DETROIT, MI - MARCH 20: Kristaps Porzingis #7 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball during the game against the Detroit Pistons on March 20, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors new they were taking a big risk when they acquired Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline. While Porzingis has at times been one of the most talented big men in the NBA, the Latvian has consistently struggle to stay on the court throughout recent seasons. A combination of injuries and chronic illness have limited him to fewer than 58 games in six of the past eight seasons. However, he seems quite happy to be working with Warriors lead physiotherapist Rick Celebrini.
“Rick is amazing,” Porzingis told reporters about Celebrini after Wednesday’s 109-106 victory over the Nets. “Rick is the GOAT.”
While Porzingis declined getting into the specifics of Celebrini’s treatment regiment with him, he is clearly confident that he is in good hands. It’s still early, but the recent signs have been positive. Porzingis has appeared in just 26 games this season, 17 with the Hawks and nine with the Warriors. However, he’s played eight of the Dubs last 11 games.
With free agency on the horizon, Porzingis is showcasing health at an ideal time for him. Perhaps his comfort with Celebrini will give the Warriors an advantage in extension negotiations, possibly creating a pathway to a team-friendly contract. On the season, Porzingis is averaging 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 23.5 minutes per game on 44.4%/33.3%/83.5% shooting.
NEW YORK CITY - MARCH 25: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addresses the media following the Board of Governors meetings on March 25, 2026 at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. 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 David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Adam Silver loves to to quickly react to public outcry. Sometimes, it works: the 2026 NBA All-Star Game was fun and competitive with shorter games and a USA vs. The World format after years of drab and uncompetitive play. The 65-game rule for award eligibility feels like more of a mixed bag: it does feel like some stars are resting less often to meet the threshold, but it also works against players like Cade Cunningham, who deserved a First-Team All-NBA spot this season but won’t get it because of an unfortunate collapsed lung late in the season.
On Friday morning, the NBA dropped three anti-tanking proposals via ESPN insider Shams Charania. A vote is coming in May, and it’s likely to go into effect for the 2027 NBA Draft. Here are the three plans the league is considering:
1. 18 teams in draft lottery (seeds 7-15 in each conference) – flattened odds, with bottom 10 teams having an 8% chance, the remaining 20% odds distributed in decreasing order for 11 through 18, and and a lottery drawing for all 18 picks.
2) 22 teams in lottery using 2-year record (seeds 7-15, plus the four playoff first round exits in both conferences). Lottery teams would reach a minimum win total floor in each season, such as 25 wins. If a team falls short of the floor, it gets slotted to meet the floor. Top 4 drawn as part of lottery, as is currently.
3) 18 teams in a “5 by 5” lottery – bottom 5 teams have equal odds for the top pick, with lottery formed for picks 1-5. Bottom 5 teams have a floor at 10; those that fall out of top 5 get sorted in a separate drawing.
As I wrote the last time the NBA leaked some anti-tanking measures: “in rushing to find a medicine to cure tanking, the NBA risks giving itself bigger problems from the side effects.” It seems even more true now. Tanking is a problem to some degree, but it’s not among the league’s biggest problems, which should start with the length of the season, the pace of play, and the rules favoring the offense too much. These proposals will all have unintended consequences and threaten to make the NBA’s “tanking” issues much worse going forward.
There are a myriad of issues here. For one, it feels like it’s punishing the wrong teams. The NBA’s “tanking crisis” was caused by teams like the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards actively resting healthy players to avoid winning games so they can maximize their ping pong balls. Well, the Jazz traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Wizards traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis so both can be competitive next year. These changes penalize teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls who eschewed tanking for years to try to win before coming to the realization that they couldn’t get out of the middle. The Grizzlies and Bulls both seem primed to “tank” next year — aka, undergo a full rebuild — but now they would be working with a completely different set of rules than the ones they made their recent trade deadline decisions under.
There’s also a lot of picks already traded under the current system. Those picks would become more valuable or less valuable depending on which rule change is adopted.
Consequences of lottery reform could be felt for teams that owe future firsts and swaps.
Starting in 2027, 21 teams have at least 1 first/swap owed in the next 7 years.
Imagine being the Portland Trail Blazers thinking you’re getting some primo Milwaukee Bucks picks after trading a franchise icon in Damian Lillard to them. Suddenly, the lottery could be open to playoff teams, and the chances of those picks paying off are greatly diminished.
Back to trades: one advantage the NBA has over other pro leagues in maintaining interest is all the trade chatter and offseason movement. It feels like speculating about trades is such a key factor in getting fans invested about the NBA, and these deals happen way more often in the NBA than they do in the NFL, MLB, or NHL. Adopting one of these anti-tanking measures could kill the trade speculation that makes the league so fun to follow. Star trades are good for the NBA, and under these rules teams would have more incentives to just hang onto their guys rather than chasing a big package of picks to kick start a rebuild. Does Silver really want a trade deadline every year where only sixth men are involved in deals?
Let’s tackle each of the NBA tanking proposals one-by-one:
1. 18 teams in draft lottery (seeds 7-15 in each conference) – flattened odds, with bottom 10 teams having an 8% chance, the remaining 20% odds distributed in decreasing order for 11 through 18, and and a lottery drawing for all 18 picks.
Last year, the Dallas Mavericks jumped from No. 11 to No. 1 in the draft lottery. The San Antonio Spurs also jumped way up after Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending injury late in the year. Did good teams winning the lottery fix tanking? No! Tanking is worse than ever this year. This plan would have decent-to-good teams jump up more often, and bad teams staying bad. Given that it’s so hard to sign good free agents under the current rules, and that trades could become less frequent if this is adopted, the league risks its bad teams never getting any hope.
2. 22 teams in lottery using 2-year record (seeds 7-15, plus the four playoff first round exits in both conferences). Lottery teams would reach a minimum win total floor in each season, such as 25 wins. If a team falls short of the floor, it gets slotted to meet the floor. Top 4 drawn as part of lottery, as is currently.
OK, so now teams are just going to start resting their good players once they get to 25 wins. Genius.
3. 18 teams in a “5 by 5” lottery – bottom 5 teams have equal odds for the top pick, with lottery formed for picks 1-5. Bottom 5 teams have a floor at 10; those that fall out of top 5 get sorted in a separate drawing.
This only creates a bigger race to tank into the bottom five. When there’s eight teams that want those five lottery spots, you are going to have some ugly, ugly basketball.
