The Chicago Bulls rebuild was behind schedule, and the organization made noteworthy changes to get it back on course. Here are the five biggest questions for the Bulls in the upcoming 2020-21 season. 1. Who is the most important player for the Chicago Bulls’ future? Coby White. The 20-year-old guard from North Carolina had a
8:17 AM ET The 2020-21 NBA season has arrived. Preseason games tipped off last week, and the regular season is scheduled to begin Dec. 22, just 71 days after the NBA Finals ended. After successfully finishing the 2019-20 season in a bubble environment at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the league —
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 12: LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the first half of their game at Spectrum Center on December 12, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) This trick shot will make everyone an instant Steph Curry fan (Video) by Scott Rogust LaMelo
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets may need to rethink how they’re handling media availability. During the NBA‘s virtual media week, Kyrie Irving released a statement in lieu of actually showing up and answering questions. While reports about a media boycott for the entire season surfaced, those rumors were quashed by Newsday’s Greg Logan the
Kevin Love doesn’t seem thrilled with Kyrie Irving’s comments about the media. Irving went as far as to call the media ‘pawns’, which is a sure sign of disrespect, per Love. Kyrie’s intentions are pure, as he doesn’t want his words misconstrued. However, by continuing to defend himself, he’s actually feeding into the media monster
1:34 AM ET Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are back. For the first time in more than nine months, Curry and his team were back on an NBA floor in a 107-105 preseason win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Curry went 3-for-10 from the field, scoring 10 points in 21 minutes,
Jayson Tatum has taken the league by storm in his first three seasons. Now, the Boston Celtics will rely on him even more. Coming up in basketball, Jayson Tatum was always the headliner of each team he played for. By the time he made it to Duke, it was clear that he would one day
The Celtics head into this season with elite talent, but can Brad Stevens turn Boston into a legitimate NBA title contender? Losing Gordon Hayward in free agency is a blow to the Celtics, but it won’t change the expectations in Boston for the 2020-21 season. Fans in Beantown still expect Brad Stevens to fashion this
4:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Saturday that he is unsure the team’s biggest addition this offseason, center Tristan Thompson, will be ready to play in time for Boston’s season opener at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 23. “I think that’s hard to say right now,” Stevens said after
The Lakers have work to do if they want to repeat as NBA Champions. Can LeBron James and Anthony Davis bring another title to Los Angeles? Life in the NBA Bubble proved fruitful for LeBron James and the Lakers. They were able to stave off the competition to bring another title back to fans in
John Collins was one of only two players to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and shoot 40 percent on 3-pointers last year. So why aren’t more people talking about him? Since being drafted 19th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, John Collins has done two things at an elite level: score and rebound.
Trae Young has set the NBA world on fire in his first two seasons. Last year he finished in the top five for both points per game and assists per game. What’s next? In high school, Trae Young was a dynamic, high-scoring guard that was a McDonald’s All-American, but his size left scouts puzzled about
7:04 PM ET Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman are both “very unlikely” to play in the team’s three preseason games, coach Steve Kerr said Thursday. “Neither one will play Saturday and very unlikely to play either game in Sacramento, too,” Kerr said during a video conference call
The Rockets and Wizards are swapping Russell Westbrook for John Wall. Here are NBA Trade Grades for both sides. The Houston Rockets had a disgruntled point guard who wanted out in Russell Westbrook. The Washington Wizards had a disgruntled point guard who wanted out in John Wall. And although both sides denied the tension and
What was the reason for Russell Westbrook’s sudden trade to Washington? The Houston Rockets finally traded one of their two superstars, flipping disgruntled point guard Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall and a protected first-round pick. Westbrook, much like James Harden has reportedly been trying to do, has been trying
11:41 PM ET John Wall vowed that he’d return to his previous All-Star form after missing almost two years because of heel and Achilles tendon injuries. His preseason debut with the Houston Rockets on Friday night at least hinted at that hope being possible. It was also quite an encouraging first step in a Rockets
A new pass tracking database and accompanying app allows us to track the locations of passers and shooters on catch-and-shoot 3s, on the hunt for patterns. Everybody loves catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts. They are some of the most valuable shots in basketball and coaches have dreamt up actions, principles, and entire offenses designed to create as
Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz has shown us what makes him special right from the start. There’s something about playing basketball with the Utah Jazz that allows for a sense of flying under the radar and that’s what Donovan Mitchell has kind of done. But wasn’t he on the All-Rookie team, second in the
4:44 PM ET Bradley Beal says he won’t study film of how Kevin Durant, Paul George and James Harden played alongside Russell Westbrook to get tips or insight into his new backcourt mate. The Washington Wizards guard says his first week with Westbrook has been “smooth sailing” so far and he wants to learn Westbrook’s
OG Anunoby is already one of the NBA’s preeminent defenders. Can he become more than that and help the Toronto Raptors stay in the league’s upper tier? As the prevalence of supersized, ball-dominant offensive creators rises, so too does the importance of versatile defenders who can slow them and offensive role players who complement them.
2:37 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Last season, then-Indiana Pacers assistant coach Dan Burke wasn’t much of a fan of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid. These days, however, Embiid said things are a lot different, for one big reason: They’re now on the same team. “It’s easy to say stuff when you’re playing against somebody,” Embiid
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 24: (L-R) Giannis Antetokounmpo accepts the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player award from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver onstage during the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on TNT at Barker Hangar on June 24, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Turner Sports) The NBA season
DeMar DeRozan chased off an intruder in his home who got near his kids. It’s hard to think of something more terrifying than a home intruder coming face-to-face with your children while you’re not around. Luckily, San Antonio Spurs wing DeMar DeRozan was there to chase one away when such an unwelcome visitor broke into
7:35 PM ET NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets have each been fined $25,000 by the NBA for failure to comply with the league’s media rules. “The fines result from Irving’s refusal on several occasions this week to participate in the team media availability,” the NBA said in a statement Thursday. The
The Sacramento Kings just gave De’Aaron Fox a max contract extension and he’s earned every penny. This season is his chance to make the leap to a superstar. The Sacramento Kings have not been a successful NBA franchise for quite some time now. Despite routinely finding themselves in the lottery, they have yet to really
1:17 PM ET Six-time All-Star forward Paul George has signed a maximum contract extension with the LA Clippers that guarantees him as much as $226 million over the next five years, his agent, Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, told ESPN. The Clippers are extending George’s contract for an additional four years at $190 million on
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. Giannis Antetokounmpo could easily put Milwaukee Bucks fans out of their current misery by agreeing to sign the supermax contract extension his team is offering. It’d keep him
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 23: Brandon Roy Ball don’t lie: 3 worst calls from Week 13 in the NFL by Mark Powell Kansas City Royals are betting on a Carlos Santana rebound by Brad Berreman Brandon Roy has allowed Carmelo Anthony to take No. 7, if he wants to. The Portland Trail Blazers hold the
11:28 PM ET As the Golden State Warriors get ready to start playing basketball again for the first time in over nine months, star guard Stephen Curry acknowledged that he is looking forward to the challenge of trying to lead the team back to the top in the wake of the major roster shuffling Golden
The “role player” label is too good for Mikal Bridges, who’s on the verge of breaking out into a special two-way player with the Phoenix Suns. The Phoenix Suns are finally relevant again, and all eyes are turning to their foundational stars: Devin Booker, who’s toiled away for years with lackluster teammates, deprived of the