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We’re all coming around on the Brooklyn Nets’ 2025 NBA Draft, so widely mocked that the Phoenix Suns didn’t mind gasping at it on social media. The Nets themselves are probably feeling better about their draft too, if you believe last summer’s rumors that Brooklyn tried to trade one or two of their five first-round picks, but couldn’t find a suitor. Since then, Egor Demin hasn’t missed a three, and there have been flashes from the others too.

I know I feel a bit better about it, though it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. On January 23rd, I posted this: “32 rookies have taken 50+ two-pointers. Bottom three in 2P%: Danny Wolf, Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traore.”

For good measure, Wolf had the lowest 2P% among any NBA player 6’11” or taller, and Traore was tied for the lowest 2P% in the league. The case against the Flatbush Five was still very easy to make, and it wasn’t that they had redundantskillsets. That analysis was always lame.

Rather, Brooklyn drafted guys that struggled with either physicality, explosiveness, or both, and the one plus-athlete they did draft almost never handled the ball. That was a tough pill to swallow, particularly after watching the incredible physicality of last year’s playoffs. It’s a motor league.

But two-thirds of the way through this season, none of Brooklyn’s selections look particularly egregious. I’m still concerned about their high-end outcomes — how much ball-handling will Egor Dëmin provide in a playoff setting? how much can Danny Wolf compensate for a lack of vertical pop around the rim? — but we’re not talking about high-end outcomes just yet.

Not every member of Brooklyn’s 2025 NBA Draft class will become a valuable rotation player. Some may never crack a playoff rotation. But all of them still have a chance. All of them have shown something to put faith in.

Egor Dëmin

This is most true for Egor Dëmin and his 3-point shooting. At BYU, he shot 27.3% from deep on 10 3PA per 100 possessions. Through 48 games in Brooklyn, he’s shooting 38.8% from deep on nearly 13 3PA per 100 possessions. This just doesn’t happen. It doesn’t make sense.

Yes, his stroke always looked better than those numbers did, and yes, he played through a knee injury at BYU, and yes, his pre-NCAA shooting numbers were better. It’s still unfathomable. Given his pre-draft profile, Dëmin may be in the midst of the most miraculous 3-point shooting season a rookie has ever put forth.

Get to know Dëmin, though, and it makes sense. The baby-faced Russian teenager will talk your ear off about his cat, or about English words he’s struggling to pronounce, or why roasting marshmallows around the campfire at BYU beats tapping the keg anywhere else, everything except his unprecedented shooting turnaround. Only then will Dëmin revert to a cliché, shrug his shoulders, and cite the work he’s put in. He really isn’t surprised by this.

It’s enough to warm a cynic’s cold heart, to believe that this cherubic sniper will take over the NBA with overwhelming levels of being dope, having fun, smiling, etc…

No rookie has changed their perception more than Dëmin through 50-something games. Sure, he makes a cool extra pass here and there and an intriguing kick-out with the snap of a wrist, but my man was getting Josh Giddey comparisons last summer. He is not a jumbo-handler, nor a primary ball-handler with excellent vision. Dëmin is a catch-and-shoot threat with everything else to work on, and while his worst games — when the shots don’t fall — are indeed worrisome, Nets fans don’t have to panic too much about that yet.

Look at this, man…

Every live-game rep is valuable. And you can trust Dëmin, universally praised for his work ethic and attention to detail, to make the most of them. But in terms of analysis, we don’t need to see much more from him this season. Are there really going to be ball-handling/driving improvements before he spends much more time in the weight room over the next couple years?

At 6’9”, his block/steal/deflection rates are all average, giving him something of a defensive floor. He often guards opponents’ low-usage wings — against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, he started on Dean Wade.

I find his processing/playmaking to be most intriguing. The common refrain, for now, is that we don’t get to see his high-level passing much because he can’t get downhill, and while that’s partly true, it’s also an oversimplification. Dëmin has tossed some dimes as a spot-up guy, taking advantages of defenses rotating over to him — he loves looking off help defenders — but I think he’s also missed high-level opportunities. Ziaire Williams should probably have a layup here…

Dëmin has tossed just 54 rim assists in 1205 minutes, per PBP Stats, or one every 22.3 minutes. That matches, almost exactly … Cam Thomas. There’s no doubt Dëmin is a willing passer, particularly hungry to make kick-outs, but I’m most curious to see how his playmaking progress over the next season or two.

