Leading up to the 2018 NBA Draft, Mikal Bridges was lauded as a high-floor, low-ceiling 3-and-D wing who could step into a role and contribute immediately. When the Philadelphia 76ers — a team eyeing the NBA Finals — selected him with the No. 10 pick, all of it made sense. He went to Villanova, his
Rookie Cards is a weekly column tracking the performance and development of the 2018 rookie class, focusing on three players every week. This week features Deandre Ayton, Trae Young and Josh Okogie. The 2018 NBA Draft was looked at as one of the deeper groups in recent memory, with a handful of potential superstars, several players
9:52 AM ET The LA Clippers are the biggest surprise in the league. Just ask Vegas. The Clips are on pace to win about 18 more games than their preseason over/under suggested. It’s the biggest such deviation in the NBA, and it’s all thanks to an efficient offense engineered by Doc Rivers and fueled by
2:50 AM ET OAKLAND, Calif — Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is so good that after scoring 49 points in a 116-110 comeback win over the Orlando Magic, he was frustrated he didn’t get 50. “I still missed 17 shots,” Durant said. “Tricked off a 50 piece. I felt like I had some shots
7:08 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul was out for Monday night’s game against the Washington Wizards with a sore left leg. It’s the second consecutive game Paul has missed. He sat out Saturday’s game in Cleveland after playing 37 minutes in an overtime win in Detroit the night before.
Romeo Langford looked like a good 3-and-D prospect in high school but has struggled at both at Indiana. Can he still prove himself to be a valuable prospect in the 2019 NBA Draft? In the 2018 recruiting cycle, a lot of interest was placed in a shooting guard from New Albany, Indiana with solid shooting
The Celtics haven’t looked like an Eastern Conference contender. Which players have fallen off the most from last year’s performance? The struggles of the Boston Celtics have been one of the most puzzling stories in the early part of this season. At 10-10 after 20 games, their hopes of making a title run are certainly not
As sports gambling infiltrates the mainstream, the Dallas Mavericks have hired a former pro gambler. As states across the country legalize sports betting, pro sports are starting to embrace the possibilities. The NBA has been quick to embrace gambling, which is a credit to commissioner Adam Silver, but the Dallas Mavericks have taken a big
You’ll forgive Luka Doncic for not jumping up and down in anger after a 121-100 loss in Phoenix to start his NBA career — he barely even gets off the ground for his jump shot. Doncic put together an up-and-down debut that mirrored that of the Mavericks. He keep the game close and entered in
10:56 PM ET NEW YORK — He did it again. Eight days after hitting a game-winning 3-pointer for his new team, 76ers star Jimmy Butler hit a shot from nearly the same spot on the floor with 2.3 seconds to play to give Philadelphia a 127-125 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. “Another play
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in transition right now, and Kyle Korver could be available to suitors. With LeBron James leaving for a second time, the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to decide which direction to go. Keeping it afloat with Kevin Love as the main star is an option, but trading a bunch of veterans and
Kawhi Leonard’s agent, Mitch Frankel, might be a good agent in a vacuum, but his lack of NBA experience is making it hard for his client to engineer a trade away from San Antonio. There are a ton of questions swirling around Kawhi Leonard at the moment. Teams thinking of acquiring the Spurs star want
A short few games into the Charlotte Hornets’ season, James Borrego pulled Jeremy Lamb aside to talk. Why haven’t you been a starter in this league? Together, the first-year head coach and former UConn standout discussed the topic at length, identifying specific areas and reasons as to why that was. I believe you can be
The Philadelphia 76ers have found themselves in quite the predicament. On Wednesday, multiple people reported that, after all of the struggles he has endured in his short time in Philadelphia, former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz would prefer a fresh start with a new team. While his agent has since denied that any formal trade
After a miserable 1-4 road trip, Marcus Smart is understandably fed up with how the Celtics have been playing. The Boston Celtics have not been playing good basketball recently. This comes somewhat as a surprise, seeing as how they have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, and a lineup worthy of the NBA
