Category: Basketball

Being a young-player fan in the Bay has been a creative writing exercise for a while now. How many times has Dub Nation squinted at a flash in the third quarter of a blowout and built a whole career out of it? I’m thinking of Anthony Randolph truthers. We argue about the thin line between bad player fits and organizational rigidity . I’ve written plenty of those columns myself. The future was always the thing we got to talk about while the present belonged to Steph.

That’s why the first week of this season has felt strange. Generally most (good) teams let their rookies learn on company time, getting their feet wet without absorbing massive responsibility. The Warriors’ rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is already punching time on the clock with the season on the line.

Through three games, Big Yax is averaging 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in about 34 minutes a night, and he’s hitting 44.4% from three. He opened with a steady 12 in Los Angeles. Against Memphis, he put up 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Then in Phoenix, he hit six threes on his way to 26.

yaxel lendeborg stuffed the stat sheet tonight with his first 20 point game 👀 pic.twitter.com/Lw7wDajGn9

— the aesthetic (@theaestheticnba) October 25, 2026

Now, let’s just take a step back and activate gold blooded homerism. Hey Stathead, how many players in Warriors history have averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists for a season?

• Wilt Chamberlain (1963–64, age 27): 36.9 points, 22.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists
• Kevin Durant (2016–17, age 28): 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists
• Rick Barry (1972–73, age 28): 22.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists
• Nate Thurmond (1967–68, age 26): 20.5 points, 22.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists

That’s four Hall of Famers, with none none of them rookies. Three games doesn’t put Yaxel in that room, buuuut it’s a funny room to have him standing outside of, don’t cha think?

And for the blistering fireball of skepticism I’m sure awaits for me for daring to dream, let’s clarify that none of this is garbage-time production. Coach Steve Kerr is giving him starter minutes in close games because the team needs what he does right now. With Yaxel, I keep catching myself skipping the projection step entirely, because he’s already answering the questions I’d normally spend three years asking when checking out a prospect.

Yaxel could win ROY and it would be a pretty terrible turn of events for Golden State

— Brian (@BrianJNBA) October 25, 2026

And it made me think of when James Wiseman was drafted and thrown into the fire on a depleted team. In December 2020, Klay was out with the Achilles, and the Warriors handed a 19-year-old the starting center job on opening night. Remember how Coach Kerr praised Wiseman at that time?

The Warriors are just three games into the season, but rookie James Wiseman has been the obvious choice when it comes to exciting storylines. “Now imagine doing that while playing three college games, then not playing at all for over a year, and then not having training camp. It’s insane. What we’re asking James to do is insane. He’s handling it beautifully.”

James Wiseman (2020–21, first 3 games, age 19): 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.0 steal in 24.0 minutes, shooting 46.9% from the field (15-of-32), 83.3% from three (5-of-6) and 64.3% from the line (9-of-14)

Wiseman scored 19 in Brooklyn, then had 18 points and three blocks on Christmas in Milwaukee. I remember how that felt. The Warriors were getting blown out, but a 7-footer galloping to the rim gave us something to believe in. Every good night was a promise, and we were all collecting promises.

Yaxel arrived with the job already posted, and there’s a reason the Warriors felt comfortable posting it. He’s 24. He went from a warehouse job to junior college, then to UAB and Michigan, before the Warriors took him 11th. He’s had five years of college basketball to figure out who he is. Wiseman had three college games.

So these NBA three games don’t prove Yaxel was the better prospect as they show two very different starting points. Wiseman was a raw idea the Warriors hoped would turn into a player. Yaxel already arrived as a player, and nobody knows yet how much bigger his game can get. With Wiseman, you fell in love with the ceiling and with Yaxel, you’re watching the floor and noticing it’s already pretty high.

Wiseman’s story went sideways for reasons no three-game sample could have predicted. He tore his right meniscus at the end of his rookie year and then missed the entire next season. The early flashes were real but they just never got the runway.

Here’s the part that keeps nagging at me. The Warriors are 0-3. For years, the problem with Warriors rookies was timing. The kids weren’t ready yet, and the Steph clock doesn’t wait. The whole plan was to keep winning with the vets while the young guys caught up. Now the Warriors finally have a rookie who doesn’t need to catch up, and they’re still losing because of injuries and age. In Phoenix he was plus-5 in a nine-point loss. The rookie has held up his end of the deal more or less for three straight games, and the deal still isn’t closing. He’s still got a ways to go, duh. He’s shooting 66.7% at the line, and he turned it over six times against Memphis. His helpside defense has been trash according to his coach.

Steve Kerr on Yaxel Lendeborg's defense:

"His weak-side awareness right now is very poor. And with his size, he should be one of our best defenders at the rim. And right now, he's unaware on the weak-side" pic.twitter.com/g5cGzAqdqS

— Oh No He Didn't 🤯 (@ohnohedidnt24) October 25, 2026

But still, as far as a rookies go, there’s a lot to like so far with Big Yax. For years, the question was whether the Warriors’ young players could help Steph win now. Three games into Yaxel’s career, the question is whether the Warriors can win while he’s helping them.

The Detroit Pistons will be without their All-Star center for at least two weeks as the big man sits with a right hamstring strain.

Duren had started the season hot, lighting up the preseason and scoring 22 points and securing nine rebounds in Detroit’s opening-day win against the Boston Celtics. He played just 10 minutes against the Miami Heat before suffering the hamstring strain early in the second quarter.

