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Why 5-foot-11 Markus Howard is the nation’s most dangerous scorer
There just aren’t too many players like Howard — a 5-foot-11 guard who can seemingly get his shot off against anyone in the country, and is capable of going off for 40 or 50 points on a given night. So we went around the country, gathering different viewpoints — from opposing coaches and players, NBA […]
Continue readingNBA free agents: Team-by-team lists for 2021 and 2022
The 2021 class has more hype, potentially featuring names such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chris Paul, Paul George, Victor Oladipo, DeMar DeRozan, Blake Griffin, Rudy Gobert and Andre Drummond. Some of those players will agree to extensions or pick up player options before ever hitting the market, while others will have plenty […]
Continue readingNBA playoffs: The small-ball Houston Rockets and the quest for the elusive opening tip
JAMES HARDEN CROUCHED, waiting for referee Ed Malloy to release the ball into the air. Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis stood 3 feet away across the center circle. The Houston Rockets’ superstar is 6-foot-5. Porzingis is one of the tallest and longest players in the league, listed at 7-foot-3. Something didn’t add up. This opening […]
Continue readingNBA playoffs: Why Luka Doncic is getting compared to LeBron, Magic and Bird
“Don’t try to compare him to others. He is blazing his own path,” the Dallas Mavericks’ owner tweeted Sunday evening following Luka Doncic‘s 43-point triple-double and winning step-back 3-pointer in Game 4 against the LA Clippers in Round 1 of the 2020 NBA Playoffs. But we just can’t help ourselves. Neither can Mavericks coach Rick […]
Continue readingNBA playoffs 2020: Everything to know about the 17 teams that can still win the title
After 66 scrimmages and more than 80 seeding games — and plenty of fishing — the matchups for the 2020 NBA playoffs are finally set. And in an unprecedented atmosphere that could negate the benefits of home-court advantage, we could be in for another wild two months inside Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex […]
Continue readingNBA Continuity Rankings: Which teams hold the edge in the bubble?
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, whose team checks in near the top of our list, has high hopes. “Continuity [will] help with trying to create a home-court advantage,” Malone said earlier this month of playing at a neutral-site in Orlando, Florida. “We have guys that have been together for a while, know how to […]
Continue readingHow the NBA bubble has become a platform for social justice
He saw “Black Lives Matter” in large, white letters across each side of two buses that had arrived to take the Raptors to the NBA’s campus at Walt Disney World Resort. “It was dope,” VanVleet said. “They didn’t even tell us they were doing that.” The defending NBA champions were sending a message as they […]
Continue readingNBA restart: Rosters, schedules and standings projections for every team
With scrimmages tipping off Wednesday, here’s our breakdown of every team in Orlando, Florida, including: current seed and most likely playoff seeds (via simulations using ESPN’s Basketball Power Index), remaining strength of schedule (ranked from hardest to easiest), seeding-game schedules (with win projections using BPI), full rosters and projected rotations. We’ve also included the number […]
Continue readingHow a torn Achilles and a global pandemic began to prepare Rodney Hood for life after basketball
“The initial thought is like, ‘Damn. Most guys used to retire after the Achilles injury,’” the Portland Trail Blazers swingman told ESPN this month. “Nobody really but Dominique Wilkins has come back to be the same person as he used to be or better; but now, more and more guys come back and they’re healthy.” […]
Continue readingInside the NBA coronavirus shutdown: How a few tense hours changed everything
LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, there was a brief moment when people in the NBA felt like they had a plan. Facing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, the Golden State Warriors had announced that they would host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday with no fans at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Then, at 3:30 p.m. ET, […]
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