Category: Sports News

With the NBA season right around the corner, and the Utah Jazz presumably being competitive for the first time in far too long, everyone is right to place the majority of the responsibility on the shoulders of our biggest names. We just drafted Darryn Peterson #2 overall in the NBA Draft, we just signed Keyonte George to a contract extension, and we just traded away a massive amount of draft capital (not to mention we’re paying him $50 million a year) to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr. These guys will obviously play a huge role in our team’s success this year, but if this isn’t a true team effort from everyone involved, I believe that we are doomed to fail.

Long gone are the days in the NBA where we could throw 3 superstars on the floor and ride on their coattails. The league is much too talented for that type of strategy to work, so even though the aforementioned players will grab the headlines whether we win or lose, there are three players in my mind that will need to step up their game if the Jazz want to be successful. This is the first edition of my mini-series “The Burden of Expectation,” and I don’t think that there is anyone more vital to this team’s success from a role player’s standpoint than Kyle Filipowski.

I think that enough time has passed to where I can now comfortably say that Walker Kessler will be missed. The draft picks that we received in return are great, and I’m sure that Trader Danny will put them to good use eventually, but our frontcourt depth chart is looking… grim.

Our frontcourt depth wouldn’t have been elite even if we were able to retain Kessler’s services, but now that he’s in Tinseltown, it is quite worrying. Now, I’m not on Will Hardy’s staff (although I am open for hire), but I’d imagine that our starting lineup goes one of two ways:

a) Start Jaren Jackson Jr. out of position at the 5, Lauri at the 4, Ace at the 3, Darryn Peterson at the 2, and Keyonte George at the 1.

Or

b) Start Jusuf Nurkic at the 5 and push Ace to the bench, allowing JJJ to play his natural 4 position and making Lauri play out of position, and if the preseason is anything to go off of, it seems like this will be the starting lineup.

Regardless of which path we take, I don’t like the reality very much. Despite being 6’10”, JJJ averages 5 more rebounds a game for his career than I do, and with this being his 9th year in the league I don’t see a scenario where he magically becomes a double-double threat every night. Even if we were to start Nurkic, who IS a double-double threat, I worry about his ability to stay on the floor for the entire year and what other teams would do to him in the pick & roll. There is so much size in this league, and while casual viewers of this game will have you believe that just shooting from deep is the key to winning games, I believe that if you don’t have players on the floor who can fight for rebounds it will put your team at a significant disadvantage.

Lauri Markkanen isn’t exactly a Quincy Acy out there either, averaging 7 rebounds a night last season. When you look at some of the league’s best front court players, you’ll notice that even if they are considered elite at a different skill, they also show up on the glass. Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Victor Wembanyama all averaged over 11 rebounds a game last year, and when a potential starting frontcourt of Lauri and JJJ barely cover that combined, it’s important to look for other players who can step up. Enter: Kyle Filipowski.

Filipowski’s steady rise during his Sophomore season will get lost in the sands of time due to the team’s record, but his impact was noticed by those who were keeping a watchful eye on him. It was marginal, but he increased his scoring, rebounding, and playmaking output from his rookie season. His shooting splits did take a slight hit, but he did take over 150 more shots compared to his rookie year.

That kind of dip should also be taken with a pinch of salt as it was pretty clear, especially after the New Year, that the goal for the team was to develop and push players out of their comfort zone. Now that there are going to be define roles for this season, and now that Filipowski will have the chance to make a true impact off the bench, I think that we could be in for a very promising third year campaign from the quintessential hustle guy.

The raw counting stats won’t pop off the page, but you may be surprised to learn that Filipowski and his 0.9 steals per game was actually in the 86th percentile in the entire league last year. His forced turnovers (steals + offensive fouls drawn) was also relatively high being in the 87th percentile last year.

