Celtics Sale Expected To Close Soon
The group headed by William Chisholm has attained enough money to cover the cost of buying the Celtics, and the sale is expected to be finalized in the next week or so, sources tell Ben Horney of Front Office Sports.
Two sources describe the group’s status as “oversubscribed,” according to Horney, with more than enough capital on hand to complete the deal. Horney states that the buyers will acquire slightly more than 51% of the franchise in the first part of the transaction, but the exact stake for Chisholm hasn’t been clarified.
Front Office Sports reported last week last that Chisholm was still seeking investors, so progress has apparently been made in the past few days.
Horney notes that Chisholm’s group has also resolved an issue involving Sixth Street Partners, a private equity firm. Reports emerged after the sale was announced in March that Sixth Street Partners was contributing more money to the sale than Chisholm, which isn’t permitted. NBA regulations state that private equity firms cannot be the largest stakeholder in a team and that at least 15% of the purchase price must come from the controlling owner.
That issue was raised by current minority owner Steve Pagliuca, who also sought to buy the team. Horney states that Pagliuca wrote a public letter to Celtics fans last month promising that his proposal was “fully guaranteed and financed” and contained “no debt or private equity money that would potentially hamstring our ability to compete in the future.”
Pagliuca added that he and his partners were “ready to check back into the game” if Chisholm’s group couldn’t comply with NBA bylaws.
According to Horney, a plan remains in place to have current owner Wyc Grousbeck continue as CEO and governor through the 2027/28 season. A source tells Horney that there will be two parts to the sale, and current minority owners can also keep their positions in the organization until 2028.
The minority owners can sell their stakes for up to 20% more than the original price of the deal, Horney adds, under a revenue-based formula established by the league. He estimates that it will bring the actual value of the deal to almost $7.3 billion.
Several new minority owners will be identified in the coming weeks, and they could include a few familiar names to Boston sports fans, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. A source tells Himmelsbach that Chisholm has made it a priority to establish ties with the local business community.
Himmelsbach also points out that no matter when the sale is finalized, it won’t become official until it’s approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors, probably in June or July.
Kings Eyeing Mike Woodson For Top Assistant Role
Mike Woodson is a leading candidate to become Doug Christie‘s top assistant with the Kings, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link). A report earlier today indicated that current lead assistant Jay Triano and four other coaches won’t return to Christie’s staff next season.
Woodson, 67, recently stepped down as head coach at Indiana University after a 19-13 season and a ninth-place finish in the Big 10. Woodson spent four years with the Hoosiers, but he only picked up one NCAA Tournament victory in that time and failed to reach the tournament the past two seasons.
Woodson, who was serving as an assistant coach with the Knicks before leaving for Indiana in 2021, has extensive NBA experience as a coach and a player.
He compiled a 206-286 record as head coach of the Hawks from 2004-2010, taking the team from 13-69 in his first season to 53-29 in his final year. He led Atlanta to three playoff appearances and ranks fourth in franchise history in career coaching wins.
Woodson was hired by the Knicks as an assistant in 2011 and was promoted to head coach midway through the season. He was 109-79 in two and a half years before being fired after the 2013/14 season.
Woodson began his coaching career as an assistant with the Bucks in 1996. In addition to his two tours in New York, he also served as an assistant for the Cavaliers, Sixers, Pistons and Clippers.
He played for six teams in 11 NBA seasons after being selected by the Knicks in the first round of the 1980 draft.
Nuggets Notes: Adelman, Jokic, Porter, Westbrook, Murray
Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman wasn’t happy with the officiating in Thursday’s Game 6 loss to the Clippers, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Adelman told reporters that the referees allowed L.A. to be too physical in defending star center Nikola Jokic, who played nearly 42 minutes but attempted just two free throws.
“Nikola gets fouled a lot,” Adelman said. “I’m not sure what was happening tonight, but for him to shoot two free throws with the amount of contact that was going on out there was absolutely crazy.”
The Clippers packed the lane against Denver in the 111-105 victory, which set up today’s series-deciding Game 7. Jokic shot just 2-of-9 in the second half, and Durando notes that he repeatedly passed up open three-pointers to drive into a crowd of defenders, even after the officials made it clear that he wouldn’t be rewarded with a foul call.
