Category: Sports News

BRIGHTON — At age 38, Mike Conley is entering his 20th NBA season. Two years Conley’s junior, Paul George is entering his 17th campaign.

Together, the Celtics’ two veteran players have accomplished a boatload: they’ve combined for 10 All-Star appearances and collectively scored more than 36,000 career points. They’ve each made the NBA playoffs 12 times.

Still, despite their long list of accolades, neither Celtics offseason addition has achieved the thing they want most: an NBA title.

As such, on Tuesday afternoon, when Conley and George sat side-by-side at the Auerbach Center podium for their introductory press conference with the Celtics, the two made clear how desperately they wanted that to change.

“I believe I’m a winning guy,” George said. “And so that’s always gonna be a chip on my shoulder.”

Mike Conley explained he chose to sign with the Celtics as a free agent in pursuit of his first-ever championship, while George stressed that joining such a banner-filled organization only increased his own desire to win one.

“You look around the league, there are very few organizations and teams that you look at that honestly are trying to win every year,” Conley said. “The culture here in Boston speaks for itself — the championships, the banners, the fanbase.”

Conley, who will likely serve as the team’s backup point guard, noted he still feels he has plenty to give on the court this year. But it’s his off-court leadership that might end up being most impactful when it’s all said and done — and a burning desire to win his first-ever NBA championship at age 38.

“It’s that sense of urgency that maybe reignites that for the guys who have been on this team who’ve already won it,” Conley said. “To kind of continue to push them every day, continue to show them how bad we want to win in practices and try to translate that to games.”

In a similar vein, when George was asked about his overall impressions of the Celtics, he emphasized his own desire to win a title: “When you think of Boston, it’s winning.”

“I haven’t won yet, so I’m on the other side of that,” George said. “So the chip on my shoulder is — I believe I’m a winning player. I believe I’m all about winning, being a winning teammate, a winning locker room guy.”

And, both players stressed that they planned to bring desperation and urgency to a Celtics squad that is just two years removed from a title.

Many on the current Celtics roster do have championship experience

Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, and Jordan Walsh were all on the 2024 title team, as was the majority of the current coaching staff, minus a few exceptions.

On top of that, Mitchell Robinson, who has yet to be formally introduced in Boston, joins the Celtics just a few months removed from his first-ever championship with the Knicks,

Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics will tap into all of the different experiences that the new additions bring to the roster, both Robinson’s newfound championship pedigree and Conley and George’s pursuit of a first-ever title.

“We have Mitch, who’s coming off a win, so we have to take that wisdom and experience. He was around great coaches and great players,” Mazzulla said. “And Mike alluded to it — Mike and Paul have a different perspective on not getting there yet, and that desperation, and we need to be able to leverage that as a team, and that’s where they could lead and help us.”

Paul George is a 9-time All-Star, a 6-time All-NBA member, and a 4-time All-Defense team member. He’s won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA. He’s scored nearly 20,000 points in his regular-season career.

Still, he’s well-aware of the one thing his resume lacks, and he’s eager to change that.

“I’m a guy that, when it’s all said and done, where my legacy falls [when] being compared to guys in my category, I’ve yet to have something to show for it.”

Let’s face it, last June’s big move, the three-team deal that brought Julius Randle to Brooklyn, was a salary dump on behalf of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nets got the 31-year-old Randle — and a second first round pick in the next night’s draft — for Nic Claxton who wouldn’t even be sent to Minnesota.

Claxton would wind up with the Chicago Bulls. The T’Wolves got a second rounder from the Nets, along with cap space and a big trade exception. The deal permitted Minnesota to sign Ayo Dusumu to a five-year $112 million deal hours later. Clearly, the T’Wolves valued the young Dusumu over the veteran Randle.

Still, it should wind up as a good deal for Sean Marks & co., just like last year’s big salary dump with Denver Nuggets that brought them Michael Porter Jr. Randle is one of a handful of players to average 20+points, grab 6+ rebounds and hand out 5+ assists last season … and he played in 79 games.

There are a lot of people though who look past that stat and the three NBA All-Star selections and two All-NBA selections and see a relic of another era, someone who makes his money pounding in the paint. Most of all they wonder how Randle can fit with MPJ. Those two will be getting the bulk of the minutes upfront along with Day’Ron Sharpe.

