Sixers know they had chance to ‘steal a game,' see signs they can fight back in Knicks series originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers traveled home empty-handed, knowing all their hard work was for naught Wednesday night.

In contrast to the opener of their second-round playoff series with the Knicks, the Sixers’ competitive spirit and defensive diligence were stellar in Game 2. However, they missed all sorts of shots in the fourth quarter of a 108-102 loss without Joel Embiid (right ankle sprain and right hip soreness).

“We played good enough defense to win that game,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said, “especially in the fourth (quarter). What was it, 19 points (for the Knicks) in the fourth? You’ve got to hope you can score more than 20 in a quarter.”

The Sixers scored a mere 12 points in the fourth, shooting 4 for 19 from the floor and 1 for 10 from three-point range. 

They felt capable of far better jump shooting down the stretch. Paul George had a fantastic start to the game but went scoreless and missed all five of his field goal attempts in the fourth quarter. VJ Edgecombe shot 0 for 4 in the fourth, Tyrese Maxey 2 for 7. 

“Good looks,” George said in the visiting locker room at Madison Square Garden after his 19-point night. “I thought we just ran out of gas. We got a little flat. We got some pretty good looks, for the most part. We just didn’t knock ‘em down.”

As George noted, the Sixers’ lack of juice in the final minutes was evident. Maxey played 45 minutes in the Sixers’ Game 7 win over the Celtics and nearly 47 on Wednesday. At 36 years old, George logged 43 minutes in Game 2. Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. were both at 40. 

Nurse’s norm is to play his best players unless the circumstances force him to do otherwise. Another bench player or two like Justin Edwards might have lightened the load a bit on the Sixers’ stars, but the philosophy tends to be fair enough in the playoffs. And depth has not been one of the Sixers’ strengths since president of basketball operations Daryl Morey dealt away Jared McCain and acquired no players at the trade deadline.

“I don’t know,” Nurse said when asked about whether the extreme minutes load impacted his top players late in the fourth quarter. “It may have. But I look at it and those guys are wanting to stay in there. They really are committed to fighting through the game. You look at Tyrese, he played almost the entire game and he’s a plus-minus of zero in a six-point loss. So even the minute and 15 seconds he was out obviously weren’t very good. 

“Those guys, not only did they play lots of minutes, but they played hard at both ends. And there was a lot going on, a lot of pressure on them and stuff, and I commend their effort. All we needed were one or two (wide-open makes). … Just one or two to at least get it down to the end where we’d have a chance.”

Maxey’s rest day plans were simple ahead of Friday night’s Game 3 in Philadelphia.

“Probably a whole bunch of nothing,” he said. “Treatment, sitting down, relaxing.”

Besides the off-target jumpers, Maxey’s turnovers stung at the end of the night. He posted 26 points on 9-for-23 shooting, six assists and six giveaways. The Sixers’ All-Star guard had some sharp, decisive moments against the Knicks’ blitzes but wasn’t pleased overall with how he handled New York’s defense. 

“They did a good job of taking away certain passes that I like to make when I get trapped,” Maxey said. “And then there were a couple of times we didn’t execute our trap offense. The trap came, I tried to advance pass it, and the advance (outlet) didn’t come up, and now I’m stuck in the air.

“I’ve got to do a better job of just dragging it out and being more poised. They trapped me aggressively. It wasn’t like a soft trap. … It was my fault a lot of those times. I’ll be better with that.”

For what it’s worth, the film shows only one Maxey turnover that stemmed directly from a trap.

There was a haywire sideline out-of-bounds play, two ill-advised passes in the Sixers’ half-court offense, and two times he lost the ball on drives. Maxey’s maintained a low turnover rate throughout his career and will expect to play a cleaner Game 3. 

Dominick Barlow was a second-half bright spot in Game 2, entering at center with both Andre Drummond and Adem Bona in foul trouble. 

An intelligent, versatile, can-do sort of player, Barlow had six points on 3-for-3 shooting, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 16 minutes. Whatever Embiid’s status is for Game 3, Barlow made a strong case to remain a key rotation piece, including at center. 

“I’ve been in situations where I haven’t played before,” Barlow said. “I know sometimes that things are random. They told me I was probably going to play tonight. It came at a spot that I didn’t know, obviously. But I thought I played (well). Made some mistakes … but I thought defensively, we were good at the end of the game and gave ourselves a chance.”

