In my life as a god-fearing, basketball-watching, Spurs-loving human being, I’m not sure I’ve ever hated a shot more than that three Victor took from the logo.

As soon as he pulled up I shouted NO. It felt like time stopped. I could sense my life flashing before my eyes. Everything good in the world was crashing down around me. The walls were crumbling. The water was rushing in. The air was sucked out of the room.

I was just so mad, you know? Like. The game was so good. I know the urge to throw around phrases like “instant classic” or “best ever” is strong in these situations. We want to contextualize something in real time against whatever has come before. Stack it up against our memories and definitively state that we were there. We witnessed it live. We knew right away. We saw the light and it was good.

I’m always trying to resist this temptation, to avoid the trap. To sidestep looking like a fool who got carried away in the moment. But, man, you could just feel it. This was different. This was another level of basketball. It was something that was perilously tiptoeing along the edge of becoming overhyped and still managing to meet, even exceed, expectations. It was just a basketball game, sure, but it was a basketball game that was taking our brains, cracking them against the counter, and scrambling them on a hot pan for almost four hours.

And he was about to ruin it.

The audacity of this manchild. He’d taken only one three all game and bricked it. He was so gassed. Legs gone. Brain gone. Sense of right and wrong, gone. Why would he do this to me? To us? The game wasn’t over but airballing a prayer of a three from Steph Curry range was going to, without a doubt, kill it. The blue shirts in the crowd would crescendo into a wall of sound that would swallow us completely. They took our best punch and it wasn’t enough. How would we come back from that? We probably wouldn’t.

It would be a shame, too, because the boys played beautifully, didn’t they? They gave almost everything you could possibly ask for. A measured but aggressive approach on the offensive end. Scoring spread across the roster. Attacking the rim. Timely jumpers. Feeding Wembanyama in the paint in all the right ways, gobbling up boards.

And defensively? Oh, it was a masterclass. You’re not going to stop a team as good as the Thunder, but the Spurs effectively neutralized them for most of the game. Shai was out of sorts. Chet was in purgatory. No one outside of Alex Caruso could conjure anything close to the magic we’re used to seeing from them. It was all going according to plan. We were going to bask in the glow of this performance for years. I could taste it.

It was slipping away, though. Little by little, the Thunder were getting off the mat. The score was closer. Then the score was tied. We suffered the indignity of Chet blocking Wemby at the buzzer. Now we had to keep playing and, sure enough, Shai was starting to find it. He was working his angles. He was finding space. He charged baseline and finished over Steph. He sliced through our defense and dunked in Wemby’s face. Everything tasted sour all of a sudden.

The ball was made of grease. We couldn’t buy a basket. Champagnie missed a three. The Thunder were off and running. Everyone looked so tired. Just absolutely spent. They had given everything they had to try and pull off this miracle and it wasn’t going to be enough. We were about to be down two possessions with under a minute. The dream was over. We hadn’t survived.

Now, I don’t know why Jalen Williams decided to give us life by taking an ill-advised contested mid-range, but it didn’t matter, because of this colossal doofus. This 7-foot-4 buffoon. This immature, foolish, arrogant boy was about to throw that gift in the trash by pulling up from a million miles out and launching a desperate prayer. What a joke. What a disaster. What an absolute tragedy.

I don’t believe in magic. I don’t believe in miracles. I don’t think there’s some kind of divine presence intervening in the trials and tribulations of sport. I won’t sit here and pretend something happened out there on the court in Oklahoma that means anything beyond the three points that went on the board after that ball fell through the hoop.

All I can report is that I felt different afterwards. The chemistry inside my body changed. Like the Ship of Theseus, I came out the other end functionally the same but radically altered on a fundamental level.

I’ve never hated a shot more than I did when Victor pulled up from the logo.

I don’t think I’ve ever loved a shot more than when Victor pulled up from the logo.

Takeaways

• Hoo boy, Spurs fans. Are we okay? Do we think we can survive a whole round of this? My mind, body, and soul are, honestly, going to be a game-time decision the rest of the way.
• I’d like to go ahead and get this on the record now: every single instance of someone saying some version of “This is the actual NBA Finals right here” puts me on edge. I don’t care how good the Spurs and Thunder are. I don’t care how good the Knicks and Cavs are. The concept of putting the cart so significantly before the horse drives me insane. Stop doing it! If we somehow manage to survive this series, we have to trundle into Madison Square Garden and topple a team that’s handed us losses repeatedly this year. We’re not allowed to pretend the regular season games against the Thunder matter if we’re going to say the regular season games against the Knicks don’t. The Cavs might also be there. (At press time, Charlie did not have any other thoughts on the Cavs. Uh, stay tuned as this story develops.)
• I think I’m okay with the Alex Caruso of it all. Like, I think we probably run that back, right? He obviously played out of his mind, and we were clearly willing to go with the strategy of “if Alex Caruso beats us then so be it.” If we needed to shut down Alex Caruso, my boy Sean Sweeney could probably dial something up, it would just likely come at the expense of stuffing Shai in a locker all night. We make that trade every time, yea? I’m not going to enjoy him bombing wide open corner threes for the next two weeks, but I’m willing to play the odds.
• The thing where Thunder fans don’t sit until they score their first basket would make me so uncomfortable if I were in that crowd. I just don’t understand the upside. If they score quickly, great, it’s over and you’re just sitting. If they go seven minutes without scoring, everyone is just standing there staring at each other making it awkward. It doesn’t affect me at all, so you know, go with God or whatever. But I do not understand it. Spurs fans are perfect and don’t do anything weird. Case closed.
• I loved the Spurs unleashing Carter Bryant on Shai every once in a while just to go get in his face and cause problems. What a delight. What a fun wrinkle! You could just feel Shai shake his head like “not this guy” every time Bryant stepped on the court. They should give a “Not This Guy” award at the end of the series, like an MVP, for whoever was the most annoying to play against. Make the trophy obnoxious. Adam Silver, you know where to find me. I have dozens of ideas like this.

WWL Post Game Press Conference

Do you have a ranking of shots that you hated?

No, I think I try to forget about the shots I hate as much as possible. I have a pretty distinct memory of hating a lot of Manu’s shots over the years but, you know, I think in his case the ends ended up justifying the means over time.

He was kind of the archetypal “No, no, no, YES” player, right?

For sure. That was like his brand.

What about the Tim Duncan three against the Suns in ’08? I’m sure you weren’t psyched about that.

See, that’s a totally different thing than the Wemby situation here. Wemby pulled up in the middle of transition with a ton of time left on the clock to, I don’t know, do something reasonable. Set up the offense. Run a play. Burn some clock. Normal things, right? I hated Wemby’s shot because it defied the logic my brain was desperately grasping onto in its dying moments. Timmy’s miracle three was born out of something else entirely. There were like four seconds left. He had to take that thing. Now, for the life of me I still have no idea why he, of all people, was standing out beyond the arc while Manu barreled into the lane, but hey. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

I thought you said you didn’t believe in a divine presence intervening in the trials and tribulations of sport.

Look, I say a lot of things. I also said my brain was scrambled on a hot pan for four hours last night, so maybe give a guy a break.

