And-Ones: 2025 Draft, Withdrawals, Finals, Scariolo
In the wake of the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline, ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have updated their big board of this year’s top 100 draft-eligible prospects.
There are no surprises at the very top of their list, with Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, and V.J. Edgecombe continuing to hold the first four spots. However, there’s plenty of movement elsewhere in the first round, with Noa Essengue (No. 14 to 9), Carter Bryant (No. 20 to 12), Maxime Raynaud (No. 35 to 24) among the biggest risers since ESPN last updated its big board.
Conversely, Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 7 to 10), Derik Queen (No. 10 to 13), and Jase Richardson (No. 13 to 20) are among the prospects who were projected as lottery picks in ESPN’s previous update and have slipped a few spots this time around.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- An ESPN panel consisting of Givony, Woo, and college basketball insider Jeff Borzello evaluates how this month’s early entrant decisions have impacted the NCAA landscape, identifying which programs benefited most or were hit hardest by the decisions made before Wednesday’s withdrawal deadline. Givony, Woo, and Borzello also single out a few players who look poised to boost their draft stock for 2026 after returning to school, including Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford and Houston’s Joseph Tugler.
- If Indiana beats New York once more to win the Eastern Conference Finals, it would be the first NBA Finals since the luxury tax was implemented in which neither team is a taxpayer, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Both the Thunder and Pacers stayed below the tax this season, whereas every other NBA Finals since 2003 (with the exception of 2005, when a lack of basketball-related income resulted in no luxury taxes) has featured at least one taxpaying team.
- Sergio Scariolo, a former Raptors assistant and the current head coach of the Spanish national team, is interviewing for a position with an NBA team, reports Alex Molina of Eurohoops. The identity of that NBA team is unclear, but the interview is presumably for an assistant coaching role, since the Suns are the only team with a head coaching vacancy and are already in their third round of interviews.
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Payne, Game 5, Defense
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson helped New York extend its postseason with a 111-94 Game 5 victory over Indiana on Thursday night, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post.
Robinson has been starting in the stead of guard Josh Hart since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. That said, Hart is still playing starter’s minutes, even as the team’s new sixth man, averaging 12 minutes per game more than Robinson.
“It’s just matchups and what’s going on in the game,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of his decision to keep Robinson in the starting five. “Sometimes it’s impacted by foul trouble as well.”
Robinson logged six points, six boards, two blocks and a steal in 20 minutes of action. Beyond the statistics, Robinson’s defense against Indiana helped the Knicks build out a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter.
The 26-year-old will be on an expiring $13MM deal next season. His health has been an ongoing question mark throughout his pro career, but his defensive upside could put him in line for a raise on an extension and/or make him an intriguing asset for rival teams.
There’s more out of New York:
- Knicks reserve guard Cameron Payne has fallen out of New York’s rotation even as Thibodeau has built out his bench rotation to include veterans Landry Shamet and Delon Wright, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post (subscriber link). Payne had suited up for all of New York’s first 14 playoff bouts, averaging 7.2 MPG. He has now been a healthy scratch in each of the Knicks’ last three games. Payne, on an expiring veteran’s minimum contract, may be playing himself out of a future in New York.
- On the brink of elimination, the Knicks now live to fight another day after shellacking Indiana in Game 5. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link) supplies his report card, awarding All-Star guard Jalen Brunson an A for his 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field. “I’m just very proud of what we did,” Brunson said, per SNY.tv (Twitter link). “Now, we’ve just got to replicate it in the first quarter of next game and then continue to build on that.”
- The Knicks’ aggressive defense proved critical in stopping the best efforts of the Pacers’ best player, All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton, notes Schwartz in another piece. Haliburton notched a turnover-free 32-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound triple-double in Game 4. All-Defensive swingman Mikal Bridges served as Haliburton’s primary defender in Game 5. Haliburton didn’t connect from the floor until the third quarter. The two-time All-Star shot just 2-of-8 from the floor to finish with eight points. Robinson’s versatile defense proved crucial against the Pacers all over the floor. Shamet and Wright chipped in defensively, too.
Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Siakam, Mathurin, Nesmith
After blaming himself for the Pacers‘ second-half offensive issues in Game 3, Tyrese Haliburton responded with his best game of the postseason in Game 4 on Tuesday. As Jamal Collier of ESPN writes, Haliburton became the first player since the NBA began tracking turnovers in 1977 to rack up at least 30 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds (he had 32, 15, and 12) in a playoff game without committing a turnover.
“I just want to be able to prove that I can respond when my back’s against the wall, when our team’s back is against the wall,” Haliburton said after the victory, which gave Indiana a 3-1 series lead. “This is a big win for us because if we go back down there 2-2, it’s a little different momentum-wise.”
With the Pacers just one win away from earning a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, Haliburton is in the process of establishing himself as a legitimate NBA superstar.
