Thunder Notes: Caruso, Jalen Williams, Holmgren, Coward
The Thunder‘s relentless defense has been the biggest factor in making the Western Conference Finals seem like a mismatch through the first two games, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City has the depth to attack opposing offenses no matter who’s in the game and has posted a 52-20 advantage over Minnesota in points off turnovers.
“Our intensity and aggressiveness can wear on you,” Alex Caruso said. “Whether you’re physically aware of it or mentally aware of it. By the time we bring in our second unit, first unit’s already pushing. And then you bring in me, Cason (Wallace), and keep one of the bigs out there. It’s like you have a whole new starting five defensively.”
Lorenzi notes that few teams can stand up to OKC’s constant pressure for 48 minutes. The Timberwolves showed signs of irritation throughout Game 2, culminating with a flagrant foul whistled against Jaden McDaniels for a two-handed shove of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the fourth quarter.
“That’s frustration,” Caruso said. “Like, that’s clear as day. That’s just him being frustrated. So yeah, for sure, being able to use that. I mean, playoffs are emotional ups and downs, and usually the team that can stay the most even keel throughout the series and playoffs has the upper hand.”
There’s more on the Thunder:
- In an interview with Mark Medina of RG, trainer Packie Turner said he recognized Jalen Williams as a lottery pick during the pre-draft process in 2022. Williams originally wasn’t heralded coming out of Santa Clara, but he moved up draft boards as he began working out for teams and was eventually taken by Oklahoma City at No. 12. “There are not many guys where for every single month of their career, they have gotten better,” Turner said. “But if you statistically look at Jalen, it has nearly been that. This year, some numbers took a dip. But the volume is up. So for what it is, it is still really good. That’s what is so impressive. Now defenses are keying in on him more. The position that he’s in now, he’s still delivering at that level. That’s what is so impressive. He really hasn’t wavered. I think he has risen to every occasion.”
- Chet Holmgren was a Timberwolves fan while growing up in Minnesota, but he made it clear that he’s now “rocking with the Thunder” (video link from Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman). Holmgren notes that the Wolves weren’t often successful when he was following them, so he’s happy for the franchise and the state. Alec Lewis of The Athletic takes a look at Holmgren’s roots in Minnesota and examines how the experience prepared him for the NBA.
- Cedric Coward, who has decided to remain in next month’s draft, visited the Thunder for a private workout, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Coward conducted a similar session with Boston and auditioned for seven other teams in Los Angeles. Coward’s chances of being taken in the first round appear to be growing, and he could be on the board for Oklahoma City’s picks at No. 15 and 24.
LeBron James Says MCL Sprain Is ‘Getting Better’
LeBron James is making progress with the knee injury he suffered in the Lakers‘ final playoff game.
In a recent edition of his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, James stated that his left MCL sprain is “getting better” (hat tip to Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation). He adds that the most difficult part of the process is having to remain relatively inactive while the knee heals.
“That’s the most challenging thing,” James said. “Even though I can’t do much as far as like lower body stuff, I’m still like in the weight room, still getting in upper body. The one thing I am able to do a little bit is ride like a stationary bike just to kind of keep the blood flowing and things of that nature, keep the flexibility as much as possible in the knee. But I’m not a guy that likes to sit around. I have a lot of energy and I hate sitting around, so this has definitely been, almost two weeks after the season, they always tell you to take time off and I’m just not that guy. I’m going crazy right now, for sure.”
James remained in the news this week by earning second-team All-NBA honors. He turned in an unprecedented campaign for a 40-year-old — averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 70 games — and received All-NBA recognition for the 21st straight year.
“ALL NBA at 40!! Low key crazy to me right now! Sitting here watching the playoffs just thinking about it,” James tweeted. “Blessed beyond I can even imagine.”
James has a $52.6MM player option for next season, but in the aftermath of the Lakers’ playoff loss, he expressed uncertainty about whether he plans to continue playing, and it appears that stance hasn’t changed. His agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, wasn’t able to offer any insight into James’ plans during a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.
Helin states that the expectation around the league is that James will be back for at least another year, as he was energized by the chance to play alongside his son, Bronny James, and to team up with Luka Doncic. Whatever James’ decision turns out to be, Paul indicated that he won’t rush into it.
“I have no idea, zero. Normally our process is, kind of weigh everything and see how he’s feeling and all those type of things,” Paul said. “… Same process it’s been for the last I don’t know how many years. … He’ll come around to what he’s thinking at some point and we’ll kind of go over some things and go from there.”
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Stevens, Porzingis, Holiday
Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell is optimistic that Jayson Tatum will reclaim his place as one of the NBA’s best players whenever he fully recovers from Achilles surgery, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Appearing on Patrick Beverley‘s podcast, Cassell said he plans to help Tatum learn how to view the game from a coach’s perspective while he’s rehabbing the injury.
