Category: Sports News

Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast to discuss everything Pistons. Submit your question in the comments section here or on Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @RobbieBettelon. If you’re on BlueSky, you can also send to @RobbieBettelon.bksy.social.

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The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast Vitals:

When: Friday, September 18th at 4:30 p.m. ET

Where: Detroit Bad Boys YouTube Channel

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• Detroit Bad Boys Website: Comment section of the weekly Pindown episode articles.
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As always, leave any questions or topics you want to be discussed in the comment section below.

Go Stones.

We polled the Mavs Moneyball readership a couple of weeks back on how many games the readership expected Dereck Lively II to play in 2026-27, a year removed from a lost season of just seven games.

I was shocked at how many of you answered “zero” and seemed to mean it.

If Lively plays zero games this year, keeping him around for the promise of “next year” after two straight full seasons lost would seem like a fool’s errand.

But perhaps you were wise to keep your expectations at a minimum. After all, our Feed post came roughly a month after Lively himself admitted, on June 26, that he’s “not able to run and jump yet” and that he’s “taking my time… more time than I need to make sure that I don’t have to deal with this foot again.”

Those were not inspiring words at the time. Lively played his final game of the 2025-26 season on Nov. 21 last year against the New Orleans Pelicans, in what ended as a 118-115 win. The team announced Lively’s season-ending surgery on Dec. 10 after persistent discomfort and swelling dogged his recovery.

So what do these photos of Lively working out on campus at Duke, where he played his lone season of college basketball, as part of this year’s Brotherhood offseason sessions, mean? Lively certainly appears to have put in some upper-body work while his right foot has been out of commission.

Sure, the photos of Lively from last weekend are still images. He’s not featured in the scrimmage highlights that the Duke social media team has put out there, like his teammates Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg are. He’s still not ready for that kind of run, which, yes, still gives massive doubt as to whether and when he’ll be able to return to full-speed action on an NBA court any time soon.

But we’re searching. We’re seekers. We’re searching for any signs of optimism in Lively’s recovery arc here. And we’re finding it at the Gun Show. He looks absolutely yoked, relative at least to the skinny, athletic youngster we knew him as when he last consistently gave the Mavs any real minutes.

We love to see it. They put a little more wind in our sails as the offseason begins to feel more and more like the preseason.

Irving and Lively are our last link to that recent iteration of the Mavericks that made fans feel anything at all. We need to see them contributing to something worthwhile on the basketball court, if only for our own sanity at this point.

The next hopeful signal from the Mavericks’ front office or coaching staff concerning Lively’s recovery from the foot injury will be the first. We don’t expect him to be ready to go when the season starts on October 21 at the Houston Rockets, which is just over a month from now, by the way.

But we need to see more from Lively in relatively short order, and these recent photos are the only thing delivering at the moment. There’s literally more of him, get it? Because of all the added muscle?

I’ll show myself out.

You love Pete Nance. I love Pete Nance. The Milwaukee Bucks love Pete Nance. Yet, here we are. Life support. 

Nance’s story is one of perseverance and it doesn’t take much digging to work out why. From the beginning, his NBA career has been in and out of the ER. Heck, his personal transaction list even looks like an ECG:

• January 18, 2023: Signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• September 13, 2023: Signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• October 21, 2023: Waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• February 19, 2024: Signed a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• October 19, 2024: Waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• December 3, 2024: Signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
• January 7, 2025: Waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.
• January 14, 2025: Signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
• February 6, 2025: Waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Signed, waived. Signed, waved. Up, down. Up, down. Then, just when you think he’s stable:

• February 27, 2025: Signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
• March 23, 2026: Converted from a two-way contract to a regular contract by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Full-blown arrhythmia: 

• July 3, 2026: Waived by the Milwaukee Bucks.
• July 8, 2026: Signed a multi-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Oh, and that contract is non-guaranteed—and therefore the easiest way for the Bucks to start to solve their roster crunch. Talk about a heart attack. 

Naturally, then, Nance’s value is hard to pin down. How can he be trusted in the playoffs if he can’t be trusted with a guaranteed contract? And if that makes your blood boil—or increases your blood pressure—you wouldn’t be alone. After all, on court, Nance is a stud; every coach’s dream player. 

Offensively, Nance is the ultimate glue guy. Need the right extra pass? He’ll make it. Need movement off ball to free up space? Or a screen to right a broken possession? Nance has you covered. And from a process point of you, he’s elite; you’d be hard pressed to find a clip of him making the wrong decision. 

