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Community Shootaround: Early Impressions Of 2025/26 Rookies

November 28th, 2025 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

Entering the 2025/26 season, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was widely regarded as the favorite to become this season’s Rookie of the Year. However, through the first five-plus weeks this fall, one of his former Duke teammates, Kon Knueppel, has been the most impressive player from the NBA’s 2025 draft class.

Knueppel, who was selected fourth overall by the Hornets in June, has averaged 18.6 points per game in his first 18 NBA outings, posting an excellent .476/.417/.884 shooting line and chipping in 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.3 minutes per night. Outside of one game in the first week of the season, he has been a permanent fixture in the Hornets’ starting lineup and has already made a significant impression on his veteran teammates.

“He’s been great,” Hornets forward Miles Bridges said of Knueppel, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “(He’s) been our best player. He’s been consistent and he brings it every game, every day. That’s just the type of player he is, so it’s been great playing with him.”

Knueppel ranks first among NBA rookies in scoring and is among the league leader in three-pointers made — only Stephen Curry, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, and James Harden have made more outside shots than Knueppel (63), and none of those four veterans are knocking them down at a higher percentage than the Charlotte rookie is.

As Boone points out, BetOnline.ag now lists Knueppel as the betting favorite for this season’s Rookie of the Year award, but he’s hardly the only first-year player who has gotten off to a promising start.

Flagg has been a little up and down for the Mavericks, in part because he was asked to open the season as the team’s primary point guard. However, he has been shooting the ball more consistently as of late (above 50% in his past eight games) and has increased his scoring average to 15.9 PPG while also contributing 6.4 RPG and 3.1 APG.

No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper missed some time due to a calf strain, but he has looked good in his seven appearances so far, averaging 13.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.6 APG on .472/.375/.850 in a limited bench role for the Spurs (22.4 MPG). His overall plus/minus mark of +43 ranks second among rookies, despite the fact that he’s only played 157 minutes so far.

The top-ranked rookie in overall plus/minus is Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe at +44. The third overall pick is right behind Flagg in points per game (15.6) and has been an effective three-point shooter (.366 3PT%) while also leading all rookies in assists per game (4.2).

While the odds favor one of those top four picks in the draft earning Rookie of the Year honors, there are other legitimate contenders further down the 2025 draft board. Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward, for example, has earned a spot in Memphis’ starting lineup and has performed admirably in that role, with season-long averages of 13.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .466/.375/.864 shooting.

In New Orleans, lottery picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen have been two bright spots amid a disappointing start for the Pelicans. Fears is averaging 15.1 PPG with a .453/.365/.786 shooting line, while Queen is filling up the box score with 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game in his past nine contests. Both players are currently part of New Orleans’ starting lineup.

Knueppel’s teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner (9.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG, .802 FG%) and Jazz forward Ace Bailey (15.0 PPG on .532/.409/.714 shooting in his past seven games) are a couple more first-year players who have looked pretty good so far.

We want to know what you think. Who are your favorite players from the 2025 draft class? Which of these players do you expect to emerge as the Rookie of the Year favorite? Whose long-term futures are you most excited about?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Knicks Notes: Starting Five, Hart, NBA Cup, Point Guard

November 28th, 2025 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

During the first few weeks of the 2025/26 season, Mike Brown‘s preferred starting lineup for the Knicks featured Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson, with Landry Shamet stepping in when Anunoby went down with a hamstring strain.

With Shamet now sidelined due to an injury of his own, Anunoby still recovering, and Robinson no longer treated as an every-game starter, Brown said this week that he plans to stick for now with a smaller starting five that features Josh Hart and Miles McBride alongside Brunson, Towns, and Bridges, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks used that group in victories over Brooklyn on Monday and Charlotte on Wednesday.

“[I’ll] continue to stay with it to see what direction it goes,” Brown said. “Everything is fluid in this business. Anything can happen at any time.”

Brunson said there’s “obviously chemistry” among those five players, who were the Knicks’ most-used players besides Anunoby last season. Bondy, meanwhile, argues that it’s probably the team’s fastest and most offensively talented lineup until Anunoby is ready to return.

