On the 591st Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including a jam-packed pro sports day on Tuesday.
The NHL’s regular season starts with five games, which overlaps with the start of MLB’s playoffs that same day. Two series in the WNBA playoffs also have games on Tuesday night.
A New York sports fan who roots for the Yankees and Rangers might need to decide whether to focus on their MLB team’s playoff series opener against the rival Red Sox, or the NHL team’s season opener against the rival Bruins. The same holds for a fan of those two Boston clubs.
The hosts talk about why this overlap exists, and whether there’s a better option for when the NHL season should start. They also preview the season, with the Florida Panthers opening as the Stanley Cup favorite. The Tkachuk bothers have united in Florida, which could give the league a marketing opportunity that breaks through to more casual sports fans who don’t follow the NHL on a regular basis.
Next the hosts talk about the NFL game in Brazil between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys. There were 65 points scored, and the Ravens won on the final play, creating a nice advertisement for the league in a critical overseas market. It also quieted controversy from before the game about the quality of the playing surface in the Maracanã Stadium.
The hosts close by running through a few other topics: recent comments made by Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones, a new jersey patch deal for the Philadelphia 76ers and a college sports bill set for a vote in the U.S. Senate.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
The openers of the four best-of-three wild card series take place Tuesday, with Game 2s on Wednesday and if necessary, winner-take-all Game 3s on Thursday. The winners advance to the best-of-five Division Series, which begin on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The World Series begins on Friday, Oct. 23 at the home ballpark of the pennant winner with the better record. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions and enter the fold in the Division Series after earning a bye.
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CAMDEN, N.J. — LeBron James knows championship-caliber chemistry won't develop overnight for the Philadelphia 76ers with their recently renovated star-studded roster.
It will take time. Say, like the 90 seconds it takes for a bowl of oatmeal to warm up in the microwave.
"Everyone wants instant oatmeal," James said Monday, Sept. 28 at 76ers media day. "You just put the oatmeal in the bowl, you put water in it, throw it in the microwave, and in a minute and a half, you’ve got something to eat. You’re ready to go.
"If you want to do something special, it takes time."
That's the task at hand for James as he enters a league-record 24th NBA season, and his first in Philadelphia: bring a championship blueprint to to the 76ers and help lead the franchise to a title.
The 76ers are looking to break through after another disappointing playoff exit, as a second-round sweep by the New York Knicks extended the franchise's Eastern Conference finals drought to 25 seasons. With training camp beginning Tuesday and the season opener against the Knicks 21 days away, James believes chemistry can be expedited through time spent together before practice, in film sessions and during road trips.
But it's also more involved than that.
James said it starts with "falling in love with doing things that's uncomfortable."
"For us to be great, we have to do things that are just not comfortable. We have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. That is the best way to expedite being great," James said. "... And if we can do that, we can be a great team.
"If we don't do that, then we'll be like, "Oh man, that was a great team on paper and we had a lot of great talent and we also sat around." I don't want to do that. I don't need my family to lose in the second round. I know that for sure. Work needs to be done, and I’m ready to get to work."
Collective sacrifice will also be needed, which James said isn't a negative, though the word could come off with a negative connotation. That sacrifice doesn’t necessarily mean changing roles because of the roster’s overhaul. Instead, it means embracing the little things that "don't show up in the box scores."
"With the group of guys we have, no one mentioned that everyone’s role will probably be different. And that’s for the greater good," James said. "... It's not a negative when people say, 'Okay, you have to make a sacrifice or your role may change.'
"We're trying to do something special – which I believe we are – then that's a positive. So many guys that've been in our league over the course of my career have never made a sacrifice in their career, and they average 20 points and 22 points a game. (But) they've had one or two postseason appearances and zero postseason wins. If that's the way you want your career to be, then that's fine. Everyone has different goals, but I don't think anybody in the locker room has that feeling and wants their career to be like that, or we wouldn't be there."
Brown agrees with James' message.
"Anytime you're going for something great, something high-level, you're going to take a level of sacrifice," Brown said.
James averaged 20.9 points per game last season for the Los Angeles Lakers in 60 games. He's expected to play power forward in the 76ers' projected lineup, but he said he's willing to do "whatever the team needs" to help Philadelphia win.
"I think the luxury of my game is that I can do everything," James said. "Literally, I can do everything."
Maxey said he's "pretty comfortable playing in any type of situation" at this point in his career but believes that the 76ers roster allows him "to get out and transition a little bit more." The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists per game last season while shooting 46.2% from the field.
Tyrese Maxey explains how this new Sixers roster allows him to play better transition basketball.
Brown, who believes there's a lot of "firepower offensively" on the roster, will be tasked with being a "defensive stopper," something Maxey and Embiid both spoke to on what excited them about the addition of Brown after facing him and the Boston Celtics all those years in the Atlantic Division.
"I think anchoring defense is important for all of us. I think that should be what we should hang our hats on as a team," Brown said. "... We all got to hold each other accountable on defense."
There are bound to be growing pains as the 76ers' new-look "Big Five" develops chemistry, and there's no guarantee a roster loaded with this much star power will ultimately work. Embiid has seen the 76ers pursue the star-stacking approach before, from adding Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris to later acquiring James Harden, while having Ben Simmons as a piece of "The Process" during that era.
This time around, though, the seven-time All-Star and former NBA MVP, who is "feeling pretty good" after dealing with injuries the last few seasons, believes the Sixers have the right mix of talent on the roster to get the wins needed.
"I wouldn't say it didn't work out (before)," Embiid said. "We didn't win. It's hard to win when you get a group of guys together for one year, two years, maybe. That's why I'm extremely excited about this team because we got the right mix of veteran leadership and the younger guys and everybody being on the same page. We might have some ups and downs, but we want to get there.
"You look at the teams who have won (recently) … They went through a couple years (of) figuring that (mix) out, they finally got there, and they were able to do it. ... I haven't done it. … You need that consistency. You need to get guys on the same page. But I feel like this year we have that."
Sep 22, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets edia day at Hilton Americas hotel. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Rockets recently seem to insist upon adding veterans who spend a lot of time being injured. Some, like Steven Adams are probably worth it, as long as the team isn’t absolutely relying on him being around (it is – see Stone at Media Day). Adams has a particular set of skills that are unmatched in the NBA – offensive rebounding, screening, and generally causing pain through his very presence.
Marcus Smart will turn 33 in season. Over the past five season, he’s played in an average 49 of 82 available games. That’s pretty back loaded, though, as in the past three seasons that number falls to 38, mainly on the strength of 62 games played for the Lakers last season. Perhaps that trend will hold, but at 33, it’s possibly not the bet to make.
So, like Adams, if you are counting on his presence, his injury history suggests this might be a mistake. Injuries can happen to any player, but patterns of being injured tend to repeat.
Then there’s the “particular set of skills”. In Marcus Smart’s case, this has always been the question. He’s a 6’3”, 220lb SG/PG. He’s in essence undersized for SG, and under skilled for PG, and we have 13 seasons of evidence here. He’s not a good enough shooter to make up for that. Smart is a career 32% three-point shooter, and last season shot it at 33% for the Lakers, which to be fair, is 2.5% better than Alperen Sengun, who also plays as a guard at times. Smart IS a good free throw shooter, at about 80% for his career, which would be great if he averaged more than 2.4 FT per game.