Steve Lichtenstein writing for his Steve’s Newsletter laid out the basics.

It can be tricky for a HC to have two players who consider themselves the team’s alpha, especially when one, in this case Porter, will be playing on an expiring contract (barring the remote event an extension agreement is reached before the season). Randle has a $35.8 million player option for 2027-28.

Porter is coming off the most prolific season of his seven-year career in nearly every raw category, not to mention breaking his previous high usage percentage by a large margin. With the exception of the 18 games he played with Cam Thomas, Porter was typically Brooklyn’s sole available offensive force, which he seemed to relish by performing at an All-Star level (even if he was robbed of the honor).

That offense was the worst in the NBA in both offensive efficiency and points scored last season. Any help would be welcomed and Randle could be a big help. He’s seen as having done a good job deferring to Anthony Edwards in Minny after being “the man” with the New York Knicks. And in a talk with the media at the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center a few days back, he dismissed any concerns. Two different games that can mesh, he said in essence.

“I told him that like players like him, I love playing with because of how well he can space the floor,” Randle said of MPJ’s forte. “He loves big shots, big moments, and, like, they always seem to know exactly like where to be. He does it at an extremely high level, so I’m excited.”

Lichtenstein said he can see how Jordi Fernandez could stagger the two player (perhaps giving the overage to Noah Clowney?) and utilize Randle’s underrated passing. He’s averaged better than five assists per game over the past six years. Here’s how Lichtenstein envisioned the fit when the two are on the court together:

Fernandez used a variety of screen techniques and dribble handoffs to free Porter last season and that was with non-shooting center Nic Claxton often acting as the hub. NBA.com tracking had Porter leading the team in offensive miles run per game, an absolute necessity given all the attention he received from opposing defenses. It may take a while for Randle to replicate that chemistry, but his superior scoring prowess should make things easier because opponents will have to think harder about the consequences from ignoring him with the ball in his hands like they routinely did with Claxton.

Lichtenstein also debunks the notion that Randle takes too many dribbles, writing “his average dribbles per touch generally a little over 2.0. That’s not a ton, maybe a little over the league median.”

Brian Lewis tackled the same issue today for the Post. He pointed out that the combination could help the Nets get to that nirvana of quick shots and quick decision-making they’ve prioritized in their personnel choices during the rebuild.

Randle averaged 4.02 seconds per touch last season, which would have trailed only backup point guards Ben Saraf and Nolan Traoré on the Nets. Meanwhile, Porter got off the ball quickly, his scant 2.17 seconds per touch the quickest of all the Brooklyn regulars.

Lewis also mentions that should the two mesh, that could make for better trade packages in return for MPJ, come the early February deadline.

That ability to play off a ball-dominant scorer should make Porter a good fit to scale into any offense and alongside any star, making him all the more valuable to a contender before the trade deadline. But while the Nets still have both he and Randle together, it should make the duo effective.

Of course, there’s the other end of the court where neither Porter Jr. nor Randle are seen as stalwarts on D. Far from it.

“Jordi’s gonna want to play with a high pace and the right way, but you’re gonna hang your hat on the other end of the court as well,” said Marks in Las Vegas. “Defensively — not only Julius and MPJ, but the entire roster — our expectations are diving on the floor for loose balls, being a disruptor, hands in the passing lane, and just playing a brand of basketball that the borough can get behind.”

As Lichtenstein wrote:

However, we all should be horrified at the prospect of a defensive nightmare with the two on the court. Just among the Atlantic Division’s forwards, which one is guarding Philadelphia’s LeBron James, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, and Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard? Randle tried his hand at taking New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns in their two meetings last season—it didn’t go well, per NBA.com’s tracking. Towns scored 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting with Randle as the nearest defender.

But if you assessed Randle’s defensive metrics as substandard, they looked stellar in comparison to Porter, whose effort on that end is often lacking on and off the ball. Neither player is known for sprinting back in transition either, so that’s going to be a major problem.

Or as Lewis noted, it’s not beyond Fernandez’s desire for D to suggest that the Nets could occasionally bench his two scorers. Bottom line, though, for Randle will be able to put points on the board. The Flatbush 5’s growth should help and Mikel Brown Jr. proved he could score in a number of different ways while at Louisville.

