Mitchell Robinson celebrates in the bed of his tricked-out pickup truck during the Knicks’ parade up the Canyon of Heroes on June 18, 2026. Getty Images
The customized ride was hard to miss as Robinson arrived for the parade, with the bright orange look fitting naturally into a day filled with Knicks colors across Lower Manhattan.
Asked why he wanted the truck involved, Robinson said it felt right for both the occasion and who he is.
“Because of the orange theme — I thought it would be good for the truck and also, you know, my personality,” Robinson said.
It was a fitting parade entrance for one of the Knicks’ most distinctive characters.
Robinson, 28, has become known around the team not just for his rebounding and rim protection, but also for his love of trucks, country music and a personality that stands out from the usual New York athlete mold.
The Pensacola native has long leaned into that side of himself, and Thursday’s parade gave him the perfect stage for it.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson poses with the Larry O’Brien trophy after the team’s NBA championship win on June 13, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Robinson played an important role in the Knicks’ title run, even if his work did not always show up in the loudest parts of the box score.
The 7-footer gave New York size, defense and physicality throughout the postseason, doing much of the dirty work inside as the Knicks battled their way to the franchise’s first NBA championship in 53 years.
He gave the Knicks important size and rebounding against a Spurs frontcourt led by Victor Wembanyama as New York closed out the series.
Thursday, though, Robinson’s biggest contribution was impossible to miss before the parade even got going.
The Montreal Canadiens are aware of the fact that finding good right-shot defensemen is no easy task, and stockpiling a few in the pipeline wouldn’t hurt. At the 2025 draft, they picked Bryce Pickford out of the WHL, and they weren’t disappointed as the right-shot blueliner put up 83 points in 55 games in his last season in junior hockey. The Habs could be tempted to drink from the same well if Vancouver Giants rearguard Ryan Lin is still available when they take to the stage.
The 5-foot-11 and 198-pound defenseman isn’t the biggest player, but his skill set is both impressive and intriguing. Despite his young age, he has shown he is leadership material and was rewarded with the Giants' captaincy last January, when he was only 17. In his first season in the WHL, he was a rookie of the year finalist, putting up 53 points in 60 games, but he did even better this past season, increasing his production to 57 points in only 53 games.
The offensive defenseman is a smooth skater and an elite puck-mover who loves leading the attack and joining the rush, but he can at times be overenthusiastic and be caught up ice. That’s not overly worrying as it’s a tendency that many youngsters have. Learning to pick your moments as an offensive defenseman is something that’s, more often than not, on young blueliners’ to-do lists; even Lane Hutson had to do that when he joined the Habs.
He’s been the Giants’ power play quarterback all season long and has demonstrated that he can walk the line with the best of them while scanning the ice to find the best available play, whether it’s passing the puck to a teammate or finding a shooting lane. While his shot isn’t exactly devastating, he’s good at getting the puck on net and creating rebounds for the forwards to feast on.
While he’s not on the same elite level as some of the higher-ranked defensemen in the draft, such as Chase Reid or Daxon Rudolph and doesn’t have their size, he still has a lot of potential, and his ceiling remains to be established. He’s got the vision and hockey sense that would make him a great candidate to play the Martin St-Louis brand of hockey, if it ever came to that.
BRONX, NY - OCTOBER 15: Pitcher Felix Heredia #45 of the New York Yankees pitches during game 6 of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox on October 15, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The Red Sox won 9-6. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Not everything is sunshine and rainbows under the bright lights of the Major League stadium. Some are able to cherish it and milk it for all it offers, making an impact on fan bases throughout their time in a big-league uniform. But others can lose their way and fall by the wayside. When that happens for certain players during their careers can vary, with some not being heard from early on and others carving out a decent living before the game or their bodies (or both) fall out of love with them.
For Félix Heredia, it was a mix of poor performance, injuries, and arm problems, along with a scandal whose punishment he never got to serve because of those issues, that saw his big league career come to a crashing finish.
Heredia was born on June 18, 1975, in Barahona, a city on the southwest Dominican coast which, as of 2022, is home to around 221,000 residents. He grew up and attended Escuela Dominical while playing baseball. He was signed as an international amateur free agent by the Florida Marlins at age 18 in 1993, giving him the opportunity to pursue his dream and come to America. He played his first baseball on American soil with the Gulf Coast League Marlins, pitching and starting in 12 games and finishing with a 5-1 record alongside a 2.47 ERA.
In 1994, Heredia began his career in A-ball, pitching for the Kane County Cougars in the Midwest League, and it wasn’t as nice a welcome as he may have envisioned coming in. He moved into a bullpen role but still managed to start a handful of games through the course of the season. He appeared 24 times on the mound, eight of which were starts, and finished with a record of 4-5 and a 5.69 ERA over 68 innings. But despite the poor final numbers, he moved up to High-A the next season and played for the Brevard County Manatees in the Florida State League. And not only did he see more action (he started the same number of games but appeared in 10 more), but his ERA dropped considerably. He gave up fewer runs in more innings pitched (38 earned in 95.2 innings versus 43 in 68), putting his ERA at 3.57. He still wasn’t much of a strikeout threat and had a hard time keeping men off the bases via hits and walks, but overall, he didn’t allow runs, and that’s what was most important in his 6-4 record.
Heredia was promoted again, this time to Double-A Portland in the Eastern League, where he became strictly a reliever, and this move was quintessential for his career path. He once again saw a boatload of playing time (55 games) and, over 60 innings he posted a 1.50 ERA. He allowed only 10 earned runs the entire season, and while walks were still a bit of an issue, he kept men from crossing the plate, and thanks to that fact, after the season and spring training, he became a Florida Marlin.
On August 9, 1996, Heredia made his MLB debut out of the bullpen against the New York Mets, one of his future teams at just 21 years old. He threw 0.2 innings and gave up no hits and no runs with no strikeouts and a walk. Following his debut, he would throw in 21 more games for the Marlins and never returned to the minor leagues. He finished his rookie season with a 4.32 ERA, just under the average mark.
At 22, Heredia remained a part of the Marlins bullpen throughout the season. He appeared in 56 games in 1997 and finished with an ERA just under his previous mark at 4.29, along with a 5-3 record. While he would never finish with a strikeouts per inning rate over one in his career over the course of a regular season, the 1997 season was one of the times he got the closest, tallying 54 in 56.2 innings pitched. He also ended with the second-lowest hits per nine rate of his career at 8.4 and the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio of his career at 1.8. He really made his name in the 1997 postseason.
