LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 18: The sneakers worn by Malik Williams #37 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the game against the Miami Heat during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 18, 2025 at the Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Walker Kessler: The big man the Lakers coveted for years and were finally able to make their marquee addition via a sign-and-trade with the Jazz, and inking Kessler to a four-year, $130 contract.
Quentin Grimes: The versatile, two-way guard the Lakers signed to a four-year, $60 million deal, and is expected to be a Day 1 starter after bouncing around the NBA (the Lakers are his fourth team in 2 ½ years) over the last couple of years.
The Lakers signed Sandro Mamukelashvili to a four-year, $52 million contract. Getty Images
Austin Reaves: The Lakers’ homegrown star whose story from undrafted–to-All-Star caliber player over the last five years has been well-documented, earning him a four-year, $180 million deal.
And Sandro Mamukelashvili: The four-year, $52 million signee who’ll be the biggest swing factor for whether the Lakers’ offseason moves were a success.
Mamukelashvili, who’s entering his sixth season in the league aftr being the No. 54 pick out of Seton Hall in the 2021 draft, was relatively unproven through his first few seasons in the league.
The combination of his size (6-foot-9, 240 pounds) and skillset (versatile offensive connector) has made him an intriguing player.
But playing time opportunities didn’t come by easily, with Mamukelashvili averaging fewer than 16 minutes per game in each of his first four seasons in the league with the Bucks and Spurs.
Mamukelashvili’s final 18 games of the 2024-25 season with the Spurs, in which he averaged 10.4 points (49.3% shooting, 37.2% on 3-pointers), 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.4 minutes per game, opened up a sixth man role opportunity for him with the Raptors.
He seized the opportunity, putting together a career year that led to his long-term, lucrative deal with the Lakers: Mamukelashvili’s scoring average (11.2 points), rebounding (4.9 rebounds), assists (1.9), field goal percentage (52.3%) and minutes per game (21.9) with Toronto in 2025-26 were all career-best marks.
Mamukelashvili is expected to bring size, physicality and an ability to stretch the floor, which should pair well with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Getty Images
Mamukelashvili finally showcased the skills and offensive versatility that every team in the NBA covets from a frontcourt role player:
Shooting.
Passing.
Keeping the play moving.
Being able to play off of primary and secondary ball handlers as a connector within the offense.
It all may sound simple, but those were the type of skills the Lakers were coveting entering the offseason.
“We gotta be better [at] being able to dribble, pass and shoot,” Coach JJ Redick said in May. “That sounds simple, but that’s just the reality.”
Sandro Mamukelashvili will provide a boost to the Lakers’ transition offense. NBAE via Getty Images
The reality is that Mamukelashvili will help in each of those areas in a more well-rounded way compared to former Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, or even other options who were available in free agency.
And because he’s a credible center option in small-ball lineups, Mamukelashvili opens up opportunities for the Lakers to play bigger forwards who aren’t shooting threats (Jarred Vanderbilt, Adou Thiero) but can help cover for him on the less glamorous end of the floor.
Does Mamukelashvili come with defensive concerns? Absolutely. He isn’t a strong perimeter or interior defender.
But he can also change the rhythm of the Lakers’ offense, especially in transition or when Luka Doncic isn’t on the floor.
And with the Lakers committing less than 8% of their cap space to Mamukelashvili over the next three years, his upside is worth taking a gamble on.
Jonathan Kuminga turned down more guaranteed money from the Lakers — nearly twice as much per year — and elsewhere to come to Minnesota on a two-year, $13 million contract that could have him back on the free agent market next summer. Kuminga is betting on himself. Again.
"Just looking back, I think I'll say it's one of the best decisions I made," Kuminga said of coming to Minnesota. "Just looking at the roster, looking at the young group of guys they have, and just seeing what they've done in the past and things that they're trying to accomplish going forward."
Kuminga also said all the right things about fitting into a role with this team, where he often won't have the ball in his hands because that role falls more to Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. Fitting into a role has not been Kuminga's strength (just ask Steve Kerr), but he sees a fit.
"I think my game, my mentality, pretty much everything fit well with the group. It don't matter what it is," Kuminga said. "They could put me wherever: running the floor, screen, defend, play fast, whatever it is. I feel like I could come in, be one of the best defenders."
Kuminga talked about how Edwards called him nearly every single day to recruit him. He also talked about his excitement of playing with LaMelo.
"I was watching him work out yesterday. I was watching him doing certain things, and just the way he passed the ball — it's incredible," Kuminga said. "I mean, I play with so many point guards in my career, but I never played with somebody that could pass as good as LaMelo, so I think I'm looking forward to it."
Kuminga talked a lot about defense — Edwards' focus on that was one of the draws for Kuminga, according to reports — and specifically the freedom he will have knowing Rudy Gobert is behind him.
