Category: Sports News

Do not underestimate the power of cultural awareness and understanding in the international world of basketball. For Masai Ujiri, new Dallas Mavericks president and alternate general manager, navigating in multiple languages, customs, cultures and traditions is nothing new. 

Born in England, raised in Nigeria, an executive in the American National Basketball Association over the last decades, Masai Ujiri is about as international as it gets. 

Back when he was traveling the world as an international scout – at the time he got to know new Dallas Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz – it must have given him an advantage compared to many in that world because of his background and exposure to different cultures early on. 

One of the side effects – or bonuses – of being born into a world of multiple nationalities and cultures, is the fact that you learn how to adapt and adjust quickly. You learn the skill of observation – how do people do things here, what’s the unwritten rules, what is frowned upon – and you learn how to fit in no matter where you go. 

That must have served as a major advantage for Masai Ujiri, as he found his footing in the international world of global basketball and started putting those skills to good use, both when scouting – and when networking. Something he is reportedly very good at. 

Ujiri, who’s described as well-respected and charming, has always been good at making and keeping connections. Acquaintances even call him “very sweet” and “very thoughtful”. And very good at finding talent and creating an atmosphere that allows players to reach their full potential. 

He started out as an unpaid scout with the Orlando Magic back in 2002 and moved to a paid scouting position with the Denver Nuggets in 2003. Seven years later, he was named the team’s general manager.

After winning the NBA’s Executive of the Year award with the Nuggets, he moved to Toronto. The Toronto Raptors then made the playoffs eight times during his 12 years in charge. Oh ya, and won their only championship in franchise history in 2019.

Understanding talent, and not being afraid to look outward and in new places to find hidden gems, Ujiri was part of drafting international players from places most people wouldn’t even have considered. 

There’s Jakob Poeltl, an Austrian center, who the Raptors picked in 2016 with the number nine pick. And that same year, they used their number 27 pick to get a completely unknown wing player from Cameroon, who hadn’t played organized basketball for very long. That was Pascal Siakam, now a four-time NBA All-Star. 

Ujiri’s international background has clearly helped make him a good judge of character. He also earned the reputation of being bold. 

Working in the trenches of the scouting world for years, he met, connected and built relationships with numerous people all over the world. One of them is Mike Schmitz. And as soon as Masai Ujiri was offered the job as Dallas Mavericks president, he knew he wanted to bring Mike Schmitz along.

“You track people along the way, you pin-point those that stand out or those that have the talent you want for particular jobs, and he’s one of them,” Masai Ujiri said of Schmitz right after it became public that he had hired him as general manager earlier this month. 

“I’ve done a lot of scouting internationally,” Schmitz said of Ujiri when he was introduced, “and when I first got in the scouting space and was out and about on the road, we’ve been in the same gyms for years and years.”

“Whether that’s in Africa, in Europe or in the states, I’m really thankful for that relationship and him bringing me on.” 

According to Ujiri, Schmitz has a talent for finding hidden treasures and is not afraid to make bold decisions. Traits Ujiri seems to value highly. 

Mike Schmitz worked as an assistant general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers the last four seasons, and was part of finding talents like Deni Avdija from Israel, who made the All-Star team this season. They also drafted a long list of future NBA talent. Before that, Schmitz worked as a draft analyst for ESPN and DraftExpress.com. 

“I’ve known him (Mike Schmitz) for many, many years,” Ujiri said. “He’s an incredible scout, an incredible leader. He digs deep into work, data, and what you want to know about really scouting a player, team building, all those things.”

“Treating people well, scout organizing, managing people, it’s a whole package you want and it’s very important that we set a tone now for this organization because the fans, the organization, you (media) guys, everybody deserves that.”

And going back years also matters when it comes to something pivotal in business: trust. 

“Obviously, we’ve had a long-standing relationship,” Schmitz said. “And I think just him being able to trust in me, and me being able to lean on him in a variety of different areas, so I think it’s going to work great.”

And hopefully, with this new leadership that doesn’t seem afraid to look outward and to try new things, hidden gems, diamonds in the rough and already successful players from other leagues will be considered in the same way as players who take the traditional route to the best league in the world. 

Since parting ways with the Toronto Raptors last year, Masai Ujiri has spent most of his time working with his nonprofit, Giants of Africa, which puts on basketball camps, builds courts and provides education opportunities to children around Africa and in Nigeria, where he was raised. 

Find more Beyond Basketball pieces here.

The biggest news of the day came via a Passan bomb at 6AM yesterday morning. Travis Kelce is now a minority owner of the Cleveland Guardians.

Guest contributor, Mike Mahoney, gave his scouting report of the Lake County Captains Position Players.

The Guardians were able to avoid the sweep, taking yesterday’s game behind Gavin Williams. The game recap can be read here. Tonight is a much needed off day for the team with Boston coming to town for a weekend series.

MLB Network listed out their José Ramírez award for most underrated players. There is one current Guardian and one former Cleveland player on the list:

The MLBPA has made their first proposals for the collective bargaining.