I will admit that most of his impact will have to be viewed through a “wishful thinking” lens, because at the end of the day scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in 22 minutes a night isn’t going to win any sort of hardware at the end of the year. However, if you were to scale up his projected production, it could very well be the difference in a win or loss on most nights. Filipowski’s Per 30 numbers jump up to 14.6 points and 9 rebounds a night, and given our lack of size and skill in the rotation, I fully expect Will Hardy to trust a guy who’s been in his system for two years to play big minutes and fill any voids.

Again, if we were able to retain Walker Kessler, maybe Filipowski isn’t exactly needed to produce. Most third year role players aren’t ready to take that big of a leap, but that’s the essense of the burden of expectation.

The weight of the responsibility is heavy, and while you won’t find other outlets writing think pieces about Kyle Filipowski, his role and importance to this team cannot be undervalued. He can’t do it alone, of course. There are a few other players role players on our team that will have to carry the weight with him, but that’s what this team does best.

The Utah Jazz teams have always been established in team play and relying on each other to get the win. Sure, the coverage of Peterson this year will be fun, Keyonte’s fourth year is going to be very exciting, and seeing how JJJ and Markkanen play off of each other is tantalizing, but it does take a village. I believe that Kyle Filipowski is ready to contribute in a big way this year, and when he does, you remember who told you first.

Who else do you think will have an underrated impact on the team this year? What kind of rookie campaign do you think we’ll see from Darryn Peterson this year? Sound off in the comments!

Be kind. Tell somebody you love them.

Welcome to the NBA, Ebuka Okorie. The rookie guard selected 17th overall had quite an eventful first preseason game in the NBA. After not playing at all through three quarters and seeing his team go down 18 points, Ebuka entered and promptly hit a three-pointer to give Detroit its first lead of the night. He then capped it off with a game-winning drive in the game’s final seconds to give the Pistons a 109-107 win over the Phoenix Suns at Little Caesars Arena.

In a game where the Pistons starters struggled with Phoenix’s physicality and intensity, the game completely flipped when both teams turned to their benches in the second half. It turns out all those Pistons fans saying Detroit might have the deepest team in the league might have been onto something. There was just no match in size, speed, and talent between the end of Detroit’s roster and Phoenix’s.

Ron Holland scored a team-high 15 points and added five vintage Ron Holland steals, including one late that pushed Detroit’s lead from three to five with less than a minute left in the game. Dannis Jenkins was a team-high plus-15 on the night, largely behind some crisp and high-degree-of-difficulty passes and a vintage off-balance three with defenders in his face to tie the game after three quarters.

We shouldn’t handwave away the starters’ struggles, though. There was some errant passing, there were a lot of early shots, and there wasn’t a lot of rebounding. The Pistons clearly went into this game with an eye toward asking a lot of the players stepping into larger offensive roles to put their summer of work to the test. That meant a lot of ball-handling responsibility for Ausar Thompson, a lot of shooting from Holland, and a lot of center minutes for John Collins (Jalen Duren was held out as he ramps up his prep work with teammates, and Paul Reed started in his place). It wasn’t always pretty, but that is what preseason is for.

The Suns, meanwhile, wanted to keep it simple — run their offense and play with the kind of physicality that is non-negotiable for them as they seek to build on the somewhat surprising 45-win season of a year ago. Devin Booker led the Suns with 13 points, and Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks added 11 apiece. Phoenix dominated Detroit on the boards 47-35, mostly building up that advantage in the first half. The Pistons were able to counteract that with 21 steals that led to 37 points off turnovers. Most of that done against the Suns’ scrubs in the second half.

It was a fun game, and some vintage Detroit basketball. The Pistons will next play on Saturday in Washington against the Wizards. Hopefully by then we will see some Jalen Duren minutes.

Jason Kidd is reportedly "in advanced talks" to join ESPN for the next chapter of his career.

According to The Athletic and NBA reporter Marc Stein on Monday, Oct. 5, the Hall of Fame point guard is close to a deal to become an ESPN studio analyst and a member of "NBA Countdown." The show currently features Brian Windhorst and Kendrick Perkins with Malika Andrews hosting. Michael Malone left the program in April when he became the head coach of North Carolina's basketball team.

