Good morning, LSB.
Shawn McFarland breaks down how the Rangers’ starting pitchers performed in 2026, including steps back for Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.
Kennedi Landry lists some Rangers prospects to keep an eye on next season.
And there will be a new champion in Major League Baseball.
That’s all for this morning. Happy Friday!
No more fake basketball for the next eight months, folks!
The Knicks wrapped up the preseason with their most solid performance, defeated the Raps in New York, and will next see the banner(s) rise to the rafters of MSG.
Here’s the latest from everybody and their mothers.
On the Knicks’ progress over the past year heading into their title defense:
“I’m going to keep it real that there’s something in front of us. I’m not a fan of having an elephant in the room. I’ll address it: It’s about the process. It’s not about the end result. We can’t think about the end result right now. We have a ways to go. This is a new season, new team and we’re gonna have challenges in front of us.
“It’s like climbing a mountain. Sometimes you go a 100 yards, but you might get knocked back five yards. Hopefully, it’s not 50 yards, but you might get back five or 10 yards, and you regroup as a team, and you figure out how to keep going forward the right way.
“But making sure we embrace the process without slippage in that is going to be huge. And if I see us slipping up, it’s my job to let us know as a team that we’re off track. We need to get back on hopefully sooner than later.”
On why Jalen Brunson is the NBA’s best leader, as voted by GMs:
“He studies the game, and that helps a lot because you can always grow in any field you do. But he walks the talk. He works extremely hard, and he strives for perfection from himself. And when you do that, your peers see you do that, and you’re looked upon as the best player on the team, and it gives you credibility to tell somebody else when they’re not given their all or when they need to do this a little bit better or that a little bit better.”
On Brunson’s toughness and willingness to hold teammates accountable:
“He’s not afraid because, as a leader, sometimes you can be on an island because you have to always be conscious of ‘I got to do more, I got to do more’ in terms of work harder, focus, everybody’s going to make mistakes, but those little things. And so when you tell your teammates, they can get pissed at you, or they can be like, ‘hey, screw him because who is he to tell me what to do?’ And so you have to have some thick skin because it’s not going to always be you telling somebody to do something, then they embrace it. And I think Jalen has that thick skin and a toughness about him to be in a seat like this.”
On Brunson potentially becoming an NBA head coach after his playing career:
“I think Jalen has that thick skin and toughness about him to be in a seat like this. You won’t need to, though. My view? If you don’t want to… It’s up to you, Jalen.”
On what he expects from the Knicks’ final roster spot:
“If one of those guys makes our team, at least right now, they may not even play seven minutes — you know, seven straight minutes. And then at the end of the day, we just have to make a decision.”
On the mentality required from the Knicks’ third-string center:
“We just hope that there’s a passion and an energy and a focus coming from that spot because, I’m sure at times that person will start, at times they may be the first backup and at times they may be second backup. So as the minutes are fluctuating, you’re going to have to generate some internal energy at times, to go play in a low-minute game.
“Sometimes he’ll maybe not play one or two, maybe three games in a row. You look for that, and then you know, you just look for somebody that’s going to play hard at the end of the day – try to do the things that you’re asking on both sides of the floor. And bring a little something different than what the two guys in front of you bring.”
On Bruce Brown’s experience, toughness and versatility:
“Bruce has been through a lot with a lot of different teams at a pretty high level. His toughness, his experience, his feel, all those things — he’s a winner. It seems like every place he’s gone, he’s won, but all those things can add a lot to the program, and then he’s versatile both ends of the floor. He could play a few different positions offensively; he can guard a few different positions defensively. So a guy like that, especially a veteran winner, can be helpful to any team.”
On James Wiseman’s potential and development:
“He’s young, he’s talented, you know, he’s raw, still. I think he’s still trying to establish a foothold in this league. But with the God-given attributes he has, in terms of athleticism and length and quickness, [they] can bode well for him on both ends of the floor. And at 25 years old, he hasn’t even reached his prime, especially knowing he hadn’t played a ton of basketball; having a vertical threat at the rim will help [the Knicks], or could help everybody else play the game a little bit easier, whether it’s driving the basketball or playing pick and roll.”
On his recovery from wrist surgery:
“I had nine different casts. I was able to take it off if I ran or worked out with it. So I had one for workouts, one for showering and obviously one for everyday use.”
On maintaining the Knicks’ championship-winning approach entering a new season:
“I think what’s most important is that last year we took everything one day at a time. We were talking about — obviously, the topic was getting back to the conference finals and trying to advance. And I think for us now, the way we approached it last year was to take it one day at a time, every single day. So not talking about certain things.
“Obviously, we know what it takes, but just going into this with the same mindset for this journey. Even though it’s a new journey, it’s a different journey; the approach has to be the same, if not better.
“The first couple of weeks of the season is going to show us who we are and where we are. No matter what we’re doing, whether we’re playing great, playing bad, how are you going to be able to learn? And so, I mean, we’ll find a way. We’ll hold each other accountable, just like we did last year, and then we’ll be better.”
On the Knicks’ preseason progress and preparing to defend their championship:
“Each game got better and better. Just happy to be back. I feel like it’s a learning experience for us. We have to turn the page on last year and figure out how to get better every single day. It’s gonna be a different journey for us. Our mindset has to be different, and we’ll be ready to go.”