We wrap up our series on first round draft prospects by taking a look at players who could be available if the Suns decide to trade into the 29 to 31 range. Unlikely? Sure. Still worth doing the homework? Absolutely.

That range currently includes the Cavaliers at 29, the Mavericks at 30, and the Knicks at 31, which technically opens the second round as the first pick on day two of the draft. 

The reason for doing the due diligence is simple. It’s not something we did last year until late in the game. We didn’t believe the Suns would trade up into the lottery, so a lot of the focus stayed on picks 29 and 52, which is where Phoenix originally looked slotted to select. Then draft night happened, and suddenly the board changed.

That’s part of this process. Things move. Teams pivot. Opportunities appear out of nowhere. That’s why it helps to take a holistic approach, explore every realistic avenue, and have a feel for all the options on the board. That way, when draft night arrives, and something unexpected happens, you’re ready.

Prospects at 29-31

I’ve previously reviewed Zuby Ejiofor, Ebuka Okorie, Henri Veesaar, and Joshua Jefferson. All of them would be potential targets in this draft range (though Okorie and Veesaar both have an average draft spot of 28, which might make them targets for the Suns at 26). However, there are a couple more prospects here that the Suns might take if they’re looking for a point guard behind Gillespie or expect Mark Williams to leave in free agency.

Tarris Reed (University of Connecticut, Senior, C)

Tarris Reed Jr. is a physically imposing, 6’11” and 270-pound center known for his elite screening, interior dominance, and high-motor rebounding. He offers NBA teams a ready-made “glue guy” profile who does the dirty work, sets heavy picks in the pick-and-roll, and finishes efficiently around the rim.

Key Statistics

27.3 MPG, 14.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.3APG, 2.9 stocks, 60.7 FG%, 0.0 3PT%, 61.7 FT%

Strengths

• Size & Length: Boasts a massive, NBA-ready frame with a rumored 7’4″ wingspan. He uses his strength well to carve out deep post position.
• Mobility: Moves surprisingly well for a player of his bulk. He did very well at the combine in both lane agility and the shuttle run.
• Screening & Rolling: One of his best traits is his ability to set heavy, bruising screens that open up driving lanes for perimeter players. He rolls hard and possesses soft hands to catch and finish.
• Touch & Efficiency: Scores efficiently around the basket, particularly on layups and dunks. He has a soft touch on hook shots and interior finishes.
• Playmaking: Flashes underrated passing vision from the post and short roll, consistently making smart, connective passes to open cutters.
• Interior Presence: Acts as a capable rim protector and a steadying presence in drop coverage. He alters shots and controls the defensive glass well.
• High Motor: Brings constant energy, competing hard on both ends of the floor, which translates to him reliably grabbing contested rebounds.

Weaknesses

• Lack of Floor Spacing: He operates almost entirely in the paint and the dunker spot. He has rarely attempted three-pointers and lacks a face-up scoring bag or perimeter creation.
• Free-Throw Shooting: Struggles from the charity stripe, which can be a limiting factor in late-game situations.
• Foul Trouble & Defensive Versatility: Can occasionally get into foul trouble when defending more agile, face-up bigs. While his drop coverage is solid, he can still improve his timing and switchability when defending pick-and-rolls on the perimeter.

Draft Range

After stellar late-season tournament runs and impressive measurements at the NBA Draft Combine, Reed has risen up draft boards into late first-round or early second-round projections. Reed projects to go anywhere between 21^st and 44^th, with an average of 31.5 and a median of 34.

Why the Suns Should Take a Look

Bobby Marks at ESPN estimated what the salary value for top free agents was this summer, and he came up with $42 million over 3 years for Mark Williams. Because the Suns are saddled with Jalen Green’s contract and Bradley Beal’s buyout, they’re likely to have to do some penny pinching this offseason. In a lot of cases, Williams failed to pass the advanced metric test this year and missed 22 games plus all of the playoffs. 

Gambo reports that Goodwin and Gillespie are higher priorities for the franchise, which may elect to stand pat with Oso Ighodaro and Kaman Maluach. If they decide to do so, Reed would make a fine replacement for Williams as a defensive-minded center who moves well, plays hard, and has a nose for rebounds. Ryan Kalkbrenner fit a similar profile in 2025, and he had an outstanding rookie campaign.

NBA Comparisons

Andre Drummond, Steven Adams, Isaiah Stewart

Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt, Sophomore, PG)

Tyler Tanner is a highly dynamic, polarizing sophomore point guard out of Vanderbilt who is testing the 2026 NBA Draft process. Following a massive breakout sophomore campaign, he earned First-Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team honors. His evaluation is defined by a battle between elite, modern advanced metrics and traditional height requirements as a 5’11” (in socks) 167-pound point guard.