“His ability to play both on and off the ball is so unique,” one Western Conference executive told Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “It allows him to be Steph Curry-esque.”
While opposing point guard Jalen Brunson is putting up better individual scoring numbers than Haliburton in the Eastern Conference Finals, Haliburton is being lauded for his ability to take care of the ball and set up his teammates for scoring opportunities, as Bontemps writes.
“(Haliburton is) throwing it ahead, playing out of dribble handoffs, running pick-and-rolls, so he gets everyone involved,” a Western Conference scout told ESPN. “So (Aaron) Nesmith is throwing himself into defense because he knows he’s going to get touches and shots.
“I didn’t think (Haliburton) had this jump in him. He’s shown so much more just because he makes his teammates better. Those guys have all been put in positions to succeed. All these guys are the best versions of themselves now because they have been instilled with confidence and optimized.”
Here’s more on the Pacers ahead of Thursday’s Game 5:
- Various sources who spoke to Bontemps expressed admiration for the Pacers’ ability to repeat – and potentially outdo – last spring’s playoff success. One scout admitted he was surprised by Indiana’s deep postseason run, but acknowledged they’re “so solid everywhere” and “don’t have any weaknesses,” while an assistant coach pointed out that Indiana is in good position to run it back with this roster in 2025/26. “Assuming they bring back (free agent center) Myles (Turner), they’re such a complete team,” that assistant told ESPN. “And they have size and physicality at every position. And it’s sustainable because of the deals they have everyone signed to.”
- As good as Haliburton has been in the Eastern Finals, it’s forward Pascal Siakam who is leading the Pacers in scoring through four games vs. New York. As Peter Botte of The New York Post writes, Siakam is getting the best of former teammate and good friend OG Anunoby en route to his big scoring nights.
- After a quiet start to the series, Bennedict Mathurin showed in Game 4 that he’s capable of making an outsized impact in a limited role, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Mathurin, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, poured in 20 points in just 12:29 of action on Tuesday.
- Playing through a sprained ankle in Game 4, Nesmith continued to have a major hand in the club’s success, scoring 16 points and playing solid defense against Brunson. As Nate Duncan tweets, the Knicks star shot just 3-of-13 from the floor with Nesmith as his primary defender, doing almost all of his damage against other Pacers.
- Nesmith is once again listed as questionable to play in Game 5, but his comments after Game 4’s win suggest he’s highly likely to suit up on Thursday. “I was like, I don’t care how I feel. I’m playing,” he said, per David Aldridge of The Athletic. “This is what we all live for. This is (what) we’ve been preparing for all year long, our entire lifetimes. These moments, I can’t miss these moments.”
And-Ones: Trade Market, Top FAs, Award Ballots, Kemp
With so little cap room available around the NBA this year and most top free agents expected to remain with their current teams, executives across the league are projecting a significant amount of activity on the trade market during the upcoming offseason, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
“It’s gonna be a crazy summer,” one Western Conference exec told Fischer. “There’s going to be a lot of movement.”
“Trades are going to be the marquee aspect because there’s a number of high-level players (available) and there aren’t really any marquee free agents,” another team’s salary cap strategist said.
Kevin Durant is among the biggest names expected to be available via trade this summer, and it’s possible two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo could join him on the trade block if the Bucks forward decides he wants to seek a change of scenery.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- ESPN’s Kevin Pelton has shared his top 25 NBA free agents for the summer of 2025. Kings guard Keon Ellis is perhaps the most surprising entry near the top of Pelton’s list (he’s at No. 10), though Sacramento holds a minimum-salary team option on the guard, so he’ll likely only become a restricted free agent if the team has a very good idea of what it will take to lock him up long-term.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac takes a closer look at the top shooting guards in free agency this offseason, with Malik Beasley, Quentin Grimes (restricted), and Nickeil Alexander-Walker leading the way. We took our own deep dive into the 2025 free agent market for shooting guards in a Front Office article earlier this month.
- While we’ve heard plenty about in recent weeks about the tax- and apron-related challenges facing teams like the Celtics, every team in the league will have difficult financial decisions to make this summer. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report identifies the biggest decision facing each team, such as whether the Pacers will go into tax territory, how much the Hawks should pay Dyson Daniels on an extension, and whether the Heat will extend Tyler Herro.
- Owen Phillips of The F5 digs into the ballots submitted by the NBA’s award voters this season, evaluating which media members made the most and least unique choices, while also considering whether “groupthink” has become an issue.
- Shawn Kemp, the former SuperSonics forward and six-time NBA All-Star who played in the league from 1989-2003, has pleaded guilty to a second-degree assault charge for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Washington state mall parking lot, per The Associated Press. Prosecuting attorneys having recommended that Kemp be sentenced to nine months in jail — that hearing will take place in August.
