Latest news with #KevinO'Connor
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rumor: Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe had 'excellent' draft interview with Hornets
Rumor: Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe had 'excellent' draft interview with Hornets After a dazzling freshman campaign at Baylor, VJ Edgecombe is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA draft on June 25-26 in Brooklyn, New York. Edgecombe was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, averaging 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals on 34% shooting from 3-point range. He finished in double figures 27 times, including a season-high 30 points on Jan. 22 in a win over Kansas State. The 6-foot-5 guard is most commonly projected to be drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers or Charlotte Hornets with the third and fourth picks, respectively. He is expected to be heavily considered by the Hornets if he is still on the board, according to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports. Edgecombe had an excellent interview with the Hornets, league sources said. And while there are no locks, plenty of executives believe he's the favorite if he makes it to the fourth pick. Edgecombe is viewed as one of the most athletic players in the draft this year and was an offensive force when getting downhill, thanks to his ability to create for himself and stretch the floor from beyond the arc. He also projects to be able to affect games at a high level on defense. The 19-year-old participated in the combine earlier this month, measuring in with a 6-foot, 7 1/2-inch wingspan. He also registered a 38 1/2-inch max vertical jump, tied for the ninth-highest mark among all participants this year in Chicago, Illinois. After missing out on the chance to have the top pick this year, the Hornets figure to land either Edgecombe or Ace Bailey in the draft. The two players both project to fit well with the roster and should help the team next year and beyond.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Should Mavs consider trading No. 1 pick for Giannis?
Should Mavs consider trading No. 1 pick for Giannis? | The Kevin O'Connor Show Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor and Tate Fraizer discuss whether or not the Dallas Mavericks should consider trading their number 1 pick in the draft for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript The Bucks, they call up the Mavericks on draft night, and they offer Giannis for Cooper flag. Advertisement And salaries needed to meet the requirements to get Giannis. Giannis for flag. Are you saying yes if you're the Mavericks? If I am the Mavericks, I am definitely not even entertaining the phone call because of what is already like they just got given, they got response. You're not answering. No, I'm not even there are no phone call like I, if I am the ownership group, yeah, if I'm, what's his name, Pat, whatever, Dumont, I am making. Sure that the lines are cut. No one can call Nico. Uh, we're changing his phone number. We don't want him talking to the Boston Celtics, especially. I feel like that's the team that I would be circling the most to make sure that Brad Stevens does not get Nico Harrison's phone number and call him with some sort of tantalizing idea, put in his mind that Cooper Flag's gonna leave anyway after his rookie deal and come to the Boston Celtics. Advertisement So you might as well rip the band-aid. Now, like, that would be the terrifying phone call. But yeah, the Mavericks don't answer the phone, do the right thing. You got literally the greatest second chance of all time to kind of right the wrong of what you did with Luca. You get a generational superstar who just happens to kind of be a power forward that fits into a similar vein as Dirk. If his career can play out in a similar way, that would be amazing. So as a franchise, the Mavericks should not, uh, pick up the phone. And honestly, if I Giannis, and I do think that the Bucks are working with Giannis, or at least in communication with Giannis. Advertisement I think that Giannis has told them that it's either send me somewhere in the east, elsewhere in the east, where I can go and dominate or like tell Chris Middleton to sign here for the minimum and you know, we, we try to figure out some way to get this machine going in Milwaukee for one more run. I don't know what it ends up looking like, but To me, Kevin, the, the Spurs are much more inclined to trade for Durant at #2 than they would for Giannis. And I feel like the Mavericks, they can't, even though the Mavericks kid definitely would take the phone call, I think internally that staff would be like, of course. We want to have Giannis in this building. Advertisement They just can't for PR reasons. So I feel like as much as the Giannis talk is very interesting and fascinating, and Europe loves the Spurs, right, as a, as a continent, like that's the team over there. But yeah, you can't do it. Nico, don't do it. Leave Cooper flag in Dallas.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Is the Thunder's defense really elite?