Here’s another big picture thought:
Tanking is part of the NBA life cycle, and the league only needs a minor fix
The Detroit Pistons won 17 games three years ago and 14 games two years ago. Now they’re the best team in the Eastern Conference because they built through the draft. The Phoenix Suns went from the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 to the 2021 NBA Finals despite choosing the wrong player in Deandre Ayton. The Houston Rockets were in the dumps after the James Harden trade, but now have one of the NBA’s better young cores and should be set up for annual contention. The Spurs went from worst-to-first by landing Victor Wembanyama … and then also moving up in the lottery the next two years.
Tanking for a couple seasons is fine. The biggest issues happen when teams do it year after year. That’s why the most sensible tanking solution is this: teams can only pick in the top-5 two out of every three years, and after that your pick is frozen at the end of the lottery.
There are unintended consequences with my plan too, of course. Take the Wizards. They landed at No. 2 in the 2024 draft lottery, but fell to No. 6 with the NBA’s second-worst record last year. If they fall to No. 6 in this year’s lottery again, it would reset their tanking clock.
Ultimately, every tanking fix is going to have unintended consequences. We’ve seen that with the current reform that flattened the odds back in 2019, and subsequently caused wider tank races. The NBA needs to remember what’s really important beyond short-lived bad publicity: fans of bad teams need to find a way to have hope. The draft is the best way to do it, and the proof is in the standings that it has allowed the NBA’s worst teams to rebuild pretty quickly many times before.
My wildest tanking fix? Just have the league pick who they think deserves each draft choice. The NBA is in the business of selling stories. Let’s say the Grizzlies won the 2003 lottery instead of the Cavs. LeBron James going to the Grizzlies just isn’t as good of a story as it was with him going to his hometown team, and it probably would have cost the league a lot of money. Funny how things worked out so well. I think the same thing about Wembanyama: by going to the Spurs in 2023, he’s continuing that franchise’s long tradition of Hall of Fame big men and international stars. It just doesn’t hit the same if the Hornets won the lottery instead of coming in second. I realize this is extreme and I’m not even sure if I’m joking here, but league could just decide, hey, the Bulls deserve the No. 1 pick this year, and the Jazz and Wizards deserve to fall, because Chicago was more ethical in its team-building choices. I swear there are worse ideas.
The tanking discourse is out of control right now because the 2025 and 2026 drafts were so strong. Rushing into quick fixes without understanding the full scope of how it will change the league just feels so shortsighted.
I believe that adopting any of these three tanking measures would make things worse. It really feels like Silver is rushing this just because fans who will never watch the Utah Jazz or Washington Wizards are complaining about the integrity of the product. Silver would be wise to take a beat and assess the problem next year when there’s bound to be less tanking due to a weaker 2027 draft class. It isn’t good practice to rush into big decisions in any pat of life, and it feels like the NBA could be on the verge of making a big mistakes if they’re committed to finding a tanking solution immediately.
The Toronto Blue Jays return to the field for the first time since coming as close as a team can to winning the World Series without doing it.
Tonight, they begin their quest for unfinished business when they open the 2026 MLB season at home against the Athletics.
My Blue Jays vs. Athletics predictions and MLB picks are backing the Toronto sticks to pick up right where they left off last season by jumping all over starter Luis Severino.
A's vs Blue Jays predictions
A's vs Blue Jays best bet: Luis Severino Over 5.5 hits allowed (-110)
The Toronto Blue Jays' lineup became famous during their World Series run for their relentless ability to make contact and frustrate opposing pitchers, and that won’t change on Opening Night.
The Blue Jays led the majors in batting average and were fifth in wRC+ vs. right-handed pitchers last season, with the only big change being Kazuma Okamoto replacing Bo Bichette.
The Athletics hand the ball to right-hander Luis Severino on Friday night. Despite looking good in the WBC, Severino ranked in the 14th percentile in expected batting average.
The Jays will rack up the hits on Opening Day.
COVERS INTEL: Severino allowed seven hits in just 4 2/3 innings in his lone start against the Blue Jays last season.
A's vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)
The Blue Jays batter who’s arguably had the most success against Severino is catcher Alejandro Kirk.
Kirk just sees the ball extremely well out of Severino’s hand. He’s 4-for-6 with six walks in 12 career plate appearances against Severino. That’s good for a .341 expected batting average.
Then let’s look at the newest Blue Jay in Okamoto. The Japanese star was a production monster in the NBP, racking up 827 RBIs.
He’s projected to be hitting in the six spot in the Jays lineup and should have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs tonight, meaning this price on his RBI is a steal.
A's vs Blue Jays SGP
Luis Severino Over 5.5 hits allowed
Alejandro Kirk Over 1.5 total bases
Kazuma Okamoto Over 0.5 RBIs
A's vs Blue Jays home run pick: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+425)
While people were wondering about his power during the regular season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made everyone forget about that with one of the great postseason runs of all time.
Vladdy hit eight home runs during the Blue Jays' run to the World Series with a 1.289 OPS.
Guerrero is also a solid 5-for-14 in his career vs. Severino with one home run, good for a .437 expected slugging. So, while it may seem a little on the nose to take Vladdy to go deep in Game 1, I love the value with him in this spot.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 1-0, +1.36 units
SGPs: 0-1, -1 units
HR picks: 0-1, -1 units
A's vs Blue Jays odds
Moneyline: A's +150 | Toronto -175
Run line: A's +1.5 (-135) | Toronto -1.5 (+115)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
A's vs Blue Jays trend
The Blue Jays have hit the Team Total Over in 76 of their last 125 games for +21.35 Units and a 15% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for A's vs. Blue Jays.
How to watch A's vs Blue Jays and game info
Location
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Date
Friday, March 27, 2026
First pitch
7:07 p.m. ET
TV
NBC Sports California, Sportsnet
A's starting pitcher
Luis Severino (2025: 8-11, 4.54 ERA)
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Kevin Gausman (2025: 10-11, 3.59 ERA)
A's vs Blue Jays latest injuries
A's vs Blue Jays weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Feb 14, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at press conference during the NBA All Star game at the Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
It’s not quite a Friday news dump, but it might as well be one.
In his latest attempt to thwart tanking, NBA commissioner Adam Silver leaked a few new rules he plans to implement to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Here are lots of words:
The NBA presented three comprehensive anti-tanking concepts to its Board of Governors on Wednesday, with modifications expected to each before a formal vote in May, per ESPN sources.
1. 18 teams in draft lottery (seeds 7-15 in each conference) – flattened odds, with bottom 10…
Like everything else the NBA does — see: the current CBA, All-Star Game format — this is so convoluted. How do you expect the average fan, the people who you are most trying to appease with anti-tanking rules, to understand or even care about this?
And how does this even help? Having a worse record still gives you a better chance at a higher draft pick. When teams don’t have the ability to build a competitive roster, losing games on purpose will still beat vying for a spot in the Play-In.