That opportunity slipped away with a flurry of fourth-quarter misfires.

“We had a chance to steal a game here,” George said. “They did a good job. Our job is to go home and win on our floor, keep the series alive. We do understand that at some point, we’re going to have to steal one here.”

Donovan Mitchell wasn’t happy with his lack of trips to the line after having just two free-throw attempts in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 1 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

“I’m just not getting the calls,” Mitchell said afterward. “I don’t know why. I don’t flop, maybe that’s why. … It’s frustrating a little bit because I’m such a dynamic driver.”

Mitchell is a dynamic driver, or at least, he has been. For various reasons, he hasn’t been able to showcase that this postseason.

Through eight playoff games, Mitchell is taking just 22% of his shots in the restricted area (40th percentile). For comparison, he attempted 24% of his shots there in the regular season (54th percentile) and 30% there last postseason (74th percentile).

That’s a dramatic drop, and one we saw come into play in Game 1 against Detroit.

Nine of Mitchell’s 19 shots came in the paint, but only one was in the restricted area.

Here’s a look at eight of his nine shot attempts in the paint (his field goal three minutes into the game isn’t available on nba.com). In six of the eight attempts below, you’ll notice that he either shies away from contact or quickly gets the shot up before contact can be made with defender. That’s why most of these come in the five to 10-foot range, and not at the rim itself.

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You can get to the line without getting to the rim. James Harden did an excellent job of this in Game 1 as he had nine free-throw attempts. But you still have to be intentional about how you attack for that to happen. Harden, even though he’s lost a step, isn’t afraid to initiate contact and be the aggressor. That, more than anything, is why he’s consistently gotten to the line throughout his career.

Not getting to the rim or basket is also reflective of the Cavs’ lack of spacing overall. Cleveland’s defense needs the trio of Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen (or at least Wade and Allen) to be passable. Having two or three players that teams are okay with ignoring on the perimeter clogs driving lanes and leads to turnover issues.

At the same time, there’s no getting around that in matchups against wing-heavy teams. They need their oversized frontcourt out there to be competitive. The Cavs are just gambling that their star backcourt can figure things out enough offensively. So far, they haven’t been able to, at least not consistently.

This has all resulted in what has been a disappointing postseason run for Mitchell.

The scoring hasn’t been there in either volume or efficiency. He currently has his second-lowest points per game in his playoff career (23.1) on his second-lowest efficiency since coming to Cleveland (49.5 effective field-goal percentage).

That has laid bare some of the other flaws in his game. If Mitchell isn’t scoring, his lack of ability as a rebounder, defender, or playmaker means he’s simply not positively impacting winning. As a result, the Cavs have been -3.2 points per 100 possessions better in the playoffs when he’s off the court compared to when he’s on. That’s the complete opposite of what we’ve seen from Mitchell since his time in Cleveland.

There are many reasons why the Cavs went seven games against a less talented Toronto Raptors team and dropped Game 1 against Detroit. However, none more than the fact that Mitchell can’t get to the basket and, by extension, the line like we’ve come to expect. If he’s not doing that, the scoring isn’t going to be at the volume or efficiency this team needs, even if these issues aren’t entirely his fault.

If Mitchell or the team can’t figure out how to get him easy looks inside, the offseason will be here far too early for the Cavs. This team can’t survive Mitchell not playing as an All-NBA level scorer.

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Lakers punched first, but the Thunder punched harder in their Game 1 victory on Tuesday to kick off the best-of-seven second-round playoff series.

Now, it’s on the Lakers to respond with a better counterpunch in Thursday’s Game 2 at Paycom Center to avoid falling behind by two games before the series shifts to LA for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday. 

“Obviously, it’s playoffs at the end of the day, so, I mean, even though it’s not necessarily win or go home, it leads to win or going home,” Jaxson Hayes said. “So, I mean, we gotta just come in as the more desperate team and with more urgency and just locked in and just ready to go.”

Here are three adjustments the Lakers need to make for Game 2:

Attack OKC’s defense better

It goes without saying that the Thunder are deploying different defensive strategies with Luka Doncic not available for the Lakers. 

