Category: Sports News

I don’t know if Grayson Allen’s departure would necessarily be described as a big shoes to fill. But when you look at the production he provided over three seasons with the Phoenix Suns, it might be one of the more underrated stories surrounding the organization during that stretch.

Allen appeared in 190 games for Phoenix, starting 108 of them, while averaging 13.3 points on 41.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Add in 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, along with the fact that he led the NBA in three-point shooting three seasons ago at 46.1% while starting 74 of the 75 games in which he appeared, and you begin to appreciate how valuable his contributions were. That’s a role that won’t be easy to replicate, and it’s essentially the one Luke Kennard is stepping into as he arrives in Phoenix.

Kennard carries much of the same stigma that followed Allen prior to his arrival in the Valley, particularly when it comes to his archetype as a player. He’s viewed primarily as a three-point shooter, somebody whose value is largely defined by his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter. But what Kennard has showcased thus far in the preseason is an ability to contribute in ways beyond his shooting.

Of course, shooting the basketball remains his calling card, and through three preseason appearances, he’s demonstrated why. In 17.8 minutes per game, Kennard is averaging 12.3 points while shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc. He’s attempting 4.7 three-pointers per game, which is where much of his offensive impact is expected to come from.

Throughout his career, Kennard has posted a three-point attempt rate of 58.4%, meaning the majority of his field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc. That trend has continued through the preseason, with 56% of his shots, 14 of his 25 attempts, coming from deep. If he’s going to replicate the role Allen occupied in Phoenix, he still has ground to cover in that area. Allen attempted 68% of his shots from beyond the three-point line, showcasing how heavily his offensive role was built around perimeter shooting.

But what Kennard has showcased this preseason is a much more layered and complex ability to handle the basketball than I think I was prepared for. Much like I didn’t fully appreciate how effective Grayson Allen was at putting the ball on the floor and attacking the cylinder, I wasn’t nearly as aware of Kennard’s ability to use his handle to create opportunities for himself while also facilitating and finding his teammates.

Through three preseason appearances, Kennard has recorded 10 assists against only three turnovers, adding another dimension to what he can provide the second unit. His ability to create offense beyond simply catching and shooting makes that group more versatile and potentially more potent.

Will he become the volume shooter that Allen was last season? Allen averaged 8.9 three-point attempts per game in the 24 games he came off the bench, so Kennard still has some ground to cover if he’s going to replicate that level of opportunity and production. He’ll need to demonstrate that he can remain effective while taking on a larger role as a perimeter shooter. And the Suns are going to need that production, especially considering they project to be among the bottom tier of NBA teams in three-point shooting percentage this season.

What Kennard has demonstrated thus far is a much more layered offensive skill set than I initially anticipated, one that was on full display Saturday night when he scored 20 points against the San Antonio Spurs.

That’s what makes Kennard’s early performances so encouraging. Phoenix acquired him to replace a significant portion of the shooting it lost, but he’s beginning to demonstrate that his value could extend beyond the three-point line. The ball-handling, decision-making, and ability to create opportunities for others provide Jordan Ott with additional flexibility. Kennard doesn’t need to become Grayson Allen 2.0. He needs to make his own impact. And through three preseason games, he’s showing us that there’s more to his game than we anticipated.

Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t sugarcoat his emotions. 

The Knicks’ decision to cut off contract extension talks via a statement released Friday didn’t sit well with him, coming as “news to me.” 

“Obviously very disappointed, to say the least. Let’s be honest here,” the big man said Sunday. “But even though there was no business done, there’s still business to be handled. After 53 years, we found a way to bring this trophy back to New York, and we intend for it to stay in New York.” 

Towns had been vocal about the stalled talks, especially since the Knicks are coming off their first championship since 1973. The Post previously reported the Knicks offered Towns a four-year deal worth about $200 million. That is $77 million less than his max and a pay cut from his current $57 million salary. Towns is willing to take a discount, but not such a drastic one. 

Last week, Towns said he was surprised a new deal hadn’t materialized. When asked if he expected one, the six-time All-Star responded: “No s–t, Sherlock. I just won a championship. You’d think it was pretty easy. Unless you guys [reporters] think I have something else to prove.” 

