The reeling Los Angeles Dodgers take a four-game losing streak into Wednesday night’s home game against the San Francisco Giants.
Superstar Shohei Ohtani takes the mound, and there’s no better pitcher to turn the tide.
My Giants vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks for Wednesday, May 13, see Shohei leading his team back in the win column with a low-scoring victory.
Who will win Giants vs Dodgers tonight: Dodgers moneyline (-238)
Losing streak or not, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still the superior team and will have a starting pitching advantage with Shohei Ohtani (0.97 ERA) on the bump.
He’s on a shortlist for the NL Cy Young, ranking in the 90th percentile or better in xERA, xBA, whiff rate, and barrel rate.
While Robbie Ray’s 2.76 ERA looks nice, it’s undercut by his predictive metrics (4.15 xERA, 4.52 FIP).
His mortality shows on the road (4.15 ERA), and the bullpen behind him has a league-worst 5.63 SIERA over the last 15 days.
COVERS INTEL:Shohei Ohtani’s 114 Stuff+ ranks seventh among starting pitchers. He uses these lethal offerings to generate strikeouts (29%) and groundballs (53.8%) — the two most favorable outcomes for a pitcher.
Giants vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-110)
Low-scoring games tend to follow when these two hurlers take the mound. San Francisco is 2-6 O/U in Ray’s eight starts, while L.A. is 1-5 O/U in Ohtani’s last six.
The Boys in Blue have been slumping at the dish, plating three or fewer runs in 10 of their last 13 games. With Ohtani out of the lineup, they’re missing their best hitter.
The San Francisco Giants have bad numbers against right-handed pitchers (89 wRC+ and .296 wOBA) and will face the most effective one to date in 2026.
JD Yonke's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 11-12, -4.84 units
Over/Under bets: 16-8, +7.64 units
Giants vs Dodgers odds
Moneyline: San Francisco +206 | Los Angeles -229
Run line: San Francisco +1.5 (-103) | Los Angeles -1.5 (-107)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+124) | Under 8.5 (-137)
Giants vs Dodgers trend
The Giants have hit the Under in four of their last five road games. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Dodgers.
How to watch Giants vs Dodgers and game info
Location
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
First pitch
10:10 p.m. ET
TV
MLB Network
Giants starting pitcher
Robbie Ray (3-4, 2.76 ERA)
Dodgers starting pitcher
Shohei Ohtani (2-2, 0.97 ERA)
Giants vs Dodgers latest injuries
Giants vs Dodgers 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.
May 2, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela (59) runs the bases on his three run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the eighth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
When the Jays are playing the way they are, I find it hard to come up with things to write about. Or perhaps I’m just depressed about the state of the team.
At the quarter mark of the season, the surprise player (well, surprise in a good way) has to be Brandon Valenzuela. He’s only played in 24 games (and five of those he didn’t start). He’s had 69 plate appearances, and a batting average of .226, 4 home runs and an OPS +103.
Defensively, he’s thrown out 35.0% of the guys who have tried to steal off him. There are 3 errors, but no one is perfect.
Jays pitchers have a 3.77 ERA against him and a 4.52 ERA against Tyler Heineman. It is a small sample size, so there is likely some noise, but it appears the pitchers like throwing to him.
By bWAR, he’s tied for the best among Jays batters. Obviously, this is all a very small sample, and there is little in his history that suggests he’d be more than a glove-first backup catcher.
If he continues like this, the Jays will have to keep him as the backup to Alejandro Kirk when the time comes.
At the opposite end of the bWAR scale (and surprise scale), we have Tyler Heineman, at -0.9. Tyler was terrific last year, 1.9 bWAR in 61 games. But that was very much an outlier in his career. Other than 2025, his bWAR ranged from +0.3 to -0.1 (pretty normal for a backup catcher).
What’s going on this year?
He’s hitting .158/.200/.158 in 63 PA (again, a very small sample size). And it does seem like he’s lost confidence at the plate.
Defensively, he’s thrown out 20% of base stealers (league average 23.5 %), so considering the sample size, right around average (last year he threw out 30.2% of base stealers). And, as noted above, our pitchers haven’t fared as well throwing to him.
Tyler is out of options, though I don’t know if anybody would pick him up off waivers. Valenzuela has 3 option years left.
Alejandro Kirk is still weeks away from rejoining the Jays, so lots can happen between now and then, but Valenzuela is looking a lot like the backup catcher Heineman was last year.
SAN ANTONIO, TX. - MAY 2026: San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after dunking the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter of Game 5 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs, NBA Western Conference Semifinals, Game 5. NBA Playoffs. (Photo by Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images) | Star Tribune via Getty Images
I’ve spent most of this current playoff run trying to reacclimate to this environment. I should be used to this, right? I’m a veteran Spurs fan. This is a franchise that made the playoffs for 22 consecutive years. They didn’t just make the playoffs, they made deep runs. Battles. Marathons. Titles. Heartbreak. We have, collectively, been through it all. I should be used to this. I should have a handle on it.
So why does it feel like I’m falling apart at the seams?
The last few days, in the wake of what happened in Game 4, have not been fun. The elbow heard round the world felt like it rippled through every aspect of my day-to-day. Everyone had an opinion on it. Takes were flying everywhere. You have people coming out of the woodwork breaking down footage from various elbows thrown by various nefarious characters throughout history, gleefully speculating on the potential ramifications for our boy. Even once the actual judgment was rendered, the conversation around what happened to Vic felt like something that threatened to envelope this entire playoff run. Was this the breaking point for this young Spurs team? Were the lights finally getting too bright? Was Wemby becoming a villain?