Over the six games and 8.2 innings he pitched in the NLCS and the World Series, Heredia finished with a 2.08 ERA and nine strikeouts. He allowed only five hits and came up huge, particularly in Game 3 of the Fall Classic, when he tossed 2.1 scoreless innings against Cleveland.
Heredia became a World Series champion for the first and only time in his career at the age of 22, and not only was he on the roster, but he was an integral part of the team on the biggest stage.
The next season following his awe-inspiring postseason was not kind to the young Dominican lefty, though. He pitched in a career-high (at that point) 71 games, including the only two starts of his career, but his ERA skyrocketed to 5.06. Heredia was traded to the Chicago Cubs in the middle of the season, along with Steve Hoff, in exchange for Justin Speier, Kevin Orie, and Todd Noel on July 31, 1998, and following a 5.49 ERA performance with the Marlins things got better following the trade, but the bar was low. He finished his season in Chicago with a 4.08 ERA across 17.2 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts.
The Cubs would be where Heredia spent most of his career, playing three full seasons with the team. From 1999 to 2001, he was used plenty by manager Ed Lynch in 1999 and Don Baylor in 2000 and 2001, including a career-high 74 games played in 2000, when he also finished with his best ERA of that stretch (4.76). His worst came the following season, when he played fewer games, pitching 48 innings and finishing with a 6.17 ERA and an ERA+ of 68, the worst of his career. Heredia gave up 11.6 hits per nine innings and 1.5 home runs per nine innings, both career-lows. Eventually, the Cubs had seen enough and decided to ship him north of the border to the Toronto Blue Jays along with a player to be named later. In exchange, the Cubs received Alex Gonzalez on December 10th, and the player to be named later became James Deschaine just three days later.
Heredia spent one year with the Blue Jays in 2002 and saw a return to the form he had been searching for in Chicago and in his last season with the Marlins. He pitched in 53 games and finished with an ERA+ of 128, the first time in his career managing a number over the 100 average. But after the season, he became a free agent on October 28, 2002. And on January 7th, he returned to the National League after signing a minor-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds and receiving an invitation to spring training.
After making the team out of spring training, Heredia made sure not to blow his chance; in fact, he did the opposite. The 2003 season was his best year on a major league mound. He recorded the sixth save of his career (the last one he would ever register) and finished with a 5–3 record and a 2.69 ERA in 69 appearances. But the season came in two different places.
Following 57 appearances and a 3.00 ERA (138 ERA+, a career-best for a singular team that he pitched more than 20 games in a single season for) between the road and the Ohio Riverfront, the Yankees claimed the lefty off waivers in mid-August, hoping to add a specialist to their pennant run since some aspects of their bullpen had faltered as the season went along. Same-handed batters actually had better splits against Heredia that year, but in 2002, he’d held them to a .698 OPS in this high-octane era for offense.
In 12 games with the Yankees, Heredia finished with a 1.20 ERA over 15 innings pitched, letting fans see the kind of potential he, as a 28-year-old, could bring to a bullpen. Joe Torre was careful with his deployment of Heredia, as he could occasionally be shaky with his control, so he picked his spots. Indeed, Heredia pitched just once in the ALDS rumble with the Twins and not at all in the World Series against the righty-heavy Marlins. But he made five appearances across the seven-game ALCS classic with the Red Sox, most notably retiring the only two batters he faced in the climactic Game 7.
With New York trailing Boston 4-1 and trying to stay in the game against Pedro Martinez, Heredia fanned Johnny Damon to begin the seventh before getting Todd Walker to foul out. Nomar Garciaparra was due up next, so in came Jeff Nelson to get the start shortstop swinging. Aaron Boone of course had the most memorable moment of Game 7, but it was truly a team effort to get the comeback going in earnest to make extra innings even possible. Heredia played his role for the pennant-winners.
Re-signed to a two-year, $3.8 million deal, the next season was when things began to go south.
With an exciting new beginning on the horizon, Heredia stepped onto the mound for his first appearance in pinstripes in 2004 on March 30th against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a special Opening Day series at the Tokyo Dome. He pitched two innings and gave up two runs on four hits through 27 pitches. His next appearance on April 6th back at Tropicana Field was much better, throwing a clean inning and getting out of there before any damage could be done. However, it was three days later that the struggles became apparent.
Against the Chicago White Sox, he walked two men, allowed a double to Miguel Olivo, and departed without recording a single out. All four runners would score and he wouldn’t pitch in the majors for another 41 days, dealing with a left hand contusion. Heredia’s ERA did not get below the 6.00 mark until July 16th, and it never went below 5.93 following a July 24th game at Fenway Park when he gave up an RBI double to David Ortiz and was immediately removed.
The Dominican reliever finished the 2004 season with a 6.28 ERA, growing more and more unpopular with the fans. Rostered for the playoffs anyway, he got beat up by the Twins but actually fared OK against the Red Sox while used sparingly in the ALCS rematch, retiring three of the four hitters he faced. That wasn’t enough to save his Yankees career, as he was traded across town in December for fellow southpaw Mike Stanton, who had previously been with the Yankees during their dynasty run in the late 1990s.
Heredia made only three appearances with the Mets in 2005. Following those appearances, he went on the shelf in June with a left shoulder aneurysm, and he missed the rest of the season. And not only did he miss the rest of the season due to that injury, but he was also suspended 10 days for performance-enhancing drug usage during his rehabilitation. He was the 11th player in MLB history to be hit with such a suspension.
Heredia signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a minor-league deal the following year, but was released during spring training. Four days later, he signed with Cleveland and played eight games in Triple-A before being released there as well. Then, in December, the Detroit Tigers signed him to a minor-league deal, but they released him during spring training as well. He made some appearances outside of MLB in the Mexican League following his release in 2006, and he played there for the next six years before ultimately hanging up the spikes in 2012.
While he only spent parts of two seasons with the Yankees, Heredia made his mark on the 1997 Marlins and even had a couple nice playoff moments in pinstripes. Happy birthday, Felix!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Head coach Jay McKee, who was hired by Hamilton on May 9, brings aboard Vince Laise, who had served on his Brantford Bulldogs staff.
Hamilton also hires Kain Tisi as the club's goalie coach.
Tisi had served as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's goalie coach for the last two seasons after a four-year stint as the Pittsburgh Penguins developmental goalie coach.
There was a vacancy at the AHL goaltender coach level ever since Sergei Naumovs replaced Piero Greco as Islanders goalie coach on Oct. 22.
