconds of the 15-point loss to the Suns.

Which only increases his hunger as he approaches Year 2.

“I didn’t play the last few games of the season, and that was kind of my motivational drive towards the offseason,” Richard told NBC Sports Bay Area. “Just working on things that I know will get me on the floor in those playoff (and) play-in games next year.”

On a Warriors roster listing eight guards – Stephen Curry, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski, Brandon Williams, LJ Cryer, Lajae Jones and Richard – expected at training camp, the second-year NBA guard considers the summer as a launchpad to earn more consistent playing time.

“A lot of my focus has been on, like, ball-handling, with a lot of movement shooting, just my catch-and-shoot reps and stuff like that,” Richard said. Catching on the move, shooting on the move . . . different kind of finishes. That’s been a lot of the emphasis on sprinting in transition, getting shots through that, and attacking closeouts.”

Richard made a statement toward that end during Summer League activity, making two starts in the California Classic at Chase Center and then starting five in Las Vegas. Adjustments to his 3-point shot led to a quicker, smoother release and impressive accuracy. After shooting 33.5 percent from deep as a rookie, he vaulted to 48.3 percent in seven Summer League games.

If Richard, an active defender, can shoot around 40 percent from beyond the arc, it will be hard to keep him out of the rotation.

“He ran into the rookie wall,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area. “He had a great season, and then the last 20 games or so, he looked like a rookie. He looked tired, and he didn’t have the same pop that he had earlier. That’s almost to be expected.

“But he’s had a great summer, and he’s been in the gym and constantly in the weight room. He’s putting in the work, so I’m excited about Will.”

Richard’s thirst for more action is evident in his quizzing of Golden State’s leaders, active and retired. He goes to Draymond Green to discuss ways to improve on defense, and goes to Stephen Curry to talk conditioning and offense. He even sidled up to Andre Iguodala for tips.

“He told me what I can work on right now is just talking,” Richard said of Iguodala’s advice. “If you’re talking on the court, it helps everyone and it helps you as well. So, just hearing stuff like that from a guy that’s been successful, has his jersey in the rafters. That is something I can do, something I can work on every day.”

Curry’s workouts are legendary for their intensity and duration. He has modified things to account for the “runner’s knee” that caused him to miss much of last season, but the sessions remain demanding. As Richard learned during those workouts.

“That changed my viewpoint on how to work out,” Richard said. “How serious he takes everything. Every rep matters, and it’s all in the details. But with Steph, every single rep is like a game rep. Even when he’s tired, it’s still a game rep. As athletes get tired, stuff starts to fade, your mentals, you get less locked in.

“But when he gets tired, he takes it up even another notch in terms of his focus and his attention to detail in every rep.”

Richard has spent most of his offseason on the Chase Center practice court working with player-development coaches, recently spending about 90 minutes on the court with PD coach Noel Hightower. It’s the work that comes before and after picking up a ball that matters just as much.

Dietary changes – he frequents local restaurants known for their protein options – and hours sweating in the weight room have led to Richard adding nearly 10 pounds of muscle. He engages in multiple sessions of hot yoga each week, something that began while closing out his college career at the University of Florida.

Richard’s dedication is commendable, but it’s also the physical and emotional requirement of someone trying to rise from being the No. 5 pick in the draft into a bona fide NBA player capable of a long and productive career.

Three weeks before training camp, Richard looks and feels like an exemplar of what Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy was saying about the team expecting – and needed to see – internal development from its young players.

“It’s just so much that comes into being a good professional and having to be successful in this league,” Richard said. “Luckily for me, I got some great vets to look up to and learn from.”

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Monumental Sports & Entertainment — which owns the Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics — on Tuesday announced a multi-year partnership with bet365, an online sports betting and gaming company.

The partnership comes as bet365 officially launches to customers 18+ across Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. Bet365 will be integrated into “D.C. fan experiences” across Monumental Sports Network, which streams Wizards, Capitals and Mystics games.

Viewers will see virtual “bet365” signage during Capitals games. Similar signage will appear during pregame and in-game commercials across Capitals, Wizards and Mystics broadcasts.

“Our partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment gives us an exciting opportunity to introduce bet365 to Capitals, Wizards and Mystics fans and build lasting connections across Washington, D.C.,” said Trip Stoddard, the head of development at bet365.

Bet365 will serve as the presenting sponsor of Monumental Game Center, which allows users to “integrate real-time sports betting odds and gamification options into live game streams” during Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics games.

MSE partnered with BetMGM, one of the leading sportsbooks in the United States, in a 2025 deal that introduced live BetMGM odds through Monumental Game Center during Wizards and Capitals streams on the Monumental+ app. It appears this new deal replaces BetMGM odds with bet365 odds, although that detail hasn’t been confirmed by bet365.

Bet365 has partnered with several NBA and WNBA teams in recent years, including the Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Sky. 

The Nuggets’ deal included “bet365” signage on the baseline of the team’s floor, plus additional signage throughout Ball Arena. It’s unclear whether “bet365” signage will be displayed on the baseline of the Wizards’ court at Capital One Arena or the Mystics’ court at CareFirst Arena.

While much of the post-championship celebrations, the fanfare of the offseason, the roster moves, and their subsequent reactions have died down, one New York Knicks player and his future remain very much in flux.

Deuce McBride, coming off a humbling Finals that saw him struggle offensively, has been involved in some trade rumors due to the uncertainty of his extension. But while fans and reporters have pondered potential trades and have lamented his postseason performance, some have forgotten just how good and valuable McBride has been. 

Gone are the days when every team’s best bench players are just prolific microwave scorers. McBride never has, and likely never will put up the kind of shot volume or record the sort of counting stats that garner traditional Sixth Man of the Year considerations. But the former West Virginia Mountaineer is a true “if you know, you know” ball player. In fact, he’s probably one of the more useful names in gauging an NBA fan’s knowledge of true winning basketball players and the non-star analytical darlings of the league. Yet, he wasn’t always like that. 

While McBride has become one of the more constant and stable rocks of this Knicks team, it wasn’t even that long ago that he was an afterthought on the bench. Stuck behind franchise star Jalen Brunson and fan favorite Immanuel Quickley, McBride began his career racking up DNPs and spending many a night putting on a Westchester Knicks jersey. Like so many players in the rotation, he strived to be in, though McBride never quit. He didn’t ask for a trade. He didn’t pout. Instead, he just worked tirelessly on his game. And the biggest example of just how far he’s come can be seen in his jump shot. While it was notably a major weakness of his early on in his career, the high release, high-arcing shot has now become a signature skill of his.

Some of the credit also belongs to the front office. McBride put in the work, but the front office didn’t just stumble into the now backup guard by accident. They drafted him, believed in his development, and his presence was reportedly one of the reasons the Knicks felt comfortable parting ways with the aforementioned Quickley. It’s true that Quickley’s impending free agency and the Knicks’ reluctance to pay him were a big factor. As was the fact that the front office viewed OG Anunoby as the quintessential role player to put next to Brunson. But New York had the utmost confidence that they had a capable bench guard in McBride to fill in after Quickley’s departure. 

And that’s exactly what he did. Now, he isn’t the playmaker or scorer Quickley is. There’s a chance that McBride never gets there. But his much improved catch-and-shoot ability combined with his elite point-of-attack defense quickly turned him into an irreplaceable piece of the Knicks’ puzzle. He, much like Anunoby but in a much smaller package, was the kind of defender and shooter that could play with anyone in any system. A kin to the reserve guard he replaced, the fans quickly grew to adore him, resulting in the now-famous Deuuuuce chant that can be heard even in road arenas. 

