It’s official: we’re entering the regular season’s endgame. Every game from here on out will have much bigger consequences, a statement even truer in 2021 than perhaps any other season thanks to the NBA’s new play-in tournament. If you’re not familiar, the play-in tournament will consist of two matchups within each conference. The seventh and
Charlotte Hornets
The Western Conference has been dominating the league once again, in terms of quality teams from top to bottom. The 13th worst team in the West would be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. Though their depth is lacking, the East still has a few teams that are championship contenders this season. The Brooklyn
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Two paint-bound bigs dominating the MVP race? Tyrese Haliburton outscoring James Wiseman? Someone other than the Lakers settling into the position of championship favorite? We’ve seen norms busted and
LaMelo Ball has been the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year and even LeBron James was impressed after his first look at the up-and-coming star. LaMelo Ball played down the stakes of his first career matchup with the GOAT, LeBron James. Earlier this week he responded to a question about whether or not he
NBA Twitter was in disbelief as Malik Monk lit up the Miami Heat once again. The last time Malik Monk faced the Miami Heat, he dropped 36 points on 11-of-18 shooting in a 129-121 overtime win for the Charlotte Hornets. In their latest meeting Friday night, Monk continued his ascent up the list of notorious
LaMelo Ball was the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year. He still very well may win the award, but his rookie season is likely finished after just 41 games. Ball fractured his right wrist on Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers. While Ball hasn’t been officially ruled out for the year, he probably
The NBA trade deadline is one week away and several organizations are looking to make a splash before the regular season hits the home stretch. Some teams need to facilitate a deal more than others as they prepare for the postseason. Sellers will be just as active as they turn their attention to reshaping their
LaMelo Ball is already playing like a savvy veteran. Apparently, he’s approaching big games like on too. For NBA rookies, that first season is just a progression of firsts. Your first home game. Your first road trip. Your first time playing in the 29 other NBA arenas. Your first win, your first loss. Maybe your
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Not many lottery picks who struggle as much as Malik Monk has get to their fourth season with a chance to breakthrough. Monk, who was taken with the No.
LaMelo Ball has been the front-runner for Rookie of the Year almost since the season began, but somehow Draymond Green missed that. Luckily his mom filled him in. It’s hard to miss just how good LaMelo Ball has been this year. His shooting has been much, much better than advertised. He’s averaged 15.8 points, 6.3
The Brooklyn Nets acquisition of Blake Griffin is, for all intents and purposes, a declaration of war. Brooklyn is coming — and every other team with championship hopes this season had better pony up to add as much talent as is humanly possible. As we approach the March 25 trade deadline, demand for established talent
With the Orlando Magic floating near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, four playoff teams are eyeing star center Nikola Vucevic. The 2021 NBA All-Star Game is in the books, which means the trade deadline is on the horizon. March 25 is the date that team executives will keep an eye on, as playoff
The All-Star break is nearly upon the NBA, and the Rising Stars rosters were just announced with several rookies leading the charge. Two players have pulled away by a significant margin in recent weeks, with several first-year players making impacts on winning teams. Let’s take a look at how the rookie ladder has changed over
Feb 20, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, left, argues with referee Marc Davis (8) as Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington looks on during the second half at Spectrum Center. The Charlotte Hornets won 102-100. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports Latest update on J.J. Watt is bad news for
Julius Randle is everything for the New York Knicks – for now at least. Randle entered the NBA in the 2014 draft. Selected seventh overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, the former Kentucky Wildcat was a bowling bowl on the offensive end, viewed as a seriously unique athlete. But there were question marks, too. Criticisms
It has been another rough season for the Detroit Pistons. Their 8-19 record has them just a half-game ahead of the Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference basement. They recently traded away Derrick Rose, while their talented rookie point guard Killian Hayes remains out with an injury and Blake Griffin’s tenure in Detroit has seemingly
For this edition of ICYMI for Basketball Insiders, we’re looking at the Southeast Division. This breakdown follows the recent publications of ICYMI on the Atlantic, Pacific, Central and Northwest. Starting off, this division is the only one in the NBA that has a single franchise above .500, the Atlanta Hawks. This should come as a
This season, the All-Star game will not be played, though players will still be able to receive the honor and go down in the record books all the same. While players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and many more are surefire All-Stars, Basketball Insiders wants to give credit to some of the players that are
This season, the All-Star game will not be played, though players will still be able to receive the honor and go down in the record books all the same. While players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and many more are surefire All-Stars, Basketball Insiders wants to give credit to some of the players that are
There’s an old saying: “if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.” That saying would certainly apply to Reggie Jackson this season. Jackson, who joined the Los Angeles Clippers last season after he was bought out by the Detroit Pistons, re-upped with team on a one-year deal. A once-promising young guard that the
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after defeating the Chicago Bulls 117-115 in a game at Staples Center on January 08, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to
We’re only about two weeks into the season, but it’s never too early to take a look at some end-of-season awards. And this year’s Rookie of the Year award is shaping up to be an exciting one — a lot of different players have made a name for themselves early on. So, while this list
Shooting has always been valued in professional basketball, and it’s become even more important of late in the NBA. The league average for three-point attempts per game was 34.1 in 2019-20, up from 29 just two seasons earlier and 20 back in 2012-13, according to Basketball-Reference. Well, that alone probably has a lot to do
ALERT. ALERT. ALERT. The NBA’s 2020-21 season is scheduled to begin in less than a month. If it feels like we just crowned the 2020 NBA Champions, that’s because we did. The Los Angeles Lakers secured their 17th championship on October 11, just over a month ago. Still, the new season kicks off in less
The Charlotte Hornets landed LaMelo Ball in the draft and Gordon Hayward in free agency. What does the 2020-21 season have in store for them? 1. Who is the Hornets’ third-most important offensive player? P.J. Washington. The Hornets‘ offense is going to rely heavily, on the talents of their individual shot creators and, when healthy,
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images Store Thanksgiving hours 2020: Is Home Depot open? by Thomas Albano Lonzo Ball feels he has an advantage over younger brother LaMelo Ball when the two face off next season. Love him or hate him, LaVar Ball spoke it into existence. Last week, youngest son LaMelo was selected third overall
Montrezl Harrell, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, might be on the move this offseason. Very rarely would the reigning Sixth Man of the Year fresh off an appearance in the Western Conference semifinals consider leaving one of the biggest contenders in the 2020-21 season, but that’s exactly the situation that could present itself
Marvin Williams Sr., the father of 15-year veteran Marvin Williams Jr., is not shy. On the contrary, he’s so outspoken about his life and experience that he wrote a book about it – Secondary Break: An NBA Dad’s Story. And he’s also outspoken about his son and how he was developed as a professional basketball
Russell Westbrook might be headed to the Hornets this offseason. The Houston Rockets are truly blowing it all up this offseason, as head coach Mike D’Antoni and front office mastermind Daryl Morey have already parted ways with the organization. The roster is the next part of this organization that will soon be torn apart, as
The Charlotte Hornets hold the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft and the potential for trades above them means anyone could be on the board. Here’s who they should prioritize. On paper, the Hornets have a promising young core that’s especially strong in the backcourt. Terry Rozier actually lived up to his big new