Adelman used his post-game media session to start working the refs for Game 7.
“(The Clippers) put smalls on him. Those smalls were allowed to do whatever they want,” he said. “So I’m really excited for Saturday, that we’re gonna be able to do the same thing with their best players. Because if that’s the physicality we’re allowed to play with, we’ll react to it, and we will go there in Game 7.”
There’s more from Denver:
- Jokic believes credit for his poor shooting night should go to Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who blocked three shots in Game 6, Durando adds. “He was making me kind of question my shots,” Jokic said. “He was always there. He was really good defensively. … He was moving his feet really good.”
- It’s better for the Nuggets if Adelman feels confident closing today’s game with Michael Porter Jr. instead of Russell Westbrook, Durando states in a separate story. Porter has been up and down throughout the series, with Durando pointing out that he was plus-34 in Game 5 and minus-24 in Game 6. Durando adds that Westbrook has been outstanding overall, but he has a history of making crucial mistakes, including a missed layup late in Thursday’s game.
- Denver didn’t react well when Clippers coach Tyronn Lue replaced Kris Dunn with Nicolas Batum for the start of the second half Thursday, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jamal Murray admits that having an extra shooter on the court disrupted the Nuggets’ defense. “I thought we were unorganized,” he said. “I think that’s the best way to put it. It was frustrating. Some of the turnovers were bad and they hurt us tonight. But I thought they played with a lot more desperation than we did. They came out and played with their backs against the wall. I thought the game came down to a lot of those 50-50 possessions. On Saturday, those are the possessions that we are going to have to take away.”
NBC Sports Adds Carmelo Anthony As NBA Analyst
Carmelo Anthony will join NBC Sports and Peacock’s coverage of the NBA next season as a studio analyst, writes Aidan Berg of NBC. He’s expected to be in the studio one or more nights per week when the league returns to NBC this fall.
Anthony confirmed his new job today in an interview with Ahmed Fareed of NBC Sports during the network’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby (Twitter video link from NBC Sports).
“Watching the NBA on NBC growing up shaped my love for the game,” Anthony said. “Now, I’m thrilled to join the NBC Sports family. I’ve always used my platform to help grow the game, and I’m excited to bring fans a fresh perspective as we usher in a new era of NBA coverage and programming.”
Anthony, who was recently announced as part of this year’s class for the Naismith Hall of Fame, retired in 2022 after playing 19 NBA seasons. He was a 10-time All-Star, three-time Olympic gold medalist and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
Anthony was selected by the Nuggets with the third pick in the 2003 draft and played for the Knicks, Thunder, Rockets, Trail Blazers and Lakers as well. He was the league’s top scorer during the 2012/13 season while playing for New York and finished third in the MVP voting that year. Anthony completed his career with 28,289 points, putting him 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Before coming to the NBA, Anthony turned in a legendary freshman season at Syracuse, leading the school to the 2003 national championship and earning national Freshman of the Year and Second-Team All-America honors.
Anthony spoke to Fareed about the type of analysis he plans to contribute to NBC’s coverage.
“Talking the game, speaking the game, figuring out what’s the ‘why’ on what a lot of people are doing, what a lot of players are doing in the game,” he said. “The game within the game, I think, needs to be talked about.”
Anthony is the latest addition to the NBC Sports team, which already includes Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as the top play-by-play announcers for NBA coverage and Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller as game analysts.
Poll: Who Will Win Rockets/Warriors Game 7?
Despite going up against a No. 2 seed as a No. 7 team that required a play-in victory to clinch a playoff spot, the Warriors were considered by oddsmakers to be solid favorites in their first-round series against the Rockets.
In a competitive Western Conference, Golden State finished the regular season with only four fewer wins than Houston and was the better team after adding Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, ranking third in the NBA in wins (23) and net rating (+9.2) between Butler’s debut and the end of the season. The Warriors also had a major edge in experience over the Rockets, whose young core would be playing in its first postseason series.
Through four games, it looked like the oddsmakers were right. The Warriors held a 3-1 series lead and had deployed their defense (ranked No. 1 in the NBA since Butler’s debut) to great effect, holding the Rockets to just 94.7 points per game in Houston’s three losses.