Still, the numbers don’t suggest it’s been the Knicks’ best lineup so far. In 35 minutes together, that Brunson-Towns-Bridges-Hart-McBride group has a net rating of -10.3.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • After averaging 23.7 minutes in his first 10 outings this season, Hart has logged 33.2 MPG in his past six appearances — more importantly, he’s seeing more action in fourth quarters. Brown acknowledged on Wednesday that keeping Hart on the bench for a couple fourth quarters earlier in the month was a mistake, Bondy writes. “I’ll be the first to say that wasn’t the right thing to do because he does so many great things for us and our group and our coaching staff,” Brown said. “And obviously as time has gone on, we’ve gotten a better feel for how we’re going to play him and he’s got a better feel, too. But back then he obviously could’ve b—hed or complained or threw a fit. He didn’t. And he continued to believe in the process, even though what I was doing was wrong at the time.”
  • Hart was robbed of $185K in watches and jewelry in September, according to a report from Amanda Woods, Estrella McDaniel, and Matt Troutman of The New York Post. The theft occurred at a New York City hotel on September 5 when Hart, who was in town for a podcast event, was out of his room.
  • With a win over Milwaukee on Friday, the Knicks will clinch the top spot in their NBA Cup group and become the only team to advance to the knockout round in three straight years. The team is taking that opportunity seriously, according to Brown. “Yes, we talk about [the NBA Cup],” the Knicks’ head coach said, per Bondy. “I think in life, pressure is a privilege, so you try to manufacture it from time to time. I think if you’re in a situation where there is pressure, you’re doing pretty good because obviously if you’re competitive you’re going to put pressure on yourself no matter what. So trying to feel it from the outside a little bit as much as you can is a privilege and it gets you ready for the postseason, in my opinion, so I bring it up to our guys.”
  • Hart suggested that the NBA Cup champion should be awarded a half-win to give that team the tiebreaker advantage in the regular season standings at season’s end, according to Bondy. As it stands, the NBA Cup championship game doesn’t count at all toward the regular season, so the only incentive is the prize money at stake. “For me, that’ll be watch money,” Hart joked.
  • Ian Begley of SNY.tv (YouTube link) fields a handful of Knicks-related questions in his latest video mailbag, including a couple about the team’s likely priorities at the trade deadline — Begley believes a reliable backup point guard will be at the top of New York’s wish list.
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Players Eligible For In-Season Veteran Extensions In 2025/26

November 28th, 2025 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

As we explain in our glossary entry on veteran contract extensions, rookie scale extensions used to be the most common form of contract extension in the NBA. However, recent Collective Bargaining Agreements have loosened the rules on eligibility for veteran extensions and made them more financially advantageous, especially for players who don’t expect mega-deals.

As a result, we’ve seen a substantial bump in veteran contract extensions in recent seasons. In every league year since 2021/22, at least 17 players have signed veteran extensions, including 27 in 2024/25. We’re not quite up to 17 yet in ’25/26, but there’s plenty of time for this season’s list to continue to grow, right up until June 30, 2026.

[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]

Certain extension-eligible players, such as Austin Reaves and Coby White, may prefer to wait until they reach free agency to sign a new contract, since their maximum extension would be far less than the maximum contract they’d be eligible to earn on the open market.

The maximum starting salary a player can receive in a veteran extension is up to 140% of his current salary. A player on a more modest contract can receive a maximum starting salary worth up to 140% of the NBA’s estimated average salary.

In 2025/26, 140% of the estimated average salary would work out to a $19,418,000 salary in the first year of a contract extension. A player who signs an extension that fits that bill could get up to four years and approximately $87MM. That’s far below market value for a player like Reaves, who turned down that offer from the Lakers at the start of the 2025 offseason.

Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith is an example of a player who did sign that sort of extension (starting at $19,418,000) in recent months, though his new deal is just for two years instead of four.

Now that the regular season is underway, the group of veterans eligible for contract extensions has shrunk, since players with more than one year left on their contracts aren’t permitted to sign an in-season extension. But there are still a number of veterans in the final year of their respective contracts who remain eligible for extensions right up until the last day of the current league year (June 30).

Listed below are the players who meet the criteria for a veteran extension. Players who were recently traded can be extended, but they have to wait for six months after the trade to sign a contract longer than four total years (including the current season) with a first-year bump of more than 20% or a subsequent annual raise exceeding 5%. If a player below is noted as having “limited” eligibility until a certain date, that’s why.