On the Knicks’ preseason finale and preparing for opening night:
“I thought today was a good dress rehearsal. It was cool, it was very nice to get back out there and get back into our flow and be really good. Obviously we have a lot of things to work on. But it was a good way to end the preseason.”
On how he feels physically and his rhythm entering the regular season:
“Yeah, I feel good. I feel really, really good.”
On who’s the biggest complainer to referees among Knicks:
“Josh Hart. Why’d y’all laugh? Did y’all agree with that or something? Everyone behind the camera, I just want y’all to know: y’all just clowned Josh Hart. That’s crazy for y’all to say — in New York, too.”
On choosing between winning another NBA championship and a World Series:
“Win a World Series, for sure. I already won an NBA championship.”
On his pregame routine:
“Before the game starts, I always give everyone at the table, including the fans behind, a chance to really get into the game. Just giving everybody a fist bump down the line of the table, and then go on the court.”
On his favorite all-time big man:
“I think Hakeem. I feel like, in a way, he kind of is mythical, like Wilt Chamberlain… but I’ve been able to talk and meet Hakeem, and he’s an amazing, amazing human.”
On the Knicks’ roster decisions involving Bruce Brown, James Wiseman, Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek:
“Brown and James Wiseman have made it through preseason cuts. The Knicks clearly like both players. But New York only has room under the second apron in team salary to keep one player. In order to keep both Brown and Wiseman, the Knicks would need to trade a player on a standard contract without taking back salary.
“My read heading into the weekend: Wiseman is a lock to make the roster. There is strong support to add Brown as well. The Knicks would need to make a trade by Monday afternoon if they want to keep Brown. I think they will explore all avenues to make that happen.
“It’s logical to assume that the Knicks will move third-year wing Pacome Dadiet. But I believe New York will explore other deals — including trades involving third-year guard Tyler Kolek — this weekend and Monday.
“The Knicks will be asking teams to take on a player without sending back salary. To get a deal done, New York may need to attach its own second-round picks (New York will have at least 11 second-round picks in the next seven drafts).”
On the Knicks’ handling of Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract negotiations:
“So, it was smart to dead the conversation. Now, how you deaded the conversation is the problem. I can’t find out on Twitter if that’s what happened…So if that’s the case (Towns learning from the media that the Knicks paused negotiations), then that’s a communication thing right there. [The Knicks] dropped the ball on that one for one. You don’t let that get outside. So again, I don’t know that. The only thing I’m saying is you don’t break up the family. That’s all I’m going to say. You don’t break up the family.”
On fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a police officer:
“It’s something I always wanted to do since I was a kid. I remember back when I was in grade school, elementary school. They asked you on career day, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And my initial response was a police officer.”
On his family’s history in law enforcement:
“It runs in the family. My uncle was a captain. His brother was a deputy. My cousin is a captain. My sister’s in the academy. So, it’s a family tradition, basically.”
On the physical demands of police academy training compared with the NBA:
“Yeah, it was a little bit [more] challenging actually because now I’m running a lot more than I had before. Obviously, in the NBA you run short distances, right? And the police academy, you’re running more long-distance mileage.”
On his wife’s initial concerns about his decision to become a police officer:
“My wife at first was a little bit concerned because obviously being a police officer, there’s some danger to it. But if you are well-trained and you understand your policies and procedures, you’re able to somewhat have officer safety, which is very important, and that’s the goal.”
The Sixers may have been beaten 144-106 on Saturday against the Celtics, but there were still the kinds of positives you want to see from Philly’s young guys as most of the starting five sat out.
As their preseason finale approaches on Friday evening with a rematch against the Celtics, we’ll see if they can end things on a high note as their new stars are set to make another appearance.
While we don’t know exactly how much we can expect to see the Sixers’ starting five on Friday, we should be getting a look at the new group at least until the early second half, according to Nick Nurse when he gave an update after Thursday’s practice.
Nurse originally mentioned wanting to get the starting group to play a couple of games in the preseason, so it makes sense for LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown to return and get a final tuneup before the regular season begins. Even in a preseason setting with lower minutes, it’ll be interesting to see how fluid their cutting and passing looks, how they continue pushing in transition, how others move off the ball while LeBron initiates, and generally how their initial chemistry looks as this group gets started together.
In their brief half together against the Nets, the starters’ offense looked electric with so much firepower and range of styles to attack. Will we see more of the same against the Celtics?
Pure talent alone may carry the offense as the team starts to gel, although the defense may understandably take more time as schemes and communication are polished. That could lead to another strong showing from Jayson Tatum on Friday, after he calmly dropped 23 points on Saturday, with Payton Pritchard leading the team with 25 points and doing most of his damage from range with five made triples.
Apart from seeing the starting group, there’s VJ Edgecombe to focus on who stood out yet again in the Sixers’ last game. He scored a team-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting with a pair of threes, plus three rebounds, four assists and four steals. Energetic, impactful and disruptive as always, Edgecombe played exactly how the team would hope.
Jabari Walker continued his strong preseason on Saturday, too. He added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting with six rebounds and a pair of assists. Walker stepping up comes at a good time as well, what with Ariel Hukporti’s injury shortening the Sixers’ center rotation. As Nurse inevitably experiments with different looks and mixes in more smaller lineups, especially when Embiid misses time, Walker is starting to make his case to be in the mix for more minutes.