But the Rockets may have figured something out during the last two games, both of which they led from nearly start to finish. As the Warriors struggled to find five-man units they liked, subbing out starting guard Brandin Podziemski in Game 6 for Gary Payton II, Houston has found success with bigger lineups featuring center Steven Adams, who was a +30 in 48 minutes during those two victories.
And while it may not be sustainable, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has looked more like Stephen Curry than Curry himself in Games 5 and 6, knocking down 10-of-15 three-pointers (66.7%) and outscoring his Warriors counterpart by a 55-42 margin.
Jalen Green, Houston’s leading scorer during the season, still hasn’t found his groove in the playoffs — outside of his 38-point outburst in Game 2, he has averaged just 9.4 PPG on 30.2% shooting in the other five games. The Warriors also still have the experience advantage, as Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green are no strangers to Game 7 showdowns, whereas Rockets youngsters like Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith will be experiencing one for the first time.
But the Rockets have the momentum, they have the home-court advantage, and they’ve made Golden State look old and tired over the last couple games, as Marcus Thompson II writes for The Athletic. Curry continues to battle a thumb issue, while Butler is coming off a pelvic contusion. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if the veteran Warriors bring their A-games on Sunday, but it’s also unclear how much they have left in the tank.
With all that in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that oddsmakers are giving a slight edge to Houston — according to BetOnline.ag, the Rockets are 2.5-point favorites.
We want to know what you think. Will the Warriors hold off the young, upstart Rockets, or will Houston complete its comeback from a 3-1 deficit and set up a second-round matchup against Minnesota?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to make your predictions and share your thoughts!
Who will win Sunday's Game 7?
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Houston Rockets 52% (509)
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Golden State Warriors 48% (471)
Total votes: 980
Pacific Notes: Triano, Kings, Christie, Clippers, Redick
Jay Triano, who had been the Kings‘ lead assistant this season, won’t be returning to Doug Christie‘s staff for 2025/26, sources tell Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Triano, who has been a Kings assistant since 2022, previously served as a head coach in Toronto (2008-11) and Phoenix (2017-18) and had stints as an assistant with the Raptors (2002-08), Trail Blazers (2012-16), Suns (2016-17), and Hornets (2018-22) before arriving in Sacramento. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2024 following the departure of Jordi Fernandez and still had time left on his contract after this season, reports Amick.
As Slater and Amick note (via Twitter), Triano’s exit comes as part of an overhaul of Christie’s coaching staff, with Jawad Williams, Riccardo Fois, Robbie Lemons, and Sam Logwood also on the way out.
One assistant coach who will remain under Christie is Leandro Barbosa, Slater adds. A former NBA guard, Barbosa has been with the Kings since 2022 after previously serving as a player development coach in Golden State.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Reintroducing Christie as the Kings‘ permanent head coach during a media session on Friday, new general manager Scott Perry said he was impressed from afar this season by the way Christie handled his “baptism by fire” and connected with his players after replacing Mike Brown in December, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “Look, I’m a former coach, and I’m the first to tell him or anybody else, it’s not an easy job,” Perry said. “It’s the most second-guessed job in the world probably, but he is made of the type of internal fortitude necessary to navigate those waters.”
- Hampered for years by untimely injuries to key players, the Clippers have shown in the first-round series vs. Denver that they’re a formidable opponent when their stars – in this case, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden – are healthy, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. While Leonard has been the team’s top offensive postseason weapon, scoring at least 20 points in each of the first six games of the series, the Clippers may need Harden to come up as big as he did in Game 6 (28 points, eight assists) to win on Saturday and advance to round two, says Law Murray of The Athletic.
- With J.J. Redick‘s inaugural season as a head coach in the books, Jovan Buha of The Athletic evaluates the job the first-time coach did for the Lakers and notes that Redick is bullish about his potential to continue improving. “I know I will get better,” he said this week. “I don’t necessarily take any satisfaction from how the year went. That’s not to say I’m not proud of what the group was able to do, and how we were able to figure out things on the fly and put ourselves in a position to have home court in the first round. But there’s always ways to get better. And I can get a lot better.”