When USA TODAY Sports reached out to ESPN, a representative declined to comment.

In his playing days, Kidd was a nine-time All-Defensive player, a 10-time All-Star and was the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year. He spent time with the Phoenix Suns, the then-New Jersey Nets and played one season with the New York Knicks. He was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and won the 2011 NBA championship with them. He coached the Mavericks from the 2021-22 season until this spring when he and the team "mutually agreed to part ways."

Real fans watch preseason games, these half-hearted scrimmages in which stars tend to lollygag, and the guys fighting for roster or rotation consideration tend to play as you’d expect—like guys trying to secure seats at the southern reach of the bench. Bandwagoners and parade crashers don’t tune in for this slop. Real fans do, cuz a Knicks game is a Knicks game. We even watch summer league!

After a short summer respite, the World Champion Knickerbockers and your loyal P&T blogger were all feeling rusty. From the start of tonight’s 120-97 loss to the Sixers, the champs continued to show their penchant for the long ball, heaving more than half their shots from the outfield. Both teams converted 33% from deep through the first 12 minutes, and here’s some good news: Finals MVP Jalen Brunson’s surgically repaired wrist had a familiar sweet snap as he drilled two three-pointers.

The guests took an early lead, but Philly answered with a 14-3 stretch through the heart of the quarter. Seeing former Celtic Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia blue boggled the brain for a moment. He carried his unit with LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey taking the night off (chickens), and the new Sixer collected 13 early points. Meanwhile, Brunson and OG (The Tipmeister) Anunoby scored eight points apiece for our heroes.

Former Knick Ariel Hukporti started the game, but exited early with an injury after facing up with Karl-Anthony Towns. He was assisted to the locker room, and it had the hallmarks of an Achilles tear. If that turns out to be the case, it’s a devastating blow to a likable guy who stood to get significant playing time this season.

On the subject of Towns, he attacked the paint and looked not a bit sour about his contract situation. Behind him, Andre Drummond played his first (unofficial) game as a Knick and was exactly the same Drummond he’s always been.

As the quarter went on, Tyler Kolek (with longer locks) assumed ball-handling duties. He seemed to have a mandate to score and forced it a little. Due to an absence of defense on either side, the teams swapped buckets like high-schoolers on layup lines. One welcome exception was the dependable Landry Shamet, who drained a pair of triples.

After 13 lead changes, the Knicks finished the quarter trailing just 33-32, despite the Sixers out-shooting them 54% to 48%.

To start the second quarter, Jaylen Brown returned for a short stint, as did Brunson and Towns for the Knicks.

But, true to his word, Coach Mike Brown doled out minutes to as many players as he could. The spotlight in these early days is squarely on sophomore Mohamed Diawara. He attacked the rim with mixed results and coughed up the ball twice. Not a great sign after a crummy summer league. Alongside him, Jordan Clarkson logged his allotment of minutes, picking up where he left off.

Veteran James Wiseman took a turn at center, hoping to convince Brown to award him the team’s final roster spot. He scored two buckets but seemed a step slow on defense. Speaking of which, Pacome Dadiet guarded with more aggression than I remember. His offense, however, was pretty much exactly as I remembered—he and Miles McBride combined to shoot 0-of-4 from downtown in the half.

The second quarter belonged to the 76ers, who reached a 14-point lead late in the period and went into intermission ahead 72-58. They shot 53% from the field and 46% from deep, converting 11 dingers to the Knicks’ five. After missing a bunch of shots in the second quarter, our guys had shot 23% from deep. Brown led all first-half scorers with 22, while Anunoby logged 12 for the good guys.

Kolek and Shamet started the third, as did Walker, who answered their buckets with a trey of his own. Diawara turned on the charm with consecutive finger-rolls, a putback, and a steal. From there, the teams traded inefficient offensive blows.