The injury is a blow to a young big man who was eager to prove he was worth the $200 million deal he signed this offseason with Detroit, and will test Detroit’s big man depth. The Pistons traded away backup center Isaiah Stewart this offseason. That left Paul Reed to go from fan favorite third-string center to fan-favorite backup center, and now he gets a chance to be a fan-favorite starter.

Technically behind him will be Tolu Smith, who is in Detroit on a standard deal after showing promise as a two-way player the past few seasons. However, it is more likely that the Pistons will move to shift starting power forward John Collins into more small-ball five minutes while Reed rests.

Collins has had an up-and-down start to his Pistons tenure, and I guess this will be a great extended opportunity to see just how well Collins can hold up (or not) as a five in Detroit’s defensive system.

Pistons forward Ausar Thompson also suffered an ankle injury against the Heat, and he is listed as questionable against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Well, that didn’t take long, did it? It appears that Devin Booker is the primary point guard on this team rather than Jalen Green. It’s Point Book SZN once again, isn’t it?

“Settle down, Voita! We’re two games in!” I know, I know. But I am here to observe and report, and therefore I am reporting what I have observed through the first two games of the 2026-27 season. Ultimately, the fact that the sample size is so small has merit. We don’t know what this team is yet. Nor do they. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to sit on my couch until game 20 on December 20 to note what is occurring.

This past offseason, there were rumors floating around that the Phoenix Suns wanted to see more facilitation out of Jalen Green. And that would be the ideal scenario for the organization because, after all, they have Devin Booker. He’s a shooting guard, and if you can put him alongside somebody capable of taking the reins and running the offense, Booker becomes an even more potent player. He can navigate off-ball screens, find himself open for catch-and-shoot opportunities, and operate within the spaces a shooting guard typically occupies.

But wanting something to happen doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to occur. And through the first two games of the season, it appears that Point Book remains.

Again, I recognize that it’s a small sample size. Perhaps it’s a matter of survival, with the Suns prioritizing getting a win on the board before fully integrating Jalen Green into the point guard role. And you’ll have people tell you that in the modern NBA, there really isn’t such a thing as a true point guard, to which I agree. But if the goal is to have Jalen Green become more of a facilitator, the early returns aren’t particularly encouraging.

Because it’s Devin Booker who possesses a 27.3% assist percentage, while Jalen Green sits at 11.4%. It’s Booker with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, compared to Green’s 0.8. Booker has generated 22 points off assists, while Green has generated 9. And when it comes to potential assists, Booker has 7 compared to Green’s 8.

The funny thing is, when you look at Collin Gillespie, who’s coming off the bench with the second unit, his numbers are better than both of them. Gillespie currently possesses a 28.2% assist percentage and a 1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio. His 28 points generated off assists lead the team, while his 11 potential assists rank second, one behind Miles Bridges.

2 games into the season, and Point Book is alive & well. Wasn’t the plan for Green to take on more facilitating duties?

The early numbers suggest Book is still carrying that burden, while CG12 might be the best distributor on the roster.

Unbelievably small sample size, but… pic.twitter.com/f2Wfh5bYpj

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) October 25, 2026

Note the graphic above represents 3 minutes on the Gillespie/Booker/Brooks/Bridges/Maluach combo. And a glorious 3 minutes it was.

It’s too early to start banging the drum for Collin Gillespie to be in the starting lineup alongside Devin Booker to alleviate some of the responsibility on Booker’s shoulders. But as we saw Saturday night against the Warriors, that’s going to be a significant burden if Booker has to score 43 points every night to help this team win while also serving as its primary facilitator and distributor.

As the season progresses, we’ll have more opportunities to see what it looks like when Jalen Green assumes more of those facilitation and distribution responsibilities. From there, decisions can be made. Because remember, this is a year of evaluation for Jalen Green. How does he respond to the role being asked of him? And how does he handle the adversity that comes with it when success in that role doesn’t immediately follow?

It’s going to take time and repetition for the organization to fully understand his skill set and how it complements the players around him. The fan base? We’re not nearly as patient. We see something that isn’t working, pound our fists on the table, and demand that it be changed. If there’s anything we’ve learned over the years, it’s that things don’t necessarily work that way. This isn’t a video game where you can simply swap players in and out. It takes time, the management of personalities, and a willingness to provide players with opportunities rather than making decisions based on knee-jerk reactions.

But this is another footnote in the collection of things we’re observing throughout the season. And through two games, this is where we stand.

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The Brooklyn Nets are still searching for their first win of the 2026-27 season, and they’ll have to find it on tired legs.

Brooklyn nearly erased a 22-point deficit in Cleveland on Saturday, outscoring the Cavaliers 41-29 in the fourth quarter before falling 125-121. The Nets return to Barclays Center on Sunday to face the Indiana Pacers in the second game of a back-to-back.

Meanwhile, sixth-overall pick Mikel Brown Jr. won’t be active for this one. He’s already on a minutes restriction and it looks like the Nets will keep him out of second night of back-to-backs for the foreseeable future. He rolled his ankle in the preseason.

But is there something else we should be keeping an eye on? In today’s injury report, the Nets listed Mikel Brown Jr. out with “Back, Injury Management.” He missed time during training camp due to a rolled ankle, but this is the first we’ve heard anything related to his back. Brown Jr. missed 12 games including the NCAA tournament last season in Louisville. Should we be worried?