The idea of factoring in two years worth of records is also silly. You want teams to be more competitive, so you punish them for tanking, which will then make them even worse. How does that create competitive balance?
What about the teams who are just bad without tanking? The Chicago Bulls came into the season looking to reasonably compete (I know, I know). After being stuck in Play-In purgatory, Chicago fans are probably ecstatic the front office finally decided to go this route.
People make fun of The Process, but it worked. The Sixers were irrelevant basically from the time Allen Iverson was traded until Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons arrived — save for one playoff run where they benefitted from a significant injury to Derrick Rose. No, they haven’t won a championship, but they’ve built multiple rosters over the years that at least felt like they had a chance. And the tanking wasn’t full-proof — they selected Markelle Fultz first overall and Jahlil Okafor third. You still need to have an ounce of competence to make the strategy work.
Look at the top teams in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder deployed the most brazen tanking strategy in professional sports and now they have a juggernaut. The San Antonio Spurs, an organization that’s considered a gold standard, tanked their way into Victor Wembanyama. The Detroit Pistons are led by No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, but suffered plenty with other bad selections after tanking.
The bottom line is the best franchises find the best way to acquire talent. When you see teams like the Thunder and Spurs tank to build what will likely be dynasties, you know it’s a viable and effective strategy — if you draft properly and get a good bit of luck.
I’ll admit to bias in being a pro-tank guy. I think about teams who are always in the lottery because they don’t have great front offices and they’re not attractive enough destinations for free agents. Even if they don’t tank, they still won’t be very good. Again, how do any of these rules help competitive balance? How can a team like the Washington Wizards get out of NBA hell without tanking?
NBA ratings are OK. There are great games being played almost every night. I just watched that Rockets-Timberwolves game the other night. It was awesome. I think the playoffs have a chance to be very competitive and a lot of fun.
We spend so much time focusing on tanking and not enough on the actual awesome games being played. If you don’t want to watch the Thunder destroy the Bulls, don’t want watch it. Flip on Hawks-Celtics or Heat-Cavs instead.
Tanking and load management are considered big problems with the NBA, but Silver hasn’t done anything to help either cause. Less games might be the answer to both, but then people would lose money.
And therein lies the problem — are you trying to produce the best product or trying to make the most money? Maybe by simply improving the product, the money will come. It’s hard to see how these rules do either.
HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 26: Hunter Brown #58 of the Houston Astros reacts in the fourth inning during the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kevin M. Cox/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Norris, the Opening Day starter for the Astros in their inaugural American League campaign in 2013, shared his thoughts on Houston’s Opening Day starter this year, new staff ace Hunter Brown.
Bud Norris can relate. He had his moment of glory with the Astros as a number one starter in 2013. That day, he’d pave the way for Houston’s inaugural win as a member of the American League. Bud’s excitement bubbled over in a recent conversation with us at the Crawfish Boxes.
Q: How special is going out there as the ace of a staff?
A: It goes without saying, that it’s a huge honor. You can only nominate one guy for Opening Day and there’s only 30 teams in baseball. It’s an opportunity to showcase yourself to your team and the fans. Hunter has earned that. It’s an entire body of work. It’s the years of high school ball, college, the minor leagues, all of that. They all accumulate to that moment and a special day. It’s also about being consistent for 30 starts and getting this club back into the postseason.
Q: What makes Hunter’s stuff so good? We saw moments yesterday where he dominated but also moments where he went deep into counts, running up his total pitch count.
A: He’s a big figure out there. He’s 6’5”, has an over-the-top motion and he gets really good angles which makes his breaking pitches that much better. His curve ball has a lot of bite to it and guys don’t really get good looks at it. I like the way he attacks the strike zone. He might have been trying to be a little too perfect in spots.
Q: He really grew up last year did he not?
A: Every time he went out there last season, he gave his team five, six, seven, eight innings or more, he was always pitching deep into ballgames and had a work horse mentality. And so now, when you’re the front-line starter, this is exactly what it entails. You have to be durable, reliable, consistent and try to eclipse 200 innings and 30 starts. He’s the right guy to do that and lead the younger rotation this year. He’s going to have a really big year. I wouldn’t dwell on the walks, I would focus on the nine K’s.
Norris would start 30 games in 2013 for Houston, and finish his career with 67 wins and 1,153 strikeouts.
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 18: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears during an NFL divisional playoff football game on January 18, 2026 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The ascent of Caleb Williams in his second NFL season was dramatic. It was a rocky beginning, working with new head coach Ben Johnson for the first time, but by the midpoint of the season the two had managed to marry Johnson’s exacting passing demands with Williams’ creativity, giving Chicago something truly special.
One way this manifested throughout 2025 was Williams’ incredible ability in the clutch, leading the Bears’ to six fourth-quarter comebacks and six game-winning drives. He started to get the nickname “Iceman” as a result, referring to his cold nature with the game on the line. One problem: The original “Iceman” in sports isn’t happy.
“I’ve been the Iceman for 40-something years,” Gervin said. “I never thought anybody would try to trademark it. He kind of knocked me out the box.”
Gervin garnered the nickname in 1974 after being drafted into the NBA by the Spurs following several successful ABA seasons. Teammates and fans said Gervin’s relaxed, loose play was effortlessly cool — they also noted that no matter how intense a game was, Gervin seemingly never sweat on the while playing basketball, hence the nickname. Between 1977-1982 the Spurs’ guard won four NBA scoring titles, peaking in 1981-82 when Gervin averaged 33.1 points-per-game on 50% shooting on the year. One of the best pure scorers in NBA history, Gervin was a nine-time All-Star, and was named to the All-NBA First Team five years in a row at his peak.
After learning about Caleb Williams’ trademark attempt Gervin has moved to trademark “Iceman” himself. Now it will be up to the United States Patent and Trading Office (USPTO) to decide who gets the nickname. There’s precedent from the USPTO to both award trademarks to the individual who first filed (which would be Williams), but also side with later filings if there has been a longstanding established history of usage (which would side with Gervin).
The battle over who owns “Iceman” is only just beginning.
Approaching the top of the list and getting to prospects with more impact potential, we have lefty and righty high school pitchers with plus pitches, a faraway infielder with a sky high ceiling contrasted against a skills over tools outfielder on the cusp of the majors.
12. Juan Sanchez, SS, age 18 (DOB: 9/27/2007), grade: 40, 2025: unranked
Sanchez received the second largest bonus in the Blue Jays’ 2025 international class at just a hair under $1-million, so while he wasn’t one of the very top ranked prospects there was certainly some pedigree there. He more than put himself on the map last summer with a LOUD debut at .341/.439/.565, more than 50% abover league average.