"I could be myself on defense, I will be more aggressive because I know I have a shot blocker, and he's done it so many times," Kuminga said.
Tim Connelly and the Minnesota decision makers took a big gamble this offseason, moving on from Julius Randle, Naz Reid and a style of play that had been successful — but seemed to run into a wall — to bring in LaMelo, Kuminga, and to radically reshape the style of play. It's going to take coach Chris Finch a little time to find the rotations and systems that work, but by the holidays we should have a better sense of just how good this team will be.
INGLEWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 24: Chris Paul #3 and Bradley Beal #0 of the LA Clippers high five during the game against the Phoenix Suns on October 24, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The last 10 days for the Los Angeles Clippers have been tumultuous, to say the least. Last Wednesday, the NBA dropped the hammer on them for salary cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard, which resulted in the league taking away five future first-round picks and suspending several key personnel, including owner Steve Ballmer and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank. And if you didn’t think there was enough drama going on in Clipperland, tensions involving arguably the franchise’s greatest player and one of the most influential figures in recent Phoenix Suns history continue to brew.
After returning to the franchise he helped lead to a franchise-best 57-win season and earning numerous All-Star and All-NBA selections for the final season of his career, Chris Paul was sent home by the Clippers in the middle of the night less than two months into the season. The move was an attempt by the team to shake up the locker room amid a poor start to the season, and it ultimately ended his career prematurely.
Now, more than nine months after his release, as if the Clippers hadn’t done enough damage to their relationship with potentially the most iconic player in franchise history, it seems there’s a new wrinkle, and it involves another former Phoenix Sun.
With Paul retired and no longer on the Clippers, Bradley Beal is switching his number from zero to three, according to NBA numerologist Etienne Catalan and the Clippers’ team website. Paul wore No. 3 for the entirety of his career, and it was the number he was told the organization would retire.
Chris Paul details convos with Kawhi, Ty Lue and Lawrence Frank ahead of his abrupt exit from the Clippers 👀 pic.twitter.com/fG3ojh2YE4
Coincidentally, Beal took Paul’s No. 3 when he was traded for him after the Suns acquired Beal from the Wizards. But even though Paul helped break a decade-plus playoff drought and led the team to its first Finals in nearly 30 years, he played just three seasons in Phoenix, compared with seven for the Clippers, and there have been no reports from Paul or the team about plans to retire his jersey.
Beal taking Paul’s number in Phoenix didn’t ruffle any feathers, but Paul’s history with the Clippers runs much deeper, and people are disappointed with how the franchise is acknowledging it, or lack thereof.
With all the backlash directed at the Clippers, Beal stepped in and appeared to defend his former Clippers teammate with a recent post on Twitter, singing his praises and saying that Paul’s legacy is intact.
He’s a legend!
The HISTORY and BRAND can’t be touched, nor erased!!!
The NBA has a checkered history with alternate uniforms, to put it lightly. While throwbacks and retro-inspired designs often strike the right chord between nostalgia and innovation, many of the recent designs aimed at pushing on-court fashion forward feel like a miss. It feels like an absolute shame that the greatest moment of LeBron James’ career happened in sleeved jerseys back when Adidas had the NBA contract. Nike took over as the league’s official jersey maker two years later, and it’s hard to say it’s been any kind of improvement.
There have been some good Nike City Edition NBA jerseys through the years, but lately it feels like there are more and more misses. It’s hard to maintain optimism for the future of the league’s alternate uniforms after Nike’s latest release leaked this week. Eight teams are getting new looks for the 2026-27 season with Nike’s Specter Edition uniforms, which “reimagine team identity for the league’s oldest franchises through their history, culture and the energy of today’s game.”
It’s a good idea in theory, but the execution is currently getting panned all over the internet. Here’s the leak of the new uniforms for the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and Sacramento Kings.
🚨BREAKING 🚨@Nike & @NBA are unveiling new Specter Edition unis!!
Nike’s new NBA Specter Edition uniforms, created for the teams who trace their roots back to the earliest chapters of the league.
Nike says these looks are “inspired by the next generation of hoopers,” and there are plenty of young people in the press photos. I’m not going to tell a teenager what’s cool and what isn’t because I’m twice their age. All I know is that from the reaction I’ve seen online so far, justabouteveryonehatesthese.
these look like the kind of thing you'd wear in middle school basketball. hard to think of any worse jerseys ever worn in the league. https://t.co/WPC5CgKU9l
Pick out the good ones, and stick with them for a few years. Radical idea, I know.
It really feels like the public has fully turned against Nike’s NBA uniforms. After years of complaining about Adidas’ sleeved jerseys, these feel just as poorly thought out. Making new NBA uniforms doesn’t have to be so hard. Maybe take a few years off and get back to the drawing board.
