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Should the Boston Celtics take UNC guard Drake Powell in the 2025 NBA draft?

Should the Boston Celtics take UNC guard Drake Powell in the 2025 NBA draft?

Yahoo4 hours ago

Should the Boston Celtics take UNC guard Drake Powell in the 2025 NBA draft? The North Carolina swingman might not have had the most productive freshman campaign at first glance (7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per 25.5 minutes per game with the Tarheels in 2024-25), but Powell has the upside and frame to become a starter-level wing at the NBA level with some skills to help a bit while he grows into a larger role.
A fast, athletic guard with size and mobility, he still needs to figure out how to use his natural gifts on the defensive end of the court to maximum effect, and he's already pretty good. And while he hasn't been the most aggressive on the other end, at just 19 years old, he has time to develop his offensive game. Still a bit raw for what Boston might be after, his upside hints at a gamble worth taking for the Celtics if he ends up in their range.
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The hosts of the CLNS Media "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below!
If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: https://ytubl.ink/3Ffk
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Should the Celtics take UNC guard Drake Powell in the 2025 NBA draft?

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10 wicked WNBA Week 5 outfits, including Angel Reese's teeth shoes
10 wicked WNBA Week 5 outfits, including Angel Reese's teeth shoes

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

10 wicked WNBA Week 5 outfits, including Angel Reese's teeth shoes

There were many good looks during Week 5 of the 2025 WNBA season, but Chicago Sky Forward Angel Reese and her teeth shoes might have topped them all. Welcome to For The Win's weekly fashion roundup, where we bring you all the best tunnel outfits and gameday looks from across the league. This week, there were several sweet denim looks and matching shorts sets that people were rocking, and we're totally here for it as summer approaches. However, on Friday, June 13, (maybe this was intentional given the historically spooky vibes of the day?) Reese turned heads and the heat up just a notch by wearing *checks notes* teeth shoes. Advertisement Ahead of a matchup with the Atlanta Dream, the Sky forward was dressed head to toe in different shades of gray and completed the whole look with some under-the-radar heels that mimicked a mouth with chompers. (See the video of Reese showing them off in the first tweet below.) We can't say we've ever seen that before, but now that we've seen it, you need to as well. Here's Reese's epic shoes and nine other wicked looks from Week 5: Week 5 WNBA outfits 1. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky 2. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings 3. Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks 4. Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks 5. Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Connecticut Sun 6. Maddy Westbeld, Chicago Sky Chicago Sky forward Maddy Westbeld walks the tunnel ahead of a matchup with the New York Liberty on June 10, 2025 at Barclays Arena in Brooklyn, New York. (Courtesy of the Chicago Sky) 7. Aaliyah Nye, Las Vegas Aces 8. Temi Fagbenle, Golden State Valkyries 9. Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury 10. Gabby Williams, Seattle Storm This article originally appeared on For The Win: WNBA Week 5 outfits: 10 wicked looks, including Angel Reese's teeth shoes

What In the World Is Going On With the Saints?
What In the World Is Going On With the Saints?

Yahoo

time24 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

What In the World Is Going On With the Saints?