I wanted to defend Victor. People needed to know that the Wolves were baiting him. Not just that, but physically they were practically trying to hurt him. Arm pulls. Elbows to the back. Shots to the face. You name it, and Vic had been on the receiving end of it. Hell, he got a taste of the whole menu on the exact play where it all boiled over. The Wolves were provoking him. The refs were either biased or incompetent. The media was too quick to judge. No one else has ever been treated as unfairly as this. Man, I just wanted to shout it to the heavens. I wanted to shout loud enough so someone, anyone could hear me. I know I’m biased and I know it doesn’t matter, but I felt this real, visceral yearning to be understood and have someone outside my own circle of Spurs voices tell me, “we hear you. We get it.”
That’s obviously a little bit insane.
The rational person in me understands the shades of grey and that the noise is just that. Noise. It doesn’t have any bearing or effect on anything unless I let it. Problem is, the intensity of the playoffs has this way of fooling around with the “rational” knobs on my dashboard.
I don’t remember it being like this. I don’t remember sweating the small stuff when Tim and D-Rob went 6 games in the second round with the Lakers back in 03. I was simply bummed about the losses and psyched about the wins. I mean, they went 6 games in every series that year, including the Finals. It was just a part of the trip.
Seriously, I go back and think about all those playoff runs and, more than anything, I remember it being fun. I looked forward to it all season. We had watch parties and the games were on national television and it felt like, for once, the whole world was locked in on what the Spurs were doing. It was everything I loved about sports and it was all happening in my backyard. We were watching our cool older brothers go out there and take on all comers. We were watching Coach Pop, our grumpy old dad with a heart of gold, gradually solidify himself as a basketball genius who seemed to have all the answers. I don’t think I ever worried for a single second about the Spurs back then. Even when they lost, I knew they’d be back. They always were.
I’m a bundle of nerves these days. What gives? I should be older and wiser. Experienced. Savvy. I should be the one preaching patience and calm because, after all, I’ve been there before. Instead I’m out here ready to go to war with First Take’s Nick Wright because he has the audacity to say “It’s unacceptable to elbow people in the face.” I don’t care if he’s right, I don’t like his tone!
I could blame social media. I could blame the league. I could blame society. Shoot, I could probably download an astrology app and start blaming the cosmos if I really put my mind to it. But, deep down, I think I’m starting to understand that I’m the problem. It’s me. Hi.
I’m no longer watching these games through the childlike, optimistic lens of someone who has only known success. It’s not necessarily that the Spurs won all the time, but they were good all the time. I didn’t need to worry because they had it figured out. It’s certainly possible that like, maybe they didn’t at the time! Who can say? But when I looked out on the floor and saw Tim Duncan and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, I felt like they had it under control.
When I look out there now, all I see are the boys. They are supremely talented and they are extremely tall, but they are kids. There’s no getting around it. I see it when Steph starts getting a little frustrated with the contact. I see it when Dylan Harper makes what can only be described as an “oooohhhhhh, you’re in trooooouuubbbllllleeeee” face any time literally anything happens. I see it when Vic is posturing. Acting tougher than he is because he thinks he has to. I see it all, every night, and it doesn’t make me want to go to battle with them. No, it makes me want to give them a cup of tea and listen to their hopes and dreams.
It makes me want to die any time a shot doesn’t go in. It makes me fly into a rage when they don’t get a call. It makes me want to fight people who don’t understand them like I do. It makes me want to defend them to the death, even when they do something wrong.
I just…I worry about them. You know? I get it. It’s an overly emotional, parasocial relationship that is 1000% me projecting my own stuff onto a group of young men who are, quite literally, just doing their jobs. That’s fine. If that’s what you want your relationship with sports to be then, yea, that’s fine. Healthy, even.
But I love these guys. I want them to do well and I want them to do great things, not for me, but for themselves. For the city. For the fans. I want kids who are out there looking up to guys like Vic and Steph and Dylan to feel that same sense of inevitability and pride that I did back in the day. It’s the most pure gift that sports has to offer and when it hits right, it’s like magic. That’s what’s at stake in these games and it feels a whole lot more important than whether or not the Spurs win or lose.
Heading into Game 5, I was a mess. The Spurs? They were not. They came out and handled their business. They were measured in their response to the Wolves’ physicality. The game plan was solid and it was executed perfectly. No one took the ample amount of rage bait offered and no one backed down when the Wolves inevitably mounted their comeback. It was, dare I say, mature. It looked like a group of guys who had it under control.
I’m not going to stop worrying about them and I’m not going to stop irrationally defending them. I’m not going to stop being nervous whenever they miss a shot and I’m not going to stop thinking they’re perfect little basketball angels who can do no wrong. I’m a bundle of nerves and I am irrationally confident in my convictions. I am the all-seeing, all-knowing duality that is a middle-aged man just trying to get by. I know this and I’m at, relative, peace with it.
I’m a mess and I can’t help it. But the kids are alright. Even when they lose, the kids are alright.
They always have been.
Takeaways:
Keldon Johnson, have yourself a day. More than any other Spurs player right now, it just makes my heart grow three sizes when KJ gets his stuff rolling and is able to influence the game. He wants it so bad and he cares so much. He’s the heartbeat of this team and when things aren’t going his way, it’s almost like it has an outsized effect on everyone around him. It’s not as simple as missing out on a few extra points off the bench. Your biggest cheerleader goes missing as well. On the flip side, when he gets it going it can make a single contested layup in the lane feel like a quick 10-0 run in and of itself. He’ll swag over to the crowd and bellow and everyone around him gets about 10% more hype. I love it. I love him. I’m not nervous at all about the mood and collective psyche of this team riding on whether or not his jumper is falling, why do you ask?
61-61 in the third quarter felt really bad. Like, the moment it happened, I was having a bad time. In hindsight, especially considering the response, it doesn’t feel like all that big of a deal that they crawled back into it. It’ll be one of those things that’s lost to history, but I’m marking it here for posterity: as it was happening, it felt like the world was ending. Dating back to the end of the second quarter, the Spurs had, according to my notes, missed 100 straight shots. Edwards was starting to feel it and I just…yea, we don’t have to talk about it anymore. It was a bad time.