We are less than two weeks away from some teams opening NBA training camps (teams leaving the country for NBA overseas preseason games), and 18 days from training camps opening across the league. This tends to be a slow time for NBA news, but things are happening, including new rumors about Jalen Duren's situation.
Jalen Duren’s qualifying offer
The situation remains the same. Jalen Duren wants to get paid like the All-NBA player he is — 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season while playing elite defense. He wants at least a $40 million-a-year average salary (five years, $200 million). Pistons management also saw the playoffs, where Duren struggled — 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, with a negative plus/minus — and are offering more like $35 million a season (five years, $175 million). The sides have been stuck here for a while, and the fact that the Pistons are about $36.5 million below the luxury tax line factors in here.
Duren's nuclear option: He could play this season for the $9.6 million qualifying offer, then become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He is leaning more towards that, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack missive.
One source briefed on the process says Duren is increasingly prepared to play out the coming season on his $9.6 million qualifying offer — with the intent to become an unrestricted free agent next summer — if no deal with Detroit materializes by the end of September.
Take that with a grain of salt. Remember, that is the threat Duren and his agent want out there as leverage (the only real leverage they have as a restricted free agent). Taking the qualifying offer would be a massive risk for Duren, leaving generational wealth on the table (even at the Pistons' offer), he could get injured or have a down season that hurts his market. From 30,000 feet, there is an obvious compromise here — $37.5 million a year average, five years, $187.5 million — but that's easy to say from a distance. This has been a rough negotiation that will leave scars no matter the outcome.
Other NBA news:
• Bradley Beal is switching from No. 0 to 3, which is only a big deal with the Clippers because that was Chris Paul's number, and they are likely to retire his number in the coming years. I doubt this bothers Paul himself, and Beal paid tribute to Paul. The number will be retired at some point.
He’s a legend!
The HISTORY and BRAND can’t be touched, nor erased!!!
• Ben Simmons' one-year contract with the Kings is non-guaranteed — the team can cut him in training camp with no penalty. Consider that insurance because of Simmons' injury history, but the Kings envision him on the roster as both a backup point guard with Darius Acuff and as a secondary shot creator who can play with him. If Simmons makes the opening-night roster, he has a $1 million guarantee.
• Always be mindful of the spin from agents — passed along by news breakers — when it comes to contracts. Case in point, the announcement that Lonnie Walker IV returned from a year playing in the EuroLeague to sign a one-year, $3.3 million minimum contract with the Denver Nuggets. Turns out, what he signed is a non-guaranteed training camp deal, as reported by Sportac’s Keith Smith. If Walker makes the roster his deal becomes that minimum contract, but the fact he got a training camp deal suggests that is a bit of a long shot.
• The NBA and Nike announced new warmup, practice and travel gear that all 30 teams will use during the 2026-27 season. These will officially drop in two launches, Sept. 15 and Oct. 12.
Today, the @NBA and @Nike unveiled the NBA Standard Issue Collection, a new leaguewide look for all 30 teams.
The collection is designed to connect what players wear on and around the court with how fans express their passion for the game.
SPRINGFIELD,MA - AUGUST 15: Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni look on during the 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on August 15, 2026 at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Among the most infamous teams in modern NBA history is the 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers. A star-studded group headlined by Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, all of whom finished top nine in MVP voting the season prior, went just 45-37 and earned the West’s No. 7 seed before being swept in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.
Once head coach Mike Brown was fired after a 1-4 start, followed by a brief 4-1 stint from interim head coach Bernie Bickerstaff, the Lakers hired Mike D’Antoni, who previously coached Nash for four seasons with the Phoenix Suns as they worked in tandem to innovate some of the most efficient offenses in NBA history.
Last month, D’Antoni was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Ahead of his induction, he spoke with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin about numerous topics, including his tumultuous Lakers tenure and why he initially opted to join the organization.
“One of the reasons why I took the Laker job — the biggest reason, other than I wanted to coach — was that Steve was going to be there,” D’Antoni told McMenamin. “So I’m thinking that if Steve and I can get this and put this together, we could be really good. And I remember asking them before I signed, ‘I know Steve’s hurt, when’s he coming back?’
“And they go, ‘Well, he’ll be back by Friday. And if we can get you to sign and you get in here, he’ll be almost ready to go right when you get here.’ That kind of pushed me over the hill.”