What made McBride an anomaly, though, was the almost unthinkably team-friendly deal he was on. As the rest of the league and its analysts caught on, he became a mainstay on numerous lists. McBride’s name would show up on the most valuable contracts in the league and best bench players in the league list, amongst others, all while continuing to improve. He was starting some games, closing a lot of games, and regardless of where and when he played, the results were often positive. Very positive. So much that it became hard to find a Knicks lineup with a good net rating that didn’t have his name on it. 

McBride has had an interesting last couple of years, though. He was rumored to be one of the most vocal supporters of moving on from Tom Thibodeau- a very controversial decision at the time-although that hasn’t been fully confirmed. And he’s been relatively injury-prone during that time. Then there’s the aforementioned Finals performance where his shot had left him and his dribbling, or lack thereof, was put on full display against an incredibly physical and aggressive Spurs perimeter defense. Evaluating McBride on that series alone, and not the multiple seasons of excellent play, is unfair, especially when factoring in the injury he recently revealed he was still dealing with in that series. But all of that has put him and, quite frankly, the Knicks, in an interesting dilemma. 

The Knicks are clearly better with McBride on their roster than without him. And as of now, he remains one of the most impactful bench players in the league, who also happens to be on one of the best contracts in the league. Barring an unexpected extension, he’s going to hit free agency where the Knicks will likely lose him for nothing. But if New York’s priorities are to win another championship, they should risk that and ride out the year with him regardless of how flawed his offense can look against the elite defenses. But there’s also a possibility they try to prioritize finding another center mid-season by shipping out the backup guard. 

Regardless of what ends up happening though, it’ll be nice to start the season with McBride. And a fully healthy version of him at that. He’s a damn good player, and he’s now the longest-tenured Knick with Mitchell Robinson up north in Boston. It may very well be his last season in New York, so cherish it and celebrate just how far he’s come.

Here’s to Deuce McBride. Happy 26th birthday, champ!

Happy 26th birthday Deuce McBride 🎂 pic.twitter.com/sNjNhEdD6k

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 8, 2026

When the NBA announced the findings and penalties from the investigation into the Clippers’ alleged salary cap circumvention for star forward Kawhi Leonard, the summary report prepared by Wachtell Lipton had a clear statement toward the end of the 36-page report.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank and President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker were the three individuals most responsible for the Clippers’ rule-breaking.

Ballmer’s punishment: a one-year suspension from all league and team activities, in addition to his franchise being fined $30 million for “knowingly seeking to help” Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, approving a business deal that he knew was a “precondition for Aspiration” to enter an endorsement deal with Leonard and for failing “to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.”

Frank’s punishment: a six-month suspension for his involvement with the “impermissible endorsement arrangements” and approving Leonard’s and his family’s “impermissible expenses.”

And Zucker’s punishment: a one-year suspension for being “primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements” and for “providing false and misleading statements to investigators.”

The nature of Zucker’s suspension — twice as long as Frank’s — and the frequency in which she was in the report put her at the center of the Clippers’ scandal in which the investigation concluded the Clippers violated the league’s rules by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for Leonard with four different companies that did business with the team. 

Zucker’s name was mentioned in the summary report more times (57) than Ballmer’s (32) and Frank’s (22) combined.

The report stated Zucker was the most involved from the Clippers’ side in facilitating the endorsement deals for Leonard with Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance.

“Ms. Zucker was the point person on all four deals between these companies and the Clippers, and directly initiated, facilitated, and induced each of Mr. Leonard’s endorsement agreements with those companies,” the report stated. “Ms. Zucker acted on Mr. [Dennis] Robertson’s demands to help Mr. Leonard achieve lucrative endorsement opportunities, and when interviewed, she made misleading and false statements to investigators about her and the Clippers’ role in doing so.”

Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO, and Frank, a former NBA head/assistant coach who’s been a Clippers executive for a decade, have been household names within Clippers fandom.

But who is Zucker?

Before joining the Clippers in 2014, Zucker was a longtime auto racing executive, having previously served as the president of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana for nine years (2005-14). 

She was previously Daytona International Speedway’s vice president of business and development and a former Triple-A baseball assistant general manager.

Zucker joined the Clippers in November 2014 as Ballmer’s first major hire after he purchased the franchise earlier that year.

“I am extremely happy to add a leader like Gillian to our team,” Ballmer said in a 2014 statement. “Her clear and creative business vision, innovative approach to marketing and experience working in the Los Angeles sports market make her the perfect fit to lead the Clippers during this transcendent time.”

Less than a year later, the Clippers were fined $250,000 for violating the league’s cap circumvention rules when the franchise tried facilitating an endorsement deal between DeAndre Jordan — a top free agent they were hoping to re-sign — and an incoming team sponsor.

The Athletic reported Zucker came up with the idea at the time. 

And nearly a decade later, Zucker’s name was in the spotlight for her role in the franchise’s latest scandal, which according to the report, included Zucker writing phony introductory emails to show that the companies requested to meet with Leonard (the report states the Clippers started the deals to increase Leonard’s off-court earnings), suggesting that Daktronics’ “spend back” deal with the Clippers could be satisfied with an endorsement deal with Leonard and lying about her and the franchise’s involvement in Leonard’s endorsement deals.

Some voices become so familiar they feel like family. Camille Davis, co-host of Locked On Bucks and the TECKnical Foul Podcast, has quickly become one of those. A Milwaukee native, Davis covers the Bucks and the NBA (along with the NFL and WWE) in a soft-spoken style that blends insightful analysis with passion and humour. But that’s just the half of it. A hoop-head since childhood—from MJ to NBA Live to winning an “Eat and Greet” with Malcolm Brogdon—Davis knows the game not just as a media member, but as a fan.

---

Zac: Let’s start early. How did you fall in love with the game of basketball?

Camille: Watching games with my uncles. When I was a kid, if I wanted to hang out with them then I was also watching what they watched. They weren’t putting on cartoons for me (laughs). I liked being around them so I started watching basketball and football with them. Next thing I knew, I was enjoying the game itself and my uncles or big cousin being around was just the cherry on top. Also, playing NBA Live ‘97 helped solidify my love for the game and helped to “teach” me things about the game.  

“I have a lot of great memories of the BC because of that time. Shoutout to Carlos Delfino… I had a Delfino T-shirt jersey that I wore out!”

Camille Davis

Zac: What about the Bucks? As a Wisconsinite, you grew up in some pretty dire times as far as Bucks fandom goes, at least around that 2001 run. What formative memories and/or players stand out for you?

Camille: Admittedly, I grew up as a Michael Jordan fan and when he retired the second time, that’s when I started to watch more Bucks games. In particular, it was the 2000-01 team that got me interested. I remember very clearly watching a playoff game against the Hornets during a middle school dance. The DJ had a little TV at his booth with the game on and I was watching that with some other guys instead of dancing (laughs). But the 2009-10 season made me a fanatic. During Brandon Jennings’ rookie year, I was in college with a little disposable income and Bucks games were cheap and fun entertainment. I spent a lot of time in the Bradley Center during that time and really locked in with the team. I have a lot of great memories of the BC because of that time. Shoutout to Carlos Delfino… I had a Delfino T-shirt jersey that I wore out!

Zac: Beyond loving the game as a fan, were you a hooper?

Camille: Only in my mind (laughs). We had a hoop in my backyard for a few years and I’d go outside to shoot around with my uncle Tony and cousins. My middle school was really small, it was one of those schools that went from K-5 to 8th grade. Really small—like my graduating class was like 11 kids. We didn’t have enough girls to field a basketball team so I never played organized ball. When I got to high school, I wanted to be around the game, so instead of playing I was the manager for the boys team from my sophomore year up until I graduated. I loved being in practice, learning from the coaches, and choppin’ it up with the players about what we saw. 