The Brooklyn Nets drafted a weird player at #8 overall, but that’s not an inherent negative. Egor Dëmin is a certified sniper and a powerfully optimistic young man. He scares the hell out of me sometimes, given how reliant he is on spot-up threes, but I’m rocking with him.

Nolan Traore

Nolan!! He was so bad early on. Teenage point guards are rarely productive, but it seemed like Traore was two years away from being two years away. On January 23rd, he was shooting 33.3% inside the arc. As I mentioned up top, that was tied with the minuscule Rob Dillingham for the worst mark in the league. Turns out my reverse jinx worked.

That night, he had the finest game of his career to date, putting up 21 points in that double OT loss to the Boston Celtics. With the necessary caveat that the stretch run before All-Star Weekend marks the true dog days of the NBA, Traore hasn’t looked back since.

The French teenager is 40-of-75 from two since January 23rd; he’s now shooting 44.4% on the season. At this rate, he could clear 50% by daylight savings time. What the hell happened?

First, Jordi Fernández gave him some tough love after a big loss to the Washington Wizards: “I need him to use his superpowers and touch the paint. It felt like he got caught shooting the unders. And a lot of times they’re going to go under because that’s what they want you to do. And if you keep shooting it, missing them, you know, sometimes if you keep doing the same thing and seeing the same results, I think that’s the definition of insanity … I’m okay with a pull-up three, [but] I don’t love it because he hasn’t shown that he can make it consistently.”

And here’s what that adjustment looks like for Traore…

Fernández is right: Per Synergy Sports, Traore is scoring just 0.79 points per off-the-dribble jumper, a 26th percentile mark league-wide. (Compare that to his 1.03 points per catch-and-shoot jumper, 38th percentile league-wide.)

But when Traore is using a screen, then a re-screen, then finding an angle to attack, you see his prodigious speed in action. Of course, he looks so much more comfortable than he did at season’s beginning, putting defenders in jail and getting to two feet to pivot around. His assist-to-turnover ratio is nearing 2:1, and those jump-stops in the lane are a big reason why.

Other than patience and poise, the big key for Traore is how far he can probe into the lane with a live-dribble. That was the most worrisome part of his prospect profile to me — here was a speedy, penetrating guard whose handle was suspect in tight spaces. Traore has done a much better job lately extending his dribble, though old habits still rear their ugly head from time to time. You can see the difference in these two plays:

Is Traore bendy/crafty enough to excel with his skinny frame? We’ll see. But this past month of play has been thrilling. Perhaps he’s not two years away from being two years away.

Drake Powell

I don’t really have a ton to say about Drake Powell because he doesn’t really do a ton on the court. He’s fallen below 15% usage, though that shouldn’t be a shock for a first-round pick with one of the lowest usage-rates of all time in his pre-draft year.

That by itself isn’t particularly worrying, though after some early season performances like his 15/3/3 game against the New York Knicks, where he moonlighted as lead ball-handler for the second unit, I thought we’d avoid Kris Dunn-level offensive responsibility. I mean, the flashes are there, including his 47% conversion rate on mid-range shots, per Cleaning the Glass…

Alas, the handle/processing is pretty far away from being able to shoulder any real offensive burden. Oh well.

I’m more concerned about Powell’s catch-and-shoot deficiencies: After scoring 1.18 points per shot on catch-and-shoot jumpers at UNC, he’s down to 0.87 points per possession (16th percentile) in the pros. Small sample, rookie year, I get it. But if defenses don’t feel the need to close out to Powell, it gets a little spooky.

Not to pile on, but the defensive creation hasn’t been there either. Low block/steal rates, and he’s tied with Danny Wolf and Michael Porter Jr. in deflections per minute, toward the bottom of the team. The rebounding numbers are low, too. So right now, the question is simply: What does Drake Powell do?

I don’t know yet. He probably needs to put on some real muscle this summer and next, but before then, Powell can keep taking advantage of Brooklyn’s increased pace. The Nets are no longer one of the slowest, fastbreak-avoidant teams in the league, and that should grant Powell more opportunity to explore.

Thanks to his archetype, raw athleticism, and flashes of on-ball defense, coaches and front offices will keep giving him the benefit of the doubt. That includes Jordi Fernández. But over the final third of this season, I’d like to see one consistent skill from Powell, whatever that may be.