The Lakers are seeing less hedging/aggressive pick-and-roll defenses from the Thunder, who used more drop coverages and switching in Game 1 compared to the regular-season games Doncic played in.

And they have to be better at attacking the Thunder’s strategies. 

They struggled against the Thunder’s drop coverage for most of Game 1 — which has been a season-long Lakers’ weakness regardless of opponent. 

And the things that worked — post-ups and inverted pick and rolls — weren’t used frequently enough as the game progressed. 

The Lakers’ defense wasn’t perfect against the Thunder, but it was good enough to keep the game competitive and potentially win.

Better shotmaking will help. 

But the process needs to be much better, too.  

“Offensively, we’ve got to be a lot better,” coach JJ Redick said. “That obviously falls on me to make sure we’re organized. Some stuff falls on the guys. Like, we had too many possessions without getting our corners filled. That just requires you jogging across the floor. But, we certainly can be more intentional about what we’re trying to do and who we’re trying to involve. A lot of the stuff that we kind of identified prior to Game 1 was there for us. We just got to keep emphasizing those points.”

Alter Austin Reaves’ rotation

Austin Reaves was among the key Lakers players who struggled with their shotmaking in Game 1. 

He shot 3-for-16 from the field, including missing all five of his 3-pointers, for just eight points to go with six assists, five rebounds and four turnovers. 

It goes without saying that the Lakers need Reaves to be better to have a shot against the Thunder.

And he will be. 

“We need Austin to be Austin,” Redick said. “The reality is, ideally when you get to this time of year, your body is kind of in peak shape from a conditioning standpoint, from a fitness standpoint. When you’re out, it doesn’t matter what you do — echo bike, treadmill, running on the court, whatever — nothing can simulate playing in an NBA game, much less an NBA playoff game. So, there’s a little bit of a catch-up there for him, and then as a staff, we got to help … put him in positions to be successful.”

One way the Lakers could help Reaves, who’s just three games back from a monthlong absence because of his left oblique injury, is shortening his playing-time shifts to help preserve his legs instead of having him play the longer stints to start the first and third quarters and close the halves. 

Reaves has shot 2-for-17 on 3-pointers since returning in the Game 5 loss to the Rockets on April 29.

He’s still getting his legs back after a long layoff. 

“We’ve looked at that,” Redick said about shortening Reaves’ shifts. “We’re looking at ways to help him. Being undermanned, it’s hard to. We’re trying our best with the rotation.”

Defensive details

One of the defensive details the Lakers could clean up is being tighter with their rotations after double-teaming or sending help toward NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

And knowing who to close out hard against and who isn’t as much of a priority to leave open. 

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Game 1 went down to the wire, the Spurs lost on a missed Champagnie buzzer beater. Afterwards, there was no heads hung, no self deprication, just an urgency to watch film and make the necessary adjustments before heading into Game 2.

Matthew Tynan of Corporate Knowledge reported that Spurs legend Gregg Popovich sat in on the film sessions. Victor Wembanyama referenced Pop in his post game presser, mentioning “you’re never as good as you think when you win and you’re never as bad as you think when you lose.”

Whatever was deciphered from the analysis of Game 1, the Spurs know that had to come out swinging. And that’s exactly what they did.

The Spurs defense stiffled the Timberwolves, limiting them to 17 first quarter points and just 35 at the half, giving the Silver & Black a 24 point advantage.

Two minutes into the second half, the Spurs expanded their lead to 29 points. By then, Wembanyama, Castle, and Fox each had scored 14 points. The balanced distribution shaped the team’s attack as they continued to dominate Minnesota.

Anthony Edwards, coming off the bench for the second game in a row, was limited to 12 points in his twenty-four minutes.

Julian Champagnie, who went scoreless in the first half, hit four three-pointers in the third quarter as the Spurs shut down Minnesota.

Early in the fourth quarter the Spurs lead grew to 40 and both teams emptied their benches. Jordan McLaughlin and Kelly Olynyk played the final 10 minutes of regulation. Lindy Waters III joined them with 8:23 left in the game. Even Bismack Biyombo and Mason Plumlee got in on the action relieving Carter Bryant anfd Harrison Barnes for the final 3:12.

Afterwards, head coach Mitch Johnson praised the team’s defensive “consistency, physicality, and contact” adding that the team was ready for tonight’s game despite losing home court advantage.

