NBA Rookie Watch
Closing in on the halfway point of the NBA season, this edition of rookie watch has a lot in store. (Games: 11/28 – 12/26) There are high-risers, players who have fallen toward the end of the list and even some who fell off the list entirely. The top five is identical to the previous edition…
NBA Sophomore Watch
In this first batch of NBA sophomore rankings, we will look at which players from the 2021 NBA Draft are trending upward after this week’s performances. The first few draft selections round out the top of the list, three players from outside the draft lottery crack the list and two undrafted sophomores make the mark.…
NBA Summer League Winners and Losers: Non-Rookie Edition
Winner: and , Golden State Warriors When compiling potential winners and losers outside of the rookie class, it was quite clear that the defending champions have a bright future as both of their lottery picks from a season ago showed that they appear ready to make a huge jump in their sophomore seasons. Moody led…
NBA Summer League Winners and Losers: Rookie Edition
This year’s draft prospects had their first chance over the last few weeks to provide hope or skepticism for their respective fan bases in a few games that have their importance seemingly overblown every season. While this may be true, there is still plenty of meaningful information that can be taken away from these competitive…
What I Didn’t Learn At Summer League
This is well-established amongst those that work in some capacity in basketball, but it must be said, Las Vegas Summer League is more of a social event than an exhibition of high-quality play. That is no more evident than in the coverage that seems more interested in the sidelines and the stands, than what’s actually…
2022 NBA Draft: Eastern Conference Draft Grades
Atlanta Hawks: A- Additions: 16. , Duke Fr. 51. , Connecticut Sr. Atlanta was able to end the slide of AJ Griffin in the draft. Earlier in the process, he was discussed as a likely top 10 pick, and Atlanta was able to get him at #16. Griffin is a second generation NBA player, an…
2022 NBA Draft: Western Conference Draft Grades
Dallas Mavericks: A Additions: 37. , G League Ignite The Mavericks did most of their damage before draft night, trading pick 26 to acquire Christian Wood. Ultimately, is Wood better than what they would have gotten at 26? The answer is almost certainly yes. For a team that advanced as far as they did last…
Team Needs: Southwest Division
Houston Rockets Needs: Talent in general Picks: 3, 17, 26 Houston is a team that is quite possibly in need of talent more than any other in the league. They have Jalen Green who looks like a piece they can build around, but outside of that, there isn’t a lot on the roster. Christian Wood…
Team Needs – Pacific Division
Sacramento Kings Needs: Retain flexibity Picks: 4, 37, 49 The Kings have been a disappointing franchise for a long time now, floundering and missing the playoffs every year since 2006. They’ve made a number of significant moves since then, but none of them have paid off and the team continues to make questionable moves both…
Team Needs: Southeast Division
Orlando Magic Needs: Scoring, Shooting, Center Picks: 1, 32, 35 The Magic have one of the worst rosters in the entire association. They struggle to score the basketball from all three levels, rarely get to the free throw line and they complement that with being a poor defensive team as well. They have a lot…
Team Needs: Central Division
Detroit Pistons Needs: Scoring, Jerami Grant trade Picks: 5, 46 Detroit is a team with one of the worst rosters in the entire association. They landed top pick Cade Cunningham in last year’s draft, but it didn’t make a ton of difference as they went from finishing last in the conference to second to last.…
Team Needs: Atlantic Division
New York Knicks Needs: Point guard, resign Mitchell Robinson Picks: 11, 42 The Knicks came back down to earth this season after regaining some relevance the previous season. Their approach relied heavily on the breakout season of Julius Randle, but he took a step back this season, and by February looked disinterested as rumors ran…
2022 NBA Extended Mock Draft: 2.0
1. Houston Rockets: , SF/PF, Gonzaga Fr. As he showed against UCLA in Las Vegas, Chet Holmgren is a game-wrecker far beyond the box score. While he was credited for 4 blocks, the number of shots he contested or altered is far more than just 4. His unique skillset for a seven-footer, including tight handles…
2021-22 NBA Rookie Watch
The Rookie class from the 2021 NBA Draft has taken its lumps and predictably is on a sharper learning curve with 2 years of COVID having affected player’s college careers and in some cases high school as well. A number of players are beginning to contribute and make a name for themselves at the NBA…
7 Interesting Questions Leading up to Upcoming NBA Season
As we enter a relatively slow time in the off-season (though my DVR is still humming along with every summer league game I can fill into that endless void), and we begin to reflect on what has transpired up until this point and how those moves will come to present themselves into this coming season’s…
2021 Top 10 Free Agent Overview
We have had a few days to take a deep breath since the NBA Draft, but now it is time to kick back into full gear for what is one of the most exciting stretches in the entire NBA offseason with the beginning of free agency. One questionable draft pick can immediately be forgotten with…
Legends Live Forever: A Tribute to Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter Gigi died in a helicopter crash Sunday morning. Less than four years ago, I stayed up far past midnight on the East Coast to watch what was Kobe Bryant’s final NBA game. It was a school night, and I had to wake up at 6:15 a.m. the next…
NBA Rookie Watch
The 2019-2020 NBA season is off to a phenomenal start, as there are seemingly more NBA Finals contenders than we’ve seen in a long time in this league. Additionally, the NBA rookie class has come into the league with a bang, as there are more rookies playing major roles on their teams than we normally…