Dylan Harper being listed as questionable for Game 5 (knee) almost had me listed as questionable for watching Game 5 (diarrhea). I really did not want to go into this game without him because, hey, turns out he’s maybe the third-best player in this series? It’s insane. I mean, all due respect to literally everyone, but what are we even watching with this kid anymore? It’s breathtaking every time he touches the ball. The control he has, the way he can move and operate in so little space, feels like a magic trick. His finishes at the rim are electric. His defense is insane. I honestly almost don’t ever want to talk about it because I’m afraid my eyes are playing tricks on me. Did we mess around and draft Kobe Bryant to pair alongside Vic? How is his real life?
Do you really think you should be offering to fight various media personalities for their Wembanyama takes?
If the takes are particularly bad then, yea, I mean, I think I’m honor bound. Duty bound. They need to answer for their sins in the octagon.
What even was the take that got you riled up?
Oh who even knows. There were a lot of bad actors out there trying to cash in on the moment. Hard to keep track. As you can imagine, no one has accepted my offer to settle things via the sacred art of hand-to-hand combat so, clearly, they lack the courage of their convictions and will have to live out their days knowing deep in their soul that cowardice is eating away at the very foundations of their being like a virus.
Are you sure they aren’t just being professional and not getting into fistfights about sports?
New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) throws during the first inning of their game against the Milwaukee Brewers Friday, May 8, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
After that skid in Milwaukee, the Yankees have the chance to get right back on the horse today with a series win over Baltimore. First pitch time has been moved up from 6:35pm to 1:05pm this afternoon with fears of some nasty weather tonight, but we’re all hoping for some nasty pitching from Max Fried in the meantime.
Just like last season, Fried is putting together an excellent campaign without a whole lot of fanfare — in 2026’s case at least partially because of how damn good Cam Schlittler has been. Still, Fried comfortably sits top 10 in baseball in multiple stats including xERA and home run rate, and if it weren’t for some standout performances last night would be top ten in FIP as well, with him currently ranked 11th in the stat. He did get touched up over the weekend against the Brewers for five earned runs across six innings, so a bounceback start would be welcome.
Kyle Bradish goes for the O’s, and while he’s struggled to get much going this year, he’s handled the Yankees well in his career. This will be his ninth start against the Bombers, managing a 3.92 ERA against them in his previous eight. That said, a ghastly 12-percent walk rate should have the Yankees focusing on one part of the zone, and willing to take until Bradish goes there.
Spencer Jones finds himself back in the lineup today, in right field while Aaron Judge DHs. J.C. Escarra catches on the day game after the night game, but the biggest change is perhaps Anthony Volpe getting his first start since being recalled from Triple-A. The former top prospect sat out last night’s win but will bat eighth and man shortstop at Camden Yards today.
How to watch
Location: Oriole Park at Camden Yards — Baltimore, MD
First pitch: 1:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: Amazon Prime Video, MASN
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), 98 Rock 97.9 FM, WBAL 1090 AM (BA. L) n
It’s rebound day after a couple of donuts last night, and Aaron Judge drawing walks instead of swinging for the fences is a tough way to lose a home run ticket. Having several fly-ball pitchers working in windy conditions today creates plenty to like across the MLB player prop market.
Lefty vs. lefty isn't always a good place to look for a dinger, but it is today with Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz stepping in against Jose Quintana.
Add him to the card featuring Hunter Goodman and Brady House, and we've got a home run stew going.
These are my favorite MLB home run predictions for Wednesday, May 13.
UPDATE: Added another HR pick + parlay.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
Hunter Goodman
+405
Brady House
+620
Oneil Cruz
+425
💲Today's HR parlay
+15650
Home run pick: Hunter Goodman (+405)
I love this game for runs. We’ve got double-digit winds blowing out, two fly-ball starters, and a pair of beat-up bullpens. Hunter Goodman has the best home run upside in this matchup and has already taken Mitch Keller deep in a small three-at-bat sample.
Goodman leads the Colorado Rockies in swing speed and BlastContact% over the last two weeks while also posting the second-best IdealAttackAngle%. I like him in this spot more than Mickey Moniak at the shorter price.
Keller hasn’t allowed many home runs, but he’s been a bit fortunate and isn’t a true ground-ball pitcher. He’ll also eventually hand things off to a bullpen carrying a 6.82 ERA over the last two weeks. Goodman, a lucky pitcher, a bad bullpen, and strong winds are all checking boxes for our MLB picks today.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Rockies.TV
Home run pick: Brady House (+620)
Brady House might not be a household name yet, but he’s hitting in the middle of the Washington Nationals lineup from the right side and gets a strong matchup today against lefty Nick Lodolo, who was roughed up in his first start back last week while continuing to see his fly-ball rate climb.
If Lodolo can’t keep the ball on the ground, it could be a short outing with 14-mph winds blowing out to center field. Returning from the blister that sidelined him, Lodolo surrendered two home runs while recording just 16 outs last week and threw only 78 pitches.
That could mean plenty of innings for a Cincinnati Reds bullpen that owns the worst ERA in baseball over the last two weeks at 8.77, along with a league-worst 2.10 HR/9.
House went yard yesterday and has four extra-base hits over his last six games with great BlastCon% numbers.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Nationals.TV, Reds.TV
Home run pick: Oneil Cruz (+425)
I’m getting a great price on one of the best home run hitters in the game with Oneil Cruz facing fellow lefty Jose Quintana, which is likely why this number is sitting north of +400. Cruz has crushed left-handed pitching this season with a .985 OPS and four home runs.
Quintana has actually allowed more damage to left-handed hitters this year, and with his short leash at roughly 81 pitches per start, a weak Rockies bullpen is likely going to be asked to keep the ball in the park with 13-mph winds blowing out to center field. I’ll take the lefty-on-lefty discount.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Rockies.TV
Josh Inglis' 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 13-69, -1.94 units
Today’s HR parlay
Hunter Goodman
Bet Now +15650
Brady House
Oneil Cruz
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.