What In the World Is Going On With the Saints? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After years of waiting for the New Orleans Saints to finally bite the bullet on their woeful salary cap situation and strip their current, dilapidated iteration to the ground in order to spark a rebirth, some seismic changes finally happened this offseason. Advertisement First-time head coach Kellen Moore replaced Dennis Allen, a holdover from the Sean Payton era as former defensive coordinator, and the Derek Carr experiment finally closed after his injury-induced retirement. But are those changes big enough to actually get the Saints pointed in the right direction again, and return them to any kind of relevance in the NFC South race anytime soon? In last week's episode of "Best Podcast Available," I sat down with Fox Sports' Greg Auman to talk about what in the world is going on with the Saints right now, and how it could impact their future. "The problem with New Orleans is that they didn't do that," Auman said of the Saints blowing it all up and embracing a complete rebuild. "They could have pulled off the band-aid a lot neater than they did. There's definitely a lot of pushing the cap down the road, but it's still gonna be a thing." Injuries forced Derek Carr into an early Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Carr's retirement was actually a blessing for a team struggling under the weight of salary cap problems years in the making, saving them millions by not having to pay an aging quarterback who had struggled to stay healthy since joining the team as a high-priced offseason addition. Advertisement "They got a huge break with the Derek Carr thing," Auman said. "To basically get a $30 million check back from a quarterback they weren't going to play, is awesome. That's a gift in the right direction." To replace Carr, the Saints spent a top-40 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Louisville's Tyler Shough, who seemed to make a late push up the board despite the fact that many evaluators and media analyst had him pegged as a Day 3 pick. Thanks to multiple season-ending injuries that elongated his college career, Shough will turn 26 years old during his first NFL season, but perhaps by default, he's the likely Week 1 starter in New Orleans. "Quarterback isn't a position where you can have a lot of half-measures," Auman said, channeling his inner Mike Ehrmentraut. "I feel like they have an unusual tack to the position, which is kinda like putting up 35-footers in basketball. If you take a fourth-round pick, it might work out. Jake Haener might be a star, and if he isn't, you try a year later with Spencer Rattler in the fifth round. Now, you try again with a 26-year-old rookie. Tyler Shough could be great. We don't know that. But there's not a lot of precedent for somebody that old finding success in the NFL as a rookie, or . . . period," Auman said. Second-round pick Tyler Shough will be a 26-year-old rookie quarterback in the Lew-Imagn Images Brandon Weeden, Chris Weinke and Aidan O'Connell isn't exactly the best company for your hopeful franchise quarterback, but the Saints are banking on Shough being the exception to the rule. Advertisement "If you throw for 15 touchdowns, you're the best ever," Auman said of rookie quarterbacks aged 25 or older. There are some positive signs for the future when it comes to the Saints' roster construction in recent years, though. Last year, they spent a first-round pick on a stud offensive tackle in Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga. This year, they used a top-10 selection on another one, grabbing Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. to plug in immediately at left tackle, which should allow Fuaga to go back to his more natural spot on the right side. "They now have two offensive tackles they should be able to believe in," Auman said. "And that's them accepting that Trevor Penning isn't an answer. There are lots of other places they could have used those picks, so to spend a top-10 pick on another tackle is trying to anchor and upgrade a foundational part of your team long-term, and that's smart." First-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr. should solidify the offensive tackle position for years to Miron-USA TODAY Sports For years, the Saints' defense was a reliable strength and a point of pride, even as they struggled through the post-Drew Brees/Sean Payton era on offense. But that unit has increasingly started to show the signs of age and those pesky cap issues, exposing a group that just keeps getting older while not getting any cheaper. Advertisement "The defense is not a whole lot better," Auman said. "And part of the problem with the Saints' cap hell is that you're essentially married to all the same people, because you literally can't afford to cut them. I think Cam Jordan's last three years have been 2-4-2 in sacks. Just a really bad drop-off. Demario Davis hasn't dropped off as much, but he's also 35 years old. Tyrann Mathieu . . . there are guys they continue to count on far beyond an age at which you expect them to be contributors. And I think this is probably the last year for those three." The Saints have struggled to find high-quality defenders through the draft, and having those high-priced veterans locked on the books thanks to constant restructuring of contracts has forced them to let other promising players walk in free agency, some of them thriving elsewhere. "Try to think about an impact draft pick that they've hit on for the defense in the last four years, and it's tough," Auman says. "They don't keep Zack Baun, and he's a first-team All-Pro for the Eagles at $4 million. And that's a situation where you can't afford to keep your depth, and it's hard to get somebody to stay for not a lot of money, on not a great team." Kellen Moore has his work cut out for him as a first-time head Lew-Imagn Images There's understandable hope that Moore can inject life into what had become a stagnant offense, but it'll take time for those new pieces to build chemistry, and they're not likely to resemble the peak of the Brees/Payton days anytime soon. Advertisement "This is a new era for them," Auman said. "Kellen Moore, how will he take, especially with not a lot at quarterback? But it allows you to turn a page offensively. I mean, you think about what they've done with offensive coordinators in recent years, in the post-Brees/post-Payton era, and it hasn't been great. So, this feels like the most comprehensive reset they've had since Payton left, since Brees retired." It's been a rough ride without those two, and it might be awhile before Moore can dig them out of the NFC South basement, where they're pegged for another last-place finish that might not even reach last year's highs. "They don't have a lot to show for that four years, in terms of competition," Auman said. "Their record last year, 5-12, it's the worst since 2005, since before Payton got there. And they're gonna do well just to match that, just to get to five wins, with a rookie quarterback and an old defense. I'm not saying it can't happen, but it's a tough spot to be in." Perhaps the most interesting storyline in New Orleans will be what happens next offseason, when they could be faced with the opportunity to take a true franchise quarterback prospect at the top of the draft, despite having just burned a top-40 pick in 2025 on a passer who will be 27 years old in Week 1 of the 2026 season. An aging, expensive defense won't help the Saints' rebuild go any faster in Lew-Imagn Images "I think they'll have patience with Kellen Moore," Auman said. "They're not gonna move on from a first-year coach, but this is a team that, even though they took a quarterback in the second round, lines up to be a team that has a top-five pick (next year). That could be Arch Manning, could be Garrett Nussmeier. They've got all kinds of connections there." Advertisement What will success look like for the Saints in 2025? It's a pretty low bar, and plenty of things will have to go right for a team that's old, expensive, and lacks a difference-maker at the game's most important position. "It's asking for guys to stay healthy, it's asking Kamara to look like a guy he hasn't been the last couple of years . . . there are a lot of things that have to come together for them," Auman said. "If they take a step forward, if they get to six wins with a first-year coach, that's impressive." To check out the entire conversation, including deep dives on every team in the NFC South, watch the full episode of BPA: Related: The Bucs Own the NFC South, and They're Primed to Win it Again in 2025 Related: Can the Falcons Finally Dethrone the Bucs in the NFC South? This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.