Former Islanders and NHL netminder turned MSG and NHL Network analyst, Cory Schneider, had been helping out the AHL goalies since then.
Jun 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Louis Varland (77) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
We have an early start today, 1:30 Eastern.
Using seven pitcher on day two of 16 games in a row is less than optimal.
It puts a fair bit of pressure on Trey Yesavage today. He really needs to go deep into the game. Deep into the game has a different meaning now than it did a few years back. I remember when calling a pitcher a ‘seven-inning pitcher’ was an insult. Now seven inning pitchers don’t exist.
The good news is that Louis Varland made it out of his inning on just ten pitches. He’s thrown two days in a row but only 29 pitches across those two days. I don’t know how Pete Walker will think about this, but I’d imagine he could go a few pitches today, if needed. Jeff Hoffman has also pitched two days in a row, 34 pitches total. Tyler Rogers also pitched two days in a row, 28 pitches. With the sidearm thing, I’d guess that he could go again.
The other issue is that we used both SWR and Spencer Miles, leaving us short of long men. Chad Dallas would be the one guy we could expect to have go multiple innings (baring a very last minute roster move). He threw 3.2 innings for us back on June 4th. If Trey has to leave early, I would think Dallas would be asked to throw until his arm falls off.
But, if Trey wanted to throw a complete game, that would be best. No pressure. There has only been four complete games this season.
Tyler Heineman said a very nice goodbye to Toronto:
Jun 17, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers are looking for a sweep of the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday afternoon, as they’ll also look to lock up a 5-1 homestand against the Phillies and Guards.
Drohan, 27, is making his fifth start of the season and fourth consecutive appearance from the rotation. In those last three outings, he’s totaled 15 1/3 innings against the Giants, Rockies, and Phillies, allowing nine runs on 17 hits and three walks while striking out 16 in a pair of blowout victories and a high-scoring loss. For the season, he has a 3.59 ERA, 2.72 FIP, and 44 strikeouts over 42 2/3 innings.
Messick, 25, was a second-round pick in 2022 out of Florida State. He debuted last August but held rookie status through this season. His stats in 2025 and 2026 are nearly identical, so I’ll summarize them as a whole: over 21 career starts, he has a 2.69 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 120 strikeouts across 120 1/3 innings, totaling 3.7 bWAR. He’s coming off a pair of losses, though, as he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and four walks over 11 1/3 innings in losses to the Rangers and Yankees. He struck out four batters in both of those outings.
Today’s lineup features Christian Yelich in the leadoff spot as the DH, followed by Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn. Jake Bauers bats fifth and starts in right, with Gary Sánchez to follow. Blake Perkins, Cooper Pratt, and Joey Ortiz round out the order as lefties David Hamilton, Sal Frelick, and Garrett Mitchell start on the bench (alongside William Contreras).
In some negative injury news, we’ve learned that Quinn Priester, who has missed the entire season while dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome, has opted for “season-ending first rib removal surgery,” that will keep him out eight to 10 months until he’s fully healthy, meaning in a best-case scenario, he’ll be back in early 2027. Priester has had multiple rehab stints in the last two months, but he’s struggled with command, with a 15.75 ERA on 24 walks and 22 hits over just 16 innings over eight appearances. Here’s what he had to say about the injury:
Brewers starter Quinn Priester will have thoracic outlet decompression surgery on Monday and will miss the entirety of this season. Here’s a detailed explanation for why he has no regrets about waiting this long to get to this point. pic.twitter.com/QEyuwToxyW
On this day 123 years ago, the White Sox gave up on Cozy Dolan. | (Photo by Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images).
1903 The White Sox badly lost their first trade ever with the Reds, sending Cozy Dolan and Tom Daly to Cincinnati for second baseman George Magoon.
Magoon was awful for the White Sox for the remainder of 1903, slashing .228/.303/.278 for 0.0 WAR; before the 1904 season, the team dumped Magoon on Indianapolis of the American Association for a player to be named later. He would never return to the majors.
Daly, though long in the tooth for the time (37 years old), finished what would be his final season in the majors well enough, logging 0.7 WAR and slashing a formidable .293/.332/.407 at second base. Right fielder Dolan was the lone player in the trade to play in the majors beyond 1903, lasting until 1906; while never a standout and playing poorly for Cincy to finish out 1903, Cozy would rebound in 1904 for a career-high 1.7 WAR and 115 OPS+.
1933 Right in the middle of a 24-game homestand (!), the White Sox drew the biggest crowd in Chicago history at the time, 53,398, to a doubleheader split against the Yankees.
The White Sox, surprisingly playing better than .500 during the dark ages of 1920-50, dropped the first contest vs. New York, 6-4, with Ted Lyons taking the loss. But in the nightcap, the South Siders rewarded their faithful with a 5-4, walk-off win to move to 30-27 and 5 1⁄2 back of first in the American League.
It was a furious finish for Chicago, who trailed all game but score one in the seventh and then a game-tying three in the bottom of the ninth. Evar Swanson knotted the game, 4-4, with a two-run single with one out in the ninth.
In the 10th, Whit Wyatt sat the Yankees down three straight, and the White Sox immediately set to rallying. Luke Appling led the inning off with a double, and after an intentional walk to Red Kress, Jimmy Dykes laid down a bunt to move the runners over that he beat out; on pitcher Wilcy Moore’s overthrow to first base, Appling came around to score.
The next season, Dykes would become player-manager of the White Sox, and would stay at the helm of the team until 1946.
The White Sox would surpass this attendance mark seven times at Comiskey Park after this, but this game remains the eighth-biggest crowd in White Sox (and Chicago baseball) history.
1961 Eddie Gaedel, who came to fame as a pinch-hitter for the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and a Martian leader who landed in Comiskey Park and kidnapped Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox eight years later, was found dead at his apartment on the South Side of Chicago.
The centerpiece of Bill Veeck’s follies had endured a difficult life, unemployed and alcoholic at the time of his passing. The 3´7´´owner of a 1.000 career MLB OBP was followed home from a bowling alley and beaten and/or mugged, and it was his mother who discovered him dead, in his bed, bruised. A coroner found that Gaedel had suffered a heart attack during or after the assault.
Only one representative of Major League Baseball attended Gaedel’s funeral: Bob Cain, the Tigers pitcher who walked Gaedel in 1951. (Cain had been traded to Detroit from the White Sox three months before the infamous Gaedel game.)
2000 A 17-4 mauling of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium capped the first and only 7-0 road trip in White Sox history. The club jumped on future White Sox starter Orlando Hernández for nine runs in the first inning, knocking him out of the game with two outs in the first; the onslaught was capped by a José Valentín grand slam.
