Each of the teams consists of two current NBA players and an NBA legend. There's a general theme for each of the teams, including a team made up of family members and teams based on an affiliation to a college or team.
Dylan Harper scored the final points to give Team Melo a victory over Ron Harper Jr. and Team Austin in Game 1 of the Rising Stars Challenge. The brothers will be teaming up along with their father, Ron Harper Sr., for the Shooting Stars contest.
The Duke Blue Devils will be well represented with Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Corey Maggette, who make up Team Cameron. The name is based on Duke's home arena, called Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren and Richard Hamilton will make up Team All-Star. With all three players having the opporunity have called thsemvles an All-Star during their respective careers.
Team Knicks will consist of current teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, teaming up with Allan Houston. Houston was named to two All-Star games during his time in New York in 2000 and 2001.
How to watch Kia Shooting Stars
When: Saturday, Feb. 14, 5 ET
Where: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
TV / Streaming: NBC & Peacock
Shooting Stars Challenge Rules
The Shooting Stars Challenge will have a two-round format with all four teams competing in the first round. The top two teams will compete in the final round.
The teams will compete one at a time and have 70 seconds to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court.
All three players on the team shoot at each spot in a set order. The team that finishes with the higher score in the final round will be crowned the challenge champion.
Who will compete in Shooting Stars Challenge?
Team All-Star: Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren and Richard Hamilton
Team Cameron: Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Corey Maggette.
Team Harper: Ron Harper Sr., Dylan Harper and Ron Harper Jr.
Team Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston
Kevin Durant said the question bothered him because everybody’s been talking about it, so he used his answer to take aim at others.
When asked if he and the “old heads” team, which also features LeBron James, would play hard in this year’s NBA All-Star Game, which is once again debuting a new format, Durant called out Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic for their efforts in recent All-Star games. He wondered why they don’t face the same criticism his generation of Americans do.
“They don’t care about the game at all. These dudes be laying on the floor, they shoot from halfcourt, but you’ve got to worry about the ‘old heads’ playing hard,” Durant told reporters in Houston on Wednesday, Feb. 11. “I can read between the lines.”
How about reading the room, first?
However accurate Durant’s whataboutism concerning his European counterparts may well be, one of the NBA’s greatest scorers is completely missing the point. They learned it from somewhere. But Durant's not alone here, and it’s threatening the very product that made all these NBA players, executives and owners so rich over the years.
It's long overdue for the NBA to show it still really cares – about the fans, about the quality of its regular season, about the integrity of the entire enterprise. The NBA’s check engine light is flashing as the league commences its annual All-Star break, and those with any kind of power should be looking under the hood. The paint job from that lucrative new media rights deal can only hide the issues for so long.
The NBA All-Star Game was once a cultural event unlike anything American sports could deliver. Basketball stars crossed over with the music world and Hollywood, with celebrity sightings and parties that made the whole weekend seem like an invitation-only event oozing with cool.
But the NBA All-Star Game returns to Los Angeles in 2026 not as a celebration of basketball, but instead as a convention for complaining about the state of the league. Just consider the potential questions and controversies NBA Commissioner Adam Silver could have to address when he speaks to reporters, any one of which is a big problem on its own.
A current NBA player (Terry Rozier) was indicted by the federal government for allegedly faking an injury and removing himself from an NBA game for gambling purposes and a current head coach and Hall of Fame player (Chauncey Billups) was indicted for his alleged involvement in illegal poker games with Mafia ties.
The NBA still hasn’t completed its investigation into the September 2025 report from Pablo Torre that the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the salary cap by facilitating a $28 million "no-show endorsement contract" for Kawhi Leonard under the table when it signed him in 2019.
Tampa, Florida: New York Yankees' George Lombard Jr. fielding a hit by the Minnesota Twins' Anthony Prato in the top of the 5th inning at George M Steinbrenner Field in Tampa FL on February 26, 2024. (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images) | Newsday via Getty Images
Around this time every year, prospect hounds across the country release all their lists, from team Top 10 lists, Top 100’s, and farm system rankings. The last few years, the Yankees haven’t looked so hot on those farm system ranks. This year, ESPN had them 23rd, and Baseball Prospectus put them at 22nd. It was a similar story last year, when ESPN pegged the Yankees 21st, while BP had them in 25th.
Those placements compare poorly to those of the Yankees’ direct rivals. The Rays perennially have one of the best farm systems in the sport, and perhaps most concerningly, the Red Sox and Blue Jays, probably the two biggest threats to the Yankees in the AL East, still sport above average farms per most sources despite pushing a lot of chips into the middle in the past year.