Why do I bring this up? Because this free throw number is suggestive of a player who can’t get to the rim, or the FT line. Yet another player who can’t get to the rim is probably not an optimal signing for the Rockets, but let’s look for the silver lining.
He’s PG sized, so he must be a good PG, right? Well, no. Over the past three seasons, Smart’s assist numbers have fallen down a crevasse. This isn’t crazy for a guard in his 30s, but a decline from around 6 assists per game to about 3 over the past three seasons isn’t encouraging. I’m not cherry picking here. Last season Smart averaged 3ast/1.5to, the year before 3.2ast/1.6to, and the year before that, 4.3ast/3.1to. Boston used him as a PG, but there’s not a lot about his career there to make you long to see him as your main backup PG. (Amen Thompson averaged 5.3ast/2.4to in his first NBA attempt at being a primary distributor, this is 1 ast below Smart’s career high in Boston (same number of TO at age 28.))
I won’t go further into how much better players who were, or are, on the roster are at being point guards or playing offense, as in a real way, that’s not Smart’s calling card.
Smart’s calling card has been defense, and he’s been known throughout his career as a tough, tenacious, dirty, and histrionically inclined defender. He even won DPOY. (But he would have never won it if he didn’t play for Boston. Imagine Smart winning that award for Orlando, say.) Maybe the theory is he’ll bring back the edge that Dillon Brooks seemed to take with him to Phoenix. Perhaps he will. If so, great. If so, that’s a great signing, and I’ll admit to it, and possibly throw a small parade.
At 33, though, it’s hard to see him as a real stopper. The numbers, compared to his mid career, suggest he isn’t, anymore. According to most metrics over the past few seasons of his career, Smart is a mildly positive defender, and a significantly to mildly negative offensive player. If you compare his past couple of seasons with say, Aaron Holiday, it’s a dead heat, except Smart can’t shoot it. So, really, perfect for Ime Udoka, because Smart is also a league leader in mean mugging and looking intense.
In the end, there probably wasn’t a better signing to be a token of Ime Udoka’s defensive fetish and to fill the gaps he possibly believes he has on the team. Smart will probably play that role pretty well. The problem here is, Smart might well be the primary backup point guard. Hopefully Fred VanVleet’s offense will recover from his last season playing, otherwise, in such a case, the Rockets will be playing a PG rotation that can only be counted as mildly positive in terms of their own offense, at best, for 48 minutes.
The Rockets problem wasn’t defense, it was clutch scoring late, and serious guard play. I simply can’t see Smart, especially at 33, addressing that problem, despite probably having a few good games doing it. Yet I think we’re going to see a lot of him. Unless he’s hurt, which he often is.
I wish I could be happier about it, but the Smart signing to me represents a fundamental lack of awareness as to what the actual problems are, and signals a doubling down on “Defense First” dogma. Did the Rockets address not having a guard who could get to the rim, and force a defense out of the paint? In Marcus Smart and to an extent Bogdan Son of Bogdan, they absolutely did…not. The Rockets didn’t lose the last two playoff series because they couldn’t defend. They lost because they couldn’t score, and it’s hard to see how Marcus Smart helps with this.
Bright side: the Rockets bench should be better than last season, but not as much as some might think.
The Boston Bruins defied expectations last season to make the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs just one year after finishing with the NHL’s fifth-worst record.
Can they surpass expectations again?
You won’t find too many people outside of Boston who are predicting the Bruins to reach the playoffs during the 2026-27 season, which starts Tuesday night when the B’s host the rival New York Rangers at TD Garden.
The Daily Faceoff views the Bruins as “playoff long shots.”The Athletic’s analytics model has the Bruins finishing 25th in the standings with just 87 points, as well as a mere 25 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. MoneyPuck’s model gives the B’s a 39.2 percent chance of playoff qualification — only four East teams have worse odds. HockeyStats predicts the Bruins to earn 94 points and barely miss the playoffs.
One of the most common arguments against the Bruins making the playoffs is the fact that the Atlantic Division includes so many good teams. And that’s definitely true. Many of these teams improved over the summer. You could make a legitimate argument for reaching the playoffs for all eight of the teams. The Maple Leafs finished last in the division a year ago, but a healthy Auston Matthews, plus the offseason additions of No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna, forward Kirill Marchenko, defenseman Darren Raddysh and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky suddenly have fans in Toronto feeling excited again.
The Florida Panthers finished seventh in the division last year, largely due to many of their best players missing a ton of games due to injuries. But with a healthy roster and the offseason addition of forward Brady Tkachuk, the Panthers are a popular pick to win the Stanley Cup for a third time this decade.
Despite the tough road ahead, my prediction for the Bruins ahead of the upcoming season is they make the playoffs as the second wild card team in the Eastern Conference.
The primary source of optimism for the Bruins is the goaltending. Jeremy Swayman consistently gives the B’s a chance to win. He was voted a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his career last season, and after an impressive showing in the 2026 playoffs, there’s no reason to believe his performance will dip in a meaningful way going forward.
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The combination of Swayman and Michael DiPietro might end up being one of the league’s top goalie duos. DiPietro played fantastic for the Providence Bruins each of the last three years and won the AHL’s MVP award in 2025-26. He could be a big upgrade over Boston’s previous backup netminder Joonas Korpisalo.
The acquisition of top-six forward JJ Peterka should pay immediate dividends for Boston, too. He has scored 25-plus goals in each of the last three seasons, and he should hit the 30-goal mark this season, especially if he plays alongside David Pastrnak. Peterka’s offensive skill and speed represent an upgrade over Viktor Arvidsson.
Pastrnak, if healthy, should be able to tally 100-plus points for the fifth straight year. His 71 assists last season ranked fifth in the league and were a new career high. His growth as a playmaker has been remarkable, especially when you consider the fact that the talent around him is less than what many other players of his caliber skate with every night. NHL Network recently ranked Pastrnak as the eighth-best player in the sport.
Morgan Geekie scored a career-high 39 goals last season. Some experts point to his high shooting percentages and claim he’s long overdue for a regression, but his shot is elite, and he’s more of a shot quality over shot quantity player. Pavel Zacha posted career highs in goals and points last season, but he’s also playing for a new contract. He has all the motivation needed to continue producing at a high level.
The Bruins ranked 10th in goals scored last season but found it difficult to score in the playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres. Boston averaged just 1.25 goals scored over the last four games of that first-round series. Many critics of the Bruins’ roster see a similar scoring regression coming in the 2026-27 regular season. One stat they point to is Boston ranking No. 2 in goals scored above expected last season.
A couple younger players will play a role in ensuring that regression either doesn’t happen or isn’t steep.
Top prospect James Hagens has an impressive offensive skill set and could even challenge for the Calder Trophy. He should provide a nice boost to the power play, too, with his playmaking ability and accurate shot. Fraser Minten had an impressive first full NHL campaign in 2025-26 and could hit the 25-goal mark this coming season. Marat Khusnutdinov should reach another level, too.