The win pushed the South Siders to a season-high 20 games better than .500 at 44-24, and 7 ½ up in the AL Central.
2006 Jon Garland became the first White Sox pitcher since 1971 to homer in a regular season game when he hit a two-run shot off of Esteban Yan in the eighth inning in Cincinnati. The Sox won easily, 8-1. Garlandscored two runs in the game, as well.
2019 It was a huge moment, and seemingly a big step forward for the rebuilding White Sox. In a 1-1 tie at Wrigley Field, former top Cubs prospect Eloy Jiménez blasted a two-run home run into the left-field bleachers, giving the Sox what turned out to be a 3-1 win. The shot came in the ninth inning, and he did it while breaking his bat! Jiménezwas acquired by the Sox along with top pitching prospect Dylan Cease for pitcher José Quintana on July 13, 2007.
2023 A brilliant individual performance by Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn was all for naught.
Lynn, who had been badly struggling all season, found a comfort zone in Seattle and wound up striking out 16 Mariners — tying the franchise record — on a Father’s Day Sunday afternoon.
But the Sox offense was so embarrassingly bad it only managed one run, and Seattle wound up winning the game, 5-1, tacking on additional runs off of Reynaldo López when Lynnleft in the eighth inning. Lynn was charged with three runs in the game.
The 16 strikeouts tied Jack Harshman for the team record. Harshman, a converted position player, struck on 16 Red Sox on July 25, 1954 at Fenway Park in a game the White Sox won, 5-2.
That, of course, makes life a little different for the club’s amateur scouting staff leading up to the 2026 NHL draft. Barring a trade, the Flyers will pick at 21st overall. It’s their lowest first-round spot since 2020.
So the Flyers know the draft is still critical to what they want to do, even when they’re lower in the order.
“We’ve said it for a long time, we wanted to build a team that was going to be here for a long time; not just to go for it for a year or two,” general manager Danny Briere said last month. “That’s still the same approach on my end.”
After the recent trade with the Maple Leafs, the Flyers have only four picks in this draft, which will be held June 26-27. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
“I’ll tell you how I feel about drafts and I’ll be totally blunt with you,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said June 2 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think it’s f—ing bulls–t when I hear about, ‘Oh, this draft isn’t as good.’ Here are the numbers. Approximately 45 players from any draft will play 350 games or more in the NHL. It might be 47 one year, 42 another year. That’s the number — you get 45 players that’ll play 350 games or more with varying degrees of success.
“And I know this about the draft. The teams that get good players from the draft say it was a good draft. The teams that don’t get good players from the draft say it wasn’t a good draft. So when people start telling me about a draft ahead of time, I call bulls–t.”
“What you’re trying to do is find a player that you feel has the potential to be an NHL player,” Button said. “That might be a third-line center, that might be a second-line scoring winger. Hey, listen, maybe you get David Pastrnak, who’s a superstar (drafted 25th overall in 2014).
“But the focus has to be on, ‘OK, what type of player do we like, what type of player do we think the guy can be?’ And then get after it and understand what the development path is, and then try to help that player be the best he can be. Put a stake in the ground and celebrate who you’re drafting.”
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Nikita Klepov
Position: Winger Height: 6-foot Weight: 180 Shoots: Left Team: Saginaw
Scouting report
There’s a swagger to Klepov, who looks like he was born to score.
He won the OHL scoring crown this season as a 17-year-old rookie, amassing 97 points (37 goals, 60 assists) in 67 games for Saginaw. Klepov put up 38 power play points and three shorthanded goals.
The Michigan State commit had six games of multiple goals and five games of four or more points.
“There were a lot of plays where it’s like, ‘OK, that’s an interesting decision to get rid of the puck here, what are you doing?'” Ellis said. “And then he would skate around everybody, get into scoring position and score. He would do that a lot. This is a guy that thinks the game at a high level.”
Klepov is the 19th-ranked player on Ellis’ top-100 draft board. It’s uncertain if the right winger will play one more season at the junior level before going to college. The knocks on his game are that he’s not very big and the skating isn’t always there.
“His skating is something where it’s more about how he uses it,” Ellis said. “He has actually got some good speed and he does move a lot, but it’s not enough. It’s not every shift. I think that’s kind of the issue. There are a lot of times where he’s just kind of out there and not doing a whole lot and needs to be doing it.
“It’s just kind of that shift-to-shift consistency. There are some points in games he looks a little checked out; he can’t do that at the next level. But I do think that the offensive ability there is very exciting.”
The Flyers have liked players out of the OHL. Four of their last five first-round selections have been OHLers.
Klepov’s prowess on the power play should attract the Flyers. He sees the ice and can execute at a high level. With the NHL’s worst power play over the last five seasons combined (14.1 percent), the Flyers have needed more answers there.
The organization already has a lot of young wingers, but the Flyers will go with a best-player-available approach at No. 21. If they were to take Klepov, he’d add to a promising outlook on the wing. Just on the right side alone, the Flyers would have Martone, Klepov and Matvei Michkov.
Even when this team actually wins and wins a series, it ends up being vaguely disappointing. The Cubs won Wednesday night to salvage a split in the season series and a win in the Wrigley portion of the series. The Cubs outscored the Rockies in Denver 14-13, but only managed one win. The Rockies and Cubs tied 15-15 over the three games in Chicago. So in sum, the Cubs outscored the Rockies 29-28 while winning three of six. Not good enough. What a lost opportunity. The kind of thing you look back on after you just miss the playoffs.
On the one hand it was good to see the offense get in gear. But this game does nothing to assuage my concerns about them. They piled on, scoring seven runs in the second inning. I’ve made the statement that it feels like they pounce on a struggling pitcher when that happens and otherwise struggle to sustain any offense at all. In this one, they got seven runs in one inning and just one run in the other seven.
I suspect Pete Crow-Armstrong will hit hundreds of homers in his career, assuming relative health and longevity for a player of his skill level. To be fair, that may not be a fair assumption for a guy who plays the game as hard and fast as he does. But bear with the premise. If he goes on to hit hundreds of homers, he might never register a weirder one than the one he did in this game. Without digging, I’m pretty sure he’s already gotten a shorter one and probably will again (he has at least one inside-the-park homer). But the one he hit in this game, I saw a ton of replays of it and I’m still not sure it went out. It sure didn’t look like it at full speed. When slowed down, it kind of looked like maybe it did.
