The Warriors are back in action ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, and new faces like rookie Yaxel Lendeborg are ready to prove themselves in the NBA. Lendeborg could have a big role for the team right away, and early on, he is making a good first impression.
Steve Kerr had high praise for the former Michigan star; speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill and Dalton Johnson on “Dubs Talk,” Kerr declared Lendeborg is “100 percent” the most pro-ready rookie he has had since becoming the Warriors coach.
“He’s the most prepared, most ready guy,” Kerr said. “I think he was coached really well last year by Dusty May, and I like his life story too. He wasn’t the five-star recruit, [he spent] two years in … junior college in Arizona. He’s had to fight his way to get here, and he’s so appreciative of the opportunity, and he’s a pleaser. He wants to be coached, and he wants to do the right thing. He’s got a great approach.”
Lendeborg shined during NBA Summer League and has had a good training camp so far, but that does not mean that there is not room for improvement. The NBA is a big adjustment, and for him to be successful, there are certain areas of his game that need to grow. According to Kerr, Lendeborg’s biggest area to focus on is the defensive side of the floor, particularly in moments of adversity.
“Defensive awareness, it’s the biggest adjustment a guy like him has to make,” Kerr explained. “He already has a great feel offensively, very natural gift for just moving the ball, making the right play, without even having to coach anything on that front. He just does that, and then that will ingratiate himself with his teammates. It’s the defensive side where there’s so many actions that you see in the NBA that you don’t see in the college game. You have to learn personnel.
“You have to know who you’re going against every night. If we’re switching, now you’re guarding point guards, you’re guarding centers, you’re guarding wings. You’ve got to know all the rotations from all the spots. So that’ll take some time, and that’s what we’re working with him on. The good thing is, he’s very experienced as a basketball player. He’s 24 now, he turned 24 yesterday. He’s played junior college. He’s played for a national championship last year with Michigan. He’s got a lot of basketball wisdom, and that will serve him well.”
Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds for Michigan last season and proved to be the program’s marquee player. He earned several accolades at the end of the season, such as consensus First-Team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive Team. Now, Lendeborg enters his rookie year with the Warriors eager to bring that same level of play.
The Warriors do not face very high expectations this season, but if Lendeborg can establish himself as a star early on, it will create problems for the rest of the league. Lendeborg and the Warriors play their first preseason game in Honolulu on Oct. 4 before returning to the mainland.
When you’ve waited 32 years for your one epic career moment, you let it all out — censors be damned.
Braves journeyman Ray Kerr unleashed a spew of happy f-bombs while celebrating his 3 1/3 innings of no-run ball in the Braves’ 6-2 win over the Phillies in Game 3 of the NL wild-card series.
The southpaw served as the opener for the elimination game in his first career postseason outing and allowed just one hit and walked one batter to set the game off on the right foot for Atlanta.
“Man, starting a game and him closing it out? What the f–k, that’s coolest feeling ever,” Kerr told Braves Vision. “And him coming to me after the game and congratulating me. F–king blessing.”
Kerr’s teammates drenched him in alcohol while he provided the second part of that answer, leading to him being asked how the champagne feels.
“F–king cold,” Kerr said, which elicited a chuckle from the interviewer. “I’ve been freezing all night.”
While Thursday’s win may be remembered more for Chris Sale pitching 1 1/3 innings to close out the game just two days after his Game 1 start or Michael Harris II’s three-run first-inning homer off Aaron Nola that set Truist Field ablaze, the Braves don’t advance to the NLDS without Kerr.
Kerr had appeared in a grand total of 48 MLB games and just nine this season — his only outings over the last two years — before the Braves tapped him to serve as an opener.
Kerr’s mastery allowed him to last into the fourth inning in a 47-pitch outing, which lessened the length they need from presumed bulk pitcher Grant Holmes.
Braves’ Ray Kerr (62) acknowledges the crowd while walking to the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park in Atlanta, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. Getty Images
He exited the game with a 3-0 lead, and held the Phillies’ top-three hitters of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to an 0-for-5 showing with one walk.
“I was focused from the moment I woke up,” Kerr said. “I was like we’re going to put some 0s up and get a W.”
“It felt great. I don’t got much on that,” he said in reference to his past. “But it was fun. It was a journey. I’ve dreamed about stuff like this. For it to actually happen, I still haven’t even processed yet. We’re just going to get after it tomorrow. Hopefully we can win the next series, and yeah.”
Donnie Baseball did an excellent job in Philadelphia to save the Phillies’ season this year – and now he’s being shown the door.
Mattingly will not be brought back as the Phillies’ skipper after he took over midseason, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported after Thursday’s 6-2 Braves victory in Game 3 of the NL wild-card series.
The Phillies and Mattingly will reportedly announce a mutual parting of ways and give the former Yankee great a chance to stay with the team in an advisory role.
Don Mattingly will not return in Philadelphi, per multiple reports. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After taking over a 9-19 Phillies team that looked like a disaster when led by Rob Thomson, Mattingly did a stellar job to right the ship and lead the team to a playoff berth.
He led the team to a 79-55 regular-season record before the 1-2 postseason showing, and he knows his future is far from certain.
“It’s not the time to talk about anything like that,” Mattingly said after the game. “I’m not concerned about myself in this situation. I want the Phillies to do what they need to do to set themselves up for success. Yeah, I’m not really — it’s like, my stuff doesn’t really matter.”
Mattingly said hasn’t talked to Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski about the pending offseason.
“No, I haven’t talked about it, haven’t worried about it,” Mattingly continued. “Just trying to win games, honestly, and put us in the best spot to win games and move forward from there.”
The Phillies’ team construction is the real problem, considering they have a bunch of major free-agent signings who are getting older while on big contracts with many years remaining.
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) walks to the dugout after a pitching change made by interim manager Don Mattingly (8) against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning in game three of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Trea Turner represents what looks like one of the worst contracts in all of baseball with seven years left on his contract as he enters his age-34 season.
Bryce Harper and Aaron Nola are also entering their age-34 seasons as a part of an aging core that may need a youth injection.