What’s the best shot of Stephen Curry’s career? There are plenty of great ones to choose from, but I’ll always be partial to his near halfcourt pull-up to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder during a 2016 regular season game. Curry already had one championship and one MVP to his name at the time, but his game-winner in OKC hinted that NBA fans were watching something truly special. Curry would go on to become the first unanimous NBA MVP in league history that season, and the Warriors would break the all-time record for most wins in a regular season with 73. We all know how it ended: LeBron James led the Cavs to a 3-1 comeback in the NBA Finals, the Warriors responded by signing Kevin Durant in free agency, and the dominos effect of that moment in time is still being felt today.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are facing the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, and to me this is the highest level of basketball the league has seen since those old Cavs-Warriors NBA Finals series before the pandemic. Game 1 was an absolute masterpiece, perhaps the defining game of the 2020s so far in what should be the defining rivalry of the 2020s for the league, if not all of American professional sports. The Spurs beat the Thunder, 122-115, in double-overtime to steal homecourt advantage right off the rip. It was a dizzying game with incredible moments on both sides, but one play stands out more than the rest.

With the Spurs trailing by three in overtime with under 30 seconds left, Victor Wembanyama jacked a transition three from way, way behind the three-point line. He drained it, the Spurs got a stop at the other end to force double OT, where they eventually won the game.

Wembanyama’s shot was eerily similar to the one Curry hit against the Thunder 10 years ago. Watch them both play out here:

Here’s an alternate angle of Wemby’s shot, via the Spurs:

Wembanyama ended the night with 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, one steal, and only three turnovers. He also played a career-high 49 minutes, and the Spurs needed every second to win the game. The Spurs are now 5-1 against the Thunder this season including the regular season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander better enjoy this second MVP award, because Wembanyama is taking the crown from him as long as he plays enough games going forward.

The Thunder got eight made threes from Alex Caruso after he shot 29 percent from three on the year, and they still couldn’t beat San Antonio. The balance of power in the NBA felt like it shifted during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder will likely respond. Every game of this series is going to be must-see.

The Philadelphia 76ers are on the clock. After parting ways with Daryl Morey, the franchise has tasked Bob Myers — President of Sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment — with running basketball operations in the interim while leading the search for a new President of Basketball Operations. Myers has set a (soft) target of having someone in place before the NBA Draft on June 23. Below is a running list of names that have been reported in connection with the job, updated as new information surfaces.

Mike Gansey, GM, Cleveland Cavaliers

Update, May 29 (Marc Stein)

Per Stein and Jake Fischer, Cleveland’s Mike Gansey is regarded as one of the leading candidates for Philadelphia’s head of basketball operations vacancy, along with Jameer Nelson.

Update, May 21 (The Athletic)

Tony Jones of The Athletic reports that Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey is “considered a strong candidate to take over for Morey, according to league sources.”

First reported by Marc Stein, May 18

Gansey has spent his entire career climbing the ladder within the Cavaliers organization, starting as a seasonal assistant in 2011 and working his way up to GM in 2022. Along the way he won G League Executive of the Year in 2017 and has been a key part of building a Cleveland team that is currently in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018. His name also surfaced in the Bulls’ search this offseason, underlining the respect he has earned around the league as one of the better young executives in the game.

Jameer Nelson, Assistant GM, Philadelphia 76ers

Update, May 29 (Marc Stein)

Per Stein and Fischer, Nelson is regarded as one of the leading candidates for Philadelphia’s head of basketball operations vacancy. There is a growing expectation around the league that Nelson will be elevated to general manager at minimum, even if he does not land the top job.

Update, May 21 (The Athletic)

Tony Jones of The Athletic reported on Thursday morning that multiple league sources indicate “that Nelson, among others, is a candidate to become the 76ers’ next president of basketball operations. He is Philadelphia’s strongest internal candidate, as he served this season as assistant general manager.” Jones added that even if Nelson doesn’t take over Daryl Morey’s role, “he is a favorite to receive a promotion, league sources say.”

First reported by Marc Stein, May 17-18

Nelson may not be considered a top candidate for the PoBO job itself, but Stein noted there has been chatter all season about an expanded role for him regardless of who is hired. Nelson is held in high regard within the organization and has been described as a rising candidate to run his own team someday.

Nick U’Ren, GM, Phoenix Mercury

Update, May 29 (Marc Stein)

Per Stein, Phoenix Mercury GM Nick U’Ren was summoned to Philadelphia in recent days for an interview with Sixers ownership for their head of basketball operations vacancy. He was not mentioned as a current leading candidate in this update.

Update, May 21 (The Athletic)

Nick U’Ren, currently the general manager for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, is “expected to interview for [Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations], according to league sources.”

First reported by Marc Stein, May 18

U’Ren spent nearly a decade with the Warriors, working under Myers as a special assistant and advanced scout before departing in 2023 to become GM of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. In his first two seasons he turned an aging roster into a WNBA Finals contender, showcasing the kind of roster-building instincts that made him a name to watch. His direct connection to Myers is clear, and the question surrounding him is simply whether he is ready to make the leap to the top job at the NBA level after such a successful turnaround in the WNBA.

Travis Schlenk, SVP of Player Personnel, Washington Wizards

First reported by Philly Inquirer, May 16

Schlenk is one of the more experienced names on this list, having spent 13 years with the Warriors where he served as assistant GM to Myers and played a significant role in building their dynasty, including being credited with identifying Draymond Green in the second round of the 2012 draft. He parlayed that into the top job with the Hawks, serving as GM and President of Basketball Operations for five seasons and leading Atlanta to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals. He joined the Wizards in 2023 in a player personnel role. Like several others on this list, his Warriors connection to Myers is likely a key reason his name has surfaced here.

Vince Rozman, VP of Identification & Intelligence, OKC Thunder

First reported by Philly Inquirer, May 16

Rozman spent 16 years with the Sixers, joining the organization under Sam Hinkie in 2013 and working his way up through various roles in basketball operations. He was heavily involved in draft preparation and was credited by both Hinkie and Morey as a key behind-the-scenes contributor. In 2022 he left Philadelphia to join Sam Presti’s staff in Oklahoma City, where he now oversees the Thunder’s draft evaluation and strategy — one of the most respected draft operations in the league. His deep familiarity with both the Sixers organization and the gold standard of modern front office building makes him one of the more intriguing names in this search.

Elton Brand, GM, Philadelphia 76ers

First reported by Philly Inquirer, May 16

Brand has been tied to the Sixers organization since his playing days, eventually transitioning into front office work and ascending to GM in 2018. He led the coaching search that landed Doc Rivers before stepping back from lead decision-making duties when Morey arrived. Rather than walking away, Brand stayed on as Morey’s top lieutenant for the entirety of his tenure. He was a candidate for the Hawks’ lead executive role last year before withdrawing from the search, suggesting there is outside interest in his abilities.

Tim Connelly, President of Basketball Operations, Minnesota Timberwolves

First reported by Marc Stein, May 17-18

Connelly has built two different franchises into contenders, assembling the core of Denver’s 2023 championship team before departing for Minnesota, where he put together back-to-back Western Conference Finals rosters. His contract with the Timberwolves is set to expire soon, which has put his name in play across multiple searches this offseason. Dallas tried and failed to land him earlier this summer, and Minnesota is expected to retain him, making him a longshot. But his track record (and blockbuster deals) speak for itself.

Trent Redden, GM, Los Angeles Clippers

First reported by Kevin O’Connor, May 19

Redden spent 12 years with the Cavaliers, rising from a scout to assistant GM and VP of basketball operations, before joining the Clippers as assistant GM in 2017. He was promoted to GM in 2023 following Michael Winger’s departure to Washington and has quickly earned a reputation as one of the sharper talent evaluators in the league. He has no direct Warriors connection to Myers, making him a bit of an outlier on this list compared to several other candidates.