Hot for average? Check. Power? Check. An idea at the plate? Check. There’s plenty he’ll have to show against much better pitching of course, but everything looks good so far. In the Spring Breakout game, Sanchez smashed a hanging slider from the Phillies 4th rounder last year off the fence with a short swing that exploded off his bat. It’s but one data point, but a heck of an impression.
Defensively, he split his time between short and third, and at 6’3” is not expected to stay a shortstop despite good athleticism. Regardless, this is about the potential for an impact bat, and it that works out it’s be no trouble to find him a home elsewhere on the infield, or even potentially in the outfield. Would he ideally rank this highly in a better system? No. There’s still an incredible amount of risk here.
I really wish I had got around to publishing my just missed/pref list last year, because Stanifer was at the head of it (you’ll have to take to my word for it). The Blue Jays’ 19th rounder out of an Indianapolis high school in 2022, the Jays landed Stanifer for the $125,000 limit that doesn’t count against the draft pool. I’m always intrigued by these late round picks who clearly have a strong preference to play professionally rather than in college, and amount to essentially a free lottery ticket for the team if scouts can turn up a diamond in the rough.
So while Stanifer’s complex league debut wasn’t remarkable, I had tucked the name away and when he went up to Dunedin in the wake of several injuries to the rotation in early 2024 it was a priority follow for me. Again, while the results didn’t standout (6.34 ERA with 50 walks in 59.2 innings), there were some promising building blocks. He shows good fastball velocity, holding low-90s velocity, paired with the ability to spin a breaking ball that flashed plus. It’s just consistent strike throwing was his undoing, but nonetheless there was plenty to like.
Sometimes young pitchers never progress beyond that, and sometimes something clicks. And click it did for Stanifer in 2025. Piggybacked behind Trey Yesavage for the first half of the season, Stanifer blew away low-A hitters (0.69 ERA with 38 in 26 innings over seven starts). There were a few bumps initially at Vancouver, mostly control wobbles, but really hit his strike down the stretch in the rotation (60K in 37 IP in his last seven high-A starts) before a late season cameo up to AA.
Stanifer’s fastball was firmed up towards the mid-90s, and he misses plenty of bats with, but his best pitch is a mid-80s slider with big depth that can look like a power curve (and he mixes in either a slower variant or what is actually more of a power curve with more depth). His change-up is distinctly a third pitch, but encouragingly for a development perspective he used it plenty and would flash some good fade. Physically, he’s pretty already pretty maxxed out.
It’s going to come down to throwing enough strikes for Stanifer because the stuff is plenty good. That was an issue in his Spring Training appearances this year. Between the tenuous control and the change-up being a work in progress, my gut is he ultimately ends up in the bullpen (I’d put it at something like 75/25). He’s touched the upper 90s with his fastball and potentially could tick up to that consistently in short stints. And there’s not insignificant risk that the basic strikethrowing undermines him short of the majors.
10. Johnny King, LHP, age 19 (DOB: 7/26/2006), grade: 40+, 2025: 23th
One of the youngest players drafted in the 2024 Draft, King received a well overslot $1.25 million bonus to forgo his commitment to Miami as the Jays’ third rounder. The prototypical day two high school arm, King had a loose, whippy delivery from a low three quarters arm slot from a 6’4”/185 frame with room to add weight as he fills out.
Promoted to low-A Dunedin at midseason after bullying hitters on the complex (41K in 24 innings), King had a broadly successful 11 appearance run, with a 3.35 ERA in 37.1 innings, with a ridiculous 64 strikeouts amounting to just under 40%. The one drawback was 30 walks (18%), though it wasn’t a huge issue of not being able to throw strikes so much as running a lot of deep counts and losing hitters. A little overboard on the two true outcomes.
King did this principally with two pitches. His fastball sat in the low-90s with some run to his arm side, presenting a tough angle especially for young pitchers unfamiliar with that from the left side. He’s young enough that it could tick up as he matures and gets stronger. That’s paired with a big two-plane curve in the mid-70s that piled up swings and misses, albeit against hitters who were largely befuddled and completely eaten up by it. He used his changeup some, but more often and then he’d go away from it and rely on his others.
Though there is plenty of risk remaining, the successful debut has already somewhat derisked King’s profile in that the stuff clearly translated to full season ball. A solid athlete, he could project to have good command but it’s still well a work in progress. While he’s very young, there’s a lot of reliever traits and absent steps forward in command or to a viable third pitch, my gut would have him ultimately landing in the bullpen, with the distribution above reflecting that.
After four years at Duke and one season with Vanderbilt, Schreck was a priority senior sign by the Mariners in the 9th round of the 2023 Draft. After an unremarkable post draft debut, he put himself on the map at high-A Everett in the first half of 2024 with 12 home runs and .404 OBP. Traded to the Jays for Justin Turner, the power carried over to New Hampshire finishing the season at .251/.388/.462 (138 wRC+) and 17 HR.
I was the low guy on Schreck last year, skepticism stemming from both home parks having extreme short porches to right field thereby exaggerating his production (.240 home ISO, .188 road ISO). Beyond that, the production was driven by plate discipline outcomes, which for an experienced ACC/SEC hitter can be just waiting out wild young pitchers rather than true excellence (and his strikeout rate increased significantly at AA).
Schreck’s 2025 went a long way to dispelling at at least allaying that. After replicating his AA production, he moved up to Buffalo and had the profile hold up at AAA in posting a .242/.392/.435 line good for a 129 wRC+. He walked 16% while holding the strikeouts to 21%, and added 9 HR in half a season in a neutral environment.
While Schreck does not standout tools wise, added strength in the past few years has enhanced his power potential and he makes excellent swing decisions. Defensively, he’s been used in all three positions. While he doesn’t embarrass himself in CF and would be serviceable in a pinch, his future is in a corner where good reads and routes and an average arm acquit him well.
As a corner outfielder without above average power (or a standout hit tool), Schreck’s profile remains risky in terms of projecting a regular role. That said, he’s already shown improvements beyond his pre-draft profile with secondary skills that buffer shortcomings in raw tools. Until the profile and production shows signs of cracking, there’s reason to believe a late blooming diamond in the rough who could profile as an OBP-oriented everyday regular.
The Montreal Canadiens currently have a 93.8% chance of making the playoffs according to Moneypuck, but they are still only four points ahead of the ninth-place team in the Eastern Conference standings. That’s far from a comfortable position to be in, and the road ahead promises to be a tumultuous one. In their last 19 games at the Bell Centre, the Habs have a 14-4-1 record, scoring 3.89 goals per game and surrendering 2.42 goals per game, but they have now left the comfort of their home arena for a five-game road trip against tough opponents.