Is the Yankees’ lagging farm a serious issue? In theory, it seems like it could be a major long-term problem. At the major-league level, not much separates the Yankees from Boston and Toronto; the recently released PECOTA projections have New York as AL East favorites, but barely over the rival Red Sox and Jays, and with only roughly a 40-percent chance of winning the division. If the Yankees have only a narrow edge in the bigs right now (or arguably a non-existent edge, given they did just lose the division in 2025, albeit via tiebreaker), then it stands to reason that their rivals equipped with deeper farms could ease by them in the near future.
On the other hand, the Yankees’ farm system has generally ranked poorly in recent years, but has still managed to produce both major-league contributors and prospects that Brian Cashman has traded for productive veterans. Even as the system lagged heading into 2025, Cashman turned a host of prospects into David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario, and more at the deadline. Plus, most prospect lists didn’t have the likes of Ben Rice or Cam Schlittler very high a year ago, yet those two look like they could be stars at the major-league level as soon as this season.
So which is it? Will the Yankees continue to squeeze big-league talent and impact trades from their farm system, in spite of meager farm system rankings? Or will it eventually catch up to them?
Today on the site, Matt goes back to the 1940’s to tell us about a strange game in Yankees history, where a player allowed one hit and zero earned runs but still lost handily. Also, Maximo writes that there shouldn’t be any Max Fried Postseason Narrative, and Nick gives us the next entry in our Yankee Birthday series, celebrating former reliever Damaso Marte.
On Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Nick Castellanos signed a one-year agreement with the San Diego Padres.
It’s on the Major League minimum. The Padres will pay $780,000, while the remaining $19.22 million stays on the Phillies’ books. Philadelphia will save just over $1.6 million with the 110% luxury tax penalty.
Castellanos’ departure from Philadelphia felt inevitable for months, but the landing spot adds an interesting wrinkle. Earlier this offseason, he went on MLB Network and expressed interest in learning first base, a move that would expand the number of teams that could carry him without asking him to play the outfield every day.
That’s the idea in San Diego.
Even with a down 2025 overall, Castellanos still brings a clear skill: he has a career .853 OPS against left-handed pitching. That matters for a Padres lineup that’s set to start left-handed hitting Gavin Sheets at first base. Sheets hit a career-high 19 home runs last season, but only two came against southpaws, and he posted a .669 OPS in those matchups.
The way the roster fits suggests Castellanos won’t be an everyday player on Opening Day. After last year’s trade deadline, that detail certainly did not make the former Silver Slugger satisfied.
It looks more like a platoon role, with some first base mixed in, designated hitter reps, and minimal time in right field — especially assuming the health of Rawlings Platinum Glove winner Fernando Tatis Jr.
And defensively, the contrast is sharp. Castellanos’ Outs Above Average, which measures range, sat at -12 last season. Tatis posted 8 OAA.
Castellanos has found a new home, but he hasn’t hit much at Petco Park. In 28 career games, including the postseason, he owns a .222/.257/.352 slash line (.608 OPS).
If anyone in Philadelphia is circling a date, the wait won’t be long. The Padres open a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on June 2.
That series will be the first real moment for the fan base to decide what the Castellanos era was. Some will remember the October swings, especially the 2023 NLCS. Others will focus on how the ending played out.
Either way, the beer, the letter and the clubhouse issues are part of the past now. The saga is over. The bill, for now, isn’t.
Ilia Malinin fell in the men's free skate program, ending his medal hopes. Lindsey Vonn crashed and broke her left leg during a women’s downhill race while Liu Jiayu was injured in a crash in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe qualifications. This photo gallery highlights some of the most dramatic falls at the Milan Winter Olympics.
Ireland’s stand-in-captain Lorcan Tucker scored a superb unbeaten 94 as they hammered Oman by 96 runs to register their first Group B win at the T20 World Cup.
KOLKATA, India (AP) — Tom Banton hit an unbeaten 63 off 41 balls and Jofra Archer returned to form in England’s five-wicket win over Scotland at the T20 Cricket World Cup on Saturday.
England, desperately needing the victory following an unconvincing four-run win over Nepal and a loss to the West Indies, made 155-5 in 18.2 overs after the Scots were bowled out for just 152 in Kolkata.
Scotland wasted an ideal platform after getting to 90-3 in 10 overs, with the batters falling to mistimed sweep shots against the spinners.