Zac: You won a meet and greet—technically anEat and Greet—with none other than “The President” himself, Malcolm Brogdon, in 2017. What was that experience like—and did it influence your path into covering the NBA and the Bucks?

Camille: It was really smooth. I was really nervous but Brogdon was such a nice guy. It was a fun meet and greet and I loved getting a year of Cousins Subs for free (laughs). I was super popular in my family after winning that. It didn’t influence my pathway to talk sports for a living, but was a peak moment in my fandom. 

Zac: In the same year, your media career began with the launch of the TECKnical Foul Podcast. Tell us how that came to fruition and how you blend the seriousness of sports coverage with humour (I love your episode titles).

Camille: I was working full time at a local foundation while attending graduate school to get my Master’s in Sports Management. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to do something in the realm of sports. I couldn’t get an internship because I had a job and responsibilities and thought that maybe a podcast could be a good entry point. It felt like something I could do on the side while still working.

Assembling the cast… I had prior conversations with Ken and Tim, separately, about doing a podcast. I’ve known Ken since middle school and Tim since my junior year in college. I asked those two if they’d want to do a show together with me and they were both in; they met each other maybe once or twice before that.

Thinking about our trio, I felt like a certain dynamic was missing and reached out to another college friend, Eric, about joining and he was game. The idea behind TECK Foul was to be able to bring the type of conversations that would live in a group chat to the masses. We try to have a more relaxed, lighthearted approach while still talking about the nuts and bolts of the games we love. Plus we all grew up wrestling fans and having this outlet to also talk and nerd out about WWE is great. 

Zac: I remember hearing you on Locked On Bucks talk about your excitement when you were first followed by Kane Pitman or Frank Madden on social media. Talk us through that experience and how you came to become the show’s co-host.

Camille: I joined Twitter back in 2009 because one of my Communication professors said we had to. Back then, Bucks Twitter wasn’t a huge thing—it was a pretty small but passionate group. I really grew to respect the opinions of Frank and Eric Nehm after listening to Locked On Bucks. I interacted with them and eventually Kane on Twitter pretty consistently and I guess my takes weren’t terrible so they followed me back eventually (laughs). During COVID, Kane reached out to me and asked if I’d like to do a guest spot on LOB after hearing me on TECKnical Foul and following me on Twitter. After that first guest spot, I got invited to do another guest spot, which led to me having a regular weekly guest spot on the podcast. Once Kane was leaving, I interviewed with the Locked On network and got the gig full time. I’m forever thankful to Kane for inviting me on the pod, which helped put me on Locked On’s radar. 

Zac: You’ve now spent several years covering the Bucks for Locked On. What’s something about covering the team day in, day out that you think is often overlooked?

Camille: The amount of time that goes into a season. There’s a whole lot of late nights of podcasting and editing to get the show out. I have a crazy note system now and each season covering the team, they get more detailed. I take a lot of time with my prep and thoughts, especially on postgame pods. Also, something that’s different with covering the team for LOB is that I watch games differently, in large part because I’m taking notes and trying to organize the biggest stories from the game in real time. I’m now consuming the game to talk about it rather than just my personal enjoyment. 

Zac: You completed your master’s degree in Sports Management at Cardinal Stritch University. How has that helped shape your coverage of the Bucks and, I’ve got to ask, do you have player management aspirations?

Camille: My thesis was around the importance of sports in youth development. My initial thought process was thinking I could use my degree with the job I had at that local foundation—use that knowledge for grant-making if I couldn’t break into the world of sports straight up. I enjoyed having the flexibility of using that knowledge where I was or somewhere new.

Using that framework at my 9-to-5 never quite came into alignment, but that degree helped give me a solid network and some vital information on what I was—and wasn’t—interested in doing with my life going forward. As for the player management aspirations… nah (laughs). Player management isn’t in my future. I like being on this side of things, talking about the game and reacting to what I see. 

“I loved the Giannis era and everything that came with it and, in retrospect, the most fun part of it for me was the climb to contention.”

Camille Davis

Zac: We’ve heard your thoughts on the Giannis trade from a Bucks perspective. But what does covering the Bucks mean to you now that the player who defined arguably the best era of Milwaukee basketball is gone?

Camille: It means that I get to be a voice that’s part of this new era, whatever that turns into, which is special. I loved the Giannis era and everything that came with it and, in retrospect, the most fun part of it for me was the climb to contention—waiting for the rest of the world to see what we saw blossoming in Milwaukee, cheering on the first All-Star appearances, and watching a young team find itself.

Like, the 2014-15 Bucks team was one of my favorite seasons of fandom. I loved that team. Having that perspective has me really excited for what’s next because we have the chance to once again get in on the ground floor. It’s once again feeling like “Milwaukee vs. everybody else.” It’s time to earn respect again and I love that chase. It might end up being a lot of losing along the way—there probably will be some frustrations and heartbreak—but I just know there’s going to be a lot of exciting memories and that’ll all start getting built this year. I can’t wait to watch and talk about the growth we see in this team over the season and the coming years. 

“No one wants to hear you doing your best impression of someone else. If they wanted to hear that person, they’d watch their show.”

Camille Davis

Zac: The podcasting industry has boomed in recent years. How do you see it continuing to evolve and what advice would you give to all the aspiring sports podcasters out there?

Camille: I think the industry is going to continue to boom. As time goes on, the barriers to entry in the field continue to shrink. So, with so many voices out there, the best advice I have is to make sure you’re genuine. Be yourself. No one wants to hear you doing your best impression of someone else. If they wanted to hear that person, they’d watch their show. Whether it’s a small audience or a large one, stay true to you and be consistent with your show. The community you organically build is super rewarding. And don’t fret if everyone doesn’t like it. Everything isn’t going to be for everybody and that’s okay. Don’t focus on the comments, focus on your work and your prep. As long as you can be true to yourself and feel at peace when your head hits the pillow, you’re on the right path.  

Zac: Okay, some quick hitters: favourite current Buck, favourite all-time Buck, and Buck you were just wrong on for whatever reason?

Camille: Current Buck… I honestly don’t know yet. I like what I’ve seen from Ryan Rollins last season and Brayden Burries in Summer League, but I can’t call either a favorite yet. This season will be an audition for the role of my favorite Buck—ever since Middleton left there’s been an opening, so we’ll see who can take it (laughs).

My favorite all-time Buck is Khris Middleton. And if you would’ve told me that would end up being the case 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. Again, this is why getting in on the ground floor is so fun for me. 

And the Buck I was wrong on was Nate Wolters. I thought that kid was gonna be part of this team for a long time. He wasn’t, but that’s alright ‘cause Naters always gonna Nate.  

Zac: Before we go, we have to touch on the season ahead. First, how do you see the rest of the offseason playing out?

Camille: I think it’ll be relatively uneventful for the Bucks. The roster sits at 17, so we know something has to happen before the season kicks off, but that something might just end up being waiving two players instead of another trade. We’ll see though! 

“I truly believe that this Bucks team will be a really fun watch, whether they surprise and win more games than expected or find themselves at the bottom of the East.”

Camille Davis

Zac: What are you most looking forward to about the year ahead?

Camille: I think it’s a tie between watching the development of the young Bucks on the roster and seeing how Taylor Jenkins decides to run things. I truly believe that this Bucks team will be a really fun watch, whether they surprise and win more games than expected or find themselves at the bottom of the East. Why? ‘Cause I expect a lot more consistent effort from this team. I expect them to play hard. Too many times last season it felt like the effort and intentionality wasn’t there for the Bucks. Based on everything we’ve heard this offseason, that shouldn’t be the case this season and that will be a breath of fresh air. 