We have to keep a close eye on Labaron Philon as well. On Saturday against Boston, he flashed his silky jumper both off the catch and when creating off the bounce, tallied seven assists to only two turnovers with crisp passing, and finished with 14 points (albeit on modest 5-of-13 shooting) and a 4-of-8 mark from three. Even with how stacked their starting lineup is and how they can stagger stars, the Sixers need spark-plug ball-handling, shooting and playmaking off their bench. Philon has such clear upside to be a factor there.
Basically, from the starting five chemistry to young guys like Philon, there’s plenty to monitor in the Sixers’ preseason finale.
Whatever happens with Friday’s result, though, the main thing that matters is we’re only four days away from the start of real Sixers basketball. On Oct. 20, when they open the regular season against the Knicks, we’ll get our first look at LeBron and Co. playing real NBA action.
It’s going to be quite the season.
When: Friday, October 15, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia+, NBA TV
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
Good morning A’s fans!
Yesterday, the American League Championship Series resumed with Game 3 after both teams had Tuesday off. Playing in front of their passionate fan base, the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams recorded nine strikeouts over five innings of two-run ball, while center fielder Petey Halpin hit the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Last year, the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers en route to a second consecutive World Series title. This year, the Brewers got revenge, sweeping the Dodgers to return to the World Series for the first time since 1982. It seemed like there would be a Game 5 after Shohei Ohtani’s three-run home run put the Dodgers up 4-0. The relentless Brewersresponded with six unanswered runs before holding on for the pennant-clinching victory.
A small-market team will win the World Series this year for the first time since the Kansas City Royals did in 2015. That shows a well-coached, low-payroll team can perform just as well as a high-payroll team featuring multiple players with expensive contracts.
The Athletics, who popularized the “Moneyball approach”, have much to learn from these three clubs that have all better adapted to the new era. Off the field, the A’s need to invest more in their baseball operations and analytics department. Those staffers play a major role in Milwaukee, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles’ annual success.
Additionally, the Green and Gold must improve their major league pitching staff and organizational pitching development, especially after they posted the worst ERA in the AL this season.
Homegrown aces Gavin Williams (Guardians), Drew Rasmussen (Rays) and Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers) have all led their teams’ rotations this October. Meanwhile, the A’s have not developed a homegrown ace since Sonny Gray. Can J.T. Ginn, Gage Jump or Jamie Arnold take that mantle next season, or will the team keep relying on a rotation full of middle-and back-end starters?
What is your favorite moment in Athletics history?
Should the A’s acquire Andre Pallante from the St. Louis Cardinals to bolster their starting rotation?
The Athletics last made the ALCS 20 years ago. Will the drought end next year, or will it last until the franchise’s Las Vegas era begins?
Brewers: Comeback Kings
When the Mets sent prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to the Brewers ahead of the 2026 season, Freddy Peralta was undoubtedly the headliner of the package they got in return. With Peralta heading for free agency after the season, though, conventional wisdom at the time of the trade was that the Mets did well to get then-27-year-old Tobias Myers from Milwaukee alongside Peralta, as he’d been quite good in his time in the big leagues and was under team control for several years to come.
Peralta’s struggles with the Mets were far more noticeable given his prominent role in the rotation, but coming off two seasons in Milwaukee that saw him put together a 3.15 ERA and a 3.92 FIP across his time working as a starter and a reliever, Myers was quite disappointing this year, too.
In just 53.2 innings at the major league level with the Mets this season, Myers had a 5.53 ERA and a 4.65 FIP, both of which were the worst single-season marks of his relatively young major league career by wide margins. And the Mets’ handling of Myers, who was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in late May and spent the rest of the season bouncing between Syracuse and Queens, probably didn’t help him very much.
While the expectation that Peralta would be the team’s ace based on his 2025 ERA always seemed a bit foolish, it is concerning that both pitchers who fared well over the course of multiple seasons in Milwaukee took such significant steps in the wrong direction upon joining the Mets.
As for Myers, well, he’s still under team control through the end of the 2030 season, but the Mets used his final option year this year, which means he’d have to be designated for assignment to be removed from the 40-man roster in 2027, assuming there’s a season. Given that reality, Myers seems to be a lock for the team’s Opening Day roster, barring the acquisition of a slew of relievers that pushes him so far down the depth chart that the Mets would either look to trade him or risk losing him on waivers.
All of that seems pretty unlikely given the players who are in the organization at the moment. It would behoove the Mets to figure out what went wrong for Myers this year, though, and maybe he’ll just fare better without having to worry about getting sent to the minors at the first sign of trouble or whenever it’s convenient for the Mets’ never-ending desire to churn the last couple bullpen spots of their roster.
Sign up for a user account and get:
When a team as talented as the Dodgers gets swept in a four-game series, there are so many things that have to go wrong for that to happen—even in Game 4 alone, you could probably point to several mistakes, letdowns, and a bit of bad luck as to why the result went the way it did. In the middle of that, one might focus on Tyler Glasnow as the latest of the noteworthy Dodgers to perform well below their normal standard, leading to this series exit.