Only two games into the regular season, Nash fractured his left fibula and missed the next 24 contests. He suited up for 50 games total, his fewest since 1998-99 and third-fewest of his entire career, and posted the fifth-lowest assist rate (32.8%) of his career. The four seasons featuring lower assist rate were the first four of his career, all of which came before he made his eight All-Star appearances.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Los Angeles’ offense was just 0.2 points better per 100 possessions with Nash on the floor that year — a far cry from his enormous imprint during the previous eight seasons in Phoenix. Back injuries spoiled the majority of his next campaign as he played 15 games and the Lakers went 27-55. D’Antoni resigned at the end of the season.
“Well, Steve never really came back,” D’Antoni said. “And even when he did come back, he was about half himself. And so it was doomed from the start.”
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 1: Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball during the game against the Houston Rockets during Round One Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 1, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we’ll be writing columns every weekday breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we take a look at Bronny James.
Whether or not he was worth the gamble or not, Bronny James’ original spot on the Lakers was inarguably a result of his father being on the team. That he is on the team heading into the 2025-26 season, though, is a result of no one but himself.
Multiple seasons of hard work behind the scenes led to Bronny producing in meaningful minutes late in the regular season and in the first round series against the Rockets. Even if nothing else happens in his NBA career, the sequence of him and LeBron cooking the Rockets together will endure.
Even if those playoff minutes also showed how far Bronny has to go, it also instilled enough belief in the Lakers to fend off any potential suitors this summer. As much as he has shown signs of progress, though, the time has come for him to be more than a project and to make good on the team’s investment in him.
What is his best-case scenario?
The years of work, and perhaps being a bit liberated from his father going to the other coast, set Bronny down the path of an impactful role player off the bench. The archetype of player he could become — an athletic point-of-attack defender who can be a connector offensively — fits nicely alongside either Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves.
However, all we’ve seen are flashes of that type of player, and rarely, if ever, all at once. The best-case scenario of this season sees him take those flashes and turn them into sustainable stretches of play. No longer does it happen once every few games, but happens across multiple games.
One of Bronny’s biggest challenges, though, will be breaking through the rotation. Between Austin, Luka, Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes, the backcourt already has a lot of minutes accounted for. He’s going to have an uphill battle to get in the rotation, but defense is the easiest way to project how he sets himself apart.
What is his worst-case scenario?
While Bronny has clearly shown improvement through two seasons, the starting point was far away from an NBA player.
It also means that even if he has improved, he still has a way to go. Improving from flashes to consistent production is a tall ask.
Bronny is going to start the preseason on the fringe of the rotation. To break into it, he’s going to have to beat out established NBA players. It’s quite the leap, one that isn’t inconceivable to say he might not make.
Flashes or production won’t cut it for a team that is deeper this season than last. If injuries pop up, he won’t be one of the first names off the bench. And if he can’t produce for consistent stretches, he’s not going to stick in the rotation.
As much as the team or coaching staff might be fans of him, playing time will be hard to come by and hard to maintain this season.
What is his most likely role on the team?
A deeper Lakers team this season will breed competition, which typically breeds improvement. Bronny will be part of that competition, but he’s going to have to work his way into playing time. That means he’ll have to improve even more, and in the biggest way yet.
For now, he’s going to be on the outside looking in, but the opportunities will come. He’ll have to take advantage of them to prove he deserves to remain in the NBA.
Nov 6, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the jersey of Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) against the Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Los Angeles Clippers are nobody’s favourite team these days, even Clippers fans. Amidst the fallout from the Aspiration Scandal’s conclusion, the Clips have been stripped of their picks, their leadership, and are potentially about to relinquish their best player to the Raptors.
All in all, it’s been a pretty bad couple of days for LA’s other team.
It seems that the Clippers are just doubling down on bad decisions connected to the Raptors, as they have just stripped away an honour from arguably their greatest player of all time, Chris Paul. Today, it became known that his jersey number, 3, will be worn by Bradley Beal in upcoming campaign, only one season after he retired from playing basketball after being traded to the Toronto Raptors. Bleacher Report confirmed this on social media, noting that the franchise had committed to retiring Paul’s jersey after the end of his time with the team.
The Clippers have listed Bradley Beal No. 3 jerseys for sale, using Chris Paul’s former number 😳
CP3 said the franchise told him they would retire his number when he was sent home last season
Now, I think this is an awful move for a number of reasons. Opinions of Paul varied throughout the league and the fanbase, but the man’s basketball and leadership abilities were something never in question throughout his storied career. His time with the LA Clippers is something I attribute to first getting me interested in the sport of basketball. Those Lob City teams are among my favourite non-Raptors squads of all time, and what Paul did for Los Angeles in the mid-2010s is something that should be praised by the franchise, rather than buried.
With the Clippers facing down the barrel of a potentially long period of uncompetitiveness, retiring Paul’s jersey would be an easy win for the upcoming year in which wins might be few and far betwee, giving the fans something to rally around. But instead, the Clippers seem hell-bent on continuing to burn bridges rather than build them up, in a period of time where they seem to need support the most.
