NBA Season/Playoffs 2025-26

[Who]

The All-Rookie teams have been announced

First Team:

    Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
    Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
    VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
    Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
    Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies

The first team is quality. All deserving players.

I see Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper as having franchise player level potential. Knueppel and Edgecombe All-Star potential. Coward above average starter potential. Maybe All-Star potential but not fully sold yet.

Second Team:

    Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz
    Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans
    Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors
    Maxime Raynaud, Sacramento Kings
    Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans

The 2nd team was largely trash in their rookie seasons with the exception of Collin Muray Boyles. CMB was the only player to help his team win games. The rest of them were junk.

Ace Bailey was a 3rd stringer / borderline rotation player as a rookie. Maxime Raynaud only played because they had no other backup big men. He wouldn't have gotten playing time on 90% of the other teams in the league. His defense is awful. A net negative.

Then you got the two guys in New Orleans. They are in between CMB and Bailey / Raynaud. Neither guy (Fears, Queen) did much to help NOP win games. They did lose games for their team; certainly more often than they won games for their team. Fears is too inefficient. 52.5% TS 2.2 tunovers to 3.4 assists per game. Only 3.4apg in 25.8mpg. Dodgy defense. Queen couldn't play defense if his life depended on it. A one-way center. An offense only player who only scores at 54.6% TS.

6 good rookies. 4 meh rookies.

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Ace Bailey is a bad player in the present but he flashed legit potential. He has a super long way to go though. Possible All-Star level talent down the road.

Fears is so inefficient / mistake prone it is hard to be too bullish on him. I see his main hurdle being establishing himself as a legit starting PG rather than a journeyman backup guard. He has some talent but he has major flaws.

Not a fan of D Queen. Reminds me of Greg Monroe. A lot to prove. A starter level center with good but not great offense and well below average defense. A guy who needs a lot of touches / shot attempts without having a big impact on games. Actually, that is kinda like Vucevic.

Raynaud might become a good player in time if he bulks up some and learns to play with physicality. Learns to play defense. Too easy to bully right now. Unless he gets hot on offense, he is a net negative which is probably 80% of his games.

[Roy H.]

I'm surprised that Kalkbrenner didn't find a slot.  His stats were just okay, but he actually impacted games.  He faded a bit, but he played meaningful minutes.

[No Nickname]

Why in the world did Philly trade Jared McCain?

That guy is a baller.

He would have been a great weapon off of Philly's bench as a shooter scoring guard.

To save Josh Harris some money. We fans only focus on championships...owners often have other priorities   

they also got a 1st, which is 22, and 3 future 2nd's.  Plus, McCain was not playing very well.  In OKC he figured out how to shoot again.  With Maxey and Edgecomb he was always going to be a bench player, so they she'd his salary, got the 22nd pick, and 3 future 2nd's.  Not a nad deal for a bench guy.  OKC has so many future picks still, they can spend a 1st kn a bench guy.

It's interesting how ChatGPT views a redraft of the 2024 class.  McCain is the highest riser of the bunch.  It's also interesting that the Wizards have two wings who are amongst the biggest "risers"...

Chat GPT: If teams redid the 2024 NBA Draft today, several players would rise significantly, while the original No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, would slide out of the top spot due to a more volatile development track.

The biggest risers who would be selected much higher in a re-draft include:

Jared McCain (Philadelphia 76ers): Originally selected 16th overall, McCain is the most meteoric riser of the class. Thanks to an explosive rookie season and incredible shooting efficiency, he would vault all the way into the top 5 (and potentially even top 3) in a redraft scenario.

Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies): Drafted all the way down at 39th overall in the second round, Wells has been one of the biggest steals of the draft. His ability to step into a rotation and play high-level, winning basketball makes him a locked-in lottery pick today.

Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers): Picked 7th overall, Clingan's elite rim protection and defensive impact have raised his stock significantly. In hindsight, multiple teams in the top 5?including the Hawks or Rockets?would heavily consider taking him over their original choices.

Bub Carrington (Washington Wizards): Selected 14th overall, Carrington has outplayed his draft slot by displaying highly mature playmaking and shot-creation abilities. He would firmly climb into the top 10.

Ajay Mitchell (Oklahoma City Thunder): Picked 38th overall, Mitchell has rapidly outgrown his second-round status. His polish and consistent output as a guard would push him well into the first round, possibly pushing the late lottery.

Kyshawn George (Washington Wizards): Originally the 24th pick, George has shown the exact type of modern, versatile wing play that NBA teams crave. He would comfortably jump into the mid-lottery.

How the Top 3 Shifts In a re-draft today:

Stephon Castle (originally 4th) and Alex Sarr (originally 2nd) generally fight for the No. 1 overall spot depending on team fit.

Reed Sheppard routinely locks down a spot right behind them in the top 3, while Risacher typically slides to the 5-10 range

[Donoghus]

Hamstring injuries are so tricky.

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
?
38m
Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams will be evaluated day by day, game to game with a left hamstring injury, sources tell ESPN. He'll undergo treatment and return based on how he feels recovering from the second injury to the same hamstring in under one month.