BRONX, NY - MAY 02: Kyle Bradish #38 of the Baltimore Orioles warms up prior to the game against the New York Yankees on May 2, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
After a four-game sweep in the Bronx last week, I was in no hurry to see the Orioles face the Yankees again. This time it’s gone better, although far from great. In Game 1, the O’s snatched a late win, with Coby Mayo going yard after his team had been no-hit for six innings. But in Game 2, Trevor Rogers looked homer-prone, and the team fell, 6-2.
The Orioles rotation is certainly struggling of late. Their 5.19 ERA is third-worst in the game. Now it’s Max Fried and Kyle Bradish in the rubber match, two pitchers whom you’d once squint and call aces. Bradish, because he had an out-of-nowhere 2023 campaign, finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting. Fried, because he’s often treated as just ace-adjacent—on the other hand, he’s certainly got ace-type numbers today.
Bradish (1-5, 4.83 ERA) could use a bounceback. He hasn’t given up fewer than three runs in any of his last three starts. Overall, this season has shown Bradish trying to shake off some post-Tommy John rust. At the time same time, he’s showing some signs of being back to normal. His last time out, against the Athletics, he gave up three runs but did go long, however.
Whether Max Fried (4-2, 2.91 ERA) is an ace or not, he’s certainly pitching like one right now. His BaseballSavant page is a sea of red (that’s good): pitching run value, expected ERA, fastball run value, offspeed run value. His curveball has been his greatest weapon this year, but he leans on his cutter more. Last week, Baltimore got their runners aboard (six hits, three walks), but only pushed across three earned runs over 5.1 innings. On May 8, he allowed five runs to the Brewers. So maybe the “ace” is going through a rough patch. And maybe the O’s can take advantage.
CHICAGO — The person who now controls the direction the 2026 NBA Draft will take began to go through his memory while inside Wintrust Arena on Tuesday, May 12.
Washington Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins remembers initially hearing about A.J. Dybantsa for the first time when Dybantsa was only 14 years old. They are both from Massachusetts and Dawkins, a former Division-III player, kept hearing about the basketball prospect who would be the next big thing from his area.
Dawkins said he initially saw Cameron Boozer when Boozer was only 15 years old at the NBPA Top 100 camp. Team USA practices, national high school showcases and Nike's EYBL events had Darryn Peterson on the Wizards' radar by the time he was 16.
"We knew we wanted to go on an intentional rebuild," Dawkins explained from the NBA Draft Scouting Combine in Chicago, two days after the Wizards received the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery, "so we loaded up on the grassroots spaces, and made sure we were in those gyms watching these guys so you could best predict how deep the talent would be. ... I think pound-for-pound it's one of the best drafts I've seen in a long time."
The anticipation for this 2026 draft class, and the belief that next year's draft class would not be nearly as good, led to historic levels of tanking this past season. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said as much when he announced there would be drastic changes to the draft lottery system on the horizon during the All-Star break.
But now that the 2026 draft process is in motion – with this week's scouting combine followed by a month of prospect workouts at team facilities – the perception of this class has gotten more complicated before the Wizards officially go on the clock.
There is no clear cut No. 1 pick yet like last year when the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg. Dawkins noted Tuesday the Wizards have "a lot of players we have to spend some time on."
There is also a growing trend created by the explosion of NIL money in college basketball, as players projected to be late first-round picks and international prospects increasingly choose to remain in college longer due to the equivalent salaries of a rookie-scale contract and a star player at a Power Four conference school.
"The top 15 is off the charts," said ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg of the 2026 draft class, "but I think what's happened is the bottom of the first round, because guys are coming back (to college) because of pay for play, whether guys don't think they're mature enough yet, or guys that are going to be towards the end of the first round, with next year's draft not being as strong at the top, they can basically double their money."
There is nonetheless a sense that multiple future stars could be produced from this draft. In addition to Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at the top of draft boards, there's a wealth of quality guards expected to be sifted through among teams with picks in the 5-10 range.
Dawkins referred to the class as "really deep in the top 10."
"It'll overwhelm you with depth," said former NBA player and LIFT Sports management agent Mike Miller, whose clients this year include projected first-round picks like guards Labaron Philon (Alabama) and Ebuka Okorie (Stanford) and forward Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky). "You're going to get players the whole first round who are going to be all-stars."
The Wizards planned for that when they embarked on their lengthy rebuild under Dawkins and team president Michael Winger. Because nobody has tanked quite like the Wizards in recent years. They had a combined record of 50-196 the last three seasons. They also were among the teams with the best odds to get the No. 1 pick in 2025 and wound up at No. 6.
After years of preparing for this moment, Dawkins said he likes the uncertainty all of a sudden, too. So long as he's in control of it.
"The best part about getting No. 1 in any year's draft is you have the power of choice," Dawkins said. "This year there's a lot of top candidates and we know we're choosing from a very talented bunch."
Spanish rider prevails in Potenza on chaotic fifth stage
Eulálio denied but takes the maglia rosa from Ciccone
Portugal’s Afonso Eulálio seized the overall lead in the Giro d’Italia despite having victory snatched away by Spain’s Igor Arrieta in the final metres of a rain-drenched stage five on Wednesday.
The Bahrain Victorious rider joined Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at the front near the summit of the Montagna Grande di Viggiano climb and when Arrieta took a wrong turn he looked certain to take the win. But Arrieta, banging his handlebars in anger, had other ideas and reeled in Eulálio along the finishing straight to win his first Grand Tour stage.
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs fired coach Craig Berube on Wednesday after he guided the team to a last-place finish in the Atlantic Division this season.
