PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 05: Kaedan Korczak #6 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates during the game against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang recently marked 20 years since they first played together on Oct. 18, 2006. Twenty years later, the partnership—and friendships—still endure. [Post-Gazette]
Defenseman Kaedan Korczak is embracing a fresh start in Pittsburgh after spending the first several years of his NHL career with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he struggled at times to secure a consistent role. [Trib Live]
Penguins prospect Tanner Howe is entering his second professional season healthy and focused on earning a future NHL opportunity after injuries delayed the start of his career. [Trib Live]
The Penguins recalled defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the team’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, on Sunday evening. The team also reassigned defenseman Ryan Johnson to the AHL in a corresponding move. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
The Florida Panthers made NHL history Saturday, becoming the first team to record natural hat tricks in three consecutive games during an 8-3 win over the Seattle Kraken. Carter Verhaeghe scored three straight goals to extend the streak after Brady Tkachuk accomplished the feat in Florida’s previous two games. [Sportsnet]
The Toronto Maple Leafs are willing to trade a premium asset to acquire a difference-making defenseman as they deal with injuries and struggles on the blue line. [Sportsnet]
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck could rejoin the team this Friday, Oct. 23, when his team-imposed suspension for failing to report to training camp is expected to end, according to reports. Hellebuyck requested a trade in the offseason and reportedly informed the Jets before their season opener that he intended to return, but his future with Winnipeg remains uncertain. [ESPN]
Greetings, internet users. Welcome to The Scratching Post, your home for open conversation with your fellow Carolina Panthers fans.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
Yet, no team has repeated as NBA champion in eight seasons, not since the Golden State Warriors did so in 2018.
The NBA, however, did see some seismic changes in the offseason, none more impactful than in the Eastern Conference, where the Miami Heat acquired two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, where the Philadelphia 76ers pried away LeBron James and Jaylen Brown and where Kawhi Leonard is returning to Toronto to lead the Raptors.
In any case, it’s a new day, and optimism abounds. The title pursuit begins now.
With that in mind, here are the record predictions for the entire 2026-27 NBA season, with a sneek peek at the playoffs below.
NBA regular-season record projections
Predicting how each division will shake out following 82 games in the 2026-27 season:
NBA playoff projections
Our predictions for the 2026-27 NBA postseason from the first round in each conference to the NBA Finals:
The Philadelphia Flyers have finally remembered how to win a hockey game, so the Colorado Avalanche won’t be facing a winless team on Monday after all. That’s one storyline off the table, but Philly still has plenty to prove.
After taking care of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2 win at Ball Arena on Friday, the Avalanche are heading to Xfinity Mobile Arena to face the Flyers, who entered the weekend still searching for their first win of the season. Philadelphia finally got it done Saturday, beating the Ottawa Senators 3-1 at home to improve to 1-6-3. Better late than never, right?
One win doesn’t exactly erase what’s been a rough start for Philadelphia.
Through 10 games, the Flyers have surrendered 34 goals, tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the most allowed among Eastern Conference teams. The difference? Buffalo has scored 27 goals of its own, while the Flyers have managed just 14—the fewest in the Eastern Conference. Scoring goals apparently isn’t high on Philadelphia’s list of priorities right now.
Nazem Kadri following morning skate on Friday.
A few teams around the league have been even worse defensively. The Chicago Blackhawks have allowed 36 goals, the Calgary Flames have given up 37, and the Vancouver Canucks have surrendered a whopping 45. That leaves Philadelphia tied for the fourth-most goals allowed in the NHL. Not exactly the kind of company you want to keep.
Meanwhile, Colorado has looked far more comfortable on both ends of the ice. The Avalanche enter Monday’s matchup with a 5-2-1 record, 36 goals scored, and 27 allowed. Only the Vegas Golden Knights (42) and Edmonton Oilers (37) have scored more than Colorado this season. Vegas has already played 10 games, while the Oilers have also had more opportunities to pad their totals. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes have scored 36 goals as well, though they’ve also played 10 games.