England's top-order batters Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and captain Harry Brook fell for single digits, but Banton put on 66 with Jacob Bethell (32) and 46 with Sam Curran (28) to lift the team to second in Group C behind West Indies. It next plays Italy on Monday.
Salt drove loosely at Brandon McMullen and was caught at point before the pace bowler then took a smart catch over his shoulder at mid-off to dismiss Buttler as England slipped to 13-2.
Banton and Bethell then dug in well before Scotland hit back with two wickets in eight balls. Bethell slog swept and was caught at fine leg while Brook top-edged a scoop to fine leg.
Earlier, England hit back in the closing overs after Scotland had looked poised to set a challenging target when 113-3 midway through the 13th over.
The dismissal of captain Richie Berrington, who made 49, and Tom Bruce (24) in the space of four balls left Scotland struggling to accelerate late on.
Berrington and Bruce put on 71 in 41 deliveries before spinners Adil Rashid (3-36) and Liam Dawson (2-34) grabbed five wickets in four overs.
Fast bowler Archer, who was expensive against Nepal and West Indies, dismissed George Munsey and McMullen in a double-wicket second over.
Ireland thumps Oman
In Colombo, Lorcan Tucker’s blistering unbeaten 94 off 51 balls earned Ireland its first win in the tournament as it crushed Oman by 96 runs in Group B.
Tucker, leading the side after Paul Stirling was ruled out of the World Cup due to a knee injury, powered Ireland to this tournament’s highest score of 235-5.
Gareth Delany hit 56 and George Dockrell smashed three sixes off the final three balls in a blazing 35 not out off nine deliveries.
In reply, Oman was bowled out for 139 in 18 overs after losing the last eight wickets for just 42 runs.
Opener Aamir Kaleem (50) and Hammad Mirza (46) put on 73 for the third wicket, but once Kaleem holed out after scoring his 28-ball half century, the Oman innings folded quickly. Fast bowler Josh Little grabbed 3-16 while Matthew Humphreys (2-27) and Barry McCarthy (2-32) shared four wickets.
South Africa fields against New Zealand
In Ahmedabad, South Africa won the toss and elected to field against New Zealand in a game between the two unbeaten teams in Group D.
SCOTTSDALE — Tony Vitello has never managed a game at Oracle Park. But when it comes to figuring out the Giants outfield, he’s very familiar with what the dimensions can do to the men chasing down fly balls through the marine layer.
“At Oracle,” Vitello said this week, “You have to have a center fielder in right field.”
The Giants are moving their center fielder to right, although not because of the dimensions. The addition of Harrison Bader, a former Gold Glove Award winner, bumped Jung Hoo Lee to the corner after a disappointing defensive season. On Friday, speaking to reporters after a workout at Scottsdale Stadium, Lee said he fully understands.
“I played that position back in the KBO,” he said through interpreter Justin Han. “Going back to the past season, if I played better in center field, the organization would have kept me in center field. But, whatever it takes to make the team better. I’ve always been for the team.”
Lee initially came over from South Korea to be a center fielder and leadoff hitter, and there surely is some disappointment about where he stands after his first full season. There’s a chance that the other offseason addition, Luis Arraez, vaults to the top of the pecking order when it comes to the “bat control expert tasked with hitting atop the order” power rankings. Bader already has taken the spot in center field.
Lee has a lot to prove, and that’s exactly how Vitello wants many of his players to feel this spring. It’s particularly important in the outfield, where Heliot Ramos faces similar questions on the other side.
Ramos and Lee were unexpectedly shaky last year, and as a result, the Giants tied for last in the big leagues in Outs Above Average on the grass. Defensive Runs Saved wasn’t much kinder; they came in at 28th. Bader alone won’t fix the problem, but the staff doesn’t expect that anyway.
Ramos has drawn rave reviews for his winter work — “Ramos has worked his butt off all offseason,” ace Logan Webb said Friday — and Lee certainly has the physical tools to be a plus right fielder. He ranked in the 91st percentile in arm strength last season while playing center.
Vitello traveled to South Korea last month to spend some time with Lee, but he got his first in-person, on-field look this week. He said he thinks Lee’s arm could “be a weapon out in right field.”
“He doesn’t even have to really let it go full steam,” Vitello said. “He’s quick with his release, accurate with his throws. And you know, we all know he can swing the bat, but I think it could be a fun deal out there and in right field for him. I know the fans will take to him in that corner, and they’ll be a little closer to him.”