Club was a ‘shambles’ before takeover by boyhood Wakefield fan Matt Ellis – and on Saturday they face Warrington for the title
Last one out of Wakefield on Saturday, turn off the lights. Some 965 days ago, this story began on a field in Siddal on the outskirts of Halifax with just a few hundred people there to see it: this weekend, one of rugby league’s grand old clubs will be the headline attraction in front of more than 70,000 supporters when Trinity face Warrington in their maiden Super League Grand Final.
It is a rise so rapid it almost defies belief but to understand it you must appreciate where this club were in the food chain even just a few short years ago. It was late 2023 when boyhood Wakefield Trinity fan Matt Ellis completed a takeover of the club; £10m worth of investment later, the results are clear to see on and off the field.
Oct 1, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles mascot "Oriole Bird" sheers in the stands against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If you have been a Camden Chat regular over the years, you are probably familiar with our annual contest. Each year in March, we post a series of questions to get you thinking about the season ahead. This past March, we had 282 of Camden Chat’s finest submit their answers to 30 questions, and we had a pretty large group of first place finishers.
With 19 answers correct, congratulations go out to Melvinmora, J(O’s)elskil, OldOsFan, DJDrP, and PaulFolk! You five have proven your brilliance and may commence gloating immediately. One of these winners is my husband! I’ll let you guess who.
Eight entrants had 18 correct answers, including our boss Mark Brown, AKA Eat More Esskay. Fun fact, the worse the Orioles do in a season, the higher Mark scores in this contest.* As for me, I finished in 63rd place with 15 correct.
*I did not check my work on this over multiple seasons, but you have to admit it sounds right.
To see the full results and find your score, click over to the results spreadsheet. It is sorted by number correct, so the easiest way is to CTRL+F your name. Check it out and let us know how you did in the comments!
The full questions and answers are below. This year was tough, as so many answers brought back all the troubles the team had. But on the bright side, next year our expectations will be so low that it’ll be easier to be pleased with the results.
Which will be higher?
Innings pitched by Shane Baz or Grayson Rodriguez? Baz – 179.2; Grayson – 98.2 – Baz was a vast improvement over Rodriguez. No only did he pitch 81 more innings, but his ERA was 1.91 runs lower. (97.5% answered correctly)
Games played by guys named Tyler or guys named Jackson? Jackson – 200 (Hollday – 98, Jeremiah – 102), Tyler – 128 (O’Neill – 85, Wells – 43). This race was actually tied about halfway through the season before Team Jackson pulled away. (72% answered correctly)
Saves by Ryan Helsley or starts by Zach Eflin? Helsley – 8, Eflin – 1. Both of these answers make me sad. (84% answered correctly)
OPS+ for Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber? Alonso – 149, Schwarber – 128. We love you, Pete! (51.4%)
Colton Cowser K% or Cedric Mullins stolen bases? Cowser – 30.9%, Mullins – 21. Cowser struck out at the rate we pretty much expected. Mullins had a poor year on the basepaths. He stole 21 bases and was caught 10 times. (81.2%)
Taylor Ward bWAR or Trevor Rogers ERA? Rogers – 4.03, Ward – 2.7. Rogers’s number was higher than I expected and Ward’s was about what I expected. (47.2%)
Chris Bassitt HR allowed or Coby Mayo HR hit? Mayo – 24, Bassitt – 10. Next year we’ll probably do an O/U on Mayo homers. (65.6%)
Dean Kremer BB or Blaze Alexander GS? Alexander – 74, Kremer – 11. This one was lopsided by both Blaze’s unexpectedly good play and Dean’s unexpected trade. (73%)
OBP by Dylan Beavers or Ramón Laureano? Beavers – .307, Laureano – .286. Beavers essentially replaced Laureano in the lineup, and proved a better hitter this year. It was a low bar to cross; Laureano was not only bad at the plate, but he missed about 2/3 of the season with injury. (60.6%)
Playoff games at Camden Yards or Orioles with 30+ HR? 30+ homers – 1 (Pete!); Playoff games – 0. This one is a bummer (61%)
Over/Under
This section is pretty depressing.
Gunnar Henderson SLG: .4995 – Under – .404 (21.6%)
Orioles wins: 85 ½ – Under – 79 (12.8%)
Number of starting pitchers used: 12 ½ – Under – 10 (79.8%)
Jackson Holliday OPS: .7245 – Under – .640 (42.6%)
Kyle Bradish ERA: 2.755 – Over – 4.12 (74.5%)
Yes/No
This section stumped people as a whole. Look at those low percentages of right answers!
Will Jordan Westburg play a Major League game in 2026? No (27.7%)
Will Samuel Basallo make >50 starts at catcher? Yes (69.1%)
Will Adley Rutschman finish with at least 2 bWAR? No – 1.9 (6%)
Will the team ERA be under 4.00? No – 4.08 (41.1%)
Will Ryan Mountcastle be in the organization on Sept 27th? Yes (19.5%)
Multiple Choice(71/3%)
Who will make the second-most starts at first base? Alonso – 142, Mayo – 13, Basallo – 4, Mountcastle – 2 (17.7%)
Which pitcher listed will make the most starts? Brandon Young – 28, Trey Gibson – 8, Cade Povich – 7, Albert Suarez – 0. Young will no longer be lumped in with this tier of pitcher. (8.2%)
Which of the following prospects will have the most stolen bases in the minors? Enrique Bradfield – 44, Aron Estrada – 8, Vance Honeycutt – 38, Nate George – 15. Estrada’s steals went down as his power went up. George only played 20 games and still had 15 steals. (71.3%)
Against which AL East team will the Orioles have the most wins? Rays 8, Jays – 7, Red Sox – 4, Yankees – 3. The Orioles had a winning record against the team with the most wins in the AL. Baseball is funny. (59.6%)
Which relief pitcher will have the most losses? Helsley – 4, Wells – 2, Akin – , Cano – 3, Somebody else (Wolfram) – 4 (33.7%). If you chose Helsley or Wolfram, you got the points. Considering he missed so much time with injury, how did Helsley end up leading this category?
For the first time in contest history, we included questions about yearly awards, which are not announced until after the postseason. This was a mistake on our part, because the Orioles are not getting any awards. The questions are on the spreadsheet linked at the top of the page but have no scores. IF someone ends up winning (lol!) I’ll come back and issue an addendum.