All things considered, the Avs are off to a pretty solid start.
MacKinnon and Lehkonen Are Running the Show
Here’s a stat that might surprise you heading into Monday’s game: Nathan MacKinnon isn’t the Avalanche’s outright leader in goals. Technically, he is—but he has company.
Through eight games, MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen are tied with eight goals apiece. Apparently, scoring goals is more fun when you have someone to share the spotlight with.
Philadelphia has lost four of its last five matchups against Colorado, although the Flyers did win the most recent meeting, a 7-3 blowout at Ball Arena on January 23. The last time these teams met in Philadelphia was December 7, 2025, when Colorado escaped with a 3-2 victory.
MacKinnon has six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 22 career games against the Flyers. He’s been particularly productive lately, recording three goals and six assists for nine points in his last five games against Philadelphia. The catch? He hasn’t scored a goal in either of the teams’ last two meetings. He did, however, dish out two assists in that January 23 matchup.
Lehkonen has scored four career goals against Philadelphia. The last time he found the back of the net against the Flyers was during his first season with Colorado, about six months after the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022. So, yeah, it’s been a minute.
Cale Makar has also made his presence felt against Philadelphia, tallying three goals and three assists in his last five games against the Flyers.
Then there’s Martin Necas, whose goal total against Philadelphia might not jump off the page, but whose playmaking certainly does. He has 17 points in 20 career games against the Flyers, with 14 of those coming from assists. Clearly, he’s found a few ways to make himself useful against this team.
There's another reason for Avalanche fans to be optimistic heading into Monday's matchup: the power play may finally be finding its groove under new assistant coach Brett McLean.
Colorado scored a power play goal against Pittsburgh on Friday, offering an early glimpse of what this unit could look like under new guidance. It's only one goal, so nobody's handing out trophies just yet, but Monday presents another opportunity to show that a coaching change might have been exactly what this group needed. If the Avs can keep producing with the man advantage against Philadelphia, that early progress could start looking like something more than a one-game flash.
Blackwood Could Have a Field Day
Mackenzie Blackwood will likely get the start in net for Colorado, and if there’s a matchup tailor-made for him to put on a show, this might be it.
Blackwood took the loss in Colorado’s 7-3 defeat against Philadelphia in January, but his career numbers against the Flyers tell a much different story. In 16 games, he’s posted an 11-3-2 record, a 2.48 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage.
Not too shabby.
He’s also coming in hot, having won his last two starts while posting a .929 save percentage. If he can keep that momentum going against a Philadelphia team that has struggled mightily to score, the Avalanche could be in for a comfortable night.
Of course, hockey has a funny way of making things complicated when they should be simple. Still, Blackwood has plenty of history against the Flyers from his days with the New Jersey Devils, and he’ll have a good opportunity to build on an already impressive record against them.
Can the Flyers Actually Score?
Matvei Michkov leads Philadelphia with four goals and one assist for five points through 10 games. Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras are next, each with two goals and two assists for four points.
That’s not exactly an intimidating offensive leaderboard, especially when you consider Colorado has already scored 36 goals this season.
Dan Vladar will likely get the start in net for Philadelphia. He hasn’t faced Colorado as a Flyer, but he’s familiar with the Avalanche from his four seasons with the Calgary Flames. In six career games against Colorado with Calgary, Vladar went 2-4 with a 3.88 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage.
Those numbers don’t exactly inspire confidence against an Avalanche offense that’s been lighting up the scoreboard. If Philadelphia wants to make this a competitive game, Vladar may need to stand on his head—and the Flyers will need to give him a little more help than they have over the first 10 games.
The Avalanche have the offensive firepower, the goaltending matchup looks favorable, and Philadelphia is still trying to figure out how to score consistently. The Flyers may have finally gotten that first win out of the way, but they’ll need a whole lot more than one victory to keep pace with Colorado.
Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m. local time on Monday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Kawhi Leonard is back for a second spell with the Raptors. Photograph: Cole Burston/Getty Images
When Kawhi Leonard became a Toronto Raptor for the first time in the summer of 2018, he looked shellshocked. “There’s just more questions you have to ask me in order for me to tell you about myself,” he said, introducing himself to an organization and city he reportedly had no interest in joining.
Leonard had fallen out with his former team, the San Antonio Spurs – one of the most respected franchises in professional sports – due to differences in opinion about an injury that had limited him to just nine games in the 2017-18 season. The Los Angeles native had hoped to end up in southern California, but instead the Raptors risked it all by swapping franchise cornerstone DeMar DeRozan for one year of an injured, malcontent Leonard. It worked: Leonard led the Raptors to their maiden championship on the back of a historic playoff run, averaging 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals en route. Leonard won his second finals MVP to go alongside the one he had claimed with the Spurs when he helped them to the title in 2014.
“The narrative of not wanting to come to this city is gone,” the team’s president, Masai Ujiri, said at that 2018 press conference, speaking to insecure Raptors fans who had watched American players like Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Chris Bosh leave Toronto since the franchise opened its doors in 1995. “We should move past that. Believe in this city. Believe in yourselves … We are proud of who we are.”
But even a historic season wasn’t enough to convince Leonard to stay north of the border. After a long and contentious free-agency period managed by his uncle, Dennis Robertson, Leonard spurned the reigning champions in favor of his hometown Los Angeles Clippers. “There wasn’t as much anger in 2019 as there was with Vince Carter or some of the other guys who left,” says Bruce Arthur, who has covered Leonard since 2018 for the Toronto Star. “I think he was given a little bit of special dispensation because he was going home, because he had delivered a title, and because I never felt like there was ever a connection outside of Kawhi the basketball player, with Toronto.”
Raptors fans’ anger was instead directed towards the Clippers, who not only showed up to almost every Raptors game during the championship season, but who also, we now know, went under the table to ensure Leonard signed lucrative endorsement deals totaling over $50m – violating the NBA’s salary cap rules.
Robertson was suspended for five years and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was handed the harshest punishment in NBA history, including the loss of five first-round draft picks and a year-long suspension. However, thanks to a side-deal between the NBA and its Players Association executed to avoid arbitration, Leonard was given a relatively light $700,000 fine (he has earned $375m in salary so far in his career).
“Kawhi’s … gotten away really clean from what is obviously out-of-bounds behavior,” says Arthur, who reported that Leonard – as much as he pleads ignorance to all this – was in the room when Robertson asked the Raptors for an ownership stake in the Toronto Maple Leafs and at least $10m per year in no-show sponsorship deals in 2019. “So, perfect heist-type stuff from Kawhi.”
Despite being one of the greatest players of his generation, the 35-year-old has burned bridges on his way out of every franchise he’s played for. Spurs fans are still upset by the way his injury was handled in 2017-18, while Clippers fans are distraught about being left holding the bag without even a genuine apology from Leonard. But Raptors fans have much more complicated feelings towards the seven-time All-Star – arguably the best player in franchise history.
On the one hand, “There was a sense of defiance, especially the first year after Kawhi left [when the Raptors lost to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals] ... and there was a great deal of pride that went into that,” says William Lou, the host and creator of the Hello and Welcomepodcast. But as time went on, “The Clippers were humbled in a basketball sense. They never could get that version of Kawhi … that Toronto got in their one year, and so it’s hard to be too mad.”
Arthur says Raptors fans will always associate Leonard with the championship win. “I think the bottom line isn’t necessarily about a lack of moral reckoning by Raptors fans as much as: this guy’s so good that you forgive him, right?” says Arthur. “The [championship] was the greatest moment in franchise history by galaxies. Two and a half million people on the streets of Toronto for the parade. That was one of the best days Toronto’s ever had.”
