We’re firmly into conference play in the college basketball season, which means it’s time to update the 2025 NBA Mock Draft here at The Athletic. Why does conference play matter so much more than the nonconference slate? First and foremost, it’s later in the season. Freshmen have had a chance to adjust to the speed…
Donovan Mitchell, presented with the challenge of solving the NBA’s oft-discussed ratings issue, smiled as he gave his immediate retort. “Get into more fights,” the Cleveland Cavaliers star said. He was joking, of course, and provided his usual eloquence in his real answer. But the essence of his quip was onto something. The biggest issue…
All your favorite characters are competing for the same NBA award once again. Nikola Jokić is the MVP favorite. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander follows him up. Two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo is on their tails, as are Jayson Tatum and Luka Dončić. Those five made up First Team All-NBA last season. Now, they make up the quintet atop…
CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell remembers the conversation as if it happened yesterday. And he recalls how little attention he paid to it at the time. “Remember this moment,” Mike Conley Jr. once told Mitchell when the two were teammates on the Utah Jazz. “These kind of teams don’t come around very often. This doesn’t normally…
They arrived within six months of each other, two stars summoned to Cleveland as franchise saviors and the final pieces necessary for a championship run. The Cavaliers packed their arena with employees and team personnel in September 2022 to welcome Donovan Mitchell at his introductory news conference. It was a signal both internally and across…
Dec. 15 has come and gone, which means NBA trade season has officially commenced. Players who changed teams over the offseason are now able to be traded, which opens up a world of functionality and flexibility across the trade market. It’s now a race to Feb. 6, a nearly two-month window for teams to figure…
Since the NBA is considering altering the format of the All-Star Game, I have some ideas. USA vs. The World has more juice than ever, from an NBA perspective. Think about the starting lineup the Americans would have to face: Nikola Jokić at center, Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt, Giannis Antetokounmpo and…
“The Basketball 100” is the definitive ranking of the 100 greatest NBA players of all time from The Athletic’s team of award-winning writers and analysts, including veteran columnists David Aldridge and John Hollinger. This excerpt is reprinted from the book, which also features a foreword by Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. “The Basketball 100” is available…
We’re about a month into the NBA season, and while the injury bug has bitten nearly every team in one way or another, there are other worries that are worth … well, worrying about. The Athletic asked its NBA staff for each team’s biggest concern at this point. The responses covered the full spectrum, from…