Matt Lloyd, GM, Minnesota Timberwolves

First reported by Marc Stein, May 19

Lloyd got his start in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls back in 1994, beginning as a game-day employee before rising to director of college scouting under the late Jerry Krause. He later spent a decade with the Orlando Magic before joining Tim Connelly’s staff in Minnesota, where he was promoted to GM in 2024. He was a finalist for the Bulls’ lead executive job this offseason before Chicago hired Bryson Graham, and he has been viewed around the league as a top-of-the-line GM candidate for some time. His connection to Connelly makes him an interesting name given Connelly’s own ties to this search.

Onsi Saleh, GM, Atlanta Hawks

Update, May 19 (Marc Stein)

Stein reported Tuesday that the Sixers have conceded Saleh will not be available to them. Barring a significant change, it is safe to consider his name off the board.

First reported by Marc Stein, May 17-18

Saleh is widely regarded as one of the brightest young executives in the league. Before becoming the Hawks GM he spent three seasons working directly under Myers with the Warriors, giving him a direct connection to the man running Philadelphia’s search. He finished second in Executive of the Year voting in his first season running Atlanta, a testament to how quickly he has established himself and turned things around for Atlanta. He is considered a longshot given that the Hawks are unlikely to grant permission for an interview, but the fact that Myers wants to explore it speaks to how highly he is regarded.

Neil Olshey, Sixers Consultant

Update, May 19 (Marc Stein)

Marc Stein has reported this week that Neil Olshey, who has served as a Sixers consultant for the past three seasons, “is not pursuing the job and won’t be part of this Myers-led search” for a new President of Basketball Operations in Philly. Stein added that his sources say Olshey could remain with the organization in an advisory role, though.

First reported by Philly Inquirer, May 16

Olshey has one of the more decorated resumes in this search, having served as GM of the Clippers during their Lob City era before taking over as GM of the Trail Blazers, where he drafted Damian Lillard and built one of the more consistent playoff teams of the last decade. He was fired in 2021 following an investigation into a hostile work environment, which remains a legitimate concern for any organization considering him. He has been a Sixers consultant since 2023 and is considered to have a close relationship with Myers, which is likely what keeps his name in the conversation.

Most important day of the Knicks season is here, fellas.

As will be the case again on Thursday, Saturday, and all the way every other day through mid-June.

Feels good.

Mike Brown

On the Cavaliers’ four All-Stars:

“Back in the day, when I was with (Gregg Popovich), he said, ‘You need three All-Stars to win a championship.’ Well, they’ve got four, James being the fourth one has added a dimension to their team that not many teams have. Not many teams can say, ‘Hey, we got four All-Stars on our roster.’ And that fourth guy in James is a playmaker and a scorer, so he presents a problem when you have that, and Donovan Mitchell and everybody else, and then they have the shooting.

“It’s a different team, and [Harden] makes it different because of the experience that he has, especially in the playoffs and in big moments. And being a Hall of Fame-caliber player.”

On the need for setting the tone early in Game 1:

“You always want to hit first, second, third and obviously last. Trying to do that is gonna be big. We’ve talked about it before with the starts of our games. Our guys have done a better job in the playoffs.”

On managing rest vs. rust heading into the series:

“You worry about all those things. But at the end of the day, we’ve had a chance to rest, too; and they’ve had to play 14 games in 29, 30 days. So it could go either way. You just hope that when we step out there, our competitive spirit is at an extremely high level and you don’t ease into the game at all, because they’re a dangerous offensive team. They’re very potent with their shooters and playmakers. And they have size and toughness and all that. So there’s a lot of things to worry about. But that’s why it’s good that you’ve got to go play the games.”

On making Cleveland’s stars work defensively:

“We have to put pressure on them in all phases: starting with transition and ending with the ability to offensive rebound. You want to make all of their guys, especially guys who play-make and do a lot for them — you want to make them work as much as you can, but that’s not gonna be our focal point. The focal point is to take the best possible shot that we can get because it’s hard to score in the playoffs. But we do want to make those guys work, starting with transition. So we have to be conscious of trying to play the right way against this group.”

On facing Kenny Atkinson in the conference finals:

“We know each other well from our time in Golden State together. He’s a great person and obviously a really good coach.

“We probably gained more knowledge of how we’re coaching our teams based on the times we played against each other this year more than in the past.

“Kenny’s done a phenomenal job. He’s got those guys playing at a high level. To sit back and watch those guys take both their series to seven games and find the resiliency to win just shows how experienced that team is when it comes to the playoffs. There’s no panic in them, starting with Kenny on down.

Josh Hart

On New York City’s choices:

“Did they put street signs up this year?”

On internal expectations entering the series:

“For us, in that locker room, we’re just locked-in on being there every single game, making sure we’re continuing to get better and we’re a finished product at the end. So I don’t know anything about the bar being raised or expectations or anything like that. The expectations that we have for ourselves as a team or individual are always high. But we always want the fans to have some fun, man.”

On lessons from last year’s playoff collapse:

“Obviously in the playoffs you never want to give away games that you should win. You can never relax. Especially the style that the NBA is played now; you see 10-, 15-, 20-point leads dwindle in four, five minutes. So it’s just that mentality of, it’s never over. Play until there are zeros on the clock. You can’t give the games away.”

On the nine-day break before the conference finals:

“Obviously would rather not have a nine-day break. You’re in a good rhythm and then obviously you’ve got to sit there and wait and those kind of things. Ideally, a three- or four-day break, that’d be nice. It’s good points and bad points.”

On Madison Square Garden’s atmosphere:

“They always come out and show love. Definitely the best atmosphere in the league.”

On guarding Donovan Mitchell again after doing so in 2023:

“I don’t think I learned anything about myself. I’m a good player. I’m a good defender. And as a competitor, you want to have tough matchups like that to compete against the best. He’s an extremely talented offensive player. He takes tough shots, but he has the talent and the ability to make those tough shots.”

Jalen Brunson

On learning from last year’s Eastern Conference Finals loss:

“I mean, I’ve thought about it. But like every journey, every year is different. You’ve got to kind of restart and reset. Yes, you learn from it. You’re very disappointed in the result. But you move forward.

“I think it happened this year as well when we played Atlanta. We let our foot off the gas; even in Game 1, we won, but also in Game 2, we lost. So, it’s something that we need to continue to get better at. And I think we have. But we can’t be satisfied.”

On respecting Donovan Mitchell before the series:

“I have the utmost respect for him. Got to know him really since my first year, we had mutual friends. The dude works really hard, loves the game. I think he approaches it the right way, so I have a lot of respect for him.”

On Cleveland’s challenge in the conference finals:

“That’s a tough team, very well coached, a lot of guys over there with playoff experience. They’re going to be a tough out.”

On James Harden’s impact on Cleveland’s offense:

“He’s able to create a lot of offense for them. It’s like a pressure release for Donovan, as well. Donovan does so much for the team and then you have James in there and you have a whole other person you have to worry about, so they have so many different weapons, so many different options and ways they can beat you. They’re really dynamic.”

Kenny Atkinson (Cavs Head Coach)

On returning to Madison Square Garden for the conference finals:

“I’m a New Yorker. Going back to the Garden, I worked for the Knicks and I know everybody there. I have a ton of family, my whole family is there, basically. It’s special.”

On facing the Knicks in the conference finals:

“They’re rested and they’re a juggernaut right now. It’s hard to blow out teams in the playoffs like they’ve been blowing out teams. Point differential means something in this league.