The Giants had an eye on Bader for a while, but the move still caught parts of the front office by surprise. The marketing department is scrambling to figure out what to do with the Jung Hoo Crew section in the bleachers, and Lee smiled Friday and indicated he was curious, too.
Vitello suggested utilizing the cove, although he might reconsider when he finally does get to Oracle for a chilly night game. Whatever the Giants decide, the seating alignment could end up being the most dramatic part of the position change. By all accounts, Lee handled it well.
“He almost tried to make it easier on me,” said general manager Zack Minasian, who called Lee when the Bader deal was being finalized. “Basically the message to me was — short and sweet — it was, ‘Whatever I can do to help us win.’ He was great.”
The Giants are confident it will be the right fit for Lee as he enters his third big league season, and Lee said he’ll call former teammate and good friend Mike Yastrzemski later this spring to get some pointers on the dimensions. The defensive side isn’t the only place where Lee has something to prove, though.
He had a wRC+ of 107 last year, with eight homers, 12 triples and 10 stolen bases. The overall numbers were fine, but there were some deep slumps filled with grounders to second base, and he has yet to fully unleash the all-around game that led the Giants to give him a $113 million deal. Their hope is that there’s more power in the tank; he could certainly run more under Vitello, too.
Vitello said new hitting coach Hunter Mense already has had conversations with Lee about what he saw in the analytics. But some of this might just be about the new staff finding a way to bring out a bit more confidence.
“For me, he looked unsure,” Vitello said. “I know that there’s mechanics to it and what pitch it was and depending on what guy he’s facing — there are crazy arms in the league — but there were moments where he looked unsure. I’m kind of stealing his answer, because we’ve had some good conversations, and he’s looking to eliminate that.”
Lee said he’s hopeful that he’ll benefit from having a full year of facing big league pitching under his belt, but some of his 2026 success at the plate also may be up to his new manager. Last year’s staff pushed Lee hard early in the season and then started mixing in more off days to keep him fresh, and Lee admitted in September that he lost about 12 pounds over the course of the season.
The increase in depth on the position player side should make it a bit easier for Vitello to keep Lee fresh, and the outfielder said learning the intricacies of right field might not be the only thing he’s focused on when the Giants return home.
“First of all, I have to eat a lot,” Lee said. “I like to sleep in a lot before a night game, but maybe I should wake up a little bit early, grab breakfast, then go back to sleep.”
Dutchman joins Lewis Hamilton in criticism of new cars
Champion Lando Norris says changes are a ‘lot of fun’
Driver disquiet over the new Formula One regulations marked the second pre-season test which concluded in Bahrain this week, with world champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen delivering damning verdicts on driving the new cars, while in competitive terms leading contenders Mercedes and Red Bull were entertainingly vehement in each declaring the other as favourite.
Times in testing must be taken with a liberal amount of salt, more so this year as so much time is being put into understanding the new cars and how best to drive them, without yet really pushing toward real performance limits. Nonetheless, across the three days in Bahrain it was Mercedes who finished on top with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell setting the quickest times, from the two Ferraris of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in fifth and sixth for McLaren and Verstappen in seventh for Red Bull.
Valentine's Day has a funny way of bringing toxic relationships to light.
After Chris Paul announcement his retirement from the NBA on Feb. 13 following his release from the Raptors, scuttling his initial plan to retire after the season, the team that arguably expedited his retirement shared a thank you video on social media. The Clippers, the team whose jersey many fans will associate Paul with in the annals of NBA history, shared a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) after they effectively booted him from the team in December.
The thank you video from the team, posted after midnight ET, features a voiceover from Paul talking about his dreams for the Clippers cut in with some of his highlights, and ends with the words "FOREVER A LEGEND. THANK YOU, CP3."
Paul, of course, established himself as a franchise icon as part of the Lob City Clippers alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. But what was meant to be his swan song was cut short when he was effectively sent home from the team Dec. 3. At the time, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement:
"Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we've struggled. We're grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise."
It was later reported by ESPN's Shams Charania Paul wasn't on speaking terms with Clippers coach Tyronn Lue ahead of the ousting.
Paul was traded to the Raptors with the Brooklyn Nets as a third trade partner on Feb. 5 ahead of the NBA trade deadline. After he was waived by Toronto on Feb. 13, he announced his retirement at 40 years old and after 21 seasons.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — If it takes the young upstarts of the NBA, the eventual stars-to-be, to reinvigorate the NBA All-Star break, then we owe them considerable gratitude.