Once a player regains his full extension eligibility, he becomes eligible to sign an extension of up to five total years (including the current season) with a 40% first-year raise (or 40% of the estimated average salary).

Additionally, extension-eligible players with a player or team option for 2026/27 would have to eliminate that option year as part of an extension agreement in order to meet the necessary criteria.

Here’s the full list of veterans eligible for contract extensions during the 2025/26 season:

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

Detroit Pistons

  • None

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

  • None

Indiana Pacers

  • None

Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

  • GG Jackson II
    • Eligible as of February 9.
    • 2026/27 team option must be declined.
  • Vince Williams Jr.
    • Eligible as of January 10.
    • 2026/27 team option must be declined.

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

  • None

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

  • None

Philadelphia 76ers

  • None

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

  • None

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

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Atlantic Notes: Ingram, Powell, Sixers, Chisholm

November 27th, 2025 at 11:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Brandon Ingram showed once again on Wednesday why the Raptors were willing to give him a three-year, $120MM extension after trading for him in February, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. In a grind-it-out game against Indiana, Ingram hit a game-winning pull-up jump shot over Pascal Siakam, securing Toronto’s ninth straight win and 13th in the past 14 games.

“That’s why I’m here,” Ingram said after a 26-point, eight-rebound night when asked what he was shouting on the court after making that last shot. “That’s the cleanest I can say it.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

  • Of the Nets‘ five first-round picks, Drake Powell has looked the most ready to contribute as a rookie, says Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The former North Carolina wing finished with 15 points and four assists in 24 minutes during Monday’s loss vs. New York. “As we go, he’s gonna continue to understand the league [and] the schemes, especially defensively,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “I consider him a very, very good defender with a really high ceiling defensively and I’m gonna keep challenging him to be better.”
  • With injuries mounting, the Sixers are starting to look more like last year’s version of the team, contends Tony Jones of The Athletic. Philadelphia suffered its worst defeat of the season on Tuesday against Orlando, having been blown out by 41 points. “We got spanked,” star guard Tyrese Maxey said. “That’s all there is to it. There are two or three games every year where everything kind of goes wrong for you. That’s what tonight was for us. Everything went wrong for us, and everything went right for them. Jett Howard had one that went off the top of the backboard and fell through the net. That’s when you just have to realize that it isn’t your night.”
  • Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a look at how Bill Chisholm went from relative obscurity as a wealthy head of a private equity firm to the new majority of the Celtics, the team he grew up rooting for as a child. While Chisholm’s group set a then-record for purchasing the Celtics for $6.1 billion, they outbid the second-place finisher — believed to be Philadelphia Phillies minority owner Stan Middleman — by less than $100MM, sources tell Vorkunov. “Anyone who’s had their boyhood team or girlhood team and have this happen — I want to say it’s like a dream come true but… I didn’t even know to dream this,” Chisholm said. “What does it mean to be the owner of the Boston Celtics? I don’t know.”
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Northwest Notes: Edwards, Blazers, Watson, Strawther

November 27th, 2025 at 10:06pm CST by Rory Maher

Although Donte DiVincenzo replaced Mike Conley in the starting lineup entering the 2025/26 season, head coach Chris Finch says it’s more accurate to describe Anthony Edwards as the Timberwolves‘ point guard, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“Anthony’s probably more of our point guard than Donte is our point guard,” Finch said. “He has the ball. He is our lead guard in that regard.”

Edwards, a former No. 1 overall pick who has been an All-Star each of the past three seasons, says he’s still adjusting to the role.