All the pressure that was not there with Glasnow during the regular season, as this team has been able to routinely play it safe with his many injury problems, was stored for this one moment. The reigning back-to-back champs were vulnerable; they needed one dominant outing from a starter who has the stuff to shut down any lineup any time. Despite early glimpses of it, Glasnow came nowhere close to it.
Contrary to every other game in this series, the Dodgers were able to give their starter a significant lead early on. What was lacking when Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Blake Snell pitched was given to Glasnow, as Los Angeles hoped to stave off elimination. That pressure to be absolutely perfect wasn’t necessary after just two innings, as the Dodgers put up a four-run lead in the second.
Nearly as important as the early offensive breakthrough, Glasnow looked unhittable through three perfect innings—the Dodgers’ starter struck out two batters in each of the first three frames, bullying an offense that had been giving Los Angeles pitching all sorts of trouble.
A theme of these four games was that all that seemed excruciatingly difficult to achieve for the Dodgers came with relative ease for Milwaukee. While it felt like the Dodgers had to dig deep inside for those four runs in the second, Glasnow went from complete control to getting battered by a Milwaukee offense in the blink of an eye.
It began as it so often does with Glasnow on the mound: a walk, the first of the game to Brice Turang; then came two bullets for extra-base hits, and just like that the Dodgers’ lead was cut in half. And it still could’ve been fine had Glasnow settled in after finishing the inning, but he just generated an even bigger mess in the following frame, again starting with a walk. By the time his line was done, he was responsible for four runs, unable to hold on to an early lead.
For the whole series, you’ve seen me come here and focus on the offense’s struggles over anything else, from underwhelming pitching by a starter and/or relievers, but here things were different. Sure, stopping at four with nothing to show for it from the third inning onward is regrettable, but Glasnow had what no other Dodger starting pitcher had in this whole series, and he squandered it. Excruciatingly, he did so in the worst possible way, twice setting the table for a scoring inning with a free pass.
Next month, I’ll begin my usual “Cubs free agent target” series, as well as writing a few articles about potential Cubs trade targets.
For now, I’d like to continue this series that’s been taking a look at 2026 Cubs who are going to be free agents.
Tyrone Taylor came over from the Mets as part of the deal that brought Clay Holmes to Chicago. While Holmes did okay, most of the time, Taylor performed the duties he was asked exactly as expected.
He was brought in to back up all three outfield positions and to hit against left-handed starters. He did both of those jobs quite well.
In 30 games for the Cubs, Taylor batted .351/.390/.500 (26-for-74) with eight doubles, a home run and three stolen bases in 82 PA. That’s a really good showing. Overall in 2026, Taylor batted .318/.348/.573 (35-for-110) against left-handed pitching with 10 doubles and six home runs. (I was unable to split out how many of the 82 PA for the Cubs were vs. RHP. It wasn’t many, to my recollection.)
These numbers were quite a bit better than Taylor’s career numbers vs. LHP. In several previous seasons, he played a lot more than he did in 2026, when he had 241 PA (341 in 2025, 345 in 2024, 405 in 2022).
This suggests that perhaps Taylor has found a role he’s good at. Not only did he hit well, but he played excellent defense.
On Aug. 5, he started in center field while Pete Crow-Armstrong served as DH. In the fifth, he made this nice running grab that had a 15 percent catch probability [VIDEO].
After the Cubs took a big lead on the Pirates on Sept. 11, Taylor came in for PCA in the fifth and in the eighth, made this nice sliding catch [VIDEO].
And one more, made against the Reds Sept. 19 [VIDEO].
So what the Cubs had was:
The only drawback is that Taylor isn’t young. He’ll turn 33 in January. He still appears to have all those skills intact and I would think he could be useful for the Cubs for another year or two. Taylor also played for Craig Counsell for five years in Milwaukee, so the Cubs manager is quite familiar with him. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Counsell lobbied for Taylor to be acquired from the Mets.)
It’s really the first time in a while that the Cubs have had a fourth outfielder this good. Mike Tauchman did okay in that role for a while, but Taylor is better defensively. And as a right-handed hitter, he can give PCA a breather in center field every once in a while. PCA played in all 162 games and led MLB with 726 plate appearances. He seemed to be running out of gas at the end of the season.
Taylor made $3.8 million in 2026. He had a very good year as that fourth outfielder. Would you give him a two-year, $8 million deal? I would. Or would it cost a bit more? Still worth it, in my view.
What say you?
Last season, the Royals faced a crossroads with Seth Lugo. As they approached the trade deadline, there was healthy debate over whether the Royals should trade Lugo and try to acquire younger talent, or whether they should keep him to finish the year and bring him back for 2026. Just a few days before the trade deadline, the Royals and Lugo reached a deal on a two-year, $46 million extension with a vesting option for another year at $23 million per year. Lugo was going to remain a Royal.
Lugo’s performance dipped significantly after he signed the extension, but he also pitched with a back injury for a while before being shut down by the team. The hope coming into the season was that he was healthy and would be able to help lead the Royals back to the playoffs on the strength and depth of their starting pitching. His 2024 season was spectacular, but it was unrealistic to assume he would get back there production-wise. Still, an ERA around four while picking up the ball every fifth day would provide the value the Royals paid for in his contract.
