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USA Today
05-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA Rookie of the Year: Jaylen Wells, Stephon Castle setting up for showdown
NBA Rookie of the Year: Jaylen Wells, Stephon Castle setting up for showdown Show Caption Hide Caption The biggest questions for the 2nd half of the NBA season The For The Hoops crew poses their most pressing questions for the rest of the NBA season, including whether the Celtics will be back in the Finals! The race for NBA Rookie of the Year may be coming down to two players. While a number of first-year players have made their marks this season, the two constants have been Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs — who starred in the Rising Stars Challenge during the league's All-Star weekend — and Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies. If Castle were to win, it would mark only the third time a team has won the award in consecutive seasons, joining the Timberwolves (2015-16 with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns) and the Buffalo Braves (1973-74 with Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio). Still, the race is wide open, with the No. 1 overall selection, Zaccharie Risacher, coming on recently as one of Atlanta's primary weapons. The latest edition of the USA TODAY Sports' rookie power rankings, with stats through Monday's games: 5. Kel'el Ware, Miami Heat center His case has been bolstered the last month-and-a-half, when he has seen an uptick in minutes and had started Miami's past 18 games before a knee injury sidelined him from Monday's game against the Wizards. Ware has infused an immediate inside presence in the Heat offense as a lob threat and low-post option. He also has been a solid rim protector, though his defensive numbers do suffer when Bam Adebayo also isn't on the floor. OPINION: Kyrie Irving knee injury latest blow, makes Luka Doncic trade look even worse MORE: 2025 NBA mock draft has Duke's Cooper Flagg No. 1 while other players jockey for position 4. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies center He can sometimes go through lulls in his scoring output, but Edey has been a steady presence for Memphis, particularly on the glass. Some of Edey's contributions don't manifest on the box score, though; in Monday's two-point loss against the Hawks, Edey altered two consecutive Trae Young drives inside the final minute before Desmond Bane's turnover in the final seconds led to Caris LeVert's game-winning layup. 3. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks forward Risacher, the No.1 pick, has shown flashes of what he can become. He missed seven of eight games with a strained left adductor in the final two weeks of January and has played well since his return. In his past 14 games, the 6-8 Risacher is averaging 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and nearly 1.0 steal and is shooting 53.8% from the field and 50.8% on 3-pointers. On Tuesday, he was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month for February. He scored 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting in a victory against Memphis on March 3. The Hawks' offense has flourished with Risacher on the court, scoring 119.86 points per 100 possessions, and ninth-place Atlanta is in the postseason hunt with a chance to finish in seventh place in the East. 2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs guard Even with the addition of De'Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, Castle continues to get valuable minutes on a rebuilding team that has gone through a difficult season with head coach Gregg Popovich's stroke and 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama's season-ending deep vein thrombosis diagnosis. Castle is the second-leading rookie scorer at 13.2 points per game and averages 3.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds. He has had two 30-point games in the past four weeks, including 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a loss to Oklahoma City on March 2 and 24 points, seven assists and three rebounds in a victory against Memphis on March 1. His shooting efficiency needs attention in the offseason — he's at 41.9% from the field and 28.4% on 3-pointers. 1. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies forward For the most part, Wells has avoided the dreaded rookie wall. A long season can exact punishment on a rookie not used to 82 games with back-to-backs, four games in a week and travel. Wells, who hasn't missed a game this season, had five consecutive games without hitting double figures in points right before the All-Star break. The break helped, and he has scored 12 or more points in six of eight games since. Well had 19 points and five rebounds in a victory against Phoenix on Feb. 25 and 18 points in a loss against San Antonio on March 1. He is fifth in scoring among rookies with 11.4 points per game, and he is shooting 45% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers. Wells, the No. 39 overall pick, is trying to become just the second second-round draft pick in the modern era (post-1970) to win rookie of the year, and he's doing it for a team that is in fourth place in the Western Conference.