Danny Wolf

Danny Wolf is no longer shooting the lowest 2-point% of any player 6’11” or taller, minimum 50 attempts. Hooray! (That’s because, since January 23rd, Christian Koloko and Hansen Yang have qualified. Wolf hasn’t passed anybody.)

Wolf had a couple strong games against a couple really bad teams before All-Star Weekend, where Fernández put the ball in his hands a bit more. He opened up about the experience: “The last month, two months, it’s a lot of learning. I was playing off the ball, and for me, it’s just like, I felt a little bit too sped up. But there’s gonna be games where that’s my role. And then when coach does give me the ball and trusts me with it, it’s on me to make the right play. I think for me, it was just — I know I’m a work in progress, especially off the ball.”

Wolf will have to make 3-point shots; only time will tell if he’s capable. But now that he’s not shooting 50% from three anymore, like he was when he burst onto the scene, it’s been pretty rough going on offense. Some of it certainly is being too sped up — you can see it when he tries to dribble through a crowd — but so much of it is a lack of vertical pop.

He gets fouled here, but at 6’11” with a full head of steam and taking off from the restricted area, you gotta try and dunk this or something…

So yeah, I’m pretty worried about his scoring profile. Not much else to say there.

That being said, Wolf’s defense in isolation has been a pleasant surprise of his rookie year. Anytime a (non-Jimmy Butler) player tries to size him up, it typically does more to stunt the offense rather than truly expose Wolf. Considering his above-average block/rebound numbers in a beefy front-court next to Day’Ron Sharpe, I’d say that end of the floor has been a positive in his rookie year.

Elsewhere, his assist:turnover ratio is also nearing 2:1, and as we saw at Michigan, many of his best passes go to Day’Ron Sharpe or Nic Claxton as pick-and-roll lobs or dump-offs around the rim. Given his 3-point heavy shot diet and particular passing strengths, I think it’s safe to say the Nets have a position in mind for him going forward.

Over the final third of the season, I’d love to see Wolf either sweep his arms through the lane and draw some more fouls á la Noah Clowney, use more deceleration driving to the rim, or get to two feet and create more kick-out opportunities.

Alas, Danny Wolf has to score to reach his high-end outcome. That’s his sell. Bully little guys and embarrass the oafs. The defensive flashes and occasional spot-up three (though he needs to improve his %s there) are cool, but let’s hope to see some more reliable finishing over this final third of the season.

Ben Saraf

Ben Saraf may be the true dud of the bunch, but it’s too early to be sure. He was picked #26 overall, and has struggled with both Long Island in the G League and with the Brooklyn Nets. However, he did just go for 18/6/8 in Long Island’s most recent game.

Saraf is shooting just 25% from deep with the big league club, and the stroke doesn’t look great either, though he’s in the mid-30s with Long Island. Either way, it’s an incredibly small sample that’s tough to draw conclusions from, but of all Brooklyn’s rookies, Saraf is the one who desperately needs to show some shooting improvement next season, if not right now.

He’s simply lacking confidence, especially when he’s up with Brooklyn. Perhaps this G League stint will do him well, as it did Traore before him, but right now, he’s not showcasing his strengths. Saraf’s drives are wayward; he was never the most explosive athlete, but he had more counters than this…

Where’s the behind-the-back, the spin, the jump-stop and pivot? Watch a couple highlights of Saraf as a prospect, and you’ll know it’s in there somewhere. He might not be an NBA-level scorer — Saraf is shooting just 38.7% from the floor in the G League, despite nailing some threes — but he’s gotta die trying.

Hey, eight assists per 100 possessions ain’t so bad.

Alright, maybe I’m not as high on this rookie class as I thought I was.

It’s still early, though. And Egor Dëmin has stones no spreadsheet can quantify; just look at the end of that Orlando Magic game. And Nolan Traore is improving, while Drake Powell just threw down a huge dunk…

Since I harped on his 2-point scoring here, Danny Wolf will probably just 10-of-10 next game out, same for Saraf.

The Flatbush Five are entering the home stretch of their rookie season. They may not save the Brooklyn Nets in one fell swoop, but such a drastic rebuild was never going to be easy. Plus, you can’t discount how they might improve playing next to the blue-chip talent the Nets hope to add in the 2026 NBA Draft…but it’s too early to talk about that.