“They’re playing great basketball, but we’ve got to try to go in there and steal Game 1 somehow.”

Carmelo Anthony

On believing the Knicks are the most complete team in the East:

“The Knicks is the most complete team in the East. All the s*** that people was talking about, and I kept telling y’all fans. Chill out. Relax. Stay Melo.”

On predicting a Finals appearance:

“I like the Knicks in the finals. This is the year that I think the Knicks get to the finals.”

Zohran Mamdani

On the rising ticket prices during the Knicks’ playoff run:

“We have seen sports become more and more of a luxury commodity, and that is not what it always used to be. I am still confident and hopeful of a championship this year. I do wish, however, that all of these tickets were far more affordably priced.”

“I think that there are many New Yorkers for whom the game is something that is celebrated across the entire city. When the Knicks do well, you feel it across this whole city. And it’s not just for those who can afford to go to the game.”

Alan Hahn

On the Knicks’ current level of play:

“I think this is the best I’ve ever seen them. I’ve been covering them for over 20 years in various ways. I’ve never seen them play an offense like this consistently. What they’ve done in the playoffs in this transformation with how they played, it’s remarkable. Of course, you need to see more proof of it as a series gets deeper. As you go deeper, it gets harder, right? But when in the playoffs do you see teams consistently blowing out their opponents in the first two rounds and not say that’s a championship-level team?”

On the Cleveland matchup compared to Detroit:

“That’s the one thing. It’s hard not to look at their struggles against Detroit and Detroit seems to just have a different kind of level against the Knicks. They really didn’t get over losing to the Knicks in the first round and you could see that in every game they played this year. They just had a different type of intensity, almost to a point where even the Knicks were like, ‘Whoa, whoa, it’s January. What are you guys doing?’ I would never say that Cleveland’s easier. But I think matchup-wise, it’s way more intriguing because it’s two really good offensive teams. So how do you solve them defensively is going to be the biggest story in this series.”

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

We had an incredible series opener out West last night — what will be in store for us when the ECF begins tonight between the Knicks and Cavaliers?

Our basketball experts weigh in on how Game 1 will go with their favorite NBA picks for tonight's matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Cavaliers vs Knicks Expert Picks Tonight

Pick	Odds
Jon Metler: Brunson o6.5 assists	+120
Jason Logan: CLE 1Q +2	-115
Joe Osborne: NYK -7	-115

Odds courtesy of bet365.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Jalen Brunson Over 6.5 assists

Price: +120 at bet365

Nobody is happier that the Cavaliers won Game 7 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals than Jalen Brunson, because now he gets to face much weaker point-of-attack defense instead of the menace that is Ausar Thompson.

Brunson won’t even need many screens to initiate offense and create shots for his teammates; he can break down this defense off the bounce on his own while also putting significant pressure on the drop coverage of Jarrett Allen, which should create even more potential assist opportunities.

One angle I really love for Game 1 is the scheduling spot: The New York Knicks have had several days off, while the Cavaliers are coming off a grueling seven-game series with only one day of rest. That should also lead to plenty of transition opportunities for Brunson to attack a fatigued Cleveland defense and generate easy assists. This prop is trading at +120, but I price it closer to -145.

Jason Logan's expert pick: Cavaliers 1Q +2

Price: -115 at bet365

The Knicks have been chilling for some time now, having last played on May 10. While that rest edge works in New York’s advantage over the course of the series, it could leave the Knicks flat in the first 12 minutes of Game 1.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, are coming off a do-or-die Game 7 win on Sunday and bring that mentality and momentum into MSG. Cleveland is playing its best basketball, having won four of its last five, while (more importantly) proving it can win on the road in the playoffs.

I’m not sure what the full 48 minutes bring for Cleveland, but I like the Cavs to come out swinging in Game 1 and cover the first-quarter spread.

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Knicks -7

Price: -115 at bet365

The Knicks are in a very similar spot to their Game 1 matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, when they caught a visiting team coming off an emotional (and unlikely) Game 7 road win — and rolled to a 39-point victory.

Statistically, New York has been the best team in the playoffs so far, leading the postseason in net rating. Since Game 4 of their first-round series, the Knicks are 7-0 with an absurd average margin of victory of 26.4 points. The long layoff is worth noting, but if any team welcomes it... it's New York, after breaking down physically the past few seasons. This team is fresh and ready to come out aggressively tonight.

More Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 1 picks

• Cavaliers vs. Knicks  Game 1 prediction
• Cavaliers vs. Knicks  Game 1 props
• Cavaliers vs. Knicks  Game 1 computer picks
• Jalen Brunson picks for Game 1
• Free NBA picks
• Best NBA betting sites

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

RJ Luis is reportedly back in college basketball.

According to multiple reports, the former St. John's guard and 2025 Big East Player of the Year has reportedly agreed to sign with Will Wade and LSU in Baton Rouge for the 2026-27 men's college basketball season.

Luis, who has been out of college basketball for over a year, is currently ineligible to play for the Tigers after he signed a two-way NBA contract with the Utah Jazz and an Exhibit 10 deal with the Boston Celtics after going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft.

REQUIRED READING: Yam Madar, a 25-year-old former Celtics draft pick, commits to LSU basketball | Report

The 6-foot-7 guard played for Rick Pitino at St. John's for two seasons and was one of the top guards in the Big East. In his junior season with the Red Storm, Luis led the team to a No. 2 seed in the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament and a Big East Tournament title. He earned a second-team All-American nod after averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Here's what to know on Luis' eligibility status and situation at LSU:

Is RJ Luis eligible to play at LSU?

As things stand right now, no, Luis is not eligible to play for LSU in the 2026-27 season, as he has signed an NBA contract.

Luis also isn’t the first player to navigate this kind of eligibility challenge after giving up his college status and signing an NBA contract, though. The final decision in Charles Bediako’s eligibility case at Alabama offers a meaningful indicator of how Luis’ situation could unfold.

After initially receiving a temporary restraining order to play for the Crimson Tide, Bediako had it reversed by Tuscaloosa County Judge Daniel Pruet in February. Bediako had declared for the NBA draft in 2023 and went undrafted, leading him to sign a G-League contract and play 82 games across three seasons in the G-League.

He played in five games for the Crimson Tide before his restraining order was reversed. Due to the wording of Bediako's initial TRO, the NCAA was unable to make Alabama forfeit the games in which Bediako played. The Crimson Tide made the NCAA tournament as a 4-seed, losing to eventual national champion Michigan in the Sweet 16.

It is worth noting SEC commissioner Greg Sankey asked the court to rule against Bediako and Alabama.

According to Sports Illustrated, the NCAA sent out a memo last week to reaffirm its position that it will not reinstate eligibility to those that have "entered an agreement with, competed on or received compensation from" NBA teams.

NCAA eligibility rules for NBA signees

Here is what NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement amid Bediako's eligibility case in December:

"The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract). As schools are increasingly recruiting individuals with international league experience, the NCAA is exercising discretion in applying the actual and necessary expenses bylaw to ensure that prospective student-athletes with experience in American basketball leagues are not at a disadvantage compared to their international counterparts. Rules have long permitted schools to enroll and play individuals with no prior collegiate experience midyear."

Wade has slowly built his roster at LSU after being hired away from North Carolina State on March 26, with all nine of the Tigers' remaining players from their 2025-26 roster entering the transfer portal. The Tigers have since landed Kentucky forward Mouhamed Dioubate, Michigan State guard Divine Ugochukwi, Kansas State guard Abdi Bashir Jr. and UTSA guard Austin Nunez in the transfer portal.