The veteran started the season hot. Through April, Lugo sported a 2.63 ERA with a nearly 3:1 K:BB ratio. It looked like the back issue might have been all that held him back, and that bringing him back was the right decision. For the rest of the year, however, Lugo alternated between being a back-end starter or 2005 José Lima. Here are his remaining ERAs by month:
May: 4.59
June: 6.52
July: 4.32
August: 8.31
September: 6.38
The right-hander did miss some time in June on the concussion – IL after getting struck in the forehead by a Brandon Nimmo fastball. Given the bump that appeared on his head, it’s a miracle that the injury wasn’t worse than it was. Besides that, Lugo was quite healthy this year, tossing 172.1 innings. Unfortunately, he had a 5.17 ERA over those innings.
Lugo has been an “out-pitching-his-peripherals” guy in previous seasons, but this year he actually had a 4.38 FIP, which was better than his 2025 FIP of 5.09. In some ways, he had the inverse of his 2025 season: an okay ERA and bad FIP last year, but a bad ERA with okay FIP this season. I don’t really know what to make of that, but I ask that we all be consistent in our arguments. If you are a “Lugo can out-pitch his peripherals consistently” kind of guy, please don’t turn around and argue, “But his FIP was better this season!”
The veteran really struggled against lefties this season, surrendering an .874 OPS against opposite-handed batters. That OPS mark would have led all Royals batters this season. His curveball, four-seam fastball, and sweeper were all terrible against lefties this year, combining for -32 runs of value against southpaws alone. They also represented 46% of his usage against lefty batters. Compare that to two years ago, when Lugo’s fastball held its own against left-handed hitters while his curveball was worth +8 runs, and it’s clear that something has changed in his ability to fool hitters, particularly lefties, and keep them off balance. Whether Lugo can find that again or we are watching an aging player rage against the dying of the light remains to be seen.
It will be interesting to see how Lugo is deployed next season. If Lugo throws 162.2 innings next season, his 2028 option will vest at $20 million. If not, it becomes a $17 million club option. The Royals have a $3 million buyout if Lugo’s option doesn’t vest and they don’t want to pick up the club option.
If Lugo pitches as he did in 2026 next year, the Royals may want 2027 to be his last season. Of course, if he throws as many innings as he did in 2026, his 2028 salary is guaranteed. Kansas City doesn’t have a stable of starters lined up for 2027, so I expect Lugo will be one of the starting five and not shifted to the bullpen. There could be tension between the team and the player next year if it’s August and Lugo has a 5-run ERA and is closing in on his innings limit. For now, this is just something to monitor, but I don’t love seeing financial incentives that could put a team and a player at odds over his playing time.
As it stands right now, I think the Royals would have been better off trading Lugo last season versus bringing him back for this one, but I admittedly don’t know what was on offer. What I do know is that Lugo was able to pick up the ball every fifth day, but he was also part of the Royals’ pitching problems this year that led to the second-worst ERA in the American League. The starter comes across as a real craftsman, and I have no doubt that he will work on his issues against lefties in the offseason. I wonder if that will be enough, or if we all witnessed the beginning of the end of Lugo’s career as an effective starter.
Good morning friends and happy Friday!
Yesterday brought plenty of MLB postseason excitement. Let’s get to all of that and more.
What Brandin Podziemski learned from studying Jalen Brunson this offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After a career-best scoring season, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski was busy learning from NBA champion Jalen Brunson’s film during the offseason.
Talking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill and Dalton Johnson on “Dubs Talk,” Podziemski highlighted how he and trainer Dustin Van Lieu were focused on Brunson’s game and style of play.
“I know offseason this year was big on Jalen Brunson,” Podziemski said. “Being able to see him play a variety against defenses of different sorts, whether it was the (San Antonio) Spurs or the (Philadelphia) 76ers or whomever you want to call it, just seeing him having to manipulate different coverages and being successful and winning a championship. I think we took a lot from him this off-season and implemented it.”
Podziemski and Brunson are both stockier left-handed guards, and Podziemski said he specifically studied Brunson’s ability to handle the Spurs’ “full-court” defense during the NBA Finals that the New York Knicks won 4-1.
“We looked at a lot of concepts like that, how (Brunson) does that and keeps and creates the advantage,” Podziemski said. “That’s probably the biggest thing we’ve looked at besides obviously the footwork.”
While Podziemski remains a polarizing figure among Warriors fans, his contract and underlying metrics reflect a productive player who has his organization’s trust.
Coach Steve Kerr called him a “big part” of the Warriors’ future, exemplified by the five-year, $110 million extension Podziemski signed on Oct. 10.
Podziemski played all 82 games in the 2025-26 season, averaging a career-high 13.8 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He also ranked fourth in the NBA with 0.28 charges drawn per game.
More importantly, his presence on the floor next to Curry and Butler appears to be positive. Warriors lineups with Curry and Podziemski posted a net rating of +5.7, while Podziemski- and Butler-led lineups were +10.5.
Podziemski likely will have to reprise his larger scoring role with Butler only slated to return around the All-Star break and center Kristaps Porziņģis out indefinitely with an unspecified health issue.
The New York Islanders continued their inconsistency on Thursday in Canada's capital, as the Ottawa Senators knocked off the Islanders 2-1 in a shootout.