Indiana arrives in Brooklyn coming off their own 16-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

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Game Info & How to Watch

• Matchup: Brooklyn Nets (0-2) vs. Indiana Pacers (1-1)
• Time: 6:00 PM ET
• Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
• TV/Streaming: YES Network and DAZN

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Nets-Pacers Injury Report

Brooklyn Nets

• Mikel Brown Jr. — OUT
• Tyler Bilodeau — OUT

Indiana Pacers

• T.J. McConnell – OUT
• Johnny Furphy – OUT
• Ben Sheppard – OUT
• Braden Smith – DOUBTFUL

Check the official injury report closer to tip-off for any updates.

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The Game

The Nets showed fight in Cleveland with the comeback. We can’t call it a win, but we can call it encouraging.

Julius Randle is averaging 28 points, seven rebounds, and six assists through two games, while Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 27 points and seven rebounds. Brooklyn trailed by double digits most of the game, but these two kept Brooklyn afloat. That’s also when Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. joined in on the fun.

Day’Ron Sharpe fell into foul trouble for a second consecutive game. He picked up a sixth foul – a flagrant – with 6:54 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Nets aren’t built with much size at the five after Sharpe. In the season opener, the Charlotte Hornets shot 17-of-22 at the rim. Brooklyn followed with a good effort on the boards on Saturday, but they still lost the paint battle 46-30 and came up with one blocked shot compared to Cleveland’s 10.

The Indiana Pacers feature a star-studded frontcourt with Pascal Siakam at the four and Ivica Zubac at the five. It’s certainly something to watch out for as the Nets try defending the paint — with a ton of weight on Sharpe.

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Player to Watch: Ivica Zubac

First and foremost, it’s good to see Tyrese Haliburton back on the court and playing well. He’s always a player to watch and we all know that. For this particular match, keeping Zubac off the glass is a task that’s about 7-feet too tall. Brooklyn has struggled to contain bigs in recent years.

Zubac’s size and rebounding make him a difficult matchup for Brooklyn, particularly with the Nets struggling to protect the rim and contain opposing centers. Indiana can stretch the floor and put pressure on Brooklyn’s interior defense, forcing the Nets to account for both perimeter movement and Zubac’s presence around the basket.

If Day’Ron Sharpe gets into foul trouble again, Brooklyn could struggle to defend Zubac inside and limit Indiana’s second-chance opportunities.

Hornets center Moussa Diabate finished with 17 points, eight rebounds (five offensive), and five steals against the Nets. Cavs center Jarrett Allen logged 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocks on 7-of-8 shooting in yesterday’s game.

Zubac is star and he’s shown it thus far, averaging 12.5 points, 13 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Brooklyn struggles here most — it only feels inevitable Zubac gives them trouble.

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Will Mikel Brown Jr. & Egor Dëmin play more together?

Jordi Fernández was asked whether he had seen enough from Brown and Dëmin together to want to use that pairing more often when Brown’s minutes restriction allows it.

His answer offered a glimpse into how he approaches lineup decisions (H/T Brian Lewis):

“Yeah. The way I would explain this is when you’re coaching the game, if you’re coaching thinking you want to play certain guys together, it’s when usually you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. And a lot of times you have to coach the game feeling the game,” Fernández said. “Obviously you have a preparation, you look at their matchups, their sub patterns, yours, your lineups, and you have an ideal way of how you want the game to go. But then when the game goes, there’s fouls, there’s guys that play better, worse. Then you have to start coaching the game and see who can guard this guy or all these things. And I think then the game flows.”

Then…

“Then that’s when I felt like it was a good moment to play together. Did I plan it? No. But a lot of times it’s how basketball is. We have all this preparation, the coaches do a great job putting all these pages and film and so forth. But then at the end of the day, you have to react to a lot of things that are not controllable in the game. And that’s why I know that I’ve gotten this question before, would I like to play them together? Yes. But if I’m just thinking about playing them together, I may not do what’s best for the group at the moment. So that’s the way I feel.”

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From The Vault

On this date in 1964, The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show

The Stones opened with Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around” and fans screamed so loudly that Sullivan struggled to speak over them, repeatedly asking that the crowd quiet down. CBS received complaints after the broadcast and Ed Sullivan reportedly said: “I promise you they’ll never be back on our show. It took me 17 years to build this show and I’m not going to have it destroyed in a matter of weeks” and wrote to them, “I would like to learn from you, whether your young men have reformed in the matter of dress and shampoo.”

So much for that. The Rolling Stones went on to make five more appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show through 1969… and they’re still making music.

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Read More: Fear the Sword, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Nets Insider, SNY, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Steve’s Newsletter.

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
• Indiana Pacers Game Notes – Indiana Pacers

Updates, 5:15 p.m.: VJ Edgecombe is the latest to pop up on the injury report with an abdominal contusion.

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Update, 1:09 p.m:Embiid has been officially ruled, the reason given is right plantar fasciitis management. Jabari Walker is also out with left knee soreness. It’s good to see that it’s just soreness as the official designation after Walker left the game in the second half against the Bucks.

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The Sixers are right back in action Sunday night hosting the Detroit Pistons with an opportunity to go 4-0 to start the young season.

Philadelphia is coming into this one on zero days rest after taking down the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night in what was a more competitive game than some may have expected going into it. Nevertheless, some impressive performances from Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey helped secure the win for the Sixers to keep them undefeated to start the 2026-27 regular season.

But no rest for the weary. Now, it’s on to the Pistons Sunday evening.

