logo
Sixers' Tyrese Maxey works out with NBA champ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Sixers' Tyrese Maxey works out with NBA champ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

USA Today4 days ago
Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey is a maniacal worker as he is somebody who is always going to be in the gym working on his game and continuing to take steps forward as a player. He took steps forward as a leader in 2024-25 while also attacking against waves of defenders, and now, he is looking to take another step.
Maxey was in the gym working with trainer Chris Johnson while working alongside 2-time NBA champion, and current Memphis Grizzlies guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The 12-year veteran out of Georgia has won titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and the Denver Nuggets in 2023.
Maxey and Caldwell-Pope put in some work in the gym on a variety of jump shots as the young All-Star continues to soak up any knowledge he can from the veterans in this league.
Maxey was limited to only 52 games due to a variety of injuries in what was a lost season for Philadelphia. Now, the Sixers will be looking for him to bounce back next to Joel Embiid and Paul George in order to bounce back from a miserable 24-58 season that was decimated by injuries and things they can't control.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lakers jersey history No. 1 — Wes Matthews
Lakers jersey history No. 1 — Wes Matthews

USA Today

time3 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Lakers jersey history No. 1 — Wes Matthews

Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary. As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years. This article takes a look at Wes Matthews, a guard who played for the Lakers during the Showtime era. Matthews played three years of college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was taken with the No. 14 pick in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets. As a rookie, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks and averaged 12.4 points and 5.2 assists a game. He ended up bouncing around the league, mostly as a reserve, over the next several years. In October 1986, the Lakers, needing some backcourt depth, signed Matthews as a free agent. The Lakers already had Hall of Famer Michael Cooper, who played both guard spots and small forward, but they also needed some added insurance at the point guard spot. Matthews didn't play much, but he averaged 4.9 points and 2.4 assists in 12.3 minutes a game during two seasons with the team. He was very lucky with his timing, as Los Angeles won the NBA championship during both of those seasons. Matthews moved on to the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association, where he won a league championship with the Tulsa Fast Breakers during the 1988-89 campaign. In the fourth and final game of the championship series, he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Tulsa the title. That meant Matthews had won championships in three straight seasons of pro basketball. Meanwhile, the Lakers went after a third straight title that same year, only to get swept by the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals after Byron Scott and Magic Johnson injured their hamstrings. Matthews would appear in one game with the Hawks during the 1989-90 season to close out his NBA career. His son Wesley would play 15 seasons in the league, including one with the Lakers.

Projecting Opening Night starting lineup for OKC Thunder in 2025-26 season
Projecting Opening Night starting lineup for OKC Thunder in 2025-26 season

USA Today

time3 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Projecting Opening Night starting lineup for OKC Thunder in 2025-26 season

Don't fix what's not broken. That's the Oklahoma City Thunder's unofficial offseason motto. After winning the NBA championship, they have the rare opportunity to bring back basically the same roster — minus some changes at the bottom of the depth chart. The Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season at the top of the food chain. The NBA champions will hope to be a rare repeat winner. They spent the offseason locking down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to long-term deals. Dealing with constant injuries, the Thunder fluctuated their starting lineup throughout their historic 68-14 regular-season campaign. Throw in Mark Daigneault's tendency to be fluid with his rotation throughout the year, expect OKC to remain flexible with its starters. As the Thunder continue to enjoy their summer, they're only a few months away from defending their top spot. Let's project what OKC's starting lineup could look like when it receives its ring on Opening Night: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander This is easy. Gilgeous-Alexander is the Thunder's franchise player. He had one of the greatest individual seasons ever. He brought home the MVP, Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP trophies. He also won the scoring title. The 27-year-old is one of the best players in the league. OKC's title window starts and stops with him. Lu Dort One of the longest-tenured Thunder players, Dort is fresh off a career season. He was named to his first All-Defensive Team. He's one of the league's best one-on-one defenders. The undrafted player has also developed into a legitimate outside shooter. He's been a fixture in the starting lineup for years now. Jalen Williams Another easy choice. Williams ascended into one of the NBA's best players last season. He had a career year as a first-time All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense Team member. The 24-year-old is a walking efficient 20-plus points and an underrated defender. His trajectory should continue to rise after he stepped up as OKC's second-best player in the playoffs. Chet Holmgren Another easy choice. Injuries have limited Holmgren to playing only about half of his available games in his first three seasons. That said, he's easily the Thunder's best defender when he's on the floor. The 23-year-old has shown promise as a scorer over the years. But what he brings as a rim protector is worthy enough of the contract extension he signed this past summer. Isaiah Hartenstein As was said at the top — don't fix what's not broken. The Thunder have four permanent starters with a fifth spot up for grabs. Sometimes it's Hartenstein, other times it's somebody like Cason Wallace. But the Thunder stuck with the double-big lineup throughout the playoffs, sans a few NBA Finals games. It was the starting lineup that won them both of their Game 7s. It should be the same starting lineup to open next season.