For now, Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf are all just trying to make it work. Their next opportunity to show out comes on Sunday afternoon as the Brooklyn Nets face the Atlanta Hawks with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

The post-trade deadline time can be a strange one in the NBA. The teams that didn’t make many moves are trying to get ready for the playoffs, hoping to peak at the right time. The ones that shook things up are looking to rediscover an identity or form one for the first time. And then some franchises want the season to mercifully end, like the Kings.

Sacramento came into the season with play-in hopes, loaded up with veterans and a few young pieces. To say that they fell short of expectations would be an understatement. The Kings are last in the West, and unlike other bottom-dwellers, they find themselves there despite trying to win.

At least they were earlier in the season. After the deadline, they shut down Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and deadline acquisition De’Andre Hunter, as they all underwent season-ending surgeries. One of their feel-good stories of the season was the emergence of rookie Dylan Cardwell, but he will be out for a month. Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan are still there, but those two couldn’t do much in Sacramento’s 37-point loss to the Magic on Thursday. They have some interesting young players that they need to develop the rest of the way, but no one who stands out as a cornerstone. The lottery can’t come soon enough for De’Aaron Fox’s previous team.

The Spurs are in a completely different situation. They have exceeded expectations and have the second-best record in the West, with a realistic chance to catch up to the injury-riddled Thunder. They did nothing at the deadline, so the chemistry they built remains intact, as shown in their convincing victory over the Suns after the All-Star break. All their rotation players are healthy and should be well-rested after not needing to be on the floor for heavy minutes to dispatch Phoenix in their first Austin game. And they looked locked in from the start and dominant the entire night, proving they are hungry as they prepare for the franchise’s return to the playoffs.

Late February and March basketball offers matchups between teams that have opposite goals and realities. The Spurs should prevail easily against a Kings team that wouldn’t mind another loss to keep the other tankers at bay. But there’s a reason they play the games, so San Antonio should come out focused and take care of business.

Sacramento Kings (12-45) vs San Antonio Spurs (39-16)

February 21st, 2026 | 7 PM CT

Watch: KENS| Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Mason Plumlee – Out (Conditioning), Lindy Waters III – Questionable (Knee).

Kings Injuries: Domantas Sabonis – Out (Knee surgery), Zach LaVine – Out (Hand surgery), Dylan Cartwell – Out (Ankle), De’Andre Hunter – Out (Eye).

What to watch for:

• The battle of the French centers. With Sabonis out, rookie Maxime Raynaud has been starting for the Kings and putting up some solid numbers. The big man has averaged 117 points and 8.4 boards when he’s been on the floor at tip-off, and in his last five games, he’s averaged 14.2 points and 9.8 boards. Wembanyama should dominate the matchup, but it should be fun to see him go against a talented 7’1 center who happens to be his friend.
• The Spurs, finding their killer instinct. One of the few disappointing things about this iteration of the Silver and Black has been the team’s propensity to play down to its competition, resulting in too many close games. Against the Suns, that wasn’t an issue, as they started well and never relented on their way to an easy win. The same should happen against the lowly Kings, as the talent disparity is massive. Blowing out inferior or shorthanded teams not only allows for less wear-and-tear but is also typically a sign of a mature group. Let’s see if the young Spurs are making progress there.
• Former Spurs vs. Former Kings. De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes combined for 48 points in the first matchup with his former team this season. Fox also had 11 assists. DeMar DeRozan had 27 in just 15 shots in the losing effort, and Drew Eubanks played 11 minutes off the bench. The former Spurs and the former Kings could once again play a part in determining the winner. DeRozan would need to fuel the offense for Sacramento to have a chance, and Eubanks would need to provide solid minutes against Wembanyama. For San Antonio, Fox’s scoring and Barnes’ shooting are not as necessary, but always welcomed. And if things get out of hand, we might even get to see Doug McDermott in garbage time.

If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!

The Duke basketball rivalry with Michigan is set to resume on Saturday, Feb. 21.

The No. 3 Blue Devils (24-2) and No. 1 Wolverines (25-1) are set to play for the first time in 13 years when they take the court at 6:30 p.m. ET, not from Michigan's Crisler Center or Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, but from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., in The Duel in the District.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out on NCAA Tournament bubble

This will mark the 31st meeting between the programs and the seventh in a neutral site, which includes three meetings in the NCAA Tournament.