“I just got to get used to being a point guard, going to get the rock at the end of the game, bringing it up, even though they pressure,” Edwards said.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • The Trail Blazers were disappointed to be eliminated from the NBA Cup on Wednesday, but their young roster valued competing in a game with relatively higher stakes — they would have clinched the top seed in their group if they had beaten San Antonio. “We wanted it,” said Deni Avdija, who finished with 37 points, eight assists and six rebounds (story via Kevin Pelton of ESPN). “We wanted that game. It was a good opportunity for us to advance in the Cup. We fought. We tried to be in the game. It was a tough game; it was a close game. I feel like it was a first taste of kind of like a playoff game. I know I’m not experienced, other guys are not experienced yet, and it was a tough test for us, but I think from this game we can learn a lot.”
  • Nuggets forward Peyton Watson switched agencies a couple weeks ago, going from Excel Sports to Klutch Sports Group. Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette asked Watson about the decision on Wednesday (Twitter link). The 2022 first-round pick explained that he had a good relationship with Excel, but viewed Klutch’s “attention to detail” as beneficial ahead of restricted free agency next summer. “There’s a big opportunity at hand just this year for me in general on the court, and that’s something I’ve been taking the most seriously, because at the end of the day that’s just going to make my agent’s job, whoever my agent is, easier if I’m doing my job out there on the court,” Watson said as part of a larger quote.
  • Third-year wing Julian Strawther will miss his sixth straight game on Friday vs. San Antonio due to lower back injury management, the Nuggets announced (via Twitter). When healthy, Strawther has largely been out of the rotation this season following the free agent additions of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr.
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Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Gillespie, Kings, LaVine

November 27th, 2025 at 8:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Star guard James Harden remains confident the struggling Clippers can turn things around after a disappointing 5-13 start to the season, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Los Angeles has a pair of seemingly winnable matchups on tap, facing Memphis (7-12) on Friday and then Dallas (5-14) on Saturday.

“What else are we going to do? Confidence (comes) every day when we wake up, right?” the 12-time All-Star said after the Clippers’ 135-118 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. “We got a lot of games left where we can hit a stride, but we’ve dealt with literally everything you can do from injuries to different lineup changes. …We’re figuring it out. But tonight was a good step, start for us.”

According to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), Harden is dealing foot soreness but he is not listed on Friday’s injury report. Veteran wing Bogdan Bogdanovic has been ruled out for a fourth consecutive game due to a left hip contusion, Murray adds.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Lakers anticipate having Deandre Ayton back for Friday’s game vs. Dallas, listing their starting center as probable to play after he missed Tuesday’s contest with a right knee contusion, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. Marcus Smart‘s status is more uncertain, as he’s questionable against the Mavericks due to back spasms.
  • Amid injuries to Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) and Ryan Dunn (right wrist sprain), Collin Gillespie received his first start of the season on Wednesday and played well, recording 21 points and nine assists in 34 minutes during the victory in Sacramento. Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic wonders whether the former Villanova point guard has done enough this season to warrant consideration for a full-time starting role when the Suns are back at full strength. Green, Allen and Dunn will all be sidelined again on Friday at Oklahoma City, Rankin notes (via Twitter).
  • Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Kings had won two straight contests after an eight-game losing streak. They experienced another setback on Wednesday, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee, with Zach LaVine setting the wrong type of tone early by committing consecutive turnovers on the team’s first two offensive possessions. The Kings trailed by 25 points after the first period and never held a lead in the eventual 12-point loss. “Not good,” said LaVine, who finished with 13 points (on 5-of-14 shooting) and six turnovers. “We’re frustrated we’re not winning. Guys are frustrated they’re not playing right or playing the way to best suit them. We’re all trying our heart out though. That’s what we get paid for.”
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Injury Notes: Giannis, AD, Bulls, Sixers

November 27th, 2025 at 6:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been listed as questionable for Friday’s game in New York, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo is dealing with a strained left adductor, which is part of the groin.

The two-time MVP has missed the past four games — and most of a fifth — after suffering the injury on November 17 at Cleveland. Milwaukee lost all five games without its best player and has dropped six straight overall.

Antetokounmpo, who turns 31 years old on Dec. 6, was also considered questionable for Wednesday’s game in Miami before being ruled out. Head coach Doc Rivers said the nine-time All-NBA forward hasn’t experienced a setback, according to Nehm (Twitter link).

“No,” Rivers said. “I was not in favor (of him playing Wednesday). I was very happy we decided what we decided. I was very uncomfortable with it. He really wanted to push and that’s who Giannis is. I was very happy with our medical team today. They decided at the end of the day, let’s wait. … We just thought it was the right thing to do. We gotta protect him sometimes.”