Thank you to everyone who played this year! I hope you had fun and we’ll see you in the spring for the 2027 contest.
Victor Wembanyama reacts during the Spurs’ Game 1 matchup against the Knicks in the 2026 NBA finals at Frost Bank Center.Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
If the song from LeBron James’s agonizing Polymarket ad is as stuck in your head as mine thanks to the commercial playing during every YouTube video and HBO show (all I wanted to do was rewatch The Leftovers), let Victor Wembanyama be your antidote. At the Spurs’ practice on Thursday, San Antonio Express-News columnist Mike Finger asked Wembanyama if he would ever partner with a sports betting firm. It couldn’t have been easier for the 22-year-old to say yes. The NBA displays ads for both FanDuel and DraftKings, in addition to hawking betting odds on its broadcasts. Until the streaming service met its end a few months ago, plenty of NBA games streamed exclusively on FanDuel Sports Network. Then there are Wembanyama’s legendary peers: James is the new face of Polymarket; Kevin Durant reads FanDuel odds and invests in Kalshi; Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Kalshi shareholder.
“Absolutely not,” Wembanyama said instead. “I will never do that. Honestly, I think it’s very sad to see some players promote it. Everybody does whatever they want, but without me.”
Standards are so back. It shouldn’t feel miraculous that a star of Wembanyama’s stature is taking the position that players should not cash checks from predatory companies that incentivize athletes to dabble in insider trading, but in 2026, we’ll take any anti-sellout ally we can find. This one may prove particularly valuable. Given his age and fame, Wembanyama should be around as a beacon to cut through the murk of betting for some time to come. How refreshing that, as rightwing terror reigns, the NBA’s best and biggest young star is a politically outspoken leftist.
It’s not a stylish time to turn down buckets of money. Thanks to some combination of a disintegrating economy, a president and political party so craven and corrupt that scandal-worthy behavior often doesn’t register, and a significant overlap among the wealthy and the morally bankrupt, shame died a bloody death somewhere in the last decade. Most basketball podcasts keep themselves afloat with gambling companies’ life rings. No reputational damage seems to last. James’s Polymarket partnership was immediately and emphatically unpopular, but apparently not enough for anybody at the Philadelphia 76ers’ media day to ask him about it.
So Wembanyama’s emphatic rejection of a sports betting partnership stands out. Had he simply said, “Sure, who knows what the future brings,” few would have batted an eye. But not only did he refuse the possibility, he also left behind a receipt. I will never do that. For Wembanyama, any eventual embrace of gambling will be met with fans’ usual criticism – and his own words echoed back at him.
What’s perhaps most refreshing about Wembanyama is – so far, at least; athletes tend to become more and more PR-friendly as they age – his willingness to ruffle feathers. Asked about the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in January, Wembanyama said, “Yeah, PR has tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give some politically correct [answer]. Every day I wake up and see the news, and I’m horrified. I think it’s crazy that some people might make it seem like or sound like the murder of civilians is acceptable.” It’s similarly outrageous that the aggressive integration of sports betting and prediction markets into society has been successful. It’s not normal or ideal for professional sports leagues to be in bed with gambling firms, or for companies that allow people to trade money on every event imaginable to exist at all. A healthy NBA is one where the star poised to dominate the league for the next decade is willing to express sentiment along those lines out loud.
There is one cynical way to look at Wembanyama’s response. He’s coming off a run of bad press on the court. After a brilliant playoff run through three rounds, he had a disastrous NBA finals. He threw a pass off a teammate’s back in the decisive moments of one game, missed two free throws towards the end of another (in which the Spurs failed to consolidate a 29-point lead into victory). He showed flashes of violence in the playoffs, earning an ejection by elbowing Naz Reid in the neck, and at times succumbed to the same brand of foul-baiting he’d criticized in other players months earlier. As the Spurs crashed out, Wemby had never been less popular. Decrying the omnipresence of sports betting, which fans almost universally abhor, gets the Spurs’ big man back in their good graces. But it’s hard to say his swing in fortune is undeserved. Fun as it is to watch, what happens during a professional basketball game is rarely more than a metaphor for society. A clear appraisal of the real world is more representative of virtue.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 01: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers scores the first goalie goal in Rangers history against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden on October 01, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Friday, TSFers! This extra-long international break won’t wind up until Tuesday, but it’s time to start re-focusing on Arsenal. Unfortunately, we’ve got an injury update coming later today for a couple guys who picked up issues on international duty. I don’t like international breaks. I really don’t like extended international breaks.
This morning, we’ll talk about something fun. The NHL season started this week — go Caps — and with the season just a few days old, we’ve got something that only happens every couple of seasons. A goalie goal!
There weren’t any goalie goals last season. Oddly enough, there were three the season before — Ilya Sorokin, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Filip Gustavsson. According to Wikipedia, that was the first time there had ever been more than one in an NHL season. To give a sense of how uncommon they are, there have only been 21 goalie goals in the history of the NHL. There have been multiple 5+ season stretches without one being scored. Martin Brodeur scored three in his career. Ron Hextall scored two.
With all that in mind, what other sporting feats are as rare and unlikely as the NHL goalie goal? The first thing that came to mind is a no-hitter in baseball. It’s not quite there in terms of rarity — there have been 327 recorded in MLB history — but the combination of difficulty and rarity feels about right. What say y’all?
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 01: Ray Kerr #62 of the Atlanta Braves acknowledges the crowd while walking to the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on October 01, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves punched their ticket to the National League Division Series after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night. Ray Kerr made his postseason debut, giving the Braves everything they asked for and more. He went 3.1 innings and allowed just one hit. He walked one and struck out two.
The Braves’ bats came up huge, too, and Atlanta took control early after Michael Harris II’s three-run shot in the first inning. Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson homered later in the game to tack on some insurance.
Up next, the Braves head to LA and go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers. The series gets underway Saturday afternoon.
Easton Cowan has been on fire to start the 2026-27 NHL season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the first game of the season, the 21-year-old left winger recorded an assist on William Nylander's second goal of the game in Toronto's 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
In the second outing against the New York Islanders, Cowan outdid himself with a pair of points. He got an assist on Colton Sisson's first goal as a Maple Leaf and scored the second on the power play, which turned out to be the game-winning goal.