The sentiment was seemingly shared by the organization. Despite being frustrated by the way his previous free agency unfolded, the Raptors front office couldn’t pass up the opportunity to grab the lifeline Leonard represented – even in his mid 30s. The Raptors have failed to win a playoff series since 2020, a stretch that includes three grim seasons of 30 wins or fewer. Last season, the franchise pulled itself out of the dregs of the league thanks to a star leap from 25-year-old Scottie Barnes and a handful of smart trades and draft picks, but the Raptors looked like a relatively expensive, middle-of-the-pack team with a difficult path towards contention until Leonard not only became available, but pushed his way towards Toronto.
“This city took a liking to my family, and I took a liking to this city,” Leonard said in the team-owned documentary series Open Gym after the Raptors traded Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a pick-swap for him in mid-September. “Hopefully they embrace me back and [I] give them my all again, and we can make something special happen once again.”
Although there were extenuating circumstances leading to Leonard’s return – he and the Clippers are under investigation by the Justice Department – it is meaningful that he chose the Raptors over big-market championship contenders like Miami, Minnesota, and Detroit. It’s also important that he proclaimed his desire to retire a Raptor before signing a two-year, $115m extension with the franchise. “He deserves to have his jersey retired somewhere,” says Lou. “But due to the circumstances of his career, he kind of was a player without a home.”
Leonard now has a chance to rewrite his complicated legacy with a familiar franchise. Leading the Raptors back to anywhere near the promised land would ensure him a jersey retirement ceremony, a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction, and Canadian sports immortality.
The Raptors, meanwhile, aren’t just getting an upgrade at the wing position; they are getting an all-time great coming off one of the best seasons of his career – an American superstar who experienced all the small cultural discomforts of playing in Toronto and still had such positive memories of the fans, organization, and city that he chose to return to.
“It’s a little surreal having this guy who leaves after a championship, and you think the story’s done there, and then he becomes the biggest scandal in the NBA, and then somehow forces his way to the Raptors,” says diehard Raptors fan Imman Adan. “But I definitely think him coming back cements Toronto’s legacy.”
It’s complicated, of course. It always will be so long as the Raptors are the lone NBA franchise outside of the United States. But no matter how Leonard’s second tenure in Toronto plays out, his return is a stamp of approval – one that many Raptors fans have been waiting for since the franchise began.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 19: Jeremiah Estrada #56 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on August 19, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NY Post | Joel Sherman: The Yankees have long eyed San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jeremiah Estrada, according to Sherman. The righty is entering his first year of arbitration and, of course, wouldn’t be easy to acquire given his 3.47 career ERA and 34.2 percent strikeout rate. He would come with some injury-related questions, though, having missed time with knee and shoulder issues this year. It isn’t clear when the Bombers’ interest became a thing, or if there were even discussions of a trade.
MLB Trade Rumors | AJ Eustace: The Yankees didn’t really get much from the third base position in 2026, with their 74 wRC+ tied for fifth-worst in the league. That was in large part the result of playing Ryan McMahon and his 78 wRC+ in 124 games. Eustace believes it is ‘increasingly hard’ to envision the former Rockie having a prominent role in 2027, and names Teruaki Sato, Alec Bohm, J.P. Crawford or bringing back Jazz Chisholm Jr. as free agent options, and Isaac Paredes, Royce Lewis, and Nolan Gorman as potential trade targets.
Newsday | Erik Boland: The Yankees have plenty of needs this offseason, and a lot of players on their 2026 roster are also hitting the market. Boland examined 10 of those players and their likelihood of returning to the Bronx. It’s definitely worth a read, but we’ll give you a hint: most of them are unlikely to call New York their home come 2027.
Los Angeles Kings (0-4-2, in the Pacific Division) vs. Washington Capitals (5-3, in the Metropolitan Division)
Washington; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Kings, on a six-game losing streak, play the Washington Capitals.