The NBA’s Rising Stars set the tone Friday, Feb. 13 in an engaging and entertaining showcase that culminated with a stellar performance from Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe to carry Team Vince — as in Vince Carter — to the Rising Stars championship. And as the NBA All-Star Game has faced widespread criticism for its lack of competitive spirit, let’s hope that the league’s biggest stars draw inspiration from its “Rising” ones.
In the semifinal round, Edgecombe scored his team’s final 10 points to win and carried Team Vince with 23 combined points across both games, including a pair of clutch, game-winning free throws in the championship.
“I appreciate people tuning in, even to the Rising Stars game,” Edgecombe told reporters after the game. “We just tried to make it fun, make it competitive, where it’s worth your time.”
Edgecombe wasn’t alone. On the whole, the entire crop of 28 first- and second-year players who participated Friday in the Rising Stars Game established a baseline spirit of competition that has been painfully absent from the supposed gem of the weekend, the actual All-Star Game.
Did the Rising Stars unleash relentless, playoff-level competition? No, of course not. They didn’t need to. What matters here is that they didn’t do the bare minimum. They didn’t sleepwalk and loaf through the exhibition in a way that insults fans investing their time and capital in the experience.
This is what’s crucial for the survival of the NBA All-Star Game, and the All-Star games of all the major domestic sports leagues, if we’re being honest. There’s a way to strike a balance of elevated competition without compromising safety or risking injury.
This was what the four coaches of the Rising Stars — Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Austin Rivers — preached to their players.
“(The message) was compete hard but be smart,” Rockets guard Reef Sheppard, who played for Team Melo, told reporters. “This All-Star Weekend is supposed to be fun. At the same time, don’t go out there and just run around. Compete and play, but be smart and have fun.”
Said second-year Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, another emerging NBA star and one who combined to score 10 points across the two mini-games for Team Vince: “We weren’t trying to just lay back and cruise.”
The only shame Friday night was that, understandably, NBC prioritized its Olympic coverage for its primetime national broadcast and was forced to relegate the Rising Stars showcase to streaming-only broadcast Peacock, meaning a chunk of fans missed the showcase.
Several players said they noticed the handful of NBA All-Stars who spent their Friday night in the cosmopolitan city of Los Angeles court-side at the Intuit Dome, taking in the Rising Stars competition.
Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers, Scottie Barnes of the Raptors, De’Aaron Fox of the Spurs and Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers were all in attendance. All were shown on the jumbotron to applause from the fans in attendance.
It was this last player who, in part, inspired Edgecombe.
“Tyrese is my dog, man,” Edgecombe said. “I was like, he ain’t coming to watch if I ain’t going to play hard. So I was like, I’m going to play hard so at least it’s not a waste of his time.
“I know he has a whole lot of stuff he could probably be doing right now, especially being an All-Star. Tyrese is my dog. I love him.”
Here’s to hoping Maxey and his fellow All-Stars take after these young players to give fans the showcase they deserve.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Trent Middleton Jr. scored on a driving layup, got fouled and made a free throw with 4.5 seconds remaining, lifting North Carolina A&T over Hampton 71-70 in the HBCU Classic on Friday night as part of NBA All-Star weekend.
It was the Aggies' first lead since they scored the game's first basket.
Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt's potential tying floater just missed at the buzzer.
Middleton's defense was key over the final 57 seconds. He had consecutive steals that led to baskets by the Aggies (10-14, 3-10 Coastal Athletic) after they trailed by eight with nearly six minutes to go.
Lewis Walker led the Aggies with 18 points, including four straight free throws that tied the game at 68-all. Middleton finished with 15 points, including 6 of 7 free throws, and Will Felton added 12 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting.
Hampton (12-14, 6-7) was outscored 9-2 over the final 43 seconds, getting just two free throws by Gaines-Wyatt. He and Xzavier Long led the Pirates with 17 points each. Elijah Kennedy had 13 points off the bench. They had five players in foul trouble, including Long and Josh Ogundele who fouled out.
The neutral court matchup counted as a conference game for the schools that traveled over 2,500 miles to play in Kia Forum, the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Both schools brought their bands, cheerleaders and mascots. The Pack Drumline that plays for Chicago Bulls and Chicago Sky games entertained before the game while Black fraternities and sororities showed off their dance moves. Chloe Bailey sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and the national anthem.