Celtics Widely Expected To Make Offseason Roster Changes
After winning a title in 2024, the Celtics brought back essentially the same team this season, parting ways with only a couple reserves. No NBA team retained more players from the end of the 2023/24 season to the start of ’24/25 than Boston (15).
However, even if the Celtics repeat as champions this spring, they’re unlikely to maintain that sort of continuity going forward, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this week (YouTube link), Charania said Boston is widely expected to make cost-cutting moves that will impact its roster this offseason.
“The rest of the league is bracing for some level of change to come to the Celtics roster this offseason,” Charania said (hat tip to RealGM). “Sources have been telling me for weeks now that the Celtics will be exploring trade options in the offseason.
“This iteration just is not going to be sustainable for this team and no one around the organization – from players to staffers – would be surprised if there are changes coming to this roster. Because when you think about the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, there’s restrictions that come with trades, there’s restrictions that come with freezing of draft picks. That’s all stuff that they’re dealing with right now.”
As Charania observes, star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will both be on super-max contracts in 2025/26 and beyond, with Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday also set to earn between $28.1MM and $32.4MM apiece next season. Those five players on their own will earn a combined $198.5MM, which exceeds the projected first tax apron ($195.9MM).
In total, Boston has about $221MM in guaranteed money committed to nine players and will still need to add at least five more players to that count. Even if those last five players are earning minimum-salary deals, the Celtics’ team salary would soar past the second apron ($207.8MM), setting the club up to pay a massive tax bill as the more punitive repeater penalties go into effect. It would also place serious limitations on what the front office can do in free agency and on the trade market.
[RELATED: Celtics’ Wyc Grousbeck Talks Tax Aprons, Sale, Chisholm, Arena]
What form Boston’s roster changes take remains an open question, one that figures to be decided at least in part by how the team performs during the remainder of its postseason run. While it’s possible a starter like Porzingis or Holiday ends up on the trade block this summer, the team also may look to make tweaks around the edges, perhaps including a role player like Sam Hauser.
If the Celtics’ new ownership group is comfortable paying substantial tax penalties, there won’t necessarily be urgency to get below the second apron right away, but the longer the team continues to operate above that threshold, the more limited its roster-building options become — a team that remains above the second apron for several years at a time would have a handful of future first-round picks “frozen” (ineligible to be traded) and moved to the back of the first round.
For now, Boston’s focus is on winning a second consecutive title, but teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on the defending champions and are curious to see what’s in store for them this offseason, according to Charania.
“None of these changes are at the top of mind for the Celtics now, they can’t be,” Charania said. “This is obviously the most talented team in the league. I think a lot of people would agree with that. So these are good problems to have, but the league is bracing for some level of change to come to this Celtics roster in the offseason.”
Several Teams Promoting Interim Head Coaches, Forgoing Searches
It’s not uncommon for several NBA teams to be on the lookout for new head coaches each spring. During the 2022 offseason, four clubs hired new coaches; that number increased to six in 2023 and was six again in 2024.
It looked like that would trend would continue in 2025. The Kings made a coaching change in December 2024, with the Grizzlies and Nuggets following suit in March and April, respectively. The Suns fired Mike Budenholzer once their season ended and longtime Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stepped down from his position for health reasons.
Despite the fact that five teams have parted ways with their head coaches in the past four-and-a-half months, only one of those clubs is currently conducting a head coaching search.
After finishing the season with a 27-24 under interim head coach Doug Christie, who reportedly had support from team owner Vivek Ranadive, the Kings opted to name Christie the permanent replacement for Mike Brown, finalizing a new multiyear contract agreement with him earlier this week.
The Grizzlies took the same path with Taylor Jenkins‘ in-season replacement, Tuomas Iisalo, removing his interim tag this week and announcing that he would be keeping the job.
In San Antonio, Mitch Johnson was technically the acting head coach and didn’t hold the interim title — that’s really just a technicality that reflects the fact that Popovich was still hoping to return at some point. But when Popovich decided to call it a career, the Spurs wasted no time confirming that Johnson would remain in the role and they wouldn’t be interviewing anyone else.