To this point in the season, Cowan leads the team in scoring with three points, contributing on all of Toronto's goals but one.
Regarding Cowan's performance so far this season, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has noted that his stock has been rising within the organization, and that might've nixed the franchise's desire to trade the youngster.
"I think there were a couple of things in the off-season that (the Leafs) were considering that could potentially have Cowan involved," Friedman reported on Thursday's episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast. "And I did hear this week that even before the puck dropped, that Cowan's stock in the organization was way up. And that it was like Toronto's desire to move Cowan has really decreased."
It's early, but Cowan has truly morphed not only into a solid NHL player but also into a difference-maker on the Maple Leafs.
"They're like, ' this guy is a player,' and then in the first two games of the season, the loss to Montreal and the victory over the Islanders, he was one of their best players, I thought."
Toronto's head coach Jim Hiller was early to spot Cowan and his positive trajectory in development during training camp. It was after the first day of training camp that he singled out Cowan as the player who stood out to him the most at practice.
He called him a puck hound, and he's certainly brought that playing style to the regular season. Cowan is fast on the forecheck and eager to strip the opposition of the puck, and has been contributing to the team's penalty kill.
"There definitely is a feeling that Cowan's stock is up even before they started playing, and I think in the first two games we all saw why," Friedman said.
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The Dallas Mavericks enter the 2026-2027 season with numerous questions, but Cooper Flagg isn’t one them.
The 19-year old enters his second season with sky-high expectations, fueled by his incredible play in the back-half of last season.
The jump from year one to year two is often massive, especially for generational talents such as Flagg. For example: LeBron James went from 20.9 points per game, to over 27 points per game, while also improving his efficiency. Obviously it is unfair to levy these expectations on Flagg, but most superstars show tremendous growth in their first real NBA offseason.
Flagg averaged 23 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds in his final 51 games, including multiple 40+ point games. Flagg’s comfort level and confidence grew exponentially, quickly becoming one of the most dangerous downhill scorers in all of basketball.
But at just 19-years of age, there is still ample room for growth. Flagg shot just 29% from three on the season, and often turned down open threes to settle for tougher shots. His defense was also somewhat inconsistent, as even though he averaged nearly 2 steals and blocks per game, the advanced metrics suggest he was only average on that end.
Flagg’s potential is truly limitless, and he has already shown incredible development in his young career. All of this leads me to believe that a special season is ahead for the former number one overall pick.
Big Question
SAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIL 10: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots a three point basket during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on April 10, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
This one is easy; Cooper Flagg has to shoot the ball better in 2026.
Flagg was an all-around bad shooter last season. He shot 29% from three with only attempting 3.5 threes per game. He also took far too many “long mid range” jumpers, which are defined as two point attempts that are attempted from farther than 10 feet.
This combination of poor shot selection and poor shot-making cratered Flagg’s efficiency last season, as he was in the 25th percentile for league-wide true-shooting%.
This lack of shooting also effected his ability to get downhill, with many teams simply ignoring him on the perimeter to load up on his drives. His sheer unwillingness to attempt these shots was the biggest issue, as he would often settle for 18 footers rather than simply taking an open three.
If Flagg can extend the defense to beyond the three-point line, he becomes truly un-guardable. We even saw an example of this last season against the Orlando Magic when Flagg scored 51 points. He made six threes in nine attempts, including a barrage or tough threes in the fourth quarter.
Now I’m not going to expect a massive jump in efficiency, nor will I expect a massive jump in attempts. But if Flagg does not at least try and extend his range, his scoring potential will be capped underneath a hard-ceiling.
Best-Case scenario
Simply put, the best-case scenario for Cooper Flagg this season is joining the conversation for the best player in the world.
This may seem completely far-fetched, but Mavericks have seen this exact scenario play out before with Luka Doncic. Both players had record-breaking rookie seasons, and entered year two with sky-high expectations, with Doncic becoming a top-5 player in the world overnight.
So how could Flagg reach that seemingly impossible level?
Well it would take some significant development, but not it would not be impossible. First, Flagg would have to go from a bad shooter to a very good one. Outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo, all of the other players in the top 5 are elite shooters from either the three or mid-range. Flagg would have to double his three-point attempts while also increasing efficiency.
A similar jump was seen with Jayson Tatum, as he went from attempting 3.9 3PA at 37%, to over 8 threes per game at 40% from his second to third season.
Along with improvements in his shooting, Flagg would also have to improve his ball-handling. While Flagg did not produce many turnovers overall, he was top 10 in the league in lost balls that resulted in turnovers. These issues were exasperated when Flagg went up against the truly elite perimeter defenders in the league, as he often struggled to create space against these players.
Finally, Flagg would have to adjust to defenses having a year of film on his game, and deal with the amount of attention he will receive. I imagine defenses will try and pressure him as much as possible, throwing lots of bodies in his direction. If he has the composure to deal with this pressure consistently, defenses will be completely out-of-luck when playing the Mavericks.
Worst case scenario
The worse case scenario for Cooper Flagg is staying stagnant.
I think it’s very unlikely Flagg will regress in year 2, especially because he didn’t have unsustainable outside shooting.
If spent his entire summer at the beach this scenario could happen, otherwise, I don’t think its very likely.
Season goal
The goal for Cooper Flagg in his sophomore season should be to make an all-star team, and compete for an All-NBA selection.
This may seem like a very high bar, but it really shouldn’t be that hard for Flagg to reach. If he’s able to slightly increase his volume and efficiency in both scoring and playmaking, being an all-star should be relatively easy.
But past getting recognition from his peers and fans, another bar he needs to reach is in his leadership.
Flagg is already a vocal player who plays with a tremendous amount of energy and hustle, so becoming the leader of this team shouldn’t be that hard. Obviously Kyrie Irving is the team’s leader, but he isn’t the future of the franchise.
Flagg doesn’t need to be a perfect leader as a 20-year-old, nor does it really matter for this season. But whether wants it or not, the team will be molded in his image, both in their playstyle, and the mentality of the team.
Overall
It cannot be overstated how excited Mavericks fans should be for Cooper Flagg’s second season. He has every tool to be a superstar, and has shown the hunger to improve over his entire career.