He has some game too. Beyond the little things, Nance is a marksman from deep, boasting a career 42% mark from three and an elite overall true shooting percentage (career 61.8%; 63.9% last year), making him both a valuable spacer and pick and pop threat. In turn, he’s a fine cutter, timing his off ball movement well, and a savvy passer who seldom turns it over (11.6% turnover rate). But he almost never gets to the line—just 11 times last year and 15 total in 68 career games—and can too easily become Hollow Man. But, hey, that’ll happen when you’re limited to a lowly 13.5% usage percentage. 

On the defensive end, Nance is, you guessed it, solid. He won’t wow you with on-ball thievery or come-out-of-nowhere blocks, but he’ll hustle and play the angles and fight hard. Having said this, his board work leaves a lot to be desired. Last year, his total rebound percentage (9.6%) was closer to his point guards than his bigs: Cole Anthony was at 9.3%, Kevin Porter Jr. 8.9%, and Ryan Rollins 8.0%, while Jericho Sims was at 15.9% and Myles Turner 11.2%. Part of this is size, part of it is athleticism. Both of these contribute to Nance’s pedestrian block (1.9%) and steal (0.9%) rates, too, and also limit his defensive versatility—he’s not someone who can guard up or down all that effectively. But, again, he’s steady, thanks in large part to his nous.

So, while Nance may be destined for an NBA career in and out of proverbial health care, it’s fitting. Primum non nocere. 

Pete Nance does no harm. 

Now that Nance has flatlined, who’s next?

‘Internal development’ was up there as one of the key phrases of the Minnesota Timberwolves 2024-25 offseason. Alongside ‘continuity’, the two were constantly used as the main themes to describe how Minnesota would take another step forward after their back-to-back Western Conference Finals trips.

I think we can all agree that while it was fun to track this supposed ‘internal development’ and see the leaps and bounds that the young core took last season, by the time October rolled around, we were all fatigued by a term that had come to mean nothing.

It’s not like these supposed developments were a choice for the team; there just wasn’t much else to discuss, as the front office decided to run the team back in basically the exact same iteration as the year prior.

This year feels different though.

Because of how quickly the NBA moves, combined with the massive roster overhaul that Minnesota went through this offseason, it feels like the internal development aspect of the roster has gone by the wayside.

When the Julius Randle trade happened, it seemed like the internal improvement theme could have been even more prominent than before. With Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Ayo Dosunmu all seemingly in line for bigger roles, it felt like the Wolves were preparing for a youth movement, highlighting their assumed core.

That is, until LaMelo Ball became a Timberwolf and Jonathan Kuminga followed him to Minnesota. Because of the big changes, internal development was pushed down the priority list.

Still, it’s important to focus on the players who were already here and who will hopefully have a great impact on the team this season, as well as some things that they could add to their games as training camp nears.

This piece will zero in on the young players who have been in Minnesota for multiple seasons and are likely to have a larger role on the team this season – namely Edwards, McDaniels, and TJ Shannon.

Let’s dive into the ideal aspects of each of these players’ games, and I encourage you all to make your voices heard on each player to gather information on what you want to see added to these three players’ bags for the upcoming season. Fill the comments – maybe Chris Finch will take your words to heart!

Anthony Edwards

As with everything else on this team, the starting place has to be with Ant. There have been easy storylines to track the last two seasons.

Two seasons ago, his focus was the three-point shot. He then became one of the best three-point shooters in the league. One season ago, his focus shifted to the mid-range. He then increased his mid-range field goal percentage by six percentage points, according to Cleaning the Glass.

What could be the focus this offseason?

Point of attack defense

With the changes to the roster this offseason, there is an opportunity for Ant to take the reins on the defensive side of the ball, especially at the point of attack. In years past, his offensive load and the energy he would have to expend on that end of the floor made it hard for him to ramp up his defensive impact. He would consistently be given the assignment of the fifth option and often left things on the table on that side of the ball.

Now that LaMelo Ball is in town, his defense becomes important twofold. First, Ball will most likely be the one that the Timberwolves will be forced to hide on defense. That will naturally increase Ant’s defensive assignment. Second, LaMelo’s ability to take off some of the offensive pressure and initiation responsibilities from Edwards should boost Ant’s energy on the defense.