Matias Maccelli scored with 12 seconds left in the first period, giving the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
However, Ridley Greig, who was picked using the Islanders' 2020 first-round pick dealt to Ottawa for Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored with under five minutes to go in the second period.
Long Island native Shane Pinto scored the shootout winner, knocking off the Islanders
Semyon Varlamov, in his second start of the season, made 18 saves and played a terrific game.
“He looked like the old Varly, which is great to see, and it’s great for us because we’re going to need him.”
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 16, 2026
Pete DeBoer on Semyon Varlamov's bounce-back performance against Ottawa.
More @TheElmonters#Isles Free Friday ⤵️https://t.co/HSpwsjHzao
Outside Varlamov, it was inconsistent and frustrating play that plagued the Islanders on Thursday.
That's to be expected when learning an entirely new system of a play from a brand-new coach in just the seventh game of the season.
With the score tied 1-1, and with both teams pushing for a winner, Islanders' Head Coach Pete DeBoer made the call to shorten his bench.
#Isles HC Pete DeBoer sat three players for the remainder of the third:
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 16, 2026
Ritchie: 11:30 left (penalty, on ice for GA in 2nd)
Duclair: 9:25 left (penalty in 2nd)
Kessel: 12:30 left
“The players make those decisions for me.”
DeBoer cited puck management issues and penalties.
Cal Ritchie and Anthony Duclair can only look to use it as a learning moment.
It's very easy to forget that Ritchie is still just 21 years old and has only played 79 NHL games in his career. He's still learning the ropes, as much as anyone could, and has had three head coaches in those games (Jared Bednar in COL, Patrick Roy, DeBoer).
Ritchie is going to be just fine.
Duclair, meanwhile, is someone DeBoer has already been happy with and publicly praised for his effort last week following the win over the Chicago Blackhawks:
"I thought he had an excellent camp," DeBoer said after the Chicago game. "I thought he was great the first two games. I thought he took a step back in the Ranger game, and I talked to him this morning and said, 'I need you to get back to what you were doing because he was becoming a really important part of our group,' and he responded tonight.
"He did a great job, and I'm glad he got rewarded because that's a little while coming. He could have had a couple in the first couple of games."
The easy thing to do is jump to conclusions about what it may or may not mean for Duclair long-term when Mathew Barzal returns.
This isn't that. This is a player DeBoer believes in, and wants to get the very best out of. Sometimes, that means taking a hardline approach in a tight situation.
As for Matthew Kessel, it might even be less about him and his play and more about wanting to maximize Matthew Schaefer's minutes.
Schaefer played over 29 minutes in the shootout loss Thursday, and that meant Kessel's late ice time got sacrificed.
For all three players the takeaway should be simple: Take care of the puck, and don't take unnecessary penalties on the road. In other words, don't put the team in a bad spot.
The Islanders are next in action Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom they lost to begin this season. We'll see if there's any major lineup changes then.
Doc Rivers believes this Paul George trait could be contagious for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers had the same shocked reaction to the Jaylen Brown trade that most fans did — but he also believes the additions of Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley Jr. can help the Celtics remain competitive in a beefed-up Eastern Conference.
“I think everything [the Celtics] do is intentional. I really do,” said Rivers, who will serve as analyst this season for the NBA on NBC. “When the trade went down, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is an interesting trade,’ especially to the partner that they chose. I was like, ‘I’m glad Tommy Heinsohn is not around right now,’ doing anything with Philly, you know?
“But, at the end of the day, when you take a step back from the shock, and you look at their team, it fits. I think their team is gonna be really good.”
“As a coach, I never worried about it, the fit thing. I was like, ‘I’m gonna make it fit, you know? I’m not giving up on talent,’” said Rivers. “But there’s so much more now with the NBA and the contracts. Like, when you’re taking up 70 percent of your [salary cap with two players] — it just doesn’t work in the NBA anymore. And so every team is scrambling, as you can see. And, to me, what [the Celtics’ front office has] done is they went for that fit and the financial construction. So I think what they did was pretty smart overall.”
Here are more takeaways from Rivers on the 2026-27 Celtics (you can hear the full interview on the latest Celtics Talk podcast, which also features play-by-play legend Mike Tirico):
Bob DeChiara-Imagn ImagesRivers coached Paul George during their time with the Los Angeles Clippers and thinks there’s one primary way that George can still impact winning at an advanced age in Boston.
“The thing I think you’re gonna be surprised with is his defense,” said Rivers. George has since piled up a team-high 7 steals in 49 minutes of preseason action, routinely sparking fast break opportunities after turning over opponents.
“On ball, [Clippers teammate] Kawhi [Leonard] was better, but I remember [Clippers current head coach and former Rivers assistant] Ty Lue and I talking one night and I was like, ‘You know, Paul’s an elite defender, and I think he’s even better off the ball.’ What’s happening is elite off-the-ball defenders can be contagious.”
George generated 2.7 steals and a staggering 6.5 deflections per 100 possessions last season with Philadelphia, ranking in the 97th percentile at his position for both marks. George has ranked in the 89th percentile or better in steal rate for his position in each of the past five seasons.
On the offensive end, Rivers believes George can be maximized as a catch-and-shoot option.