The team now heads to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday night. They will need to carry the win without resting on their laurels. As visitors, they’ll have an arena against them. Although they faced the Trail Blazers in Portland, the Minnesota crowd will be even more vocal and uninviting. They now need to prepare for the challenge ahead.

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Anyone claiming to know what Bilal Coulibaly will be is either lying or delusional. Through three NBA seasons, one number stands out: 68. That’s how many games he’s missed — 27.6% of Wizards games since they traded up to draft him seventh overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.

A few other numbers jump off the screen — 49.7% on two-point field goal attempts, 31.3% on threes, and 73.4% from the free throw line. All solidly below average.

But that’s topline stuff and not necessarily the whole story. That he’s missed 68 games is fact. How many he would have missed if the team hadn’t been trying to lose is an open question. My guess is it would have been a lot less, but it’s unprovable.

During his short career, Coulibaly has gained a reputation as a good defender, though it’s worth mention the team has been no better at slowing opposing offenses when he’s been on the floor. The “young players sometimes take some time” for their on/off stats to start matching up with their box score numbers factor may apply, as does the context that he’s had to share the floor with truly horrendous defensive teammates. That said, he made some strides towards being more disruptive this season — see upticks in his per possession steals and blocks. Perhaps positive signals for the future.

To call his offensive game a “project” would be an insult to projects. He’s shot poorly, struggled to finish in traffic, and been hampered by iffy ball handling skills. And, he also improved pretty significantly this season.

For example, over his first 20 games this season, Coulibaly’s offensive rating (points produced per 100 individual possessions) was 99. League average this season was above 115. Over his final 36 games played, his offensive rating was 111. Still a bit below average but also significant improvement.

The eye test was similarly inconclusive. I noted across multiple games later in the season that Coulibaly was more assertive offensively, that he was driving more frequently, and that opponents were having difficulty staying in front of him when decided to attack. He also had more than a few…interesting…attempts to score inside. Sometimes he used his vertical leap and long arms to go over defenders, others he did that weird slow-down Euro-step thing and blew the shot, and still others he threw up wild shots that had no chance (a few of which actually dropped).

Over his final 17 games, he shot 38.1% from three-point range, which might mean something. It was only 76 total attempts though, so there’s nothing conclusive. It might mean his shooting truly improved. It might also mean he was on something of a heater.

Coulibaly’s overall trend is clear from the PPA Performance EKG below. Like teammate Kyshawn George, he started great and cratered. But then Coulibaly steadily improved the rest of the way. Over his first 20 games, Coulibaly’s PPA was 72 (in PPA, average is 100 and higher is better). Over his last 20: 125.

Now, 125 isn’t great. It’s solidly above average, though. He also had multiple above-average 10-game stints, including two with a PPA of 150 or better. A significant factor in both stretches were outlandishly good games (above 400 PPA scores), so apply the appropriate measure of salt.

On the other hand, Coulibaly’s rolling season PPA hit a replacement level 47 (close enough — replacement level in PPA is 45) after his 13th game. He notched a 118 the rest of the way. Again, not great but not bad either.

If it feels like I’m veering from one extreme to the other here, it’s because I am. And that’s because it’s what the data is saying. In my Consistency Index, Coulibaly scored an astronomical 123 this season. A lower score means more consistency.

His great and awful games came in near equal measure. He had 11 200+ PPA games (20%) and 10 that scored in the negative. He had 19 games with a 150 or better, and 15 with a 45 or lower.

I was very much in favor of drafting Coulibaly before the Wizards selected him. I liked the move to get him on draft day. Zach Lowe’s Nerf gun to my head, I’d guess he’s going to be pretty good. But it’s mostly a guess and a hunch. His overall production has improved each season…and there’s enough really bad games to give me doubts.

He’s eligible for an extension this summer, which the Wizards would be certifiably nuts to give him, unless it’s a deal like the one Deni Avdija signed. Which Coulibaly would be certifiably nuts to sign. A big year next season could be lucrative for him.

At minimum, I think Coulibaly can be a defensive specialist. If the shooting comes around, he could be a highly valuable three-and-D type. If he develops an overall offensive package, he could be a star. It’s fascinating how little is sure with him after three NBA seasons.