We have more injury updates from around the NBA:

  • As expected, Mavericks forward/center Anthony Davis is questionable for Friday’s matchup at the Lakers, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays (via Twitter). The star big man has missed the past 14 games with a left calf strain. Davis, who practiced on Wednesday, said it was “surprising” and “definitely tough” to see former head of basketball operations Nico Harrison get fired, but downplayed the trade chatter surrounding him in the wake of Harrison’s dismissal. “This is basketball,” Davis said, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. “This is what comes with it. I think everybody in their career has been involved in trade talks. Been traded. Or some type of move. That doesn’t affect me. I’ve been in trade talks for a while. My job is to do what I do on the floor. Play basketball. Try to lead this team. I do have an open line of communication with the front office. I’m just ready to get back on the floor.”
  • The Bulls have a lengthy injury report ahead of Friday’s contest in Charlotte, notes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kevin Huerter (left pelvic contusion), Dalen Terry (left calf strain), Nikola Vucevic (right patellofemoral syndrome), Coby White (right calf strain injury management), and Patrick Williams (left wrist sprain) are all questionable, while Isaac Okoro is doubtful to suit up because of left lumbar radiculopathy.
  • In addition to Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford, who are sidelined with knee and adductor injuries, respectively, Sixers center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of his ninth consecutive game on Friday against Brooklyn due to right knee injury management (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness) is also out for the third straight game, while forward Paul George is questionable with a right ankle sprain. George was inactive for Tuesday’s 41-point loss to Orlando, though he did practice on Wednesday.
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Thunder’s Jalen Williams To Make Season Debut Friday

November 27th, 2025 at 5:07pm CST by Rory Maher

Thunder star Jalen Williams will make his 2025/26 season debut on Friday against Phoenix, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

Williams underwent surgery at the start of July to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist that bothered him throughout the 2025 postseason. The 24-year-old wing required a second procedure in late October to remove a screw that was causing irritation.

Head coach Mark Daigneault referred to Williams as “day-to-day” prior to Wednesday’s game. According to Charania, Oklahoma City take a “patient and cautious” approach to Williams’ return to the lineup.

The 12th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Williams earned his first All-Star, All-NBA (third team) and All-Defensive (second team) nods during the ’24/25 campaign, which culminated in the Thunder winning their first championship following a nail-biting seven-game NBA Finals against Indiana.

Despite multiple players — including Williams — being sidelined to open the season, the Thunder hold the best record in the NBA at 18-1 and currently have the best point differential (+16.5) in league history, Charania notes.

Williams is no longer eligible for major postseason awards due to the 65-game rule. He’s making $6.6MM in ’25/26, which is the final year of his rookie contract. That will jump to a projected $41.5MM in ’26/27, when his five-year max rookie scale extension kicks in.

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Heat Notes: Powell, Herro, Starters, Rotation, Spoelstra

November 27th, 2025 at 4:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran wing Norman Powell almost immediately felt at home with the Heat after being acquired in an offseason trade, writes Mirin Fader of The Athletic. The 32-year-old is having a career year in his first season with Miami, averaging 24.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals on .494/.441/.884 shooting through 15 games (30.4 minutes per contest).

“I don’t mean to say anything in the wrong way, but this is like the purest form of basketball that I’ve played in a long time where you got no schemes of like, we’re trying to get this player going every single time down,” Powell said. “We’re playing in the flow, we’re playing for each other, we’re playing basketball the right way, we’re competing on both sides of the floor.”

Heat coaches and players admire that Powell continues to push himself to get better in his 11th NBA season, Fader adds.