Drummond swatted three blocks, and his layup fueled a nice push during that run, but Clarkson committed two travel violations and whiffed on multiple shots. Wiseman hit from the line and dunked a tip-in, while Ochai Agbaji went scoreless with some misses, and Dadiet’s fouls sent the Sixers to the stripe. By the end of this sludgefest, both teams had scored 21 points. The Knicks were still down, now 93-79.

Drew Eubanks and Bruce Brown started the fourth quarter for the Knicks, and we saw cameos by Kevin McCullar, Jr., Tyler Nickel, Tony Bradley, and Jaden Akins. By the buzzer, Brown had played 20 players (and it would’ve been 21, but Jose Alvarado is nursing a bruised knee). Aikins and Dadiet both hit from deep, which were rare sights on a night when the Knicks shot 8-of-41 from yard.

For the home team, rookie forward Saint Thomas impressed with a double-double. Thanks to his efforts, the Liberty Bells inflated their lead to 23. Caleb Love continued to have a nice game for them (15 points, 3-of-6 from deep). When the cutting was done, our heroes had fallen, 120-97. Big deal. We’ll give these bums the business on banner night.

Up Next

The Knicks host the Wizards on Thursday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers, and get well soon, Huk.

The Atlanta Hawks were in action on Monday evening to face the Memphis Grizzlies for their first preseason game. This was the first time that fans were able to see the team in action, and it was also the first time the team would be able to play against another team other than themselves.

CJ McCollum and Lu Dort were out for this game, and the starting lineup consisted of Kingston Flemings, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu.

Alexander-Walker got things started for the Hawks with a 3-pointer.

It was a big moment for the rookie as he got a 3-pointer to score the first points of his NBA career.

The Hawks’ defense was solid with the starters in the game, and they were able to keep the Grizzlies from scoring much. That led to the Hawks gaining an 11-point lead, and they were able to maintain for some time before the Grizzlies started to get some shots to go.

Aaron Wiggins was the first person to come off the bench for the Hawks, followed by Jock Landale. The second unit wasn’t as crisp as the first, but they were still able to keep the lead. Asa Newell worked hard for his first bucket of the game, and got an and-1 to go with it.

Going into the second quarter, the Hawks led 35-32.

Wiggins knocked down the first 3-pointer of his Hawks’ stint in the second quarter.

The Grizzlies started to find a rhythm in the second quarter, and they started pulling away from the Hawks, even with most of the starters in the game.

Alexander-Walker tried to keep the Hawks in it, getting this spin move to go in the lane.

Even that wasn’t enough for the Hawks to get some momentum, as the Grizzlies continued to pile up the points. It wasn’t the best showing for the Hawks, as they gave up 49 points in the second and trailed 81-61 going into halftime.

The Hawks pulled most of their regular starters for the third quarter, and it was only Flemings who remained on the floor. Corey Kispert, Keshon Gilbert, Jock Landale and Newell were the other four players who joined him in the third.

Newell was able to flush this dunk in transition.

Kispert had it going in the quarter, scoring 10 points and shooting perfect from the field. Dorian Finney-Smith saw his first minutes of the game in the third, and made an immediate impact on both sides of the ball.

It was Zuby Ejiofor’s first time on the court in the third, and his rookie partner set him up with the perfect pass for an easy dunk.

It was a way better quarter for the Hawks on defense, only allowing 29 points, and they trailed the Grizzlies 110-98 heading into the fourth.

The Hawks had already found some life in the third, and they continued that in the fourth to cut down their deficit. Jalen Wilson knocked down two 3-pointers and the Hawks were down only single digits.

Newell was relentless in the fourth, especially on the offensive boards, but he continued to put pressure on the rim, getting another dunk.

The Hawks tried to keep cutting into their deficit late in the fourth, but the Grizzlies always had an answer on the other end. It was a strong effort from the Hawks’ third unit, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.

Kispert finished the game with 19 points, Alexander-Walker finished with 14 points and Newell finished with 12 points and rebounds.

The Hawks will be back in action on Oct. 8 against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks played their first game since winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as the starters shook off some rust and the bench fought to earn minutes in a 120-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Here are some takeaways...