Is the Thunder's defense really elite? | The Kevin O'Connor Show Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor is joined by 13-year NBA veteran Marcus Morris Sr. to discuss Oklahoma City's defensive effort in the Western Conference Finals against Minnesota and if it was really as dominant as some suggest. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Is that because of OKC's defense though? Advertisement OKC's defense looks like an all-time level defense. They befuddled Jokic, they shut down ants. It's definitely was partially due to that, but if you watch the game, OKC only won that game. By 2 points. They uh they had 20 offensive rebounds and Minnesota had 19 turnovers. She almost had a 40 point triple-double. Jay Lee Williams had 30 points. Chad Hongren had 20 something points, Anthony Edward had 16 points, and Julius Render had 2 points, and they only won the game by 2 points. And you know why they won the game by 2 points? It's because Anthony Edwards didn't try to find a rhythm to the second half. Advertisement Do you know how hard that possibly can be when you're the best player and you know down the stretch, we're gonna need you to make shots and make plays and you don't have a rhythm. There's no way. There's no way. So, even when it looks like that game was in control, I'm sitting there watching like, it's gonna come down to the reason why Anthony Edwards didn't have his rhythm in the start of the game and that was the series. If he got going early, they had a better chance. The game they beat by 40 points, he started off the game with 12 points in the first quarter. They beat him by 40. They dismantled them. Advertisement 143. They dismantled them and they scored 260 points in two games. So, is that great defense? Like, is that like the greatest defense, 260 points in two games? Uh, I'm not really sure about that, right? Like, because if I, if I found something in that first game, there's no way that I go away from it in the second game. But OKC did a really good job of making adjustments. They, they start like switching up top and they just was pushing them out and, you know, they did, they did a hell of a job and I don't wanna take away from what I've seen from OKC because they are a really good team and make sure you clip this and, and, and when you put this out, make sure you put this out because a lot of people think I hate OKC. Advertisement I don't. I think. I don't hate them. I just, I feel like you're, you're, you don't respect like, uh, I respect OKC and I respect what they done. What I, what I don't respect is the way the other younger teams approach series with OKC because if you, if I gotta keep talking about this, if you look at how how how Minnesota Timberwolves approached the series with Golden State and the Lakers, the energy was not the same.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kuminga believes Warriors' mood ‘very high' despite Game 4 loss
Western Conference Finals preview: Oklahoma City Thunder or Minnesota Timberwolves? | The Kevin O'Connor Show Kevin O'Connor is joined by Dane Moore to preview the upcoming Western Conference finals matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder & Minnesota Timberwolves. After beating the Lakers and the Warriors in previous rounds, have the Timberwolves escaped some of their regular season mistakes that landed them the 6-seed as they advance to face a 68-win Thunder team? Kevin follows up the Western Conference predictions with his rankings of which teams have the best chances to win the 2025 NBA Finals. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. 3:46 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Draft: Cooper Flagg headlines rookies who could matter for fantasy basketball this season
The 2025 NBA Draft is just under a month away, and with the combine wrapped up, Yahoo Sports NBA Senior Analyst Kevin O'Connor dropped his latest mock draft last week. The 2025 draft class is deeper and more talented than last year's rookies, so I want to highlight the prospects whose projected landing spots in KOC's mock could become interesting for fantasy basketball leagues next season. I can't say enough how much I like Flagg's opportunity to contribute immediately. With his defense, athleticism and scoring efficiency, he projects as a multi-category fantasy asset. The 3s are the question mark, but there's a sneaky playmaking upside, too. Cooper Flagg showing off the significant gains he's made mechanically over the past year in the NBA draft combine shooting drills. Off the dribble, on the move or with his feet set, with crisp footwork and a picture perfect 61% of his aggregate attempts. — Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 14, 2025 I'm warming up to targeting him around the sixth or seventh rounds of drafts next season. Landing with the Hornets is a gift and a curse. It's a losing franchise with exciting players who can't stay healthy. That said, they need a two-guard, and Edgecombe is a bucket and a disruptive defender. He also flies, so sharing a backcourt with LaMelo Ball has its perks. 