“He’s a great shooter. And where Jaylen did a lot off the dribble, I think Paul George they use far more as a catch-and-shoot guy. I think he’s elite at that,” said Rivers. “He can take you off the dribble, too. I didn’t use him as that much, when I was with the Clippers, because I wanted him to be catch and shoot. I think he’ll be more back to that catch and shoot stuff.”
George shot 41.6 percent on 4.5 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per game last season with Philadelphia (compared to 34.1 percent on 2.2 pull-up 3s per game). The shot defied him a bit in his preseason appearances, but it’s clear the attention that players like Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard can attract on drives will lead to many open catch-and-shoot looks for George.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesRivers admitted there’s a bunch of potential X-factors for the Celtics this season, but the primary one is Derrick White finding his shot again.
“I think Paul George’s health, I think Mitchell Robinson’s ability to rebound is still underestimated — and I think Derrick White returning back to Derrick White,” Rivers said when asked about X-factors. “[White] didn’t have his typical playoff run, he struggled with his shot. That’s a fluke. So I think Derrick White being back to Derrick White is huge.”
Why is Rivers bullish on White finding his stroke again after the shooting woes of a year ago?
‘It’s the NBA, man. Like you get to missing shots and the NBA doesn’t stop and wait for you to get your mind right, you know?” said Rivers. “It just keeps going and there’s times you get left behind, mentally, and I thought that it was as simple as that.”
–Doc loves Joe Mazzulla and his coaching style: “He’s one of my favorites. I mean, he really is, and not because he’s a Celtic. I just love him. I love him because he is who he is and I love coaches like that. You’re not going to talk him out of it. And that makes him a really good, consistent coach.”
–East is wide open — but also incredibly daunting: ” I think the East is wide open. And unfortunately, it’s wide open meaning there’s five teams that I can rattle off that could win the East. In two years, it went from the worst conference to the best conference. And so I think that’s the tough part. I don’t think any team will win as much as they won last year. I also think there’s no tanking teams this year, so you can’t just count 15 wins, you know? So this is gonna be a hard NBA season for the East.
–He’s got one bone to pick with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett: “You know what pisses me off? Paul and Kevin are golfing now. Like, what the heck? That would have been so much more fun … They ridiculed Ray and I for golfing, and now they love it, especially Paul. Paul plays every day.”
Tonight the Raptors’ final preseason game tips off, this time against the Detroit Pistons. So far, Toronto has split the preseason with a 2-2 record. They started off-balance when they lost handily to the Heat, but followed it up with convincing wins over the Clippers and Knicks and a single-possession loss to the Knicks yesterday. The Pistons are 2-1 in the preseason.
Detroit will have both a homecourt and rest advantage, having played their last contest on Wednesday. With this being the last preseason game though, it’s likely the benches will be cleared to cement final roster decisions for both teams before the official start to the season. Plus, both teams still have things they need to work on.
One of the bigger themes of the preseason has been Toronto’s size and rebounding issues. In both losses they were beaten on the boards, and in both wins they controlled them. Not insignificant, especially given their lack of traditional depth at center. This could be a point of concern tonight as Detroit has size and rebounding power. Jalen Duren was 6th in the League last year in rebounds per game, supported by Cade Cunningham, John Collins, and Ausar Thompson who all averaged more than 5 rebounds per game as well. That, all before you even look at their bench or backups. To win the battle, we’ll probably see a lot of Collin Murray-Boyles tonight who has a great presence around the rim at both ends and seems to be able to read exactly where the ball is going. Scottie will have to step up too, especially when Poeltl is on the bench.
Detroit has tooled their roster for size and space, with Duncan Robinson, Kevin Huerter, John Collins, and Isaiah Joe all strong shooters to complement and provide room to operate for Jalen Duren. Cade Cunningham has done a remarkable job distributing the ball and running their offence, always finding the open man and right play. He was second in the League last year on assists and hasn’t even hit his prime yet.
Toronto’s defence has looked solid over the last couple of games, especially on the wings. This will be a great challenge for them, as plenty of teams around the League continue to develop similar offensive schemes.
The Raptors’ offence has also been a lot more polished over the last few games, with Kawhi, RJ, and Scottie all taking turns leading the team in scoring. Quickley, CMB, Shead, Battle, Key, Burnett, and Walter have all managed double-digit performances.
It would be a great way to start the season above .500 in the preseason.
Where to Watch
Tune in at 7pm ET on Sportsnet
Probable Starters
Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Kawhi Leonard
Detroit: Duncan Robinson, John Collins, Jalen Duren, Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson
Injury Status
Toronto: Nate Bittle
Detroit: None listed
Over the last few years — ever since the 2024 World Series, to be honest — the Yankees have had a reputation for defensive sloppiness. In truth, that is a tad overstated: as mentioned earlier this week, when we previewed the Yankees’ defensive highlights from the 2026 season, the team has finished in the middle third of the pack, according to most defensive metrics, in each of the past three seasons. Nonetheless, even the most optimistic of us (and I certainly count myself among that group) cannot deny the fact that the Yankees have repeatedly stuck their foot in their mouth over and over. And so, in an exercise in catharsis, let’s look back at some of the worst of the worst errors, misplays, and miscues from the 2026 season. We won’t be ranking them, because they all frustrate me in all sorts of different ways, but don’t let that stop you: let us know what you think about our list in the comments section below!