An extension isn’t coming for the foreseeable future after the Knicks said Friday they “will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season.” 

Josh Hart and Miles McBride are also eligible for extensions. The front office is navigating owner James Dolan’s mandate to stay under the second apron. 

Hart broached the topic Saturday, saying he won’t let his contract interfere with the task at hand. The Knicks hold a $22.3 million team option on Hart for 2027-28. 

“Obviously, we have high expectations,” Hart said. “It’s good to be able to just focus on the season and keep it moving.” 

Complicating matters, Towns has until Oct. 19 to decline his $61 million player option for 2027-28. Otherwise, he cannot sign a contract extension with the Knicks during the regular season — assuming the franchise reopens talks. 

“I wouldn’t say I’ve thought about it, because I never thought it would get to this point,” said Towns, who played a key role in the Knicks winning it all last June, averaging 15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the playoffs. “But I think right now what’s best for our team is we just focus on the basketball.” 

Towns seems on board with focusing on the coming season. While he wants a contract extension, it won’t get in the way of the ultimate goal: another title. 

“We’re all humans, but what I do say is true: My only philosophy since we won and the only thing I’ve had in my mind is how do we win another one,” he said. “For me, the same focus I came in this season with is the same focus I’ll go into Game 1 with: How do we keep the trophy in New York past just this one summer?”

When first asked on Sept. 24 about the Lakers’ potential Opening Night starting lineup, coach JJ Redick provided clarity, humor and also uncertainty. 

The obvious clarity: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler would make up 60% of the team’s first unit. 

The humor: Redick saying the two other starters “will not be two white guys”.

And the uncertainty came from Redick openly acknowledging both of the final two starting spots were up for grabs. 

Nearly 2 ½ weeks later, the Lakers are still figuring out who’ll fill those two final starting spots for the regular season opener against the Warriors on Oct. 21 at Crypto.com Arena.

The nature of the Lakers’ first week of preseason has made it challenging for the team to assess who should fill those starting spots.

Reaves and Kessler both sat out of the preseason-opening win over the Kings on Oct. 5, in addition to Collin Sexton being sidelined, while Doncic, Reaves, Kessler, Sexton, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams sat out of the matchup against the Warriors on Oct. 6, which was the second night of a back-to-back. 

Reaves made his preseason debut, and Doncic and Thybulle played, in the Oct. 8 home win over the Kings, but Kessler, Williams and Sexton remained sidelined, with Kessler and Sexton yet to make their preseason debut. 

Kessler’s status for his potential preseason debut in Tuesday’s exhibition against the Warriors in Las Vegas hasn’t been determined yet.

Redick said Sexton, who’s dealing with a lower right left injury, is “probably a little bit further behind” Kessler. 

The Lakers’ player-availability changes have made it difficult for Redick and his staff to determine starters with 1 ½ weeks before the games start to matter in the standings.  

“I would say we’ve certainly seen glimpses of the things we like,” Redick said. “It’s hard because we’ve just been a little disjointed with the guys being banged up, so there’s nothing definitive yet.”

While the Lakers are using the final week to figure out who the starters will be, Quentin Grimes is primed to be one of those starters.

The 26-year-old wing has started in all three of the team’s preseason games so far, averaging 13.4 points (53.4% shooting, 46.2% on 3-pointers), regardless of who else was available. 

“Feel like Quentin is a really nice complement to Luka and AR,” Redick said of Grimes last week. “He’s obviously got the experience of playing with Luka prior in Dallas. In all our team building, it was about finding guys that complement Luka and AR, and we feel like we did that.”

That leaves one starting spot open, with Ziaire Williams receiving a lot of praise for what he’s shown behind the scenes. 

The 6-foot-10 forward played a significant part in setting the defensive tone in the preseason-opening win over the Kings, but has been limited over the last several days because of a foot contusion. 

But the Lakers have been impressed by what the Lancaster native has shown. 

“Activity, length, shot-making, plays the game the right way,” Reaves said of Williams. “[He] checks all of the right boxes for a guy you want on your team.”

Jake LaRavia has also impressed during the preseason, averaging 12.7 points (63.6% shooting), 3.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the three preseason exhibitions.

He’s also showcased an improved jump shot (54.5% on 3s). 