Frederic Brunet, who scored 12 goals for the AHL’s Providence Bruins last season, made the Opening Night roster. The 23-year-old defenseman’s offensive-minded skill set should help the B’s create more scoring chances from the blue line.
“Well, obviously just the skill set from Hagens. Hopefully that continues to grow and he becomes a point-producer in the game and has the details all dialed in,” Bruins president Cam Neely said at a press conference Monday. “Brunet, hopefully he can add a little bit more offensive punch on the blue line for us, be a steady defender, move the puck well, good first pass, get up in the play. Those are the things that I anticipate the growth of those two players.”
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jeremy Swayman and David Patrnak celebrate a playoff win.
The Bruins have a better and deeper roster than they did last season. The three franchise pillars of Pastrnak, Swayman and top defenseman Charlie McAvoy are surrounded by a good mix of veterans and young players. The ceiling of this Bruins team likely will be decided by the growth and improvement of players such as Hagens and Minten. If they exceed expectations and become important pieces of the puzzle earlier than expected, the B’s could surprise a lot of people again.
Sure, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the Bruins missed the playoffs. The division — and the East as a whole — is loaded with good teams. An injury to a key player or two could also prove very difficult to overcome. Losing McAvoy for the first six games due to suspension is a tough setback.
But there’s absolutely enough talent up and down the roster, combined with very good coaching from Marco Sturm, for the Bruins to be in the hunt for a wild card spot. Is this team capable of winning a round in the playoffs? Potentially. But getting into the tournament would be enough to grade the 2026-27 season as a success.
“We’re looking to see some of our players improve upon last year,” Neely said Monday. “All those things combined, some guys had a taste of playoffs for the first time. It’s a nice feeling to be in the playoffs, but obviously, you want to win the last game of the season.
“So, we’ve got some work to do in that regard, but as I mentioned earlier, I thought our group did a really nice job of laying a foundation to get back to where we want to be as an organization. It’s just got to be competing every night. You may not play well every night, but you’ve got to compete every night.”
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 27: Mason Montgomery #46 of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Rafael Flores Jr. #43 celebrate after the Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Sunday, September 27, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Izzy Rincon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
There hasn’t been a lot of celebrating for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the years but they were able to achieve one pretty big goal this season. The Pirates finished the 2026 season with a winning record, 82-80, after defeating the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in the series/season finale at Comerica Park on Sept. 27.
The Pirates haven’t had a winning season since 2018, when they went 82-79, marking seven seasons of poor baseball. There have been a couple of close seasons throughout the years but they were never able to get over the hump.
It was tied for the second-longest streak in baseball, with only the Los Angeles Angels having more at 11 and the Colorado Rockies at eight this season.
In 2025, The Bucs went 71-91 and finished last in the NL Central. The Pirates also had the fifth worst record in all of baseball.
Pittsburgh finished third in the division, and had a winning record and an 11-win improvement from last season. It is just the fifth winning season in the past 34 years for the Pirates, including their three postseason appearances, 2013-15.
The Pirates were even in the third Wild Card spot in late July, but seven straight losing series put them six games below .500 and they fell too far behind to make up ground. It is frustrating to see a promising season slip but even though this was not a playoff team this year it still feels like The Pirates are treading into the right direction to snap their massive playoff drought.
Even though fans in the steel city want to see them in the postseason, this season should still be considered a victory. The Pirates went from being an irrelevant laughably bad team to a squad that was respected and competitive this year.
The playoffs felt like an unrealistic goal for this young team before the season started. With all the inexperience and the defensive being a major question making the postseason felt fair fetched but now with a lot of that young talent coming together and if they can keep Brandon Lowe the playoffs seem like a legit possibility for 2027.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 28: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics poses for photos during Boston Celtics Media Day at Auerbach Center on September 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jayson Tatum spent last season learning, learning about different parts of basketball, seeing the game from a new perspective, understanding how coaches operate. He didn’t waste his time by sitting court side in all his outfits.
Boston, MA – March 1: Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum reacts from the bench in the second quarter. The Celtics played the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on March 1, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 25: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and Bruce Brown #11 of the Denver Nuggets talk after the game on February 25, 2026 at Ball Arena 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 22: Marcus Smart #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics talks after the game on February 22, 2026 at Cryto.com Arena 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 Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 03: Jayson Tatum attends a basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics at Intuit Dome on January 03, 2026 in Inglewood, 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. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images) | Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 26: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 26, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 3: A closeup shot of Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics hat during the game against the Utah Jazz on November 3, 2025 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Boston, MA – November 1: Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum chats with Houston Rockets guard JD Davison after a game at TD Garden on November 1, 2025. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
At Celtics Media Day on Monday, Tatum talked about how he spent his time on the bench last season as he recovered from his torn Achilles injury.
“Sitting next to the coaches for 65 some odd games (it was 62), it really gave me a chance to see the game through their lens and the things that they pay attention to,” Tatum said.
“Throughout every game, each coach is responsible for something different and it was just kinda cool to see and I learned a lot. I feel like the game slowed down for me even more so, just kinda seeing through their lens. How I can add that and translate that to my own play, when I am out there.”
Tatum did not miss many games last year, if any at all, and he did use that to his advantage going forward with the rest of his career.
The game really came to Tatum during his return last season and it did not go unnoticed by everyone.
On his podcast in March, Bill Simmons noted that the game had seemed to slow down for Tatum.
“I’d love for somebody to ask him, “‘do you feel like you’ve gained anything these four months just by watching basketball? Has anything slowed down for you? Has anything changed about how you think about when you are out there just from being a spectator?’ I felt like he was a little more patient than maybe he was even at his peak,” Simmons said on the March 9th edition of the Bill Simmons Podcast.
We all know how awesome Jayson Tatum is, but some parts of his game took a step up by sitting on the bench and seeing the game from a different perspective.
It was his rebounding that took the biggest leap in his return to the court. In a small sample size, Tatum was first in defensive rebounding percentage off of both field goal attempts and free throws. His improved rebounding could be credited to him seeing the game in a different way and seeing different angles to get rebounds.
As Brad Stevens said, you never have to worry about Jayson Tatum.
“He’s the last guy I lose sleep about, he’s the last guy I really ever worry about,” Stevens said. “I just expect that he’ll be great, he’ll be who he is… I have no doubt he will have a great year.”
Jayson Tatum spent most of last year seeing the game in a different light, learning different things about basketball. He showed some of that in his return and he will look to build on it this year.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on from the dugout during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB.com | Max Ralph: Last week, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Aaron Judge would miss the Wild Card Series, but the slugger had other plans. Judge himself is aiming to play against the Red Sox and is ramping up baseball activities, as he partook in indoor hitting and throwing on Sunday before participating in a live BP session against Elmer Rodríguez today. While the thought of Judge rushing his return and playing in a diminished state or re-aggravating his calf is scary, having his righty bat against Boston’s collection of lefty pitchers would certainly be a boon — if he’s not as rusty as he looked in September.
FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: The Yankees and Red Sox are meeting in the Wild Card Series for the second year in a row, but this year’s matchup looks a whole lot different than last year’s. While the 2025 editions of both clubs featured high-octane offenses, this year the bitter rivals each feature elite pitching in what looks to be a low-scoring affair. No matter what shape the games take, here’s hoping that the Yankees enjoy the same outcome as last year.
The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) Cam Schlittler’s eight-inning, 12-strikeout, scoreless start against the Red Sox in Game 3 of last year’s Wild Card Series was one for the ages. It was also fueled by online hate directed towards Schlittler from Red Sox Nation prior to the game. Apparently, some members of the Boston faithful have still continued to chirp online. To his credit, Schlittler seems unfazed, saying, “At the end of the day, when I get prepared for whatever day I start, it’s not what I’m going to be thinking about.”
FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: Finally, the 2026 ZiPS game-by-game postseason odds have gone live on FanGraphs! In contrast to the regular season-version, playoff ZiPS incorporates matchup-specific info – starters, lineups, players’ health status – to provide win-loss odds for each individual game. For what it’s worth, the model gives the Yankees a 52.6% chance of besting the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, with favorable odds in both Game 1 and 2.
Shohei Ohtani, Jacob Misiorowski and Junior Caminero will all play a big part in this year’s playoffs. Composite: Guardian Pictures (via Getty)
Team who will most be missed from the playoffs
The Mariners. The only active MLB team to have never appeared in a World Series came within a single win of ending that hoodoo last October and appeared poised to go one stage further in 2026. Instead, their 76-86 clunker feels like a wasted chance for a lineup featuring Julio Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena. BAG
The Pirates could have brought real verve to the postseason with a healthy Konnor Griffin at shortstop and Paul Skenes on the mound. Sadly the team dug too deep a hole in August and, in usual Pirate fashion, didn’t give themselves a chance. AK
That has to be the Orioles, which means Pete Alonso’s F-David Stearns tour won’t see the bright lights of the postseason. The Mets’ president of baseball operations, one with almost all the money in the world at his disposal, who didn’t offer a contract to Alonso – who hit 43 home runs, arguably the second-best season of his career – is finally off the hook. That is, at least until a would-be 2027 season. Too bad. DL
High seed at risk of going out early
The American League’s No 2 seed is an 85-win division champion with a plus-11 run differential who FanGraphs suggests was closer to a .500 ball club. The Guardians have the pitching to thrive in close games, but a lineup without a 20-homer batter leaves them little room for error. BAG
The Dodgers are finally going to face the consequences that come with age, variance, and having had to play an extra 31 games over the prior two postseasons. They still have no big weaknesses, but their lineup is old (the average age on their roster is 31, making them the oldest team in MLB) and has occasionally looked the part this year. AK
If you needed a team to squeak out a single run under pressure against great playoff pitching, that’s not the Yankeeswith Aaron Judge in the lineup. Without him, against some superb Red Sox hurlers, the swing-and-a-miss Bronx Bombers have even less of a chance of putting runs on the board. They could find themselves bronzing in Cancún sooner rather than later. DL
Dark horse to win
It seems odd to call a team with baseball’s best offense and defense a dark horse, but the Cubs’ leaky relief pitching makes them one. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman give Chicago plenty of ways to win games. If the bullpen can keep the ball in the park, they could go far. BAG
The Rays will always have a dark-horse feel, even in a year when they win the AL East. Pitching could be the difference here: whether injured starter Shane McClanahan returns at some point or not, the deadline acquisition of Freddy Peralta from the Mets ensures rotation depth that will serve this club well. AK
How can a team with 98 wins be a dark horse? When they don’t hit for power, get on base less than the Rockies, and their ability to score is a little better than middle of the road. They play in a condom-covered dump in front of some of the leanest crowds in the league. An inspiring, title-like set up? Nope, and the Rays are dark horses because few fans know they even exist. Pragmatic as they come though; they can pitch and Kevin Cash can manage. The AL can’t handle them, and the Dodgers are vulnerable. DL
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Player to watch …
Tarik Skubal arrives in October as the centerpiece of baseball’s most formidable rotation, with a potential record-setting free agency ahead. Every start will be judged against the imposing price the Dodgers paid to acquire him in their bid for a rare third straight title. BAG
Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson is a throwback, a defense, speed and batting average-heavy corner outfielder who’s made a place for himself despite lacking the power that makes most great modern hitters. In a lineup with a lot of thump, Simpson’s slap hitting offers a bit of variety. AK
Sticking to my Rays theme, it’s Junior Caminero. The Dominican gets no recognition, or at least not enough, despite crushing close to 90 home runs in two years, while also hitting for average. He’s making strides every season and he’s only 23. At some point the third baseman is going to be very expensive, so who knows how long he’ll remain on the Gulf. At the moment, he’s the straw that stirs Tampa’s tipple, and now Caminero has the spotlight. DL
Most important factor this postseason/offseason
The labor talks. The collective bargaining agreement expires on 1 December and MLB’s salary-cap proposal remains at odds with the players’ intractable position. A lockout could freeze the hot-stove market while a prolonged dispute could torpedo the 2027 season entirely. Whatever happens on the field, the most important baseball story after the Fall Classic will unfold across a bargaining table. BAG
The lack of great teams in the American League. The Rays may be a great team, but is anyone else in the Junior Circuit? MLB’s three best teams – the Brewers, Dodgers and Braves – are all in the NL, and I’d probably prefer the Cubs over any team in the AL at the moment, too. The AL has a true “anyone’s ballgame” feel. You could imagine this league producing a truly weird pennant winner. AK
The postseason CBA negotiations may not bring us world peace, but hopefully they will create a new rule that bans teams with .500 records or worse from winning a division, or reaching the playoffs via a wildcard spot. The team with the best above-.500 record not to qualify for the playoffs, regardless of league, will replace that team, and the sub-.500 bums will not be allowed to complain AT ALL. And God forbid the Astros win the 2026 World Series, I will pull whatever is left of my hair out. Who’s with me? DL
NLCS
Dodgers over Brewers. BAG
Brewers over Dodgers. AK
Brewers over Dodgers. DL
ALCS
Rays over White Sox. BAG
Rays over White Sox. AK
Rays over Guardians. DL
Your World Series winners will be …
The Rays will put the ball in play, run the basepaths aggressively and make the Dodgers earn their outs. But a rotation of Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow gives the Dodgers four starters capable of shutting down the Rays’ contact-heavy lineup, while the incandescent Shohei Ohtani supplies the power capable of turning any close game with one swing of the bat. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay may grade out better analytically, but the smell test clearly favors the Dodgers to become only the third franchise to win three consecutive World Series crowns. BAG
The Brewers will finally get the right October mixture this year. They have the same deep lineup as usual, with no real stars but also no weaknesses. Jacob Misiorowski gives them a rotation trump card that they haven’t had since CC Sabathia’s brief run in Milwaukee after the 2008 trade deadline. And they have the necessary high-leverage relievers (Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby) to feel good about any game that’s still competitive after six innings. AK
In many ways the Brewers and Rays are mirror images of each other, especially when it comes to their contract-based approaches to baseball. They are also similar in the way that absolutely nobody except their fans wants to see such a matchup. The Brewers have the overwhelming ace in Misiorowski, but the Rays have more pitching depth. They’re also due to win, with the owners detesting this matchup which proves lower payroll teams can win it all. And at precisely the wrong time. DL
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 28: Baylor Scheierman #55 of the Boston Celtics answers questions during a press conference during Boston Celtics Media Day at Auerbach Center on September 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Every Media Day gives a little insight of the season to come. This is Jayson Tatum’s team, despite his modest answer to the question. Paul George feels the healthiest he’s felt in years — fingers crossed. Head coach Joe Mazzulla is embracing the unknown because of course he’d say that.