The last meeting between Duke and Michigan occurred in 2013 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, when the Blue Devils took down the Wolverines 79-69 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

Here's what you need to know about the "Duel in the District" between Duke and Michigan on Saturday:

Why are Duke-Michigan playing nonconference game in February?

The "Duel in the District" game between Michigan and Duke was announced on June 24, 2025. Capital One Arena is the home of the NBA's Washington Wizards, the NHL's Washington Capitals and the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team.

The matchup is set to take place at the arena, which hosts several high-profile NCAA events in the coming years, including the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball East Regional, the 2027 Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship and the 2028 Division I Women’s Basketball Regional.

Michigan makes its way back to the nation's capital for the first time since participating in the Coaches vs. Racism matchup against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 13, 2021. The Wolverines play in Capital One Arena (then the Verizon Center) for the first time since winning the Big Ten Tournament there in 2017.

Duke played in the 2024 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena, falling to eventual tournament winner North Carolina State in the quarterfinals.

Duke-Michigan basketball history

• Series record: Duke leads 22-8

Duke and Michigan have faced off 30 times prior to Saturday's game. That includes three meetings in the NCAA Tournament (1992 national championship, 1964 Final Four and the 2011 second round) between the programs.

Here's a look at entire history between the programs:

• Feb. 21, 2026 (Washington, D.C): No. 3 Duke vs. No. 1 Michigan
• Dec. 3, 2013 (Durham, N.C): Duke 79, Michigan 69
• Nov. 22, 2011 (Lahaina, Hawaii): Duke 82, Michigan 75
• March 20, 2011 (Charlotte): Duke 73, Michigan 71 (Round of 32)
• Dec. 6, 2008 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Michigan 81, Duke 73
• Nov. 21, 2008 (New York): Duke 71, Michigan 56
• Dec. 8, 2007 (Durham, N.C.): Duke 95, Michigan 67
• Dec. 7, 2002 (Durham, N.C.): Duke 81, Michigan 59
• Dec. 8, 2001 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Duke 104, Michigan 83
• Dec. 9, 2000 (Durham, N.C.): Duke 104, Michigan 61
• Dec. 11, 1999 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Duke 104, Michigan 97
• Dec. 12, 1998 (Durham, N.C.): Duke 108, Michigan 64
• Dec. 13, 1997 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Michigan 81, Duke 73
• Dec. 8, 1996 (Durham, N.C.): Michigan 62, Duke 61
• Dec. 9, 1965 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Michigan 88, Duke 84
• Dec. 10, 1994 (Durham, N.C): Duke 69, Michigan 59
• Dec. 11, 1993 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Duke 73, Michigan 63
• Dec. 5, 1992 (Durham, N.C.): Duke 79, Michigan 68
• April 6, 1992 (Minneapolis): Duke 71, Michigan 51 (national championship)
• Dec. 14, 1991 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Duke 88, Michigan 85
• Dec. 8, 1990 (Durham, N.C.): Duke 75, Michigan 68
• Dec. 9, 1989 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Michigan 113, Duke 108
• Dec. 7, 1970 (Durham, N.C.): Duke 95, Michigan 74
• Dec. 10, 1969 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Duke 73, Michigan 68
• Dec. 9, 1968 (Durham, N.C.): Michigan 90, Duke 80
• Dec. 6, 1967 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Duke 93, Michigan 90
• Dec. 3, 1966 (Durham, N.C.): Duke 96, Michigan 75
• Dec. 21, 1965 (Detroit): Duke 100, Michigan 93
• Dec. 5, 1964 (Durham, N.C.): Michigan 86, Duke 79
• March 20, 1964 (Kansas City): Duke 91, Michigan 80 (Final Four)
• Dec. 21, 1963 (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Michigan 83, Duke 67

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Duke, Michigan basketball are playing nonconference game in February

The Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to win their second game in as many nights. They defeated a good Charlotte Hornets team 118-113 to capture their seventh victory in a row.

The Cavs need Jarrett Allen to play at this level. He’s shown these past few weeks that this team is at its very best when he’s actively involved in the offense. That came through once again as he put up 26 points on 11-15 shooting to go along with 14 big rebounds.