Washington has a 4-1-0 record in home games and a 5-3 record overall. The Capitals rank ninth in NHL play with 39 total penalties (averaging 4.9 per game).
Los Angeles has gone 0-1-2 on the road and 0-4-2 overall. The Kings are 0-3-0 in games they have more penalties than their opponent.
The teams meet Tuesday for the first time this season.
INJURIES: Capitals: Justin Sourdif: out (illness), Rasmus Sandin: out (knee), Patrick Thomas: out (upper-body), Pierre-Luc Dubois: out (illness), Matt Roy: out (lower body).
Kings: Jakub Dvorak: out (upper-body), Mats Zuccarello: out (undisclosed), Kevin Fiala: out (leg), Jan Jenik: out (undisclosed), Alex Turcotte: out (undisclosed).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Tampa Bay Lightning (6-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (8-2, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Tampa Bay Lightning as winners of three games in a row.
Vegas has an 8-2 record overall and a 5-1-0 record in home games. The Golden Knights have a 7-1-0 record when scoring three or more goals.
Tampa Bay has a 1-2-0 record on the road and a 6-2 record overall. The Lightning are 6-0-0 in games they score at least three goals.
Tuesday's game is the first time these teams meet this season.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: Parker Wotherspoon: out (upper body), Lukas Cormier: out (undisclosed), Victor Olofsson: out (undisclosed), Kai Uchacz: out (undisclosed).
Lightning: Yanni Gourde: out (hip).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
SAN FRANCISCO – The worst of all fears for the Warriors and their fans flashed before their eyes Sunday afternoon during an open practice at Chase Center.
Everything seemed normal as Curry was dribbling up the court, darting from the left wing to the right wing. But when he stopped to pivot, he suddenly froze, took two more dribbles and tossed the ball behind him as he left the court favoring his right leg. The immediate concern was that this could be a reoccurrence of the runner’s knee diagnosis that sidelined him for nine weeks last season.
That is not the case, according to the Warriors, who say Curry tweaked his right ankle.
“He said he’s fine,” coach Steve Kerr said, unusually tersely, nearly an hour later.
How sad is it, though, that Curry tweaking an ankle allows the Warriors and their fans to breathe easier? That it could have been worse?
“Always, always,” Kerr said when asked if his heart skipped a beat when Curry limped into the locker room.
“But he’s fine. I went and talked to him after he went downstairs, and I went in the training room. He’s doing fine.”
If Curry is indeed “fine,” the Warriors and their fans can restore their most optimistic hopes for successful start to the regular season that begins Wednesday night against the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Yet the momentary scare on Sunday is an overt reminder of Golden State’s fragility as it prepares for the next 82 games. Neither Jimmy Butler III nor Moses Moody is expected to be available before 2027. The availability of Kristaps Porziņģis, who missed training camp and all six preseason games, is an ongoing mystery. Butler and Porziņģis represent 40 percent of the projected starting lineup, and Moody started 49 of the 60 games he played last season.
Age is an obvious issue for these Warriors, but it’s only one factor within the overall health that can dictate how high they can fly. Most NBA observers see their roster and immediately dismiss them as non-contender.
“We don’t really pay attention on that much on this,” Gui Santos said. “It doesn’t matter a lot what the big noise or what they say about us because at the end of the day, what really matters is what we show on the court. if we have, like they say, ‘the old guys,’ but it’s Steph . . . Steph can go there and drop 30 every night. And Dray (Draymond Green) is one of the best passers and the best defender of the league.
“We still have those guys with us.”
When everyone is healthy, the Warriors have a roster that can beat any team in the league. On paper, general manager Mike Dunleavy has done a commendable job of integrating accomplished veterans with intriguing youngsters. In reality, Golden State will enter the season with the most injury-weakened starting lineup in the league.
The plan is for the available veterans like Green (36), Al Horford (40), Gary Payton II (33) and Georges Niang (33) and – hopefully Curry (38) — to stay upright and prop up youngsters like Santos (24), Brandin Podziemski (23) and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg (24).