Ant has shown great ability to be a true stopper on defense, especially on the ball. He is strong and athletic, and when he applies himself, capable of shutting down offensive superstars. His internal development path would be to take that challenge on more consistently and get back to the defender that he was as recently as the 2023-24 season.

This could also help take the burden off of Jaden McDaniels’ defensive responsibilities and allow him to be more of a Swiss Army knife game wrecker that he has the ability to be. If Ant can be the primary perimeter stopper, Jaden can be the help-side defender he has always been destined to be. Alongside Rudy Gobert, this would give Minnesota an immediate top-five defense with championship upside.

Playing in transition

Another great thing that Ant could get in the lab for this offseason would be to prepare himself to play faster. With the addition of LaMelo Ball, calling it vital would be an understatement.

Edwards has always shown a propensity to want to walk the ball up and prod the defense before making a decision on what he wants to do with the ball. Playing with the likes of Mike Conley Jr. and Julius Randle only furthered this habit that Ant created for himself.

Conley as the slow and methodical setup man and Randle as a prodder. With the addition of Ball, who thrives in transition, this could be a way that Ant could easily increase his scoring average. There are free points to be had; he just has to be willing to run for them.

The way that this roster is now constructed, it should lend itself to improving this part of his game – but he has to be along for the ride. In years past, you saw his willingness to get out and run in transition when the personnel on the floor set that tone.

In a way, Ant loves to enable the play style of those around him. When he was out there with Mike Conley and Julius Randle, he wanted to dissect. When he’s out there with LaMelo Ball, Jonathan Kuminga, the “Twin Turbos”, etc., it should lead to him running out more. He even said as much in a quote last season.

If this is the thing he focused on all summer, there is a real chance he leads the league in scoring.

Consistency of effort

The last option that could be a great development from the summer is Ant’s consistency of effort on a night-to-night basis.

This has been well-covered and was a big quote from him on media day last year. He was hoping to bring it every night no matter the opponent. He failed to do so last year.

His ability to set the tone this year will also be a big part of his growth in leadership as he hits his prime. With the lack of veterans on this team and the quote from Chris Finch in his offseason interview with Britt Robson about “taking the diapers off,” this seems like a priority.

The good news with this part of his offseason development is that he’s shown all the signs that this is happening. He’s been in the gym all the time working out and has shown his willingness to set the example for the team in this regard. This commitment to effort, if added to his game this offseason, would have a massive trickle-down effect in the regular season: a more consistently locked-in Ant should lead to more regular-season wins, which means a higher seed and potential homecourt advantage for more of the playoffs, which is key if you’re wanting to make a run in the modern NBA.

Jaden McDaniels

Jaden McDaniels may currently be the most overlooked player of the offseason. Early this summer, fans were clamoring over his breakout, only to go quiet when the focus shifted to LaMelo Ball. Still, his ability to take another leap could be a huge boost to this team’s title aspirations.

He has taken offensive leaps every season, with the biggest boon coming from his 32-point masterclass that sent the Denver Nuggets packing in the first round this past season. So what are some skills to bring in the next level of his development?

Efficiency off the catch

If you initially thought that Jaden would have the ball in his hands more after the Julius Randle trade, the addition of LaMelo Ball reduced that need by a large amount. The good news is, LaMelo is a ball mover while Randle was more of a ball stopper. There should be more of an opportunity for McDaniels to assert himself in this type of offensive ecosystem.

Ball and Edwards will command a ton of gravity and attention defensively, which should lead to McDaniels having one-on-one matchups against lesser defenders that he can take to the woodshed. While Rudy Gobert will still be at the rim, Ball and Edwards’ shooting ability will leave space for him to operate in his spots in the mid-range.

McDaniels has usually been the one to have to sacrifice his opportunities for the good of the team, but there is more space this year for him to command more on the offensive end of the floor. Though that may seem counterintuitive when you add a high-usage player in Ball, Jaden should get much more opportunities to play off the catch against a tilted defense.

His efficiency in these situations will be crucial to raising the ceiling of this offense and becoming a top third option in the league. If this is something he improves upon this offseason, this offense becomes even more potent.

Offense as a screener

While the addition of Jonathan Kuminga does answer a big question of the roster and fills a good amount of minutes at the power forward, there are still minutes available at the four that could be filled by a small-ball lineup with Jaden in that position. The advanced stats haven’t favored Jaden playing the power forward – he had -8.7 net rating in last season, and a -2.4 two seasons ago according to Cleaning the Glass – but the sample size has not been large enough to make any concrete conclusions.