“It’s good, man,” Cassell said. “When he comes back, he can be even better. He can observe the game of basketball and work on everything he needs to work on. I’m looking forward to the journey with him. Top-five first-team All-(NBA) this year. When he comes back, he’ll be first-team All-(NBA) again. He’s that good.”
Tatum was one of four players to be unanimously selected for first-team All-NBA honors this week, earning the designation for the fourth straight season. No timetable has been set for him to resume playing, but Terada states that the Celtics are confident about his prognosis because he had surgery the morning after tearing his Achilles in Game 4 of their second-round series and he was fortunate to be in New York, which offered greater access to world-class surgeons.
Tatum’s injury derailed any hopes that Boston had of rallying to win the series and it may cause the team to take a step back from contending next season. However, Cassell is confident in the long-term future.
“When you got a great group of guys who understood the situation we were in,” he said, “It’s like, ‘Guys, we’re down 3-1, OK. We’re going to get another lead, so let’s just take advantage of the lead.’ Because we had leads every game. Basketball gods are just not happy sometimes. We’ll grow from this. As a staff, we’ll grow from this as a team. We’re the Boston Celtics, baby.”
There’s more from Boston:
- The press conference held Monday by president of basketball operations Brad Stevens showed that he has a plan to remake the roster and trim salary this summer, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Stevens indicated that he’s willing to use the team’s draft picks at No. 28 and 32 to help get rid of at least the roughly $20MM that will be necessary to get the Celtics below the second apron. Washburn doesn’t expect Stevens to part with Jaylen Brown or Derrick White, but he states that Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday will likely be made available, while Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh and JD Davison may also be deemed expendable.
- In a mailbag column, Brian Robb of MassLive questions how easy it will be to find teams willing to take on Porzingis and Holiday. Robb points out that Holiday is already 35 and will making $37.2MM in 2027/28, while Porzingis’ recent health issues will likely limit his market.
- Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe continues his offseason series rating the team’s various units, this time focusing on the starting lineup. He notes that injuries to Tatum and Brown, along with Porzingis’ illness and Holiday’s signs of aging leave the group in much worse shape than it appeared to be when the season began.
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers entered the 2021/22 and '22/23 seasons with postseason aspirations, but sold off veterans at the trade deadline and shut down a handful of injured regulars during the second half of each season, resulting in consecutive lottery finishes. Recognizing the limitations of their roster, the Blazers leaned fully into the rebuild in 2023 by trading away longtime star Damian Lillard and subsequently posted a 2023/24 record of 21-61, tied for the second-worst mark ever for a franchise that has been active for more than a half-century.
Portland looked headed for a similar outcome early in '24/25. Head coach Chauncey Billups was already believed to be on the hot seat entering the season, so when the Blazers lost 18 of their first 26 games and posted a 13-28 first-half record, it seemed to just be a question of whether or not management would wait until the end of the regular season to replace him.
Then something unexpected happened: Portland caught fire.
From January 19 through the end of February, the Trail Blazers went 14-5, reeling off three separate winning streaks of four-plus games and posting the NBA's second-best defensive rating. While they weren't exactly facing a murderer's row of opponents during that stretch, the Blazers registered some impressive victories, with their only losses coming against strong playoff teams (the Thunder, Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Lakers).
The Blazers cooled off in March and fell out of legitimate play-in contention by April, but their 23-18 second-half run represented some of the best basketball they'd played in years. It was also enough to earn Billups and general manager Joe Cronin contract extensions, ensuring that they'll continue to lead the franchise for the foreseeable future.
You could argue that the Blazers are overvaluing the importance of a strong couple months -- after all, it's probably not realistic to expect this team to play at a 46-win pace for an entire season. Still, several of the club's young players, including Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and newly minted All-Defensive second-teamer Toumani Camara, made legitimate strides and provided reasons for optimism going forward. And Cronin and his front office presumably know there's still work to be done before this roster can be considered playoff-caliber.
The Trail Blazers' Offseason Plan
Most of the players currently under contract with the Trail Blazers for the 2025/26 season fall into one of two groups: veterans who may be offseason trade candidates and young players whom the team is building around. Let's start with the veterans.
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Fischer’s Latest: Irving, Mavs, Harden, Clippers, Point Guards
Before suffering a torn ACL in early March, Kyrie Irving was widely expected to sign an extension or a new free agent contract with the Mavericks this offseason, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says that perception hasn’t changed since Irving’s injury. However, the veteran point guard’s ACL recovery, which figures to extend well into next season, may complicate those negotiations to some extent.