Key Statistics

27.3 MPG, 19.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5.1APG, 2.4 steals, 48.5 FG%, 36.8 3PT%, 85.3 FT%

Strengths

• Elite Playmaking & Decision Making: Tanner serves as an exceptional floor general with an airtight 5.1-to-1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio. He reads defensive rotations at light speed, utilizing advanced spatial awareness to deliver precise skip-passes or pocket-passes out of the pick-and-roll.
• Deadly First Step & Cadence: He possesses a blistering first step and a tight crossover that allows him to generate paint touches at will. He manipulates defenders beautifully by rapidly switching gears and using deceptive hesitations.
• Skyrocketing Perimeter Efficiency: After a sub-40% field goal percentage as a freshman, his shot mechanics became highly versatile. He developed a hair-trigger, “no-dip” release that translated to a 36.8% clip from deep on 4.5 attempts per game.
• Hellacious Defensive Disruption: Despite his small stature, Tanner was a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist. He led the SEC in steals (2.4 per game) using immaculate anticipation to jump passing lanes and elite footwork at the point of attack.
• Functional Athleticism: He punches far above his weight class vertically, boasting a 39-inch maximum vertical jump that allows him to finish above the rim when given a runway. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Weaknesses

• Severe Size Limitations: Standing under 5’11” barefoot, he faces an uphill battle in a modern NBA dominated by positional length. He is missing the baseline physical frame typical of NBA starters.
• Defensive Targetability: Modern NBA offenses will relentlessly target him in switch-heavy schemes. Bigger guards and wings will easily shoot over his 7’9″ standing reach or back him down into the low post.
• Screen Navigation Physicality: Weighing just 167 pounds, his lack of functional core strength makes it difficult to physically fight over screen actions or hold his ground against downhill driving threats.

Draft Range

Late first, early second round. He may not stay in the draft, and it likely hinges on whether he receives a first-round promise. He projects to go anywhere between the 28^th and 48^th picks, with an average of 34.5 and a median of 33.

Why the Suns Should Take a Look

Tyler Tanner is going to be one of those ultimate tests of advanced metrics and eye-test versus the current meta of the NBA. Numerous outlets have declared that there is no place left in the modern NBA for a smaller point guard, and they’re generally right.

That said, Tanner has ridiculous verticality, his basketball IQ is off the charts, he’s a fantastic ball thief with 2.4 steals per game, and he has great shot mechanics with a super-quick, high release. He shoots very well, he has great court vision and awareness, and his metrics all say he’s a great player… except for his height. In the end, I think he projects as a great “energy guy” backup point guard.

NBA Comparisons

Patty Mills, Damon Stoudamire, Tre Jones, Jose Alvarado, Fred VanVleet

Final Verdict

After multiple articles, I’m now tracking 25 prospects. There’s a plethora of intriguing players if the Suns trade into the first round. If they trade up to the 17^th pick, I like Morez Johnson Jr. and Chris Cenac Jr. as long, hyper-athletic power forwards. However, Hannes Steinbach is also a potential lottery pick steal if he’s still on the board.

If the Suns obtain something in the 26-31 range, my favorite picks are Zuby Ejiofor, Ebuka Okorie, Henri Veesaar as a floor-spacing five, Allen Graves, and Joshua Jefferson. I like Zuby Ejiofor in particular, who I believe is vastly underrated. He absolutely killed it at the combine, and his advanced metrics say he’s going to be an immediate contributor. If the Suns used the 26^th pick on him, I would not be at all disappointed.

Of course, there’s no point in having a power forward on the team if you won’t play them because Jalen Green is jamming up rotations, but that’s a story for another time.

The NBA’s 2025-26 awards were fully revealed after the Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla on Tuesday became the youngest Coach of the Year winner in over 50 years.

Two California Post sports staffers, NBA reporter Melissa Rohlin and Lakers reporter Khobi Price, had two of the 100 ballots that determined the voting for every award — from MVP (Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and Coach of the Year to All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year (Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama).

Here are insights into their voting process:

1.) What factored into your MVP vote and how did you feel about Luka Doncic’s fourth-place finish?

Price: With respect for transparency, it’s important to note I had Doncic third on my MVP ballot. So his fourth-place finish is more than fair. Gilgeous-Alexander was once again the best player on the league’s best team and had a historic season in his own right when factoring in his productivity, efficiency and ability to lead the Thunder to a league-best 64-win season. He was the clear-cut season-long MVP, evident by him receiving 83 first-place votes. It’s nitpicking when deciding between Doncic, Wembanyama and Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic for spots Nos. 2-4. Wembanyama has an argument for the league’s most impactful two-way player per minute. But the gap between his total minutes played (1,866) compared to Doncic (2,289) and Jokic (2,265), and offensive impact/workload favored Doncic and Jokic even with respect to Wembanyama’s defensive dominance. It was splitting hairs when deciding between Doncic and Jokic for second place, but Jokic’s historic production, efficiency and early-season dominance (he was the MVP favorite before getting injured in late December) gave him the slight edge. 