Over the next eight days, the Habs will play five games against opponents with a collective record of 30-17-3 over their last 10 games. Saturday’s opponents, the Nashville Predators, are currently battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and sit in the second wild card spot with 77 points, just one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings. Needless to say, they’ll be playing with desperation.
Then, on Sunday, the Canadiens will face the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time in less than a week, after losing 5-2 to Montreal on Tuesday, Rod Brind’Amour’s men will no doubt be looking for revenge. Furthermore, they are currently battling the Buffalo Sabres for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
On Tuesday, they’ll take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who would be their opponents if the playoffs started today. Jon Cooper’s team is having another very good season and has already beaten the Canadiens twice. A 6-1 blowout at the Bell Centre in early December and a 5-4 overtime win at the end of the same month. This will be the third of four games between the two sides this year, and on top of needing the two points, the Habs need to gain some confidence and know they can beat Tampa, especially if they are to face them in the post-season.
On Thursday, they’ll take on the mathematically eliminated New York Rangers, who are second to last in the league with a measly 65 points. At this stage, the Rags are simply going through the motions, but the two points should not be taken for granted, and that game could be a big trap for the Habs.
Finally, they’ll wrap up the trip with the first game of a back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils. Although they have yet to be mathematically eliminated, with 76 points, they are 11 points behind the New York Islanders for the second wild-card spot. On paper, they are unlikely to make up that ground, but they are still 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and have outscored their opponents 41-32 over that span.
Against opponents like Carolina and Tampa Bay, the Canadiens cannot afford to have the same kind of start they’ve been having lately. Martin St-Louis’ men need to be able to provide a solid 60-minute effort and not rely so much on their goaltenders. Dobes has a 5-2-0 record since March 7 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .931 SV %, but hockey is a team sport, and everyone needs to contribute and play their part. There can’t be any passengers, not now and certainly not during the playoffs.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 09: The 2025 35th overall pick of the MLB Draft, Luke Stevenson of the Seattle Mariners smiles before the game between the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals at T-Mobile Park on September 09, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At the time of his drafting, the sentiment surrounding Luke Stevenson as a Mariner was polarized. On one hand, landing a first round catching talent with a pick they essentially received for free felt like a massive gift. On the other hand, Stevenson had an unprecedentedly low contact rate for someone getting drafted as early as he did and understandably left fans hesitant to buy in on him as a player. How would a player that struggled with his bat-to-ball skills in college fare against increasingly advanced competition?
Though it’s still incredibly early in the grand scheme of things, the start of Stevenson’s professional career has been remarkable. Through his first 100 PA’s, Stevenson has hit .280 with more walks than strikeouts, a somewhat unexpected style of offense that greatly improved his overall outlook as a prospect. Even if the contact numbers slide given a bigger sample size, the plate discipline has been unreal thus far and there should absolutely be more power on the way. His gaudy .460 OBP isn’t a realistic benchmark for him to hold over the course of a season, but if he’s anywhere near the .400 mark, Mariner fans should be thrilled.
The defense, however, surprised no one. Walking into Modesto having already caught 58 games for the Tarheels, Stevenson immediately took on the role of starting catcher for the Nuts and did so seamlessly. Playing stellar defense behind the dish and showing off an impressively accurate throwing arm, Stevenson gave us a glimpse as to why the Mariners believe in him so strongly. It’s historically atypical to call a player with his offensive skillset a “high floor” player, but in his own roundabout way, that’s exactly the label that fits him best.
The bet on Stevenson boils down to some fairly basic calculus by Scott Hunter and company: If Stevenson is able to hit even just a little bit, the path to him being a four-win player is crystal clear. Good defensive catchers make it to the big leagues, and good defensive catchers that have 25+ homer power in the big leagues make All-Star games. It’s far from a guarantee that he reaches that level of production, but the blueprint is there. A glove-first backup feels like a pretty safe fallback option for Stevenson in his current form, but if everything clicks, we’re looking at a potential starting caliber catching prospect that could take over starting catching duties if Cal Raleigh ever decides catching 200 games a season might not be best for his body. Again, no guarantees, but the limited sample is promising.
A successful 2026 for Stevenson looks a lot like his first 100 PA’s as a professional. If he can prove the contact ability he’s shown isn’t a fluke, it’s going to be tough not to move him up these ranks come mid-season. There’s little doubt he’s got the power to step on one and send it a mile out to right field, but if he’s able to avoid selling out for that and continues to work the entire scope of the field while drawing a healthy number of walks, there just won’t be a ton to his game to poke holes in. He’s a high motor, high character leader of a team that wants to “be a servant to his staff” and has enough raw talent to be just about as good as anybody in his class. Proving it on the field is the next step, but whatever his ceiling ends up looking like, his internal drive and dedication to his craft should all but assure he reaches it.
UNC baseball star Luke Stevenson makes 1,500 PB&J sandwiches per year and eats them throughout games.
The ACC Tournament's broadcast crew couldn't believe it.
(Original Caption) Miller Huggins, manager of the New York American League baseball team, smiling. And the sporting page will tell you why, with the Yankees so far in the lead that they have only to three games out of their six to win the pennant. Sure looks as if there would be another "All New York" World Series this year. (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images) | Corbis via Getty Images
What comes to mind when you hear Miller Huggins’ name? The 1920s Yankees, surely. He is remembered primarily as the man who managed that legendary core of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Herb Pennock and company, capturing six AL pennants and three World Series titles during his twelve-year tenure.
Some might point to the sheer amount of talent on those squads and claim that Huggins was simply along for the ride. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Huggins played an instrumental role in shaping those juggernaut Yankees. He deserves to be remembered not as a manager of great teams, but a great manager.
Miller James Huggins Born: March 27, 1878 (Cincinnati, OH) Died: September 25, 1929 (New York City, NY) Yankees Tenure: (as manager) 1918-1929
Even before he became the manager of the New York Yankees, Huggins had already established a name for himself in the world of baseball, first and foremost as a fine second baseman. He broke into the major leagues with his hometown Reds in 1904 at the age of 26, immediately posting a 3.1 WAR season on the back of a .377 OBP and a reliable glove. Though he was quite a small man, even for his time — Baseball Reference lists him at 5-f00t-6 and 140 pounds — he used patience at the plate, speed on the bases, and guile on the field to outplay his opponents, earning him nicknames like “Mighty Mite” and “Little Everywhere”. Over a 13-year career, the first six of which he spent with the Reds and the rest with the St. Louis Cardinals, Huggins hit .265/.382/.314 over 1586 games and 6800 plate appearances, good for a 111 wRC+, and accumulated 39 WAR.