Of course, while disappointing, this is not shocking behaviour. While the Raptors have for years had some difficulties with the Clippers surrounding bids for Kawhi Leonard from all parties involved, this most recent move to push away Chris Paul just shows how much disdain the Clippers have for Raptors greats. I saw Paul as someone with great potential to mentor our young guards, and to this day, I see it as a missed opportunity that the he and this franchise couldn’t come to an agreement putting him in a basketball role for the team. Paul is coming off a shockingly rocky last season in the league, where he was unceremoniously dropped from involvement with the team, a move that he recently called “one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured.”
This came in the wake of a level of dysfunction that was punctuated by a comment from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who noted that Chris Paul attempted to step into a leadership role by offering to host players at his home, and exercise together. Most publicly, Paul was reported to have thrown a Halloween party that only three teammates — known to include Ivica Zubac and Bradley Beal — attended.
Wow.
So, Chris: I can’t have promised you a ring on the Raptors, but I will assure you’d Toronto would have treated you a hell of a lot better than this, and at the bare minimum, have come out to your party. I might have even bought myself a Chris Paul number 3 jersey in the red and black. I guess that can’t happen anymore, though.
Jaylen Brown when playing with the Boston Celtics. | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
NBA superstar Jaylen Brown took an interesting side quest this NBA off season. The newly signed Philadelphia 76er popped over to Nigeria to throw hands in a boxing match.
Check out some of the ‘action’ from that fight below.
In the comments on Instagram Brown remarked that he “did 0 prep for this”.
In truth this fight was put together in partnership with one of Brown’s charity initiatives, so this appears to be more of a spar than anything else. He’s lucky his partner didn’t go off script, though. Brown, after all, is due to make $58 million this season (and another $126 million in the following two seasons).
It’s easy to see why Brown might have a passion for the sweet science, though. His father is Quenton Marselles Brown, a former WBU heavyweight champion. Quenton Brown, by the way, was charged with attempted murder last year after a stabbing incident that occurred over a parking dispute.
Back to boxing, though…
Jaylen Brown isn’t the first basketball player to try his hand at combat sports. Who can forget the man that launched Jake Paul’s career?
Multiple time NBA slam dunk champ Nate Robinson was Paul’s first ever boxing opponent. The viral KO Robinson suffered can be cited as a big reason why Paul was able to creep into, disrupt and then fully embed himself fully into combat sports.
Anyone from the basketball world you want to see throw down? I’m shocking Dennis Rodman never popped up on one of those influencer cards yet. There’s money to be made with him versus Jose Canseco!
Let’s state the obvious: Derrick White had a miserable shooting season last year. In fact, pick the meanest adjective you can think of, replace our word miserable, and it probably fairly describes White’s season-long shooting woes.
But lost in those shooting struggles — with White connecting on a grisly 32.7 percent of 8.3 3-pointers per game, and shooting a meager 39.4 percent from the floor overall — was that White still was an advanced metrics darling, finishing among the league’s elite in net rating despite his misfires. His defense remained top tier and he routinely impacted winning during his court time.
The shots just would not fall.
For Day 3 of our Ramp to Camp series, we asked our panel: What version of Derrick White will the Celtics get this season?
We suspect you’ll hear a lot of prognosticators talking about a potential “bounce-back year” for White. The reality is that it’s simply his shot that needs to rebound. White put up All-Star-caliber production in basically every other facet of the game. But, thrust into an elevated offensive role while Jayson Tatum rehabbed, it was hard to ignore the shooting splits.
White still finished third on the team in net rating with Boston outscoring opponents by 11.3 points per 100 possessions during his floor time. Among all NBA players that averaged at least 30 minutes per game last season, White ranked fourth in net rating, one spot ahead of Denver MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. The only three players ahead of him were the actual MVP in Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (plus-16.3), Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (plus-11.4), and San Antonio’s Devin Vassell (plus-11.4).
White, despite his shooting woes, ranked in the 95th percentile at his position while generating 29.6 points per game off scoring and assists. He averaged a career-best 1.3 blocks per game, earned a spot on the All-Defense first team, and was sixth in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.
Go find your favorite advanced metric acronym (there’s a lot out there nowadays) and it probably loved White’s season. DARKO had him as a +1.5 DPM (full daily plus minus), the same mark Jaylen Brown posted while finishing sixth in MVP voting. Dunks & Threes’ Estimated Plus-Minus had him at +4.4, which was the 14th best mark in the NBA (one spot behind Cunningham).
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Derrick White’s defense remained elite last season despite the shooting struggles.