That was essentially the only offense after the first inning. Not good enough. That’s where I just keep coming back. Javier Assad pitched relatively well. But the Cub bullpen threw 3.1 innings, allowing four hits, two walks and four runs. Not good enough. It just keeps ending up there. But the bullpen was credited with a hold and a save. Those are pretty rare occurrences for this team. Somehow, so are series wins.
Generally not good enough. But on this night, it was enough. Just barely. But it beats the alternative.
Three Positives:
Matt Shaw had a two-run triple and added a single. Shaw’s injury hurt this team more than most people acknowledged.
Seiya Suzuki had a single, a double and drew a walk. He drove in a run and scored one.
Javier Assad allowed two runs over 5.2 innings. Some forget that he had 29 starts in 2024 with a 3.73 ERA (though 4.64 FIP). He’s a reasonable back half of the rotation guy.
Game 75, June 17: Cubs 8, Rockies 6 (39-36)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Matt Shaw (.168). 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R
Hero: Javier Assad (.115). 5.2 IP, 22 BF, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, K (W 5-1)
Billy Goat: Ethan Roberts (-.037). 0.1 IP, 4 BF, 2 H, BB, 3 ER
Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.022). 1-5, HR, RBI, R
Kid: Nico Hoerner (-.020). 1-5, R
WPA Play of the Game: Matt Shaw’s two-run triple with no outs in the second drove in the first two runs of the game. (.175)
Rockies Play of the Game: Cole Carrigg drew a one out walk in the eighth inning with the Rockies down three. (.025) Hunter Goodman’s two-run homer with one out in the eighth to cut it to three had the same WPA.
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 73 Winner: Miguel Amaya nudged Pete Crow-Armstrong 66-47 (132 votes total)
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Michael Busch +25
Pete Crow-Armstrong +13
Ben Brown +12.5
Michael Conforto +10
Trent Thornton +8.5
Edward Cabrera -9.5
Phil Maton -10
Caleb Thielbar/Dansby Swanson -11
Seiya Suzuki -21.5
Up Next: An off day Thursday, then the defending AL champion Blue Jays come to town. The Jays won Wednesday to get to 36-38 but have a game Thursday afternoon in Boston before coming to Chicago. Neither team had announced starters. Friday should be Ben Brown’s spot (3-2, 1.74, 62 IP). Ben is the anti-2026 Cub starter. He’s allowed just one homer and is the only thing keeping the Cub homer numbers from being truly grotesque.
Win a game behind Ben and keep the Blue Jays under .500. The Cubs are more or less tied for the last wild card spot and are very much alive. But they’ve got to start stacking series wins again, particularly at home.
Los Angeles, CA - May 30: Arizona St. pitcher Cole Carlon (14) cheers his team on at the NCAA baseball regional tournament game between Arizona State and UC Irvine at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
After selecting Kade Anderson with the third overall pick in last year’s draft, the Mariners undoubtedly secured the best lefthander in all of college baseball and broke something of a trend with their heavy emphasis on right-handed pitchers. With an opportunity to yet again secure the best left hander amongst the college ranks this season, Arizona State’s Cole Carlon looks like a highly appealing option for the M’s with the 24th selection and potentially grants them yet another arm that could figure into their big league roster construction rather quickly.
Have a night, Cole.
Carlon strikes out his fellow All-Big 12 First Team selection Gavin Kelly for the second time tonight.
Carlon is one of the most physically developed pitchers in this entire class. With a strong 6’5 230lb frame, the southpaw possesses one of the the most electrifying one-two punches in the entire 2026 class. Launching the ball from a high slot, Carlon’s fastball sits in the mid-90’s and has touched as high as 101 this year, though the underlying shape underneath the premium velocity isn’t all that inspiring. More critically for Carlon, however, is his devastating slider. Given his incredibly high release point, the bullet spin on the ball causes immense problems for hitters and leads to a substantial amount of swing and miss. From a production standpoint, it was one of the best breaking balls in the country, and it could be argued it’s the primary pitch in his arsenal. He’s tossed in some changeups and curveballs as “show me” offerings, but his bread and butter is undoubtedly the fastball-slider tandem.
Despite being on the larger side, Carlon’s mechanics are incredibly fluid and repeatable. There isn’t an overwhelming amount of effort in his delivery and it’s all but assured he’ll be a starter as a professional given his track record to this point. It’s average strike throwing, above average stuff, and a premium frame from a 21 year old arm that’s produced for multiple years in the Big 12 conference; though the “projection” aspect of his profile isn’t overwhelming, it’s hard to argue what he currently possesses isn’t enough to succeed at the next level.
Cole Carlon.
That's it, that's the tweet.
Punches out one of the hottest hitters on the planet with his 115th pitch of the game. Time to get some runs.
Carlon is a candidate to ascend through the minors rapidly, with many evaluators thinking he could find his way into a big league bullpen as early as next year. Triple digit fuel from the left side is far from common, and finding a starter that’s able to hold velocity deep into starts is even more of a rarity. Even if his extension/movement profiles are more mundane than other first round candidates in this class, it’s tough to ignore everything Carlon can do with no development necessary. Should the esteemed pitching lab in the PNW see an angle to extract some additional talent out of Carlon, they could yet again land an uber-talented lefthander to add to their farm system and ultimately give them a trio of minor leaguers that could contribute to the Major League roster by 2027.
Jun 17, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs (21) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Ah, the 40-man roster. The place that players crave to be as it means making either a full year’s salary by remaining on that roster all season, or a significant prorated portion for each day that player is on the 40-man roster. There might be hesitance from minor leaguers in regards to that particular part of the organization depending on the time of year as it means more money during the season, but a chance to be drafted by another team in the Rule 5 draft in the offseason, therefore offering a clearer path to playing time in a different organization if they are not on that 40-man roster.
Yet at this time of year, the bottom of the 40-man roster sometimes gets thrust into the spotlight. Teams are starting to jockey for position for the playoffs and that means they can no longer wait for the weaker part of their rosters to start to produce. Injuries are taking their toll. Teams are in need of fresh arms, fresh legs, players that can help those margins get a little more positive to maybe scratch out an extra win or two. So, with the Phillies possibly in need of making a few changes to their roster construction, let’s look at the (theoretical) bottom of the 40-man roster to see how they are performing and whether or not they deserve to continue to hang on to that coveted spot.
Garrett Stubbs
Stubbs started a game on Wednesday for the first time since June 2. In his time with the team, he has hit to the tune of a .417 OPS. He has been paraded as someone that can handle positions other than catcher and has at least stood at first base, third base and left field (besides being the position player pitching), yet his continued presence on the roster is baffling.