The roster construction could hold him back from truly reaching his potential this season, as he will more than likely be forced to play another season at point guard.
DENVER, COLORADO - FEBRUARY 29: Jaime Jaquez Jr. #11 of the Miami Heat dribbles up court against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on February 29, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coming in at four in our Ranking the Roster series is the second most accomplished of the four players the Bucks got in the Giannis trade: Jamie Jaquez Jr. The former UCLA Bruin is one of the league’s most unique young players. Jaquez likely won’t develop into a star, but he’s become one of the NBA’s best glue guys. It’s rare for a player his age to be mature enough to not only understand his role, but excel at it the way JJJ has. To borrow a phrase from my friend and fellow Brew-Hooper Finn Kuehl’s blog, he’s a “Bench-Mob All-Star.” Not in the same vein as the more end-of-the-bench guys Finn generally focuses on, but in the sense that Jaquez has been an All-Star in his role in Miami. The question now is: how does he fit on a rebuilding team?
But before we answer that, let’s look back at what Jaquez has accomplished over his three years in the association. Following in the footsteps of other middle first-round picks the Miami Heat have made, Jaquez made an immediate impact, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. Remarkably, he also added a top-10 finish in Sixth Man of the Year voting in the same season (!), averaging 11.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.0 SPG while shooting .489/.322/.811. That said, the following year (2024-25) was a step back for Jaquez, as he played only 66 games while dealing with an ankle injury. That injury played a key role in his scoring numbers dipping into the single digits (8.6 PPG), and his shooting dropping marginally to 46.1% and 31.1% from three-point range.
As much as the 2024-25 campaign was a rocky one for Jaquez, he came back strong last year, setting a bunch of career highs, including scoring (15.4 PPG), rebounding (5.0 RPG), assists (4.7), assist percentage (24%), shooting percentage (50.7%), minutes per game (28.3), and field goal attempts (12.2). He also finished the season with strong shooting from beyond the arc, shooting 39.0% on 3.5 attempts over the final 20 games. Those improved numbers propelled him to a second-place finish in the Sixth Man of the Year voting behind the Spurs’ Keldon Johnson.
Now, the question for Jaquez is: can he replicate that type of success in a totally new environment? Or, for my baseball fans, will Jaquez become the proverbial San Francisco Giants of the mid-2010s and only be good every other year? While this Bucks team has many moving parts heading into the season, Jaquez should be one of the more consistent and reliable players. Over the last few years, I’ve felt like Jon Horst has brought in too many players at important spots whose performance can vary widely from game to game (Kevin Porter Jr. and Kyle Kuzma are prime examples). Jaquez will be a steady, reliable option for the Bucks, and they sorely need that.
To answer the initial question, though, I reckon head coach Taylor Jenkins will find plenty of ways to utilise Jaquez. He’s already coached other versatile players like Jaylen Wells in Memphis. While the starting lineup will likely take the whole of training camp to figure out, I predict Jenkins will keep Jaquez where he’s most valuable: off the bench as a fantastic sixth man. How long he’s actually a Buck will be another question. Jaquez becomes a restricted free agent at the end of this season, and if he puts up a good first half, I can imagine Horst moving on to pick up more future pieces, especially if the team isn’t tracking well. Otherwise, Jaquez could be a long-term piece for the next good Bucks team, considering he’ll only turn 26 this February.
PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 28: Miles Bridges #22 of the Phoenix Suns poses for a portrait during NBA Media Day on September 28, 2026 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
What lies before the Phoenix Suns this upcoming season is a puzzle. With the preseason around the corner, we’re still at the point where past performance serves as the baseline for theorizing about what could come next for Phoenix. How will the lineups and rotations fit together? What is this team’s upside? What challenges will emerge along the way?
We sit around the virtual water cooler, tossing around theories and building cases for and against all of the above. It was through this conduit of conversation that I heard a comparison that immediately piqued my interest and sent me sprinting toward the computer to start digging. Erik Ruby from Phoenix Suns NOW floated an idea I had never really considered, and I’m glad he did. Because once he planted the seed, down the statistical rabbit hole I went, digging through numbers, roles, tendencies, and whatever else I could get my grubby little basketball hands on.
The comparison? Miles Bridges might not be all that far from becoming an Aaron Gordon-type player.
Could it be? Could Miles Bridges be in the process of evolving into an Aaron Gordon type of player? Is Koa Peat the Charmander, all raw power and untapped potential? Miles Bridges the Charmeleon, stronger, meaner, and beginning to understand exactly what he can become? And Aaron Gordon the Charizard, the fully evolved version of the archetype, terrorizing everything in his path? Maybe. Hell, now I need to know.
You look at Aaron Gordon and see a champion, somebody who played a vital role in bringing a championship to Denver and has become an ideal running mate for Nikola Jokic as the Nuggets have marched through the Western Conference over the past few seasons. So there’s no world where we should even be comparing these two players, right? After all, Miles Bridges spent his entire career with the Charlotte Hornets and never played a postseason game. But prior to arriving in Denver at age 25, Gordon had played in only five postseason games with the Orlando Magic.
And the more I sat with this comparison, the more I thought it might not be a terrible representation of what Miles Bridges could become as a player. Because when you look at the measurables and the deliverables, there is a case to be made that they are similar.
One thing I have to take into account as I begin this research is that Gordon plays alongside quite possibly the greatest player of the current generation. What Nikola Jokic brings to the court and how he elevates those around him puts everybody on his team in a position to succeed. It reminds me of Steve Nash here in Phoenix, when players would arrive and have career years because they received opportunities they might not have found elsewhere. The way Jokic passes and opens the floor for his teammates will always put Gordon in a different situation than Bridges.
By circumstance, Gordon is clearly in the better environment, so even as I work through the statistical analysis, some of it will naturally favor him because of the situation he’s in. He has thrived and flourished in a stable environment while being asked to fulfill essentially the same role season after season.
Bridges, meanwhile, spent his career in Charlotte as part of a team and culture in constant flux. One season he’s asked to be a primary scoring option. The next he’s asked to become a tertiary option. He has a good season, the team struggles anyway, Charlotte receives another high draft pick, and the organization shifts its priorities and roster construction around that acquisition rather than building toward Bridges’ strengths.
