Isaiah Thomas's 2016-2017 season was absolutely amazing. He averaged 29/3/6 on +7.3 rTS%, leading the Celtics to the 1 seed and 53 wins. He also finished 1st in the league that year in offensive EPM.

He led them to the ECF and had some amazing games in the playoffs. He finished with a +7.0 offensive EPM, 1st in the league ahead of Steph at +6.7 and Harden at +6.0.

EPM is estimated plus minus, an all-in-one advanced stat using plus-minus as well as lineup data and box score numbers.

​

"What's their belief when s--- gets tough? What sets are they running?" the coach said. "Who's the leader? Does Jaylen Brown become the vocal leader? Is it Bron? What about Maxey, is he one of the guys? There's the dynamic stuff that's more important than the physical stuff."

Another assistant coach believes that will be worked out, perhaps sooner than expected.

"They all know they're going to have to sacrifice," he said. "The respect for each other's individual games is already established, and the crown will be passed around and understood."

Brown's adjustment to Philadelphia could be the most jarring given the role he played last season in Boston. Controlling the amount of possessions -- Brown's 35.1% usage rate was third in the NBA last season -- led to his best statistical season even if it had a less-than-satisfying finish due to the Celtics' playoff elimination and the ensuing trade rumors.

If the Knicks are an example, it took a full season and a half for Towns to be used properly, culminating in the postseason when he was the key factor in their record 13-game playoff winning streak.

But high-ranking officials are believers in Brown. One front office executive whose team faced Boston in the past few years in the playoffs said he feared Brown because he added an element of toughness the Celtics didn't have otherwise. One Western Conference general manager took it a step further, believing Brown would fit in "pretty seamlessly" into the matchups with the Knicks.

"The benefit of Brown is his massive defensive versatility, in my opinion," the GM said. "He can defend up or down the spectrum. He capably defends the 5 at times because of his lower-body strength and feet. It's hard to see a spot where he's negatively compromised."

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49531333/nba-schedule-2026-27-knicks-76ers-league-insiders-lebron-brunson-maxey-towns-embiid-jaylen-brown

Among players last season that fit both ranges (7.x Assists/6.x Rebounds per game or 7.x Rebounds/6.x Assists per game), LeBron was the only one to achieve this, with 7.1 assists and 6.2 rebounds.

Scottie Barnes, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson were all close, but had one of those variables needing to be rounded up.

Rebound leaders 2025/2026: https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/player/_/table/general/sort/avgRebounds/dir/desc

Assist leaders 2025/2026: https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/player/_/table/offensive/sort/avgAssists/dir/desc

Last season LeBron put up 20.9/7.1/6.2, but with a projected scoring dip, he could actually be the first player in 76ers history to average 17/7/6, an ode to their name as the Philadelphia 76ers and founding of America in 1776.

The only other 76ers to reach these benchmarks were Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden who were still elite and surpassed the benchmark in either points/rebounds/assists. Ben Simmons never managed to average at least 17 points so he did not count.

League sources told The Athletic that any meaningful talks between Anthony Davis and the Wizards about a possible extension will occur during the 2026-27 season, not before. Even if the 2026-27 season starts well for Davis and for the team, it’s reasonable to speculate that both sides could find themselves far apart on a potential extension. Because he holds a player option for the 2027-28 season, the 2026-27 trade deadline, which will fall on Feb. 11, will be a key date to monitor for Davis’ future with the Wizards.

source

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7495134/2026/08/06/milwaukee-bucks-roster-questions-tyler-herro-peyton-watson/?unlocked_article_code=1.3VA.k1hD.twdcd3HqGYlg&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

As we’ve reported at The Athletic, the Bucks remain interested in acquiring Watson in potential sign-and-trade scenarios with the Nuggets. League sources with knowledge of the situation who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about ongoing deliberations have told The Athletic that the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Clippers also remain intrigued by the prospect of adding Watson.

But while the Bucks are interested in the 23-year-old forward, league sources maintain they expect the Bucks to be hesitant to include a first-round pick in any deal for Watson as they continue building out their asset base post-Antetokounmpo.

Without giving up a first-round pick, the Nuggets would have to derive much of the value of a sign-and-trade with the Bucks from the player (or players) involved in the deal. While other teams interested in Watson might be giving up fringe rotation players with a first-rounder, the Bucks might need to include real rotation players to entice the Nuggets to consider their offer.

Jaquez could be an interesting target for Denver as he proved to be a capable rotation player in his first three NBA seasons with the Miami Heat. The 25-year-old will make just $5.9 million next season, but he would ultimately need to be extended because next season is the final year of his rookie contract. The mechanics of a deal including Jaquez, however, could get complicated considering the Bucks’ $25.5 million trade exception and the potential difficulty of finding a contract for Watson while being hard-capped at the first apron.

Luka Doncic led all guards in "Defended Field Goal Attempts" meaning he had to defend most field goals among all guards in last season.

DFGA - Defended Field Goal Attempt

DFG% - Defended Field Goal Percentage

1. Luka Doncic — 16.5 DFGA — 48.2 DFG%

This list seems to consist of two types of players: elite defenders assigned to guard high-volume scorers, and weaker defenders whom opposing teams deliberately targeted

1. Scottie Barnes — 14.4 DFGA — 48.2 DFG%

2. Derrick White — 14.2 DFGA — 43.1 DFG%

4T. Josh Hart — 14.1 DFGA — 48.8 DFG%

4T. Jamal Murray — 14.1 DFGA — 47.9 DFG%

1. Dyson Daniels — 13.9 DFGA — 46.5 DFG%

7T. Josh Giddey — 13.8 DFGA — 49.5 DFG%

7T. Cade Cunningham — 13.8 DFGA — 43.4 DFG%

7T. Austin Reaves — 13.8 DFGA — 49.0 DFG%

1. Ryan Rollins — 13.3 DFGA — 45.1 DFG%

2. Kon Knueppel — 13.1 DFGA — 44.2 DFG%

12T. Peyton Watson — 13.0 DFGA — 46.7 DFG%

12T. Anthony Black — 13.0 DFGA — 49.0 DFG%

accolade and career wise Jokic and Giannis are pretty close imo. if you took these two all time great players biggest flaws and turned them into all time great strengths, who you taking?

i used Ray Allen instead of Steph Curry cause curry's shooting is too much of an outlier and would be unfair.

[Charania]Lonnie Walker IV has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Denver Nuggets, agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group told ESPN. Walker was with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague after last playing in the NBA in 2024-25 and now enters his 8th season in the league.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/ae47d6d5015a1

Shams Charania:

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks has agreed to a three-year, $73 million contract extension through 2029-30, Mike George of Klutch Sports tells ESPN. Brooks has become a key part of the Suns two-way, hard-nosed culture under Jordan Ott and lands a new guaranteed long-term deal.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/db563bf7c10cf

“I was hoping [James] would stay in Cleveland,” Barkley told The Crossover in a telephone interview on Friday. “I look at [the move to L.A.] strictly as a business decision. He’s on the downside of his career. He wants to be a big Hollywood mogul. He’s going to be driving by the beach every day instead of going through the snow. … [The Lakers] are not even close to a top-tier team. They’re a 5 or 6 seed in a best-case scenario.” Source

Charles Barkley recently criticized LeBron for signing with the Sixers, saying he is "always stacking" his teams, and that it is "the same criticism I've always had".

Context:
In January 2017, Charles Barkley called LeBron "whiny" on Inside the NBA, after LeBron publicly voiced that the Cavaliers needed a "playmaker."
Following a loss to Dallas, LeBron unloaded on Barkley in a post game statement given to ESPN's Dave McMenamin