I’ve generally been skeptical of reading too deeply into how the Cavs’ record correlates with Allen’s shot attempts or scoring output. Causation doesn’t always mean there’s a correlation.

Additionally, it’s common for stats like this to be misleading. For example, football teams typically have a worse record when they attempt more than a certain number of passes. This isn’t because passing is ineffective or bad. It’s just that teams that are behind in a game have to pass more often than those that are winning. This leads to stats like this being skewed.

That’s how I’ve typically viewed Allen’s production numbers. And I was wrong for doing so.

Allen’s rim pressure just opens up the offense for everyone. This was clear in the string of games before they got James Harden. Now, it’s even harder to ignore after they traded for one of the best pick-and-roll distributors of all-time.

The Cavs’ biggest problem was not getting Allen involved enough. That hasn’t been an issue with Harden. Passes like this force Allen to be aggressive. He simply has no other choice.

When Allen is beating you like this, defenses can’t send two to the screen and hope the rotation stops the roller. However, not doing so opens up looks for the ball handler, like this clean pull-up three for Harden.

Allen is the big the offense should prioritize first.

Evan Mobley being in the lineup has the potential to make things more difficult, even though that didn’t happen on Thursday against a bad Brooklyn Nets team. He’s another center who needs to be fed in a similar way to be effective offensively.

That said, Allen should be the main target over Mobley. His screening and the rim pressure he provides — as we’ve seen these past several weeks — are much more valuable offensively. There’s simply no excuse for ignoring Allen after this many strong showings.

Outside shooting teams like the Hornets can give the Cavs problems defensively. Charlotte head coach Charles Lee came from the Boston Celtics, and a lot of his team’s offensive philosophies trace back to his time in Boston. How Charlotte and Boston generate threes is different, but the amount they take and how they do a good job of rebounding misses is similar.

The Cavs didn’t do a great job of defending the three-point line. The Hornets got back into this game by going 8-15 from distance in the third quarter. They were able to generate open outside shots with simple guard screening actions or by forcing the defense to collapse and then found the open shooter as a result.

Cleveland’s defensive philosophy is predicated on defending the basket. This is a sound strategy and ultimately the right one. Scoring in the restricted area is still the most effective way of doing so. And in this game, the Cavs did a great job of keeping the Hornets from getting there as Charlotte converted just 43.5% of their shots at the rim (1st percentile).

That said, teams like Charlotte and Boston don’t necessarily attack the basket because they want to score. They do so because they want to create in rhythm threes.

This is an area where the starting backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Harden are suseptable. Neither is good at keeping their defensive assignment in front of them. Their teammates know this and are ready and prepared to rotate over to help, which can lead to open shooters on the perimeter.

Charlotte lost this game because they went cold in the fourth quarter and ended up converting just 35.7% of their 56 three-point shots. However, many of those misses were more due to shot variance than anything the Cavs were doing defensively.

The Cavs have struggled on the glass against teams that know how to rebound their missed threes.

Charlotte racked up 23 offensive boards. Nine of those were due to Ryan Kalkbrenner being an immovable object inside. There’s not much you can do about someone that big. However, they also retrieved a fair amount of their missed threes that didn’t have as much to do with him. That’s more of a concern.

Missed threes can bounce further off the rim. If you want to grab those, a good place to run is to the free-throw line. Kenny Atkinson, when he has been asked about this in the past, has said that you need good rebound spacing against teams that shoot this many threes. The Cavs didn’t have that.

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The Hornets were rewarded for their efforts on the glass with 37-second chance points.

These two concerns are why the Celtics are the worst playoff matchup for the Cavs. Boston also hunts threes and prioritizes offensive rebounding, but they’re overall more talented on both sides of the ball. On top of that, they have one of the best coaches in the league. I don’t want to get too derailed by this tangent, but it’s worth pointing out after a game like this.

Harden and Sam Merrill have developed great chemistry. Merrill hit four shots against Charlotte, and three of them were assisted by Harden.

Like Allen, Merrill was seemingly created in a lab to play with Harden. He’s a smart off-ball mover who knows where to be to create the best angle for a pass. He’s also great at attacking off screens. Throw in Harden’s ability to make every pass and process the game at a high level, and you have a formidable duo.

I’m not sure why you would double-team Harden.