Rohlin: There was a very strong field, and this was a hard decision. Doncic had a phenomenal season, and his stats were eye-popping, including his unbelievable March in which he averaged 37.5 points and led the Lakers to a 15-2 record. But Shai GIlgeous-Alexander was the best player on the league’s best team, Victor Wembanyama was an absolute force on both ends of the court and Nikola Jokic put up video game numbers. While Doncic had a great season, I think his fourth-place finish was fair. The Lakers had an up-and-down season before their surge in the spring, and the competition for this award was incredibly deep. 

2.) Why wasn’t JJ Redick on your Coach of the Year ballot?

Price: Similar to Doncic, it came down to a very competitive field. Redick is clearly already among the upper echelon of coaches. Leading the Lakers to a 53-win season despite Doncic (18 games), LeBron James (22) and Austin Reaves (31) missing a combined 71 games and the role player overhaul made Redick a worthy candidate for votes. But as noted in my story in the aftermath of the voting results being revealed, oftentimes Coach of the Year voting comes down to which team overachieved the most. And Mazzulla’s Celtics, J.B. Bickerstaff’s Pistons and Mitch Johnson’s Spurs were the biggest overachievers of the season. And that’s before getting into Charles Lee’s Hornets and Jordan Ott’s Suns. But it’s clear Redick is on the path to being a great coach, if not already one, who should receive consideration moving forward. 

Rohlin: This was another tough one. Redick cemented himself as a great coach this season. He got the Big Three of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James to buy into their roles, including getting James, who’s arguably the greatest player of all time, to embrace being the team’s third offensive option. And then after Doncic and Reaves suffered injuries April 2, he convinced a Lakers team that everyone counted out to believe in themselves, which led to them shocking the basketball world by winning their first-round series against the Rockets. Redick deserves a lot of kudos, but the Celtics, Pistons and Spurs also greatly outperformed their expectations. The Celtics had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference despite Jayson Tatum missing 66 games. The Pistons went from missing the playoffs last season to finishing with the East’s top record. And the Spurs finished with the second-best record in the league, becoming a real powerhouse faster than anyone anticipated. I had Joe Mazzulla at the top of my ballot, followed by J.B. Bickerstaff and Mitch Johnson. But that doesn’t take anything away from Redick’s season. 

3.) Were there any Lakers who you felt should’ve been better represented in the voting for any awards besides MVP and Coach of the Year? 

Price: Not really when factoring in the missed time between Reaves and James. It’s less about punishing players for injuries, but more so acknowledging the natural season-long impact suppression compared to some of their peers. 

Rohlin: LeBron James’ streak of 21 straight All-NBA selections was broken this year because of the 65-game rule. That was a bummer. At age 41, he once again defied Father Time in his historic 23rd season. He averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists, and it’s a shame he wasn’t able to be honored for his incredible performance. 

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4.) What was the most challenging award to vote for and why? 

Price: The All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defense teams are always difficult, especially when it comes to the final spots for each team. But Rookie of the Year gave me the most fits this year. I voted for Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, but I went back and forth between him and Hornets wing Kon Knueppel until the end of the regular season. Knueppel had a compelling case because of his historic combination of 3-point shooting, efficiency and impact on a Hornets team that won 44 games and made the play-in tournament. But Flagg got the edge because of his production, workload and overall impact even if it resulted in a 26-win season for the Mavericks. 

Rohlin: Definitely MVP. I understand the frustration that has been widely shared by players that the bar for this award keeps moving. Sometimes the player with the best stats wins this award. Sometimes it goes to the player who led his team to the best record. In some seasons, defense is a big factor. Others it’s not. None of it is fair, per se. This season, with two-way stars Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama on the ballot, defense was a big factor, which hurt Doncic and Jokic. It’s hard to weigh everything in a fair manner and decide what to give weight to when there are no distinct rules or descriptions for this award. Doncic led the league in scoring (33.5 points), was third in assists (8.3) and sixth in steals (1.6). In another season, those numbers could’ve won him the award. But this season, it earned him a fourth-place finish. 

5.) Now that it’s been a few seasons, how do you feel about the 65-game threshold for most major awards?

Price: It’s a step in the right direction, but it needs to be modified. Fifty-eight, or 70% of an 82-game season, is the number of games required to qualify for several statistical league leaders. That should also be the case for the major awards. I never understood why there were different qualifiers. Also add in a minutes-played requirement (1,624, which is equivalent to 28 minutes per game, or 1,740, which is equivalent to 30 minutes per game) for players who may miss the 58-game mark but carried significant workloads for their teams in the games they did play. 

Rohlin: Scrap it. Too many players were disqualified for awards because of legitimate injuries. This rule was meant to prevent load management and encourage player participation, but instead it’s punishing players for things they can’t control and encouraging them to put their bodies at risk to meet an arbitrary eligibility cut-off.

SGA is even trying to play to the refs in the court of law.

The NBA’s reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has sent a legal warning to a fantasy sports company that made a board game mocking the Oklahoma City guard’s notorious flops.