The move ended Berube’s two-year run with the Maple Leafs. He helped the club to a 108-point campaign in his first season as coach, but Toronto struggled mightily in 2025-26.
“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” general manager John Chayka said in a statement. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig.”
Chayka, who resigned as Coyotes GM right before the bubble playoffs in 2020 and was suspended in 2021 for pursuing opportunities with other clubs, was hired earlier this month.
Craig Berube was fired as Maple Leafs coach on Wednesday. Getty Images
He succeeded Brad Treliving, who was fired in March.
Toronto won the NHL draft lottery last week. The Maple Leafs are expected to pick either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg with the first overall pick on June 26 at the NHL draft in Buffalo.
Berube went 84-62-18 with Toronto, but the Maple Leafs were just 32-36-14 this season. The drop in points — from 108 to 78 — was the team’s largest year-over-year points decline.
The Maple Leafs headed into the season with high hopes despite the loss of star winger Mitch Marner.
Toronto added a trio of forwards — Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy — in hopes of replacing those minutes by committee on a team thought to be still poised for Stanley Cup contention.
The Maple Leafs, however, never really got out of second gear. Along with a string of key injuries and absences, the club largely looked out of sorts from puck drop.
Despite a roster still anchored by star forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the Maple Leafs’ power play was a huge issue.
Defensive deficiencies also caused glaring problems for a club that finished with the second-worst goals-against mark and was outshot a league-worst 66 times.
New Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
“They played with more passion than we did,” Berube told reporters in December after a 4-0 road loss to the Washington Capitals. “That’s what it boils down to. It looked to me like they had way more urgency in their game, more passion in their game. That’s the difference.”
Asked to explain how that could be the case, he replied: “Ask those guys, not me.”
The exchange was just one example of clear disconnect.
A three-time Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goal-scorer, Matthews found the back of the net just 27 times before suffering a season-ending knee injury on a hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas in March.
Toronto’s players didn’t do much in the immediate aftermath, which led to stinging rebukes from Berube — a former NHL enforcer with the seventh-most penalty minutes in league history — media members and fans as the locker room culture was called into question.
Berube, 60, was hired in May 2024 after Treliving let Sheldon Keefe go following 4 1/2 seasons in charge.
Toronto won a playoff round for just the second time in the NHL’s salary-cap era during his first campaign. The Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators before falling to Florida in a series accented by 6-1 losses on home ice in Games 5 and 7. The Panthers would go on to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs had embraced Berube’s straightforward, no-nonsense, north-south approach in 2024-25 after Keefe was unable to get the same talented group over its playoff hump but didn’t come close to duplicating that success a second time.
Berube’s coaching journey began with the Philadelphia Flyers organization after retiring as a player. He worked his way up the ladder, moving from the AHL to the NHL as an assistant in 2006-07.
He took over as Flyers head coach early in 2013-14 and lasted another season before getting fired.
Berube then led the St. Louis Blues’ AHL affiliate after a year on the sidelines. He became an NHL associate coach in 2017-18 and was promoted to the top job with St. Louis in November 2018.
Berube rallied the group, which at one point sat last in the overall standings, to make the playoffs before it went on a magical run that culminated with the franchise’s only Cup victory.
Berube lost in the first round each of the next three seasons and missed out entirely in 2022-23. The Blues fired him just 28 games into the subsequent campaign.
Berube lasted two seasons with the team. AP
When Berube was hired by the Maple Leafs, Treliving said he had plenty of conversations with people who worked with, worked under and played alongside the former tough guy.
“They talked about how they would go through a wall for him,” Treliving said. “There was the connection he had with his players, the accountability he had with his players, and the bond he was able to build with staff.”
Jim Furyk has admitted the United States need to make the Ryder Cup more of a priority as the 56-year-old plots a reversal of fortunes at Adare Manor in September 2027.
Speaking expansively for the first time since being handed the US captaincy for a second time, Furyk pointed towards an overhaul of approach to the biennial event. He also suggested he will be keen to involve Tiger Woods on his backroom team.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 04: Phoenix Mercury general manager Nick U'Ren speaks during a press conference at the Phoenix Mercury Practice Facility on February 04, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Sixers on Tuesday made the decision to part ways with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey after six seasons.
Morey’s tenure had plenty of highs and lows, but he ultimately failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, something the franchise hasn’t done in over 25 years now.
Bob Myers, who serves as president of sports for HBSE, will be charged with filling the role. Here are five candidates who could make sense.
Note: It’s possible Myers hires himself or re-elevates Elton Brand, but those possibilities don’t seem as likely as hiring a new voice.
Dennis Lindsey
We’ll start with some of the hotter names on the market at large. Lindsey is the most experienced of the bunch. He started as a scout with the Utah Jazz way back in 1996, working his way all the way up to VP of basketball operations by 2002. He moved on to the San Antonio Spurs, eventually serving as the team’s vice president before making his way back to Utah as general manager. He oversaw a very successful Jazz run led by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, eventually being promoted to executive president of basketball operations.
Lindsey did find himself embroiled in controversy after former Jazz player Elijah Millsap accused Lindsey of making racist remarks back in 2015. Lindsey has vehemently denied the allegations, and though the league took no action after an investigation couldn’t confirm Millsap’s story, Lindsey did step down in 2021, moving into an advisory role.
He briefly served as an advisor for the Dallas Mavericks (notably before the team traded Luka Doncic) before stepping into his current role with the Detroit Pistons as Senior VP of basketball operations since 2024. He has a track record of success, but he’s 57 — four years older than Morey. A lot will depend on what the franchise is valuing in its next leader.
Dave Telep
Telep took an unconventional path to becoming an important part of the Spurs’ front office. Telep worked for ESPN as a recruiting analyst, also serving as a sideline reporter and studio analyst for ESPNU. In 2013, he was hired by San Antonio as the team’s scouting coordinator. He’s been with the Spurs ever since, serving as director of scouting then director of player personnel then VP of basketball operations.