-- Mike Brown went with the starting lineup that won the NBA Finals on Monday night: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Sixers and Nick Nurse took a different approach as LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid all sat out; leaving him with VJ Edgecombe and Jaylen Brown as the only regular-season starters in the lineup.

-- Former Knick Ariel Hukporti, who signed with Philadelphia over the summer, also started for his new team. Unfortunately for Hukporti, the big man took an awkward fall in the first quarter and grabbed for his ankle. Knicks and Sixers players gathered around him and helped him to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

-- Andre Drummond, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, and Tyler Kolek were the first four players off the bench for Brown's group. Shamet picked up where he left off in the playoffs, making two threes right away.

Philadelphia led 33-32 after the first quarter as Brown led the way with a game-high 13 points. Anunoby played the most minutes out of the New York starters (10) and was second in points (six) behind Brunson (eight). 

-- Brown played more of the bench in the second quarter, with Mohamed Diawara and Jordan Clarkson entering for the first time. The back-and-forth game continued as Brown and Caleb Love scored eight straight to put the Sixers up 58-51 and force a New York timeout with 4:29 left in the half. Philly's young guards continued to attack with Edgecombe converting the and-one layup over James Wiseman to go up double digits.

The Knicks were outscored 39-26 in the second quarter as Love nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer, taking a 72-58 lead into the half. New York allowed Philadelphia to shoot 53 percent from the field and 46 percent from three (11-for-24). Brunson and Anunoby were tied for the team-high with 12 points each, while Brown had 22 points for his new team.

-- The bench started the second half as Brunson and Co.'s night was done early, as was Brown's for Philly. New York's shooting struggles continued without their starters, failing to score a field goal for five-plus minutes toward the end of the third quarter and trailing, 93-79, heading into the fourth.

-- Overall, NY shot 38 percent from the field and 20 percent from three (8-for-41). Shamet led the bench with 10 points, while Diawara had eight points in 17 minutes. Fighting for a backup center role, Wiseman had eight points and five rebounds in nine minutes while Tony Bradley had two points in six minutes. Drummond scored six points with five rebounds and three blocks against his old team.

Highlights

Jalen Brunson is back https://t.co/19wqbueT2s

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 5, 2026

Landry Shamet 👌👌 https://t.co/Mb40ulgkPn

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 5, 2026

Drummond defense 💪 https://t.co/CbJeyEEwFo

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 6, 2026

What's next

The Knicks play another preseason game on Thursday against the Washington Wizards at MSG. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

It was unlikely the Lakers were going to be at full strength in their preseason opener — or in any exhibition game — on Monday.

In the first contest of a back-to-back and three games in four nights, head coach JJ Redick announced pregame that Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler would both be out. Joining them on the sidelines are Collin Sexton and Arthur Kaluma.

With two projected starters out, the Lakers’ starting lineup included Luka Dončić, likely starter Quentin Grimes and Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Kevon Looney.

During training camp, Redick noted that some players had modified participation in practice. He did not reveal names, but also noted that they weren’t considered serious injuries.

It’s unclear how many, if any, of these players were among those modified participants in practice. We’ll get a better idea of how serious these injuries are as well come Tuesday when the Lakers play again against the Warriors.

Ideally, Kessler’s injury, in particular, is short-term so he can build as much chemistry as possible with Luka and Reaves. In that same vein, Reaves getting back as soon as possible is the best-case scenario.

For the devoted fans who caught Summer League, not getting a chance to see Kaluma will be a bummer. He has a skillset that, in theory, could really complement the team’s stars.

Again, though, players were always going to sit out during this opening stretch of preseason games. We’ll have to wait to see how serious, if at all, the injuries are.

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

We are so back.

The Sixers tipped off their preseason with a 120-97 win over the defending champion New York Knicks Monday night.

In his first game as a Sixer, Jaylen Brown put up 22 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the floor along with two rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes of action. VJ Edgecombe played 19 minutes and put up 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting with four rebounds and seven assists.