New York Times
18-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Did NBA fans like the new All-Star Game format? Our readers weigh in
Draymond Green's criticism of this year's NBA All-Star Game had fans reminiscing about the classic East-West battles of the past or brainstorming ways to revive the competition. Some even proposed a bold USA-versus-the-World format to reflect the league's global talent. In this year's All-Star Game, the NBA set up a four-team, single-elimination tournament with a target score of 40 points for each round. Three of the teams consisted of the 24 NBA All-Star selections, while the fourth was the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge. Advertisement It's difficult to predict what will come next, but it's clear that something needs to change, from the competitiveness level to the structure. It's NBA All-Star Weekend, it's supposed to be fun. Over the weekend, we polled fans with three key questions: The fans have spoken, and their verdict on this year's All-Star Game is brutal. In our poll, nearly a quarter of respondents (23.7 percent) gave the event a 0, signaling overwhelming disappointment. Low ratings dominated, with 55.2 percent of voters scoring it between 0 and 3, reinforcing criticism that the games lacked effort and competitiveness. Even middle-ground ratings were sparse, as only 8.6 percent rated it a 5, while scores of 6 and 7 hovered around 7 percent each. Positive reviews were even rarer — just 2.8 percent gave it a 9, and only 3.4 percent considered it a perfect 10. The results align with Green's critique of the event, with many fans echoing his concerns. If the NBA wants to restore excitement to the All-Star Game, these numbers suggest that serious changes are needed. Fan reaction to this year's festivities was far from enthusiastic. When asked how it compared to previous years, the most common response (32.5 percent) was outright frustration, with many declaring that the whole thing is a lost cause. Meanwhile, 25.7 percent felt the new format actually made things worse, reinforcing the idea that recent tweaks haven't solved the lack of competitiveness. However, 28.7 percent saw some positives, believing this year's event was an improvement over last year's. The remaining 13.1 percent thought the game was about the same. These mixed but largely negative results align with growing concerns from players and analysts, including Green, about the All-Star Game's declining appeal. With frustration mounting, the NBA faces a tough question: should it tweak the format again or accept that the All-Star Game may never regain its former glory? Advertisement Fan opinions on the biggest issue with this year's NBA All-Star Game were divided. The most common response (42.6 percent) dismissed any complaints altogether, arguing that people should just 'chill out' since it's only an exhibition. However, a significant portion of fans (31.6 percent) felt that All-Stars weren't getting enough playing time due to the league's focus on having mini-games played to a set score. Another 21.0 percent pointed to the Rising Stars sharing the spotlight with established All-Stars, suggesting that blending young talent with veterans watered down the event. A small but notable 4.8 percent were frustrated by the lack of record-breaking opportunities, possibly referencing the relaxed style of play that prevents historic performances. With these mixed responses, the NBA faces a challenge — some fans believe the All-Star Game isn't a serious issue, while others see clear flaws. The question remains: does the league make drastic changes, or let the game remain what it is — just a fun, low-stakes exhibition?
USA Today
18-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Q&A: Detroit's Ausar Thompson explains why he's the NBA's best perimeter defender
Detroit Pistons wing Ausar Thompson is having a breakout campaign, earning a spot in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend. Thompson — who was the No. 5 overall pick by the Pistons in the 2023 NBA Draft selected just one spot after his twin brother Amen — has made significant strides during his second season in Detroit. After missing part of his rookie season due to health concerns related to a blood clot, the 22-year-old is now one of the most impactful young players in the league. This no surprise to Thompson, though, who feels confident about his abilities on the floor. The numbers reflect his impact, but especially on defense. He currently ranks second-best among all NBA players in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, per For The Win caught up with the Pistons wing to discuss NBA All-Star Weekend and various other topics. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. What were your impressions of All-Star Weekend in your hometown? Ausar: It's super exciting. My whole family came out to see me participate in my first All-Star Weekend in the Rising Stars Challenge. That was a dream come true. Hopefully, I come back. Maybe not here to the Bay Area because I don't know when they'll host again. But hopefully I come back to NBA All-Star Weekend as an All-Star. FTW: Is that something you would add to your dream board? Ausar: If I were to add something to my dream board, it would be a multiple-time NBA champion. Maybe multiple All-Star. But actually, I am just going to say multiple-time NBA champion for now. That's the main goal. Everything else could come with it. Would you participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest? Ausar: Yeah, definitely. I would definitely participate in it. I would just need to practice some dunks over the summer. I think I could do some cool stuff. I haven't worked on a dunk in like three years. But once I get that back down, I'm ready. I think Mac McClung is ridiculous when it comes to dunking. People