After exceeding expectations during the regular season, the Boston Celtics ultimately fell short, underperforming in a seven-game series loss to the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.  

The disappointing end to the season brings renewed scrutiny to the roster, but it also shifts attention to the organization’s financial positioning. Last offseason’s tax-saving moves now provide the Celtics with added flexibility as they approach a consequential summer.  

The Celtics’ decision to trade Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis started a wave of deals driven by cutting costs. Holiday was on a contract that carried a 2025–26 cap hit of about $32.4 million, while Porzingis was set to earn just over $30 million in the final year of his deal. Boston was able to execute additional roster moves both in the offseason and ahead of the trade deadline, ultimately maneuvering itself below the luxury tax line and out of both apron thresholds. 

Those moves have given Boston multiple avenues to pursue free agents and execute trades with significantly fewer restrictions. By dropping below the first apron, the Celtics gained access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, valued at just over $15 million and usable either on a single player or divided among multiple signings, an advantage unavailable to teams operating above the apron thresholds, where exceptions are far more limited. In addition, Boston still retains several trade exceptions (TPEs), further enhancing its ability to absorb salary in future deals without matching outgoing contracts. The chart below illustrates this newfound roster-building flexibility in greater detail. 

With all that being said, one area where many fans believe improvement is still needed is at the center position. 

Neemias Queta enjoyed a breakthrough regular season in his first year as a full-time starter, emerging as a steady interior presence and finishing fourth in the NBA’s Most Improved Player voting. However, once the playoffs arrived, we saw him really struggle to stay on the court. He did close the season out on a good note with a monster Game 7.

Luka Garza effectively showed everyone that he can be a serviceable big in this league after not playing much at all with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the playoffs though, his impact wasn’t the same and only averaged eight minutes per night.  

Nikola Vucevic never quite got in a sustained groove in green and while he had some moments vs Philly, not playing a single second in Game 7 may impact his free agency decision.  

With the possibility of needing additional depth in the frontcourt, here are three bigs the Celtics could target who should realistically fall within their range of acquisition. 

Day’Ron Sharpe  

9pts | 7rebs | 2.3asts | 1stl | 60/23/68 | 62 games | Nets  

In November of last year, HoopsHype’s Micheal Scotto reported that the Celtics showed interest in signing Day’Ron Sharpe before the Nets resigned him. 

Sharpe is a physical, high-motor 24-year-old center who brings value primarily through rebounding, interior efficiency, and effort-based play. Standing around 6’9″ with a strong, wide frame, he operates as a traditional big who does most of his work in the paint. Offensively, he’s good around the rim, scoring mainly on putbacks, dump-offs, and short-roll opportunities rather than self-created looks.  

His most defining skill is his elite offensive rebounding, where his instincts, positioning, and persistence consistently generate second-chance opportunities. Sharpe rebounded 15.8% of his teammates misses putting him in the 92^nd percentile. He also shows underrated passing ability for a center, making quick, unselfish decisions out of the short roll or after securing rebounds, which helps keep the offense flowing. His 2.3 rim assists and 10.2 potential assists per 100 possessions rank in the 90^th percentile.  

Sharpe may also have a case for possessing some of the best hands among centers when it comes to disrupting passing lanes, based on his production last season. He recorded 6.5 deflections per 100 possessions ranking in the 100th percentile for his position, while his 2.9 steals per 100 possessions placed him in the 99th percentile, underscoring his unusual activity and instincts on the defensive end for a player of his size. 

Day’Ron Sharpe is currently on a $6.2 million team option that the Brooklyn Nets are widely expected to exercise, meaning Boston would likely need to part with assets to acquire him. Given that prior interest has already been established, it would not be surprising to see Brad Stevens revisit those discussions and explore a potential deal. 

Robert Williams  

7pts | 7rebs | 1.5blks | 71/39/60 | 59 games  

Old friend Robert Williams just produced his healthiest and best season since being traded from the Celtics.  

Rob is still an elite defensive center whose impact is defined by his rim protection, vertical athleticism, and instinctive play on the back line. At around 6’9″ with a long wingspan and exceptional explosiveness, he plays much bigger than his height, functioning as a true defensive anchor when healthy. Williams is one of the league’s premier shot blockers, combining timing, anticipation, and leaping ability to alter or erase shots both at the rim and as a help defender. His defensive versatility stands out as well. At his peak, he has shown the ability to play a roaming “free safety” role, reading the floor, jumping passing lanes, and covering teammates while still recovering to protect the rim.  