The Hornets tried to force the ball out of Harden’s hands late. He accepted the double, found the outlet in Mitchell, and then this led to an open three for Dean Wade. This was a great and well-executed sequence from Cleveland’s perspective.

The Cavs have consistently handled Harden being trapped well. They’ve properly spaced the floor, and Harden has made the right play seemingly every time.

Keon Ellis is incredibly entertaining to watch defensively. Few players have his energy, lateral quickness, and nose for the ball. This combination creates someone who’s both a sound man defender and is also a chaos agent who can seemingly come out of nowhere to completely blow up a play.

So far, Ellis has registered at least two stocks (blocks and steals) in the six games he’s played with the Cavs. On Friday, he collected two steals by baiting his opponent into a pass that he knew he could take away.

Players who gamble for steals and blocks like this don’t always lead to their team playing better defense. Typically, you need to gamble too much to do so. But it isn’t a gamble for someone who has Ellis’s length and quickness.

Not counting Friday’s game, Cleveland has registered an impressive 108.9 defensive rating with Ellis on the floor, which is only going to get better after the Cavs had an 87.5 defensive rating in the 24 minutes Ellis played in Charlotte.

“He’s maybe the most unique player,” Atkinson said after the game. “[He’s] totally not what I thought. [He’s a] unique, unique player. Sometimes he gets a deflection, and you don’t even see how it happens. His hands are so fast. … He’s a quick jumper off the floor to get contests. … Man, what a unique player. Really a game changer.”

The Wizards returned from the All-Star break with disastrous back-to-back wins in a tête-à-tête against the Indiana Pacers. In the one last night, the Wizards rallied from a 15-point second quarter deficit to win by 13.

In the NBA’s 2026 race for the bottom, Washington has fallen to fifth behind the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana, and the Brooklyn Nets. The Utah Jazz — an annual leader in tanking shenanigans — is lurking.

I sympathize with Wizards head coach Brian Keefe and general manager Will Dawkins. Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George sat. They traded away productive to semi-productive veterans for Anthony Davis and Trae Young — neither of whom has played even a second for the Wizards.

Justin Champagnie, who produces when he plays, departed last night’s game after just 11 minutes with a sore knee.

Keefe is left with no choice but to play kids, and what’s making The Tank a bit of a challenge is that some of those kids are playing pretty well — at least when going up against a Pacers team missing virtually every useful NBA player in the organization.

Kids playing pretty well, even against what amounts to a G League squad, isn’t bad. The Wizards need to lose enough to keep that first round pick, so things could get downright debaculous in the near future. Just to be clear, I want Dawkins to know that I can help. I have enough vacation time to become the NBA’s oldest ever rookie on a 10-day contract. Maybe two.

I mean, yeah my body might not hold up for more than a game or two (if that), but I will brick lots of threes, be easy pickings on defense, and consistently fail to get back on defense.

Also, if Anthony Gill serves as the team dad, I can (briefly) be the team’s granddad.

Thoughts & Observations

• Full disclosure: I was on work travel and did not watch either of these games, so these observations are strictly from the numbers.
• Amazing to think that the Wizards had a 61.1% effective field goal percentage, and the Pacers clocked in at 57.8% and the teams combined for a slightly subpar offensive night. Both teams committed loads of turnovers. Neither got to the free throw line or gathered offensive rebounds.
• If the teams had combined for an average night offensively, they would have totaled 252 points. They tallied 249. Not a huge difference, but again — amazing considering the high shooting percentages from the floor.
• Even more amazing: the Wizards shot 61.1% from the floor (eFG%) while also hitting just 6-29 — 20.7% — from three-point range. That’s because they hit 74.2% on twos. Yowza.
• Washington’s ability to get inside was determinant — they outscored the Pacers 78-46 in the paint.
• Kudos to Alondes Williams for having a great game halfway through a 10-day contract — 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists in 30 minutes.
• More kudos to Kadary Richmond, also on a 10-day contract, for producing 6 steals in 31 minutes.
• Even more kudos to Sharife Cooper — on a two-way contract — for notching 18 points and 5 assists in 27 minutes.
• Yet more kudos to Keefe for giving 55% of the game’s minutes to guys on two-way contracts and 10-day contracts.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

The Celtics are no stranger to having elite facilitating guards. You can go all the way back to Bob Cousy in the 50s and 60s, Dennis Johnson in the 80s, Rajon Rondo in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and now we might have to start talking about Derrick White in 2026.