This being the second game of a back-to-back for Philadelphia means we won’t know exactly what lineup the Sixers will have available until this afternoon when the team’s injury report is due. We will bring you that info when it’s available, but we also have a few context clues from the start of this weekend. Embiid indeed played in Saturday’s contest, and the big fella has not played both ends of back-to-backs in years, but he did tell reporters postgame that he wanted to play Sunday, so you never really know. But one could reasonably expect him to possibly pop up on the report for this contest as out for rest/injury management. One can also expect LeBron James, who was out last night for sciatica management, to likely return for tonight.

Speaking of Embiid, it will be interesting to see what happens at the five if Embiid ends up not playing. Adem Bona has been… bad, to say the least. Dean Wade would be another option for starter at the five after making his season debut last night, but he is still playing with a bit of a tweaked ankle, so who knows. We will have to wait and see.

The Pistons have some injury news of their own for Sunday with Jalen Duren ruled out with a right hamstring strain. Duren had a great showing in the Pistons’ season opener, posting 22 points on 8-for-13 (61.5%) field goal shooting with nine rebounds, but only made it through part of the first half of their second outing before tweaking that hamstring and exiting the game. Former 76er Paul Reed will likely start at the five in his place after coming in off the bench for 26 minutes against the Miami Heat in Duren’s absence, posting one hell of a performance himself — 19 points on 8-for-10 field goal and 2-for-2 three-point shooting with 11 rebounds and three assists. Out the mud.

Also for Detroit, Ausar Thompson is questionable after exiting that same contest in the third quarter with an ankle sprain. It’s worth noting that Duren and Thompson are two of the top rebounders for Detroit, which I mention because the Sixers — despite being 3-0 — are still struggling with being outrebounded by their competition pretty consistently.

The Pistons are coming into Sunday on a day’s rest, so they will have that advantage over Philadelphia at least.

Detroit are led by two-time NBA All-Star Cade Cunningham who seems to already be in mid-season form on both ends of the floor, averaging 19.0 points (shooting 50.0% from the floor and 33.3% from long range) with 8.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.0 blocks per game over their first few contests. 32-year-old Duncan Robinson is up there with him leading the scoring, also posting 19.0 points per game so far, and the squad has a well-rounded supporting cast, with seven Pistons averaging double-digit points to start the season.

Not only that, but the Pistons have a bit of a tough few games ahead between facing the Sixers today and the New York Knicks on Tuesday, so they’ll be looking to hang tough and keep their heads above water while they await Duren’s return. Just like the Bucks, I wouldn’t expect them to shy away from the challenge Sunday evening.

The Sixers and Pistons tip off at 7:30 p.m. in South Philadelphia.

Game Details

When: Sunday, October 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow:@LibertyBallers

This is the fifth and final of a series of roundtable questions I’m asking the staff here at Peachtree Hoops about the Hawks this upcoming season. The final question: what is your regular season record prediction for the Hawks this season and where do they finish in the Eastern Conference?

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Wes: My prediction may seem a tad pessimistic, but I have misgivings about the top end offensive talent on this roster. If Jalen Johnson doesn’t take another step, to me this might just be an average offense that struggles against top end teams.

Having said that, there’s a great chance this is an elite defensive unit with perimeter defenders for days. I think the Hawks will be able to grind out a 43-39 record in super deep Eastern Conference and land the 7th overall seed, placing them in pole position to advance to the playoffs through the Play-In Tournament.

Garrett: I have the Hawks going 48–34 and finishing as a top-six seed. There will still be growing pains, particularly when the offense slows down, but I expect this group to win enough games to earn a playoff spot without going through the play-in.

Graham:  The Eastern Conference got better, there’s no question about it. Teams that finished below the Hawks last year include the Sixers, Heat, Magic, and Pacers; they all stand to be significantly better this season (other than, perhaps, Orlando). And when you look at the teams who finished above the Hawks – the Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Cavaliers, and Raptors – the only teams you could say may drop below the Hawks are the Pistons, and the Raptors (if Kawhi Leonard doesn’t play many games). In saying that, the Hawks also improved. I think the Hawks can win 46-50 games this season, so I’m going to predict a 47 win season and finish 6th in the Eastern Conference. 

I’m leaning towards 47-35 because I expect the bottom teams in the East will want/need to win more games to avoid the NBA Draft relegation zone, so those teams who the Hawks picked off at the back-end of last season may not come as easy this time around. Nevertheless, I think 46 wins and sixth in an improved East would be a very impressive season – this Eastern Conference is stacked, and the Hawks are one of those teams who will showcase that depth this season. 

Malik: Even though my bold was that the Hawks finish as a top-2 seed, realistically, I think they’ll finish 47-35. There’s no doubt that they got better this season, but the Eastern Conference got better as well. There’ll be no days off for any team, and they’re going to have to bring their best every night. The Hawks finished sixth last season, and the teams above them got better, as well as some of the teams that were below them. 

It’s hard to tell if 47 wins will actually be enough to get into the top-six, but it should be, and the Hawks should find themselves in the playoffs for the second straight season.

The Celtics have had some special defenders over the years, players like Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday, and Kevin Garnett who can quarterback a defense and effectively set the identity of their unit. So far, Paul George fits that mold.

Through two games, George is tied for third with his former teammate Kawhi Leonard at 3.5 steals per game. That number is amazing, while simultaneously underselling just how good he’s been.

Against the Knicks, George quietly put together a masterpiece of defensive versatility, combined with game-changing on and off ball work.