Royals put Kris Bubic, Jac Caglianone on IL; newly acquired Randal Grichuk into starting lineup
Royals put Kris Bubic, Jac Caglianone on IL; newly acquired Randal Grichuk into starting lineup

San Francisco Chronicle​

time3 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Royals put Kris Bubic, Jac Caglianone on IL; newly acquired Randal Grichuk into starting lineup

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals placed All-Star left-hander Kris Bubic on the 15-day injured list with a rotator cuff strain and outfielder Jac Caglianone on the 10-day IL with a strained left hamstring amid a series of moves before their series finale against Cleveland on Sunday. The Royals also welcomed outfielder Randal Grichuk, who was acquired on Saturday night in a deal that shipped reliever Andrew Hoffmann to Arizona, and recalled right-handed reliever Jonathan Bowlan from Triple-A Omaha to help the bullpen. Bubic walked the first four batters he faced and only managed to last 2 2/3 innings against the Guardians on Saturday, when he started the second game of a split doubleheader. He needed 42 pitches to get through the first inning, and he wound up allowing four runs and three hits in his shortest start since Sept. 18, 2022, at Boston. 'He's getting some further testing and then we'll talk to the doc here and see what we got,' Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. Bubic said he's experienced some shoulder soreness for much of the season, but he's been able to pitch through it at a break-through level. Even with the rocky start Saturday, he has a 2.55 ERA — the fifth-best mark in the American League. 'I mean, you see how he's performed,' Quatraro said. 'Most pitchers when they go out there, they feel something almost every time. The severity of it and his ability to continue to deal with it has been manageable, by his own admission. ... And it's gotten to the point where, you know, he doesn't, and we don't feel like it's best for him to keep fighting through it.' The Royals rotation has suddenly thinned considerably. Left-hander Cole Ragans remains on the IL with a strained rotator cuff and is not expected back until late August, and right-hander Michael Lorenzen is progressing from his strained left oblique but may need to make a rehab start before he returns to the Royals sometime in August. The Royals already have had to plug one spot with 45-year-old Rich Hill, who pitched well in his debut for them this past week. Caglianone, the Royals' 22-year-old power-hitter, felt tightness in his hamstring while running down a double into the gap in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. Then he felt the twinge again while running to first on a groundout later the inning. The timing of the injury could have been worse: The Royals had been working on a deal to land Grichuk, who nearly signed with them in the offseason but will now help them primarily against left-handed hitting for the rest of the season. 'You've seen our outfield had gotten very heavily left-handed. Something we thought we needed to add was a right-handed bat,' said Quatraro, whose team began the day 51-54 and 4 1/2 games back in the AL wild-card race. Grichuk was 0 for 2 on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, flying out in the second inning and the fourth, when he was told by the Diamondbacks that he had been traded. He hugged several teammates in the dugout and then headed out, catching a flight first thing Sunday so that he could be in Kansas City in time for the series finale against the Guardians. 'When they called they said, 'If you're willing to be here to play, you know, we want you in the starting lineup,'' Grichuk said, 'and yeah, I want to play. That's kind of my M.O. And so I said, 'Let's do it. We'll make it happen, even if it's crazy travel.'' The one hang-up was Grichuk's number: He's always worn 15 and that number was taken by backup catcher Luke Maile. But it turns out the two knew each other from their days together in Toronto, so a quick text message smoothed things out. Maile took No. 17 and gave his old buddy No. 15 — 'We'll work something out,' Grichuk said of potential compensation. 'It's pretty cool that he was able to give it to me,' Grichuk said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store