Zac: Taylor Jenkins is sick and you get the call-up to coach on opening night. Who’s in your rotation—starters, bench—and who gets a DNP-CD?

Camille: Ooooh. Okay. It’s been reported that the Bucks will lean on the vets heavily to start the season but that the roster will look different after the trade deadline. So, on opening night, I expect more vets starting and in the rotation. But this is about what I would do and not what I’m projecting the Bucks to do. 

So, I’d start Rollins, Burries, Jaquez, Sims, Ware. KPJ and Herro lead the bench mob that also features Dieng, Turner, Jakučionis and Ament. That’s already a 12-man rotation before even getting to Green, Markovic, and Kuzma. I don’t know how Jenkins is going to handle these rotations; there’s a lot of mouths to feed to start. My only for sure DNPs, if I had my way, would be Trent and LeVert. No disrespect, there’s just a lot of guards!

Zac: Let’s finish on one I posed to our readers. Finish the sentence: I will judge the 2026-27 season a success if…

Camille: I can clearly tell you what the identity of this team is. If we walk away with an understanding of what Bucks basketball is under Taylor Jenkins, we’ve already made so much progress after three rudderless seasons. 

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To hear more from Davis, make sure you check out her work on Locked On Bucks and the TECKnical Foul Podcast. If they aren’t already, they’ll soon become part of your regular Bucks rotation.

The Phoenix Suns are a mixed bag from a zoomed-out national perspective.

On one hand, they exceeded expectations a year ago and became something of an underdog darling. Now, with their element of surprise a thing of the past, the Suns will have to prove themselves all over again. Every single night.

The identity they want in Phoenix is clear at this point, but it’s one that is proven every game and earned over time. It’s predicated on intangibles over talent. Don’t get me wrong, they have talent… but their effort and doing the little things is what got them to where they are today.

Can they do it all over again this season? Could the ceiling be even higher than we’re giving them credit for?

I wrote about why they could disappoint in my most recent piece, so now it’s time to get more optimistic. Let’s jump in.

1) Improved Chemistry

Last season, they had a carousel of injuries and plenty of “breakout” players who were more focused on proving they belong on the floor than doing anything “extra”. Here’s how that could work in their favor.

Collin Gillespie, for example, was constantly doing the little things, focused on intense pressure defensively, making the right reads, playing selfless, smart basketball as we expect out of a Villanova Wildcat.

Now, with a season under his belt and the “prove it” shadow not lurking as heavily around everything he does, it could feel like he has more freedom. Freedom to be aggressive and take more calculated risks on the basketball floor. And then you have Jordan Goodwin. He is a staple in the rotation now, and he knows exactly what his role is. All the extensions to bring back the glue guys, plus Mark Williams down low, give them some continuity they did not have a year ago.

Jordan Ott is one year wiser. No longer is he a rookie coach. He is a coach with a year under his belt and the respect of this locker room. And most importantly, all of these guys are more familiar with playing alongside Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns’ engine.

2) More talent + Hopefully more availability

Look, talent wins games. I’m also being optimistic on the health front, and not in a naive way. I understand injuries will happen. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take the same toll as it did last year.

Last season, this roster lost:

• Jalen Green for 50 games
• Devin Booker for 18 games
• Mark Williams and Dillon Brooks to multiple injuries after the All-Star break
• Grayson Allen for over 30 games
• And still won 45 games

It was a resilient group. But let’s be clear about what actually happened. They finished 14-17 down the stretch. The second half of the season was rough. They got swept in the first round by OKC despite overachieving by ~15 wins in the regular season, depending on the pundit/oddsmakers.

The margin of error was razor-thin because the depth was tested every single night. Now, if Jalen Green stays on the floor for more than 32 games? If Mark Williams and Dillon Brooks aren’t playing through chronic pain? This team’s ceiling shoots up. Not because of better talent, but because role players can play their role instead of overextending themselves.

Even a modest health improvement targets the exact weakness that nearly derailed them in April. Every team has a time of year where they limp. It’s about minimizing that damage and entering the playoffs peaking, at as close to full strength as possible.

3) One year wiser, but still youthful

The youth movement is underway in Phoenix, and it’s not a bad thing to be young and spry. Devin Booker is the grizzled, grumpy veteran surrounded by a ton of youth.

What a sentence to type out after watching him arrive as a wide-eyed baby face 18-year old. Okay, maybe not wide-eyed, but man, has he grown before our eyes.

This Suns team still has the youthful energy, but a lot of experience and reps to go with it.

Jordan Ott’s system doesn’t reward ball-stopping isolation basketball. It rewards active defenders who can hunt assignments, make weak-side rotations, and sprint the floor in transition. That’s executable with young players because it’s repeatable. It’s coachable. It’s not dependent on 10 years of NBA experience. As long as Booker takes on the veteran leader role along with Dillon Brooks, the rest of the guys can focus on doing their jobs.

This offseason, the Suns felt they needed complementary scoring and positional versatility. Enter Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard.

Bridges gives them another wing who can attack a closeout and make plays off the bounce. Luke Kennard is spacing the floor and taking dribble handoffs in the short roll. Neither guy requires the ball constantly. Both fit the structural DNA that worked last season. With improved chemistry around those two additions, this could be a very dangerous Suns team.

This team has the same core and foundation that helped them exceed expectations a season ago. And now they have a little more experience, talent and upside to go with it. If it all clicks and they stay even a little more healthy than they were a year ago, there’s no reason to think this team doesn’t have another gear.

Doubt them at your own risk.

Editor’s Note: It brings me great joy to introduce Will Woodford, one of our newest members to the Canis Hoopus team! You’ll be seeing more from Will this season and can follow him on social media @woodford_will.

As part of a multi-part series, he’ll be previewing platoons of the roster, beginning first with the guards. Hop in the comments section and give him a welcome!

Anthony Edwards

Make no mistake about it, this is the season for the best player on this team to take his assumed leadership role by the horns. In years past, leadership fell on the shoulders of older players such as Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, and Joe Ingles. Now, the onus is on Anthony Edwards to achieve the harmony that is required to beat the Oklahoma Citys and San Antonios of the world. A cohesive team is a well-performing team, and with perhaps a new role on offense, Edwards should be able to be the connector this team needs while maintaining his offensive output and increasing his defensive effort. This balanced effort could put the Wolves over the top in a loaded Western Conference. 

LaMelo Ball

A shocking offseason trade involving fan favorite Naz Reid brought LaMelo Ball to his first opportunity to contend in his six-year career. Although he’s known as a flashy player, his struggle to stay healthy and a lack of postseason experience is what really brings questions about his ability to facilitate winning at a high level. How can one ignore the LaVar-shaped cloud of craziness that still follows Ball, which certainly doesn’t help smooth over these concerns either.

What Tim Connelly and fans are hoping for is that his high level understanding of what Jalen Rose calls “the geometry of the floor” will make things infinitely easier for his teammates offensively while also being an uber-capable scorer himself. 

Lavar Ball after finding out LeBron James is going to Philadelphia:

“The only way you gon beat that big a** team is you got to go fast! So Minnesota I’m telling yall, GO GET THEM BALL BOYS & GET THIS CHAMPIONSHIP!” pic.twitter.com/Hpqizcn0NO

— Kyle Ingram (@SnapshotKyle) July 24, 2026

Ayo Dosunmu

He began as just a name that fans struggled to pronounce correctly when he first got traded to Minnesota at last season’s trade deadline. Now, he’s made a big impression on fans with his play down the stretch and into last season’s playoff run. The result was a a five-year, $112 million contract signed over the offseason.

