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Philadelphia continued its encouraging start to the regular season with a 98-93 victory over the New York Knicks in an NBA Cup matchup. The Sixers controlled much of the game, built a nine-point halftime lead and managed to hold on after New York briefly moved ahead in the final two minutes. It was an important win for Philadelphia, particularly because several different players contributed to the result. The most interesting part of the performance was the variety of options Philadelphia had available. Tyrese Maxey led the team with 27 points, LeBron James contributed 20 points and eight assists, Anfernee Simons provided 21 points from the perimeter, and rookie VJ Edgecombe added 13 points and eight rebounds. That is an encouraging collection of contributions for a team still developing its identity. New York had its own reasons to remain competitive. The Knicks collected 14 offensive rebounds and scored 20 second-chance points, creating plenty of additional opportunities throughout t...

The Houston Rockets have given me an early reason to take them seriously as a potential contender. After opening the regular season with a 128-110 win over Dallas, Houston followed it up with a 114-110 victory over San Antonio. Those two games have offered different tests for the Rockets, with the Dallas win providing a relatively comfortable start and the Spurs game requiring them to execute under pressure. The most memorable moment came in the final seconds, when Amen Thompson blocked Victor Wembanyama at the rim to preserve Houston's lead. San Antonio trailed 112-110, and Wembanyama had an opportunity to tie the game near the basket. Thompson rotated over, timed his jump perfectly and blocked the attempt with five seconds remaining. Fred VanVleet collected the rebound and converted two free throws to seal the victory. That defensive play was an excellent example of what makes Houston interesting. The Rockets have several players capable of creating offense, an experienced point ...

One of my favorite things about the start of an NBA season is getting that first look at what rookies can do against NBA competition. Preseason performances can give us an idea of what to expect, but regular-season games offer a different test. Rookies have to adjust to the speed of meaningful games, respond to opposing defenses and find ways to contribute when their shots are not falling. After two games, several young players have already given us interesting storylines. Cameron Boozer has helped Memphis start 2-0, including a clutch performance against Golden State. Darius Acuff Jr. has scored 45 points across two games despite Sacramento losing both contests, while Darryn Peterson has experienced a difficult debut before contributing to a close Utah victory. Keaton Wagler and Yaxel Lendeborg have also shown different ways they could become useful NBA players. I am interested in these performances because they offer an early look at the skills that might translate into consistent pr...

Caleb Wilson has given the Chicago Bulls an interesting early preseason storyline. Across two games against Phoenix and Memphis, Wilson scored 36 points while showing two different sides of his offensive game. He scored 15 points against Phoenix before following that performance with 21 points against Memphis, including five three-pointers after going scoreless from beyond the arc in the first game. The contrast between those performances is one of the more interesting things to take away from Wilson's early showing. His athleticism gives him a potential route to contributing around the basket, while the outside shooting against Memphis offers a glimpse of how his offensive game could develop. There are still questions about his efficiency, decision-making and ability to contribute in other areas. Wilson is also arriving at an interesting time for Chicago. The Bulls have several young players competing for meaningful roles, and the organization needs to determine how those pieces c...

The Utah Jazz have several young players to evaluate heading into the new season, and Darryn Peterson is one of the more interesting pieces to watch. His preseason performance against Denver offered an early look at his shot creation, with 23 points in 29 minutes and 37 seconds on 10-for-18 shooting from the field. Peterson also went 9-for-12 on two-point attempts, making his midrange production one of the most encouraging parts of the performance. The three-point shooting was less impressive, as Peterson made just one of six attempts from beyond the arc. That contrast is worth paying attention to because much of his scoring came from inside the perimeter, particularly on pull-up jumpers from around 15 to 20 feet. I am interested in Peterson because the midrange game gives him another way to create offense when the defense takes away the easier options. The preseason is still a small sample, and some of his third-quarter scoring came after Denver had removed several key starters. Even ...

The Detroit Pistons just completed the most successful regular season in franchise history in more than a decade. Detroit went 60–22, finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and entered the playoffs as one of the NBA's strongest regular-season teams. The Pistons then defeated Orlando in seven games before losing to Cleveland in Game 7 of the second round. That creates an interesting question heading into the 2026–27 season. Detroit has already demonstrated that this young core can become one of the best regular-season teams in the league. The next stage of the rebuild requires figuring out what that success actually means for the organization's championship potential. The easiest question to ask is whether the Pistons can win 60 games again. I am less interested in that question. Detroit has already gone from 14 wins to 44 wins to 60 wins in just two seasons. The more important question is whether the players Detroit is building around can continue developing ...

The Los Angeles Clippers have spent the last several years trying to build a championship team around Kawhi Leonard. That strategy produced the most successful period in franchise history, including the Clippers' first Western Conference Finals appearance in 2021. It also left the organization with a complicated future, and the NBA's punishment for its handling of the Kawhi situation has made that future considerably more difficult. The Clippers were fined $30 million, Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker received suspensions, and Kawhi Leonard was fined $700,000. The most significant part of the punishment for the basketball operation came through the draft, with the NBA eliminating five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 and placing the organization under a five-year compliance and monitoring program. That changes the conversation around the Clippers. The organization still has players, some draft assets and financial flexibility...