Knicks Notes: Deficit, Defense, Lineup Change, Towns, Brunson, Bridges, Hart
The Knicks erased a 20-point deficit in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They couldn’t complete a comeback against the Pacers in Game 4 on Tuesday, leaving them on the brink of elimination.
“In true fashion to our whole playoff run, we put ourselves in a deficit, got ourselves out of the deficit, and then usually we feel good about us going into a close game in the fourth quarter and showing our resilience. But you get burned if you put yourself in that position too many times,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “We think coming into the fourth quarter that we’re going to find that one trick again. We just didn’t have that magic tonight.”
The Knicks’ defense faltered, as Indiana shot 51.1% from the floor and committed just 11 turnovers, six fewer than New York. Pacers stars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam combined for 62 points.
“They played with more intensity,” center Mitchell Robinson told Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “We should’ve matched it.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- The lineup change that coach Tom Thibodeau made in Game 3 — Robinson replacing Josh Hart — flopped in Game 4, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post notes. The Knicks trailed 16-11 before Towns subbed out with 7:48 left in the first quarter after picking up his second foul. When the unit was back together to start the third quarter, the club gave up seven unanswered points to fall behind by 12. “There’s obviously some good, but also things we have to do a lot better,” Thibodeau said. “I don’t think we had a good grouping. … We start the third without great energy, and you can’t do that.”
- Towns was able to stay in the game after colliding with Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith with 2:11 remaining. However, the left knee pain he suffered is some cause for concern heading into Game 5 on Thursday. “I’m only thinking about this loss, I’m not thinking about that right now,” Towns said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “It’s disappointing when you don’t get a win. Just didn’t do enough to get the job done tonight.”
- Jalen Brunson scored 31 points but a vast majority came prior to the fourth quarter. The Knicks were outscored by 14 points when he was in the game, Braziller notes. “I’m not doing enough,” Brunson said. “I could sit here and be very detail-oriented about certain things, but obviously not good enough. There has to be a difference on my part when it comes to that.”
- Mikal Bridges‘ shortcomings were apparent in Game 4. He couldn’t stop Haliburton as the Pacers guard posted a triple-double without a turnover. The veteran forward was also passive on the offensive end, repeatedly passing up driving opportunities. “I didn’t play my best game,” Bridges told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “On both ends, let my team down a little bit.”
- Hart also had a rough night as he committed five turnovers, Schwartz points out. “It’s tough to win against a team like that who turns those turnovers into points,” Hart said. “I had like four or five. Just stupid turnovers that you can’t have. That leads to easy baskets, that leads to momentum. We gotta be more careful with the ball, starting with myself.”
Pacers’ Nesmith Expected To Suit Up For Game 4
Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith will play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight, according to several media outlets, including Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Nesmith sprained his right ankle during the second half of Game 3 against the Knicks on Sunday. He was listed as questionable on the injury report.
Nesmith has been a huge factor in the postseason. He’s averaging 15.1 points per game while shooting 52.3 percent overall and a whopping 53.5 percent from long range. He’s also averaging 6.2 rebounds per contest.
In Game 1 of the series, Nesmith erupted for 30 points while making all but one of his nine three-point attempts as Indiana staged an unlikely late rally and won in overtime.
Nesmith has also been the primary defender against the Knicks’ top offensive threat, Jalen Brunson.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Robinson, Hartenstein, Wright, Anunoby
Karl-Anthony Towns rescued the Knicks from the abyss with 20 fourth-quarter points against the Pacers. What will the Knicks get from their top big man the remainder of the Eastern Conference Finals?
The Athletic’s Fred Katz explores that subject as the teams head into Game 4 this evening. He speculates that the Pacers, who have mainly used Myles Turner as the primary defender on Towns, might try a smaller defender in that matchup. Katz notes that the Pistons and Celtics used perimeter players to get under Towns’ skin and force him to take some ill-advised shots.
We have more on the Knicks:
- Mitchell Robinson was inserted into the starting lineup in Game 3. Despite his free throw issues, Robinson has been a major factor in the postseason after missing a good chunk of the regular season while recovering from ankle surgery. “He’s been very, very impactful for them since he’s been back,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, per Chris Herring of ESPN. “He gives them a lot of versatility, and his ability to switch onto smaller players is special for a guy his size. He’s a major factor, and a guy we’ve been talking about a lot.”
- Isaiah Hartenstein believes his departure in free agency to the Thunder last season actually benefited the Knicks and Timberwolves as well. “It’s funny when you see all three teams, I think for everyone it was a win-win,” Hartenstein told SNY’s Ian Begley. Hartenstein’s departure and Robinson’s injury convinced the Knicks to roll the dice and trade for Towns. Julius Randle has been inconsistent in the conference finals but excelled during the first two rounds of the playoffs for Minnesota.