According to Fischer, there have been rumblings all season that the Mavericks would like to lock up Irving for the next three seasons for approximately $40MM per year. In other words, they’d be comfortable essentially making the same three-year, $120MM offer that Irving signed as a free agent in 2023.
Irving was coming off a tumultuous stint in Brooklyn and had only been a Maverick for a half-season when he agreed to that contract in 2023. He has since established himself as a cornerstone player for the franchise, helping to lead Dallas to an NBA Finals appearance a year ago.
As Fischer writes, if he had stayed healthy, Irving could have sought a higher annual salary based on his production and leadership over the past two seasons — especially given the leverage he would’ve had as the team’s primary backcourt play-maker following the February trade of Luka Doncic. Now that he’s recovering from a major knee injury at age 33, a massive payday that exceeds his previous deal may be less realistic for Irving.
Here’s more from Fischer, whose latest Substack article focuses on a few of this year’s top free agent point guards:
- “The whole league knows” the Mavericks want to add ball-handling and play-making to their backcourt after trading Doncic and seeing Irving go down with an ACL tear, Fischer writes. Sources tell The Stein Line that Dallas’ goal will be to add a player who can fill in as a starter with Irving sidelined and then transition to a complementary role once Kyrie returns. While the Mavs’ cap flexibility will be very limited, there’s optimism that they might be able to convince a solid player to accept the veteran’s minimum with the promise of a starting role, like Phoenix did with Tyus Jones a year ago.
- Multiple sources who have spoken to Fischer have suggested that Irving’s new deal with Dallas could “serve as a barometer” for what James Harden does with the Clippers this summer. Like Irving, Harden isn’t expected to leave his current team, and like Irving, he’d have the ability to exercise his player option (worth $36.3MM) and negotiate an extension or opt out to sign a new contract. Whichever direction he and the team go, there’s an expectation that the Clippers will be looking to line up Harden’s new contract with Kawhi Leonard‘s, which runs through 2026/27, Fischer notes. That would mean no more than two guaranteed years for the former MVP.
- Fischer adds that multiple rival teams view the Clippers as a club to watch on the trade market this offseason once they get the Harden situation resolved.
- Front offices around the league consider Fred VanVleet (Rockets) and Josh Giddey (Bulls) likely to return to their respective teams, according to Fischer. Dennis Schröder might end up being one of the top point guards available on the open market, though the Pistons are known to have interest in bringing him back, Fischer says.
NBA Reveals Full Voter Ballots For 2024/25 Awards
The NBA has formally revealed the full ballots submitted by the 100 media members who voted for each of this season’s awards, per a press release from the league.
Over the past several weeks, the NBA gradually unveiled its major award winners for the 2024/25 season, starting with Sixth Man of the Year on April 22 and wrapping up with All-NBA on Friday. While the league confirmed at the time of those announcements how many votes each player received, we now know exactly which NBA reporter or analyst submitted each vote.
So if you’ve been wondering who had Derrick White as their runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, who snuck Jared McCain onto their Rookie of the Year ballot after he played just 23 games, who awarded Reed Sheppard and his 4.4 points per game a spot on their All-Rookie Second Team, or which 29 voters made Nikola Jokic their MVP choice, now you can find out.
Here are the results of this season’s award votes, in the order they were announced, along with our stories on each winner and links to the full media voter ballots:
Sixth Man of the Year
- Payton Pritchard (Celtics)
- Malik Beasley (Pistons)
- Ty Jerome (Cavaliers)
Clutch Player of the Year
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
Defensive Player of the Year
- Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
- Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
- Draymond Green (Warriors)
Rookie of the Year
- Stephon Castle (Spurs)
- Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
- Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)
Most Improved Player
- Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
- Ivica Zubac (Clippers)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
Coach of the Year
- Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers)
- J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
- Ime Udoka (Rockets)
All-Rookie Teams
First Team
- Stephon Castle (Spurs)
- Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
- Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)
- Zach Edey (Grizzlies)
- Alex Sarr (Wizards)
Second Team
- Kel’el Ware (Heat)
- Matas Buzelis (Bulls)
- Yves Missi (Pelicans)
- Donovan Clingan (Trail Blazers)
- Bub Carrington (Wizards)
Most Valuable Player
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
All-Defensive Teams
First Team
- Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
- Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
- Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
- Draymond Green (Warriors)
- Amen Thompson (Rockets)
Second Team
- Ivica Zubac (Clippers)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Jalen Williams (Thunder)
- Toumani Camara (Trail Blazers)
- Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)
All-NBA Teams
First Team
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
Second Team
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- LeBron James (Lakers)
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
Third Team
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
- Jalen Williams (Thunder)
- James Harden (Clippers)
Pacers Notes: Siakam, Turner, Sheppard, Contending
Pacers star Pascal Siakam delivered on the biggest stage on Friday night, surging to a playoff career-high 39 points, five rebounds and three assists in a Game 2 win in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Knicks, Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic observes.