The HBCU Classic started five years ago during Black History Month to highlight historically Black colleges and universities as part of NBA All-Star weekend.
Boston, MA - July 8: Boston Celtics General Manager Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla chat on the side of the court. The Celtics held a media availability and a practice session at the Auerbach Center on July 8, 2025. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Hi, everyone. It’s been a while since I had something to say here.
The past two years have been pretty difficult for me as a fan. In February 2024, I lost the most important Celtics fan in my life, my dad, and just a few months later, I lost my father-in-law, who was another lifelong Celtics fan. With them gone, a lot of the fun went out of rooting for the Cs.
But I’m back, and I’m looking at this column as a way of continuing the conversations I used to have with them.
Now that that’s out of the way, I want to talk about the Minnesota Vikings — no, seriously, this relates back to the Celtics, I promise.
When you look at the list of Vikings that have made All-Pro teams, you’ll notice that it’s dominated by offensive and defensive linemen. In fact, the top seven players are exclusively linemen. Ten of the sixteen Vikings in the Hall of Fame are linemen.
So what’s the point? Five of the top seven Vikings in terms of All-Pro selections and eight of the ten linemen in the Hall of Fame were scouted by the same guy, Jerry Reichow. The man knew what a good lineman looked like.
In other words, success starts off the field—or the court, as the case may be. It starts with people whose responsibilities include finding the right players, training them, and fitting them into the roster.
What makes the Celtics so interesting to me, this year, is that they’ve exceeded my expectations, and my expectations were higher than most of the fans I know. My thought was that the Cs would be a slightly better than .500 team, and thus would end up in the playoffs, because the NBA lets more than half the league into the playoffs every year.
I was not expecting them to be this good.
How did this happen?
Boston, MA – May 31: Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks with Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations during practice at the Auerbach Center. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The answer starts off the court. About a year and a half ago, this site published an in-depth look at the C’s player development staff. But that’s not the only piece of the puzzle — after all, player development coaches can only work with the players that they’re given. Indeed, the C’s have done a remarkable job finding diamonds in the rough, not just through the draft, but through trades and the bargain bin side of the free agent market that few people pay attention to.
Much of this can be attributed to the influence of Brad Stevens. Before Stevens took a job in the front office, the Celtics did a good job drafting (for example, they were smart enough to pick Jayson Tatum over Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball), but there were other aspects with room for improvement. The C’s player development crew likely missed an opportunity to help Guerschon Yabusele mature into a solid contributor, and pro scouting did not lead to the sort of quality free agent signings at the lower end of the salary scale that have become an expected part of the Celtics roster construction these days.
The Celtics, these days, have done a remarkable job matching the players they’ve signed and drafted to the team’s overall philosophy, and Baylor Scheierman is a classic example of this. The C’s were scouting Scheierman while he was still at South Dakota State, and they interviewed him when he declared for the draft in 2022. He took their feedback to heart, transferred to Creighton, and got Boston’s call with the final pick in the first round in 2024. He’s since made continuous improvement in his game, and has become a key piece of the Cs bench. Sure, it seemed like the Cs were taking a flyer on him in 2024, but they had been scouting him for years beforehand, and they had a pretty good idea what they were getting.
But there’s more to roster construction in today’s NBA than just good scouting and good player development. The salary cap, with its convoluted rules and its escalating penalties, has become a major factor in how rosters are assembled. With the most recent CBA, limits on trades and the ability to sign players were stiffened, so much so that even if the new owners of the team were willing to “pay” the tax (that is, to accept a lower profit from the Celtics than they would otherwise get), there were substantial limitations on how the Celtics could fill out the back end of their roster.
They therefore did a massive salary dump in the offseason, trading away Jrue Holiday for essentially Nicola Vucevic, and Kristaps Porzingis for nothing. Further work by Mike Zarren has put Boston in a position to squeak under the tax line entirely, thus breaking a string of tax-paying seasons that puts the Celtics on the hook for the CBA’s repeater penalties.
Mike Zarren has almost certainly had invitations to interview for GM jobs around the league, and he may have even been the C’s first choice when Danny Ainge stepped down, but he seems to like where he’s at, and his skill at navigating the new CBA has left the number two team in the East sitting under the tax line, with one of the best players in the NBA rehabbing an injury and nearing a return, and a dark horse MVP candidate leading the team.