Gordon Hayward is still a little rusty after spending a year recovering from an ankle injury, and the bench might be the best place for him right now. Boston Celtics fans were more than ecstatic to have Gordon Hayward back on the court for the 2018-19 season. It had been a long time coming after
Terry Rozier sent out a cryptic tweet on Tuesday morning, and it could be hinting that he wants to move on from the slumping Celtics. Not even two weeks ago, I wrote that Terry Rozier was too important to the Boston Celtics for them to actually trade him away. He was basically an insurance plan
Markelle Fultz’ days in Philadelphia may be coming to an end. Here’s the one deal that will help the franchise save face and get them a fair return. Quick quiz: what three things do Sindarius Thornwell, Tyler Dorsey, Damyean Dotson and Wesley Iwundu have in common? (feel free to imagine the Final Jeopardy theme music
9:09 PM ET Former NBA All-Star and champion Willie Naulls died Sunday at 84. He died of respiratory failure caused by a rare immunological condition called Churg-Strauss syndrome, his wife said. Naulls played in the NBA from 1956 to 1966. He won three titles with the Celtics from 1964-1966 and was an All-Star with the
1:35 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — After going 1-of-12 from 3 in a 105-98 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook returned to the court still in his full uniform after the game for a shooting session some two hours after the final buzzer. Westbrook spoke with reporters after
2:19 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN DALLAS – The Boston Celtics saw yet another game slip away from them, and a 113-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night leaves Boston back to .500 a quarter of the way through the regular season. Celtics guard Marcus Smart quoted Yogi Berra to sum up his frustration with
Channing Frye is apparently not a fan of Draymond Green. Draymond Green has a lot of enemies, with one being Channing Frye. The Los Angeles Lakers forward has history battling against Green from his time with the Cavaliers, which makes him an astute observer of the way Green reacts on the court to calls that
LeBron James believes Lonzo Ball can be great, and he wants to help him reach his full potential. As Lonzo Ball makes his way through his second season in the NBA, it’s not a secret that he has experienced his fair share of ups and downs in the league. The Los Angeles Lakers chose him
The San Antonio Spurs are banged up and they just lost one of the best players in the NBA. Somehow, they’re still able to win. Death. Taxes. And the San Antonio Spurs grinding out a ridiculous number of regular season wins. These things are all givens. And still, foolish pundits (like this one, in this
Without looking, do you think you’d be able to identify the most recent season during which the San Antonio Spurs finished with a defense that was worse than league average? It was a really, really long time ago. Some of the people reading this post right now likely were not even born yet. Any guesses?
10:48 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and 22 rebounds, Derrick Rose scored 22 points off the bench and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 111-96 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. Jeff Teague added 18 points for Minnesota, which won for the
Last night’s Duke-Kentucky game featured a plethora of 2019 NBA Draft prospects. How did they perform in Duke’s blowout win? From a competitive standpoint, Duke’s 118-84 win over Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic was incredibly boring. Duke jumped out to a massive early lead, and the Wildcats looked overmatched from the jump. If
While Basketball Insiders has searched for answers both inwardly and outwardly in recent weeks by examing areas of concern and potential trade chips, there’s a third path to improvement that’s generally less taken. Over the years, the G-League has grown immensely in popularity and once the New Orleans Pelicans add an affiliate next season, there
Bam Adebayo needs representation. He’s earned his spot as the Miami Heat’s starting center. All that’s left is for someone to advocate for him and convince the mythological jury. There aren’t any lawyers in the room so this will have to suffice. Two years ago, the notion that someone other than Hassan Whiteside would have
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 25: Jimmy Butler reacts during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and SCO Angers at Parc des Princes on August 25, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images) Fantasy football 2018, Week 4 rankings: Who to start and sit by Jon Dove LFA 51: Flyweight champion Sabina