A change in the team’s core may actually benefit Ayo Dosunmu, whose blazing speed can definitely take advantage of the pace that this team is expecting to play with. Defense is where some improvement could be warranted. His career-high in defensive win shares was in Chicago during the ‘22-’23 season at 2.2, but it dwindled down to just 0.8 with the Timberwolves in admittedly less games (per Basketball-Reference.com). Anthony Edwards can guard, but Donte DiVincenzo’s injury and LaMelo Ball’s lack of defensive pedigree will force Ayo to be a key contributor to the team’s perimeter defense.

Bones Hyland

After falling out of favor with both the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, Bones Hyland experienced somewhat of a career resurgence last season with the Timberwolves. Skelly Cellys rained throughout the Target Center like it had been a long-standing tradition. Moving forward, Bones expects to be an important bench guard, especially with the absence of Donte DiVincenzo. There’s not really a knockdown three-point shooter off the bench, so Bones will certainly have an opportunity to fill that void. 

Donte DiVincenzo

A torn Achilles tendon in the first round against the Denver Nuggets derailed a promising playoff run for Donte Divincenzo, taking him out for most of, if not all, next season. The real kicker is that he is in a contract year, impacting what could’ve been a big payday. The absolute best case scenario for Donte is the Jayson Tatum track, where he would come back late in the season, hopefully getting back into game shape and into the rotation by the postseason.

Zyon Pullin

Those who didn’t watch Summer League (or the Iowa Wolves last season) may not know this name, but those who did know that this kid can play with poise. Zyon Pullin also impressed in last year’s season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s a guard who can score the ball, but can also be a stabilizer if needed. He may spend some time in Iowa again, but there are definitely worse depth pieces out there.

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What are you expecting from each of these guards? Will the reshaped backcourt be the key to finally pushing the Wolves over the top? Or will that be a cause for crashing and burning (pun not intended) in the postseason?

Let us know what you think!

When the Wizards selected Tristan Vukcevic with the 42nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, I thought it was something of a steal. He was 25th in my YODA rankings — the last player in 2023 to notch a first-round grade in my stat-based prospect evaluation process.

So, I had hopes. Not exactly high but perhaps a bit higher than would be the norm for a second round pick.

Three years in, those hopes are not dashed, but they’re not met either. According to my PPA metric, Vukcevic has improved each of his three seasons — 55 to 66 to 73. That’s creeping into useful territory, but not stomping in and demanding attention. The year-to-year increments are small at an age when they’d typically be expected to be large. And that move from 66 to 73 is so small it might just be some statistical noise.

Note that his year two and year three PER scores were the same. On the other hand, PER says Vukcevic has been a bit above average each of those seasons, which I’d suggest is a view not shared by many.

Vukcevic is on his way back for a fourth season because…well…I was about to write “strengths,” which would not be completely accurate. He seems to have one strength, which is shooting. At least I think he’s good at shooting. His on-court behavior and the treatment he gets from teammates suggests they also think he’s good at shooting.

The problem, he has not actually made shots at a high level during NBA competition. Through three seasons, he’s finished well on at-rim attempts, been down-down-and-WAY-up from floater range, and not so good on longer twos. His three-point shooting (34.8% on 282 career attempts) is basically league average.

That three-point shooting is probably good enough for a center to make defenses at least pay attention, though it’s not likely to change game plans.

Vukcevic seems to enjoy setting up teammates, but the creativity comes at a cost. He’s had more turnovers than assists each of the past two seasons, and has a negative assist-to-turnover ratio for his career.

Vukcevic rebounds a little, though his career low in rebounding was last season.

Defense has been an adventure. The on/off metrics haven’t been atrocious, and he does generate blocks (better than two per 100 team possessions) and steals. The defensive playmaking comes with fouls, though — 5.9 per 100 team possessions for his career.

The positive-seeming on/off metrics are probably illusory. Throughout Vukcevic’s career, Washington’s defense has been historically bad when he’s been off the court. In his minutes — many of which have come during garbage time and blowouts — the team defense has been slightly less historically bad. I don’t think that “improvement” has been caused by Vukcevic.

As the team transitions to what they hope will be a competitive posture, Vukcevic faces increased competition for even the modest minutes he’s received. Alex Sarr, Anthony Davis, and DeAndre Ayton likely will take most of the big forward and center minutes. Vukcevic may be the fourth big, though the team could also choose to play smaller lineups when one of those guys can’t play. In other words, Vukcevic will also be battling Justin Champagnie, Keyshawn George, Will Riley, AJ Dybantsa, and others for playing time.

Okay, that’s a lot of preamble — we’re here for Statistical Doppelgangers. For the uninitiated, this is the latest installment in this year’s annual trip through the Statistical Doppelganger Machine, which is an algorithm I cooked up to tell me which player seasons (since 1977-78) were most like the reference player. In this case, Vukcevic. Keep up!

The Machine uses 14 categories, including various stats (per possession), age and playing time. While it doesn’t use position or size, comparison seasons tend to come from the same position grouping.

By the way, the player most similar to Vukcevic in 2026-26 was Vukcevic in 2024-25. This happens less often than you might expect. At least more often than I expected. To the doppelgangers:

1. Mortiz Wagner | 2021-22 | Orlando Magic | Age: 24 — This was the fourth season and fourth team for Wagner. He’d spent the previous two seasons getting on opponents’ nerves for the Wizards. In subsequent seasons, he worked himself into a chippy, physical, annoying, and decent backup big man before tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
2. Rodney White | 2003-04 | Denver Nuggets | Age: 23 — This season and the next were about as good as it would get for White, who I remembered as a PF type but Basketball-Reference lists as a SF and SG. I think my memory is right — he was 6-9 and 24o pounds. He had enough ball skills and shooting ability to play a stretch-four role in the aughts, but only just.
3. Henry James | 1990-91 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Age: 25 — Nothing much to see here. This was James’ rookie year, and he made appearances in seven different NBA seasons. That could be Vukcevic’s fate — good enough to bounce around for a few years on minimum deals, but not good enough to secure a role. Kinda the next Thomas Bryant.
4. Naz Reid | 2022-23 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Age: 23 — This would be the dream scenario for Washington, though I do think Reid has been more than a little overrated throughout his career. He’s had value as an off-the-bench scorer, though his overall production has been only so-so. His next above average season will be his first in my PPA metric.
5. Jonathan Bender | 2003-04 | Indiana Pacers | Age: 23 — Bender’s mix of physical tools and ball skills were enough to make him the fifth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft — skipping college and making the leap straight to the NBA. He never lived up to the hype, and by 23 was already declining.

The honorable mentions don’t trend any better — seasons from Wang Zhizhi, Jordan Nwora, Cam Whitmore, and (weirdly) Lawrence Moten. Michael Beasley makes an appearance.

Probably the best hope not too far down the list is Ryan Anderson, who had a few superb three-and-D seasons in 20-teens before his career got waylaid by a back injury and personal tragedy. The game has evolved away from the more specialized role Anderson played, but there’s still room for a center who can shoot, pass, and block a few shots.

From its inception in 1956 until 1980, NBA’s coveted Most Valuable Player award was dominated by centers. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain alone garnered nine of the first thirteen honors. Add it Wes Unseld, Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (credited the first time as Lew Alcindor), Dave Cowens, Bob McAdoo, Bill Walton, and

Moses Malone and it was almost a lock to go to the man in the middle. 

The emergence and recognition of the other positions on the court created a shift in the early 80s that saw Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and many other in who received the hardware.