I am very intrigued by this option of a small-ball lineup having Jaden play as a power forward. A big part of my rationale for this optimism is about his offense as a screen-setter.

The LaMelo addition could create great synergy between him and McDaniels, as well as Ant and McDaniels, in pick and roll/pop offense. This may be a fun wrinkle to the offense. Anytime Jaden has been used as a screener in the past, it’s looked shockingly good. His short roll game could be something that pops and is a way to get him involved in the offense while getting him the ball in advantage situations. He is a killer in the mid-range, which is exactly where this would get him the ball as screening situations.

If he were to develop this part of his game this offseason, it could lead to great profit.

Rebounding prowess

The other offseason focus that would be a great addition to his game would be consistent rebounding.

Surprisingly, even when Minnesota deployed big lineups, they were mediocre in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage over the past few seasons (outside of the 23-24 season, when they ranked ninth in defensive rebounding percentage).

This will be a point of emphasis this season, with the overall trend of wanting to create more possessions in general, and the rebounding battle is one of the main ways to do that. Jaden McDaniels has left a lot to be desired in this aspect of his game over the years. This could be attributed to his responsibilities as the primary point-of-attack defender. It often leaves him far from the basket in many possessions. If Edwards and Kuminga can help take some of the POA defending pie, it could allow Jaden more opportunities to clean the glass.

His rebounding peaked in the two seasons ago at 5.7 per game, but dropped back to 4.2 last year. With the three-point volume that LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards bring to the table, it would be great for him to find ways to create extra possessions on the offensive glass.

This quote is from 2025 and still rings true.

TJ Shannon

Terrence Shannon Jr. had a brutal start to last season, with injuries and getting benched derailing any kind of rhythm he could find for himself. After finally returning to full health late in the season and playing a crucial role in beating the Nuggets in the first round, his role should be a big story to track this year. His ability as a play initiator was unlocked late in the season, but he will need to develop a different part of his game.

There is no longer any usage to go around. That will be his first and biggest test.

Recognition of role

This is broad, but it will be key for his ability to be a big part of the Timberwolves bench this season. Shannon needs to be malleable to many different play styles and know when to take more on-ball usage versus being impactful in an off-ball role.

He does have the ability to play with the ball in his hands, but his ability to click into the different parts of his offensive game depending on who he’s on the floor with has been a major issue to date and will determine how many minutes he’s able to play.

Without Ant and LaMelo, Minnesota will need his aggression and ability to effectively collapse the defense. When he’s out there with one or both of them, he’ll need to find his off-ball niche and kick up his defensive acumen to be a true, well-rounded rotation player. This cognitive recognition and ability to click into different play styles would be a big development in his offseason.

Off-ball playmaking

Shannon is an explosive player who, in theory, should be good at playing off the catch, but he struggled in an off-ball role last season. His improvement in that regard is what will help him to stick on this team and in the NBA.

His development and how he could be deployed should be similar to that of Jaden McDaniels. While Jaden did have a much higher defensive ceiling, it’s easy to see how they could be used similarly on the offensive end. Early in Jaden’s career, his offensive role was also limited to playing out of the corner, which made it hard for him to be as effective as he could be on that end of the floor because of his below-average corner three-point shooting. It was when Chris Finch moved him to playing above the break more that he really started to flourish.

This could be a similar way to help TJ be more effective. Shannon plays way better when he has options available to him rather than just the linear progressions that a player out of the corner is expected to do. This could be a way to marry his on-the-ball ability with the usage issue and get him with a head of steam heading to the basket and making plays out of that. This kind of offseason development could solidify him in a seventh-man role this season.

Off-ball defense

TJ Shannon has had his struggles defensively. Specifically, he fouled way too much. However, he does have the size and athleticism to make a difference on that end of the floor. While the coaching staff could entrust him with some point-of-attack responsibilities, it would be a huge development if he could find ways to make things happen off the ball.

If he astutely plays passing lines to force turnovers, it can really help generate transition opportunities where he is incredibly lethal.

Cutting down the fouling while being a key cog on the defensive end could also help him see the floor more and more. If he worked on creating these opportunities himself, it would only make him even more impactful.

Internal development is one of the hardest things to track, but it makes a big impact on the on-court product. The Timberwolves mostly focus on integrating external additions, but internal improvement will also be key in reaching the level they want to get to.