No one is more essential than Curry to ensuring Golden State will have a fighting chance against all opponents. His presence still scares the rest of the NBA.
On Sunday, seeing him come to a halt and limp off the court put a scare into the Warriors and their fans, who understand how they’d look without him.
Florian Wirtz takes on more responsibility in Liverpool’s attack while Pierre Sage is under pressure at Crystal Palace
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s physicality overpowering Bryan Mbeumo in Manchester United’s area at a corner grabbed him a fifth goal in 10 outings for Leeds: a pretty respectable ratio. “I just tried to cause a ruckus,” said Leeds’ No 9. “I make it difficult for the defender. I read the flight of the ball and was quickest to react. I feel really comfortable [here]. I feel the support from the club and the fans and it is a great feeling stepping on to the pitch, particularly at Elland Road.” Of the contenders to be understudy to Harry Kane as England’s centre-forward, Calvert-Lewin may be the lead act – if he can stay injury-free, which has been a difficulty throughout his career. Jamie Jackson
Scott Boland doubled his wicket tally with a Matt Renshaw screamer ramming home Australia’s advantage on another rain-affected day of the second Test against South Africa at Gqeberha.
Timberwolves have won three of six games in pre-season [Getty Images]
With eight different teams the winners over the past eight seasons, it is hard to predict who takes home the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.
If there is to be a ninth different name in as many seasons, you might look to San Antonio Spurs, with Victor Wembanyama leading the team to the Finals last season before coming unstuck against the New York Knicks.
Maybe the Philadelphia 76ers off-season moves to acquire Jaylen Brown and sign the NBA's all-time leading scorer LeBron James is an attractive pick, or perhaps the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As the season tips off, the first British-born coach in the NBA, Tim Lewis will be hoping he can assist Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves to their first NBA title.
Lewis has been something of a journeyman in basketball.
Born in Saint Asaph, Wales, he went on to represent the country in the 1990s, before forging a coaching career that spans almost the entire globe.
He has coached the Thailand and Qatar national teams and had spells in Germany, Belgium, Canada, the United States of America and Panama. He most recently worked in Japan as head coach of Eneos Sunflowers who he helped to the Empress Cup in January.
That is not including more than 15 years of coaching England and Great Britain age groups, where he was an assistant to now Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch at the London 2012 Olympics.
Lewis was one of the Team GB assistant coaches, alongside Philadelphia 76ers head coach, Nick Nurse.
But Lewis and American Finch's friendship began way before that.
"We played against each other when I was back at [Crystal] Palace and Chris was at Sheffield [Sharks], he said.
"I've had stops with Chris when he was in Belgium and then before the Olympics, I spent six months at Houston with him.
"We've become close, it's almost like brothers. We've known each other 25 years and it's a strong bond."
After a previous brief spell with Minnesota, Lewis left to continue to be a head coach in Japan for three years, but Finch was persistent.
"For the last year and a half, Chris has knocked on the door and said, 'come back, come back'.
"Eventually I gave in this summer again and gone back for a more influential role, with more of an input and impact on things with stuff that's going on and I'm excited."
Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch lead Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics where Lewis was an assistant coach [Getty Images]
Lewis had a spell as a replacement coach with Minnesota's G League team, the Iowa Wolves during Covid, before joining the staff the following season with a responsibility for post-game analysis.
"I would just go through all our game plans," he told BBC Sport Wales.
"I had a little bit of player development, but it was time consuming, nobody had done it before.
"Teams do the analysis pre-game of what we're going to do and how we're going to do it with plans, but not post-game.
"I'm not sure how many of the other staff appreciated me critiquing what was going on, but that was my role, and it stayed in place."
As Lewis returns to Minnesota, his role has expanded.
"Pablo [Prigioni] is going to take the lead on the offence and my role will be to help create some of these game plans offensively," he said.
