With the NBA Emirates Cup finale approaching, the league’s award races have officially heated up. Players are competing with a different edge now, and the results are showing. Compared to the start of last month, the list looks almost unrecognizable, as injuries, availability, and rapid midseason surges have completely altered the conversation. Some candidates have fallen off, others have skyrocketed, and a few players have made serious pushes for first-time All-Star consider

The 2025 rookie class came in with plenty of hype at the top, but there's been a lot more unfolding quietly in the margins. While several first-rounders are still finding their footing and trying to prove their draft stock was warranted, a group of late first rounders, second-round picks and undrafted hopefuls have wasted no time proving they belong. These weren’t the prospects you heard being argued over all summer long. Yet, some of these guys are paying dividends for playo

Playmaking is one of those things we think  we understand because there’s a number for it in the box score. Toss a few lobs, hit the corner shooter, rack up 8–9 assists a night and boom—“elite playmaker.” But the guys on the rankings live in different categories. Some don’t just share the ball, they protect  it. Some bend and re-bend defenses, probe without panicking, and finish games with assist-to-turnover ratios that make coaches want to frame the stat sheet. Being a good

It’s been just over five weeks since tip-off, and the point guard position has been dictating the pulse of the season, especially when it comes to scoring. It seems every team has a floor general putting on a show night after night. These are the ten point guards that have so far controlled the pace, elevated their teammates, and flat-out taken over games when their number was called. But with plenty of basketball still to be played, this list is far from permanent: for now,

The stretch big is no longer a niche role brought out by past specialists like Ryan Anderson, Ersan İlyasova, Matt Bullard—specialists brought in to stand in the corner, space the floor, and punish lazy closeouts. These were pure pick-and-pop marksmen who added shooting, but not much else. Fast forward to today, and the position has undergone a full-scale evolution. The modern stretch big isn’t just a spot-up shooter, they’re snipers with guard-like skill sets, capable of put

After a long wait, LeBron James finally made his long-anticipated return to the court this week against against the Utah Jazz, followed by Paul George against the Bucks. But while these two decorated stars are back, several others remain notably absent. Some are All-Stars with uncertain timetables. Others are key starters working through rehab, and a handful of role players are simply waiting for the green light to suit up. Whether sidelined by injury, conditioning setbacks,

We’re only a month into the NBA season, but the league has wasted zero time reminding us how quickly narratives can flip. Supposed bottom-feeders are making noise. Dark-horse teams are looking like the real deal. And a handful of recent championship hopefuls are searching for answers as injuries and inconsistency drag them down. The season is just beginning, but the last four weeks have given us a clear picture still—so here’s how all 30 teams stack up right now. Indiana Pace

Credit: Eric Thayer/GettyImages The NBA season is still young, but you don’t need a full 82-game sample to know who’s bringing real defensive heat. The metrics are already separating the pretenders from the threats. From rim protection and matchup data to deflections and on-ball pressure, the numbers don’t lie — certain players have come out firing with serious defensive ammo. Right now, these are the ten guys making life absolutely miserable for opposing offenses—from least

Three weeks into the NBA season and the landscape already looks nothing like what many of us predicted. Teams that we thought would be dead last are leading their conference. Breakout rookies are punching above their weight, and MVP caliber superstars are reclaiming (or losing) ground, and entire positional hierarchies are shifting in real time. It’s still early enough in the year that everything can change by December, January: or even next week—but it’s not too  early to re

Credit: Stacy Revere/GettyImages We’re only about three weeks into the regular season, but that’s already been enough time to see some surprising early trends. A handful of rookies adjusted to the pace of NBA basketball immediately , actively impacting winning, carving out rotation minutes, and showing exactly why their franchises invested in them. Of course, it’s early. There’s a long season ahead, scouting reports will tighten, and the rookie wall shows no mercy. So take th

By Joel Piton · 10/17/25 · Sportz Nation Credit: Sarah Stier/GettyImages The Boston Celtics sent shockwaves through the NBA on Wednesday night, dismantling the former Eastern Conference top seed Cleveland Cavaliers in a 20-point blowout. For a team that stumbled out of the gate with three straight losses—and even sparked whispers of tanking this season—the victory felt like a much-needed jolt of hope. Was this a turning point, or just a one-night fluke? With Boston now sittin

By Joel Piton · 10/17/25 · Sportz Nation The 2025–26 NBA season tipped off with a bang, and Week 1 wasted no time reminding fans why basketball is the most electric show in sports. From established stars putting up monster stat lines to rising names forcing their way into the spotlight, the league delivered highlight after highlight across the opening slate of games. It wasn’t just about wins and losses—it was about statement performances, breakout moments, and early-season f

Credit: Jesse Johnson/ImagnImages Five years later, hindsight paints a very different picture. The 2020 NBA Draft was filled with promise, question marks, and bold predictions, but the careers that followed have rewritten expectations entirely. Some prospects soared far beyond their draft slot, others never found their footing, and some lottery picks are out of the league entirely. That’s the beauty and the heartache of the game. But in a world where do-overs are possible, l

By Joel Piton · 10/17/25 · Sportz Nation Credit: Sarah Stier/GettyImages - Celtics G Derrick White (#9) attacks the basket defended by Cleveland Cav's G Craig Porter Jr. (#9) With the NBA preseason officially in the rearview, the countdown is over—in just one day, regular season Celtics basketball returns. That also means the hunt for banner 19 begins in earnest. Yet, the journey won’t be straightforward. The franchise player is injured—fresh off last year’s postseason—and d

By Joel Piton · 10/17/25 · Sportz Nation The NBA season is set to tip off in just five days, and yet it doesn’t feel real that some of the league’s most familiar names won’t be on the court. Annually, a handful of veterans and role players linger on the market, but this season’s list still feels jarring. With preseason and training camps wrapping up and rotations taking shape, the reality is setting in: it's time to start picturing a season without these players in uniform. T

NBA fans rejoice! The back and forth turmoil is finally over. After a long and confusing offseason, reports have stated that Russell Westbrook has signed the dotted line on a one-year, $3.6 million veteran’s minimum deal with the Sacramento Kings. Entering his eighteenth season and joining his seventh NBA franchise, Westbrook brings energy, motor and experience to a team none of us would have guessed. What does this move mean for the Kings? Credit: Sarah Stier/GettyImages A n

With the NBA regular season set to tip off, it’s the perfect time to evaluate who the starting big is for all thirty teams. Formerly defined strictly by size and rim protection, today’s big men are as skilled as ever, so without a doubt, versatility comes largely into play when it comes to these rankings. From pure defensive anchors to floor-spacing shooters, every team relies on its starting center in a different way. Here we're predicting who will be the most effective whe

By Joel Piton 10/10/25 Sportz Nation This offseason, the headlines were dominated by blockbuster trades and superstar free-agent signings. But just as often, it’s the quieter moves—the under-the-radar pickups, the veterans brought in on short-term contracts—that end up making all the difference. While the big names draw all the attention, it’s these underrated additions that can raise a team’s ceiling and shift the balance of a season. We’re already seeing signs of that in th

by Joel Piton 10/7/2025   Sportz Nation The NBA is a guard-driven league, and no position dictates the tempo of a game more than the...

by Zak Drapeau and Joel Piton 10/5/2025 Sportz Nation Jayson Tatum, Isaiah "King of the Fourth" Thomas, Paul "The Truth" Pierce, KG—the...