The NBA’s Eastern Conference has been clearly inferior to the Western Conference from the moment Michael Jordan called his second retirement after the 1998 Finals. That might finally flip this year. While the West is still home to the league’s top two title contenders in our preseason poll, the East feels stronger 1-10 entering the season for the first time since MJ won his sixth ring in Chicago.

There’s no doubt that the New York Knicks are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference come playoff time. Will that hold during the regular season? The Knicks won 53 games last year, good for the No. 3 seed in the conference. They didn’t find greatness until the playoffs, then put together one of the most dominant championship runs ever.

Let’s rank the Eastern Conference for the regular season only heading into the 2026-27 campaign. This was an incredibly difficult exercise. The Knicks might be the only team that feels like a lock to win at least one series in the East entering the season, and the teams ranked 2-10 in our projection truly feel like they could finish in any order. Check out our latest NBA power rankings for a full picture of the league based championship chances entering the season. Now, let’s predict how teams will finish the East this year.

1. Boston Celtics

I’ve convinced myself the Jaylen Brown trade was the right move for Boston after initially being lukewarm on it. Brown took a lot of shots and wasn’t super efficient with them, his off-ball defense has never been good, and he turns it over a little too much. The Celtics are basically replacing him with a full season of Jayson Tatum, plus Paul George and Mitchell Robinson. This team is really good in the regular season every year, and I don’t expect that to stop. I really think Derrick White is going to shoot the ball better this year, and I could easily see a big leap for Payton Pritchard with more usage. The Celtics’ formula of chucking threes, crashing the offensive glass, and playing tough defense is hard to beat. I wouldn’t pick them to go to the NBA Finals, but I think they will win a lot of regular season games.

2. New York Knicks

“Knicks or the field” is a fair way to frame the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Mike Brown found something special with this group during the last postseason, and with most of the rotation back and no one expected to fall victim to age-related decline, the Knicks should be a juggernaut again. The Knicks can get the 1-seed if they really want it, but they don’t need it. Regardless of where they enter the playoff race, this is still the team to beat when the games count for real.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland has averaged 53.75 wins per year in their four seasons with Donovan Mitchell, with one first round exit, two second round appearances, and finally a trip to the conference finals last year. Do the Cavs have one more step left in them? Last year’s playoff run wasn’t all that convincing, and at this point Cleveland needs a few things to go right just to avoid being passed up by their conference rivals. Can James Harden stave off age-related decline for one more year at 37 years old? Will Evan Mobley show any growth in his offensive game from last season? Peyton Watson is the only real new addition this year, and it’s possible he can be the athletic wing defender and spot-up shooter the Cavs have always lacked in the Mitchell era. I’m not sold that Watson’s hot January last year is proof he’s a totally new player from earlier in his career, but he better be because Cleveland paid a heavy price to get him. This feels like Cleveland’s weakest bench in the last couple years, and that puts a lot of pressure on the stars to stay healthy. The Cavs will be tough again, but I could see them taking a small step back this year.

4. Orlando Magic

There’s a surprise team in the East every year based on the preseason over/unders, and I feel like that team is usually young and athletic. Orlando was my preseason Finals pick last year, which proved to be a terrible call. Yet when the playoffs rolled around, the Magic looked like a different team, and they should have pulled a 1-8 upset on the Pistons if Franz Wagner didn’t get hurt with a 3-1 lead. I truly believe Jalen Suggs is the skeleton team that unlocks this team. Suggs has battled constant injuries during his short career, and at this point it’s fair to wonder if he’s best deployed in a smaller role a la Alex Caruso. If Suggs can stay on the floor, the Magic could regain their status as an elite defensive team under new head coach Sean Sweeney. Sweeney was the only real change Orlando made over the offseason, and he has a ton of pressure on his shoulders to make this team work given their high payroll even before Anthony Black starts his extension talks. The pairing between Paolo Banchero and Wagner just shouldn’t be this bad even if both are poor shooters. I’m going to guess the results are finally better this year .