LSU also reportedly landed Israeli guard Yam Madar, a 2020 NBA Draft pick by the Celtics, on May 18.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RJ Luis commits to LSU - what NCAA says about NBA signees' eligibility

The Cleveland Cavaliers are four games away from the NBA Finals. Here’s how they can get ‘em.

1. Clean the Glass

Everyone remembers 2023. If you don’t, I’ll quickly remind you.

The Cavs were thumped 4-1 by the New York Knicks in this core’s first playoff run together. Primarily, the Cavs found themselves being thrashed on the offensive glass.

A lot has changed since then.

For starters, the Knicks have traded out some bruising rebounders like Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein, and RJ Barrett for more finesse-oriented players such as Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby. That hasn’t made them a bad rebounding team by any means (they’re still an elite defensive rebounding team), but it’s changed them from being a grit-and-grind squad to a team that relies on skill. They don’t live and die on offensive boards as much as they did in the past.

Cleveland, meanwhile, has made plenty of changes of their own. Both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have come a long way since taking those lumps and have turned in the best two rounds of their postseason careers. And, players like James Harden and Max Strus give the Cavs a better chance at gang-rebounding than either Darius Garland or Cedi Osman provided back in 2023.

Yeah, like I said, a lot has changed. But some things stay the same. Winning the possession battle will be a key here.

The Knicks rank 5th in offensive rebounding percentage out of 16 teams to reach the playoffs this season. This is still one of their strengths. As for the Cavs, they’re just 14th in defensive rebounding percentage — meaning they’ve been getting beat on the glass for most of the postseason.

That could spell trouble. Though it’s worth noting that Detroit ranked 2nd in offensive rebounding for the season, while Toronto was 13th. The Knicks had a much more favorable route from this perspective, facing the 76ers (10th in offensive rebounding rate) and the Hawks (20th).

The final dose of context here is that Cleveland actually ranks first in offensive rebounding among 16 playoff teams. For all they might give up defensively, they’ve made up for it by pounding the other side of the glass.

The Cavs have grown since their last meeting with the Knicks, and they have since beaten two opponents who are more similar to the ‘23 Knicks than the current New York team is from a stylistic standpoint. Still, all of this will be put to the ultimate test in the ECF.

2. Feed the Bigs

If you think the Cavs are at their best when they feed the bigs, then you and Dan Gilbert are on the same page. Gilbert had dinner with Kenny Atkinson before Game 7 against the Pistons and reminded him of how important Jarrett Allen is to the team’s success.

In other words, Dan is a Fro truther.

I can’t blame him. It’s always felt like ‘Cavalier basketball’ was synonymous with the two bigs dominating on the inside. Allen’s dominant showings in both Game 7s this postseason are a great example of this. The pressure he puts on the rim can break the back of any opponent if the Cavs guards keep them involved.

Obviously, it’s more complicated than this. Opponents can shrink the floor and effectively remove the pick-and-roll from Cleveland if they have the personnel. We saw both Detroit and Toronto succeed at blitzing these actions and keeping the Cavs from consistently tapping into their full potential.

I’m not sure if New York has the bodies to replicate this.

Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are worth worrying about. Mikal Bridges, depending on his screen navigation, can cause problems too. But Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are walking bullseyes. The Cavs have not had two targets more ripe for picking in screening actions.

Towns isn’t mobile enough to switch onto the perimeter. He’s also not the best drop defender in the world, either. Add that Brunson is prone to dying on screens, and the Knicks will be working hard to keep those two from ever being in the same defensive sequence together. The Cavs, of course, will try to make that happen as often as possible.

Above all of this — New York’s rim protection is questionable, at best. Opponents have shot above 70% at the rim in the playoffs versus the Knicks, which is the fourth-highest percentage out of 16 teams. The Cavs, led by Allen and Mobley, are the third-best rim-finishing team in the postseason. This could be a massive advantage for Cleveland in this series.

On the other end, New York is sixth in rim accuracy and first in rim frequency. Meaning, the Cavs will have their hands full, too. Though I think the Allen/Mobley frontcourt is more equipped to handle this than anyone in Atlanta or Philly (with all due respect).

Winning on the glass is one thing. But being the more forceful and impactful frontcourt is another. The Cavs bigs have a chance to own both paints. The more they seize control of the interior, the better chance Cleveland has at reaching the NBA Finals.

3. Donovan Mitchell’s Balance

Our final key could be the biggest one. What version of Donovan Mitchell appears in the ECF?

Mitchell can score in bunches; that much has been proven. He’s had some of the most prolific scoring games in playoff history. But those haven’t always translated to winning. And, that approach hasn’t been sustainable for long playoff runs. Mitchell is more likely to burn bright and quick than he is to go the distance with that score-first mentality.

That’s why the Cavs need him to strike the proper balance between passing and scoring. It all comes down to decision-making.

Mitchell has to make reads on the fly. Is the help overcommitting? Make the right pass, even if it’s not going to lead directly to an assist. Hitting those ‘singles’ and letting the offense flow from there is crucial. Otherwise, things can get jammed up in a hurry.

The Cavs beat Detroit in Game 7 largely behind Mitchell’s processing speed as a passer. This isn’t his greatest strength, but it’s a muscle he’s been able to occasionally flex. He has strong playmaking chops when he makes an effort to act like a point guard. Taking on that role, for long stretches at a time, will ensure the Cavs offense can keep up with anything New York does.

Mitchell’s time to score will come. Every game will have a moment that calls for him to become assertive. In Game 7 versus the Pistons, it was the third quarter when the rim pressure from Cleveland’s bigs, combined with Sam Merrill’s hot shooting, opened the floor for Mitchell to score 15 of his 26 points in the closeout game.

Being process-oriented means making the right play at every turn. That requires patience and a trust that the correct process will eventually break the dam on any given night. Mitchell will have to take this approach if he wants this team to advance to another round.

Neither Dusty May nor the Michigan fanbase have completely ruled out another season of Morez Johnson Jr., whose name remains in the NBA Draft. However, after testing incredibly well at the NBA Combine, and based on various outlets’ draft projections, it feels likely the Wolverines will need to look elsewhere for that final roster spot for the 2026-27 season.

Let’s take a quick look and see where Johnson is at on big boards and mock drafts:

Bleacher Report: No. 17

Jonathan Wasserman had this to say on Johnson, whom he compared to the Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart:

“MorezJohnson could have only helped himself at the NBA combine. After measuring 6’9″ barefoot, 250 pounds with a 7’3.5″ wingspan, he surprised with 17-of-25 makes in the three-point star drill, got up for a 39.5″ max vertical and one of the top lane agility times.

NBA teams understand his offensive limitations, but they also value what he does well and believe that physicality, finishing, defensive versatility and motor are sure to translate.

He could wind up earning lottery consideration if he continues to shoot well during workouts.“

Tankathon: No. 18

NBC Sports: No. 19

Kurt Helin, who has Johnson paired up with the Toronto Raptors at 19, said, “Morez helped his cause at the NBA Draft Combine, showcasing a combination of size (6’9″ with an 8’11” reach) and athleticism (a 39-inch vertical leap). He also shot well from 3 at the combine, something he didn’t get to show at Michigan. Johnson is a high-energy player who was one of the locker room leaders of a national champion; he’ll fit in with whatever is being built in Toronto.“

USA Today: No. 20

Mark Giannotto has the San Antonio Spurs selecting Johnson at 20. Along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, this feels like an ideal landing spot for Johnson (and anyone really) to develop his skills before transitioning into a more relied-upon player.