Randle told Lewis that having two established scorers should help the youngest team in the NBA grow. He was asked if he and Porter Jr. have talked about the fit since Randle was traded back on June 23.

“A lot. We talked a lot and spent some time together for a few days,” Randle said of Porter. “And he’s cool. We’ve been around for a minute, and understand each other’s games very well and how we can really complement each other, honestly.

“[We are] two guys who can obviously both score the ball, but do it very different ways; his ability to be able to catch and shoot and move being a big wing, move off the ball. And me, my ability to be able to create off the dribble and with my passing.”

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.

Rasheer Fleming

Power forward, 6’9”, 240 pounds, 22 years old, 2nd season

Ah, Rasheer Fleming. He’s a player with much promise, and someone you can’t help but get excited about when you project who and what he could be. Expectations must be tempered, of course. He was taken with the 31st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, meaning 30 teams passed on him for a reason. But when we watch him play, as he glides with his condor-like wings, your heartbeat starts to spike. He looks like an NBA player, which sounds like half-assed scouting. But when you see it, you know it.

After a freshman year in which he showcased promise, the true test begins. The sophomore year is typically when we see the largest developmental jump, as prospects no longer are taken aback by the inaugural sights and sounds of the Association and have had an entire summer to focus on strength training, film study, and routine.

For an organization that needs its young talent to pop, Fleming represents the possibilities for the next phase of Phoenix Suns basketball. While the expectations that sit upon his broad shoulders aren’t nearly as heavy as those of his fellow draftmate Khaman Maluach, a season in which he plateaus developmentally would hurt the long-term viability of the franchise.

Last Season

Rasheer made his NBA debut last season in the second game of the season, and scored his first NBA points in the team’s third. And while the stat sheet says he played in 55 games last season, his usage in the rotation was sporadic. Such is life for a rookie drafted in the second round. It wasn’t until late February that we began to see Felming with regularity, and with repetitions, we began to see what he could be as a player.

In the Suns’ final 25 games, Fleming played in 24 of them, averaging 18.9 minutes, 6.6 points, and 3.4 rebounds. He shot 40.2% from three-point range while averaging 1.3 stocks (steals + blocks). He was displaying his ability as a true 3-and-D player, impacting both sides of the floor. You couldn’t help but smile seeing him deny someone on one end and pump a three-ball in on the other.

He scored 10+ points in only 5 of his appearances, which is fine when you consider the role he was being asked to fulfill as a reserve. If you’re looking at box scores in an effort to define the productivity of a rookie, you’re certainly going to walk away disappointed. If you were to look at his only start of the season, game 82 when the team rested all of their regulars, there was a fortification of the promise Fleming brings. He scored 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-7 from deep, adding 6 rebounds, 3 stocks, and 2 assists.

Fleming was pretty much a non-factor in the postseason as the Suns were swept by the Thunder, although he could have been if he had been provided more opportunities. I know, I know…the ‘Disease of What If’. What if he had more run? It would’ve made sense, as one of the ways to jam up two-time MVP is to throw length at him at the point of attack. It’s something the Suns chose not to do, and SGA made them pay. When Collin Gillespie guarded him for 71.9 partial possessions, he scored 30 points on 58.8% shooting and 40% from deep. Fleming guarded him for just 1.8 possessions. The result? A block.

We’ll never know what would have happened if Fleming played more than 18 minutes in the postseason. And at this point in time, we don’t have to. What’s done is done, and we’re looking forward to what he could be, not at a series that was ultimately sealed before the tip ever occurred.

Contract and Roster Context

Fleming is entering year two of a four-year, $8.7 million contract. It is guaranteed through the end of next season, with 2028-29 being a team option.

What He Brings

Hope. That is, from a fanalyst perspective, what Fleming brings first and foremost. Effective rosters are built upon the prospects that flourish within the system. These are the players who become fan favorites. Not the mercenaries, not the veteran minimums. It is the players you draft and develop who have your heart the most. Mikal and Cam. Rasheer and Khaman. That thread of “they are ours” is what endears them to a fanbase.

Exploring the traits Fleming possesses fortifies that hope. He can shoot. He can defend. He has length, athleticism, the ability to rebound, the ability to play small-ball five, and adds size. From a prospect perspective, you salivate over the upside. From a realist perspective, you know that continued development and patience must be practiced in order for him to maximize when you believe he ultimately could be.