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 2: Head Coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics high fives Derrick White #9 and Jaylen Brown #7 during the game against the Miami Heat on April 2, 2025 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Of course, the Celtics also have a gem in head coach Joe Mazzulla, who has skillfully managed to keep his players bought in during a season where there is no clear pecking order outside of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard.
Believe me, this is an achievement in and of itself. Mazzulla has kept players that routinely draw “DNP-Coach’s Decision” lines in the box scores invested in their success and the team’s success, and honestly, I have no idea how he does this. When you’re down at the end of the bench, too often your competition isn’t just the other team, it’s the guys ahead of you on your own team.
The other thing that Mazzulla and his staff do is put their players in a position to succeed.
Here, Mazzulla is just continuing what Brad Stevens excelled at when he was on the bench. Stevens had a knack for running schemes that let players play to their strengths, and that’s a rarity in the NBA. Perhaps only Erik Spoelstra in Miami is in the same league as Mazzulla and Stevens when it comes to getting the most out of his players.
Ultimately, the C’s success comes down to the simple fact that there’s no salary cap on basketball IQ. You can hoard it Smaug style, cramming it into every nook and cranny of your organization from the general manager on down to the 15th guy on the roster.
Manager Craig Stammen has made it clear since his first media scrum on the opening of spring camp that he sees Luis Campusano as the San Diego Padres’ No. 2 catcher. More than once, Stammen has cited Campusano’s hard work and success in Triple-A last season. In his media scrum Friday morning, Stammen remarked on Campusano’s haircut while giving a big vote of confidence.
“He cut the dreads, got a new haircut, looks good and I know he’s excited about the opportunity and probably the first time in his career that he has had a little bit of a runway to take control of that job and win it in Spring Training and be the number two when we leave camp.”
The professional journey that Campusano has traveled has been rocky, to say the least. Coming up to the Padres in 2020 at 21, Campusano played the most in 2024, where he appeared in 91 games with a .227/.281/.361 line and a -0.7 fWAR reflecting below average defense. His eight home runs and 40 RBI did not offset the difficulties he had behind the plate. Then manager, Mike Shildt, appeared to have seen enough and never gave Campusano an opportunity to catch during his 10 game appearances in 2025. All of his 21 at-bats were as a DH and he had no hits and six walks with 11 strikeouts.
Stammen played with Campusano when he was a pitcher in the Padres bullpen. From his first comments after getting the manager job, Stammen has expressed support and belief in Campusano. He indicated from the beginning that the now 27-year-old would get every opportunity to prove he can be a major league player.
When president of baseball operations A.J. Preller acquired Freddy Fermin during the trade deadline last season, it became clear that he would be the front-line catcher going forward. He learned the staff on the fly after coming to the team and was far superior offensively to the aging Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado.
Fermin has never been the number one guy for a team and has never played more than 89 games, which was last season. He started 39 of the Padres 52 games after coming over from the Kansas City Royals and before that his previous high was 72 games as a backup to Salvador Perez.
“I think to not burn Freddy out, Campy, if he’s the No. 2, he’s got to catch a lot,” Stammen stated. “To get those guys off to a good start in the season, maybe not exactly equal playing time, we’ll see how it shakes out, but Campy will play a lot.”
Stammen also brought up the other catchers working with the Padres pitchers in camp. Both Blake Hunt and Rodolfo Duran are sharing catching duties with Fermin and Campusano. All four, as well as top prospect Ethan Salas, will catch Padres pitchers in spring games. Either Hunt or Duran will likely be Campusano’s backup and if he doesn’t perform well, it is likely one of them will be the No. 2 to begin with.
Another interesting topic to be discussed in the scrum was Stammen’s dislike of dedicated catchers for specific pitchers. “I think every catcher needs to catch every pitcher, and every pitcher needs to throw to every catcher. Now, will there be, ‘Hey, these guys are just way better together?’ That could definitely happen, but you never know. You can’t pigeonhole them, because say one guy gets hurt and then all of a sudden, the backup has to catch those guys too.”
The subject of Matt Waldron was also brought up and Stammen said all catchers will work with him and Campusano has already brought a glove for Waldron. He acknowledged not everyone can catch a knuckleball pitcher so the best one will get the job.
Campusano caught Dylan Cease’s no-hitter, the second one thrown by a Padre, on July 25, 2024. But his inconsistency behind the plate apparently cost him the trust of his manger. With Stammen as the new leader and Kevin Plawecki as the new catching coach, Campusano is going to get a fresh opportunity to show if he is capable of being a major league catcher. There has been no discussion of giving him time at first base, despite Stammen acknowledging that he played some first base last season. His job is to catch and earn the backup job. If he is not able to do so, he is out of options and will either be traded or have to pass through waivers to be sent to the minor leagues.