What purpose does he actually serve?
Sure, now with Adolis Garcia missing the rest of the season, someone is going to have ensnare the role of locker room DJ, but as far as actual on-field production, Stubbs is rather useless. Rafael Marchan has done next to nothing at the plate or at behind it, so if Stubbs is that badly needed, keep him as the backup catcher and move on from Marchan. Put that 26th roster spot to some good use, like maybe a different outfielder into the mix. But continuing to use a roster spot on Stubbs just makes no sense any longer.
Steward Berroa
Berroa was swinging a decent bat in Lehigh Valley before being called up to the Phillies….and playing almost not at all.
The team in the last few years have had this annoying habit of carrying a position player in the 13th spot on the roster and barely playing him at all. Many other teams have been successful at using players up and down their own rosters to wade through the slog of the 162 game schedule, but the Phillies rarely use that final spot. Berroa was the latest one to do so, Stubbs previously mentioned possibly taking that mantle at this point. He’s useful depth for the team to store in Lehigh Valley to call upon in case of emergency, but when called upon, they ignored him.
If that is going to continue to be the case, then what purpose does he actually serve that the team couldn’t simply rotate different freely available players into that spot over the next few weeks? If Berroa or currently Derek Hill are going to occupy a spot, it’s for the best the team finds a role to use, or else find someone else that can fill that spot with better potential results. In the end, Berroa is a AAAA-type player at best, but what exactly have the Phillies to lose by seeing if someone can get hot a few games or weeks at a time?
Nolan Hoffman
These are the places where the Phillies can begin looking to play the game of player roulette. Hoffman has already been called up once to the majors to be an emergency fill in, then summarily sent back down within hours, yet his performance at the minor league level is worth discussing. He’s pitched good enough to the tune of striking 28.7% of batters he’s faced, not allowing a home run yet, walking a few too man batters and generally being an example of the term “fungible reliever”. Every bottom of a 40-man roster is populated with them and Hoffman is really no different. Were the team in need of making someone available to waivers in order to add to their major league team, Hoffman is as good a candidate as any.
Grant Holman
Which brings us to Grant Holman. So far, in the year of our Lord 2026, Holman has been a name that can be seen buried on transaction wires that only the sickos look at with any regularity. He has been:
designated for assignment by the Athletics
claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks
designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks
claimed off waivers by the Dodgers
claimed off waivers by the Tigers
designated for assignment by the Tigers
claimed off waivers by the Phillies
Many have ridden this rollercoaster, few have succeeded at sticking with a team. He’s only appeared in a handful of games for the IronPigs, but also has an ERA that starts with a 7. Maybe there is something in underlying stuff that belies that resul— oh wait, his FIP starts with a 7 as well?
Yeah, this is probably the guy that gets moved off the 40-man when a spot is needed.
Jean Cabrera
Perhaps no minor leaguer in the Phillies’ minor league organization has been as disappointing this season than Cabrera. Ranked in the top ten of the team’s list by more than one online group of prospect writers, Cabrera has had a horrid year almost all the way around. Virtually everything has gone wrong for him this year – lowered velocity, striking out fewer hitters, allowing more balls in play. His performance at Lehigh Valley was so bad (9.32 ERA) that it necessitated his going even further down the minor league ladder to Reading, where he has somehow accumulated an even worse ERA.
If push came to shove, with almost no trade value left, does the team cut bait with Cabrera and move on to someone else?
Derek Curiel 6 homerun as the LSU Tigers take on the Southern Jaguars in Baton Rouge, LA. Tuesday, March 31, 2026. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 2026 is about a month away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.
Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at LSU outfielder Derek Curiel.
Derek Curiel is a 6’2”, 192 lb. lefthanded hitting outfielder for LSU. He was considered a potential first round pick in 2024 coming out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California, but had a down senior year and ended up withdrawing from the draft. He is a draft-eligible sophomore who turned 21 last month.
Curiel’s carrying tool since his high school days has been his hit tool. He’s described as a “pure hitter” with excellent contact ability and the ability to make hard contact, with strong exit velocities. However, he has also never hit for much power, in part due to his swing, which doesn’t generate much loft — he’s more of a ground ball and line drive hitter with his swing. His build and exit velocities indicate that there may be more power that he can tap into, but as of now, there are questions about whether he will ever have even average power.
Curiel has played center field for LSU this year, after primarily playing left field in 2025. His speed appears to grade out at a little above average, though one would expect that to drop a little as he fills out. His arm would be a problem in right field, but is fine for center and left. He doesn’t project as a great defender in the outfield, and it remains to be seen whether he will be good enough defensively to play center regularly long-term.
Curiel has put up pretty similar numbers in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. As a freshman, he slashed .345/.470/.519, with 53 walks against 56 Ks in 323 plate appearances. This year, in 274 plate appearances, he slashed .353/.431/.526, with 34 walks and 43 Ks while going 13 for 15 on the bases. After winning the College World Series in 2025, LSU didn’t make the field of 64 this year, so Curiel wasn’t able to show his stuff in the postseason this year.
Curiel seems likely to go somewhere in the teens, and could be on the board when the Rangers pick at 16. He has the hit tool the Rangers prioritize in position players, and has had success in the best college baseball conference, which is also something the team puts emphasis on.
He’s a high-floor guy — I’ve seen him described as a “safe” pick — whose upside ultimately depends on how much his power improves as a professional and to what extent he can stick in center field. If he can’t get to at least average power, or play at least average defense in center field, its hard to see him as a starter, and so there’s real risk that he ends up a tweener fourth outfielder.
The person who came to mind when I was reading about Curiel is David Murphy. Murphy was drafted #17 overall by the Boston Red Sox in 2003 after a successful career at Baylor. Murphy had a solid hit tool but questions about his power, and he played center field in the minors but was stretched there defensively and primarily played left field in the majors, where he was mostly a platoon outfielder/fourth outfielder.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Dillon Mitchell #1 of the St. John's Red Storm dribbles during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Depending on how the board falls, St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell could be available when New York is on the clock on draft night next week. Should the Knicks consider him with their 24th, 31st, or 55th selection?
The Basics
School: St. John’s (transferred from Texas, then Cincinnati)
Projected Draft Range: Mid-second round to undrafted
The Numbers
Mitchell’s production does not jump off the page like that of teammate Zuby Ejiofor’s did at St. John’s, but his profile is built more around his tools and energy than his raw scoring numbers and a plug-and-play profile transitioning from college to the NBA.