The Thunder star’s lawyers demanded that Underdog Sports stop using SGA’s name and likeness after it created a game called “Unethical Hoops” based on the kids’ classic Operation — in which a buzzer goes off anytime SGA is touched, the Athletic reported.

Underdog Sports recently held a contest giving away 100 copies of the game during the Western Conference Finals — where the Thunder are one game away from eliminating the San Antonio Spurs and facing the Knicks in the finals.

Phoenix Suns forward and NBA villain Dillon Brooks promoted the game in the contest advertisements.

SGA’s lawyers told the company to “permanently cease and desist from any and all use of Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s [name, image and likeness] in any and all media, including but not limited to your website (including the Unethical Hoops Website), apps, social media accounts, digital marketing and advertisements, promotional emails, push notifications, affiliate or influencer placements, and any physical goods including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website.”

All board games must be destroyed, according to the letter from SGA’s reps, ArentFox Schiff LLP — who may or may not have heard of the Streisand Effect.

The game website was still live Thursday and Underdog told The Post it has no intention of ending the promotion, citing previous instances of cracking jokes about other players and teams, including the Knicks and Mets.

“We’ve poked fun at Knicks and Lakers fans, the Red Sox owners, the Mets and more,” a spokesperson told The Post in a statement.

“We like to have some fun with whatever is in the sports fan zeitgeist.” 

When the Mets went on a 10-game losing skid last month after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hugged Mr. Met, Underdog offered $1,000 for a lucky fans’ rent payment every day the team went without a win.

Underdog also hosted an event outside Madison Square Garden in April that allowed fans to throw eggs at a comedian decked out in Atlanta Hawks gear.

SGA been widely mocked during the NBA playoffs for his ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line — with fans accusing him of flopping and questioning his style of play and whether or not it’s “ethical” basketball.

In the last four years, he has attempted 391 more free throws than the next-closest player, according to the Athletic.

In this postseason SGA has made 120 free throws and 114 field goals. 

SGA, who won the league’s Most Valuable Player award this year and last year, shrugged off the criticism.

“It does nothing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after game against the Spurs.

“Doesn’t fuel me, doesn’t discourage me. It’s part of the game. I’ve been dealing with it a long time. I don’t really hear it. I’m focused on what’s going on on the court.”

Watching the Knicks punch their ticket to the NBA Finals has, in my opinion, sucked.

Yes, they’ve waited 27 years to return to this stage, endured truly awful stretches of basketball spanning decades, and maybe deserve it on some level. Still, it’s New York. It’s Knicks fans. It’s “bing bong” and Timothée Chalamet clips that will infiltrate your timelines for the next two weeks.

But spending this much time looking at the Knicks has made me appreciate how different Boston’s story has been.

The Knicks built their team from the outside in. They deserve…credit for it, as physically painful as that sentence is to type. They made trades, found the right veterans, identified the right fits, bet big on a team identity, and kept pushing until they finally broke through.

Boston’s path has looked very different.

The Celtics’ best era since the Big Three started with two draft cards.

Jaylen Brown, third overall in 2016. Jayson Tatum, third overall in 2017. Two swings near the top of the draft, both connected cleanly enough to change the next decade of Celtics basketball.

It’s a story we’re all familiar with, and one that feels simple and obvious in retrospect. It wasn’t. Brown was booed on Draft Night. Tatum arrived after Boston traded out of the No. 1 pick and trusted its board, going as far as to preemptively protect themselves from criticism for doing so. There were years of debates about whether they could play together, whether they liked each other enough, whether one had to go, whether the partnership had a ceiling, whether the Celtics were being too patient or not patient enough.

Then, they won the title.

And somehow, two years later, we’re back to asking whether the Jays era has underachieved.

The standard is still the standard

The Celtics are and should be held to a ridiculous standard. That’s part of the deal here in Boston.

This franchise is strictly focused on banners, not vibes, which is why a first-round exit after blowing a 3-1 lead to Philadelphia was and is awful. It should still bother people. I know it still bothers me.

Noa Dalzell, Senior Writer here at CelticsBlog, put it well on her latest episode of You Got Boston. She said she is “not excusing their loss this past season,” adding, “They should not have blown a 3-1 lead.” That is the correct baseline. The Celtics were too good and too well-positioned to lose that series, even in a season that plenty of people spent months calling a gap year.

The issue is what happens after the disappointment settles in. A bad ending has a way of walking backward through time and staining everything before it. Suddenly a decade of contention becomes a decade of missed chances. A title becomes “only one.” Deep playoff runs become evidence for prosecution.

Noa pushed back on that framing too, saying, “If you say that they underachieved, then everybody has underachieved except for the Golden State Warriors since 2015.”

She’s right. Since 2015, the Warriors are the only franchise to win multiple titles.

Granted, not every team should be graded the same way. Some cores are better positioned for sustained excellence, like the modern-day Thunder or the aforementioned Warriors. Some titles feel more like the product of having the right pieces in the right place for one magical run, like the Kawhi-led Raptors or the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks. 

