The Southeast Division saw its fair share of new additions this offseason. And while there is less established talent within the division than there is in the Atlantic or Pacific, there is plenty of youth on the precipice of breaking out. With the NBA season right around the corner, Basketball Insiders’ breakout players series is
3:05 AM ET LOS ANGELES — It took Kawhi Leonard less than two minutes to show why the LA Clippers went to great lengths to get the superstar forward. Making his Clippers preseason debut, Leonard hit a 14-footer, stole a pass from Gary Harris and then buried a step-back 3-pointer in the span of 21
With China as big a market as it is for the NBA, could the current situation between the country and league bring a drop in the salary cap? There’s no denying China is a huge market for the NBA, with the 2017 Finals drawing nearly 200 million mobile viewers in the country. In the wake
8:54 PM ET Associated Press The Cleveland Cavaliers visited team owner Dan Gilbert, who is recovering at home after suffering a stroke in May. After playing a preseason game in Detroit on Friday night, the Cavs delayed their trip to Boston so they could spend time Saturday with the 57-year-old Gilbert. He recently returned to
The Southeast Division saw its fair share of new additions this offseason. And while there is less established talent within the division than there is in the Atlantic or Pacific, there is plenty of youth on the precipice of breaking out. With the NBA season right around the corner, Basketball Insiders’ breakout players series is
SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 10: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles during a preseason game as part of 2019 NBA Global Games China on October 10, 2019 at Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to
8:53 AM ET SHENZHEN, China — Anthony Davis sprained his right thumb in the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday and will not return, according to the team. Davis suffered the injury swatting at the ball midway through the first quarter. He started at center as
TORONTO, ON – MAY 7: Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) reaches in on Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43). Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers in1st half action of Round 2, Game 5 of NBA playoff play at Scotiabank Arena. Raptors win 125-89 and now lead series 3-2. Toronto Star/Rick Madonik (Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via
10:51 AM ET SHENZHEN, China — With a couple minutes remaining in pregame warmups, LeBron James made his way from the court to the Los Angeles Lakers‘ bench. He sat down, closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. After a long week in China where the NBA’s burgeoning business in the Far East
The Southeast Division saw its fair share of new additions this offseason. And while there is less established talent within the division than there is in the Atlantic or Pacific, there is plenty of youth on the precipice of breaking out. With the NBA season right around the corner, Basketball Insiders’ breakout players series is
12:55 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson had just finished another layup at the rim while dealing with contact from the Utah Jazz‘s Ed Davis. The announced sold-out Smoothie King Center crowd sprang to its feet, reveling in what the New Orleans Pelicans rookie was doing in his preseason home debut. The
Elena Delle Donne has followed her own path to the top of the WNBA mountain, overcoming everything the Basketball Gods have thrown at her. Why does Elena Delle Donne, remarkable basketball talent and now champion of the WNBA world, seems to get hurt at the worst possible times? The 2014 WNBA Finals. The 2018 WNBA
10:29 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe will miss the start of the 2019-20 season after suffering a small fracture of his rib, a source confirmed to ESPN. Bledsoe could be out for up to three weeks, the source said, after getting injured during the Bucks’ 133-99 preseason win on Wednesday night
Not too long ago, the Southwest Division was filled to the brim with title contenders and certain playoff teams. Only the Houston Rockets remain in those major categories as turnover has left the rest of the division balancing contention with rebuilding. That has the clear byproduct of introducing a bevy of new players into contributing
10:29 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe will miss the start of the 2019-20 season after suffering a small fracture of his rib, a source confirmed to ESPN. Bledsoe could be out for up to three weeks, the source said, after getting injured during the Bucks’ 133-99 preseason win on Wednesday night
Led by Elena Delle Donne and Emma Meesseman in a decisive Game 5 Thursday night, the Washington Mystics are WNBA champions for the first time in franchise history. In a Game 5 that featured more ties (15) and lead changes (nine) than the rest of the 2019 WNBA Finals combined, the Washington Mystics were able
12:21 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — The numbers didn’t show it, but the hordes of NBA front office personnel in attendance weren’t really there looking for those anyway. They were there to see the hypersonic first step, the spring-loaded bounce and the complete skillset of likely 2020 lottery pick R.J. Hampton, and he delivered in
“Twin Towers” used to be a term of endearment in the NBA. Back in the old days, if you had two dominant seven-footers in your frontcourt, that was considered to be an advantage on the court. Duos like Hakeem Olajuwon/Ralph Sampson and Tim Duncan/David Robinson put their teams on the map. It seems like forever
4:04 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green does not believe either he or his teammates will stop speaking out on causes they believe in, despite the backlash the NBA has received over the past week in the wake of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of Hong
The proliferation of advanced analytics has meant we now judge a scorer by volume and efficiency. It’s time to really add consistency to the mix. The proliferation of basketball analytics has exponentially increased the number of ways in which we can describe, analyze, and understand the game of basketball. Advances over the last decade have
8:16 AM ET Kyrie Irving‘s preseason debut was cut short. The Brooklyn Nets guard played just one minute against the Los Angeles Lakers in Shanghai on Thursday after aggravating the facial fracture he suffered in an offseason pickup game before training camp. Irving was wearing a mask for the game and was guarding the Lakers’
At long last, the preseason is finally in full swing, giving basketball fans limited time to process the NBA’s drastically-altered state of play before the 2019-20 season officially tips off in a couple of weeks. But one dynamic that was left mostly unchanged by the wildest summer of player movement in league history? The race
11:57 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN CHICAGO — It was a step forward for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson on Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls. But it was also a step back for the Pelicans’ defense. Despite a game-high 29 points for Williamson through just the 3:54 mark of the third quarter, New Orleans
EL SEGUNDO, CA – MAY 20: Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers introduces Frank Vogel as the new head coach during a press conference on May 20, 2019 at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User
5:33 PM ET President Donald Trump, in his first public comments about the NBA’s relationship with China, criticized Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for their response to questions about the controversy. Trump weighed in on the topic Wednesday afternoon, saying the NBA has to “work out their own situation” with China
At long last, the preseason is finally in full swing, giving basketball fans limited time to process the NBA’s drastically-altered state of play before the 2019-20 season officially tips off in a couple of weeks. But one dynamic that was left mostly unchanged by the wildest summer of player movement in league history? The race
12:26 AM ET TULSA — Chris Paul, the president of the NBA’s players association, said he isn’t very well informed about the league’s growing friction with its business partners in China in part because of his focus on the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s training camp. “I don’t know but so much about it right now,” Paul
A look at statistical win projections for the 2019-20 NBA season could be helpful for bettors looking for opportunities on over/unders. With just two weeks until the NBA’s opening night, the boundless optimism of summer has shifted towards cold rationality and more honest assessments of team quality. Nowhere is that tonal shift more obvious than
1:01 AM ET ESPN News Services The NBA Cares event in Shanghai involving the Los Angeles Lakers was canceled on Wednesday just hours before it was scheduled to begin, adding to the fallout from a recent tweet by Rockets GM Daryl Morey that showed support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. The NBA did not
In the ultra-competitive Western Conference, multiple playoff bids may be determined by presently unexpected or unproven players. Every game matters, particularly as franchises begin counting up the wins and losses headed into the springtime. Superstars can carry a roster, but it’s the breakout that helps them rise above their ceilings. Whether it be through renewed