In fact, from 1984 until the 2020 pandemic, only three times has the award been given to a center – Hakeem Olajuwan (1994), David Robinson (1995), and Shaquille O’Neal (2000). 

Basketball legend Julius Irving stated that he believes Victor Wembanyama will usher in a resurgence of centers in the mix for the MVP award.

« Je pense que Wemby va changer ça »

Julius Erving voit en Victor Wembanyama le joueur capable de remettre les pivots au centre de la course au MVP.

« Aujourd’hui, ce sont les ailiers et les arrières qui dominent le jeu. À mon époque, le basket était dominé par les pivots.

En… pic.twitter.com/C3IhvsxDbR

— Basket-Infos (@Basket_Infos) September 7, 2026

“I think Wemby is going to change that. Today, wings and guards dominate the game. In my era, basketball was dominated by centers. In fact, between 1966 and 1982, every MVP was a center. Oscar Robertson was the one before that period, and I was the exception during it. Then, suddenly, guards and wings became the league’s MVPs, and that trend has continued to this day. But I think Wemby is going to change that.”

Since the pandemic, that shift has begun. Nikola Jokic has won the award three time and Joel Embiid took home the award as it was renamed the Michael Jordan Trophy in honor of the five-time winner.Wembanyama and Jokic were two of the finalists last season, but they lost out to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

As we head into the 2026-2027 season, Victor Wembanyama is Vegas the odds-on favorite (+200) to win this season. The question will be just how many times will he win if he stays healthy and plays with the same passion he has exhibited in his first three seasons. 

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Welcome to the first official installment of Moneyball Mailbag! Here we will be answering reader questions pertaining to all things Dallas Mavericks, gathered from far and wide (namely, our Feed, social media and maybe even some that were asked face-to-face).

If you asked a question, we’re grateful and thank you for joining in. If you haven’t, please both spread the word and also let us know what’s on your mind – We’ll have a post in The Feed where you can easily post questions to us.

We are on the cusp of training camp so there are plenty of expectations and things to ponder about the upcoming season. We’re excited to hear from you! Special shoutout to our reader, fabian_84, who goes down in Mavs Moneyball history as the provider of our first Moneyball Mailbag question. Without further ado, let’s hear what’s on your minds!

“Do you think Cooper Flagg is on a trajectory to win MVP at one point in his career? What would he have to show in year two to believe that he is on track?”

-Fabian_84

Winning MVP is no easy task. There are a lot of NBA legends who have never done it – Isiah Thomas,  John Havlicek, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, George Gervin, Chris Paul, Scottie Pippen – just to name a few. To do it takes a special combination. The player has to at least be exceptional, well-regarded (it’s difficult to believe there is no bias in the vote) and playing for a great team.

So far, I think it’s fair to say Flagg has two of those three things. I also expect he will continue to improve. I think he is a truly special talent with a drive that is unique even amongst professional athletes. Think back to the night he was drafted and the expectation his offensive game was going to need polish. Then think through November and into December and January. He almost instantly outperformed offensive expectations and improved significantly just over the first two or three months of the season. He did most of that as an 18-year-old.

So yes, I do think he is on an MVP level trajectory. To get there (in year two and beyond) he’s going to have to do what all the greats do, which is improve some aspect of his game every season. For year two in particular, I think it has to be an improved three-point percentage along with improved points per game. He has every tool imaginable to fill up virtually all statistical categories, so it’s just a matter of staying healthy and improving year-over-year. Hopefully the team will eventually be good enough to leave little doubt for him.

“How many games do you think Kyrie Irving will play this year”

-Various

I don’t expect him to play any more than 66 games this season for one simple reason. No, it’s not based on his recent history of average games played per season (which is brought low in some part due to New York covid-19 rules and Dwight Powell inflicting a fluke teammate-on-teammate injury). The reason I’m at or below 66 games is because the Mavericks have 16 back-to-back sets this season and I’d be surprise if he plays a complete set of any of them. I have to imagine he will rest on either the first or second night of all of them as a precaution.

That said, I do have what some call an irrational expectation he is going to be much better and much more available than people think. He has had a massive recovery window and everything about him screams “craft” to me. I just can’t envision a scenario where a guy like that didn’t go above and beyond the grueling task of rehabbing on another level.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

We are entering a new era in Boston Celtics basketball.

You can argue guys like Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr., and Amari Williams all had breakout seasons in a way last season. With Jayson Tatum out for most of the year, these guys got a chance to play more minutes and were solid contributors for different stretches throughout the 56-win season. With the addition of 2026 draft picks Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell, the Celtics have a treasure trove of young talent looking for a chance to contribute this season.

With the dust seemingly settled from the nuclear fallout of the Jaylen Brown for Paul George trade, the NBA draft and Summer League have come and gone, and as the calendar flips to September, Celtics basketball is on the horizon. With that, I wanted to pose a question for this upcoming season: which young guy on the Celtics roster will have the biggest breakout season?

Baylor Scheierman

Out of all of the young guys from last season, Baylor Scheierman was the guy who arguably had the biggest breakout in his sophomore year with the Celtics. In 77 games last year, Scheierman finished with stats of 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 45.3% shooting from the field and 39.9% from three in 18.6 minutes per game.

He was a completely different player in Year 2. In his rookie season, it took a minute to get acclimated to the league, but he finished hot. Last year, we saw Scheierman flourish in a bigger role where he was able to showcase not only his talent, but his personality as well. From the thumbs up celebration after threes to the hype he showed on the court, we saw Scheierman find comfortability in a recurring role in the Celtics rotation.

Scheierman’s best game of the season came in Game 82 on April 12th in a stunning win against the Orlando Magic. He was given the keys to the Celtics offense as the number one option for Boston and finished with a career high 30 points with 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals on 8-20 FG and 6-14 from three.

Going into the 2026-27 season, I don’t think it would be far out of the realm of possibility if we see Scheierman getting even more minutes than he did last season and maybe even get some 6th Man of the Year votes at some point. He is going into his age-26 season, so there might not be a lot of room for further development, but we could see an inflation in his numbers this year given more minutes regardless.

Hugo Gonzalez

Going into his rookie year as the 28th overall pick in the 2025 draft, many people didn’t know what to expect from Hugo Gonzalez. However, over the course of the season, we saw Gonzalez become an instant fan favorite due to his motor and defensive abilities at only 19 years old. In 74 games, he averaged 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds on 47.6% from the field and 36% from three in 14.6 minutes per game.

We saw Gonzalez step into his role as a spark plug off the bench right from his NBA debut when he was tasked with guarding Jalen Brunson in Madison Square Garden and he held his own. As the season went on, we saw Hugo continue to be an energy shifter in Boston’s rotation anytime he stepped on the floor. His best game of the season came on March 2nd in Milwaukee when Jaylen Brown was out. Gonzalez finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks on 7-15 shooting. His play time was sporadic by the end of the season and in the playoffs but anytime he was on the court, he would make a positive impact, leading all rookies in plus-minus at a +283.

The sky is the limit for what Gonzalez can develop into as a player this season and his stellar play with Spain in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers should have Celtics fans excited. Even if he doesn’t turn into an elite offensive player, his defense will keep him Boston’s rotation for a long time. I could see Gonzalez tapping into his inner Marcus Smart this season and continuing his elite defensive play while continuing to improve his three-point shot. Either way, Celtics fans will always have love for Gonzalez with his effort on the court every night.