The good news for White is that a healthier Jayson Tatum ought to take a bunch of stress off White’s offensive creation and maybe jolt his shot quality this year. The bad news is that, with the departure of Brown, there will be lingering pressure to be a secondary scoring option. Maybe Paul George and Payton Pritchard can help alleviate some of that stress.
White turned 32 in July. He’ll cross 20,000 total NBA minutes played this season. He has to prove that the shooting funk wasn’t tied to age. If those shooting splits bounce back early in the season, there’s a good chance he could earn the All-Star nod that has somehow evaded him in recent years.
The Celtics need the confident White who punishes teams when they stray from him at the 3-point line. They need the White who ranked in the 97th percentile among guards while shooting 59.4 percent on all 2-point shots in 2024-25, and not the guy who dipped to the 36th percentile while shooting 48.7 percent on 2s last season.
If White finds his floater, the entire perception of his season completely changes.
Our guess is that his numbers perk back up and that a lot of the consternation dissipates. His bond with Tatum is well established. If Tatum can take much of the playmaking duties off White’s plate, it might free him up to thrive in more familiar ways.
The shot might bounce back, but White’s ability to impact winning has never wavered. That can’t change regardless of how he shoots the ball this season.
Jason Levine: Executive Producer, Content Integrations
We might not get the 2024 D-White but he’ll be better than last season. He was pegged as the No. 2 with Tatum out, and I think that’s asking too much. He needs to think the game like he normally does, and I think his shooting will be what we’re accustomed to with the lower level of pressure on his shoulders.
A 37-plus percent shooter from 3-point range and an All-Defensive team selection. The Celtics won’t be a real contender if he shoots as poorly as he did last season.
That’s hard to say. The Celtics would like to get a more comfortable Derrick White this year, because the team probably asked too much from him last year in Tatum’s absence. I simply believe they have a roster that needs him just as badly this year. Paul George is the wild card here. If the newcomer can be effective and available, White can easily slide into a role that suits him better. But those are some big ifs.
Josh Canu: Editor
I am unfortunately not as optimistic about Derrick White’s offense returning to its previous form. White is once again thrust into needing to be option No. 2 or 3 in the offense and we saw how that played out last season. Tatum should provide more open looks for shooters than Brown did, but I think White’s best days are behind him. He will still provide elite defense and solid playmaking, but I would feel better if he was more of a complementary piece than a focal point.
We should expect White to bounce back offensively after shooting a career-worst 39.4 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from 3-point range. Tatum’s return and George’s presence will allow White to settle back into his catch-and-shoot role. Last season, White felt the need to carry the offense alongside Brown while Tatum was sidelined. In 2026-27, he should return to form as a dependable shooter while earning yet another All-Defensive nod.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Head coach Nick Nurse of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the first quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Two of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 06, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When Nick Nurse took over as the Sixers’ head coach ahead of the 2023-24 season, players were buzzing with excitement about his energy and creativity. But with Joel Embiid and Paul George cycling in and out of the lineup over the past two seasons, Nurse hasn’t gotten many chances to show off that side of himself. His experimentation with lineups was more out of necessity than anything else.
That shouldn’t be the case this coming season. Between Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe and some guy named LeBron James, the Sixers have more top-end talent than they’ve had arguably in decades. But their talent doesn’t just stop at their starting five. They’re far deeper than they’ve been at any point in the Nurse era, too.
After an up-and-down regular season last year, Nurse already started getting back in the good graces of Sixers fans by helping orchestrate the Sixers’ thrilling 3-1 series comeback against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was so rattled by the end of that series that he started Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. in Game 7. On purpose!
Granted, the good vibes didn’t last long. A second-round sweep at the hands of the eventual champion New York Knicks left the Sixers looking rudderless heading into the offseason. Of course, that was before new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey pulled off the coup of all coups by landing both Brown and James.
Those two were the headliners of the offseason for obvious reasons, but they weren’t the Sixers’ only key additions. Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Ariel Hukporti and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could all play key roles off the bench this season. Gansey also resisted the temptation to draft for fit over talent when he took Labaron Philon Jr. at No. 22 overall, giving the Sixers another ball-handler behind Maxey and Edgecombe.
It’s now on Nurse to figure out how all of these pieces will fit together.
Will the ‘mad scientist’ show up?
Nurse made a name for himself in Toronto when he helped guide the Raptors to their first-ever championship in 2019. His decision to deploy a box-and-one defense against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry in the NBA Finals that year was some true sicko stuff.
“Trying new stuff, being innovative, is who Nick is,” then-Raptors president Masai Ujiri said about Nurse during his introductory press conference in Toronto in 2018. “You can tell he’s a tactician who really thinks the game.”