But the larger point holds. Ever since the Warriors dynasty ended, no one has been able to stack chips.

If the argument is that every great player or duo who fails to become a dynasty has failed, then nearly the entire league has spent the last decade failing.

That’s a pretty miserable way to watch basketball.

The résumé grew quickly and quietly

One strange thing about the Tatum-Brown era is how quickly winning became background noise in their larger story.

By the time they broke through in 2024, the Celtics had already been to four conference finals with Tatum and Brown together, plus the 2022 NBA Finals. They had made the playoffs every year of Tatum’s career. They had never finished below .500 with both of them on the roster. Tatum had already made five All-Star teams and four All-NBA teams, while Brown had three All-Star selections, and an All-NBA nod.

Even this season, which started under the shadow of Tatum’s Achilles tear, somehow became another reminder of how high this group’s floor has been. Brown stepped into the heaviest version of his role yet and led the Celtics to a 56-win season. That is not normal. Most teams lose a player like Tatum and spend the season looking like someone unplugged the router. Instead, Boston stayed in the mix to the point where it felt like just another normal season of winning in a very abnormal year.

Boston has gotten so used to deep runs that fans sometimes treat them like table stakes. The conference finals became a place the Celtics were supposed to be every year, like it was some recurring calendar invite. That is an absurd privilege.

There are fanbases that spend decades hoping to draft one player as good as Brown or Tatum. Boston got both in back-to-back years. Then, they both stayed. Then, they improved. Then, they won it all, together.

A lot of Celtics fans are old enough to remember when the present felt bad and the future looked worse.

The late 90s were ugly. The early 2000s had Paul Pierce trying to drag half-built rosters into relevance while the rest of us tried to convince ourselves that maybe this was the year everything finally clicked for Mark Blount. Before Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen arrived, plenty of seasons felt like they were over before Thanksgiving. There’s a different kind of frustration that comes with watching a contender fall short, but at least that frustration comes from proximity to something real.

The Tatum-Brown era has offered a level of annual belief that younger fans may not realize is rare. In the words of Joni Mitchell, you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.

The Celtics nailed the picks that mattered

The draft-history context makes this point even clearer.

Over the last twelve drafts, Boston has had plenty of misses. James Young. Guerschon Yabusele. Romeo Langford. The Desmond Bane trade. Plenty of second-rounders who barely created a ripple in the fabric of Celtics history. Boston has taken a lot of bites at the apple, and some of those bites were just teeth hitting the core.

But they nailed the picks that could end up defining an era of the most storied franchise in NBA history.

Brown at No. 3. Tatum at No. 3. Marcus Smart at No. 6 before them. Payton Pritchard at No. 26. Robert Williams at No. 27. More recently, Boston has been trying to squeeze value out of late picks like Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez.

That’s a different kind of roster-building than what we’re seeing from the Knicks right now. New York’s current Finals team was largely assembled via trades and free agency. Again, credit to them. Building a winner through trades and targeted additions is still hard, even if being based in New York City probably helps more than being based in a place where the free-agent pitch begins with, “Hear me out.” Ask the Suns how easy it is to just put expensive names together and hope the basketball gods carry you to the promised land.

Boston’s identity, though they’ve lost key pillars like Smart and Williams over the years, still runs through the two guys it drafted and developed.

There should be a specific satisfaction in that. How great has it been to watch Brown’s handle tighten over the years, even after it became the internet’s favorite easy joke? What about watching Tatum go from smooth, unassuming scorer to an all-around forward who can defend, rebound, pass and carry like one of the league’s best? Don’t you remember that feeling of people saying the partnership had run its course, then seeing those same two players standing on a parade duck boat together?

The Celtics didn’t rent this era. They raised it.

Maybe that’s why the frustration can hit so hard in seasons like this. Fans remember the whole thing. The early flashes. The blown leads. The Kyrie mess. The bubble. The 2022 Finals. The 2023 faceplant against Miami. The Porzingis and Jrue trades. The breakthrough. The latest playoff collapse. It all lives in the same folder.

But the folder is still mostly full of winning.

Boston drafted the stars everyone wants. Then we got used to them.

If a time traveler had explained this era to Celtics fans the night Pierce and Garnett were traded to Brooklyn, nobody would have complained.

Five conference finals appearances together, two NBA Finals appearances, one championship, no seasons finishing worse than .500? Every Celtics fan would have signed up immediately. Some probably would have asked if the person delivering this prophecy needed a ride to Logan and whether the Harlem Shake was still prospering.

Living through success changes how it feels. The wins stop surprising you. The conference finals start feeling like your right versus your reward. The flaws become more irritating because the stakes are higher. The losses feel like theft.

That is what Tatum and Brown have done to us. They made winning feel normal.

The Celtics should keep chasing more because this era deserves that urgency. This season showed how much Brown can shoulder without Tatum, but it also showed how fragile any title path becomes when one of the two pillars is missing. Tatum and Brown are expensive now. The cap is tighter. The roster needs work. The center spot needs clarity. The East is not waiting around for Boston to feel sentimental.