Most of what’s said just before training camp is coachspeak/playerspeak/GMspeak fodder and wishful thinking. However, sometimes someone says something that cuts to the core and just makes sense.
When asked how he’d fit in with the revamped roster, Baylor Scheierman said, “we’re just gonna hoop.”
After five months without Celtics basketball, no greater words have been spoken.
Scheierman elaborated on how he sees Boston this upcoming season. “We got a lot of guys that understand how to play and there’s gonna be a lot freedom of movement and I think that fits my game really well,” Scheierman said. “Just having a good IQ of what’s going on on the court, where I need to be, what I need to do, just having situational awareness. I think that’s a strength of mine and strength of a lot of guys on the team.”
Prognosticators have predicated Baylor anywhere between a possible starter to a playmaker with the second unit and there doesn’t seem to be a question that he’ll be a key cog in the rotation.
In addition to bulking up and getting quicker in the summer in order to make himself a more versatile defender, Scheierman is looking to lean into his quarterback skills and make more on-ball reads
“My playmaking and ability to see the floor is a strength of mine,” Scheierman said.
Before Jayson Tatum’s return last season, Scheierman got a chance to start a dozen games as sort of a Tatum proxy (with Payton Pritchard moving back to a familiar sixth man role after Anfernee Simons was traded for Nikola Vucevic). And in twenty total starts in 2025-2026, he was solid in a do-it-all function with the opening five, averaging just under 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 28 minutes per game. His sophomore season was inarguably a success, shooting 39.9% from behind the arc, limiting his turnovers, and defending up and down the lineup. The numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but there’s something to be said being a net positive in 25+ minutes a night.
Year 2 was a solid start for Scheierman as the Celtics do-it-all jack-of-all-trades. Year 3 might just be a culmination of all his efforts and, well, he’s “just gonna hoop.”
Media day at Chase Center is usually a fashion show with microphones. Guys roll in with fresh earrings and promises about being in the best shape of their lives, and we write it all down like we haven’t heard it every September since dial-up.
Steph Curry walked in Monday with a new contract. Two years, $116 million, signed late last week, with enough optionality built in that he could be in blue and gold through the 2028-29 season. He was eligible for the max, which topped out at $136.7 million. Pull out your phone and do the subtraction, folks. You get roughly $20.7 million that Steph thought about for five months and then slid back across the table toward Mike Dunleavy. They probably won’t engrave that number on a plaque in Curry’s wing of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Fame. But it matters plenty to Curry, who has no interest in spending the twilight of his career playing meaningless basketball.. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dylan Grausz reports:
Curry was eligible to sign a maximum extension, worth up to $136.7 million, but instead opted to leave some money on the table in order to give the Warriors some cap space flexibility. Curry, a four-time NBA champion, wants to see the Warriors return to being contenders and be competitive, and by taking less money, he hopes it can lead to more avenues for the franchise to take down the line to reach that goal.
“Without knowing the answers to the test, it was my best way to study for it, if that makes sense,” Curry said about taking less money. “Again, it’s about for us to have a chance this season as we get started tomorrow to play basketball and hoop. We all have to do our jobs to win. We all know that, myself included. I’ve got to be healthy and available.
The discount guarantees nothing besides Warriors owner Joe Lacob and Dunleavy having an extra $20 million of room to work with when the crucial roster decisions show up.
Mike Dunleavy says that Steph Curry was “incredibly generous” for taking less money in his 2 year extension agreement ✍️ pic.twitter.com/HPYIsKLC8K
Which brings me to the Black Mamba, rest in peace, who had zero patience for any of this. In 2013 when Kobe was 35 and coming off a torn Achilles, he signed his two-year, $48.5 million extension. Although it came in under what he could have gotten on a max and was the highest-paid player in the league, he was still adamantly against players sacrificing dollars:
“It’s the popular thing to do,” Bryant said after the Los Angeles Lakers‘ shootaround prior to Friday night’s 140-106 loss to Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks. “The player takes less, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I think it’s a big coup for the owners to put players in situations where public perception puts pressure on them to take less money. Because if you don’t, then you get criticized for it.
“It’s absolutely brilliant, but I’m not going for it. I know the new head of the players’ association ain’t going for it, either.”
Kobe’s point is something I think about when I look at Curry’s monster contract, because even at $116 million he’s probably underpaid considering how much value he brings to the franchise. And what if the team doesn’t use that money wisely? That $20.7 million doesn’t vanish into team chemistry. It stays off the Warriors’ books, and what happens with that flexibility is up to Dunleavy and Lacob.
The Mamba school of thought is that the whole thing becomes a morality play where the billionaire gets to feel clever and the player gets graded on how much he gave back. Kobe looked at that and wasn’t about to play the nice guy in somebody else’s business model. I can dig it!
But the Strength in Numbers school of thought is that Curry has already been the bargain superstar once, and it paid off in rings.
His four-year, $44 million extension in 2012 got signed when his ankles were the biggest question in the building. He outplayed that contract by the length of the Bay Bridge. When the salary cap exploded in 2016, Steph’s bargain deal was a big reason the Warriors had room to go get Kevin Durant. You can call that a coup for the owners, but Steph would probably call it two more parades.
Kobe’s final years showed what the other side of that bargain could look like, as the Lakers spent the rest of his career near the bottom of the West. You can argue forever about how much that contract had to do with it, and I won’t pretend his salary alone sank those teams. But the Warriors’ rise coincided with beating the hell out of those late-Kobe Lakers teams.
What got me Monday was one line near the end where Curry talked about finishing the story the right way and said he knows the short list of guys that have been able to do it. He means one franchise, start to finish.
“This is home. This is what we’ve built. This is a community I’ve played in front of my entire career. And being able to finish the story the right way is a big part of what I can control.”
That’s where Kobe Bean walks back into this for me.
The Lakers legend spent 20 seasons in purple and gold. He showed up in 1996 as a teenager, won three titles next to Shaq, survived the breakup, and won two more as the undisputed face of the franchise. He tore that Achilles, ground through the ugly years on the wrong side of contention, and then walked off the floor at 37 after dropping 60 in his last game the same night those Dubs clinched 73 wins.
Steph wants to finish in Warriors colors, but he wants to finish competing for championships. He’s trying to do that by handing some back and trusting the people upstairs to spend it. Two of the greatest guards who ever lived, walking the same road to the same place, with completely different ideas about what the toll should cost.