He averaged 8.3 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game for the Red Storm, giving Rick Pitino a high-motor forward who could defend, rebound, cut, run and finish without needing plays called for him. In St. John’s Sweet 16 loss to Duke, Mitchell scored 13 points on 86% shooting, showing the type of efficient, low-usage role that gives him an NBA pathway, although that will only happen after he spends some considerable developmental time in the chamber.
The passing is probably Mitchell’s calling card on offense, as he finished his senior campaign with 111 assists to only 37 turnovers, a great 3:1 ratio for an athletic forward whose offensive reputation has mostly centered on rim running, cutting and transition finishing.
SNY’s Ian Begley reported on Wednesday that the Knicks brought Mitchell in for a pre-draft workout, alongside UConn forward Alex Karaban. That matters because New York owns a second-round pick (No. 55), which fits the range Mitchell is expected to hear his name, unless he goes all the way and ends up signing a two-way, UDFA contract after the draft is over.
Skills That Pay the Bills
Elite Athleticism: Mitchell is a rare vertical athlete. He runs the floor hard, jumps quickly off the ground, and can finish above the rim in transition, off cuts and on putbacks.
Cutting and Play Finishing: His best offensive role is simple, as he’s adept at moving without the ball, finding dunker-spot openings, attacking backdoors and finishing plays created by guards. He does not need high usage to create value, as he’s a high-activity player.
Defensive Versatility: Mitchell has the feet, mobility and athletic profile to defend multiple spots. He can navigate screens, switch in certain matchups and use his quickness to stay involved away from the ball.
Rebounding Motor: He averaged seven rebounds per game and has posted more than two offensive rebounds per game in back-to-back seasons. His second jump and activity help him create extra possessions.
Passing Growth: Mitchell’s senior season showed legitimate progress as an offensive connector, removing any concerns about him turning into a pro offense-stopper. He can make quick passes from the interior, hit cutters and move the ball without forcing plays.
Concerns
No Reliable Jumper: This is the biggest issue, and not precisely a small one. Mitchell does not space the floor and his perimeter game remains underdeveloped, with the forward attempting 57 three-pointers in 144 college games across four seasons for an average of 0.4 3PA per game, hitting them at a horrid 19.3% clip. That limits lineup flexibility and makes his offensive role narrow in the current NBA economy.
Free-Throw Shooting: His career free-throw percentage sits below 50%, which raises real questions about his touch and late-game playability alongside his non-existent long-range shooting.
Limited Self-Creation: Mitchell is not a player who manufactures offense, mostly because of his shooting issues. He needs to play under a heavy structured offense, take advantage of spacing, and have elite playmakers around him to maximize his athletic tools and find him open.
Tweener Role: He is 6’6.75” without elite length for a forward and does not shoot well enough to play a clean wing role. His NBA value depends on defending, rebounding, cutting and finishing at a high level.
The Knicks Fit
I don’t need to tell you how Mitchell fits the Knicks if you just read where the kid is coming from. New York just won their first championship since 1973, and Mitchell spent his final college season at St. John’s, playing home games at Madison Square Garden, and making this the ultimate good-story draft pick if NYK uses the late second-round selection on him or simply adds him to one of their two-way slots if he’s still available after the second day is over.
There is also real St. John’s history with the Knicks. New York drafted Mark Jackson out of St. John’s in 1987, and Jackson became NBA Rookie of the Year with the franchise, although the comparisons here are virtually non-existent. The other famous connection, and one still due for fix, is that with former Red Storm forward and Queens-born-and-raised Ron Artest, whom the Knicks passed on in 1999 when they selected Dunk-of-Death casualty Frederic Weis one pick before Artest went to the Chicago Bulls.
Mitchell would not arrive with Jackson’s or Artest’s profile or expectations—and he should definitely not be treated like that kind of prospect—but the local connection is there.
From a basketball standpoint, Mitchell fits only if the Knicks are comfortable taking a developmental bet, even late in the draft. New York already has physical wings and forwards in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, while Karl-Anthony Towns gives the team offensive firepower up front. Mitchell would need to earn minutes through defense, rebounding, pace and energy, and he won’t do anything to improve the offense, not being even close to Hart’s already-subpar shooting.
NBA Comparison
Best-Case Comparison: Derrick Jones Jr. (Explosive cutter, finisher and defensive athlete without a lot to offer on offense)
Median Outcome: KJ Martin (Vertical athlete who runs, cuts and finishes near the rim but not far from it)
Low-End Outcome: Keita Bates-Diop without the jumper (Forward body, defensive chops, can’t hit a shot)
The Verdict
Pass at 24th and 31st. Consider him at 55th: Mitchell is not worth a first-round pick, whether that’s No. 24 or No. 31, unless the board completely collapses and the Knicks are convinced his jumper will develop, which is far from guaranteed. The athletic tools are obvious—Mitchell can run, jump, defend, cut and finish—but the shooting concerns are too big to ignore. A forward who does not space the floor and shoots below 50% from the free-throw line needs to be excellent in the margins to stay on the floor. Mitchell has some of those margins covered, especially with his cutting, rebounding and defensive versatility, but he still projects as a developmental player. Let him go past 55th, and with just five more picks remaining, there’s a good chance he goes undrafted, and the Knicks can ink him after he becomes a UDFA.
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: Caleb Wilson shoots the ball during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on May 12, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. 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 Melissa Tamez/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
We are less than a week away from the 2026 NBA Draft, which means things are more or less feeling finalized as far as predictions go. Granted, nobody’s predictions are going to be perfect — there will inevitably be some trades, some unexpected selections, and other fun surprises. That could turn out to be true for Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar as well, but there’s a lot more uncertainty around Veesaar that could make things interesting.
That said, let’s take a look at where both players are currently projected to get drafted. We will tap into HoopsHype.com, who did an aggregate mock draft based on the following sources: ESPN, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, Babcock Hoops, SB Nation, USA Today Sports and No Ceilings.
Caleb Wilson: No. 4 overall to the Chicago Bulls
While there was a lot of talk that UNC star Caleb Wilson could get drafted higher than fourth, it seems like a lot of that talk has cooled down. The most likely scenario is that Wilson will hear his name called by the Chicago Bulls on draft night, a team that is going through both an organizational and roster rebuild.