Out tonight for the Sixers was LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona. Before the game, Nick Nurse said he’s aiming to get the starters in two of their four preseason games, and that he isn’t concerned about the minor injuries picked up by Simons and Barlow.

The Sixers did suffer a potential costly injury early with big man Ariel Hukporti leaving the game with an injury.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• As expected, the offense early was centered around Brown. He got to his spots to pull up, but missed his first two attempts and split his first pair of free throws as well. He had a layup roll out on him but fought for the offensive rebound, putting it back and getting fouled in the process.

• 99% of the preseason is just getting through it healthy. Unfortunately, Ariel Hukporti went down just five minutes into the game, favoring his right ankle in what looked like a non-contact injury. His former Knicks teammates were quick to put an arm around him as he was being helped off the floor. Jabari Walker came in to replace him, now the only healthy backup five on the team.
• Brown did eventually get into a rhythm, making three straight shots to put up 13 in the quarter. Edgecombe made his presence felt as well, consistently getting to the basket successfully, but he couldn’t get a jumper to fall. Labaron Philon Jr. was the first sub of the night but he took a back seat for the first few minutes of his shift as those two were cooking. Philon made his first shot of the night, a pull-up jumper from the midrange.
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope became the latest Sixer to get in on the fun with a quick seven points to end the quarter. He drilled a three that looked like it would keep the Sixers up by three, but a missed boxout allowing OG Anunoby to grab the rebound and get fouled on the putback attempt. He split his pair of free throws, giving the Sixers a two-point lead after a high-scoring first.

Second Quarter

• The concerns about this center rotation were on display as the Sixers gave up three more offensive rebounds early in the second. One was courtesy of our old friend Andre Drummond, but Brown drilled a three in his face a few possessions later as he continued to have the hot hand.
• Walker was really active with six rebounds and a couple of stocks, but being a couple inches shorter than the average center just catches up with him. On top of his strong effort on that end of the floor he knocked down his first two threes of the night, getting them up quickly. The makings of a stretch-five are there for Walker, and it’d be huge if the Sixers could unlock that.

• Brown continued to put on a show for everybody, getting up to 22 points in just under 17 minutes of play. Just as he checked out of the game, Edgecombe came in and went right back to the basket for an and-1 layup. Everything he was doing off the dribble was intriguing. He made a really nice pass to a cutting Dillon Jones, and spun around to find Caleb Love in the corner for a three as the buzzer expired. The only thing he couldn’t do in the half was a get a three-pointer to fall, but he was good enough to help the Sixers get out to a 14-point lead.

Third Quarter

• Neither Brown or Edgecombe were out on the floor to start the second half, officially ending their nights. Walker started the half with another three, but the team cooled down, missing five straight shots. The Knicks got aggressive in where they were picking up the Sixers, forcing them higher up the court and forcing worse passes and shots as a result.
• It was encouraging to see Philon be the one to put his head down and get to the basket to stop some of the bleeding. He also made a nifty behind-the-back dribble to evade a defender, but couldn’t get the floater to fall to complete the highlight play. His attack though remained the only consistent offense for the Sixers in the quarter.

• Like Edgecombe, Philon was also struggling to get his outside jumper to fall, but also like Edgecombe, it was a good quarter for him to showcase his playmaking chops. He found a cutting Jameer Nelson Jr. shortly after he checked into the game for his fourth assist of the night. Nelson finished an and-1 that helped keep the Sixers lead at 14.

Fourth Quarter

• The rest of this recap is going to be random observations about the two-ways and exhibit 10 contracts still playing in this game. Rayan Rupert has the makings of a defender. He seems to know where to be and is always hustling to get there. Nothing he did tonight really showed up in the stat sheet though, and two of his shot attempts were two of the easiest blocks for the Knicks’ defenders.
• Caleb Love is what the kids call a bucket and hooper. If shoots like he did in the first half he’s going to be very fun to watch in the preseason, but he seemed to really run out of gas in the second half. Definitely a situation worth monitoring over the next three games.