"It's a full assistant's role with responsibility for offensive game planning.
"I look at what the other team are doing defensively and what can we do to maximise our ability to beat them offensively.
"On top of that, some player development with a couple of the young bigs."
A new-look backcourt pairing
Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball were the 1st and 3rd picks in the 2020 NBA draft [Getty Images]
In July, Minnesota acquired Josh Green and LaMelo Ball as part of a four-team trade.
Ball scored with 272 three-point shots in the 2025-26 season, the second most of any player in the NBA.
His partnership with Anthony Edwards in the backcourt appears to be an offensive coach's dream.
"Anthony and LaMelo and those guys are going to be exciting to watch," said Lewis.
"With LaMelo, you've got somebody that can now throw the lob and Rudy becomes a bit more of a rim threat, which we haven't necessarily had.
"It takes the pressure off Anthony.
"Teams will find it harder to double-team him when you've got people like LaMelo on the floor with him."
Lewis says Edwards is "easy to coach".
"I don't know whether or not Anthony wants the burden of being the next face of the NBA, who knows?
"He is an immense talent, very responsive, a great kid overall and he's a great person, very coachable and wants to get better."
An NBA title?
Minnesota's NBA title hopes were ended 4-2 by San Antonio in the Western Conference semi-finals in 2026 [Getty Images]
It will be a daunting start for the Timberwolves this season, with Giannis Antentokounmpo and Miami Heat first up but Lewis says the team are ready for the challenge.
"We come out of the gate hard, Miami, Orlando, and then Toronto," he said.
"They've all got three bruising power forwards, which is one area where we're a bit light.
"Everybody's worried we don't have size at the four, but Chris [Finch] will figure out how that looks.
"One of the things Minnesota's going to be lucky to do is be able to play different ways and the team's going to be exciting to watch."
The ambition is clear for Minnesota and Lewis, the NBA title is the ultimate goal for 2027.
"We want to make the play-offs and get to the championship games, everybody wants to win a championship, but you've got 29 other teams that are trying to do the same thing," said Lewis.
"Fifty-plus wins a season is what you want, that puts you in a great position to make the play-offs and to be a contender for that first seed.
"You don't ever want to jinx it but everybody's saying this team has an opportunity to go a long way this year, but you never know, we've been close every year.
"Teams are going to have to adjust to the way Minnesota plays and the personnel we have."
In terms of his own predictions for the season, Lewis offered a few suggestions for potential Larry O'Brien trophy winners.
"It's one of the things about the NBA at the moment, it's somewhat unpredictable," he said.
"Teams that maybe surge in the regular season but aren't built to compete in the playoffs.
"San Antonio could be that team, Minnesota could be that team.
"We've had Denver's number now for a number of years, other than the year they won it [2023].
"Who knows what Philly's going to do with the additions they've made."
Lewis says an NBA title would mean "so much" to Minneapolis.
The franchise formed in 1989 as an expansion team, with the supporters patiently waiting to make it to the NBA Finals.
"Minnesota fans are unbelievable," he said.
"It goes way back to Minneapolis Lakers [1947-1960] that are now the Los Angeles Lakers, who did win a championship.
"As an organisation, being able to win in that environment against a bigger market team is always a huge success.
"It's more for the city, it would be an amazing accomplishment."
Cason Wallace is about to take on a much larger role with the Oklahoma City Thunder — and the team had to make sure he wasn't going anywhere.
Wallace, 22, and Oklahoma City have agreed to a five-year, $139 million contract extension, a story first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
This is a good number for OKC, locking up a starting guard at an average annual salary of $27.7 million (a number that will look better as the salary cap rises in the coming years). With this move, the Thunder have all their starters — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Wallace — locked in on multi-year deals, and Alex Caruso is signed up for three more seasons off the bench.