That innovation hasn’t been on display as much as expected in Philly… yet. The Sixers had 54 different starting lineups in 2024-25 (!), but that was a byproduct of injuries more than anything else. Much like Doc Rivers before him, Nurse flirted with the idea of double-big lineups featuring Embiid and either Andre Drummond or Adem Bona, but Embiid and Bona played only 46 minutes together last year, while Embiid and Drummond shared the floor for only eight minutes.
This season, Nurse should have plenty of chances to lean back into his experimental nature.
Nurse already confirmed that he plans to deploy LeBron as an “offense creator” who will “bring the ball up the floor and try to create for himself and others,” but Maxey and Edgecombe should get some ball-handling reps as well. Being able to use LeBron, Maxey and Edgecombe both as on- and off-ball weapons should make the Sixers that much more unpredictable on offense, so it’ll be imperative for Nurse not to lean solely on LeBron as the main ball-handler.
Nurse already began moving away from Embiid as the Sixers’ offensive fulcrum last season, and the Sixers’ offseason overhaul should only further expedite that process. This will be the first time in Embiid’s career where he doesn’t have to score 20-plus points on any given night to give the Sixers even a puncher’s chance of winning. Can Nurse get him to buy into scaling back his offensive role even more and instead get him to spend his energy on defense, rebounding, screen-setting and boxing out?
And how will he deploy Brown, who’s fresh off a career year as the No. 1 option in Boston? Brown’s handle isn’t tight enough to merit running the offense through him again, but he’s a legitimate weapon in isolations. He’s also big and physical enough to back down smaller defenders. Finding the balance between that and keeping the ball moving might be among Nurse’s greatest challenges this year.
Pace is the other big question looming over the Sixers offense. Maxey, James and Brown were second, third and fourth, respectively, in transition points per game last season, and Edgecombe’s youth and athleticism should make him a dynamic weapon in the open floor as well. Embiid… not so much. How does Nurse blend those two styles together?
While the Sixers’ starting five figure to open and close games together, they’ll also have plenty of time intermingling with bench players. It’ll be on Nurse to figure out which combinations and skill sets fit best together.
He did lean into more three-guard lineups with Maxey, Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes last year—again, mostly out of necessity—but will he try out units with three of Maxey, Edgecombe, Simons, KCP and Philon? How will the forward rotation shake out behind Brown and James? What’s the optimal role for Wade and Dominick Barlow this year? Do Jabari Walker and Justin Edwards factor into the rotation at all?
While it’s imperative for the starting five to develop chemistry—after all, they’ll be playing the lion’s share of the minutes if (when?) the Sixers make it to the playoffs—Nurse needs to lean into his experimental side during the regular season, especially early on. The Sixers will have an opportunity to address any holes in their roster at the trade deadline or on the buyout market, but they first need to identify their biggest needs before looking to rectify them.
Luckily, Nurse’s experience with integrating Kawhi Leonard into the 2018-19 Raptors could help him this season.
“Nurse was brought in to deliver outside-the-box thinking to a group that had grown stagnant, and accordingly, he was all over the map in his first go-around,” William Lou of Yahoo Sports wrote in 2019. “He treated the entire regular season as one great experiment, shuffling through 22 different starting lineups while managing a never-ending slew of injuries.” (Sound familiar?)
“The Raptors lacked the consistency and continuity that powered them under [former head coach Dwane] Casey, but it was a concerted sacrifice made in the name of versatility,” Lou added. “The ability to adapt was thought to be an advantage come playoff time.”
During his introductory press conference with the Raptors, Nurse specifically said that he wanted to get more creative defensively “so we can try to be ready for more things in the playoffs.” The box-and-one in the 2019 Finals was a total wild card, but Nurse used a double-big lineup with Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol in the Raptors’ second-round series against the Sixers to flip the script after they fell into a 2-1 hole.
The Sixers will face a variety of threats throughout the Eastern Conference this year, all of whom present different challenges. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers will all trot out double-big lineups, while elite guards and wings and a five-out starting unit will be the New York Knicks’ calling card. Befitting their name, the Pacers figure to push the pace and overwhelm opponents with depth, while the Boston Celtics will once again likely look to leverage the math battle by bombing away from deep.
The Sixers need to be prepared for all of the stylistic challenges that their potential playoff opponents can present. The regular season is an 82-game crucible to get them ready for that. While they need to focus on winning as many games as possible for playoff-seeding purposes, using the same lineups and combinations night after night won’t do much to get them ready for the postseason.
In 2022, Ujiri described Nurse as a “mad scientist” who “lives, sleeps and drinks the game.” He’s had plenty of time this offseason to be in his lab figuring out the best ways to deploy the new talent he has at his disposal. In a few weeks, we’ll get to see what he’s cooked up.