Jordan Walsh

Going into his third season, Jordan Walsh was going to be given a chance to play more minutes than he had at any other point in his career. Through his first two seasons, we saw flashes of the elite defense he provided but the offense was still a little behind. That changed in 2026 when Walsh showed maybe the biggest improvement out of everyone. In 68 games (25 starts), he averaged 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds on 50.9% shooting from the field and 38.4% shooting from three in 17.8 minutes per game.

Walsh got a long run as a starter last season from November 12th to January 1st where we saw him play the best basketball of his career, including his best game of the season where he finished with 22 points and 7 rebounds on 8-8 shooting against the Wizards on December 4th. His defense was elite while also being able to consistently hit the three-ball, shooting 44.7% from beyond the arc. However, Walsh had a little bit of a problem when it came to staying in games, getting into foul trouble often and went back to a bench role for the rest of the season where he continued his solid play.

Walsh is going into the 2026-27 season in a similar position as last year where he has a chance to play another solid role in the Celtics rotation. Boston reinforced their belief in Walsh when they signed him to a three-year, $15 million contract extension on June 23rd that has him under contract through the 2029-30 season. Numbers-wise, I think we will see another season similar to last year but he is only 22 years old, so there is a chance his development is nowhere near its peak.

Ron Harper Jr.

Ron Harper Jr. hands down had the best story out of everyone on the Celtics last season. Harper Jr. went from the Maine Celtics to starting in Game 7 of Boston’s first round playoff matchup. There was a lot that happened in between these two points of Ron Harper Jr.’s season but after being thrown into the fire in his first NBA start guarding Kevin Durant, he turned himself into a very nice depth piece for the Celtics off the bench. In 29 games, he averaged 4.2 points on 41.8% shooting from the field and 35% shooting from three.

Similar to Scheierman, he had his best game of the season on the final game of the season on April 12th against the Magic, dropping a career high 27 points with 7 rebounds, and 3 steals on 10-20 shooting from the field and 5-12 from three. Boston rewarded his efforts last season with a new four-year, $13.7 million deal to return to the team. Harper Jr. proved that he is a legit NBA player last season and is looking to once again be a solid wing option for the Celtics next season.

Amari Williams

The hype around Amari Williams going into his rookie year was small, but it was enough to gain some traction. Williams was the Celtics 46th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Kentucky and was known for his passing ability as a big man. In the regular season with the Maine Celtics, he performed really well, averaging 17.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks on 57.3% shooting from the field. Williams had a few cups of coffee with Boston last season as well where he appeared in 22 games and averaged 1.4 points. His biggest play of the season for Boston was in the Celtics double overtime victory against the Nets on January 23rd where Williams made the game saving block after sitting for almost the entire game.

Williams might have another season similar to his rookie year when it comes to playing time with Boston. With Neemias Queta, Mitchell Robinson, and Luka Garza ahead of him on the depth chart, there isn’t a lot of room for him in the Celtics rotation at this moment. However, this shouldn’t be a discouragement for Williams, because Boston has done an incredible job when it comes to the develop of their big men. Queta is a great example of being the 4th string center on the 2024 championship team now being the starter in 2026. I feel like Williams is another year or two away from being in the rotation, but it will be fun to track his development this season.

Chris Cenac Jr.

With the 27th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Celtics selected Chris Cenac Jr. out of the University of Houston. The 6’11” freshman averaged 9.5 points and 7.9 rebounds on 48.5% shooting from the field in his one college season and was considered a lottery pick before falling to Boston. Cenac Jr. was the 6th ranked player in the high school class of 2025 and chose Houston, who is known for their hard work and rebounding, over blue bloods like Kentucky.

Cenac Jr. played with the Celtics Summer League team this season and looked really solid in the three games he played in, averaging 10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks. The most notable moment from his Summer League performance was when he hit a game-tying three with under one second to go in his debut in a game the Celtics would eventually win in overtime. Cenac Jr. has the profile to be a big contributor to the future of this Celtics team with his strong defensive abilities and upside offensively, but I don’t think he will get a lot of playing time this season. However, by the end of the season, there is a chance he could play a big role for Boston in the final stretch before the playoffs.

Dillon Mitchell

With the 40th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Celtics selected Dillon Mitchell out of St. John’s. In contrast to Cenac Jr. who was a one and done freshman, Mitchell played four years in college, two at Texas, one in Cincinnati and finally with St. John’s. In his senior season, Mitchell averaged 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 55.9% shooting. Mitchell is defined by his freakish athleticism, being a high flying forward for St. John’s and being known for his motor.

Mitchell put up some great performances in the Celtics Summer League, averaging 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals. His best game for Boston came in his second game against the Hornets, finishing with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, and 2 blocks on 10-20 shooting from the field and 2-5 shooting from three. There is a good chance that Mitchell will spend most of the season with the Maine Celtics this year but he will be a human highlight reel all season.

My Breakout Pick

If I had to choose out of the seven players highlighted, I will say Hugo Gonzalez has the biggest breakout season. He looked to already be a pro in his rookie season and after an offseason playing for Spain, it wouldn’t surprise me if his offensive game improves to new levels. His defense is already great for a player going into his age 20 season and if he can get his three-point shooting up to maybe 38%, the Celtics will have one of the best elite, young role players in the NBA. Although I chose Gonzalez, it wouldn’t surprise me if any of these guys end up being contributors for Boston next at some point throughout the season.

Ramp to Camp: What will the Celtics miss most about Jaylen Brown? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics launch into training camp in three weeks. Their first preseason game is 30 days away. Opening day in Detroit, when the Celtics and Pistons tip off the NBA’s 2026-27 regular-season campaign, is a mere six weeks out.

Basketball is almost back after a summer that turned out to be a lot longer and a lot more tumultuous than anyone could have expected before Boston coughed up a 3-1 series lead and got unceremoniously bounced by the Philadelphia 76ers in Round 1 of the 2026 playoffs.

Soon after, those same rival Sixers traded for Jaylen Brown in a swap that left much of the NBA slack-jawed.

We’ve all had the past two months to process the trade. Brown even held a going-away party on Boston Common with enough Sixers No. 7 jerseys in the crowd to hammer home that Brown will soon play his first NBA game in a jersey that isn’t green.

The biggest question might be how Boston plots a path back to title contention with a roster now firmly centered around Jayson Tatum. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens made a bold decision to split up his All-NBA tandem and must maximize the assets obtained in Brown’s departure. 

A more pressing question is how the Celtics replace what Brown provided on the court, particularly coming off a season in which Brown finished sixth in NBA voting and earned his second All-NBA nod while propelling Boston to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.

And that’s where we start this year’s Ramp To Camp series. 

Every September for more than a decade, I’ve assembled an All-Star cast of coworkers to help tackle the biggest questions surrounding the Celtics before training camp arrives. We’ll examine the summer’s biggest storylines, we’ll ponder what newcomers can add to Boston’s roster, and we’ll make bold predictions about the season ahead.

It seems almost unfair to ask anyone to distill Brown’s impact down to one single area. A five-time All-Star, Brown crammed an awful lot into his decade in Boston — both on the court and off. So as we turn the page on Brown’s departure, and as the conversation shifts to how exactly the team can fill those many voids, here are the three areas that immediately popped to our mind as we pondered how Boston moves forward without their former Finals MVP. 

1. Rim pressure and free throws

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

From an on-court perspective, this is our biggest curiosity. Brown averaged 7.5 free throw attempts per game last season. Not only was that the best of his career, but it was easily tops for a Boston team that averaged an NBA-low 18.7 free throw attempts per game.

What’s more, Brown finished second in the NBA at 19.1 drives per game. That was one spot ahead of Oklahoma City’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (18.8) and trailed only Portland’s Deni Avdija (19.4).