George spent time guarding every single Knicks starter. He opened the game shadowing OG Anunoby, took the Jalen Brunson matchup on the perimeter, and battled with Karl-Anthony Towns in the post. In each scenario, it was as if he had the perfect set of skills to bother them all.

In this instance, George has both Brunson and Landry Shamet to himself in transition. He quickly makes the call to stick with Brunson, asking someone else to pick up Shamet.

He sits down, slides his feet, and beats Brunson to the spot. Accepting the bump and forcing the turnover. This was one of many moments like this where he’s directly responsible for a change of possession that he doesn’t necessarily get credit for in the box score.

It’s extremely impressive that he not only has the foot speed and lateral quickness to stay in front of Brunson, but the instincts to predict what his plans are as well. He’s a player that wins with deception and shiftiness, and George was step for step with him on most possessions they faced off.

This is a nice example of how dialed in George is. Run this clip and just watch him the whole time.

There’s the versatility of being asked to chase Anunoby around a screen, and then being prepared to switch onto the smaller Alvarado. But in the aftermath of a broken coverage, it’s how he’s constantly scanning, rotating and adjusting. He manages to find a man, and effortlessly plucks the ball away from Alvarado.

Watching him glide around, it almost felt inevitable that the play would end with the ball in his hands. He is always trying to plug up the holes even when the possession has morphed into chaos.

Here we see more of his utility. On a sideline out-of-bounds play, he gets the matchup against the larger Towns.

Even with his focus occupied by the Knicks center, he immediately snaps to action, cutting off Brunson’s drive and forcing an earlier dribble pickup than he planned. It results in a tough miss, but the pair of Anunoby and Towns are there to collect it.

Staying with the play, George pokes the ball free to prevent an easy put back. He somehow still has an understanding of the possession to recognize in a millisecond the pass to the corner was coming, managing to deflect it out of bounds.

He claps his hands after that play seemingly disappointed that he didn’t get a steal. That says a lot about his instincts and playmaking abilities.

This is another moment where it’s best to roll the tape and watch George go. It’s very difficult to miss him though, he is everywhere on this possession.

There’s the smaller initial detail where he’s mindful of the matchups, sending Queta to defend Hart so he can stick with Towns. But then it’s a switch onto Brunson. Drive stopped. A switch onto Hart, same story. Then there’s the unreal reaction time to spot Brunson breaking free to the rim, and very nearly shutting that down too.

George was asking for the challenge, and he probably had an argument on the foul call but this is one of those moments where the process is much more noteworthy than the result. We might have to call him spackle with the way he covers up holes.

This one had me sitting up from my couch.

This is a 36-year-old wing with a lot of mileage chasing Brunson around screens. Then he covers up the driving angles and forces a near turnover on the pass deflected by White.

You can trust him in elite matchups on-ball, and it doesn’t feel like there’s a real weakness in his skill set. He’s comfortable navigating screens, and can handle strong or shifty creators.

He sometimes resembles a cat stalking its prey, waiting until the perfect moment to pounce.

This play unfolds so quickly. Right after the Knicks cross half court, Towns and Brunson are already working a two-man game. White gets caught up on the screen and Brunson has daylight ahead of him. In a blink, George is there and ripping the ball free almost the same moment it arrives. Any later to the spot and Brunson gets time to adjust and spray a pass to the corner.

He showed the full package in this one.

The timing of the first rotation is perfect. I appreciate the small detail of coming to a jump stop to challenge McBride, while being careful not to overcommit. He does basically the same thing on Anunoby’s drive, making sure to clear the restricted area, and leaving him caught in the air without a plan.

This level of help defense allows the Celtics to be more aggressive. They can trap, scramble, and recover knowing that George will be exactly where he’s needed.

When Walsh had Brunson, George got to play free safety. He described that role after the game.

“For me on the back end, it was kind of cool to be a safety in that moment, roam around, see where I can be helpful at, and rebound,” George said.

That’s demonstrated perfectly on this possession.

With Towns driving, Walsh, Tatum, and Queta all swarm him. This leaves George to zone up between Hart and Shamet. He reads Towns initially looking to the corner, but doesn’t fully commit, and manages to lunge back into the other passing lane. Taking it all the way to the rack after the steal is vintage Paul George.

One layer of his defensive impact that isn’t getting enough love is his rebounding. He had seven against New York and five in Detroit.

He’s not alone, but getting involved on the glass here likely kept points off the board with Drummond getting good position. He had several contested rebounds, and makes a legitimate effort to find a man and box them out too. Being able to secure a stop with a rebound matters a lot, and George has really done his part there.

We’ve talked about his versatility, and being able to handle different types of matchups. Here he’s battling for position with Towns.

Towns really wanted this ball, and George wasn’t going to let him have it without working for it. What started as a true post up ended with Towns pushed all the way out to the perimeter. George fronted him, denying a touch until he was at the three point line. More on the rebounding front, George finds Towns and boxes him out, then cleans up the loose rebound.

He didn’t have a game saving defensive play, and it was Tatum that took them home, but a moment like this in crunch time matters.

The Knicks grab the rebound and get out running in transition 4-on-4. George should be matching up with Hart who has the ball here, but he’s able to make the instantaneous decision to go pick up Brunson instead. He meets him beyond the three point line so there’s no pull-up available. He sticks with him downhill and forces Brunson to reconsider a drive over him and Robinson. Brunson makes a seemingly open pass but George is all over it. He doesn’t quite get the steal, but he mucks up a whole possession and Towns settles for a deep three.