Huggins’ managerial career began while he was still a player, when Cardinals team owner Helene Hathaway Britton named him as player-manager in the 1912-13 offseason. His first season at the helm was quite inauspicious, as the Redbirds struggled to a 51-99 finish, last place in the National League by 12.5 games. However, Huggins was able to right the ship very quickly, leading the Cards to a third-place finish just the following year with a 81-72 record.
During Huggins’ St. Louis tenure, the team experienced significant financial difficulties. Britton sold the team over the 1916-17 offseason to a new ownership group, who hired some guy called Branch Rickey to be the president of the club. While Huggins remained at the helm in 1917, the last year of his contract, the Cardinals did not offer him a new one at season’s end. Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert seized this opportunity to sign Huggins to a two-year deal, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Or not. The start of Huggins’ 12-year Yankees tenure was far from smooth sailing, as he failed to lead the still-building team to a pennant in each of his first two seasons. Even after a certain Babe Ruth came over from Boston and proceeded to revolutionize baseball, it would take until 1921 for Huggins to capture his first pennant, and 1923 to win his, and the franchise’s, first World Series.
Huggins faced myriad difficulties as the Yankees’ manager. Not only was he faced with a hostile New York press, he had to handle a team that had no shortage of big personalities. And no personality was bigger than the biggest man in the game, both figuratively and literally — George Herman Ruth. Initially, Huggins took a laissez-faire approach, turning a blind eye to the slugger’s drinking and partying. However, this understandably had a negative impact on both Huggins’ leadership and team morale. Moreover, even when Huggins did try to reprimand Ruth for crossing a line, he was sabotaged by team co-owner Til Huston (full name Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston, which is probably the best name I’ve had the honor of typing), who was Ruth’s drinking buddy, and did not take Huggins’ side when he came into conflict with the Babe.
All this strife and pressure took a steep toll on Huggins’ health. After the 1920 season saw the Yankees lose a close pennant race, Huggins suffered a nervous breakdown, later revealing that he seriously considered quitting at the time. The following year, Huggins missed time to a case of blood poisoning. Later that year, when the Yankees momentarily relinquished first place following a heartbreaking September loss, Huggins submitted his letter of resignation to co-owner Ruppert. However, Ruppert refused to accept it, and his faith in Huggins would be well rewarded in the coming years.
Although 1923 was the first triumph of Huggins’ Yankees, the true turning point came in 1925. It was August 25th of that year, which saw the Yankees go 69-85 and finish 28.5 games out of first place, that Huggins finally earned the respect of Babe Ruth. That day, Huggins fined Ruth $5,000 and suspended him indefinitely for his conduct off of the field. Ruth reportedly scoffed at Huggins’ sentence, claiming that Ruppert would surely rescind it and side with him over Huggins. However, Ruppert stood by his manager, telling Ruth that he would be suspended for as long as Huggins liked. After apologizing to both Huggins and Ruppert, Ruth returned to the field on September 5th. He would never cross Huggins ever again.
This marked the beginning of a golden era for Huggins and the Yankees, as they won three pennants and two World Series in the next three years. Front and center was Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who Huggins elected to play over Wally Pipp amid the Yankees’ 1925 collapse. However, Huggins’ fingerprints were evident throughout those squads. Pitchers Herb Pennock and Waite Hoyt, who were the anchors of the pitching staff, were both players that Huggins had sought to acquire from the Red Sox despite lackluster results in their Boston tenure. Perhaps the sheer talent of his club required less of Huggins as an in-game tactician. However, by that same coin, one must give Huggins his due credit for having acquired, developed, appraised, and managed those talents.
Sadly, Huggins was not able to enjoy his accomplishments for long, if at all. In August of 1929, as the Yankees fell to second place behind the Philadelphia Athletics, Huggins began to feel ill, and players and staff noticed that he was visibly exhausted. In mid-September, he discovered a painful skin infection on his left cheek, later found to be erysipelas. On September 20th, he was checked in to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village. Five days later, he passed away due to pyaemia. He was just 51 years old.
Although he died an untimely death, at least it can be said that Huggins and his accomplishments are well recognized and commemorated. On May 30, 1932, the Yankees unveiled a monument dedicated to him in center field at the original Yankee Stadium, eventually to be joined by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
When the Stadium was remodeled in the mid-70s, his was relocated to what came to be called “Monument Park.” Huggins also received support for election to the Hall of Fame on many occasions, ultimately being voted in by the Veterans’ Committee in 1964. And as long as the Yankees exist, Miller Huggins will be remembered by fans as the man who was the first to make the team a winner.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Yahoo Sports’ “Football 301” podcast had a deep discussion on defensive prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft. This class of defensive backs is full of intriguing players, though as hosts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald pointed out, very few are "perfect" blue-chippers, with most showing clear strengths but notable blemishes.
The NFL's move toward more split-safety, zone-heavy defenses has reshaped what teams need in a DB. No longer is prototype size and length a mandatory ticket in the first two rounds; now, smarts, quickness and versatility open the door for players who, five years ago, might have been overlooked.
This 2026 class may lack an undisputed Jalen Ramsey or Sauce Gardner, but it offers a raft of smart, athletic and competitive defensive backs ready to fill starting roles — and potentially develop into more. With team needs and schemes more varied than ever, expect many of these names to contribute (if not star) on Sundays for years to come.
Mansoor Delane, LSU
A transfer from Virginia Tech, Delane is widely seen as a top-tier zone corner. Tice raved about his "play recognition" and "ball skills," emphasizing how Delane closes quickly on underneath routes and brings "twitch" to the position. While he doesn’t possess elite length or overwhelming speed, Tice and McDonald agree he's a high-floor starter. He may not erase top receivers like past top-10 picks, but Delane brings versatility and reliability.
The closest comp: A.J. Terrell, a smart, adaptable, and productive corner capable of shining in zone coverage and holding his own in man.
If there’s a player with the raw materials to become an upper-echelon shutdown corner in this group, it’s McCoy. McDonald pointed out his rare combination of length, speed and youth (he’s only 20). The catch: His 2025 season was lost to an ACL injury, so the NFL will be banking on pre-injury tape and projections. Still, McCoy "moves like one of those top guys," Tice said, and if healthy, could outperform his eventual draft slot.
Avieon Terrell, Clemson
The younger brother of A.J. Terrell, Avion is slightly smaller and less explosive, but he’s feisty, polished and disruptive at the catch point. He’s an ideal CB2 or slot corner, capable of making smart plays, tackling in space, and providing much-needed versatility. Tice compared him to a "Diet Coke version of Devon Witherspoon" — that is, not quite as dynamic, but reliable and scheme-versatile.