Wallace gets some security rather than risking restricted free agency next summer. Wallace brings real value. He was voted Second Team All-Defense last season and shot 35.1% from beyond the arc, which might have tempted teams with cap space to throw a big offer at him and try to poach him from OKC. However, Wallace also watched the Jalen Duren drama with Detroit this summer and likely didn't want to mess around. Wallace gets a generational wealth contract.
The Thunder made a number of cost-cutting moves this summer — trading Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins — so they could keep their core together. Wallace is now a part of that core.
Former Kentucky Wildcats standout Cason Wallace is staying in Oklahoma City, as Shams Charania reports that Wallace signed a five-year, $139 million rookie-scale contract extension with the Thunder.
Wallace has been a valuable piece for the Thunder since being drafted in the first round in 2023. Last year, coming off the bench for the Thunder, Wallace averaged 8.6 points per game to go along with 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
However, Wallace’s value has consistently been on the defensive side of the ball, where he has averaged almost two steals per game the last two seasons and has been one of OKC’s most reliable perimeter defenders and one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, as evidenced by being named a member of the 2025-26 NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
After some offseason moves, including trading Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks, Wallace is expected to see an expanded role with the Thunder, and it’s clear from this contract extension that the Thunder see Wallace as a key piece to the team long-term.
Just in: Oklahoma City Thunder All-Defensive guard Cason Wallace has agreed to a five-year, $139 million rookie-scale contract extension, agents Jeff Schwartz, Max Lipsett and Marcus Monk of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/vCNVSJjp0q
It's not a secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled to find consistency in the early going of the 2026-27 season.
But, although it has not been perfect, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) have gotten off to a pretty decent start — and that includes some of their top players.
To go along with a decent 3-2-1 start this season, forwards Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty have been lighting up the AHL during the season's first six games. Hayes and McGroarty each have nine points, which - as of Sunday - make them tied for third in AHL scoring. Atley Calvert (eight points) and Mikhail Ilyin (seven points) are not far behind, and neither are Tristan Broz (six points), Bill Zonnon (five points) and defenseman Jake Livanavage (five points in five games).
In addition, goaltender Taylor Gauthier - who is playing in his first full AHL season and has split time with Joel Blomqvist up to this point - is 2-1 with a .915 save percentage.
Hayes and McGroarty, especially, have been making very strong cases to see NHL action. The 24-year-old Hayes has goals in four of six games so far this season for WBS, and he has been a menace on both special teams units. In addition to two power play goals, he also has a shorthanded goal, and his versatility has, once again, proven valuable to the WBS Penguins.
McGroarty, 22, definitely qualifies as a player with something big to prove. He began the season with the NHL club and did not appear in a game before being sent back to WBS due to players coming back from injury. McGroarty has been a man-advantage weapon for WBS, scoring three power play goals, and he has averaged a team-high five shots per game so far this season. He has a four-point and a three-point game this season.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 17, 2026
The two of them have continued to display a high degree of chemistry on a line together, as they have flanked Broz on the first line. This is a combination that dates back to last season, and the success has followed through to this season. In Saturday's 6-3 win over the Cleveland Monsters, those three players combined for six points.
Calvert, 23, is a player to watch as well. He signed a two-year NHL entry-level contract this summer, and he is building on his productiveness from the last two seasons. The undrafted center has 28 goals and 60 points in 102 career AHL games, and his two-way prowess is beginning to make him a standout as far as the pecking order with NHL call-ups.
Zonnon - selected 22nd overall in the 2025 NHL Draft - is playing in his first full AHL season, and he's looking very much like a formidable two-way center so far. He's largely been centering a third line with Tanner Howe and Calvert, and his multidimensional, pro-ready toolset has been an asset to WBS so far.
Finally, don't sleep on Livanavage, the 6-foot, 186-pound left defenseman who the Penguins signed to a two-year entry level contract out of the University of North Dakota late in the 2025-26 season. Much focus, understandably so, is centered on Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke, but Livanavage has been their most prolific offensive blueliner to start the season and has helped anchor their power play.