“He’s worked on his shot,” Redick said. “There’s a lot of things that we did this summer.  And he was really focusing on three very minor tweaks. From there, he felt really comfortable with those tweaks. And so from there, it just comes down to repetition. And from repetition, you get confidence. That’s just the way shooting works: It’s form, repetition, confidence. It’s hard to have confidence without the first two. And it’s hard to have good repetitions if your form sucks. 

“And it’s not that his form sucked, his form had a really good base. But he just made small tweaks. He’s shot the ball really well in practice. In our live play, we tracked all the stats throughout every practice we’ve had so far, he shot it well. He shot it [well in games]. So he’s in a great place offensively. And then you add in all the stuff that he does: The intangible stuff, defensively and 50-50 balls, all that stuff. He’s a really valuable player.”

Notably, second-year forward Adou Thiero started in the most recent game against the Kings, when Williams was sidelined but Sandro Mamukelashvili, LaRavia and Thybulle were available. 

Walker Kessler had multiple ways to view an unfortunate situation.

After suffering a season-ending left shoulder injury last October, the then 24-year-old center for the Utah Jazz could’ve felt robbed. He could’ve felt angry. He could’ve felt worried about his future.

Instead, he chose to tell himself a different story.

“It was tough, but I think it’s always important to remember things happen for a reason,” Kessler said at Lakers practice Sunday. 

“And I think that with the absence of basketball, my longing to play basketball grew even more to where I’m gonna be playing with so much joy that I’ve played with in a long time because I’ve never sat out for a whole season.”

Things have worked out for Kessler.

The Lakers acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal with Utah in July, sending two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Jazz and signing Kessler to a four-year, $130 million contract.

So, he went from playing for a team that missed the playoffs the last four seasons and is trying to rebuild to a team that views anything short of a championship as a failure.

The Lakers really believe in Walker. They mortgaged their future for him. They don’t have any tradeable first-round draft picks over the next seven years.

“He’s a guy that I’ve followed since his rookie year,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said Sunday. “We played against him my rookie year coaching and [he’s] somebody that I had identified a long time ago [as] somebody that I loved to have in a Laker uniform at some point.”

Kessler now has the opportunity of a lifetime.

He’s playing for one of the league’s premier franchises. He’s sharing the court with Luka Dončić, one of the top-four players in the NBA. He has said multiple times that he’s ready to run through a wall for the purple and gold.

The Lakers have yet to see Kessler in uniform, though.

He jammed his finger against the backboard during training camp and has been sidelined for all three of the team’s preseason games. He’s questionable for Tuesday’s exhibition game against the Warriors.

Redick said Walker participated in live action drills at Sunday’s practice, but added that he’s “not willing to commit” to whether Walker will make his preseason debut Tuesday or in the Lakers’ final exhibition Friday.

Kessler joked that he blocked some shots with his wrapped up pinky finger, smiling while showing reporters how he moved it out of the way.

He’s eager to get on the court. 

Kessler wants to establish himself as the anchor alongside a defense he has referred to as “nasty.” He wants to build chemistry alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves as a member of the Lakers’ Big 3. He wants to do what he loves again. 

So, sitting out these last three preseason games for what he referred to as precautionary reasons has been tough. 

“I think it would be a little different if I played last season, but because I didn’t play last season, I’m like, ‘Ah, I want to play really bad,'” Kessler said. “I’m ready to play, but I trust the staff and I trust the trainers, the coaches, and front office, you know? So yeah, just listening to them right now.”

Kessler is being patient.

He’s considered one of the league’s elite rebounders and rim protectors. He missed a season during his prime. Really, his ceiling is unknown at this point.

During the 2024-2025 campaign, he averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per game. He contested 7.5 shots per game at the rim, tying him for fifth-most in the league, according to NBA.com.

The Lakers are going to need even more from him.

They’re going to need him to transform into an All-Defense-type player. They’re going to need him to be a beast in the paint. They’re going to need him to put on a show catching lobs from Doncic.

Kessler is ready.

He’s waited a year for this moment.

And he’s choosing to believe that his long layoff will make him even more ready for this moment.

“It depends on how you look at it,” Kessler said, “you can always look at a positive outcome for some situations. So, that’s what I’m choosing to do.”