Colton Hood, Tennessee
One of the best testers at the scouting combine, Hood combines quickness, length and physicality. His press-man technique and willingness to tackle stand out, although McDonald wants to see expanded lateral agility and more consistency in man coverage. Still, Hood offers a competitive streak reminiscent of Carlton Davis and could develop into a high-end starter if he cleans up some technical concerns.
A slot specialist, Scott plays fast, smart and aggressive. He’s seemingly always around the ball. McDonald spotlighted his turnarounds at Miami and his standout pro day, describing him as a "high-floor starter." Age (as a 25-year-old rookie) is a concern, but he brings the football IQ and big-play experience teams love in Day 2 picks.
Chris Johnson, San Diego State
Late in the process, Johnson became one of Tice's favorite "riser" candidates. A smooth, efficient mover, Johnson shines in man coverage with the balance and mirror ability reminiscent of a veteran. While he may lack elite upside, he’s a classic plug-and-play CB2— especially appealing to teams who need a steady presence opposite an established CB1.
Domani Jackson, Alabama
Jackson's journey from hyped high school recruit, to struggling at USC, to starter at Alabama is a reminder of how development and fit matter. While not a shutdown corner, he brings size, speed and pedigree. McDonald called him a potential “draft riser,” a high-upside dart throw who has the physical tools to stick as a starter or versatile backup.
D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
Though undersized, Ponds epitomizes the new breed of versatile, feisty corners whose awareness and ball skills can outweigh physical limitations. He drew comparisons to Antoine Winfield Sr., illustrating a willingness to tackle and disrupt despite subpar measurables.
"They're gonna kill me if I start answering questions. I'm trying to follow more rules this time," Wade said to the group of reporters as he was driven off.
Will Wade is back in Baton Rouge, four years after he was fired by LSU: "They're gonna kill me if I start answering questions. I'm trying to follow more rules this time."#LSUpic.twitter.com/wdjQKhzZoJ
Wade reportedly agreed to a seven-year deal with the Tigers, who also fired Matt McMahon on Thursday after leading LSU to a 60-70 overall record in his four seasons at the helm.
"We are excited to welcome Will back home as the next head coach of the LSU Men’s Basketball program," LSU director of athletics Verge Ausberry said in a statement. "As LSU fans know well, Will is a consistent winner, a diligent program-builder, and a charismatic leader with an incredible ability to connect with his student-athletes and the fan base. Not only does he bring his postseason pedigree and an energetic presence, but he is innovative and strategic at a time in college athletics that requires both."
The 43-year-old coach has a history of rule-breaking from his first stint at LSU, and that is likely the source of his humor in that clip. Wade was fired by the Tigers in 2022 after the NCAA accused him of committing multiple Level I and Level II violations, including "lack of institutional control." That wasn't the first rule-breaking or scrutiny Wade was under at LSU, though. In 2019, Wade was involved in a federal investigation into corruption in college basketball recruiting, centered on paying recruits before the now-NIL era.
The NCAA issued Wade a two-year no-show cause and a 10-game suspension in 2023, the first season he was hired by Heath Schroyer at McNeese State. Schroyer was hired at LSU on Thursday for a senior administrator role that oversees the men's basketball program, a hire that was reported to be a significant factor in Wade's abrupt return to LSU after Wade denied rumors that his name was linked to LSU at the ACC tournament.
On the court, Wade won in his first tenure at LSU. He led the Tigers to a 105-51 overall record, an SEC regular-season championship in 2019, and four postseason tournament appearances, including three to the Men's NCAA Tournament.
LSU and NC State came to terms on a $4 million buyout for Wade to leave the Wolfpack. According to Wade's contract with the Wolfpack, obtained by the USA TODAY Network, the buyout for him to take another job was at $5 million before dropping to $3 million on April 1.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 14: Rui Hachimura #28 and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers defend against the dribble of Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the second half of a game at Crypto.com Arena on March 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With LA up four and minutes away from sweeping consecutive road games against a fellow Western Conference foe, the team sets up on one of its final defensive possessions.
As they’ve done all game, the Lakers threw a double team at superstar Kevin Durant. His frustrations are clearly mounting over a blatant form of coverage he doesn’t encounter regularly.
Pounding the basketball in retreat, Durant passes out of the trap, pointing and directing to no avail as a cross-court pass creates no advantage with all Lakers in ready position. The weak side catch results in a Tari Eason airball over the outstretched contest of LeBron James.
Before the Pistons snatched away victory in the final seconds, the Lakers were in the midst of a nine-game winning streak. It was a run that featured the purple and gold slowing down some of the top stars in the league, doing so with an unorthodox, playoff-style approach to defense.
A variety of reasons contribute to the overall improvement on that end. There’s been a renewed effort across the board, led by LeBron’s role and usage being set appropriately, allowing him to devote more energy to “big man” responsibilities. Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić‘s increased physicality and intent, along with Deandre Ayton’s role rejuvenation, all play a part as well.
A major contributing factor is head coach J.J. Redick’s game planning and adjustment for each matchup, specifically tailoring coverage of the opposing star with his available personnel and the situation it calls for game to game.
“This time of year, with the standings the way they are, a chance to get the tiebreaker over Denver, we treated this like a playoff game,” Redick said after the team’s big home win over the Nuggets. “Our guys approached it like a playoff game. They played it like a playoff game. It wasn’t perfect, but they stuck with it.
“The winning plays really stood out. And then just their ability in high-pressure situations to execute multiple end-of-game situations was really high level.”
That approach began with doing things that normally spell death against a player like Nikola Jokic. It was decided early to switch any screen with the superstar big man, then front the post with the guard to deny the entry pass and close by sending a quick double to prevent any isolation play.
Watch them execute it in the defensive possession below. Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes are involved in the initial action. They switch the screen, with Kennard now responsible for fronting the post and making the pass as difficult as possible. Jokic catches it on the extended wing while the Lakers instantly show him bodies.
Notice the rotations around it. Every player is in sync with their close-outs. The ball swings a few times and leads to a Jamal Murray contested miss at the rim. The fellow Nuggets star, who’s had his way with LA in the past, was held to just 1-14 shooting that evening.
The Lakers didn’t shut down Jokic, as he still put up his numbers. But this aggressive, intentional defense forced him into 13 turnovers in their last two meetings.
“It was a total team effort,” Marcus Smart said. “To be able to adjust on the fly, we were throwing different looks at him. Not a lot of looks we threw at him; we practiced. It was just kind of go and make a play. I think that speaks volumes about the team, the chemistry that we’re building, and the chemistry with the coaching staff.”
That chemistry continued a few days later against the Rockets, as the Lakers brought out another unorthodox game plan.