5. Toronto Raptors

Toronto had a top-5 defense last year behind Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles, and they earned some valuable playoff experience by pushing the Cavs to seven games in the first-round. The main thing the Raptors were missing is someone who could score against a set defense in the halfcourt, and it’s hard to do better than adding Kawhi Leonard. The upgrade from Brandon Ingram to Leonard could make the Raptors a legit Finals contender … provided Leonard can actually finish the season healthy for once. It’s not a great bet. For whatever it’s worth, Leonard did cross the 65 game threshold in two of the last three seasons, but finishing a full playoff run might be an even tougher test. The Raptors could have a hole in the middle if Jakob Poeltl remains troubled by a bad back, which would mean CMB small-ball five minutes could essentially go from a changeup to a fastball. The shooting is a concern for sure after finishing 25th in three-point rate and 21st in three-point percentage last year, and it’s critical that Barnes keeps trending up in that department. The Raptors will make every game a rock fight, but it’s going to be really hard to score on Murray-Boyles, Leonard, and Barnes when it matters, and the offense has a real late-game scoring plan now. A lot can go wrong, but I’m buying the Raptors as one of the East’s top title contenders.

6. Philadelphia 76ers

I’m higher on the Sixers’ playoff ceiling than their regular season projection. It’s hard to count on LeBron James to play a full season at 42 years old, and it’s hard to count on Joel Embiid at all. The Sixers have some nice bench pieces, but they don’t really have a reliable backup center unless Adem Bona or Ariel Hukporti takes a step forward. I’m worried that this team will be soft defensively during the regular season until LeBron turns it up in the playoffs, and I’m a bit skeptical that a player like Jaylen Brown can take to a more off-ball role with so many other scorers around him. This team made the second round last year, and they feel significantly improved this season. Anything less than the franchise’s first conference finals trip since 2001 will be a disappointing, but you can’t blame Philly fans for thinking this season is championship-or-bust.

7. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons smashed their over/under last year by winning 60 games to claim the No. 1 seed, but it was easy to see the problems they were bound to encounter in the playoffs. After nearly losing to Orlando in round one, Detroit remade the look of the team a bit over the summer by adding John Collins, Isaiah Joe, and Taurean Prince, and subtracting Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, and Caris LeVert. I’m not sure it’s going to be any easier for the Pistons to score in the halfcourt this year, and Harris feels like he could be missed as the second-best creator on last year’s team. The spacing is always going to be an issue with Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson sharing the floor, and while I’m bullish on the Joe addition, he won’t change the geometry of the floor by himself. The Pistons should win a lot of regular season games again, but I’m not convinced they took a step toward making it out of the East this summer.

8. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are the hardest team to project entering the season, and I’m already worried I have them way too low. Tyrese Haliburton impacts winning nearly as much as any player in the league, and I’d expect Indiana to be really good again once he gets comfortable coming off a torn Achilles. Most of the 2025 Finals team around him remains in place with a couple key changes. Ivica Zubac won’t space the floor like Myles Turner did, but he does add more toughness and better rebounding on the interior. The bench feels a bit thinner than the last time Haliburton was healthy, but Kelly Oubre Jr. could be a decent free agent addition. The Pacers were a good-not-amazing regular season team when they reached the Finals two seasons ago with 50 wins, and I could see them outplaying their regular season record again come playoff time once Haliburton gets into a rhythm.

9. Miami Heat

The Heat have the most talented front court in the East with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, but neither of them are outside shooters, and that’s bound to present some spacing problems offensively. Miami did well to land some shooting around them by signing Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr., but it still feels like Giannis will be seeing a lot of bodies in the paint this year. The Heat are arguably the best team in the league at finding hidden gems, and they will need to do it again this season to bolster the depth. I like Pelle Larsson as a potential deep breakout guy, and Ryan Conwell and Dru Smith should get plenty of opportunities, too. If Giannis is the best player in the East and Erik Spoelstra is the best coach in the NBA, then why is Miami so low? I don’t really trust Giannis to stay healthy for an entire regular season, for one. I could see Miami being really tough in the playoffs, and we already know they can reach the NBA Finals from the play-in because they did it in 2023. The Heat have some real questions, but chances are Spo will figure things out.

10. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks missing the top-8 of the East playoff bracket in this projection might be the best example of the conference’s improvement. Atlanta is a very solid team that had a strong offseason coming off a playoff appearance where they were the only team to take multiple games off the Knicks. The trio of Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and newly added Lu Dort might be the best group of perimeter defenders in the league. Onyeka Okongwu started to turn into a legit stretch five last year, and Jalen Johnson could be a perennial All-Star as the team’s closest thing to a franchise player. I just worry that Atlanta will be really dependent on CJ McCollum again for halfcourt creation until rookie Kingston Flemings is ready for primetime, and he’s still a cut below the other star creators in the East. It’s possible I’m too low on Atlanta, but hey! The East is really good.