All it takes in a clutch game against the Knicks is one opening. If George doesn’t think to pick up Brunson in transition, he either has a shot or someone else gets freed up. Stopping these moments before they happen makes all the difference.

George is giving the Celtics everything they could’ve hoped for in his first few games. He’s been an easy fit in the system, and there’s still so much room for chemistry to grow with him on the team.

For him to still be able to handle this kind of workload is incredible. He was switching 1-5 for a full game against the reigning champions and consistently blowing up their actions. He looks like he was built in a lab for defense.

It’s early, but if he stays healthy, I’ll have no problem pushing the All-Defense agenda.

Everyone remembers the big names for the Raptors: Damon Stoudamire, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh. Lowry, DeRozan, Leonard, Siakam, and Barnes. But, in between those titans of Jurassic Park, I worry (and strongly believe) that there will be a lot of players who fall through the cracks of history, undeservingly so.

In between the purple dinosaur and the 2019 championship, there were a great many Raptors who contributed to the Raptors getting to the top of the basketball world, and for this reason, I really hope we don’t forget about Terrence Ross.

Ross played 11 years in the league, mainly for Toronto and the Orlando Magic, and occupies a minor, but very distinct position in the history of the Toronto Raptors. While on the Raptors, he never averaged 11 points in a single season, but played more than 70 games in every year on the roster.

In a 2017 article on Ross, Sean Woodley for RHQ wrote in the same story that “Ross exudes apathy. It’s his most awe-inspiring strength and simultaneously his greatest downfall,” and that “watching him break loose of his easy-going demeanor for one game leaves you salivating at the thought of him stringing performances like it together.”

To say that Ross was purely under-appreciated would be a matter of revisionist history, a business I have no interest in entering. However, it’s not any type of consistency that makes Ross a noteworthy part of those early 2010s squads. Rather, it’s his position as an important transitionary figure, who took some important steps to help the franchise move on from two of its eras of pre-championship identity.

Out with the old, in with the Ross

Ross the first player of the post-Vince Carter era to tie Carter’s single-game scoring record of 51 points, and to this day, Ross has only has his achievement surpassed by three players. Not only that, but Ross was the winner of the 2013 NBA Dunk Contest, which made him both the most recent Raptor who won the contest, but also, the first to do it since… you guessed it, Vince Carter in the year 2000.

While the Raptors have since made amends with Carter, for years after his departure to the then-New Jersey Nets, there was a genuine animosity towards the former Air Canada in Toronto. Ross’ high flying dunks and three-point shooting showed that even without Carter, Raptors players could put themselves on the map.

The “Human Torch” as he came to be known, started more than 140 games for the Raptors before ultimately being traded away to the Orlando Magic in the 2016-17 season. Who was he traded for? Serge Ibaka.

Without Ibaka anchoring the Raptors’ frontcourt in the back-half of the ‘10s, the Raptors would have had a far more difficult path to the championship, despite some publicized difficulties with an initial mesh in Toronto. Josh Kern, in a 2020 retrospective, called Ibaka the Raptors’ “hope, finally, at the power forward spot that had been a disaster since Chris Bosh left town.”

Ross’ years of service to the Raptors allowed him to be traded for the big man, in a deal that helped to uplift Toronto past years of “maybes” and into a realm of concrete success. In a roundabout way, the ghost of Ross was still present on ring night, years after he departed from the 6ix.

On the other side of the arena

That considered, Ross had a final role to play in the Raptors’ ultimate success in 2019, that being the dutifully played position of on-court antagonist to the Raptors, who faced off against him and the Orlando Magic in the first round of the ‘19 playoffs.

The Magic, then led by Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vučević, had Ross coming off the bench in a year he got some Sixth Man of the Year votes, but in the playoffs, Ross was second in the team in both point-per-game and steals, all without starting in a single game.

Orlando won the opening contest of the series before falling to the Raptors in five games, ultimately bringing the story of Terrence Ross and the Toronto Raptors to a close. But, while he ultimately came to oppose the Raptors in their greatest moments, some mercy should be extended to an old compatriot, a final reward for years of service.

Ross won’t be getting a statue outside Scotiabank Arena any time soon, but popping on his highlights and remembering “that boy nice” is a fair ode to the man’s mixed legacy in the North.

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s relationship has been scrutinized for much of the past decade. The conversation has only intensified in recent weeks, after Brown left a “cap” emoji on a behind-the-scenes Tatum YouTube video about his reaction to the trade.

Both players spoke at length to the media about their relationship this past weekend, Tatum on Friday night and Brown on Saturday.

“I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him,” Tatum said after the Celtics’ home opener. “The frustrating part is since he’s not on the Celtics anymore, the narrative or conversations haven’t been enough about what we accomplished, all the games we won, winning the championship, how we’ve grown together, right?”

Tatum also made it clear he’d like to talk with his former running mate.

“I reached out to him the day he was traded. I called, I texted,” Tatum said. “I understand people process things differently. At this point in our lives, we’re too old to be having our relationship discussed on the internet. If there’s a conversation to be had, we can definitely have the conversation.”

The next night, after the 76ers win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Brown reacted.

“I didn’t see the full thing, but I saw that he said there’s no beef, and he’s right,” Brown told reporters, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “There’s no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

At Celtics practice on Sunday, Joe Mazzulla reacted to the saga

“Those two guys, they were together for 10 years, and they had great, great moments together,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, nobody is perfect. We all can be better. We all did great things. We all did things that we want to be better at. So, I think it’s more just focusing on the greatness that those two were able to achieve, and the fact that they’re both great people.”