Can Marvin Harrison Jr. Live Up To the Hype In Year 2?
Can Marvin Harrison Jr. Live Up To the Hype In Year 2?

Yahoo

time24 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Can Marvin Harrison Jr. Live Up To the Hype In Year 2?

Can Marvin Harrison Jr. Live Up To the Hype In Year 2? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There was just no way for Marvin Harrison Jr. to live up to the expectations that followed him into his first season in the NFL. Advertisement The No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Harrison's dad already has a gold jacket playing the same position, which had many measuring Junior for his own before he had even played at down in the league. Instead, Harrison's modest rookie campaign in the NFL featured 62 receptions for 882 yards and eight touchdown catches, averaging 52 yards per game. He finished fifth in receiving yards among his fellow rookies, trailing Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. On the latest episode of "Best Podcast Available," I sat down with Matt Harmon of Yahoo! Sports (and the guru behind the fantastic "Reception Perception" profiles that track and project wide receiver success) to break down Harrison's rookie season, and what we can expect from him in Year 2 and beyond. "There was just an obnoxious level of expectation put on him," Harmon said of Harrison's rookie season. "He was coming off the board as a Round 1-2 turn pick (in fantasy drafts), so he would have needed to have Puka Nacua's record-breaking rookie season in order to pay off that ADP. There was always gonna be a really high bar for him to not come in as a mild disappointment." Harrison had a solid rookie season, but it didn't meet the sky-high preseason Rondone/The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK There's never just one reason why a player doesn't live up to the hype right away, but while there's plenty of blame to go around, Harrison has some obvious areas that need growth heading into Year 2. Advertisement "I think as a player, he does deserve part of the blame there, but I think you have to split this pie of blame into at least three slices," Harmon said. "For Harrison's part, he showed out really well against press coverage, getting off the line of scrimmage. I thought he generally worked zone coverage over the middle of the field and on out-breaking routes really well. That intermediate was a good spot where he separated, but he was average to below-average on 9 (go) routes and curl routes. And you saw that when you watched him play. He doesn't really have the speed to challenge you vertically down the field, and he also struggles a little bit working back to the quarterback and playing physical football." "There are guys who are really good starting receivers in the NFL where I could throw out that same criticism across their entire careers, but if you want to get to that true elite status . . . which, if you take someone at No. 4 overall, you're certainly hoping that eventually, he gets into that group . . . you want him to play a bit more physical working back to the football, and in contested catch situations, in particular," Harmon continued. Harrison's areas of struggle as a rookie didn't come as much of a surprise, though, as they were the same ones that showed up on his college tape for those who looked deep enough into a player who was billed as as near-flawless prospect. Improving his physicality at the catch point should be a point of emphasis for Harrison in Year Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "His contested-catch rate was just really poor, which I actually wrote about in his prospect profile (heading into the 2024 draft), that this was like a minor critique of his game. I undersold it," Harmon admitted. "It was actually a major problem in his first season. That doesn't mean it's gonna be forever." Advertisement The rest of the "blame pie," as Harmon put it, goes to other variables that aren't changing for Harrison and the Cards in 2025. For starters, he'll have the same offensive coordinator in Drew Petzig, who didn't exactly set Harrison up for success when it came to his alignments and usage last season. "I just didn't love the deployment for him," Harmon said. "He was one of those purely outside/on the line of scrimmage type of receivers. All of the best receivers in the NFL, those Tier 1 guys, none of them get deployed that way anymore. These guys are moving around the formation, they're playing in the slot more, they're getting work off the line of scrimmage. There was almost none of that for Harrison in his first season." "Hopefully, after seeing him for a year, they can alter that deployment." Kyler Murray can help Harrison by improving his consistency when throwing over the Sabau-Imagn Images Then there's Kyler Murray, who will be back behind center for Arizona this season. At 5-9, Murray's small stature makes it a challenge to find consistent success throwing over the middle, where Harrison does his best work. Advertisement "I just don't know that their games perfectly overlap," Harmon said. "Harrison's best route, and the one he ran most often, was the dig route. He's really good working over the middle of the field. We can talk around it, but Kyler's a shorter quarterback. He doesn't see those plays all that well." Harrison clearly has all the talent to become a superstar pass-catcher at the next level, but his ceiling will always be limited to a degree by the help he gets from his supporting cast. While there are ways to improve individually which Harrison can control, he'll have to rely on Petzig and Murray to pull their weight in the equation if he wants to take a big leap in Year 2 and start delivering on those lofty predraft expectations. "A lot has to change for him to take that next step after his rookie season, beyond the fact that Harrison himself has to get slightly better as a player," Harmon said. "I don't have too many concerns about him as a player, but the environment is worth discussing." To check out the entire conversation, including a deep dive on the rest of the 2024 receiver class following Year 1, watch the entire episode of BPA: Related: Can Caleb Williams and the Bears Shock the NFC North in 2025? Related: What In the World Is Going On With the Saints? This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.

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