“This is home,” Steph said. “This is what we’ve built.”
If Dunleavy can’t turn $20 million into something real by next summer, the Warriors will have built a gilded retirement home for one of the greatest to ever do it.
SAN FRANCISCO – On the day Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg was born, it’s entirely possible that 14-year-old Stephen Curry was in a gym honing his jump shot and 12-year-old Draymond Green’s was giving his mother fits of annoyance.
Yet Lendeborg, who turns 24 on Wednesday, is considered “old,” because he’s an NBA rookie. Green, Curry and the rest of the Warriors are welcoming the grizzled kid.
As they should, because they’re going to need the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from the University of Michigan.
Any chance for Golden State to have success early in the 2026-27 NBA season is largely dependent on Lendeborg making an impact alongside Curry and Green, two veterans with a combined eight championship rings and 16 All-Star Game appearance over 32 NBA seasons.
“He’s clearly going to play a ton,” coach Steve Kerr said of Lendeborg on Monday.
Curry, Green and Lendeborg will be the primary forces that determine Golden State’s fortunes as the calendar dives toward 2027. If they stay healthy and play well, the Warriors might be able to hang around the middle of the Western Conference. If not, the season will be endangered before Christmas – long before the anticipated returns of valuable reinforcements Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody.
“Needless to say, he’s going to be . . . we know what Steph does and myself,” Green said of Lendeborg. “But he’s going to be important.”
Being the third component of a determining trio is a lot to ask of a rookie, no matter his age, but Lendeborg’s history indicates he is built to produce. He played three levels of college basketball, adjusting to different roles, constantly improving and becoming the best player on his team.
With Jimmy Butler III rehabilitating from surgery to repair a torn right ACL, there is an opening for a fearless forward capable of scoring in multiple ways including drawing fouls and getting to the line – creating scoring opportunities for his teammates and grabbing rebounds in traffic. The Warriors hope Butler can return early in 2027, but his absence is Lendeborg’s opportunity.
“Whenever you bring in younger guys, they all just want to get busy and get to it right away, scoring and doing all of these things,” Butler said of Lendeborg. “And he can do that at a high level.”
Lendeborg averaged 11 rebounds per game as a bruising power forward in two seasons at the University of Alabama-Birmingham before transferring to Michigan, where he slid over to the wing and shot 37.2 percent from deep – and led the Wolverines to the national championship.
Kerr is not promising a starting role for the rookie, but no one else on the current roster is equipped with his array of tools. Gui Santos doesn’t have the size/strength combo, and neither Georges Niang nor Malevy Leons can match Lendeborg’s comprehensive skills. None of the three see the game as well.
“He gives us the size and the versatility that we need,” Kerr conceded. “He can guard bigs. He can guard wings. He’s a connector on offense, a really good passer and ball handler. I always try to check boxes with guys, evaluating them, dribble, pass, shoot, process. He checks all those boxes.”
Green on Monday recalled a sequence during a recent scrimmage in which he and Curry teamed with Lendeborg on an in-bounds play that led to a dunk for the rookie. Draymond is not easily impressed, but he was with how easily Lendeborg read the action.
“It looked like we had been playing together for a long time,” Green said. “An out-of-bounds play, somebody threw me the ball. Steph back-picked it. (Lendeborg) didn’t know he should go off. He went off. Boom. Dunk.
“Steph was like, ‘Yo, see that, because that’s going to happen a lot.’”
Lendeborg said he’d never come off a back screen and found so much space.
“They were both like, ‘That’s all year! All year!’ Super loud and aggressive,” he said of Curry and Green. “I was like, ‘Oh, wow, OK.’ If it’s going to be like that, then it’s going to be a lot of fun. So hopefully it is like that.”
Every good starting lineup has at least three reliable scoring/playmaking options. Curry is a given. Green will be asked to do more scoring from deep, and he is capable, as is De’Anthony Melton. Primary centers Kristaps Porziņģis – who is expected back after training camp – and Al Horford can space the floor.
But Golden State’s early fate practically begs for significant contributions from Lendeborg. If he delivers, they could surprise. And he might achieve a particular goal.
“I feel like I could win Rookie of the Year,” Lendeborg said. “But that’s not my main focus.”
“There’s a blueprint in the NBA right now where some of the best teams — guys really really enjoy spending time with each other.”
I enjoyed this quote from Danny Wolf on Brooklyn Nets Media Day (which Collin Helwig admirably covered here, particularly all news items), because you typically hear “blueprint” regarding roster construction and team-wide traits like positional size and ball-handling, but I enjoy the idea of like, Sean Marks consulting his Friendship Coordinator to track what free agents share the most common interests with Egor Dëmin. Not that Wolf is wrong. He is one of many Gen Z basketball fans inundated with stories of true killers like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant verbally abusing their teammates, only to see Oklahoma City Thunder’s youngsters and the “Power of Friendship” ‘Nova Knicks win the past two titles.
Rest assured, the Brooklyn Nets aren’t chasing friendship. Not exactly. But Danny Wolf was one of the last players to speak at Media Day, and his comments on locker-room chemistry were right in line with the day’s theme, and only a little bit because every player is smiley and eager to buy into his role on day one. Incoming veterans brought the energy, though. Mikel Brown Jr. again called himself a savant while Dëmin joked about his golf game, but if there was anything to learn about the 2026-27 Nets at Media Day, it was from Julius Randle, Keon Ellis, and Moe Wagner.
These are not late-stage-Garrett-Temple veterans, pseudo-coaches that just practice hard. They will play heavy minutes in direct competition with recent draft picks while fostering a fun, competitive environment at the same time. That’s the hope, anyway.
“They’ve been outstanding,” said Head Coach Jordi Fernández. “And the reason why is they’re not trying to do too much. What they’re trying to do is show how they’re pros, and you start leading by example. And then when you start earning that trust, because you work every day and you’ve done it for so many years and so forth, then you can keep taking steps.”
The Brooklyn Nets will not put 22 different players on the court this season in an overt race to the bottom of the league. There are expectations — maybe not of 50 wins, but that Malachi Smith, Tre Scott, and Tyson Etienne won’t lead the team in April minutes. Randle, Ellis, and Wagner personify those expectations, and though you can quibble with each player’s productivity, their presence was felt on Media Day.
Wagner had no shortage of feel-good quotes: “I don’t have to prove anything. Like, I feel very secure with who I am. I don’t want to steal anyone’s spots, I don’t want to compete with anyone on the team about minutes or anything, I want to win long term … I think the chemistry here in this building is amazing.”
The big German offered to take Day’Ron Sharpe, with whom he was sharing the podium, on the subway for the first time (it’s only Day’Ron’s sixth year in Brooklyn). Wagner complimented Day’Ron’s game extensively, congratulated him on marriage, and the two laughed about smack-talk and referee-baiting. Then Day’Ron, suddenly in his sixth year in the NBA, opened up about being a leader: “I just try to be there when [young players] need me … I try to just give them the words of advice, words of encouragement. I was 19, 20, you know, I wasn’t the best. I made some wrong decisions, I wasn’t the best professional. So I just try to lead by example, and you know, that’s all I can do.”