The Nuggets are still alive in the playoffs, so it’s possible – especially if they lose Game 7 of their first-round series to the Clippers on Saturday – that they could launch a full-fledged coaching search, with interim coach David Adelman receiving consideration as part of that search. But Adelman is widely respected within the organization, including by stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, so there’s a chance that Denver just sticks with him — especially if he leads the team to at least the second round of the postseason.
It’s not out of the question that other teams could make coaching changes this spring. However, most teams whose seasons are over have had time to think about it and probably would have made their move by now if they planned to do so. Willie Green of the Pelicans is one coach to monitor from this group, though one recent report said the “prevailing expectation” is that he’ll be retained by new head of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
While there has been no indication that a change is in the cards for either the Bucks or Hawks, Doc Rivers is another head coach worth keeping an eye on, as is Quin Snyder, who received a strong endorsement from general manager Landry Fields last month, only for Fields to be fired by Atlanta a few days later.
As for the teams still alive in the postseason, it seems relatively safe to assume that Kenny Atkinson, Joe Mazzulla, Rick Carlisle, Mark Daigneault, Chris Finch, Tyronn Lue, Ime Udoka, and Steve Kerr aren’t going anywhere unless they choose to.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is perhaps the most at risk in this group, but he likely relieved some of the pressure he was facing by getting past Detroit in the first round. New York will enter the conference semifinals against Boston as a significant underdog, so unless the Knicks are embarrassed in that series, a coaching change may not be in their plans.
If no other teams replace their coaches this spring, it would leave the Suns in position to take their time with their own search, knowing they aren’t in danger of having their top choice poached by a rival team. Reports have already indicated that Phoenix plans to be patient as it seeks its fourth head coach in four seasons — the team is expected to identify 14 or 15 candidates, then pare that list down to a smaller group of finalists.
While there haven’t been any reports yet about candidates who have secured meetings or interviews with the Suns, the following names have been linked to the team’s coaching vacancy by various reporters:
- Cavaliers assistants Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott
- Mavericks assistants Sean Sweeney and Jared Dudley
- Rockets assistants Royal Ivey and Ben Sullivan
- Pelicans assistant James Borrego
- Thunder assistant Dave Bliss
- Heat assistant Chris Quinn
- Former Kings coach Mike Brown
- The Suns’ own assistant David Fizdale
- Former Suns assistant (and current BYU head coach) Kevin Young
Central Notes: Giannis, Bucks, Cavs, Bulls Centers
Speaking to Adam Mares on the All NBA podcast (YouTube link), veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein said the Bucks are unlikely to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason unless he specifically asks for a trade. Stein acknowledged that neither side is eager to go down that path, but pointed out that the Bucks don’t have a realistic way to build a legitimate contender around the two-time MVP, particularly in the wake of Damian Lillard‘s torn Achilles tendon.
“The rumbles that you always hear are that just having Giannis is so important to them financially,” Stein said (hat tip to RealGM). “They’re not going to trade him unless he pushes it.
“… The whole league is on edge waiting to see will Giannis’ representatives go to the Bucks and say, ‘It’s time. Move us, hold the auction, and start over.’ I don’t think the Bucks want to do that. You could make the case that they should want to do that, that they should say, ‘Let’s go out and get the largest haul we can get back for Giannis,’ but I don’t think the Bucks are there. We’re going to see where Giannis is.”
Here are a few more notes from around the Central:
- If the Bucks do trade Giannis, what would a hypothetical deal look like? Bucks beat writer Eric Nehm of The Athletic evaluates fake proposals from his colleagues David Aldridge, Eric Koreen, Tony Jones and Sam Vecenie. One three-team proposal involves Houston and Portland, with the Bucks receiving Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Donovan Clingan, three first-round picks and having their 2028 and 2030 pick swaps with Portland extinguished; the Rockets acquiring Antetokounmpo and Jerami Grant; and the Trail Blazers getting back Alperen Sengun and Jock Landale.
- Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is dealing with a sprained left big toe and his availability for Game 1 vs. Indiana is uncertain. If Garland can’t play Sunday, will the Cavs stick with Sam Merrill or turn to someone else? Joe Vardon of The Athletic explores that topic, noting that head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t tip his hand one way or another. “(Merrill) can create advantages, not in the pick and roll but with off-ball screen stuff, and then he can hold his own defensively,” Atkinson said. “But you could argue, do you go with a bigger body? Do you go with a (Tyrese) Haliburton matchup? This series is different.”
- The Bulls have three centers under contract for next season, but it wouldn’t be surprising if two of them get traded this summer, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “There are some good young pieces that can be built around,” Nikola Vucevic said in his exit interview last month. “A lot of questions when you are a team not fighting for the top. I have trust in them and believe they want to do what’s best and build a good team that wants to win, so we’ll see. Obviously, I am at the stage in my career where I am trying to win now, play in the playoffs and hopefully deep playoff runs. It’s a young team and it does take time. It all depends on what their timeline is and how they see this team.”
Rockets Notes: Adams, Zones, VanVleet, More
Veteran center Steven Adams missed about half of the 2022/23 season with a knee injury. That same injury kept him on the shelf for the entire ’23/24 campaign. After a 21-month absence, Adams returned to action in late October.
The Rockets brought Adams along slowly to open ’24/25, frequently giving him extra rest days and limiting his playing time. He wound up making 58 regular season appearances and averaging a career-low 13.7 minutes per game.
While his production looked fairly modest on the surface — he averaged 3.9 points and 5.6 rebounds — Adams quietly posted the best offensive rebounding percentage of his career. He was also second in the team in net rating differential, only trailing All-Star center Alperen Sengun.
That trend has carried over to the postseason as well — Adams has been terrific in the Rockets’ first-round series with Golden State. The Rockets are plus-53 in Adams’ 129 playoff minutes and are minus-38 in the 159 minutes he’s been on the bench. The two-big pairing of Adams and Sengun has been particularly effective against the Warriors, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports notes (via Twitter).
Adams wound up playing a season-high 31 minutes in Friday’s Game 6 victory in San Francisco, recording 17 points, five rebounds, one steal and three blocks. After falling in a 3-1 hole, the Rockets have now evened the series at three games apiece heading into Sunday’s Game 7.
“Adams was fantastic tonight,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the game, per Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle. “He’s having a great impact,” added Warriors forward/center Draymond Green.
Adams, 31, is playing on expiring $12.6MM contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- Head coach Ime Udoka has befuddled the Warriors by deploying a variety of zone defenses over the past two games, with Adams often used as the anchor, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. That was particularly true of yesterday’s fourth quarter, when Golden State only managed one field goal over an eight-minute stretch to open the final period. “Just attention to detail,” Fred VanVleet said. “Trying to find the shooters. We’ve been experimenting with some things in the zone and having the bigs on the back line, and then just morphing and flying around. Half the time, we don’t even know what the hell we’re doing out there. I’m sure it’s hard to game plan against but just flying around, having effort, being physical. We know the guys that we want to limit their touches and shots, make it tough on them.”
- Former All-Star guard VanVleet had arguably his best performance of the series in Game 6, scoring an extremely efficient 29 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes. As Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle details, VanVleet had no idea the Rockets would be in this position when he signed with Houston a couple years ago. “You always dream of the moment, the best moment possible, and rising to the occasion and building up a team,” VanVleet said. “But I think first and foremost, it was hard to see that part when I first got there, first practice and first training camp. We just had so much work to do. But it’s just a testament to these young guys and how far they’ve come in such a short amount of time. I can bark all day. Ime can bark all day. It’s not gonna matter if these guys didn’t put the work in, if they weren’t hungry, if they weren’t selfless, they weren’t confident, they weren’t talented. So I mean, they get all the credit in the world. They’re making me look good.“
- Assistant coach Will Dunn made it clear that VanVleet has been critical to Houston’s rise over the past two seasons — the coaching staff refers to him as “The General” due to his position and the way in which he motivates himself and teammates, according to Lerner. “He has the best pulse on our team. He knows exactly what our team needs to hear,” Dunn said. “He’s had huge moments and huge series. He’s not scared of the moment. Every single chance when he has a chance to take a big shot, he’s gonna step into it and shoot like he’s gonna make it.”