And through seven seasons in Charlotte, he still averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 46%, 34%, and 83% shooting splits. So Bridges arrives in Phoenix from a much different situation. He’s joining an organization entering Year 2 of a complete cultural and strategic reset, one in which he has an opportunity to thrive in a defined role, much like Gordon did when the Orlando Magic traded him to the Denver Nuggets in 2021.
It’s also worth remembering that Gordon entered the NBA with higher expectations relative to his perceived talent. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, while Bridges was selected 12th overall in 2018. Even from a career expectations standpoint, those lines run somewhat parallel. Gordon has simply been in better situations and capitalized. Bridges is entering a better situation.
My first data point is, probably to nobody’s surprise, BBall Index. This is where we can find the measurables for both players, along with BBall Index’s definitions of their advanced position, offensive role, and defensive role. The first thing that stands out is the obvious. Miles Bridges is three years younger than Aaron Gordon, while Gordon is 1 inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than Bridges.
But this is where things get interesting. Both players are classified identically by BBall Index. Their advanced position is on ball wing, their offensive role is shot creator, and their defensive role is wing stopper. So from an archetype standpoint, we’re already looking at two very similar players.
The next data point I’m going to look at, which comes to us via DataBallr, is what both players looked like during their age-27 seasons. For Miles Bridges, that was last season. For Gordon, it was the 2022–23 season, the same year he won a championship with the Denver Nuggets.
Again, circumstances dictate so much here, but there is one similarity in their respective situations. Bridges was the tertiary option in shot attempts last season with Charlotte, averaging 13.5 attempts per game, which was 0.1 more than rookie Kon Knueppel. He was also fourth on the team in scoring. Gordon, at the same age, was similarly fourth on the Nuggets in scoring while ranking fourth in shot attempts.
My point is that neither player was the second most utilized offensive option on his team, nor was either expected to be. They were tertiary or fourth options within their respective offenses. And when you look at the numbers provided, noting that RS stands for regular season in the graphic, they aren’t all that far apart. Gordon has the edge, but even when you look at the efficiency numbers, the difference isn’t drastic.
As Bridges prepares for his age-28 season, a milestone he’ll reach in March, he’ll most likely find himself operating as that tertiary option once again. The expectation is that Devin Booker will lead the Suns in shot attempts, followed by Jalen Green. From there, Bridges and Dillon Brooks will likely fluctuate depending on the night, the matchup, and foul situations.
So Bridges is a power forward who can produce from that position as a tertiary offensive option while carrying the same general archetype as Aaron Gordon.
Let’s take a look at the overall shot diet throughout their careers.
Both players primarily generate their offense at the rim or from beyond the arc, although Gordon has shown more of an affinity for the midrange than Bridges. So what you’re getting from both players, regardless of situation (seeing as we’re looking at their entire careers) are players who take nearly half of their shots at the rim while stretching the floor enough to remain viable threats from beyond the arc.
Gordon is a career 33.5% three-point shooter, while Bridges sits at 33.8%. The difference, as the chart below illustrates, is volume. Bridges attempts 5.2 three-pointers per game compared to 3.3 for Gordon. Gordon has more of an affinity for operating in the midrange, while Bridges exchanges many of those attempts for shots from beyond the arc.
We can take this a step further by comparing their shot diets through the first seven seasons of their respective careers. Once again, the similarities are evident, with both players generating their offense from nearly the same areas of the floor.
What’s interesting is how remarkably similar their overall efficiency has been. Gordon carries a career 53.6% effective field goal percentage, while Bridges sits at 53.0%. That’s important context when looking at the shot charts. Bridges’ heavier three-point diet doesn’t automatically make him a less efficient offensive player. His overall efficiency is remarkably comparable to Gordon’s, despite Gordon possessing a much more efficient profile at the rim.
What about defensively? Again, very similar players. Whether it’s pick-and-roll screener defense, rim defense, help defensive activity, or matchup difficulty, Gordon and Bridges share plenty of similarities.
Both graded out with an A in nearly the exact same percentile last season when it came to guarding opposing teams’ best players. They’re active off-ball as help defenders, and when they’re involved in high screens, both do a stellar job protecting the rim in drop coverage.
Bridges actually has the slight edge in pick-and-roll screener mobile defense, highlighting his ability to defend on the perimeter when switched onto ball handlers. It’s another area where his versatility stands out, and one where he graded better than Gordon last season.
My last point of emphasis reinforces a couple of points I’ve been making this offseason as I attempt to predict how Bridges will ultimately generate opportunities within the confines of this offense.
With Devin Booker and Jalen Green serving as the primary offensive threats, Bridges needs to be a viable enough threat himself that his on-ball gravity creates secondary and tertiary opportunities for both Booker and Green. The theory is relatively simple. When Bridges has the ball, secondary defenders have to respect his ability to get to the rim. That forces them to shade away from their assignments, creating opportunities elsewhere if Bridges can penetrate and distribute the ball effectively.
When you look at the career trends over the past three seasons, with the obvious gap in 2022-23 following Bridges’ yearlong suspension, you see that he’s remarkably similar to Aaron Gordon in both his on-ball gravity, off-ball gravity, and his playmaking ability.
Then there’s Bridges’ off-ball gravity. While that number has trended downward over the past two seasons, likely due in part to his circumstances, he still ranked in the 79th percentile last season.
Defenders can’t simply sag off Bridges and devote their attention elsewhere because he possesses enough offensive gravity to punish them when they do. And on a team built around Booker and Green, creating advantages, that gravity could be one of the most important aspects of what Bridges brings to the offense.
Do I believe Miles Bridges is the next Aaron Gordon? No. There are too many variables, too many circumstances, and too many factors involved for anybody to truly be the next anybody. Everything is situational.
I do find the comparison fascinating from an archetype perspective. Look at what they have been asked to do, how they operate, and how they weaponize their physicality and aggression, and there are plenty of similarities worth exploring. Where that ultimately takes Bridges in Phoenix is anybody’s guess.