Mazzulla also noted how different Tatum and Brown are.

“They’re different in how they play the game,” he said. “They’re different in how they handle things. They’re just — they’re different. It doesn’t mean that it’s good or bad. They’re just different.”

“We’re focused on Jayson because he’s with us. He plays for us. He’s our guy. We’re grateful for what Jaylen did in the past, but our focus goes to Jayson — who he is as a player, who he is as a person, and we just move on from there. But you never forget the gratitude and the perspective of a former Celtic who has left this place in a better place. You can’t forget that.”

Joe Mazzulla on Tatum-Brown's comments this weekend: "We're focused on Jayson because he's with us, he plays for us, he's our guy. We're grateful for what Jaylen did in the past." @CLNSMedia | Q: @GwashburnGlobepic.twitter.com/4xkbrzeP4M

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) October 25, 2026

Mazzulla was asked if he’s sad that this is what Brown and Tatum’s relationship has come to.

“It doesn’t necessarily make you sad,” Mazzulla said. “I think that’s just kind of the nature of the space that we’re in. I think you just, you have a choice to decide what we’re going to focus on.

“We make this phrase for every Celtic — once a Celtic, always a Celtic. You left this place better than you found it. You cannot forget that. You have a gratitude and a perspective of that, and then refocus on the present moment.”

But through all his comments, Mazzulla made one thing clear: Jayson Tatum is the priority.

“We can’t let a day go by where we don’t focus on Jayson’s greatness, who he is as a player, and what he does for this organization and what he’s done on and off the court,” he said. “That’s our guy now. So it doesn’t necessarily make you sad. It just forces you to choose what you’re going to focus on, and you have to focus on the gratitude and the perspective of a great former Celtic. And we’re going to choose to focus on the greatness of Jayson and what he’s done for our organization, what he’s continuing to do, and what he is going to do for us.”

Despite Jayson Tatum’s efforts to cool the conversations around the Celtics star and his former teammate, Jaylen Brown poured fuel on the fire by Saturday night.

The most recent development in the back-and-forth saga in regards to having “beef” with one another, Brown — now a 76er — didn’t say there is as much.

However, he suggested there are “lamp chops and some gravy” and that Tatum “should stay ready at all times.”

“I didn’t see the full thing, but I saw that he said it’s no beef, and I think he’s right,” Brown said of Tatum’s most recent comments following the 76ers’ 127-116 victory over the Bucks on Saturday. “There’s no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

When a follow up question came, asking why he said that Brown stated “That’s what it is.”

“No beef. It should never, ever be that. It’s just basketball. We both blessed. But it might be a little lamb chop. We’ll be alright,” he concluded.

The he-said, he-said all stems from a comment Brown made on Tatum’s post of the new episode of his “The Sit Down” series on Thursday.

The episode highlighted how Tatum learned of Boston trading Brown to Philadelphia during the offseason in July. He explained he was “caught off guard as the rest of the world.” That didn’t seem to sit right with Brown, who commented the blue cap emoji on the post.

The following day, Tatum responded to Brown’s comment during his postgame press conference after the Celtics’ win over the Knicks, stating the situation “ain’t no f–king Shaq and Kobe.”

“I understand we’re in the entertainment business. Me personally, I’m not much of an off-the-court entertainer type of guy,” the 28-year-old said. “For me, I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him. I think the frustrating part is, since he’s not with the Celtics anymore, the narrative or the conversations haven’t been enough about what we accomplished. All the games we won, winning a championship, how we’ve grown together. And it’s turned into this drama type of thing.

“I’ve seen all these things about ‘get your popcorn ready when they play.’ This ain’t no f–king boxing match. I play basketball. Again, there’s no animosity. There’s no beef. I just hate the way the conversation and the narrative around it when there’s not enough communication. And I think a conversation would solve or put out a lot of fires.”

After Saturday’s game, Brown was asked if his cap emoji comment was meant to suggest Tatum was lying about the true sequence of events in Boston. Yet, he dodged the question.

“Hey, look, like I said, there’s no beef. The PR and all that type of stuff, it is what it is. But I think we’re just both focused on what’s in front of us,” the 30-year-old said.

In 2016, the Celtics drafted Brown third overall in the NBA Draft. The following year, Tatum was taken third overall out of Duke.

Since then, the two have been defining figures for the franchise.

Since the 2016-2017 season, the Celtics made four Eastern Conference Finals appearance and two NBA Finals berths. The two led Boston to take home the title in 2024 and Brown won the Finals MVP.

Despite their successful history, it’s unknown if the two will reconcile their differences. When asked if he’s open to having a conversation with Tatum, it didn’t seem high on Brown’s to-do list.

“We both got so much stuff in front of us. So, you know, at the end of the day, he gotta do what he gotta do for his team. I gotta do what I gotta do for my team,” he said.

The 76ers will host the Celtics for their first meeting of the season on Nov. 10 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Through three games, Joel Embiid has been healthy and available.

That wouldn’t be notable for most players, but Embiid didn’t play all three of the first three games of the 2024-25 or 2025-2026 seasons.

While he’s not likely to play Sunday in the Sixers’ second leg of their home back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons, it won’t be for lack of trying.

“I have no idea,” Embiid said when asked about the plan to play him Saturday. “I actually want to play tomorrow, so can you guys put pressure on them?”