As many Sixers fans have seen, Embiid has been on the court and looked in excellent physical shape this offseason. Embiid has indeed been moving well and feeling good about his summer, a team source recently said. The organization is optimistic about his health and mobility in the season ahead.
We’ll see exactly how the team handles his games and minutes this year. It would certainly be a surprise to see Embiid play back-to-backs again off the bat. The Sixers plan to have a fluid approach with Embiid as the season progresses and they see what works for his body and for the team. On head coach Nick Nurse’s 2018-19 NBA champion Raptors, Kawhi Leonard played in 60 games and zero back-to-backs.Toronto went 9-3 on the second leg of back-to-backs. The Sixers had a great year in that regard last season, going 12-4 on the second night of back-to-backs, and would be thrilled with similar results in the 2026-27 campaign as they manage their star-packed roster.
“We figured out the schedule,” Embiid said, “and what I have to do every single day to make sure I’m prepared and that I feel good. … Simon Rice, he’s been the main guy when it comes to everything. I would say probably everybody mostly gave up on me.
“He’s the one guy who kept trying to figure it out. What can we do? How can he help me? I’m really thankful because he was that one person. He’s in the background. No one is ever going to mention his name and talk about him, but he’s the guy.”
James played 60 games last season and averaged a career-low 33.2 minutes. Like with Embiid, the Sixers will care more about his playoff availability than the regular season. Of course, James has developed an exceptional understanding of how to treat his body and get through seasons over the years. He’ll turn 42 years old during the regular season and will undoubtedly have periodic rest with the postseason in mind.
Tyrese Maxey’s norm the past three years with Nurse has been enormous minutes. He played an NBA-high 38.0 per game last season. Whatever that number is for the 2026-27 season, the Sixers will expect Maxey’s minutes to be substantially less taxing with two new stars on the team in James and Brown.
Maxey logged 70 games last year, though he returned from a pinky finger injury ahead of schedule late in the season, aggravated it multiple times, and wasn’t near 100 percent in the playoffs. The two-time All-Star guard will always push to play, but it’s worth remembering that nagging, recurring injuries have impacted him before and the Sixers would obviously prefer to avoid those sorts of problems in 2026-27.
The Sixers are pleased with their depth, including second-unit summer pickups Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade, but any team can be stretched thin when injuries pile up. They’ll try to control what they can health-wise and hope for better luck than in injury-cursed years past.
The franchise was less than seven months removed from immortalizing Pat Riley, one of the last key figures of the Lakers’ “Showtime” era who hadn’t been honored with a statue up until that point (James Worthy is also deserving of a statue).
A fan signs a display of Dr. Jerry Buss after his memorial service outside the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 21, 2013. Getty Images
With Shaquille O’Neal (2017) and Kobe Bryant (2024) already having statues outside of Crypto.com Arena, it made sense for the Lakers to honor Jackson, one of the masterminds from their last dynasty in the 2000s.
And with the Lakers on the cusp of a new era and on the verge of changing majority ownership for the second time in a year, this much is clear: It’s time for the Lakers to honor the late Dr. Jerry Buss with a statue.
Buss’ worthiness of a statue doesn’t need to be argued.
He’s not only the greatest owner in NBA history but he also has a strong argument for the greatest franchise owner in sports history.
After Buss purchased the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million (the deal also included the NHL’s Kings and the Forum in Inglewood), the franchise went on a historic run before Buss died in 2013: 10 NBA titles, 16 Western Conference titles and 32 playoff appearances in 34 years.
In addition to the success off the court, Buss revolutionized the business side of the NBA in myriad ways, changing how sports franchises throughout the world present and operate their teams.
Buss was a cultural and sports icon.
And the person responsible for the Lakers being an iconic franchise who welcomed other iconic individuals — including many who will be or have been honored with a statue from the Lakers.
Now, it should be his turn.
Especially during the period the franchise is in.
After Buss was the Lakers’ majority owner for nearly 34 years, and his children were the majority owners of the franchise for another 12 years, the Lakers are in the process of being sold for the second time since last summer.
Jerry Buss is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California. WireImage
Mark Walter, the Dodgers’ controlling owner, bought the majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family in June 2025 at a then-record valuation of $10 billion.
And in the aftermath of the latest sale, five of Buss’ children (Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss) attempted to sell the family’s remaining stake of the Lakers (17.8%), but Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to block her siblings’ attempted sale of their minority ownership stake of the franchise.
With a court hearing not set until Dec. 8, the Buss family’s future with the franchise is uncertain.
And with there not being a track record of a sports franchise being led by Kushner and Iger, the franchise’s overall future is unknown.
But a great way for Kushner and Iger to ingratiate themselves with Lakers fans would be to honor the icon responsible for the empire they’re taking control of.
It would be an immortalization that’s long overdue.
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