How that translates to Phoenix’s schematic approach night in and night out, on both the offensive and defensive ends, will ultimately determine who Miles Bridges becomes in this new situation and with this new opportunity. He’s not the next Aaron Gordon. He’s the first Miles Bridges. And at 27 years old, entering his prime, what that ultimately looks like will be determined by him and him alone.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 20: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder look on during the game during Game One of the Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images A gorgeous view of downtown Oklahoma City
Ah, the historic Northwest Division. Home of storied rivalries, hallowed tradition, and elaborate fight songs. Why the first thing I think of when I hear the word “Northwest” are the jagged peaks of the Cascade mountain range and the … dust bowl environs of Oklahoma City suburbs…that are about a 33 hour drive away from the nearest Douglas Fir.
Scratch that. Let’s try again.
The first thing I think of are soaring orca whales breaching the frigid Puget Sound and the … green bean hotdishes… baked on the eastern shores of the Mississippi?
Goddamn it! How many teams has the league relocated away from the Pacific Northwest already? Adam Silver might as well be honest and rename this thing the “Portland Better Pony Up for a New Stadium, Or We’ll Take Everything You Love” division.
Geographic quibbles aside, the Minnesota Timberwolves are in for a much improved, and dare I say, exciting race in a division full of upstarts and crumbling dynasties. Let’s look at the rest of the division and divine what the 16 divisional games on the schedule have in store for us.
Each team will receive a rivalry score based on how annoying it will be to play them (on a scale of one to five Aaron Rodgers-es).
Portland Trailblazers
Portland has a type
True to their path-scorching team name, Portland’s new owner is pioneering a fan-experience initiative where fans need to bring their own seats to the games. Is this because Tom Dundon is a cheapskate who won’t pay for playoff T-shirts or for hotel late fees? No, no, not at all. How can you say that? Saving money is just a nice side benefit. The new arena rule where all fans are required to donate plasma that Tom Dundon can sell is about money.
Who’s out: Jeremi Grant, Matisse Thybulle
Who’s in: Ja Morant. Jeremy Sochan. Micah Nori wearing a potato sack. What, you expected Mr. Dundon to BUY a suit for his coaching staff???
Prognosis: Ja Morant and Elliot Smith have more in common than you might think. Great indie debuts (Murray State; Roman Candle), incandescent introductions to the majors (2020 Rookie of the Year; releasing XO on DreamWorks), and a serious self-destructive streak. What are the chances Ja regains his form in PDX? I’d say about the same as finding a needle in the haaaaaaay.
Last year, the feisty Blazers overperformed thanks to a gritty coaching job by Thiago Splitter, a ball-dominant Deni Avdija, and growth from youngsters like Donovan Clingan. This year…I don’t see it. Should this team be finding time for both Ja and post-Achilles surgery Damian Lillard when they have Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe (who is out for the year) on the roster? Come home, Micah.
What should Wolves fans worry about?: If Dundon moves the team from Portland, Minnesotans will need to give up naming rights for Lake Itasca to keep the Wolves in town.
Rivalry meter: 1 Aaron Rodger. Pretty annoying, but I feel bad that their fans need to put up with this garbage.
Denver Nuggets
If you thought the cheap owner jokes were done after the Portland preview, buckle up, baby! Here comes Denver Nuggets basketball. Seriously, the Kroenke family approached the offseason like your aunt on Temu. Look–DeMar DeRozan is 70% off!
Who’s out: Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, Nikola Jokić’s title window
Who’s in: DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley III, Lonnie Walker IV…wow and I thought their Russell Westbrook signing was desperate
Prognosis: Pray for Aaron Gordon’s calves. Jokić guarantees this team a playoff spot, but not much more. Jamal Murray played his best year ever last year, and they still got beat by Jaden McDaniels in round one.
Jokić needs instinctive cutters and credible deep threats to maximize his otherworldly court vision…and the Nuggets signed Marvin Bagley III.
What should Wolves fans worry about?: Jokić’s prize stallion, Dream Weaver, gets Serbian Horse Flu on the eve of the playoffs, sparking the Joker into a John Wick-style revenge frenzy.
Rivalry meter: 3 out of 5 Aaron Rodgers. For old time sakes.
Utah Jazz
Why can’t the lives of Mormon wives stay secret? The Utah Jazz are finally ready to compete for a playoff spot this season after committing a multi-year tank job so disgraceful it made Joseph Smith’s third, fourth, and eighth wives blush. Unfortunately for our Wolves, the Jazz’s assemblage of sweet-shooting bigs and talented young guards could catapult them back to levels of relevance last seen when Memhet Okur roamed around in a purple mountain jersey.
Who’s out: Walker Kessler, Will Hardy’s excuses
Who’s in: Darryn Peterson, Jaxson Hayes, the GOAT Josh Okogie
Prognosis: Count me among the deranged Darryn Peterson true believers. I know he struggled with creatine cramps in Kansas…but my lord, he has a beautiful mid-range package. The footwork, my friends, is smooth as elevator jazz. Peterson is lucky he landed in Utah, a state so supportive of people with mental health issues that they elected Senator Mike Lee. Led by Lauri Markkanen’s best season, I’d predict Utah to grab the sixth seed in the West.
What should Wolves fans worry about?: Ace Bailey learns about the power of teamwork from the big band stylings of Cab Calloway and finds his footing as a microwave scorer off the bench. skibbidy-doo-oop-ah-doo-wop-yeah!
Rivalry meter: 2 out of 5 Aaron Rodgers. Tell Danny Ainge he can’t leer at our draft picks like that!
Oklahoma City Thunder
Man, it hurts to write this. I hate this team. But I can’t lie–the Thunder are just stacked. If any of these players were added to the Timberwolves’ roster, I would lose my mind with joy: Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Isaiah Hartenstein, Bennett Stirtz…and these are just their role players. I’m depressed.
Who’s in: Bennett Stirtz, Aday Mara, an invite for Chet Holmgren to serve as official ball boy for the French national team
Prognosis: Lou Dort was holding this team back. With Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain providing better offensive guard play, the Thunder will be even better than last year.
What should Wolves fans worry about?: The Los Angeles Clippers still have picks in 2039 that they can trade to OKC
Rivalry meter: 5 out of 5 Aaron Rodgers. Ugh. So annoying that even Pat McAfee asked if Jordan Love could do a segment instead
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 26: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers, and Bruce Brown #11 of the Toronto Raptors wait for a rebound during the game on January 26, 2024 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
ESPN has named two Raptors forwards as making their list of the top-20 players in the NBA. It’s great to see Toronto finally standing amongst the big dogs of the league, both from a media perception perspective, and a roster construction one. The front office is doing the right things, and the outlets are in agreement.
