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
Month: January 2020
The Pistons may be looking to move Andre Drummond at the trade deadline. Here are a few deals that offer a fun spin in both directions. The Pistons are currently outside the playoff picture and won’t see Blake Griffin on the court again this season. The obvious path forward is figuring out how to shed
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 09: Jeff Teague #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Target Center on January 9, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and
Jaylen Brown’s burgeoning proficiency as a spot-up shooter has supported growth in other areas of his offensive game, helping him take an enormous leap. Jaylen Brown’s third season in the NBA was a seesaw in production. Despite the Celtics reaching the second round of the playoffs, Brown had his share of struggles adjusting to a
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
Each NBA season is a sprawling story with thousands of characters and infinite arcs, large and small. How can we organize this massive narrative? The NBA season itself is an eight-month slog of daily basketball. Tack on another four months of draft prognostication, free agent shenanigans and optimistic offseason ramblings. That stretches the story of
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images As the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline creeps closer, here’s a look at five veterans currently buried within their team’s rotations that could help a contender. The NBA Trade Deadline is just around the corner, which means there’s never been a better time to scour every team’s roster to try and
The dictionary definition of a back to the basket big man might have his picture next to it but lately, LaMarcus Aldridge has become a proficient 3-point shooter. LaMarcus Aldridge has had a lot of success over the course of his career, averaging 19.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, as a traditional post-up, back to
The WNBA and the player’s union are lined up for extended labor peace, with a reported eight-year CBA coming. There didn’t seem to be a real threat to the 2020 season being played, but on Tuesday morning the WNBA and it’s players union announced a tentative agreement on an eight-year labor deal that will go
New data on NBA player passing tendencies can help us visualize the structure of an offense in a new way. Last season I experimented with charting players’ passing tendencies by tracing the path of their assists from the origin of the pass to the point where the scorer caught the ball. But, because I was
Dozens of players are traded each season many of whom are expected to contribute immediately for playoff runs. How long does it take for a player to get integrated? Over the next few weeks, it’s likely that several NBA players will be traded and asked to adjust, on the fly, to new teams, schemes, and
The Miami Heat are looking primed for a deep playoff run. How can they add some extra depth at the trade deadline? The Heat are off to a strong start this season, currently holding the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and building momentum for what they hope will be a deep playoff run. However,
Maybe the answer to declining ratings is for the NBA to stop worrying about television ratings and realize itself as an extended universe for fans to interact with. At a base level, the NBA is a machine for making money. The inputs are players, coaches and organizations, run through the artificial mechanism of an extended,
The Sports Oscars recognize the best performances of the year — on the court/field/pitch or otherwise — in sports. The Oscars are great if you love film, but if you spend every waking hour watching sports, the award show can be a bit…inaccessible. You know Marriage Story and Joker memes from Twitter, but you might be
With Kyrie Irving back on the court for the Brooklyn Nets and Blake Griffin contemplating knee surgery, we explore what the two stars’ careers tell us about injury-prone NBA players. Not every NBA prospect labeled as “injury prone” follows a career trajectory worthy of a Disney movie. It’s not always the tragedy of Greg Oden
Mikal Bridges’ numbers are underwhelming at first glance, but he’s the linchpin behind the Phoenix Suns’ recent success and their long-term goals. In most cases, a 3-and-D wing averaging fewer than seven points a night and shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range would be considered wholly underwhelming, and that’s before adding the designation of
What looked to be a roster of low-risk, high-value young veterans to scaffold their young talent turned out to be a bloated developmental mess. How can the Knicks get value for that? A coaching change has helped the Knicks turn their season around to some degree, but the writing is still on the wall. Veterans
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – JANUARY 9: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets looks on during his welcoming back video to Oklahoma City before the game on January 9, 2020 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
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will be undergoing surgery to address his finger dislocation. He will be out indefinitely. You most likely saw the pictures floating around on Twitter or some other corner of the internet. In a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday evening, Philadelphia 76ers All-NBA center Joel Embiid gruesomely dislocated
As the Knicks drift slowly back into the tank, fans need to find other events to keep them occupied. For the past two decades, Madison Square Garden’s mostly been a vacant lot full of errant litter. Sure, the Knicks have played better during Mike Miller’s stint behind the wheel. But the bar he raised was