were talking about the car dunk. I think his second dunk: He acted like he was about to reverse it and 360. I think that dunk was crazy. Nobody is talking about that one quite as much. I think Stephon Castle was going off in it. He honestly surprised me. I swear I don't remember him jumping like this. He was dunking on people. NBA DUNK CONTEST: Ja Morant was inspired by Mac McClung to maybe participate (and Giannis would join him) You and Amen pretended to be each other in an interview. Have you tried that before? Ausar: We actually didn't. We thought about doing it during the Rising Stars Challenge but we have different accessories. He didn't want to wear what I wore and he didn't want to wear what I wore. So we just gave up on it. [Pauses] Or maybe we switched and nobody knew? FTW: Did you know you had exactly the same points per minute as Amen this month? Ausar: It's not something I was aware of until I saw it all over the internet. Does it surprise me? Nah, not at all. We both work for it. But I thought Amen's was higher, though. I'm not going to lie. That is the only thing. I knew I was averaging exactly 14.6 points per game in February, though. What else did you do during All-Star Weekend beyond the Rising Stars Challenge? Ausar: I was doing a lot of stuff. I was doing some content with TikTok and social media influencers. I was teaching people how to dunk and doing 3-point contests on mini hoops. It's a lot of stuff. I did some stuff with Panini. I'm here signing cards and doing photoshoots. It's super cool. Kids get so excited for just a fist bump. So just seeing kids that could possibly have the same dream that I had as a kid is special. A couple years when I was growing up, I asked for cards for Christmas. Amen and I would play a game where we would have to pick a random card and whoever had the best player won that card and got to take the other card, too. So we used to do that. How do you rate your defensive abilities right now and where is it headed? Ausar: I think I'm the best perimeter defender in the league. That's what I believe. I don't think I'm a near and finished product, though. I think I can get over screens better. I think I can be locked in at all times better. I want to be NBA Defensive Player of the Year. But it's so hard with Wemby because he is going to get four blocks every game. It's something that I think is possible though. Do you like Jalen Williams' idea to have a perimeter DPOY and big DPOY? Ausar: I don't like it. I like the idea of it, but I'm kind of an OG guy. I like how the awards are. But I wouldn't be mad. I just think they need to factor in how much a perimeter defender really runs around. Because if they did that, I don't think they would need to have two different awards. I think perimeter players would get more awards because guarding the best perimeter player is a very tiring task. Actually, you know what? Now that I've said all that, I actually do like the idea. If perimeter players aren't going to get the award anyway, they might as well do this. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jalen Williams' self-serving idea actually makes a lot of sense Who are the other best perimeter defenders you have had to face? Who is underrated just overall? Ausar: Dyson Daniels. Amen Thompson. I think Jalen Williams is a pretty good defender. He's pretty long. I would say he's pretty good at defense. Those are the first three I think of. Underrated is a great question, though. Jalen Johnson. I feel like Franz Wagner is killing and he's still underrated. I'm putting Dyson Daniels in there, too. He has a mean spin move. Would you ever consider becoming a general manager one day? Ausar: Maybe! I'm a big 'two-way player' type of guy. If I were a GM, that's who I would be drafting. I used to do it in NBA 2K. I feel like I invented something when I did that. I remember in the old 2K, Giannis was an 80, and I would draft him every time, and I would put him as my 2-guard. I would have a bunch of long defenders and they would just play defense and get fast breaks and I would win every game. My brother would get so mad at me. It's kind of funny because I kind of play like that now. What do you credit for your individual improvements this season? Ausar: I'm more in 'attack' mode. I'm more aggressive on offense and defense. I'm getting the rebound and running the floor. I'm trying to play half-court as little as possible. Who really wants to play against a set defense all game? So I'm forcing mistakes and making the other team call the first timeout. FTW: What is the most underrated part of your game? Ausar: I think my facilitating. I think I'm a really good passer and decision-maker. I think I'm a good ball-handler and fast with the ball. I can push the break. My passing is the most underrated part of my game. What have you seen in the growth from Cade Cunningham this season? Ausar: Oh, he's a killer. He went out with something to prove. He's been playing like All-NBA. But I don't know if you want to hear it. I think he's been different. He's led us to a lot of wins and I think he's All-NBA. What has led to the increase in wins for the Pistons this season? Ausar: The culture is different. Everybody is excited. We brought in some vets who know how an NBA season works and know that you can't get through it if you're sulking about a loss for a week, so you just have to move on to the next game. It's so different. I mean, last year we were getting booed in the first quarters. Where do you think this team is able to go with continued success? Ausar: Every year, I'm trying to win the championship. When we went 14-68, I thought this team could go to the championship. I'm going to stick with that every year. I don't want to just make it to the playoffs or the second round. That's a waste of time. We might as well go for it all.