The Kid and the Klaw
Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard were ranked at 17th and 15 best in the league, overall, by ESPN, both ahead of players like LeBron James, Tyrese Haliburton, and Devin Booker. This is chalked up to Barnes’ two-way play, and Leonard’s scoring, with both players able to contribute significantly on both ends of the ball, unlike some of the players ranked below them.
They both saw massive upticks in their ranking compared to those from last year’s list: Barnes jumped 13 spots, from 30th in the league to 17th, while Leonard leapt up five, from 20th to 15th.
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 15: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the USA Stripes Team handles the ball as Scottie Barnes #4 of the USA Stars Team plays defense during the game during the 75th NBA All-Star Game as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kyusung Gong/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Their placement in this list is almost perfect, though it may seem strange to see a two-time All-Star ranked higher than four-time MVP LeBron James. But, this list is tracking the ascension of Barnes into a franchise cornerstone, a fact that after his playoff performance last year, cannot be ignored. They call Scottie a “do-everything engine”, which sums up his place on the Raptors, and in the NBA, extremely well. Barnes’ versatility is one of his key strengths, and especially in the postseason, having someone who can score, guard, rebound, and pass is key to surviving some of the league’s tougher matchups, especially on a team without a top-tier centre.
What Kawhi brings to the table is, of course, a little different. Centrally, Leonard is someone who the Raptors need to score without being a defensive liability, a role he should take to like a fish to water. ESPN puts an asterisk on Leonard’s placement, noting that he “hasn’t advanced past the first round since 2021,” and “must prove he can still crank it up in the playoffs.”
Fighting for position
Kawhi is ranked just below Jaylen Brown and Kevin Durant in the list, two big stars who have had notable playoff struggles in recent years as well. No one is doubting the performances of any of the three, but ESPN even point to Brown potentially fighting for touches in a stacked Philadelphia roster as a potential drain on his output going forward. The “too many cooks” situation is a reality for Philadelphia, with a number of ball dominant players all together on one roster, something that Kawhi Leonard will not face in Toronto.
INGLEWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 23: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers during the game on December 23, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The article also points to Durant’s combination of leadership and consistent output over the past seven years, facts than cannot be ignored. Durant is many things, but inconsistent is not one of them. What the Slim Reaper brings to the table is something that should be be ignored, but for roster construction, Kawhi Leonard is undoubtedly the better fit for Toronto.
Nevertheless, ESPN’s article isn’t necessarily about team success, rather, about which individual players are the “best”. And maybe, if the Larry O’Brien went to the winner of a 1V1 tournament, Kevin Durant would have ten of those things. But, thankfully, while basketball is a star dominated sport, it’s also one where players succeed as teams and fail as individuals. It’s five guys out there on the court every night, and if Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes and two of those five, odds are that they’re going to beat you. By a lot.
Still, it’s gratifying to see both Scottie and Kawhi climb the ranks, with the young star ascending in the eyes of the public, and the older veteran getting to relive his glory days yet again. After a playoff push this year, the two Raptors might jump up even higher in the rankings, but ultimately, that’s for the guys on the court to decide.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: Trent Grisham #12 of the New York Yankees makes a catch for an out on a ball hit by Jahmai Jones #37 of the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning in game two of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham has been nursing right hamstring issues since the summer. Two injured list stints and many missed games later, the problem appears to be mostly behind him, as he was activated on time for the AL Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox. We say ‘mostly’ because, even though the Yankees have deemed him healthy enough to play, we have no idea if he’s actually close to 100 percent, and the one thing we know for sure is he didn’t seem fully himself in the first series of the postseason.
He was fine at the plate, notching two hits and a walk in Wednesday’s Game 2, but he didn’t look the part in center field. He has been far from his 2020 and 2022 Gold Glove-winning versions in the last two seasons, but the image he projected in the Wild Card round was much, much worse.
The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner noted that Grisham’s sprint speed when attacking and fielding that ball was 23.5 ft/s. He was so slow that Nate Eaton took advantage and turned it into a double when it should have been a single. For reference, Kirschner reported that just three players had a slower average sprint speed than that this season, and all of them are what you would consider slow catchers: Christian Vázquez, José Trevino, and Sandy León.
Of course, the fact that he was so slow to the ball doesn’t necessarily mean that he can’t run faster. Maybe he was too confident and didn’t think Eaton would go for it. Or, perhaps, he was still tentative when running because he didn’t want to risk aggravating an injury that was already deemed a Grade 2 hamstring strain just over a month ago.
In any case, it’s definitely cause for concern. The Yankees would be better off handing regular center field duties to rookie Spencer Jones, who is younger and more athletic, and only using Grisham sparingly at the position if needed. This is not to say he should or shouldn’t be on the AL Division Series roster, but he is just not a starting center fielder at the highest level anymore. Not with two straight years of subpar performance there, not with a bum hamstring, and certainly not against the Rays.
When you face a team like the Rays, used to maximizing its strengths and attacking the opposing squad’s weaknesses, every little detail counts. Having a well below-average defender cover the most important outfield position regularly is, at this point, in this series, and against this particular rival, malpractice.
Grisham used to be a very, very solid defensive center fielder. The two aforementioned awards prove it. However, his decline started in 2025, when he finished with -11 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and -2 Outs Above Average (OAA) in center field. The 2026 campaign wasn’t much better. He posted -8 DRS and -6 OAA this year, in 961.1 innings. Evidently, he doesn’t have the range he used to have, and the hamstring(s) could be behind his regression with the glove. This season, Grisham ranked in the 18th percentile in Fielding Run Value, even worse than last year’s 30th percentile. His lousy range (OAA) had him in the 10th percentile.
The fact that he’s about to turn 30 — center fielders tend to decline relatively quickly with the glove — plus his injuries, have led to Grisham not being the defensive player he used to be. He suffered a left hamstring issue last year and experienced countless setbacks with the right hamstring in 2026.
Grisham’s bat and, especially, his power can still make an impact against top competition. The same can’t be said about his glove, and the Yankees should act accordingly.