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, he was promoted to assistant general manager. The Spurs are one of the best-run organizations in all of sports. Their ability to draft and develop players is nearly unmatched. Telep could conceivably continue the Sixers’ recent success in the draft thanks to his scouting background while potentially bringing in fresh ideas.
Matt Lloyd
Lloyd seemed like an obvious pick for the Chicago Bulls’ recent vacancy, but the organization decided to pluck Bryson Graham from the New Orleans Pelicans for the role. Like Telep, Lloyd’s path was atypical, beginning his career in Chicago as media coordinator back in 1999. He rose to the role of director of college scouting before moving on to the Orlando Magic as assistant general manager in 2012, serving in the role for a decade.
He was then hired by the Minnesota Timberwolves to work under renowned executive Tim Connelly. He was hired as senior VP of basketball operations and then promoted to general manager in 2024. All of Lindsey, Telep and Lloyd have been candidates for high-profile jobs. Lloyd’s unique background could make him stand out for this role.
Nick U’Ren
Yet another candidate with an interesting background, U’Ren started his NBA journey as a video coordinator with the Phoenix Suns back in 2009. He then moved on to the Golden State Warriors as manager of advanced scouting and special assistant to the head coach in 2014. The team’s general manager at the time — Bob Myers. U’Ren is famously credited for the Warriors’ Death Lineup, which helped the team to a title. He was promoted to director of basketball operations in 2018, working under Myers.
In 2023, he was hired as general manager of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. He helped turn an aging team that finished 9-31 in 2003 to a WNBA Finals appearance last season. The Myers’ connection is there, but U’Ren is a pretty intriguing candidate in general. Is he ready and willing to make the leap to an NBA gig such as this? We’ll see.
Vince Rozman
If you like a lot of the work the Sixers have done in the draft in recent years, you can trace a good bit of it back to Rozman. He was hired by Sam Hinkie way back in 2013 as scouting coordinator and climbed all the way up to VP of scouting. He left the organization in 2022, joining the Oklahoma City Thunder as VP of identification and intelligence (whatever the hell that means).
Again, Rozman offers an option with a background in scouting, which should allow the team to keep functioning well around the draft. He also has plenty of familiarity with the organization and surely has many fans still in the building. Rozman would feel like a breath of fresh air as a younger executive while still being a candidate who offers comfortability to ownership.
Toronto Blue Jays slugger George Springer is heating up at the plate, and a matchup against Tampa Bay Rays starter Griffin Jax has me believing that his hot play continues tonight.
Read on to see why with my Rays vs. Blue Jays predictions and MLB Picks on Wednesday, May 13.
Rays vs Blue Jays predictions
Rays vs Blue Jays best bet: George Springer Over 1.5 total bases (+115)
We’re starting to see signs of last year’s George Springer coming to life in 2026.
The Toronto Blue Jays DH has five hits in his last four games, averaging 1.5 bases per game in that stretch, going Over the number in two of his last three outings.
If he’s getting back to his 2025 self, that would make today a plus-pitching matchup with Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Griffin Jax on the mound.
Jax throws the sweeper to righties more than any other pitch in his arsenal. Last season, Springer had a .343 average against the sweeper.
Additionally, Springer is 3-for-5 against Jax in his career with a pair of home runs.
Ernie Clement seems to be heating up again with eight hits in his last four games. It’s also a good matchup with a sweeper-tosser on the mound, as Clement owns a .385 against the pitch. He’s also 1-for-4 against Jax lifetime.
For the final leg of my SGP, I’ll add Jax to go Under 3.5 strikeouts.
Firstly, the Jays have the lowest strikeout rate in baseball. Additionally, Jax isn’t stretched out enough to go deep, topping out at 59 pitches this season. Fewer batters means less opportunity for Ks.
Rays vs Blue Jays SGP
George Springer Over 1.5 total bases
Ernie Clement Over 0.5 hits
Griffin Jax Under 3.5 strikeouts
img loading="lazy" width="100%" height="null" src="https://img.covers.com/editorial/2026/jaysmlcbp.jpg" alt="Canada’s best price for Jays"
Get the best Jays ML odds at BET99 — every game.
Rays vs Blue Jays home run pick: George Springer (+425)
I’m making this a half-unit wager
Jax owns a 57.7% ground-ball rate, ranking in the 95th percentile. This has led to just two homers against him this season.
However, Jax does give up hard contact, ranking in the 16th percentile in baseball. So if Someone gets lift on the ball, it could find the seats.
The one player in the Jays lineup who has done this in the past is Springer. He has two home runs in just five career at-bats against Jax.
Additionally, the Rays bullpen boasts the eighth-highest HR/9 in MLB.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 17-24, -3.6 units
SGPs: 8-33, +0.7 units
HR picks: 8-33, +6.65 units
Rays vs Blue Jays odds
Moneyline: Rays +110 | Blue Jays -130
Run line: Rays +1.5 (-160) | Blue Jays -1.5 (+140)
Over/Under: Over 9 (-105) | Under 9 (-115)
Rays vs Blue Jays trend
The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the Game Total Over in 9 of their last 14 games at home (+3.50 Units / 23% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Blue Jays.
How to watch Rays vs Blue Jays and game info
Location
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Date
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
First pitch
7:07 p.m. ET
TV
Rays.TV, Sportsnet 1
Rays starting pitcher
Griffin Jax (1-2, 5.00 ERA)
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.58 ERA)
Rays vs Blue Jays latest injuries
Rays 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.
Mar 12, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube during a media conference after a win over the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs fired coach Craig Berube on Wednesday after he guided the team to a last-place finish in the Atlantic Division this season.
The move ended Berube’s two-year run with the Maple Leafs. He helped the club to a 108-point campaign in his first season as coach, but Toronto struggled mightily in 2025-26.
“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” general manager John Chayka said in a statement. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig.”