Sharpe is no Julius Randle, though. Entering his 13th NBA season, Randle discussed his evolution as a 3-point shooter, telling stories about being Kobe Bryant’s teammate, and even whatever the heck happened on his golf trip with Brown Jr. and Dëmin:
Julius Randle told me that he quickly learned that Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. are still kids during their trip to Texas:
“We’re on the golf course and third hole in, they were trying to take their shirts off. They didn't understand golf etiquette. Mikel broke a club, a… pic.twitter.com/neQYXkC3BM
Randle already has love for his two baby-faced guards, and he echoed the classic line about leadership. It’s, spoiler alert, mostly done by example. But he at least explained why: “They’re obviously really, really talented, extremely talented. But they have a competitive nature, being around them early, just a hunger to get better. So when you have that, all you really just need is guidance and example.”
Fans of Julius Randle’s previous teams will tell you that he is incredibly moody. That his bad moods can swing a game, a season, a locker room. The Minnesota Timberwolves did not seem to miss him at their Media Day.
Ant on the roster changes:
“I’m gonna miss Naz for sure, that’s my brother, but I’m super happy about the changes in the locker room” pic.twitter.com/PG7BcUE92P
Brooklyn is a far cry from his previous situations, though. Julius Randle is now the stabilizing force for an up-and-coming team that probably won’t even be good, just hopefully competitive. Little stands in the way of his touches and minutes, while the 31-year-old father is also excited to live in New York City once more.
Randle gushed about the transition for his eldest son, who is back at his old school with his old friends, adding, “When things are easier off the court, when they’re great at home and they’re happy and all of those things, it makes the basketball part, the work part, that much easier. I don’t even consider it work, but it makes the basketball part that much easier. So I feel really balanced, really happy, at peace here.”
I believe that it will last. Am I also delusionally optimistic? Keon Ellis is a bit younger, 26 years old but still well into veteran-status on this neophytic team. Especially after his Media Day presser, where he gave textbook answers in a booming, made-for-broadcasting voice. For example, is he worried about minutes? No: “It’s the same problem that every team is gonna have. Everyone’s fighting for minutes, and I mean, it’s just the nature of the game too. So I think everyone, you know, trying to fight for spots, minutes, whatever, it just makes you know your teammate better. For whoever is going to play.”
Wagner, Randle, and Ellis are unlike the new faces we’ve seen at recent Brooklyn Nets Media Days. They are established veterans in both character and talent; Sean Marks wanted leaders, sure, but these guys want an opportunity to play for a winning club. Trendon Watford, Keon Johnson, and Ziaire Williams for example, were all veterans to some degree, but those guys just really needed to play. Even (or especially) for a crappy team.
Even when answering a question about Michael Porter Jr., Sean Marks went right to the leadership well: “We’re expecting big things from not only himself, but Mo and Keon and Julius, the guys we brought in who have seen other environments, and we’re asking them to lead and to lead by example, both on and off the court.”
Once again, that C-word. Culture. Character too, for that matter. Sean Marks and the Nets are all about it, and on Monday morning, it was evident. Will the rookies and sophomores benefit? This team has taken a minor step toward relevancy, but are these the right veterans to usher in the major step, the blockbuster trade(s) Nets fans are impatiently longing for? We’ll find out quite soon.
The Brooklyn Nets open preseason play with a road game against the Charlotte Hornets on October 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Jesús Luzardo will start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday in Atlanta, 22 days after his previous start.
Activated from the injured list Sunday, Luzardo threw four pitches and induced three groundouts. The appearance could not show how deep he is ready to pitch, but the Phillies came away comfortable enough to give him the ball.
Luzardo’s previous start showed why the Phillies wanted that option. On Sept. 7, Labor Day, he threw the first complete game of his career in his 150th major league start. He struck out 12 and needed 109 pitches in a 1-0 win over the Braves.
It completed a 16-start run in which Luzardo went 10-1 with a 1.70 ERA and the Phillies went 14-2. No qualified pitcher in baseball had a lower ERA from June 10 through Sept. 7.
His average arm angle in the complete game was 26.5 degrees.
That reading put a stamp on a trend that had developed start by start. Luzardo was at 32.1 degrees on June 5. His angle dipped below 30 on June 23 and remained there for each of his final 14 starts.
As the angle fell, his results improved. The connection is more complicated than one mechanical number. Luzardo also threw more first-pitch strikes and leaned harder on one of baseball’s best sweepers in favorable counts.
Asked Monday about the lower slot, J.T. Realmuto pointed to more than the breaking ball.
“I don’t know the numbers or anything to back it up, but for me, it actually feels like his fastball got better,” Realmuto said.
Realmuto saw Luzardo beating right-handed hitters with the four-seamer more often. Better location could have contributed, but the pitches also worked together.
“I feel like his fastball played up when his arm slot lowered a little bit, and that just makes the sweeper that much better,” Realmuto said.
The numbers support what Realmuto saw. Against right-handed hitters, Luzardo’s four-seam whiff rate rose from 15.2 percent over his first 15 starts to 23.4 percent over his final 14. Their slugging percentage in plate appearances ending with the pitch fell from .554 to .389.
The lower slot was not entirely new. Luzardo raised his arm in 2024 to create more ride on his four-seam fastball. The delivery aggravated his back, and a lumbar stress reaction ended his season in June. With the Phillies in 2025, he returned to a lower slot that better fit his body and new sweeper.
He went lower again in 2026 without a planned overhaul or target number. Speaking Sept. 11 during the Phillies’ previous trip to Atlanta, Luzardo said he followed what felt right.
“It just felt better,” Luzardo said. “Just felt cleaner and easier for me to repeat my mechanics that way.”
“Gradually, some days I would throw a little lower, and I was like, ‘All right, that feels pretty good. Let me try that out,'” Luzardo said. “Every time I threw down there, it just felt cleaner and cleaner.”
Phillies assistant pitching coach Mark Lowy, who spoke that same day, has known Luzardo since the left-hander was a teenager. He also sees a delivery that works better with a lower slot.
“For him, the slot being lower, the rotation is a little bit cleaner,” Lowy said. “It just seems like that works with his body.”
“It’s more like a health and philosophy thing for me than pitch shapes or execution,” Lowy said. “I think he’s just kind of settled back down into more of a natural slot.”
One day later, left shoulder stiffness forced Luzardo out of his scheduled start. The Phillies eventually placed him on the 15-day injured list with inflammation. The timing adds context to Lowy’s health framing. The lower slot did not make Luzardo injury-proof, but it does not erase what the preceding three months showed.
A real change, with a tracking caveat
Statcast measures arm angle from a pitcher’s throwing shoulder to the ball at release. Luzardo’s pitch-weighted average fell from 31.4 degrees over his first 15 starts to 26.7 over his final 14, a drop of 4.7 degrees.
The shift cannot be explained by throwing more sweepers, a pitch he already releases from a lower angle. His arm angle dropped by at least four degrees on each of his four pitches. His release point also moved about two inches lower and three inches farther to the side.
Lowy warned against placing too much weight on a comparison between readings from different ballparks.