Embiid relented a little, understanding there are still 79 games to go and greater goals ahead.

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them, but obviously you get three days off,” he said. “Could have been two, but you get three days off. It doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the beginning of the season. It’s going well, so I guess more time you can get to recover, the better, and then get used to it.”

Still, Embiid couldn’t help himself.

“But yeah, I want to play tomorrow, so start writing articles. Put pressure on them so they let me play,” he said playfully.

It makes sense Embiid would want to keep things rolling. He put up a triple-double in the team’s 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, moving the Sixers to 3-0 on the young season.

Embiid’s performances have been a mixed bag — unsurprising, as Embiid is a notorious slow starter and still needs to adjust to his new superstar teammates, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. On the one hand, he’s looked better physically than he has in two years and is contributing to winning. On the other hand, he’s still not moving like his former MVP self and is still feeling out his place in a new offensive ecosystem.

After a poor shooting performance on opening night, Embiid has been much more efficient in his last two games. He was 8-for-20 against the Bucks, but did have an outstanding stretch in the fourth quarter, being the team’s offensive hub. He seemed to make the right plays consistently throughout the night. His 10th assist came at a great time as Brown nailed a three late in the game to extend a shrinking lead back to six.

With James sitting the first leg of the back-to-back, Embiid became the team’s primary facilitator. The abundance of talent allows Embiid to play his preferred brand of basketball.

“I get more fulfilled when I play team basketball and the ball is moving and I’m making plays for everybody,” he said. “Like it just feels so much better as a basketball player. A night like tonight … that’s the way I like to play. The ball moves, everybody’s touching it, side to side, and then that’s good offense.”

So much for all that there’s only one ball! talk.

Embiid isn’t moving like he was in 2023, but you have to be encouraged by what you’ve seen so far if you’re the Sixers. This is a guy who thought he might have to retire not all that long ago. To get to this point three games into the season is a positive start.

Even Embiid knows he still has work to do, but he believes he can do it — no small thing for a player who’s lacked confidence in his body the last several years.

“I’m happy that I’m playing basketball, but I’m not really happy about the way I’ve been playing,” Embiid said. “I just haven’t been efficient. Not even close to what I should be. So, yeah, that’s the part that I got to work on.

“But everything else, kind of getting the feeling back, whether it’s on defense, rebounding, making plays for guys — slowly getting there. But as myself, as the great scorer that I’ve always been, I gotta figure it out because I think once I really get back to myself — whether it’s in the post, midrange, from three — that’s going to be a game-changer for us.”

Embiid and Walker out for Sixers vs. Pistons to finish back-to-back  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers on Sunday afternoon ruled Joel Embiid and Jabari Walker out for the last leg of their back-to-back. 

Embiid’s official injury report listing was “right plantar fasciitis injury management” and Walker’s was “left knee soreness.” The 3-0 Sixers will host the 2-0 Pistons on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Embiid and Walker join Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction), Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) and Tacko Fall (left quadriceps strain) on the sidelines. LeBron James is set to return after sitting Saturday night. 

Following a 28-point triple-double Saturday in the Sixers’ win over the Bucks, Embiid made a good-natured public pitch to play. In his postgame media availability from the Sixers’ locker room, Embiid asked reporters with a smile to make it known that he felt good and wanted to go Sunday. The Sixers stuck with their original plan of Embiid splitting the back-to-back. 

Adem Bona will presumably be the next center in line behind Embiid. Detroit is also down its usual starting big man with Jalen Duren out because of a right hamstring strain. Former Sixer Paul Reed should play a large role for Detroit without Duren. 

Walker “tweaked his left knee” against the Bucks, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said postgame. He played 12 solid minutes, posting six points and three rebounds, before exiting late in the third quarter. 

Embiid, Edgecombe and Walker out for Sixers vs. Pistons to finish back-to-back  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers on Sunday afternoon ruled Joel Embiid and Jabari Walker out for the last leg of their back-to-back. 

Embiid’s official injury report listing was “right plantar fasciitis injury management” and Walker’s was “left knee soreness.” The 3-0 Sixers will host the 2-0 Pistons on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

VJ Edgecombe was a late addition to the Sixers’ list of injuries.

The Sixers ruled Edgeceombe out with an abdominal contusion approximately 45 minutes before tip-off. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that Edgecombe picked up the injury Saturday night during the team’s win over the Bucks when he took a knee to the abdomen and was “very sore.”

Embiid, Edgecombe and Walker joined Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction), Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) and Tacko Fall (left quadriceps strain) on the sidelines. LeBron James was set to return after sitting Saturday. 

Following a 28-point triple-double in the victory over Milwaukee, Embiid made a good-natured public pitch to play. In his postgame media availability from the Sixers’ locker room, Embiid asked reporters with a smile to make it known that he felt good and wanted to go Sunday. The Sixers stuck with their original plan of Embiid splitting the back-to-back. 

Walker “tweaked his left knee” against the Bucks, Nurse said. He played 12 solid minutes, posting six points and three rebounds, before exiting late in the third quarter. 

Nurse named Dean Wade, LeBron James and Adem Bona as the Sixers he expected to play center minutes in Embiid’s absence. Detroit was also down its usual starting big man with Jalen Duren out because of a right hamstring strain. Former Sixer Paul Reed has stepped into a large role for Detroit without Duren. 

The Sixers’ starters vs. Detroit were Tyrese Maxey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jaylen Brown, James and Wade.