CBS Sports Best Available: No. 21

ESPN Best Available: No. 26

Additionally, 247Sports’ Zach Shaw had this to add regarding Johnson’s showing at the NBA Combine:

“A case could be made that Johnson elevated his draft stock more than any other player at the NBA Draft Combine. Scouts likely were impressed by Johnson’s toughness, physicality and aggression on both sides of the court before the combine thanks to his strong season at Michigan, but there aren’t too many players with wingspans greater than 7-foot-3, weighing more than 250 pounds and posting testing results like a 10.59-second lane agility time, a 39-inch vertical leap and 17 of 25 3-pointers. Most of the players who do check those boxes aren’t on rookie contracts, but max ones.”

You could argue that without having a lottery guarantee, Johnson could benefit from another year with May and turn into a surefire lottery selection next summer. But even if he expanded his offensive repertoire and continued to wreak havoc on the glass and the defensive end, he will probably never fit the mold of a No. 1 scorer or upper-echelon draft prospect.

Additionally, consistently landing in the Top 20 of these mocks should make this a relatively easy decision for Johnson and his camp. The overwhelming odds are this point are that Johnson will stay in the draft and leave college basketball on top of the mountain as a national champion.

For years, the joke amongst Lakers fans has been that good shooters come to LA and immediately forget how to make threes. The list of 3-point marksmen who have donned the purple and gold and became Rajon Rondo-esque shooters is a lengthy one.

Fortunately for this year’s Lakers, Luke Kennard bucked that trend. Technically, his shooting did drop from the ridiculous 49.7% he shot with the Hawks to a measly 44.8% in LA. He found a role under head coach JJ Redick and became a vital role player for the team before the playoffs even began.

Thrust into his new role in the postseason, he responded with one of the best games of his life against the Rockets, creating a special moment for both him and the Lakers. While the rest of his playoffs were up and down, it was still a memorable time in purple and gold.

After the season, Kennard spoke about his season with the Lakers and how it differed from his previous eight seasons.

“When I first got traded here, it was, ‘How can I make an impact?’,” Kennard said. “Like I want to make an impact. I want to go win and be a part of something special. I think just playing for the Lakers and playing with some of the greats of the game, you don’t take it for granted. I sure didn’t and it’s an honor and I’m blessed to be in the position that I was in.

“I think for me as a player, just to be a part of an organi organization like this is something special. You see it firsthand…I’ve been honored and been blessed to be a part of this organization.”

Kennard is set for free agency this year, so it could be a brief cameo with the team. If it is, it was a memorable one. On top of his out-of-body experience in Game 1, he also knocked down a game-winner against the Magic during the team’s incredible March run.

After spending multiple seasons with the Clippers, it’s nice that Kennard got to play with the real team in Los Angeles. He certainly had more memorable moments in his three months with the Lakers than he did in two-and-a-half seasons with the Other Team.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

When Jayson Tatum returned to TD Garden 298 days after rupturing his achilles tendon, the unprecedented return generated one of the loudest moments you’ll ever hear from the Garden faithful. 

A putback dunk, a corner three, and a crowd just waiting to go berserk. It was a defining moment to an already illustrious career: a testament to his strength, both mental and physical, as the Celtics added the one major piece that could propel them into the contender’s conversation. 

That optimism ran through the rest of the regular season, which saw Tatum steadily regain his form as one of the game’s premier two-way talents. Even as the postseason ended on a sour, collapsing note with Tatum cautiously sidelined with the season down to its final lifeline, it’s hard not to look at the bigger picture of Tatum’s 2025-26 return, and just how miraculous his comeback was. 

The Regular SeasonReturn 

Tatum’s first two games back against Dallas and Cleveland showed an understandable level of rust, but it was his 24-point effort in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs where we saw his takeover tendencies begin to reshape. His point totals went from 15 to 20 to 24 in those first games back, and his 15-point, 12-rebound statline against the Mavericks was one of 10 double-doubles in his 16 regular season games. 

It took some time for Tatum to develop confidence in certain respects, particularly firing pull-up threes around the screen and finishing hard at the rim, but certain areas of his game didn’t skip a beat. He was immediately one of the league’s most impactful defensive rebounders, an exceptional playmaker with an ever-expanding grasp of how his gravity opens up the game for others, and he became more and more confident as a scorer as his minutes increased. 

As a rim-finisher, his 69% finishing within 3 feet was the first time under 70% since his first All-Star season in 2019-20. He did however shoot a career-best 46% from 10-16 feet during his 16-game sample, topping his previous best of 44% from his rookie year. 

Things came together in his last six games, where he averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists on 45/37/78 splits. In Charlotte, he scored a season-best 32 points on 52% shooting, following it up three days later with a 25/18/11 triple-double in a 147-129 beatdown over Miami. 

For the regular season, he averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 41% from the field and 33% from three. 

Postseason Promise, and Postseason Pain 

Out of the gate, Jayson’s Game 1 performance was as well-rounded an outing as you’re going to find in his playoff career. He dropped an efficient 25 points, grabbed 11 boards for another double-double, and finished with 7 assists with just a single turnover to his name during a blowout 123-91 win. 

Even as Philly’s offense caught fire from three in the second quarter of Game 2, Tatum’s performance was trending in the right direction to keep Boston within striking distance, though he shot just 3-of-9 from the field in the second half while the team as a whole was just 35% as the 76ers ran away with it to tie the series at 1-1. 

In their next two games, we saw him deliver two elite second halves, first in a clutch win in Game 3, where he drilled two massive threes late and hit four of his five fourth-quarter shots to send Philly off their home floor with a 108-100 defeat. Tatum and Jaylen Brown both scored 25 points in that game and stepped up as they hit the 5-under-5 mark with a scrappy Embiid-less 76ers team. If there’s a game to rewatch with fond memories this postseason, it’s this one. 

In Game 4, he bounced back from a 1-of-7 shooting start with 25 second-half points as Boston again blew out the 76ers, knocking down seven of his nine shots and five of his six 3-point tries. He finished the 128-96 win with 30 points and 11 assists, putting Boston just a game away from advancing to what would have been an Eastern Conference Semifinals rematch with the Knicks. 

But things quickly fell apart. 

Both Games 5 and 6 were double-digit defeats, the first a particularly tough pill to swallow as Boston let a 13-point third quarter lead slip away as the 76ers muddled their offense and relied on the interior dominance of Embiid to come back and win. 

Boston relied heavily on the Jays just to maintain that third quarter lead, with the two stars scoring 19 of the team’s 29 points in that period, though neither managed a single bucket during a horrid fourth quarter that saw Boston shoot 14% from the field while a potential series-clincher slipped away. 

Game 6 was an even worse experience, trading a blown lead for a near wire-to-wire loss led by a combined 53 points between Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Tatum had rare positive efficiency in the game, though on just 6-of-13 shooting for 17 points to go with 11 rebounds. 

The worrying defeat set Boston up for what would be their first blown 3-1 lead in franchise history, a game in which Tatum was put on the injury report shortly before tip-off. 

It wasn’t up to Tatum to sit for Game 7 with what was called left knee stiffness, but his absence was felt, even as the Celtics put themselves in position to win during a stunning 109-100 season-closing loss. 

A Look Ahead 

A full, healthy offseason awaits Jayson Tatum this summer, a major victory despite a bitter end to a season of overachievement. 