Still, any conversation about what comes next should start from an honest place.

The Jays era has not been perfect. There are fair arguments that more than one banner should have been raised by now. Still, this era has given Celtics fans one of the best homegrown runs in modern franchise history.

Someday down the road, the Celtics will be searching for the next version of this. That’s probably when we’ll understand how much fun this era really was.

Caleb Wilson was the obvious star at North Carolina this past season, but the offense may not have flowed well without Henri Veesaar as well. The 7’0 center is your typical stretch big, but offers more than just his shooting on the perimeter. In Hubert Davis’ offense, Veesaar showed his ability to operate out of the mid-range while also showing solid defensive skills in several areas.

On offense (17 points per game), Veesaar’s 3-point shooting stood out the most, and he connected on 43% of those shots. Most of them came from above the break, which is where he had the most success, but also in the pick-and-pop. There were times when Veesaar was wide open at the top of the key, and he wasn’t afraid of taking the shot. As a stretch big in the NBA, that’s the shot teams will be expecting him to make.

Veesaar also showed the ability to knock down shots in the midrange, but that most likely won’t be a point of emphasis in his game at the next level.

As we get closer to the rim, Veesaar has a nice hook shot that was very effective, and his size allowed him to shoot over most defenders. Efficiency around the rim will be important as well in the NBA, but the one area where Veesaar fell short was his physicality at times. He has sort of a finesse when attacking the basket, which won’t work all the time, especially against bigger bodies than his.

Other areas where Veesaar has shown some promise are his cutting and passing out of the midpost, which are two good qualities to have as a center.

On defense, Veesaar does some good things in drop coverage. He knows how to take up space, what area he needs to be in whether it’s closer or farther back from the ball handler, and he recovers back to his man effectively. It may be a struggle for him to get back if his opponent pops out to the 3-point line, and that’s where his lack of mobility comes into play.

As a help defender, Veesaar is able to use his length as a disruptor, and he’s also good at challenging shots at the rim. Just like most young centers, he’ll have to clean up fouling in certain situations, but for the most part, he knows how to stay disciplined and on his feet when playing defense. His rebounding was another big part of his game, as he averaged 8.7 per game this past season.

For the Hawks, they’ll be looking for ways to improve their frontcourt this offseason, more specifically at the center position. When looking at what Veesaar does on both sides of the ball, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were someone they would target with the No. 23 pick. He has a lot of similarities to what Jock Landale did for the team in the second half of the season, and if they don’t re-sign him, they’ll definitely need to fill a void at backup center.

If the Hawks are looking for more depth at the position later in the first round, Veesaar should be under consideration.

The Spurs and Thunder are still in the midst of the Western Conference Finals, but the East has a Finals participant. While the New York Knicks are awaiting an opponent, there was television time available to air The Pat McAfee Show. Appropriately, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made a visit to talk about the state of the league.

The first order of business was Silver’s mention that the Spurs and Thunder were receiving the highest conference finals ratings in the history of the NBA. Considering that San Antonio and Oklahoma City are small market teams, this is quite a feat. It lends itself to the popularity of the marquee players. Two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, the face of the NBA, have introduced new legions of fans to the sport. SGA, who is from Canada, and French phenom Wemby draw international interest to the sport which has continued outreach and expanded over the decades.

Silver spoke about the league’s plans for squashing tanking, which are still in development.

“We actually have a board meeting tomorrow to discuss a proposal which will in essence flatten the odds among the non-playoff teams in terms of getting top draft picks, will increase the penalties that the league office has for those teams that may participate in that type of behavior,” Silver stated.

McAfee gave the mention is due before switching gears to flopping.

Silver started the response with, “There’s a difference between selling the car, exaggeration, and a true flop.”

Of course the commissioner of basketball isn’t step into a spotlight at the height of postseason and say there is parity in the way games are called, but he admitted there are some ways to improve.

He was transparent that players are conditioned to “sell calls” and supported the idea that officiating can always get better.

Silver even responded to the missed call in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals when the ball clearly went of Chet Holmgren’s foot, but the Thunder were awarded the ball.

“In terms of replay we’re going to get to the point fairly quickly…we’re going to move to a whole system…calls will be automatic…those calls will be done by AI, automated system with cameras line around the court…it will be instantaneous, automatic.”

With technology as the focus of the future, the pace and accuracy will be enhanced. Silver believes this will also enhance the fan experience.

While most of what Silver spoke of was larval, there’s a lot on the horizon for the NBA.

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Last summer, there wasn’t much to expect from Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens approaching the 2025 NBA Draft. Boston entered the night with three late selections — No. 28, 46, and 57 — yet still managed to reel in a little-known prospect with the potential to impact winning more than most rookies in his class: Hugo González.