Toronto won the NHL draft lottery last week. The Maple Leafs are expected to pick either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg with the first overall pick on June 26 at the NHL draft in Buffalo.
Berube went 84-62-18 with Toronto, but the Maple Leafs were just 32-36-14 this season. The drop in points — from 108 to 78 — was the team’s largest year-over-year points decline.
The Maple Leafs headed into the season with high hopes despite the loss of star winger Mitch Marner.
Toronto added a trio of forwards — Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy — in hopes of replacing those minutes by committee on a team thought to be still poised for Stanley Cup contention.
The Maple Leafs, however, never really got out of second gear. Along with a string of key injuries and absences, the club largely looked out of sorts from puck drop.
Despite a roster still anchored by star forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the Maple Leafs’ power play was a huge issue.
Defensive deficiencies also caused glaring problems for a club that finished with the second-worst goals-against mark and was outshot a league-worst 66 times.
“They played with more passion than we did,” Berube told reporters in December after a 4-0 road loss to the Washington Capitals. “That’s what it boils down to. It looked to me like they had way more urgency in their game, more passion in their game. That’s the difference.”
Asked to explain how that could be the case, he replied: “Ask those guys, not me.”
The exchange was just one example of clear disconnect.
A three-time Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goal-scorer, Matthews found the back of the net just 27 times before suffering a season-ending knee injury on a hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas in March.
Toronto’s players didn’t do much in the immediate aftermath, which led to stinging rebukes from Berube — a former NHL enforcer with the seventh-most penalty minutes in league history — media members and fans as the locker room culture was called into question.
Berube, 60, was hired in May 2024 after Treliving let Sheldon Keefe go following 4 1/2 seasons in charge.
Toronto won a playoff round for just the second time in the NHL’s salary-cap era during his first campaign. The Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators before falling to Florida in a series accented by 6-1 losses on home ice in Games 5 and 7. The Panthers would go on to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs had embraced Berube’s straightforward, no-nonsense, north-south approach in 2024-25 after Keefe was unable to get the same talented group over its playoff hump but didn’t come close to duplicating that success a second time.
Berube’s coaching journey began with the Philadelphia Flyers organization after retiring as a player. He worked his way up the ladder, moving from the AHL to the NHL as an assistant in 2006-07.
He took over as Flyers head coach early in 2013-14 and lasted another season before getting fired.
Berube then led the St. Louis Blues’ AHL affiliate after a year on the sidelines. He became an NHL associate coach in 2017-18 and was promoted to the top job with St. Louis in November 2018.
Berube rallied the group, which at one point sat last in the overall standings, to make the playoffs before it went on a magical run that culminated with the franchise’s only Cup victory.
Berube lost in the first round each of the next three seasons and missed out entirely in 2022-23. The Blues fired him just 28 games into the subsequent campaign.
When Berube was hired by the Maple Leafs, Treliving said he had plenty of conversations with people who worked with, worked under and played alongside the former tough guy.
“They talked about how they would go through a wall for him,” Treliving said. “There was the connection he had with his players, the accountability he had with his players, and the bond he was able to build with staff.”
Two years removed from an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Wagner men’s basketball program got a high-profile addition this week — just not one that can directly help it on the court.
Former NBA superstar and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady has joined the Seahawks as a strategic advisor, the university announced on Wednesday, May 13.
According to a release, McGrady’s role with the Staten Island school will include “development of sustainable structures related to Name, Image and Likeness investment…providing strategic guidance to the men's basketball program in areas including marketing, player development, and expanding Wagner's reach beyond its traditional areas of engagement on and off the court.”
Adding a legend to the program🏀⭐️
Wagner College has named Tracy McGrady Strategic Advisor to men’s basketball. McGrady will advise the College on the development of sustainable structures related to NIL.
The move will unite the 46-year-old McGrady with his son, Laymen, a 6-foot-4 freshman forward who transferred to Wagner last month after redshirting last season at Oral Roberts.
A seven-time NBA All-Star as a player, McGrady becomes the latest former NBA standout to join a college basketball program as an advisor. Last month, John Wall was named the president of basketball operations at Howard. Last year, Shaquille O’Neal joined Sacramento State as its general manager, Steph Curry returned to Davidson, which he led to an Elite Eight appearance in 2008, as its assistant general manager and Trae Young accepted a position as the assistant general manager at Oklahoma, where he played his lone college season in 2017-18.
McGrady will balance his responsibilities at Wagner with his work in the media as an NBA analyst for NBC and on his podcast, “Cousins,” with former Toronto Raptors teammate and cousin Vince Carter.
Wagner, which competes in the Northeast Conference, went 14-17 last season under first-year head coach Dwan McMillan.
"The challenges college athletics face today, especially at the mid-major level in a city like New York, can be very difficult, and I am looking forward to helping coach McMillan and his staff in every way possible to raise the profile, the level of talent and the business opportunities both on and off the court for his young athletes as they grow not just in basketball but as leaders,” McGrady said in a statement. “My hope is to help create an environment where all involved can stay, grow together, and really master their game and life skills over time. Stepping into this role is really personal for me since I did not go to college.
“Being around this community, where gritty coaches like P.J. Carlesimo and Dan Hurley got their start, excites me just as much as basketball. It is a priority for me that goes well beyond wins and losses in the NEC. It is about making sure potential is realized both for the short and the long term for these dedicated athletes and the staff."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 27: Labaron Philon #0 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after scoring a basket against Nimari Burnett #4 of the Michigan Wolverines during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 27, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 NBA draft has been hyped up for its depth of exciting guard talent, with 5 or 6 guards projected to go in the top 10. This of course has excited Mavericks fans, as there is no other team with a more desperate need at guard.
But due to multiple meaningless late season wins, the Mavericks could be in an unenviable position where none of those great guard prospects are available.