“I’m always a little bit of a skeptic with some of the measurements we get outside of CBP,” Lowy said. “Just ’cause you never know how well everything’s calibrated, and I don’t want to compare, you know, a road park to our home park.”
One road start still stood out. On July 9 in Cincinnati, Luzardo followed what felt natural instead of forcing his arm higher.
“Cincinnati stood out to me when he threw there, just visually,” Lowy said. “Throughout the outing, it just looked lower. I think instead of trying to create it differently, he kind of just fed into the lower slot, then he threw really well that day.”
Luzardo’s measured angle was 25.7 degrees. He allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings and struck out 11. Entering 2026, his previous lows were 28.0 degrees in a regular-season start and 27.6 in the postseason. Cincinnati was his first start on record below 27.
The broader change remains clear when road readings are removed. Luzardo averaged 31.3 degrees in his eight early starts at Citizens Bank Park. He averaged 26.1 in his six later home starts, a 5.2-degree drop measured in the same ballpark.
What changed with it
June 23 is the dividing line because it was Luzardo’s first start below 30 degrees.
Metric
First 15 starts
Final 14 starts
Arm angle
31.4°
26.7°
Innings
85 2/3
93
ERA
4.20
1.65
Estimated xERA
3.41
2.32
WHIP
1.31
0.87
Opponent average
.259
.170
Strikeout rate
26.6%
34.2%
Walk rate
7.4%
6.9%
His estimated xERA, which accounts for strikeouts, walks and quality of contact, also improved. The actual ERA swing was even larger.
Lowy said early results obscured some good work. A broken-bat single and a nine-pitch walk could precede a three-run homer. In another order, the same events might produce one run.
“All the numbers underneath the surface early on pointed to, like, dude, you’re doing a really, really good job,” Lowy said. “Let’s not panic.”
The lower angle should not receive credit for every result. Luzardo allowed five runs, one earned, in his first sub-30-degree start. He later allowed six earned runs in Miami at 26.8 degrees.
The relevant change is his broader move into a lower release window, not whether he was at 25 degrees or 27 in one start.
An elite sweeper, used differently
Luzardo’s sweeper finished among the best pitches in baseball. Only five qualifying pitches produced more than its plus-23 run value. Its 47.6 percent whiff rate ranked fifth. The .159 slugging percentage against it was third lowest, while the .112 batting average was second lowest.
The movement numbers alone do not show the lower slot making it better. The sweeper’s horizontal movement held at about 8.5 inches. Its velocity barely changed, and its whiff rate went from 47.2 percent to 47.8.
“I don’t think the pitch necessarily changed,” Luzardo said. “I think maybe a lower slot, different approach angle.”
The same break can look different from a lower and wider starting point. Luzardo believes the ball begins farther behind a left-handed hitter and farther away from a right-handed hitter.
“Whether it does add or doesn’t add more inches horizontally, I think just the angle itself probably helps me,” Luzardo said.
The lower release also works with his sinker, which moves in the opposite direction.
“Adding the sinker out of that slot kind of creates a little more east and west,” Luzardo said.
The results were most pronounced against left-handed hitters. Their chase rate against his sweeper rose from 38 percent to 46 percent. In 41 plate appearances that ended with the pitch during the second span, lefties had two singles in 40 at-bats and struck out 29 times.
Across Luzardo’s entire arsenal, lefties hit .105 in the second span. His strikeout rate against them climbed from 26 percent to 44 percent.
The largest strategic change was when Luzardo threw the sweeper. With two strikes, its usage jumped from 43.3 percent to 56.4. His changeup use in those counts fell from 23.7 percent to 10.7.
“Analytically now, baseball is going towards, like, you throw your best pitch in favorable counts,” Luzardo said.
The sweeper’s chase rate climbed from 33 percent to 42 percent. Its putaway rate, the share of two-strike sweepers that produced a strikeout, rose from 27 percent to 32 percent.
“I think more guys just have a hole to a sweeper than they do to a changeup,” Luzardo said. “A lot of times changeup seems to be a weak-contact pitch. And if you’re looking for swing and miss, it’s probably something else, at least for me.”
The changeup was not obsolete. Luzardo said the choice remained lineup-dependent, but he found more chances to finish hitters with the sweeper.
More first-pitch strikes
Getting ahead was a separate adjustment. Luzardo did not describe it as a direct result of lowering his arm.
“I was struggling earlier,” Luzardo said. “I don’t think it was really because of that, but I was falling behind more.”
His overall zone rate barely changed, from 46.2 percent to 46.9. His first-pitch strike rate made a larger jump, from 59.8 percent to 65.4.
“I think that we just made a conscious effort, like, I need to get in the zone more. I need to start ahead more,” Luzardo said. “Whatever pitch that is, make sure it’s in the zone.”
Getting the first strike created more chances to use his sweeper. His overall chase rate increased only one point, from 33.2 percent to 34.2. The larger increase was concentrated against his best pitch.
The lower slot happened by feel. The commitment to early strikes was intentional. They developed together during the best stretch of his career, even if the data cannot assign each change an exact share of the credit.
Luzardo finished the regular season 14-5 with a 2.86 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 179 2/3 innings.
“He knows what he needs rather than, ‘I’m gonna go do what everyone else does, because that’s how it’s supposed to look,'” Lowy said.
The Phillies do not know how many innings Luzardo can give them Tuesday. Sunday showed that he could return to a major league mound. His final 16 starts explained why they were willing to put him back on one in Game 1.
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On July 6th, the Sixers added a piece in a monster trade with the Celtics. That piece is a five-time NBA All-Star and Finals MVP.
On July 24th? Well … We all know what happened that day.
Many said it didn’t feel real. That it wouldn’t set in until LeBron James was in a Sixers uniform. Well that time has come, and seeing it in person was something else.
The day started early. No phones or cameras were allowed until morning practice concluded at 10 a.m.
There was a big huddle as the players wrapped up practice. Then Maxey and James started shooting at the basket next to our setup, and a couple of rebounds came our way.
Carts loaded with lighting, backdrops and camera equipment flooded in. Sets quickly lined the perimeter of two basketball courts. Then things got hectic.
Justin Edwards, Jabari Walker and Adem Bona made their way onto the courts. Then Edgecombe and Maxey. But no one could miss LeBron.
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s own Amy Fadool sat down with James for an exclusive one-on-one interview. It was surreal to be just feet away as he began his stint in Philadelphia.
NBC Sports Philadelphia wasn’t just filming with the players on the court. We were also streaming the podium press conferences and taping promos for Sixers Pregame and Postgame Live.
I snuck away to get some action of Tyrese Maxey as he read scripts for hype videos and promos.
It was chaotic and fast-paced, but somehow calming at the same time. We got to see the Sixers up close and personal, but the best part was everything happening in between.
Players messing around. Playing rock-paper-scissors. Taking turns at the basket.
It was a small glimpse of just how excited everyone seemed to be. Joel Embiid with a huge smile on his face. James and Maxey interrupting each other’s interviews. Players joking around between takes.
There was an energy around this team that felt different. And for one day, we got to see it from a few feet away.
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