In the clip below, the Lakers have Jake Laravia and Hayes involved at the top of the key. They “red” one through five, meaning to switch and hope to negate any advantage a screen may create. Then, Laravia comes to “fire”, or put two on the ball to get the ball out of Durant’s hands.
This way, it not only gets the ball out of the superstar’s hands but also lets the team dictate the terms of engagement for who gets the open shot.
LA trusted their rotations behind the aggressive on-ball coverage and lived with the Rockets’ wings being forced to playmake out of a four-on-three situation. Dorian Finney-Smith, under duress, heaves the ball over the head of his teammate out of bounds.
Durant was held to just two points in the second half, along with seven turnovers, the second most he’s had all year. He joins a host of stars LA has kept in check with this style, including Anthony Edwards at 2-15 shooting and Paulo Banchero at 4-14 shooting.
How this holds up against teams in a real playoff setting with time to prepare remains to be seen. Taking something away defensively will open up counters elsewhere. This aggressive switching style, with the tendency to overhelp, can create damaging mismatches and wide-open looks.
With that said, the Lakers are 13-2 in their last 15 games, posting the 10th-best defense during that stretch, and seem to be rolling high into the playoffs. It’s allowed a team made up of below-average to passable defenders at best to commit to a style that rewards them with wins for the effort they put in.
Whether this defense is legit or a “gimmick,” as Durant described it postgame, it has the Lakers believing and playing in lock step with each other. That’s just as, if not more than, important as anything Redick could draw up on his clipboard.
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 30: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 30, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Defenseman Erik Karlsson is getting most of the attention right now for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and deservedly so given the way he is playing. He is not only playing the best hockey he has ever played as a member of the Penguins, he is playing some of the best hockey that he has ever played for anybody. It is a marvel to watch. He is in command every time the puck is on his stick and is completely changing games. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin going in and out of the lineup, Karlsson has consistently stepped up and played like the superstar the Penguins need. He is their MVP right now, and for this season.
He is not the only Swedish player that is stepping up and making a major impact at the moment. Rickard Rakell is right there with him.
Maybe not at quite the same level, but at least fairly close.
He was every bit the impact player that Karlsson was in Thursday night’s 4-3 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators, scoring a pair of goals, assisting on another and making a handful of plays that even dazzled the Ottawa crowd. He was on one, and it was spectacular to watch.
It has also been a pretty common theme for him throughout the month of March.
With his three-point effort on Thursday, Rakell is now up to seven goals, eight assists, 15 total points and 31 shots on goal in the 14 games this month, while also scoring the game-winning shootout goal against the Winnipeg Jets this past Saturday. From an underlying numbers standpoint, his 59.04 percent expected goals share over that stretch is tops on the team (among players that appeared in at least 10 games) while the Penguins have outscored teams 14-9 with him on the ice during 5-on-5 play. He is also averaging 1.26 individual expected goals per 60 minutes. He is creating chances. He is converting on them.
It has been an especially important month for Rakell because a lot of that production came with Sidney Crosby out of the lineup and Rakell having to play out of position at center. The experiment with him at center may not have been wildly popular, and it is certainly not his strongest position or the ideal spot for him, but he simply produced and provided offense at a time when the Penguins needed.
He has also faced some criticism this season for seeing his overall production drop a bit from his career-year performance in 2024-25. But that was always going to be a very real possibility, if not an expectation. Most players that have a career-year in their early 30s are not going to repeat it or build on it. That is just not how aging curves and career progressions work. The important thing was for him to at least get back into the same ballpark and be close to it.
From a big picture perspective, he mostly has.
There was a big discussion at the trade deadline a year ago over whether or not the Penguins should have traded Rakell, but given the trade market for non-star wingers on the plus side of 30 (especially in-season), it seems unlikely that there was a huge market for him. At least not enough of one to make trading him worth it when he still has productive hockey to give. He clearly still does.
After Thursday’s game Rakell is now up to 17 goals and 39 assists in 51 games for the season. That is a 27-goal, 62-point pace over 82 games. Both numbers are above his normal 82-game averages (24 goals, 54 points) for his career. The production is not what it was a year ago, but it is still there at a more than acceptable rate. More importantly, it has been there when the Penguins needed it from him.
The Yankees had the most productive offense in the majors last year, and that lineup returns intact. They'll light up Robbie Ray, who is coming off a solid season but had worrying underlying metrics. Ray was in the Bottom 10th percentile in average exit velocity, and the bottom 20th percentile in hard-hit rate.
Meanwhile, Yankees hurler Cam Schlittler should build on an impressive rookie campaign by mixing in more breaking pitches.
COVERS INTEL: The Yankees led the majors in barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and exit velocity last year. Ray was in the Bottom 26th percentile in all three categories.
Yankees vs Giants same-game parlay (SGP)
Schlittler fanned 11 batters in 9 2/3 frames during spring training. He averages 98 mph on his four-seamer and sinker, with his cutter now at 94.7 mph — nearly 3 mph higher than last year. He averaged 10.4 K/9 last season and will be even more overpowering in 2026.
Aaron Judge is the best hitter in the world, and over the last two years, he's posted an incredible .457 OBP while plating 259 runs in 310 games.
Not only does Ray give up too much hard contact, but San Fran's bullpen sits near the bottom of the majors in most preseason rankings. This could be a game where the Yankees win by multiple runs, especially if Judge and Schlittler play well.
Yankees vs Giants SGP
Cam Schlittler Over 4.5 strikeouts
Aaron Judge Over 0.5 runs
Yankees -1.5
Yankees vs Giants home run pick: Aaron Judge (+240)
Judge went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts on opening night. That said, the three-time AL MVP is a proven slugger who has mashed more than 50 dingers in three of the last four seasons.
He should bounce back and this is a great matchup for him. Judge has jacked three dingers in four career games at Oracle Park. The towering right-hander also has the platoon advantage against Ray and has gone 3-for-8 with three homers in his career against him.
2026 MLB Transparency record
Best bets: 1-0, +1 units
SGPs: 0-1, -1 units
HR picks: 0-1, -1 units
Yankees vs Giants odds
Moneyline: Yankees -134 | Giants +114
Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+122) | Giants +1.5 (-146)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-102) | Under 8.5 (-120)
How to watch Yankees vs Giants and game info
Location
Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Date
Friday, March 27, 2026
First pitch
4:35 p.m. ET
TV
YES, NBC Sports Bay Area
Yankees starting pitcher
Cam Schlittler (2025: 4-3, 2.96 ERA)
Giants starting pitcher
Robbie Ray (2025: 11-8, 3.65 ERA)
Yankees vs Giants latest injuries
Yankees vs Giants weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
COVERS INTEL: Severino allowed seven hits in just 4 2/3 innings in his lone start against the Blue Jays last season.