11. Charlotte Hornets

I hated the LaMelo Ball trade for Charlotte, but even I can see the vision long-term … especially if Ball’s ankles can’t stay healthy. The Hornets were the best team in the league by net-rating after Jan. 1 last year, so it feels odd to trade your best player for not the greatest haul of assets. There’s still plenty of reason to think this year’s Hornets will still be competitive even without the star point guard. Head coach Charles Lee has built a strong identity with a team that will chuck threes and crash the offensive glass. Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller should be able to pick up a little bit of the creation burden, and Coby White is a solid veteran replacement at point guard. The Hornets lacked toughness inside last year, and while Naz Reid can help add more offensive firepower, they still need an enforcer down low. If Charlotte exceeds expectations, they have tons of assets to make a big deal. It sure seems like the Hornets are comfortable playing the long game, though.

12. Washington Wizards

I wish I could buy into the Wizards this year with Anthony Davis, Trae Young, A.J. Dybantsa and a slew of interesting young players in tow, but I can’t fully get there. Davis is famously unreliable, and I’m not convinced he’ll be on the team the whole season. Head coach Brian Keefe hasn’t shown me anything. I like Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, and Will Riley, but it’s usually pretty hard to develop that many young players and still have playoff expectations. The Wizards finished dead-last in defensive efficiency last season, and they still have tons of questions on that end even with Davis. Dybantsa will be awesome, but I’m not solid on the Wiz yet.

13. Brooklyn Nets

I trust the Nets to beat their very low expectations coming into the season … provided they don’t trade Michael Porter Jr. before opening night. Porter enjoyed a career-year under Jordi Fernandez in Brooklyn last season one year after Cam Johnson enjoyed similar success. Fernandez is one of the best young coaches in the game, and he has a little more talent to work with this season with the arrival of Julius Randle. Add in a potential sophomore leap from Egor Demin, a possible center upgrade with Day’ron Sharpe taking over for Nic Claxton, and the arrival of rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr., and I like Brooklyn more than the early prognostications. Fernandez will get the most out of this group as long as it doesn’t sell off parts.

14. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are beginning yet another rebuild under new lead executive Bryson Graham, but this one is already off to a more promising start after moving up in the lottery for Caleb Wilson. Wilson has the tools and the mentality to eventually become the franchise player Chicago has been desperate for, and his sudden improvement as a three-point shooter during summer league feels like a great sign for his ability to continue to improve. Wilson and Matas Buzelis should produce tons of above-the-rim plays on both ends of the floor this season, but the Bulls are still staring down a long road to contention. This team could be pretty weak on the glass after landing Nic Claxton as their new center, and the perimeter defense is going to be an issue with Josh Giddey and Norm Powell at the point of attack. The spacing around Wilson remains a question mark, and it’s likely going to produce an ugly halfcourt offense. No one is expecting the Bulls to be good this year, but it’s important that new head coach Tiago Splitter can show progress with this group as the season goes on. Expect the roster to look quite a bit different a year from now as Graham continues to put his stamp on the team.

15. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are going to be pretty sad in their first season without Giannis, but you don’t have to search too hard to find a few reasons for optimism. Kel’el Ware was a nice get in the trade as an athletic big man who can space the floor, rookie lottery picks Brayden Burries and Nate Ament will get a long runway to show their long-term talent, and new coach Taylor Jenkins has a history of getting the most of his teams. I love Ryan Rollins as a lead guard with more untapped upside, and I’m willing to buy Kasparas Jakucionis as an upsdie gamble for the backcourt. Milwaukee would do well to trim the fat here, starting with moving off Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma. It’s hard to know what to make of Tyler Herro as he enters a contract year, but I’d be surprised if he’s around long-term. For now, the Bucks will probably be pretty bad, there’s already a decent collection of young talent on the roster with more assets coming down the pipe from the Giannis trade.

Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason.

Ryan Dunn

Forward, 6’7”, 217 lbs., 23 years old, 3rd season

Oh, Ryan Dunn. Where do we start with you?

Dunn has had a very up-and-down two-year career thus far. The highs have been high, and the lows have been low. He enters a pivotal third season. This will be the first season he has had the same head coach since Budenholzer was canned after his rookie season.