He should see more opportunities this season, slotting in as the backup power forward. And I assume that his versatility will put him in some unique rotations where he will shine as an ancillary player. The injury to Mark Williams should open the door for him to play center in lineups when speed and spacing are prioritized. I’m interested to see him in as a small forward as well, in lineups that emphasize size and rebounding.

What Needs to Improve

For any sophomore, the goal is not to plateau. To continue to grow and develop. What does this look like for Fleming? It starts with consistency and decision-making.

Consistency can only occur when opportunity is provided, and we witnessed this in the final 25 games of last season. That needs to carry over into this season. Consistency in shooting, consistency in positioning, consistency in rebounding, effort, and defensive discipline. If you look at who Rasheer was during Summer League in 2025 and who he was a season later, you see growth. But that needs to carry over into the minutes he will be provided this season.

Decision-making is another opportunity for Fleming. There are times you can feel him thinking just a half-second too long, and processing speed needs to become instantaneous rather than processed. That ability to react quickly is the difference between a rotation player and someone sitting on the bench.

Prediction

This is a big year for Fleming, with plenty of opportunities. His versatility should give him numerous looks in different lineup combinations, and I believe he will thrive. What does thrive mean? It’s not necessarily statistical dominance, rather, it’s someone who can contribute to the greater good of the team in a multitude of ways. The skill set is there. It’s time to see the execution.

I feel that we’ll look back at the 2026-27 campaign for Fleming as one in which growth occurred. Where confidence grew. Where he impacted the game with regularity. Will there be hiccups and mental lapses? Of course. But by the end of this season, we will have confidence that this is a rotational piece moving forward, if not a core piece.

Stat Prediction: 71 games, 7.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 48/37/72 splits

Final Word

If there is one thing that is clear, it is that I am a Rasheer Fleming Stan. I believe he has the ability to be the Suns’ version of Kawhi Leonard, without all the cap-circumvention crap. He may be quiet and unassuming, but he’s an absolute beast on the hardwood. He can lock you up and hit you with a dagger three on the other end. Does he possess the upside that Kawhi does? Probably not. He possesses the intangibles that every team needs in order to be successful. It now comes down to what happens between the ears.

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Nov. 4

Today in sports history

Today is Nov. 4. On this date in:

1923: Chicago Bears founder, co-coach and player George Halas returned a Jim Thorpe fumble 98 yards for a touchdown in a 26-0 victory over the Oorang Indians, setting an NFL record that stood for 49 years.

1951: The United States captured the Ryder Cup at Pinehurst, defeating Great Britain 9½-2½ with a team led by Sam Snead.

1959: Chicago Cubs slugger Ernie Banks was named National League MVP for the second consecutive season after another power-filled year at shortstop.

1961: Philadelphia Warriors star Wilt Chamberlain began an NBA-record streak of 65 consecutive games scoring at least 30 points.

1962: Detroit Red Wings defenseman Bill Gadsby recorded his 500th career point in a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, becoming the first defenseman in NHL history to reach the milestone.

1965: Johnny Kerr played his 844th consecutive NBA game, then a league record, as the Baltimore Bullets lost 108-107 to the New York Knicks.

1971: Los Angeles Lakers star Elgin Baylor retired because of persistent knee injuries, ending a 14-season career in which he scored 23,149 points and made 11 NBA All-Star teams.

1976: Major League Baseball conducted its first free-agent reentry draft, a landmark business event in the sport’s labor history that included stars such as Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi and Willie McCovey.

1977: New York Rangers star Phil Esposito scored his 600th career goal in a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, becoming the third player in NHL history to reach the mark.

1980: Japanese home-run king Sadaharu Oh retired after a legendary career in which he hit a professional-record 868 home runs.

1987: Edmonton Oilers star Wayne Gretzky recorded his 1,000th career assist in his 645th NHL game, adding a hat trick in a 7-2 victory over the New York Rangers.

1988: The Charlotte Hornets played the first game in franchise history, losing 133-93 to the Cleveland Cavaliers before a sellout crowd at Charlotte Coliseum.