USA Today
17-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Sixers rookie Jared McCain chronicles his All-Star weekend experience
Sixers rookie Jared McCain chronicles his All-Star weekend experience Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge despite playing in only 23 games. The No. 16 pick of the draft was averaging 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 38.3% from deep. Of course, he is out for the season after laterally tearing the meniscus in his left knee and undergoing surgery to repair it. So, unfortunately, for McCain, he was unable to participate at All-Star weekend, but he was able to head out to The Bay area and chronicle his time out there on his Instagram. McCain's first day was filled with photo shoots and he met up with popular social media comedian, Druski. Then, it was on to day 2 in San Francisco. He was able to share his jersey spot in the locker room and was able to at least have the experience of being there even though he was unable to play due to the injury. The final day for McCain included him meeting up with Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry as well as getting a first row seat for the dunk contest where Orlando Magic guard Mac McClung put on another impressive showing. The Sixers will get back to work on Thursday when they play host to the Boston Celtics.
New York Times
17-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NBA All-Star 2025 is over. Should the league stick with its new format?
The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic's daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. A dude named Jaren hit a logo 3-pointer in a mini contest with Damian Lillard to win $100,000 and avoid an incredibly awkward Mr. Beast moment. Year 1 of the new format: How'd it go? The new format for the 74th annual NBA All-Star Game hit our televisions and streaming devices on Sunday, and it was certainly different. Remember last year, when commissioner Adam Silver was less than enthused following a 211-186 victory by the East? The league tweaked the format from two 12-man teams from opposing conferences to four teams in a mini-tournament. Advertisement Three of the teams were composed of eight All-Stars each, and the fourth team was the winning squad (plus a young player added) from the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night (we'll get to that controversy in a bit). The mini-games were a race to 40 points. Shaquille O'Neal's OGs team won the 'All-Star Championship' by first beating Candace Parker's Rising Stars 42-35 and then Chuck's International Stars 41-25 in the final. Steph Curry was named the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP. LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Edwards (groin) ended up not playing for their respective teams. Did everybody buy in? Damian Lillard said he felt the games were 'a little bit more competitive' compared to last year. And, for the most part, the players did put forth a better effort this year than what we saw in previous matchups. We should also remember that's a very low bar to clear. Earlier in the weekend, Draymond Green expressed his disgust over the Rising Stars being allowed to compete on Sunday. Just in case you think he might've been misquoted, he doubled down as a member of the TNT broadcast last night after the first mini-game. 'You work all year to be an All-Star, and you get to play up to 40 [points], and you're done. This is so unfair to Victor Wembanyama, who just took this game really seriously. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just took this game really seriously. When you talk about chasing after the points records, Melo and Kobe and all these guys, who have had great scoring nights. They don't get the opportunity to do that with this game. All so we can watch some Rising Stars. We're about to watch the Olympic team, now we get the treat of watching the Olympic team play against a U-19 team. Come on, what are we doing? This is ridiculous.' Charles Barkley didn't agree with Draymond, either as a company man for TNT or just because he understands why we're here. He likened it to kids being mad they have to clean up a mess they made. The players in previous years did not compete in the other format, so the league changed it. Advertisement Was it a better product? For the television audience, kind of? In a three-hour window, we only saw about 45 minutes of basketball between the three games. I would imagine in the arena, it was a weird, slow night. It takes some getting used to, but the competitive aspect of it did seem improved. Is the All-Star Game fixed? No, not at all. The night wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It was clunky, which can be smoothed out in future iterations (if this format stays). It's only fixed when the players consistently care, though. I highly recommend the No Dunks crew recapping the All-Star tournament. Spoiler alert: they hated it. 😆 2025 Hall of Fame finalists have been named 👏 Closer to Springfield! Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Dwight Howard and Maya Moore headline the list. Marques Johnson deserves enshrinement! 🏀 Curry at Oracle. If you're a basketball fan of any sort, you should always read Marcus Thompson writing about Curry, who enjoyed being back where he became an icon. 🫂 Empathy for Dallas. Silver addressed the Luka Dončić trade and how Mavericks fans are feeling. But he's empathetic to the franchise too? 