To make his job more challenging, the ABS system will be part of the major league game this year and both catchers will probably be primarily responsible for judging balls and strikes in order to challenge pitches. Fortunately, the system has been in place in the minor leagues for years and Campusano has lots of experience. Stammen said they will develop a strategy as spring progresses and games begin.
If instilling confidence and expressing belief in a player can make a difference in if they perform well, Campusano should thrive this spring. Stammen has gone out of his way to publicly support and express faith in the still-young catcher. This is definitely his last and best chance. Let’s hope he takes the opportunity and runs with it.
This is exactly the offense Husker head coach Will Bolt envisioned when he dipped into the portal with the main focus of bringing in bats that can turn around a game in a hurry. Nebraska hit .471 on the game, but when you look at the other metrics where the team really struggled last year, they were ever better. Hitting .571 with 2 outs, and .636 with runners in scoring position.
Connecticut actually got the scoring started in the top of the first against Husker ace Ty Horn. Horn sandwiched a pair of strike outs around a hit batter to start the game off. Two ground ball singles brought in the lone run against Horn, who would fall just shy of the goal Coach Bolt put out earlier in the week of getting the starters through 5 inning on about 100 pitches. Horn struck out 6 batters, and only gave up 3 hits in his 4.2 innings, but the 4 walks and 1 hits batter offer something for him to focus on going into his next outing.
Nebraska wasted little time in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of freshman catcher and leadoff hitter Jeter Worthley being hit by a pitch, and Josh Overbeek taking a 4 pitch walk with 2 outs. Dylan Carey drove in the first run, depositing a curve ball into left field to bring in Worthley. Max Buettenback worked a walk off a 3-2 count to load the bases, and the Bolt watched one of his new toys, DH Cole Kitchens, clear the bases by smashing a fastball into the right field corner for a 3 RBI double, and a 4-1 Husker lead.
Worthley reached again in the second, this time on a walk. He would eventually come around to score on a bases loaded fielders choice off the bat of Overbeek.
The teams would trade zeros through the next few innings, despite putting the pressure on the pitchers with numerous base runners. It looked like UConn might jump right back in the game in the 4th with 2 runners on and 2 outs as leadoff batter Rob Rispoli drove a ball deep seemingly to the gap, but Husker left fielder Will Jesske ran it down and made a sliding basket catch to preserve the 5-1 lead.
Nebraska opened it up in the 6th. After second baseman Jett Buck walked and first baseman Case Sanderson singled into right, Overbeek collected RBIs number 2 and 3 on the day with an opposite field shot to the right field corner for a stand up double. He would advance to 3rd on a wild throw home, and pound his chest, much to the delight of the third base dugout. He didn’t get to stay long, as Carey singled to left on the very next pitch, and made it 8-1 Big Red.
Nebraska reliever Caleb Clark had come in to finish the 5th inning with a strikeout, and struck out 2 more in the 6th, but had three straight long battles to start the 7th in which he gave up 2 walks. Tucker Timmerman, the man who took a 106 mph comebacker to his face the last time he was on the mound in Arizona, came in the get the Huskers out of the jam with the preseason Big East player of the year in Tyler Minick striding to the plate. Minick did get the best of “Tuck”, plating a run on an RBI single, but Timmerman responded by inducing a double play by the next batter and limiting the damage.
Just as they did previously, the Husker offense responded to the run by putting up 4 more of their own. Worthley doubled to lead off, his 4th time reaching base. (Not a bad debut for a freshman leadoff hitter.) Buck traded places with him on an RBI double of his own. Rhett Stokes came in to pinch run for Buck, and just as quick as he came out of the dugout, he ran right back in off a Sanderson RBI single. Josh Ovebeek stayed hot and singled on his first pitch, setting up Carey again, and again DC delivered. Carey who came back to NU because the pro scouts told him he needed more power, burned the center fielder hitting a ball to the wall, and getting a stand up, walk off, 2 RBI mercy rule triple. (I think thats enough adjectives to describe it.) Huskers win big, 12-2.
Carey led the way on offense with 4 RBIs and had three hits. (And see below for an outstanding play by the Husky third baseman that kept those numbers as low as they were.) Sanderson and Kitchens had 3 hits of their own, with Kitchens adding the 3 RBIS.