1989: David Robinson made his long-awaited NBA debut after fulfilling his U.S. Navy commitment, scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 106-98.

1989: The Orlando Magic played the first regular-season game in franchise history, losing 111-106 to the New Jersey Nets at Orlando Arena.

1993: The NBA Board of Governors awarded the league’s 28th franchise to a Toronto ownership group headed by John Bitove Jr., creating the Toronto Raptors, who began play in 1995.

1996: Houston Rockets forward Charles Barkley became the fourth player in NBA history to compile at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 3,500 assists as Houston defeated Utah 75-72.

2000: Grove City running back R.J. Bowers became the first player in NCAA history to surpass 7,000 career rushing yards, reaching the milestone during a 14-10 win over Carnegie Mellon.

2001: Luis Gonzalez singled home the winning run off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees 3-2 in Game 7 to win the first World Series championship in franchise history.

2003: The Big East announced a major expansion during a wave of college conference realignment, adding Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida in all sports and DePaul and Marquette in sports other than football.

2003: New York Rangers captain Mark Messier scored twice in a 3-0 victory over the Dallas Stars to pass Gordie Howe and move into second place on the NHL’s career points list with 1,851.

2006: Carolina Hurricanes captain Rod Brind’Amour collected the 1,000th point of his NHL career during a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

2007: Minnesota Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson rushed for an NFL-record 296 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-17 win over the San Diego Chargers.

2009: Hideki Matsui drove in six runs, tying the World Series single-game record, as the New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 to win their record 27th championship. Matsui was unanimously selected World Series MVP.

2012: Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck threw for 433 yards against Miami, setting an NFL rookie single-game passing record in a 23-20 victory.

2016: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry’s NBA-record streak of 157 consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer ended.

— USA TODAY Network

This story was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of information gathering, review, editing and publishing. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Today in sports history, November 4

Steve Kerr is asking Draymond Green for a favor the Warriors star once requested from him: patience.

Green thanked Kerr during their postseason exit meeting for remaining patient with him through years of emotional swings, confrontations and suspensions. With Golden State entering a transition season, the coach now wants that patience returned.

“He’s going to have to adapt a little bit, and it’s probably going to be a little frustrating at times,” Kerr said on the “Tom Tolbert Show.” He added that he would need Green’s patience.

Part of the adjustment could involve Green accepting a reduced offensive role, cutting down his turnovers and continuing to shoot open 3-pointers. The more delicate challenge may be tolerating the growing pains around him.

With Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody expected to miss much of the first half, Kerr said Golden State must rely on its entire roster, potentially including two-way players. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski are among those expected to carry more responsibility until the veterans return.

Kerr praised Lendeborg’s maturity and believes the Warriors’ depth can “hold down the fort.” That approach will inevitably produce uneven nights, however, and Green has never been known for quietly accepting mistakes or insufficient effort.

His combustible history gives Kerr’s request additional weight.

Green verbally unloaded on Kevin Durant during an infamous 2018 loss to the Clippers, an altercation that led Golden State to suspend him. Durant left for Brooklyn the following offseason, and both players later criticized how the organization handled their dispute.

Four years later, Green punched Jordan Poole during a preseason practice. The incident hung over Golden State’s disappointing title defense before Poole was traded to Washington the following summer.

Neither departure can be attributed entirely to Green. Durant already had complicated reasons for leaving, while the Warriors had basketball and financial motivations for moving Poole. Both episodes nevertheless demonstrated what can happen when Green’s competitive fury overwhelms the patience required inside a locker room.

The Warriors now need the 36-year-old to adjust his own responsibilities while guiding teammates who will occasionally miss rotations, overlook open reads or fail to match his urgency and intensity.

Whether Green can navigate that contradiction could determine more than Golden State’s early-season record.

Warriors insider Marcus Thompson II has suggested a poor start could force the franchise to confront an outcome once considered unthinkable.

“Draymond could be traded at the trade deadline,” Thompson said.

Green is playing on a one-year contract, while Stephen Curry remains untouchable and Butler offers more upside if he returns to his pre injured form. If the experiment fails, moving Green could become the clearest signal that Golden State is finally dismantling what remains of its dynasty.

Kerr is asking for patience. By February, the Warriors may know whether Green has enough of it — and whether the organization has any left for him.