🗣️ Dubs' fifth title coming? Green says the Warriors will win it all this season. They are 10th in the West. We should shame stars into competing in it Mac McClung became the first participant in NBA Dunk Contest history to win three straight titles. Nate Robinson is the only other player to win three contests, but they weren't in a row. The 26-year-old G Leaguer put on another fantastic display of creativity and jumped over people holding the ball for him. Maybe the craziest one of all four of his perfect 50s was recreating and improving upon the time Blake Griffin leaped over a KIA. At least McClung didn't jump over the hood. This is undoubtedly insane. But if I may be a bit of a curmudgeon for a minute, as impressive as McClung has been in these contests, there is a part of me that gets sick of him pushing off of his prop participants when grabbing the ball to get a bit of a boost. I do not doubt that these are hard things to do, but the replays usually take me out of it a bit. The thing is, it keeps working for him, so why stop? Plus, he's a G Leaguer who keeps winning $100k in these contests, so that part of it is a cool story. Advertisement Stephon Castle of the Spurs had a couple of brilliant dunks (this required ridiculous timing) but couldn't compete with McClung. Maybe the best part of the night was the potential for shaming the stars into actually doing the contest. Ja Morant has never participated in the dunk contest, but he tweeted that McClung made him want to do it. Then, he asked Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon if they were interested. At least LaVine seems to be considering going for his third dunk title, even though he hasn't participated since 2016. McClung started getting thrown into forced conversations about maybe being the best NBA dunker ever. Re-f—ing-lax on that. His three wins don't equal what Vince Carter did in Oakland 25 years ago, and they don't hold a candle to the show LaVine and Gordon put on in 2016. I'm not even sure McClung surpassed Jason Richardson's efforts. Even though McClung was great in his own right, he won three of the weakest contests we've ever seen. If it gets the stars to come back to the competition and not pull a LeBron (getting caught up in the moment and teasing us with something he never ended up doing), then maybe McClung's dunk legacy grows beyond these three straight wins. More from the weekend's events How was the Rising Stars challenge? It was fine! The G League squad made it to the final but lost to Castle's squad. Castle won Rising Stars MVP. Who won the Skills Challenge? The Cavs won with Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell besting Draymond and Moses Moody in the final. Mobley and Mitchell now officially have the most NBA skills. So, it was boring? Not at all! Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul tried to game the system by not actually taking shots and just throwing the ball toward the rim. They were disqualified, and an NBA official awkwardly denied sideline reporter Allie LaForce an interview with the Spurs on live TV. What happened in the 3-point contest? Fun but a bit anticlimactic. Buddy Hield (31 points) put on a dazzling show in the first round. He was joined by Tyler Herro and Darius Garland in the final. Herro put up 24 points, and Hield needed to make his entire final rack to win. He missed the fourth shot to finish one behind Herro, your new 3-point champion. One quick, easy fix: Eight contestants should turn into four in the second round. Then, the contest should have a final between two players, not three. Nuggets, Celtics trending the finals Even coming out of the All-Star Weekend, the market trends in the NBA matter. In fact, they matter now more than ever because this is the final stretch run of the regular season for everybody. Two teams we expected to face off in the NBA Finals last year are trending toward making that a reality this year. Here's your latest NBA Stock Market! Advertisement 📈 Nuggets (36-19): This is worthy of a deeper dive in a future edition of The Bounce, but the Nuggets look like contenders again. Since Dec. 8, they have gone 25-8, have been the third-best team in the NBA (when considering record and net rating), and they're within a whisper of the No. 2 seed. 📉The Suns (26-28) have been in a bit of a slump. In the month of February, they are 1-6 with losses to Portland (twice), and then very understandable losses to the Thunder, Nuggets, Grizzlies and Rockets. Their one win in this stretch is an overtime victory against the Jazz. I'm not sure they have it in them to turn it around. 📈Celtics (39-16): They're baaaaaaack! The defending champions have won seven of their last eight games. After two months of shooting a paltry league average (35 percent) from 3-point range, they're up above 38 percent in the month of February. The Celtics won't catch the Cavs in the standings, but Cleveland can't feel great about how Boston is playing. 📉Heat (25-28): In the last two weeks, the Heat have the same record as Charlotte and Toronto. No, they haven't been killing it. Miami is 1-5 in its last six games and rode a four-game losing streak into the All-Star break. The Jimmy Butler trade drama certainly contributed to this, but the post-trade version of this team still can't score. 📈Pistons (29-26): We might be looking at a team that goes from one of the worst in NBA history a year ago to a top six team in the East. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has done an excellent job, and we've seen Cade Cunningham take a leap in learning how to close games out. The Pistons' first five games after the break are tough, but their offense and defense have both been great lately. 📉Rockets (34-21): I'm not totally concerned about the Rockets because they're well-coached and have so much talent. With that being said, Houston has seen a recent dip by losing seven of its last nine games. The Rockets' defensive slippage has been noteworthy. They're currently down to fourth in the West and sit 3.5 games ahead of Minnesota. 📫 Love The Bounce? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