Should there be no surprises and Wilson ends up in the Windy City, he will be one of very few players on the roaster that is guaranteed to be there within the next year or two. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham seeks to do everything he can to return the Bulls to relevance in the NBA, but in order to do so he will have to completely overhaul the roster. Wilson will be one of two first-round picks for the Bulls assuming that they do not trade their No. 15 pick. He could end up becoming a star in Chicago, but that’s only if Michael and Jerry Reinsdorf are finally ready to start taking this franchise seriously again. Though, let’s be honest: Wilson may end up becoming a star anyway.
Henri Veesaar: 29th overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers
The situation with Henri Veesaar feels a lot more fluid than the situation with Wilson. Media outlets seem pretty convinced that Veesaar could end up being one of the final first-round picks, but deciding which team he could go to is tricky. Some outlets had him going to the Dallas Mavericks, but if we’re going off the aggregate that Hoops Hype created, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be the landing spot, which would guarantee that Veesaar plays a bench role at best.
The Cavaliers already have Evan Mobley on their roster, who is currently one a five-year max rookie contract that lasts until 2030. They also have Jarrett Allen at the center spot, whose contract goes until 2029. Things aren’t especially impressive being either guys, so there’s definitely a world where Veesaar sees a reasonable amount of playing time behind Allen at the very least. It’s hard to imagine that he’d spend time at the four, but who knows? Players are expected to be versatile in the NBA, but it’s hard to imagine Veesaar playing anything but the five.
Either way, should the Cavaliers draft Veesaar, he’d be a solid three-level scorer and solid passer for a playoff-contending team. Oh, and he’d face Caleb Wilson often in the Central Division. Who doesn’t want that?
The NBA Draft is June 23-24 in Brooklyn, NY. The event will be broadcasted on ESPN. What do you think of where the two Tar Heels are currently positioned in the mock drafts? Let us know in the comments below.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 26: Chris Cenac Jr. #5 of the Houston Cougars shoots the ball against Tomislav Ivisic #13 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Toyota Center on March 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the next month before the 2026 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at No. 22. Next up in this series is Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr.
By this point, we’ve all been frustrated with the rotating door of failed attempts at front court depth behind Joel Embiid from the Sixers. In recent years, it’s been a lot of players who are at best good on one end of the floor but a liability on the other end. With Embiid’s lack of availability only increasing, Philly could use a big that could not only solve its problems when he’s not on the floor, but also potentially play next to him. The good thing is, the answer to that problem might be staring them in the face next week.
Let’s start with the most obvious thing Cenac has going for him, which happens to be a great fit for Philadelphia. He’s a very good rebounder having averaged close to eight rebounds per game is just under 25 minutes per game. Per 40 minutes in college, he was averaging a robust 12.7 boards. Simply put, when Cenac is on the floor, offenses aren’t getting second chances off of missed field goals and free throws. His productive rebounding can be traced back to strong instincts, physicality and a relentless motor. That’s the kind of stuff that not only earns you more playing time, but endears you to a fanbase as a rookie. At 6’11” and 240 pounds, he’s certainly ready to come in and start grabbing rebounds off the bench for an NBA team at the very least.
Next is his athletic ability. Cenac isn’t just a halfcourt player who hauls in defensive rebounds. He can run the floor and finish as a lob threat while also finishing off the dribble in pick-and-rolls when he is in halfcourt sets. While a lot of his athletic ability did not necessarily translate to a lot of blocked shots in college, he certainly possesses the traits to be a good rim protector and he’s also athletic enough to guard on the perimeter when drawn out that way.
Speaking of things that you have to watch in Cenac’s game more than simply look at the stats for, he’s a willing jump shooter with enough fluidity in his mechanics to make you think those percentages above can improve. He took about 2.5 threes per game at Houston so it’s certainly not foreign to him to get shots up from deep and in some of his highlights, he looks pretty comfortable already as a face-up jump shooter in the midrange area. He’s not just one of those guys who gets drafted in the first round purely on athletic ability who has a broken jumper. It looks fixable but the encouraging thing here is that he seems cognizant of the importance to continue to develop his jump shot.
Weaknesses
Whether it was taking too many outside shots in certain games with an underdeveloped jumper or just making some bad decisions, at nearly seven feet tall, you’d like to see a better field goal percentage than 48.5%. While he’s ready right now to rebound in the NBA, he could probably afford to add about 20 pounds of muscle which would likely make him a more viable post scorer and make finishing in the paint in halfcourt sets a little easier.
Another problem that likely kept his minutes per game average around 25 is his tendency to pick up fouls. He averaged 2.3 fouls per game in the 25 minutes per game that he played last season at Houston. That’s about one foul in every 10 minutes of action. Do the math and while Cenac has the upside to become an NBA starter, if he’s fouling at the same rate that would have him averaging four fouls every 40 minutes which could mean some foul outs on certain nights.
He could also benefit from good coaching that boosts his basketball IQ. In watching a lot of his film, Cenac appears to drift into midrange areas too frequently offensively instead of cutting to the rim. That’s perhaps one factor that led to a lower field goal percentage than you’d like from a big man in college. Defensively, he would occasionally get mixed up with the other big man who he was playing with on who was guarding the stretch big and who was hanging around the rim.
Positional Fit
Cenac could come right into the NBA and play power forward today. He’s certainly comfortable enough guarding the perimeter and runs the floor better than a lot of NBA centers, which makes him more of an instant fit at the four. However, he’s certainly the kind of player that could grow into more of a center during his rookie contract. Perhaps by year two or year three in the NBA, Cenac is strong enough to score in the interior and defend just about any NBA center. He fits into an NBA frontcourt one way or another. Whether that’s as a power forward or a center likely depends on the team that drafts him.
Cenac lands at 20th overall in this mock draft, so he’s a very viable target for Philadelphia in the first round. Often times, teams in the late teens and early 20s are in that tier below the league’s true contenders drafting in the late 20s. Therefore, do certain teams prioritize their current rosters a bit more in hopes of landing more immediate help? As that school of thought pertains to Cenac, would a team that likes its power forwards opt not to take Cenac due to some concerns that he could come in and play center right away?
The fit with the Sixers is good enough to make me wonder if Mike Gansey and company would consider moving up for him to ensure he lands in Philadelphia. If Cenac had a strong rookie season, you could certainly argue starting him next to Embiid by the end of the regular season and in the playoffs would make a lot of sense. Embiid’s athleticism has dwindled and so having a big man on the court with Embiid who could defend the perimeter adequately and rebound well should raise the team’s floor defensively. Regardless of how quickly Cenac could become a starter for the Sixers, he could be someone that could play with Embiid in the short term and replace Embiid in the long term and that should have everyone in the organization interested.
Claudia Giunta) pic.twitter.com/jR0Jk9eGuF