With a step back to look at the full picture, Tatum’s return was in itself a major milestone, but how he played in that return further displayed how moldable his playstyle is for a player of his caliber, slotting right into an ecosystem of mostly new rotation players that had the Celtics fighting for homecourt advantage in the playoffs. 

That smooth ride didn’t stop when Tatum worked himself back into his usual role as a showrunner, and early in the first round, it truly felt like we were seeing Tatum back at full strength. 

But his workload was perhaps too big to place on someone who had a little over a month to acclimate to essentially a new team from the one he last led. 

Next year’s roster will see some changes, but however big or small they end up being, one constant is Tatum getting a full offseason to ramp up with that group. What was once considered a career-killing injury now has an example in Jayson that a return to play is possible within the next season, a concept that felt truly foreign in the days following his devastating injury. 

Tatum’s story faced the most difficult chapter of his career, but the page has turned, the future feels bright, and the Celtics will have their franchise player ready to go for opening night next October.

With the 2025-26 season long since in the books, let’s take a few moments to look back at the performance of each member of YOUR Marquette Golden Eagles this year. While we’re at it, we’ll also take a look back at our player previews and see how our preseason prognostications stack up with how things actually played out. We’ll run through the roster in order of total minutes played going from lowest to highest, and today we talk about a freshman who we got to see more of than maybe we expected this season……

Adrien Stevens

Freshman — #10 — Guard — 6’4” — 210 lbs. — Potomac, Maryland

* — Notes a Top 500 national ranking per KenPom.com
** — Notes a Top 300 national ranking per KenPom.com

WHAT WE SAID:

Reasonable Expectations

I want to start this with what the BartTorvik.com projections say for Stevens, because we’re going to get out of pocket as to what his ceiling this season might be pretty quickly. Okay? So, listen. The Torvik algorithm says that, based on the other abilities and histories of the returning players and how the freshmen fit in around them when taking the average production of a player with the same recruiting rankings into account, that maybe we’ll see Adrien Stevens for seven minutes a game this year.

That’s rounding up on what 17% of 40 minutes is, and that’s what he’s projected to do. Seven minutes, 2.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, maybe an assist.

Think about it: He’s probably not going to be playing a lot of point guard in place of Sean Jones or Nigel James, right? So, that means he’s fighting for playing time at the 2, maybe the 3. Chase Ross is absolutely starting in one of those places, and then there’s Zaide Lowery and Damarius Owens to try to figure out the other spot. After that, there’s fellow freshmen Ian Miletic and Michael Phillips to compete with for minutes. You can see why the algorithm isn’t 100% fired up about Stevens as a major contributor here.

Now, there’s a certain amount of reason to believe that Stevens is going to play more than this season, and we’re going to talk about those reasons in the Get Excited section. I think those are valid reasons to at least believe that Stevens is going to play more than seven minutes a night. How much more? Well, we’ll have to wait and see, but…. okay, let’s just get into it, shall we?

Why You Should Get Excited

I’m going to wander back to Ben Steele’s report in the Journal Sentinel from Marquette’s open practice at the end of July.

[But the biggest freshman eye-opener was Stevens, the 6-foot-4 guard who was not afraid to mix it up defensively. He led the team in deflections over the summer, a sure way to get playing time for Smart, and also in total wins in all the drills that MU coaches track.]

Led the team. Not the freshmen, the team. Not just in deflections, but in wins in drills, however that’s counted from drill to drill.

Shaka Smart, talking to the media about what they saw from Stevens in the practice:

[“He’s got some real toughness and physicality and a great body for a freshman,” Smart said. “He can get his hands on the ball.

“He’s really done a good job, particularly in the second half of the summer, buying into the advantages for him that he can press on a daily basis. Heat on the ball. Physicality on the ball. Getting his hands on the basketball. And being someone that, even though he is a freshman, uses his body to his advantage.”]

Chase Ross, who knows a thing or two about making a steal here and there:

[“I hope Stevie don’t watch this, but I think (Stevens) can be (as good) if not better than Stevie,” Ross said. “And y’all seen what Stevie did last year.”]

Okay, so. Expecting First 30 Games Of College Basketball Adrien Stevens to instantly be better than Last 34 Games Of A 135 Game Career Stevie Mitchell is a bit much. I’m going to presume that Ross’ point was that Stevens’ ceiling is ultimately higher than Mitchell’s. Down the road. Eventually.

buuuuuuut also Stevie Mitchell had a steal rate of 3.6% as a freshman according to KenPom.com, and if he had the minutes to qualify, that would have been top 90 in the country. The way to get on the court for Shaka Smart is to play defense. It seems very clear that doing that is not going to be a problem for Adrien Stevens. The question is what his freshman year ceiling is on that end of the floor, and if he’s the guy leading the team in deflections over the summer AND Chase Ross thinks he has a brighter future than Stevie Mitchell on defense….. well. I’m very curious to see what we get from Stevens in 2025-26.

Potential Pitfalls

A whole summer’s worth of being the most pesky defender and biggest drill winner is indicative of Stevens’ abilities relative to his teammates. That’s probably a sign that things are going to work out for him. If he’s beating out the rest of the team, then that should push him towards minutes, right?

The flipside of that coin is that he’s putting up these deflection numbers and drill wins against his teammates. That’s not the competition that he has to be able to defend to actually get minutes, and the fact of the matter is that we’ve seen guys look interesting and possibly successful in the open practices/scrimmages before and then they don’t quite pan out to a notable role on the team, or even come close to what we thought was their best case scenario. Getting familiar with your teammates’ abilities and finding ways to beat them over and over again in summer practices isn’t a perfect indicator of success, and if Stevens can’t get it done against Indiana and Maryland in the third and fifth games of this coming season, it might be a minute before we see him again.

Part of the reason Shaka Smart said the things about Stevens that we listed up above is because that’s what he saw from him in his high school and club circuit games, not just what he did this summer. That should be encouraging, but until we see the rubber hit the road in November, we have to acknowledge the possibility that maybe this doesn’t quite work out this year.

As we sit here in May looking back at the 32 games of Adrien Stevens’ freshman year at Marquette, it’s easy to declare what we saw from him to be an unqualified success. That’s almost assuredly where we are going to end up when get to his season grade, but the fact of the matter is that up until the point where head coach Shaka Smart swapped Stevens into the starting lineup, he appeared to mostly just be “a freshman who was able to take on playing time right away.”

Through Marquette’s first nine games, Stevens played in all of them, landing mostly somewhere between 14 and 20 minutes with a surprise 30 minute outing in Game #9. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, and he was shooting just 32.3% from behind the three-point line. That three-point shooting was cratering his overall shooting percentage because Stevens was finishing at the rim really well — 7-for-11 on twos through nine games — but he had taken nearly three times as many shots behind the arc than inside of it. That 64% on twos wasn’t enough to make his overall shooting look better than 41%.

This was fine. Tell me in the comments if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember anyone clamoring for a lot more Adrien Stevens than we were getting at that point. Perhaps immediately at that moment as Zaide Lowery managed to go 0-for-7 in 15 minutes against Valparaiso and after three missed layups in the first two minutes of the second half, Lowery didn’t play again in that game and was, in retrospect, officially on his way out of the program. I can see why right at that exact moment, there may have been a “well, it’s time to let Stevens have all of Lowery’s minutes” thought, but it wasn’t a prevailing and insistent idea. Again, tell me if I’m wrong, but there’s nothing about Stevens’ 5/2/1/1 and 32% three-point shooting that said “yes, please, much more.” To make matters worse? Marquette’s defense was actually better with Stevens on the bench. The net differential between offense and defense was about the same with or without him, but through the first nine games, ignoring garbage time, the defense was better with Stevens on the bench. That’s not really a knock on a freshman in his first nine games, just saying what the numbers say, and if his defense was his calling card coming out of the summer workouts, that’s a problem.