“He has an open mind,” says Wayne Ellington, a Heat assistant coach and former NBA player. “He wants to learn and continue to grow even though he had a great experience already. … He always listens and is super coachable.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • Tyler Herro shined once again on Wednesday after a stellar season debut on Monday, observes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The 25-year-old guard finished with 29 points (on 9-of-15 shooting), seven assists and five rebounds in 32 minutes in the win over Milwaukee. “I’m just trying to play off the catch,” he said. “I did that last year as well, and then that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m just trying to play off the catch and trying to create advantages in transition where I can get downhill or get to my spot before the defense gets set. And then in the half court, I’m just trying to make the right play. I feel like as I get my legs and my feet under me, I’m going to be able to play-make more and get into the paint more. I still have to strengthen my foot and feel fully comfortable jumping off my foot and exploding off my foot. It’s going to be a process for a couple weeks until I can fully feel comfortable.”
  • With a fully healthy roster on Wednesday, head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the starting lineup might be matchup-based going forward, with the rotation remaining fluid as well, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman notes, second-year center Kel’el Ware was moved to the second unit after starting nine of the past 10 games, while forward Nikola Jovic wasn’t part of the 10-man rotation in his first game back from a right hip injury. “None of it will be in cement and I don’t feel pressure to make it cement, whether it’s the starting lineup or whether it’s the rotation once we get into the bench,” Spoelstra said. “I’ve said it since the first day of training camp, we feel that our depth is one of our best strengths and we want to weaponize that.”
  • Wednesday’s win was the 800th of Spoelstra’s carer, making him the 17th coach in league history to reach that threshold, Winderman relays in another story. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, because I wasn’t aware of it,” Spoelstra said after the team’s sixth straight win. “But yeah, I guess it’s fitting that it comes on the eve of Thanksgiving. Like, I just feel incredible gratitude for this organization and all of these years, where the years are going by so fast. I’m having a hell of a time. I love what I do, I love coaching, I love this profession, I love working for this organization, I love working for, and with, amazing players and staff, like we have — too many to count over the years.”
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Magic Notes: Banchero, Hot Streak, Suggs, Bane

November 27th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been ruled out for an eighth straight game due to his left groin strain and won’t be available on Friday when Orlando visits Detroit to face the Pistons, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Banchero said at the start of the week that he believed he was “pretty close” to returning to the court, but the groin injury will keep him on the shelf until at least December — his next opportunity to play will be on Monday (Dec. 1) against Chicago.

Orlando’s showdown with the Pistons on Friday will help determine which Eastern Conference teams join Toronto in the NBA Cup knockout round. The winner of that matchup in Detroit will claim a spot in the quarterfinals, though the Magic would still be very well positioned to be the East’s wild card team with a loss, as long as they’re not blown out.

Here’s more on the Magic:

  • After getting off to a 1-4 start this season, the Magic are 10-4 in the past four weeks and appear to be figuring out their identity, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “Yeah, we started the year off rough,” center Wendell Carter Jr. said. “In those losses, we weren’t playing to our standard on the defensive end. We’ve reestablished our defensive identity, and the offense is clicking right now.” To Carter’s point, in their past 14 games, the Magic rank seventh in the NBA in defensive rating (110.7) and fifth in offensive rating (121.0).
  • Is it a concern that the Magic have played their best basketball of the season since Banchero went down? Not in Orlando’s locker room, where they believe correlation doesn’t imply causation in this case, according to Robbins. “He’s a very smart basketball player,” guard Jalen Suggs said of Banchero. “… He’ll come back into the fold and jell well with us because that’s our brother. Regardless of how we’ve been playing while he’s been off, we want him on the court. And we’re better when he’s on the court.”
  • The Magic registered a blowout win in Philadelphia on Tuesday, defeating the Sixers by 41 points despite losing Suggs to an ejection near the end of the first half, per ESPN. After big men Carter and Andre Drummond got into a shoving match, Suggs ran in and pushed Drummond, which escalated the confrontation and resulted in a pair of technical fouls for Suggs (Twitter video link). The Magic point guard said after the game that he’d respond the same way “10 times out of 10” and that he took exception to Drummond raising his fists as if he were going to take a swing at Carter. “In my opinion, squaring up is a little too crazy,” Suggs said. “… I don’t regret it. I’ll stick up for my brother every time. I’ll take the fine. Don’t think I should’ve gotten ejected, but I’ll take it.”
  • One reason for the Magic’s hot streak is the recent play of Desmond Bane. The team’s most significant offseason addition averaged just 14.2 points per game on .431/.293/.857 shooting in his first 10 games, but has improved those numbers to 20.8 PPG on .435/.365/.976 shooting in his past nine. As Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required), that 11th game, in which Bane hit a game-winning three-pointer vs. Portland, may have marked a turning point for the veteran wing. “After making that shot, I just felt the love from everybody,” Bane said. “Orlando’s starting to becoming to feel like home. I feel like I’ve settled in since then.”
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