Dunn was selected 28th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, and was joined by Oso Ighodaro (pick 40) as a pair of young, athletic, defensive-minded prospects hitting a roster which at the time had approximately *checks notes* zero players like that.

Now, with a year in Jordan Ott’s system, we can only hope that everything starts to “click” for him offensively. On defense, he was good, but was not the defender we had all hoped he would be.

Last Season

Ryan Dunn appeared in 70 games for the Suns last season, including 16 starts. He did not take the leap that many had hoped for in year two, specifically on the offensive side. His free-throw numbers remained atrocious at 48.9%, giving him a sub-50 FT% for the second consecutive season. His three-point clip slightly improved from 31.1 percent to 33.1 percent.

He only had two games of scoring 15+ points all of last season, once against the Spurs (17 points) in November and the other time being that April regular season finale game against the Thunder (20 points). Dunn had 8 games of 20+ minutes played with 2 points or less. It’s not all about points per game, but when the efficiency is shaky and teams are sagging off you entirely, it’s a problem.

There were some positive moments without a doubt, especially defensively. It was easy to see a vision of him and Rasheer Fleming wreaking havoc together defensively. He still has the ability to be a very useful rotation piece, and could get there as soon as this season.

Contract and Roster Context

Dunn, the 28th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, remains on a rookie contract. He signed a 4-year, $12,998,353 contract with the Suns, including $5,188,560 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $3,249,588.

In 2026-27, Dunn will earn a base salary of $2,784,240, while carrying a cap hit of $2,784,240 and a dead cap value of $2,784,240. Phoenix has a $5,025,553 club option for 2027-28 that they have to exercise by October 31st, 2026. The clock is ticking!

What He Brings

Right now, the one thing you know Ryan Dunn will bring is effort and energy. Defensively, he has some serious flashes, whether it’s being a pest on the perimeter, deflecting passes, or meeting people at the rim for a weakside block. One thing I never question is his hustle or heart when he hits the floor. It’s always there.

The defensive instincts are there, but he just needs to learn how to piece it all together more consistently, and not let his offensive struggles creep into his confidence when he’s on the other side of the floor. He brings athleticism and has put several stars on posters, including Giannis. His fearlessness when in attack mode is a strong suit, and I wish he pursued entering that mode far more often.

To put it simply, Phoenix needs Ryan Dunn to be a (bigger) bodied forward who can defend multiple positions and not hurt them offensively. If he can get to the point where he’s even justnet-neutral offensively, and his defense continues to strengthen with experience, then the path to get there could be sooner than you think.

What Needs to Improve

It’s pretty clear at this point that Ryan Dunn needs to improve offensively. More specifically, shooting the ball. He and Oso have been left wide open for extended stretches, which kills spacing and gives the defense an advantage to contain other offensive threats by sending extra bodies or having the help defense loom a couple steps closer. Those two steps could be the difference. He has to be a threat to the point where he at least has *some* respect from the defense.

As we noted above, his three-point clip slightly improved from 31.1 percent to 33.1 percent. Progress, right? Not exactly, once you realize it came on 1.2 fewer attempts per game.

Can we get the volume back up a bit on a 34.1% clip this year? I think most Suns fans would take that.

Confidence is everything for Dunn. He thrives off it. When it’s lost, it shows on both ends.

Prediction

I want to be optimistic on Dunn, but now with Koa Peat in the mix along with Miles Bridges and a more experienced Rasheer Fleming… it may be difficult for him to find consistent minutes. Royce O’Neale is gone and took a lot of his potential minutes, but Bridges figures to get more and slot into that same spot. Can those two co-exist?

Floor spacing is already a concern for this team, so that’s where things get tricky.

If he makes the rotation and gains confidence early, this could be a breakout season for Dunn. If he gets buried on the bench and doesn’t get consistent time and his confidence is shot, this could be a season where he fades into the background.

And that is why it is a make-or-break year for the Virginia product as he enters year three.

Stat Prediction: 72 Games, 20.1 MPG, 6.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 47/33/55 shooting

Final Word.

Success for Ryan Dunn looks like continuing to terrorize opponents defensively while showing he is not a complete offensive liability.

We don’t need him to shoot like Luke Kennard, but he must be some sort of offensive threat. If he isn’t, it will be tough for Jordan Ott to keep him on the court consistently.

Just play confident, show that you put a ton of work into your shooting with real results, and the rest will take care of itself.