And so, as Zaide Lowery’s departure from the program began, it was Stevens that benefitted. This may be because Smart and his staff couldn’t bring themselves to trust Damarius Owens at that point of the campaign as we discussed in his review. Going into the year, I would have figured that Stevens would be fighting with Lowery and Owens for minutes, and as we hit the 10th game of the season, neither of the other two guys had the backing of the coaching staff. That meant it was time to see if Stevens could hack it…. and I think it worked out pretty well.

Once Adrien Stevens became a starter, it seems like the more regular playing time helped him settle into playing Division 1 basketball. Over the final 23 games of the season, Stevens averaged 9.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. His three-point shooting went through the roof, connecting on 39% of his nearly five attempts per game the rest of the year, and in 20 games of Big East competition, he hit on nearly 42% of his tries. That made him the fifth most accurate shooter in the entire conference based on KenPom.com’s qualifying math. Stevens was still taking more than twice as many three-pointers as two-pointers, but since he was taking more twos, his shooting percentage did come down…. to 56%, and that is absolutely better than fine when mixed with nearly 40% three-point shooting. Even his 54% in BE competition was okay because anything over 50% is super when you can hit 42% of your three-pointers.

The other part about all of it is that Stevens started becoming a big impact player on both ends of the floor. For the final 23 games of the season, Marquette was +13.6 points per 100 possessions with Stevens in the game according to Hoop Explorer….. and -2.0 with him on the bench. Stevens boosted Marquette by nearly seven points per 100 trips on offense and nearly nine points per 100 possessions on defense. I don’t know if we can quite click it over to calling the defense elite with Stevens on the court as they were averaging 100.4 per 100 possessions…. but HE says that was #37 in the country. Again, that’s probably not good enough to be elite, but you’re going to win a lot of ball games as a top 40 defense.

If we slice it down to just the final 13 games of the year, from the overtime win over Providence forward, the part of the year where we can say that Marquette looked like a competent Big East caliber team:

+20.8 per 100 possessions with Stevens playing
+6.4 without him

More importantly here though, Marquette was better on both ends with Stevens in the game. Good on offense — #59 in the country — but elite on defense. Just 98.4 points per 100 possessions, and that ranked #26 in the country in that stretch.

Stevens’ own stats in those games: 10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 steals in 31.0 minutes per game. 37.7% three-point shooting, 55.6% two-point shooting.

For the final third of the season or so, Adrien Stevens had turned himself into a perfectly competent if not good Big East caliber starting guard. I don’t know if there was ever really a Light Goes On moment for him, just a “we’re going to keep trusting you to do stuff, and maybe here’s some more stuff” and he just kept on doing the stuff. You really can’t expect much more from a freshman.

BEST GAME

Adrien Stevens picked up his first KenPom.com game MVP award for Marquette’s 78-56 road win over Providence on March 4th, and it’s hard to argue with that as his best game. Season/career high 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting which including 5-for-8 from long range, four rebounds, an assist, and four steals. If you wanted to say the road win over Georgetown where he had 16 points as MU had to get through a 16 point victory over the Hoyas without Royce Parham, I’d listen to the argument. Same for his 6-for-9 three-point shooting game at home against Butler in MU’s 70-55 win that came with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals as well.

SEASON GRADE

For the first — and I presume not last! — time this season, we have to ask the question “How high is too high?”

We started out the year thinking “well, there’s obviously a way for him to earn playing time on this team, the question is how much can he actually get?” Situations that kind of had nothing really to do with Stevens popped the door open to lots of playing time even though he was already an obvious rotation guy from Day 1. Once that door popped open, Stevens went flying through it and established himself as a cornerstone of Marquette basketball for the rest of his tenure in Milwaukee. It’s possible that we’re actually underrating Stevens as a performer this season because Nigel James is over there on the other side of the room saying “hey, check this freshman year out!” and that’s not really Stevens’ fault!

I think that because Stevens landed on “obvious starter caliber guy” by the time the season ended but not any further than that, I have to pin his grade at a 9. He’s not a superstar caliber player, or at least didn’t jump off the TV screen as that this season relative to what we thought he could be this season. He definitely shot past a reasonable expectation for him in 2025-26, so I think a 9 is fair.

Follow Anonymous Eagle on social media

Facebook: AnonymousEagle
Instagram: AnonymousEagleSBN
Bluesky: AnonymousEagle

With Game 1 of the Knicks-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night, an Eastern Conference scout shares what to watch during the series:

HARDER FOR HARDEN?

The scout notes that the Cavs will play their 15th game in 32 days on Tuesday night. 

"And you play every other day in this series. Harden is in Year 17. You have to make him work." 

The scout suggests the Knicks should try picking Harden up full court with Miles McBride or Jose Alvarado. "Pressure him, don’t make it easy."

On the other side of the floor, the Knicks will certainly use screens in an effort to force Harden to defend Jalen Brunson and others.

"That one is obvious. But the Cavs should be ready for that," the scout says. "What about transition? Push the ball up the floor, make him run or beat him down the floor. He’ll get tired."

GO TO THE MAT TO STOP KAT

The scout credits Mike Brown and the Knicks for adjusting their offense to use Karl-Anthony Townsas more of a passing hub.

"Look at how Mike used Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento. He was in Golden State for Draymond Green." The scout says Towns' role in the new offense is not a facsimile of Sabonis or Green, but there are similarities. 

"He gave Karl the chance to be a passer and they’ve taken off," the scout says. He also credits Brown and the Knicks for using Brunson off-ball and as a screener in the new approach. "Take him off the ball like (Steve Kerr did) with Steph Curry," the scout said. This approach obviously worked well against Atlanta and Philadelphia. The Knicks are 7-0 since they made the change on offense. But the scout notes that the Cavs have different personnel and can challenge Towns in different ways.

"I just think they can pressure him with (Evan) Mobley. It won’t be as easy for him to find (open teammates). I’m not saying they should change anything. I just think the Cavs will make it tougher because they have seen it on tape and because Mobley is better than anyone they saw in the first two series."

PREDICTION

The scout thinks the Knicks should go to the double-big lineup featuring Towns and Mitchell Robinson often in Game 1 to test the Cavs. He points out that Cleveland is not a great rebounding team and the Knicks can exploit them on the offensive glass.

But on the other side of the floor, the scout says the Cavs will make life difficult for Brunson.

"The Knicks will switch some pick and roll, and Brunson will be left in a tough spot." The scout notes Sam Merrill or Max Strus should be able to get open looks via pick and roll action that involves Brunson.

"This is going to be tough for Jalen," he says. "I know the Knicks have been defending (well), but they haven’t seen an offense like this."

The scout thinks the Knicks should start with Mikal Bridges on Harden to disrupt Harden’s passing and start with Josh Hart defending Donovan Mitchell.

"You can put OG on (Jarrett Allen) and then you can switch pick-and-rolls," the scout says. "I just think (the Cavs) have so many more weapons than the Hawks or Sixers. This is going to be much tougher for (the Knicks’ defense)," the scout predicts.

"If you want me to make a pick I’ll take Knicks in seven. Tough series, but the Knicks should be able to get through. I have to think the Cavs will slow down; they’ve played a million games. So they will be a tough out, but I’m taking the Knicks."