White is averaging a career high 5.6 assists on the season, so he might not look like Rondo on the surface, but he is starting to turn it on lately. In his last 6 games, White has an absurd 42:8 assist to turnover ratio and is averaging 7.0 assists per game in this time period. This uptick in assists could be because of a switch in the starting lineup.

In the Celtics first game since the trade deadline against the Dallas Mavericks on February 3rd, Joe Mazzulla decided to move Payton Pritchard to the bench after Boston traded Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls. Pritchard being a former 6th Man of the Year winner, naturally has flourished in his return to the role, averaging 22.5 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds, on 52% shooting from the field and 43% from three. This move to the bench has allowed Pritchard to not have to focus on being the primary point guard of the team and be able to hunt for his shot. This primary point guard spot has been bestowed upon Derrick White and it is safe to say that he is taking the reigns and running with it.

Derrick White is having a rough offensive season with one of his worst shooting seasons of his career at 39% shooting from the field and 33% shooting from three. In a bigger role, his shots are just not falling the way they were over the last few seasons. But now that he is the primary facilitator, White doesn’t have to focus on scoring more because his playmaking can do the work and he can focus his energy on continuing to be an elite defender.

A good example of White’s passing replacing his scoring is looking at the points created coming off his assists. In these last 6 games, White is averaging 16.3 points over this time but is shooting 36% from the field and 30% from three. However, in 4 of those 6 games, White has created 20+ points just off of his assists alone, with the most being 23 points against the Chicago Bulls on February 11th.

Let’s look at his most recent 8 assist performance against the Golden State Warriors on February 19th. He created 20 points off his assists, spreading the wealth to 7 different teammates. Most of his assists came during the Celtics runs in the first half where Boston scored 74 points. His biggest came in the fourth quarter however, threading the needle to Jaylen Brown for a tough fadeaway jumper to essentially ice the game after the Warriors rallied back in the game.

My favorite assists that White has been able to create involves the two-man game with the Celtics bigs. Whether its Luka Garza, Neemias Queta, or Nikola Vucevic, White has been able to find them easy buckets. He has been able to run the pick-and-roll to perfection, drawing multiple defenders him and finding his big center underneath the basket for an easy layup or dunk.

White’s ability to find three point shooters for catch and shoot threes and even on the fast break has been another highlight of his. All of his passes are landing right in the shooting pocket for guys like Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, and Baylor Scheierman to take advantage.

One thing that I do wonder is what happens to White’s ability to play-make when Jayson Tatum comes back. If he does come back this season, I expect White’s role not to change very much. He might have less ball handling responsibility with Tatum on the floor, but that could open him up to becoming the elite catch-and-shoot guy he was in the past. If not, there is no harm in having another ball handler and he could just continue what he is doing this season if Tatum comes back rusty in that area of play at all.

Derrick White is sneakily having the best season of his career when it comes to his defense and scoring, but his playmaking leap might be the most impressive part of his year that no one is talking about.

As part of their Spurs Week Austin , the San Antonio Spurs unveiled a newly refurbished basketball court at Foundation Communities M Station Apartments, an affordable housing community outside downtown Austin.

Jackie Cuellar, Director of Corporate and Volunteer Engagement at Foundation Communities shared,

“At Foundation Communities, we believe a home is more than just a roof—it’s a place where families thrive. By transforming this court into a vibrant hub for M Station residents, we are ensuring families have a safe space to connect and be active.”

This court refurbishment was presented through the Spurs partnership with Ledger.

Spurs 2025 draftees Carter Bryant and Dylan Harper made an appearance, led some basketball activities on the new court, and a presided over a special shoe giveaway allowing students to customize their own sneakers.

Patricia Mejia, Chief Impact & Inclusion Officer at Spurs Sports and Entertainment stated,

“Creating safe, inclusive spaces where young people can play, connect and thrive is core to who we are. What makes this court special is that it’s located right where families live. Access to safe play spaces isn’t guaranteed, and having this court just outside their doors makes it easier for kids to stay active, build confidence and learn teamwork every day.”

Spurs Week continues tonight with as the Spurs host the Sacramento Kings.

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