Stevens took González at No. 28 in a move that wasn’t regarded as noteworthy at the time, considering the organization had just traded away Kristaps Porziņģis to begin their roster overhaul. But Stevens had a vision for González from day one.

“He’s tough, he’s hard-playing, he cuts, he goes after the ball, he competes,” Stevens told reporters the following day after the first round. “He’s got all the intangibles of a winning basketball player. There’s things he can get better at, just like everybody else at that age, but competitiveness is at a high level.”

González was a unique case, joining the Celtics with more professional experience than most entering the NBA. Coming from Spain, fresh off three seasons with Real Madrid, González had already played alongside former NBA pros, including Serge Ibaka, Facundo Campazzo, Dennis Smith Jr., and Bruno Fernando. During his run in the Liga ACB, he rarely got minutes off the bench, buried behind Real Madrid’s veteran-loaded roster, which nearly slid González’s draft stock down to the second round.

It had nothing to do with his potential and everything to do with his limited sample size in Spain.

Stevens saw González as a spark plug capable of providing the Celtics with valuable minutes off the bench to maintain their intensity while starters rested. Stevens recognized González’s ability to make Real Madrid’s roster as a valuable prerequisite, speaking to the then-19-year-old’s ability to become a major rotation piece down the line if placed in the right development system.

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla and his staff already checked off that box.

González, like many on the 2025-26 roster, was thrust into the spotlight. No Jayson Tatum for the first 62 games of the regular season meant it was up to everyone else to keep Boston’s ship from sinking. González had only logged 10.2 minutes through 69 games the previous year for Real Madrid, so there was an immediate pressure to perform whenever his open mic opportunities arrived.

On Oct. 24 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, González made his NBA debut and showed flashes, scoring six points with four rebounds, two steals, and one assist as Boston’s leader in plus-minus (+7). Teammate Jaylen Brown took notice of González’s motor and its ability to flip off and on at any moment, and suggested the Celtics “(needed) more of that.”

It wasn’t long before González earned the fan base’s approval, too.

The upside revealed itself from the start. González, unlike most rookies, didn’t need to score to keep himself on the floor. Mazzulla knew that through his defensive pressure to corner opposing offenses into compromising positions, possession after possession, González was a piece that needed time on the floor to flourish and develop. He earned that.

On Jan. 24 against the Nets, González committed a major defensive miscue, allowing Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. to drain a wide-open 3-pointer. Immediately, Mazzulla sat González on the bench, which the young guard admitted was deserved. Later that same night, with 2.5 seconds left in overtime, González came off the bench in a desperation possession and nailed a clutch, game-tying corner 3-pointer to help secure a road victory in double overtime.

Little by little, González made it known that he wasn’t only a piece for the future, but also a piece ready to make a difference in real-time. He didn’t squander the opportunity to play in over 14 minutes across 74 appearances — including three starts — for the Celtics in his rookie campaign. Instead, González did everything to reward the team every chance he could.

On March 2, he accepted the challenge of guarding 6-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo in just his third career start.

González rose to the occasion, with Brown and Neemias Queta sidelined, and set career-highs in points (18), rebounds (16), blocks (three), and steals (two). Tasked with the daunting defensive assignment of covering Antetokounmpo, he overcame the size mismatch and held his own — limiting the two-time MVP to just one made basket across five possessions.

Mazzulla recognized the performance as proof positive for both González and Stevens.

“This was them,” Mazzulla told reporters in Milwaukee. “I think Brad does a great job of finding guys with high competitive character. When you come into the locker room, you want to play for the guy next to you. You look for nights to create ownership and responsibility.”

González never obsessed over shot attempts or minutes. Even though the Celtics needed contributions wherever they could find them, he naturally let the game come to him. If a shot needed to be taken, he’d take it — only if necessary. If someone needed to rest, González was ready to carry the load. Everyone in the locker room and throughout the organization saw his potential from the start of Summer League, and watched as González used the regular season to build on that trust and solidify it.

González averaged 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and shot 47.6 percent from the field in his rookie season. Defensively, he validated his upside. González averaged 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks, registering a plus-minus that ranked third among rookies behind Kon Knueppel and Dylan Harper, netting González five second-place votes in the NBA’s All-Rookie Team.

In the playoffs, González didn’t get a chance to do anything — and that’s perfectly fine.

Boston is at a point where the coaching staff, locker room, and front office all have an idea of what they have in González. That’s critical. He’s graduated past the evaluation phase, as the Celtics no longer need to gauge his potential moving forward. González has obvious areas to refine this offseason, but his foundation is strong.

That’s more than most rookies can say, especially coming from Spain as a teenager, again rummaging for minutes behind proven professionals.

González belongs, and the C’s now know it.

“The reality is Hugo had a great rookie year and is, I think, a critical part of us moving forward because his athleticism can meet the moment in the big games,” Stevens told reporters during his end-of-season press conference. “That’s a real thing. You can see it. You know it. His strength is off the charts. He’s one of the strongest guys on our team now, pound-for-pound for a 20-year-old, so he’s got a bright future.”