With the NBA season more than half over, what does each team’s offense look like? Which offenses need fixing? Modern NBA offenses are incredibly complicated. They have to be, seeing as (and don’t let any basketball boomers hear this) NBA defenses are very, very good. Teams constantly change, expand, and improve their offensive arsenals to
2:16 AM ET PORTLAND — After his team’s 133-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard expressed frustration with a no-call that eventually led to him receiving a technical foul in the game’s closing seconds. With 3 minutes, 42 seconds left and Portland down by 15, Lillard scored on a
Year 2 in the NBA can be just as much of a challenge as a rookie season. On one hand, your expectations rise — individually and team-wise. On the other, 29 teams key-in on tendencies through film study. They’ll make adjustments to ensure you don’t get to your usual spots, forcing you to find a
10:08 PM ET Steph Curry has three championship rings, two MVP trophies and five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors. But if Curry’d had his way, he would have gone to the New York Knicks, not the Warriors, in the 2009 Draft. “I wanted to go to New York and
The 2020 NBA trade deadline is the opportunity for talent-rich contenders to make a bigger jump, so what trades can teams like the Lakers, Bucks and more make? One of the beautiful things about the NBA trade deadline, which comes at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 6, is that every team has different goals in
The New Orleans Pelicans are within striking distance of a playoff spot, but how might their trade deadline plans take shape? With a superstar who clearly had one foot out the door, the New Orleans Pelicans were painted into a corner. But they ultimately sent Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers last July for
10:53 AM ET Zion Williamson made his highly anticipated NBA debut Wednesday night, scoring 22 points in 18 minutes for the New Orleans Pelicans. His Rookie of the Year odds shortened at all major sportsbooks. We’ll keep track of changes in his ROY odds in this file. All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Rookie of
To begin this segment on narratives, let’s travel back to the 2016 NBA Draft. Remember what the narrative was for that particular class around that time? It was labeled as top-heavy. Very top-heavy. It was supposed to be a two-man draft. Only two prospects in that draft were projected to be potentially special talents in
2:14 AM ET NEW YORK — Having been in Zion Williamson’s shoes eight years ago, playing in New Orleans as the NBA’s No. 1 pick, Anthony Davis had some advice for the Pelicans rookie. “Just go out there and play and have fun,” he said. Davis said there are outsized expectations that come with being
UNCASVILLE, CT – AUGUST 17: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Linx during the game against the Connecticut Sun on August 17, 2018 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. 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
10:53 AM ET ESPN News Services Denver Nuggets backup center Mason Plumlee is expected to miss two weeks to a month with a right foot injury, according to the team. Plumlee rolled his ankle in the second quarter of Monday’s 107-100 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves but was able to return to the game. It’s
To begin this segment on narratives, let’s travel back to the 2016 NBA Draft. Remember what the narrative was for that particular class around that time? It was labeled as top-heavy. Very top-heavy. It was supposed to be a two-man draft. Only two prospects in that draft were projected to be potentially special talents in
1:15 PM ET Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant said he believes that there are three WNBA players who could play in the NBA right now. “I think there are a couple of players who could play in the NBA right now, honestly,” Bryant told CNN when asked if there might be a day
Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images In preparation for the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline, it’s time to take a look at 10 players who could really use a change of scenery in the next few weeks. It’s hard to find true, lasting happiness in the NBA. Yes, we’re talking about guys in their 20s and 30s
9:44 PM ET DALLAS — The Mavericks fear that starting center Dwight Powell suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon early in the first quarter of Tuesday night’s 110-107 loss to the LA Clippers. “It’s a somber night with Dwight’s situation,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s going to have an MRI tomorrow. Right Achilles
The 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2020. While a number of NBA franchises are still vying for a playoff spot, plenty of teams have already begun to shift gears, putting themselves in the best position for the draft. But there are a number of complications that hinder the approach for cellar-dwellers
11:02 PM ET NBA Insiders Zion Williamson‘s NBA debut with the New Orleans Pelicans is here. Williamson’s surgery to fix the meniscus in his right knee happened on Oct. 21, the day before the Pelicans opened the 2019-20 season against the Toronto Raptors. The original timeline for Williamson was six-to-eight weeks, which would have put
If the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to move Kevin Love at the NBA trade deadline, we’d love to see one of these deals come to fruition. Ball-slamming aside, Kevin Love has been a loyal soldier for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The fact of the matter, though, is that he’s an expensive soldier for a team that’s
In a season full of sparkling individual performances, Damian Lillard just raised the bar significantly. Damian Lillard has thrown up some monster games before, but his 61-point effort against the Warriors on Monday night was exceptional. He earned those points, the most anyone has scored in a game this season, on 17-of-37 from the field,
3:36 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — Sleep might be hard to come by for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson on Tuesday night. The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft is set to make his NBA regular-season debut on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, but he said on Tuesday that
Life on a non-guaranteed contract in the NBA can be a little bit stressful. Players have to work just a little bit harder and be just a little more efficient than everyone else. They’ve got to do about their daily grind with the thought they can be cut at any moment in the back of
1:35 AM ET ESPN News Services PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard set a franchise record with 61 points, including a career-best 11 3-pointers, and the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers outlasted the equally depleted Golden State Warriors 129-124 in overtime Monday night. Lillard’s previous career high was 60 points earlier this season against Brooklyn. He now
Knee issues have kept Chandler Parsons off the floor a lot in recent years, but severe injuries in a car accident last week have put his NBA playing career in jeopardy. Chandler Parsons was not going to play much for the Atlanta Hawks this season after being traded to them last July, so it’s not
10:30 PM ET HOUSTON — There were no puns intended with the stormy metaphors used by some members of the Houston Rockets after their fourth-quarter collapse in a 112-107 loss Monday to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Forward Danuel House Jr. described it as feeling like the Rockets were in a “dark cloud” after their fourth
2:01 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is being held out of Monday’s matinee against the Philadelphia 76ers in the hope that resting his tight left hamstring will prevent another extended absence. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said that Irving first presented with the hamstring symptoms on Sunday. He underwent treatment to
These NBA players have depth, danger, flaws and hidden values. The Safdie brothers would definitely describe them as uncut gems. There’s a really good interview with the Safdie brothers about Uncut Gems. All interviews with the Safdie brothers are good because of the general disorderliness of their train of thought, but this one with Vulture
5:48 PM ET ESPN News Services Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last 10 games because of right knee soreness, said he is targeting a return to the lineup on Tuesday against the LA Clippers. 2 Related “The way I’m feeling, I don’t see why there should be any hurdles,” Porzingis told
With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, teams are zeroing in on potential deals. Some teams hope to improve for a playoff push, while others are looking to capitalize on the urgency of contenders. Whichever side of that equation your favorite team finds itself on, they are surely weighing all of their options.
6:12 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson is officially listed as doubtful for Monday’s contest against the Memphis Grizzlies. The team announced the change in the injury report on Sunday evening, but don’t read too much into it. Williamson is still expected to make his NBA debut on Wednesday night against
Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 26, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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