🎙️ VJ Edgecombe: "Most rookies, they be like, can't guard... I want to change that dynamic, change that for sure. Just want to go out there and guard, and impact the floor.""I know Charlotte Hornets. I know about the team, the roster, everything that's going on over there." — r/CharlotteHornets on Reddit (@HornetsReddit) May 14, 2025 Edgecombe reminds me of Victor Oladipo. He could be one of the top scorers of his class with the bonus of some steals. If he ends up in Charlotte, he may become a fantasy option outside the top 100 picks. If Knueppel falls to the Jazz, feel good about it. There's more to his game than being an elite motion shooter. He is the modern Mr. Fundamental — a smart hooper who can facilitate, cut and make the right basketball play more often than not. Kon Knueppel was ELITE for the Blue Devils tonight 🙌😈 21 PTS | 5 REB | 5 AST | 3 STLHe helped lead @DukeMBB to a #MFinalFour berth 👏 #MarchMadness — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2025 The Jazz need that after being in the bottom 10 in offensive rating and having the highest turnover rate in the league. He'd already be their best shooter as a rookie, but it will come down to his defense to get consistent minutes. I like the Chris Mullin comps. The freshman out of Texas fills a couple of needs for the Wizards: shooting and playmaking. Tre Johnson — P&R playmaking + scoring tapeAn elite multi-level shotmaking/scoring talent that leverages his gravity with high-level spatial awareness and understanding of screens. A much better passer than given credit for (1.5 AST/TO + 16.5% AST).#6 on my '25 board. — Mohamed (@mcfdraft) April 24, 2025 I'm not sold on the defense yet, but I like the guards Washington's assembled, with Johnson slotting in as arguably one of their best 3-point shooters. There's a path for minutes, but he's more of a dynasty option than a target in redraft leagues in this scenario. Queen's outlook would take a massive leap in Chicago if the Bulls finally move Nikola Vučević. I understand the knocks on his poor combine, defense, lack of explosiveness and questionable outside shooting. However, he's one of only a few offensive hubs available at his size (6-foot-10 and 246 pounds). Why Derik Queen is a top 5 prospect...1. True 1of1 on ball craft as a 5 - handle, vision, magnet hands, touch, intuition.2. The concerns are fixable + have already seen flashes of you overthink fixable concerns, you will get burned by the skill set.🐢 — Ryan Hammer🔨 (@ryanhammer09) May 26, 2025 He's got nice touch and is a willing playmaker who could put up numbers in limited minutes if he cracks the rotation. Should Clint Capela bounce, Newell's rim-running and relentless motor would be worthy additions to a thin Atlanta frontcourt. Jalen Johnson's been banged up the past two seasons, so getting another talented big man with the quickness to defend on the perimeter is a strong fit with their growing, scrappy identity. I love this defense from Asa Newell. This is the type of stuff we saw from him more at Montverde. Even if he doesn't end up as more of a 5, I think he has all the tools to be a really versatile and switchable defender. — Tyler Metcalf (@tmetcalf11) March 13, 2025 Being the recipient of Trae Young's lobs with shot-blocking and rebounding upside, Newell could be one of those late-round bigs that make an impact in fantasy on a per-minute basis. If the Wolves can't afford to keep Nickeil Alexander-Walker, selecting Coward would be one of my favorite draft night moves. Cedric Coward is EASILY one of the biggest winners of the combineHe's shot well in drills, has a freaky 7'2' wing span at 6'5' and tested great athletically too with a 38.5' max vertHe's a career 38.6% 3PT shooter in college and there's a big chance he stays in the draft now — Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) May 13, 2025 He's a late bloomer with a damn-near-perfect shot and a large wingspan who prides himself on the defensive end. It may sound like gas, but he gives me Kawhi Leonard vibes. The backcourt in Los Angeles is aging, and injuries are known saboteurs. Pettiford is the ideal match as a Brandon Jennings-lite with the speed, scoring, hops and creation that would ignite the team's bench. Most rookies with his profile tend to be inefficient, but he can still light it up in a reserve role. It's too early for consideration in redraft leagues, but dynasty managers should take notice.