- Coach Tom Thibodeau made a bold substitution in Game 3, deploying little-used guard Delon Wright for his first rotation minutes of the postseason. Though he only had one basket and one assist, Wright played a pivotal defensive role as the Knicks whittled a 13-point deficit down to three before being subbed out. “Just a true professional,” forward Mikal Bridges said, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. “Works hard every single day and got his name called and he’s ready for the moment.”
- Normally reticent, OG Anunoby displayed his passion and even did a little trash talking in Game 3. They’ll need more fire from Anunoby the remainder of the series, Schwartz opines in a separate story.
Pacers Notes: Nesmith, Game 3 Loss, Haliburton, Offense
Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith was able to return to Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter after spraining his right ankle in the third quarter, but he was in pain when he woke up on Monday, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
According to head coach Rick Carlisle, Nesmith will be listed as questionable on the injury report for Game 4 and will likely be a game-time decision on Tuesday.
It’s a potentially significant development for the Pacers, given that Nesmith has been one of their most important players during the playoffs. The 25-year-old has increased his averages to 15.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with a 53.5% mark on three-pointers in the postseason — all of those marks would be career highs. Additionally, his +8.8 playoff net rating is the third-best mark on the team behind only Myles Turner (+9.1) and Tyrese Haliburton (+8.9).
We have more on the Pacers:
- The Pacers have made a series of historic comebacks during these playoffs, but they found themselves on the other end of a major in-game swing at home on Sunday, blowing a 20-point first-half lead and losing Game 3 by a score of 106-100. Haliburton took the blame after the loss for allowing the team’s usual up-tempo pace to lag in the third and fourth quarters, according to Dopirak. “I felt like I was walking the ball up every play.” Haliburton said. “It’s definitely an area where I know when I watch film I’m going to kick myself for. I’m already thinking about it, kicking myself for it. Honestly, I think a lot of our offensive struggles in the second half are going to be due to me. I gotta be better there and I will be better in Game 4.”
- Although he was unhappy about the Pacers’ second-half offense, Haliburton was pleased with how the team performed on defense against a talented Knicks group, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “You hold a team like that to 106 (points), that’s — you should win that game,” Haliburton said. “… I mean, 100 points isn’t us, you know? So kudos to them, they did a good job, but there’s definitely areas that we can improve on. We’ll have a great film session (on Monday). Guys will watch film on their own tonight and tomorrow, and see where we can get better.”
- John Haliburton, Tyrese’s father, will be permitted to attend Indiana’s home games in a suite beginning on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania. The elder Haliburton agreed not to attend the team’s home or road games after getting involved in an on-court altercation with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo at the end of their first-round series and hasn’t been at any of the past eight contests since then. He will continue to remain away from road games.
Pacers Notes: McConnell, Haliburton, Tax, Turner, Bradley, Sheppard
T.J. McConnell continues to be an annoying pest against the Knicks during the postseason. McConnell has scored 10 points in each of the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals despite limited playing time.
“It’s kind of defined T.J.’s 10-year career in the NBA,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “He’s done a great job throughout the playoffs of playing his game and not allowing some difficult situations to deter him from keeping his focus on what he needs to do to help the team. So I thought he was a real key [to the first two games], and we’re gonna need the same effort from everybody when we go home.”
McConnell averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 assists in 20.6 minutes per game in last season’s conference semifinals series against New York. Game 3 is tonight.
We have more on the Pacers:
- Tyrese Haliburton enjoys not only being a team leader and clutch performer but also an agitator, Grant Afseth writes in a column for Ballislife.com. Afseth notes that Haliburton, who was voted in an anonymous players’ poll early this season as the league’s most overrated player, is averaging 25.0 points, 8.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor in closeout games during his career.
- Indiana’s success has led the team’s ownership group to embrace the possibility of paying luxury taxes, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports. Ownership has indicated a willingness to increase spending next season and potentially pay a luxury tax fee to keep this core together. That’s a signal that the Pacers will do all they can to re-sign big man Myles Turner, who is headed to unrestricted free agency. Internally, they’re hoping to bring back Turner while retaining their impressive depth.
- Tony Bradley, who logged just 113 total minutes during the regular season, grabbed a couple of crucial rebounds in an eight-minute stint in Game 2. “Tony Bradley hasn’t played in the series, but he’s one of our better rebounders,” Carlisle said “We elected to go with him to spell Myles a little bit. We’re a team that needs everybody. That’s how we’ve got to play.” Indiana holds a $2.94MM club option on Bradley’s contract for next season.
- Ben Sheppard has played 20 turnover-free minutes in the series. “Another guy who can bring a different dimension,” Carlisle said during Sunday’s pregame press conference, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). “He always goes hard … From a game plan standpoint, he always stays with what we’re trying to do.”
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.