This season Rob averaged 4.1 blocks per 100 possessions, which ranked in the 98^th percentile. Even when he’s not just blocking shots, he’s defending the rim well as opponents shot 14% worse at the rim when he defended it (92^nd percentile).  

Offensively, Williams operates almost entirely within the flow of the game, thriving as a low-usage, high-efficiency finisher. He scores primarily on lobs, putbacks, and dump-off passes, using his vertical spacing to pressure defenses without needing touches called for him. There have been many flashes this year of his athleticism looking close to the 2022 version of him. He is also a very underrated passer for a center, particularly from the high post or on quick reads out of short rolls, which helps facilitate ball movement. Rob is also starting to stretch out his shooting range, but I don’t think that’ll be a big factor in his impact.  

The primary concern with Robert Williams III has long been, and likely will remain, his health. However, he is coming off a strong season and reinforced his value with an impressive playoff showing against the San Antonio Spurs, where he averaged 10 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. That performance has almost certainly elevated his market as he enters unrestricted free agency. 

Jock Landale  

10.6 pts | 5.7 rebs | 1.7 asts | 51/38/63 | 68 games  

Jock Landale, 30, is known for his physical play, high motor, and fundamentally sound offensive game. Standing around 6’11” he primarily plays as a center, using his size and strength to battle in the paint while also showing enough mobility to operate effectively in modern, up-tempo systems. 

Offensively, Landale offers the most versatility of the three options listed. He possesses soft touch in the paint, allowing him to score efficiently with a variety of finishes, including hooks and floaters. That same touch has gradually extended beyond the interior as his career has progressed, developing into a credible perimeter threat. This past season with the Atlanta Hawks, he averaged a career-high 2.8 three-point attempts per game while converting an impressive 38.3 percent, further underscoring his offensive range. 

As with the other two bigs mentioned, Landale is also an underrated passer at the five. That’s no coincidence as recent Boston Celtics frontcourt players have consistently shown an ability to facilitate at some level. In Boston’s system, it’s essential that the center can make quick, accurate reads to capitalize on the frequent two-on-one and three-on-two advantages the team creates. 

While he has the most offensive game out of the three, Landale offers the least defensively. Landale is a fundamentally sound but physically limited defender whose effectiveness comes more from positioning, effort, and awareness than from elite tools. He does have solid strength though and can hold his ground reasonably well against traditional post-up bigs and does a respectable job of contesting without fouling. He plays with good discipline, understands team defensive concepts, and is generally in the right place, which allows him to function within a structured system. He’s not going to block a ton of shots and doesn’t provide a ton of versatility from what I’ve seen, but he could be a nice change of pace offensive center that can hopefully knock down some shots.  

Landale will enter unrestricted free agency this summer after by far his most productive season in the league. I do believe he garners interest from some teams, but the price shouldn’t be out of Boston’s range. 

Honorable Mention :

Karlo Matkovic  

5.7pts | 3.7 rebs | 1blk | 60/42/73 | 62 games | Pelicans  

25-year-old Croatian big Karlo Matkovic has been someone I’ve looked at for the Celtics for some time now. Matković is a mobile, athletic big who offers an intriguing blend of energy, defensive activity, and developing offensive skill. Standing around 6’10” with good length and fluid movement, he runs the floor well and plays with a high motor, making him effective in transition and as a rim runner. Offensively, most of his work is done around the basket shooting 81.7% in the restricted area, but he has shown the ability to shoot from the outside. Matkovic shot 42% from deep this season with New Orleans only 1.5 attempts.  

Defensively, he stands out more using his mobility and timing to contest shots, protect the rim, and switch onto the perimeter in short bursts. While still raw in terms of strength and overall polish, Matkovic’s athleticism and defensive versatility give him upside as a modern rotation big who can impact the game without needing the ball. 

The Pelicans have a pending decision to make on Matkovic with his team’s option looming, but there is a slight chance they don’t pick him up as they look to develop Derik Quenn and Yves Missi who are younger options.