“Whatever was out there, I just took it,” Siakam said. “I think what makes us special as a team is just that we have different weapons and we’re not consumed with who’s going to do what. You just go into the game, and however the game presents itself, that’s how we go and take it and do it our way. And it doesn’t matter who scores.”
The Pacers acquired Siakam at last year’s trade deadline, a move that paid immediate dividends with Indiana’s back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances since his arrival.
“That’s why we brought him here. It’s what he’s here to do,” Haliburton said. “He can get a bucket in so many different ways. He started the game high, and we just kept feeding him. I thought he did a great job of making big shot after big shot after big shot, killing momentum.”
We have more from the Pacers:
- Myles Turner again delivered on the biggest stage, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter and keying the Pacers’ run that pushed them over the top, Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar writes. Dopirak also points out within the same story that Siakam’s Game 2 performance is even more impressive considering he was being primarily guarded by OG Anunoby.
- Ben Sheppard has been a key reserve for the Pacers in the playoffs. Though he hasn’t played much, coach Rick Carlisle is trusting him to play in big moments and give the starters some rest, Dopirak writes. “He’s a guy that is very dependable,” Carlisle said. “He goes in and you know you’re going to get hard play, running, real effort, attention to detail. He plays with a pace and an energy that’s healthy to our team.“
- The Pacers continue to prove they belong on this stage, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes. “What’s really special about our group is we have so many different people contributing,” Haliburton said. “So many people doing special things.” Indiana is 44-16 since the calendar turned to 2025.
Cedric Coward Staying In 2025 NBA Draft
Washington State forward Cedric Coward is officially keeping his name in the 2025 NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).
Reports during and after the draft combine indicated this was the expected outcome for Coward, but it’s notable for a couple of reasons. For starters, he had committed to playing next season at Duke but will no longer do so as he heads to the pros.
Secondly, it is perhaps indicative that Coward has first-round value to teams. He currently ranks 35th on ESPN’s list of top 100 prospects, but after an impressive combine, this decision seems to indicate he’s expecting to be taken in the first. He was the 30th player off the board in ESPN’s most recent mock draft.
Coward played six games at Washington State in 2024/25 before suffering a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the remainder of his senior season. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 55.7% from the floor and 40.0% on three-pointers during his abridged stint with the Cougars.
Before transferring to Washington State, he played two years at Eastern Washington, averaging 11.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 66 games. He spent his freshman season at Willamette University in Oregon.
Knicks Notes: Starters, Towns, Robinson, Hart
The Knicks fell into an 0-2 deficit at home against the Pacers and now face an uphill battle to make the NBA Finals. In the view of James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, the main reason for New York’s struggles is the fact the starting lineup is a minus-29 through two games and isn’t meshing well overall.
This isn’t a new issue, as the starters were outscored by 21 points in their first two playoff series combined and were a net negative between Jan. 1 and the end of the regular season. The individual talent level of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns is significant, but it isn’t working on the court, Edwards writes.
“Obviously, we can finger-point and say this is wrong, that’s wrong,” Brunson said. “It’s this person’s fault, that person’s fault. But collectively, we have to get it together. That’s really it.”
Given the time crunch the Knicks are facing, making a starting lineup change sooner rather than later could be in the club’s best interest. New York has played its best when three or four starters are playing alongside one or both of Miles McBride or Mitchell Robinson.
We have more from the Knicks:
- The Knicks ended up sitting Towns for a near-seven-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, with Robinson taking his place during that time. Robinson finished the game as a +6 in 29 minutes while Towns was a -20 in 28 minutes. “Just, we got in a hole, and then the group that was in there gave us a chance,” coach Tom Thibodeau said about the decision to sit Towns for that stretch, per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. “So we were just riding [that lineup]. We’re searching for a win.“
- Hart lobbied for Robinson to play more in Game 3 and beyond, per the New York Post’s Zach Braziller. “We have to figure out ways — I think he played [29] minutes — figure out ways if he can play more,” Hart said. “We’re great with him on [the floor]. We all got to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team.” Robinson has totaled 17 rebounds and four blocks in the first two games of the series.
- Hart and Anunoby were among the Knicks’ worst performers in Game 2, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines in a subscriber-only story. Bondy said neither player had a particularly strong impact offensively or defensively, outside of a couple three-pointers from Anunoby. Hart spoke about his outing after the game. “Yeah, it was tough to find ways to [be me], ways to help the team,” he said, per the New York Post’s Peter Botte. “Obviously, that quick foul trouble kind of puts you in a position to not being as aggressive. So that was a tough one. Just one of those games. Shots will be there some games, some they won’t.”