But what if there was a guard who posted a rim FG% higher than Kingston Flemings. Shot better from three than Darryn Peterson and had more assists per game than Keaton Wagler. A guard who will surely be available wherever the Mavericks select.
That guard, would be none other, than LaBaron Philon Jr.
The basics
LaBaron Philon Jr. was born Nov. 24 2005 in Mobile, Alabama. He would attend Baker high school in Mobile county, where he would become a consensus 4-star recruit and ON3’s number 5 point guard in the 2024 recruiting class.
He would sign with the University of Alabama, where he would end up starting 29 games as a true freshman.
His freshman season was up-and-down, as he regularly showed flashes of elite two-way upside, but was held back by poor shooting efficiency.
Philon would declare for the 2025 NBA draft, but would return to school after a lackluster combine performance.
This decision was the correct one, as Philon would show marked improvement in almost every aspect, average 22 point and 5 assists per game, while leading the Crimson Tide to the Sweet 16.
For his efforts, Philon was recognized as a Third-team All-American, and First-team all SEC.
Now, he will return to the combine, and most likely become a top-15 pick.
The good
The biggest improvement for Philon in his sophomore season was the massive improvement in efficiency. Philon posted a below average TS% of just 54.9% as a freshman, compared to an elite mark of 62.9% as a sophomore. Philon was efficient at every level, shooting 65% at the rim, and nearly 40% from three, as seen below.
His shot diet was also elite, as a vast majority of his shots came from either behind-the-arc, or at the rim. leading to 80th percentile MOREY percentage. Furthermore, most of his shots were unassisted, meaning he was creating almost all of his three’s and layups. These three’s came from a variety of platforms, as he was simultaneously deadly off-the-catch, and on his dribble jumpers, as seen below.
Unlike some other’s in this class, Philon has a truly refined handle, with counters to almost anything a defense can throw at him. He also possesses real first-step quickness which allows him to beat defenders with one move. This handle extends to his paint scoring, as he utilizes a variety of strep-throughs and euro-steps to slither around rim protectors. All-in-all, Philon possesses the best handles in this class, and combined with real athletic juice, gives him an elite scoring profile.
Labaron Philon looked awesome yesterday. He may have one of the best handles in the country and the way that he combines it with his change of pace, burst in tight spaces, and strength makes him a pretty special on-ball creator. Very encouraging to see how confidently he shot it… pic.twitter.com/vO4XhdcCg8
The final piece of the Philon puzzle is his size, standing at 6’4 in shoes, with a nearly 6’7 wingspan. These measurables lead to real defensive upside, especially if you look at his freshman statistics. Philon posted a 3.3 DBPM as a freshman, which was 81st percentile. This was one of his big strengths as a prospect last year, and gives me hope that he could become a real weapon on both sides of the court in the future.
The bad
Philon’s primary weakness is his frame and lack of strength, which shows up on both sides of the court. Offensively Philon can struggle with bigger, stronger defenders, often settling for tough threes or layups. But this lack of strength really shows defensively, as he can simply become a target for bigger slashers. This will become a much bigger issue in the NBA, with bigger wings being able to hunt Philon whenever they please. This leads to the interesting conundrum with his defense; is he year 1 Philon? Or year 2 Philon?
With his offensive load massively increasing, it led to less effort and focus defensively. His defensive numbers were just plain bad, posting a drastically reduced DBPM, STL%, and OREB%. This has brought up an interesting question about whether the year 1 metrics were inflated due to him defending weaker offensive players, or did the increase in role lead to the decrease in production. Either way, the physical limitations will make his defense a massive question at the very least.
While Philon shot 39.9% from three, his FT% was only 79.8%, which makes his three point shooting a little bit questionable. Usually, a players FT% is a great indicator for three-point shooting in the NBA, and since Philon is just Ok, it makes his shooting a small concern.
Finally, Philon lacks the elite physical tools that are often required in a star guard. Whether this be: elite vertical athleticism, a lighting quick first step, or overwhelming positional size. This forces Philon to be entirely reliant on his craft and skill, which can become a problem for guard like him in the postseason.
Fit with the Dallas Mavericks
Of all the guards in this class, Philon might have the most versatility in how he could be used. In the Mavericks context, I think he would fit perfectly, as he could both start next to Kyrie Irving, or be a sparkplug off the bench.
In the long-term context, Philon is the exact type of guard that would be perfect next to Cooper Flagg, as Philon’s size will allow him to compete on the defensive end, which is a requirement in today’s NBA. Furthermore, he is not a player who requires constant touches to be effective, as he can be just as deadly off the ball as he is on.
The ability to learn from Irving is an underrated part of any guards transition with the Mavericks, but Philon would benefit extra from the tutelage.
No matter where, or how Philon plays, he would be a seamless fit for the Dallas Mavericks, both now, and for the future.
Player comparison
Philon is a very interesting player, but a player comparison I love is Andrew Nembhard of the Indiana Pacers. Not only do they have incredibly similar measurables, but their play-styles are also very similar. Nembhard is a very versatile two-way combo guard who can fill a variety of roles, which is exactly what I think Philon will do in the NBA. Obviously Nembhard isn’t the flashiest player, nor is he a true #2 option, but he’s a great player, and one that every NBA team would covet.
Final thoughts
LaBaron Philon Jr. doesn’t have any one skill that outshines his other guard contemporaries, but he may be the most well-rounded guard in the class.
He possesses an NBA-ready skillset, while also having tremendous upside as an offensive creator. His length and defensive priors show a player that is at least willing to defend, even if he isn’t the most physically gifted.
While physical tools are flashy, betting on: feel, skill and effort usually work out in the long run.
COVERS INTEL:Shohei Ohtani’s 114 Stuff+ ranks seventh among starting pitchers. He uses these lethal offerings to generate strikeouts (29%) and groundballs (53.8%) — the two most favorable outcomes for a pitcher.
Hunter Goodman 
Brady House
Oneil Cruz