A healthier Tatum can surely offset some of Brown’s rim impact. Tatum’s drive numbers should increase after he averaged just 10.9 drives in his 16 regular-season appearances after his late-season return. Payton Pritchard could likewise be key to filling that rim-pressure void, after finishing second on the team at 11.9 drives per game last season.

Still, the Celtics produced the lowest free-throw attempt rate of the postseason (.228). That number was even worse (.207) during the regular season, ranking last — and by a notable margin — among all 30 teams. 

For a Celtics team where much has been made about how heavily they rely on shot-making, particularly beyond the 3-point arc, it feels imperative that Boston’s new-look roster finds ways to consistently get to the line and generate the free-throw output that can limit some volatility on Boston’s poor shooting nights.

Brown simply plays with a force that few players in the NBA routinely display. The Celtics need others to kick up their own physicality. 

2. Big-stage performances

Brian Fluharty/Getty Images

You can quibble about Brown’s overall efficiency, and ball security was certainly an issue at key junctures. He’d be the first to admit he didn’t live up to his own standard in Boston’s first-round crumble against Philadelphia last season. 

But what we’ll miss most about Brown was his ability to embrace the big stage.

Brown always seemed to have just a little bit more juice when the lights were brighter. That could be as simple as a midseason showdown with Kawhi Leonard and a surging Clippers squad, when Brown delivered a season-high 50 points during a January meeting in Los Angeles last season. Or it could be Brown taking on the two-way challenge by hounding Luka Doncic throughout the 2024 Finals, and earning Finals MVP honors for his role in Boston’s five-game triumph to deliver Banner 18.

He might not have been perfect on the playoff stage, but Brown was surely not afraid of the moment. 

3. Leadership and availability 

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

In a league perpetually battling load management and the absence of stars in marquee regular-season games, Brown always wanted to be on the floor. 

Brown averaged 67.4 games over the last five seasons. His 11,569 regular-season minutes over that five-year span were the 20th most in the NBA. Only Derrick White, at 12,098 minutes, had a higher total among Celtics players, while Jayson Tatum was 24th at 11,254 despite missing 66 games last season. 

With Tatum sidelined last year, Brown did everything he could to embrace a new-look roster and bought into being the leader. He nurtured younger players and set up preseason field trips aimed at fostering chemistry. Brown was never shy in expressing his emotions and thoughts.

All this and we could spend 1,000 more words on what Brown meant to the community of Boston off the court. The bottom line: There are big shoes to fill. 

Here are the most notable voids that our panel believes the Celtics must fill after Brown’s departure: 

Michael Hurley: Producer, Multi-Platform Content

I would estimate roughly 28.7 points per game, give or take a few.

Tatum can obviously absorb the bulk of that responsibility, and he should be considered a lock to average over 30 points for just the second time in his career.

Nick Goss: Producer, Multi-Platform Content

Brown was a great scorer, a leader, a tremendous perimeter defender and brought a ton of passion and energy to the team. The C’s need someone else to bring that fire. And who will step up offensively? Payton Pritchard could take on a larger scoring role.

Brown also made a ton of clutch plays in several of Boston’s playoff runs and won Finals MVP in 2024. Someone needs to help Jayson Tatum and give him a reliable No. 2 option in high-pressure playoff moments.

Justin Leger: Producer, Multi-Platform Content

Secondary scoring.

Who steps up, offensively, when it isn’t Jayson Tatum’s night? There’s no obvious answer to that question without Brown.

Paul George, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard will have their big games, but none of them can be counted on to take the pressure off Tatum night in and night out.

Josh Canu: Editor

High-percentage scoring.

The Celtics are already perceived as a team that launches too many 3s. Jaylen was the one player on the roster who sought out higher-percentage shots, whether they were his patented midrange jumper or attacking the rim. Without his consistent offensive output, the Celtics will need other players to fill that void.

Adam Hart: Executive Producer, Content Strategy

The desire to spackle the chip on his shoulder by claiming tough defensive assignments in the playoffs. (Luka Doncic, Paul George). 

Jason Levine: Executive Producer, Content Integrations

The mindset.

It’s rare in the NBA to have that old-school mindset of “we’re not friends” once the ball is thrown up. The Gravedigger was looking to bury you. I hope as Jayson Tatum becomes the clear leader, he shows a bit more of a cutthroat attitude out there.

Imagine if Michael Jordan had been a few inches taller.

That’s not the hypothetical you typically hear. More often, it’s Allen Iverson. Or, it’s Giannis Antetokounmpo with Steph Curry’s jump shot. More broadly, the formula usually involves fixing a player’s lone imperfection to make them the perfect basketball player.

Michael Jordan was tall enough. Imagine if he’d been taller. He would have been the perfect basketball player.

As it stands, there has never been a perfect basketball player.

There’s no prototype, but there are prototypes. Jordan was the prototypical scoring guard. LeBron James is the prototypical point forward. The Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant is the prototypical shot maker.

But one flaw has held him back from perfection.

Rockets’ Kevin Durant is a limited playmaker

Recall the 2016 NBA Western Conference Finals. Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder (boy, does that make you feel old) faced Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors (maybe not that old yet).

Durant averaged 30.0 points per game. He was not, by any measure, bad. Yet, if you recall the series, something was markedly missing from Durant’s game.

He fired midrange shot after midrange shot. Some nights they fell; other nights they did not. Ultimately, Durant finished the series with a somewhat pedestrian 53.9 True Shooting % (TS%). What stands out in the memory is middy, after middy, after middy.

You will not recall a dazzling Durant pass from that series, because that is the hole that he has never plugged in his game.

The Warriors denied Durant’s jumper to the fullest extent of natural law, and it worked as well as it could have. Durant did not have the playmaking juice to counter. Where James would look to get teammates involved when his jumper wasn’t falling, Durant could only look to keep firing his jumper.

Durant isn’t a ball-hog. That would be unfair. The objective in basketball is to get the best shot, and his shot is often the best, so he ought to take it.

His career high in Assists Per Game (APG) isn’t even bad (6.4, in 2021-22 with a loaded Brooklyn Nets team), but it came with 3.5 Turnovers Per Game (TPG). It’s not Durant’s willingness as a passer that’s on trial:

It’s his ability.

Rockets’ Kevin Durant has room to improve

This is something of an aggregation piece. A quote from Durant’s trainer inspired it in this recent Rockets Wire piece about Durant;

“It’s about making sure that he develops as a passer through the double team”

-Jamal Lovell

The Rockets played 2025-26 without Fred VanVleet. He’s never a candidate for the “if he was taller” hypothetical. VanVleet isn’t a superstar; he’s simply solid. Turnover suppression is his single strongest quality as a player.

In his absence, Durant’s limited playmaking and turnover-proneness were on full display. For a man who’s spent his career so close to the zenith of the sport itself, Durant sure isn’t much of a playmaker.

But what if he were?

There’s another player that comes to my mind in the hypothetically perfect basketball player discussion: Blake Griffin. With the Los Angeles Clippers, he was able to assert his will through sheer outlier athleticism. An injury sapped his superpowers, and he reinvented himself with the Detroit Pistons as a far more skilled player. How close to perfect could he have been if those two timelines had intersected?

The point is that veterans can still learn new tricks. It isn’t too late for Durant to channel his inner playmaker. He’s not going to be 7’0” Andre Miller with a lethal jump shot, but any growth in this area could be huge given how generally dangerous Durant is.

Imagine it. Durant spends his summer memorizing passing reads. He averages, say, 6.0 assists and 2.5 turnovers per game in 2026-27, and his signature scoring efficiency does not wane.

He’d be as close to perfect as we’ve ever seen.