You know a defensive miscue is bad when the broadcaster in the opposing dugout says, “What on Earth is he doing?” Well, that’s exactly what happened to Jazz Chisholm Jr. back in April, as the second baseman took forever to throw the ball, allowing the speedy Otto Lopez to reach on an infield single to start the frame. While, ultimately, it didn’t end up costing the Yankees anything other than some damage to David Bednar’s ERA, as the team still wound up winning 9-7, this type of mistake is, in my opinion, among the most frustrating — this should have been an easy out, and yet, it wasn’t.
Following his strong start to his big league career, George Lombard Jr. did his very best to erase all goodwill toward him by making errors in six consecutive games — no easy feat. Of these, the final one, from August 27th, is the one that sticks with me the most. First of all, not only does Lombard boot the ball, but then José Caballero, who catches the ricochet, compounds the problem by airmailing first base instead of just eating it; the damage was already done, there was no need to make it worse.
I was at this game — in fact, I was out on the terrace when the play occurred, so I have a fairly unique vantage point. To some extent, it feels a tad unfair to put this on the list. While it’s hard to see on the video, the fly ball was hard to track, as it was knuckling in the wind (if you recall, this was the CC Sabathia game, which was moved from Saturday night to Friday afternoon due to inclement weather — and even then, hours before the storm hit, the wind was beginning to blow). Spencer Jones then slams into the outfield wall hard, with a very loud thud that made me actually a tad concerned about a potential injury. Then, it bounces in the worst possible direction, i.e., towards center field, and thus, away from the player responsible for backing up Jones. Last, and certainly not least… honestly, it was kind of cool. I had never seen an inside-the-park home run in person before, and now, the only things left on my baseball bucket list are to see a no-hitter, perfect game, and a cycle.
Still, an inside-the-park homer is an inside-the-park homer. No matter my own personal feelings, it belongs here.
Tropicana Field is cursed — or at least, the New York Yankees think so (after all, Andrew McCutchen said last week that the Yankees have not believed they could beat the Rays at the Trop as far back as 2018). I’m not going to get into their psyche (I’m a Latin teacher, not a sports psychologist), but I can confirm that they made a lot of errors down in St. Petersburg this year. The worst occurred, of course, with Cam Schlittler on the mound during Game 2 of the ALDS, as the team tried (and failed) to erase a 1-0 series deficit with the 2026 Cy Young favorite on the mound. It is, perhaps, unsurprising that our own Andrés Chávez listed this game as one of the worst moments of the season.
When we reviewed the team’s best highlights, we took a look at José Caballero, who as the team’s Swiss Army Knife played literally every position on the diamond outside of pitcher, catcher, and first base. And while he was never quite a liability at any position…well, spending so much time bouncing around the diamond does result in a fair number of errors scattered around the diamond. We already saw one of his misplays at the hot corner above, so let’s check out some of his miscues elsewhere.
While playing the keystone on September 25th — the same game as the above inside-the-park homer, in fact — Cabby botched a ground ball, then simply couldn’t find it, thus allowing the run to score.
Back in May, he allowed the speedy Chandler Simpson to reach on this error that, uh, I’m not quite sure exactly how he managed to send the ball scurrying in that direction.
In August, he made two errors on the same play, bobbling the ball on the transfer trying to turn two, then throwing the ball low so that it skips away from Luis García Jr. (to be fair, García probably should’ve had that, but still).
Playing some center field on June 21st, he fields a grounder that went under the glove of Chisholm, then proceeded to throw the ball over everyone’s head when Spencer Steer tried to stretch it into a double, allowing the leadoff batter to reach third on what should have been a routine groundout up the middle.
Lombard’s Other Five Errors in the Streak
The Final Cut from the Bottom Five
Amed Rosario in Fenway
It is always a difficult decision once your team is knocked out of the playoffs. Do you root for the team that knocked your team out to go all the way or do you stop watching altogether.
This season was certainly an exception if you were a San Diego Padres fan who decided to continue watching the MLB playoffs as no fan of the Padres would want to see the Los Angeles Dodgers advance to yet another World Series. The moment San Diego was knocked out of the postseason by the Milwaukee Brewers and it was determined the National League Central champions would be taking on the Dodgers the Friar Faithful adopted the Brewers as their team, at least in the NL.
Milwaukee made San Diego and likely many fans around baseball happy when the Brewers took Game 4 from the Dodgers by a final of 6-4, completing a four-game sweep of baseball’s Goliath. For Padres fans, it was bittersweet. You have to love seeing the Dodgers eliminated, but you have to wonder what might have been. If just a few things in the NL Division Series had gone differently, San Diego could have been the team to “slay the dragon,” but that was not to be.
The Padres will have to wait for another opportunity to reach the precipice of the sport and they are hoping that comes in 2027 with new owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones saying they are all-in to bring a championship to the City of San Diego. What that means and what it will look like is unknown, but under a first-year manager and with a constricted operating budget to build a team in the 2025-26 offseason, the Padres built a team that came up just short. There is work to be done, but there is reason to believe San Diego is closer than ever to reaching its ultimate goal.
Padres News:
Baseball News: