Victor Wembanyama Named Defensive Player Of The Year
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link). He’s the youngest player in league history to win the award, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN, and is the first player to win it in a unanimous vote, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Wembanyama, who received all 100 first-place votes, led the NBA in total blocked shots (197) and blocks per game (3.1) by a significant margin and ranked second in defensive rebounds per game (11.5) despite playing just 29.2 minutes per night. His 28.5% defensive rebounding percentage was the highest mark in the league among qualified players.
The Spurs star also limited opponents to a 42.0% field goal percentage and anchored the NBA’s third-best defense. San Antonio allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions when Wembanyama was on the court and gave up 113.7 points per 100 possessions when he sat.
Wembanyama was the favorite to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024/25, but a blood clot prematurely ended his season in February, preventing him playing in the 65 games necessary to qualify for consideration. He missed some time this year due to health issues, but met the 65-game criteria during the final week of the regular season.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who previously finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Wembanyama in 2023/24, once again finished as the runner-up to his conference rival for a major award — he earned the second-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year, including 76 second-place votes and 11 for third place. Holmgren ranked second in the NBA in blocks per game (1.9) and was the primary interior presence on a Thunder team that had the league’s No. 1 defensive rating (106.5).
Pistons wing Ausar Thompson was the top Defensive Player of the Year vote-getter among perimeter players, coming in third behind Wembanyama and Holmgren with nine second-place votes and 33 third-place votes. Thompson ranked first in the NBA in steals per game (2.0) despite playing fewer minutes per contest (26.0) than the seven players who ranked right behind him in that category. Detroit was sandwiched between OKC and San Antonio with the league’s second-best defensive rating (108.9).
A total of 13 players showed up on at least one Defensive Player of the Year ballot, with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes rounding out the top five, in that order.
Celtics guard Derrick White, Thunder guard Cason Wallace, Rockets guard Amen Thompson, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Knicks forward OG Anunoby each received multiple votes, while Pistons center Jalen Duren, Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Heat big man Bam Adebayo showed up on one ballot apiece.
The full results can be viewed here (via Twitter).
While Defensive Player of the Year honors can, in some cases, ensure that a player qualifies for a higher maximum salary on his next contract, that won’t be the case for Wembanyama despite the fact that he’ll likely sign a maximum-salary rookie extension with the Spurs during the coming offseason. The Rose Rule criteria will require him to win MVP or DPOY or simply earn an All-NBA spot in 2026/27 in order to qualify for a contract that starts at 30% of the ’27/28 cap (instead of 25%).
NBA Announces Finalists For 2025/26 Awards
The NBA has announced the finalists for this season’s major awards, including Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Clutch Player of the Year.
The MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year finalists were announced at halftime of the NBC broadcast of Game 1 between the Pistons and Magic, while the league’s official account tweeted the rest.
Most Valuable Player
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
The leaders of the three top teams in the Western Conference all have strong arguments for MVP. Jokic became the first player to lead the league in rebounds and assists per game while also averaging 27.7 points. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31.1 PPG and led the Thunder to the league’s best record despite the fact that multiple starters missed substantial time this season. Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game while emerging as a lock for Defensive Player of the Year.
Rookie of the Year
- Cooper Flagg (Mavericks)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
- VJ Edgecombe (Sixers)
This race is expected to come down to the former Duke teammates. Knueppel played a key role for a resurgent Hornets squad, becoming the first rookie to lead the league in made three-pointers while averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in 81 appearances. Flagg’s Mavs finished well out of the postseason picture, but he showed massive star upside, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG while scoring at least 42 points in four separate games. Edgecombe averaged 35.0 minutes per game over 75 contests, posting a well-rounded 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG.
Coach of the Year
- Joe Mazzulla (Celtics)
- J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
- Mitch Johnson (Spurs)
Mazzulla and Bickerstaff each led massively overperforming teams that managed to dominate the Eastern Conference despite having players in and out of the lineup all year. Johnson helped navigate a tricky guard rotation and spacing issues as the Spurs posted the second-best record in the league.
Defensive Player of the Year
- Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
- Ausar Thompson (Pistons)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite to win this award, ranking first in total blocks, blocks per game, defensive rating, and defensive rebounding percentage this season. Holmgren was second in blocks per game for the league’s top defense, while Thompson proved himself to be arguably the best perimeter defender in the league with his combination of off-ball defensive play-making and point-of-attack dominance.
Most Improved Player
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks)
- Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
- Jalen Duren (Pistons)
Both Avdija and Duren were first-time All-Stars this season, while Alexander-Walker earned a starting spot on his new team and raised his scoring from 9.4 points per game last season to 20.8 PPG this season on .459/.399/.902 shooting splits, all career high percentages.
Sixth Man of the Year
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nuggets)
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat)
- Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
Hardaway cracked 40% from three this season for the first time in his career while shooting 6.9 attempts in his 26.6 minutes per game. Most importantly for the injury-plagued Nuggets, he played 80 games, including six starts, and was the team’s fifth-highest scorer. Jaquez had an impressively well-rounded contribution off the bench, posting career-highs of 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Johnson was a crucial scoring hub for the Spurs bench units while adding offensive pop when the starters struggled to score.
Clutch Player of the Year
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards ranked first and second, respectively, in clutch scoring per game, while Murray was second in total clutch points behind the Thunder star and shot the most efficiently from three of the guards.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points notes (via Twitter) that the awards will be announced in the coming days and weeks, starting with Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, April 20.
Wemby, Kawhi Meet 65-Game Criteria; Jokic One Game Away
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama returned on Friday from a one-game absence due to a rib contusion and played 26 minutes in a win over Dallas, ensuring that he has met the requirements for the 65-game rule and will now be eligible for postseason awards, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes.
Wembanyama has technically logged 20-plus minutes in just 62 regular season games this season, but he also surpassed the 15-minute mark in two additional appearances, which count toward the minimum. Additionally, he gets credit for playing 25 minutes in December’s NBA Cup final, even though that game isn’t considered a regular season contest.
With the Spurs locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, it seems unlikely that Wembanyama would have suited up for Friday’s matchup with Dallas if not for the 65-game rule.
“I tried to protect (the injured rib) as much as possible while still being respectful of the game,” he said after racking up 40 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists in the victory, per ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “But it was OK. It didn’t bother me that much, just a few times where it was a specific moment or specific hit where it was painful.”
Wembanyama, who has averaged 25.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, and a league-leading 3.1 BPG for the 62-19 Spurs, looks like a lock to win Defensive Player of the Year and earn All-NBA honors, almost certainly as a first-teamer. He also should show up on most – if not all – Most Valuable Player ballots.
Another MVP candidate, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, was held out of Friday’s matchup with Oklahoma City due to right wrist injury management, meaning he’ll have to play at least 15 minutes in Sunday’s regular season finale in order to reach the 65-game threshold. While that’s certainly possible, head coach David Adelman suggested after Friday’s win that it’s not a lock, according to Reynolds. Adelman suggested that an “adult conversation” will take place prior to tip-off on Sunday.
“Obviously, the success in the playoffs matters more than anything else,” Adelman said. “But this rule stares at us right now. And so, we’ve got to make a proper decision and we need to go in there with a real plan of, ‘This is what it’s going to be.’ Either he gets those minutes, or we say, ‘Let’s just move on.'”
Interestingly, the Spurs and Nuggets will face one another on Sunday in San Antonio. And even though Wembanyama has already met the award eligibility criteria and Jokic hasn’t, San Antonio may be the team more motivated to win Sunday’s game, since doing so could push Denver into the No. 4 spot in the West (assuming the Lakers beat Utah). That would put the Lakers, instead of the Nuggets, on the Spurs’ side of the Western Conference playoff bracket.
Ahead of Sunday’s slate of games, here are a few more updates on the 65-game rule and award eligibility, with a hat tip to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link):
- Clippers star Kawhi Leonard played over 37 minutes on Friday, marking his 65th appearance of the season and making him award-eligible. Although Leonard now looks like a safe bet to make an All-NBA team, Friday’s outcome was a disappointing one, as Portland beat L.A. to take control of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings.
- Also becoming award-eligible on Friday as a result of meeting the 65-game criteria were Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson, and Warriors forward Draymond Green. All three players are candidates to earn All-Defensive votes this season.
- Another All-Defensive candidate, Thunder swingman Luguentz Dort, narrowly surpassed the 20-minute threshold on Friday and will need to do so again on Sunday in order to be eligible for postseason awards.
- Trail Blazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija will have to play at least 15 minutes on Sunday in order to meet the 65-game criteria. He’ll likely receive All-NBA and Most Improved Player consideration if he qualifies.
Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Duren, T. Smith, M. Williams
The 65-game rule has been a hot topic of conversation in recent weeks amid injuries to Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic, all of whom would have been shoo-ins for All-NBA spots prior to getting hurt. Pistons star Cunningham reflected on the rule after Wednesday’s win over Milwaukee, his first game back from a collapsed lung, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.
“I feel a lot of different ways about it,” Cunningham said. “What they were trying to do with it is have superstars play and not sit out just to rest, because fans pay a lot of money to come watch us play games. I have a lot of respect for that; I know fans come to watch me play. I want to make sure I’m available and I give them a show whenever they come out. So in that way, I respect the rule. I think it’s a good rule.
“It’s tough for me right now, this year, because I think I did a lot of work to be in consideration for awards and All-NBA. I’m in a tough spot, but I think it’ll all play out how it’s supposed to play out. I’m just trying to do my best to help my team win. I’m hearing all this stuff about exceptions … I don’t know how all that works. I just keep doing my job day by day. Whatever comes will come, whatever is meant to be will be.”
Here’s more from Detroit:
- While Cunningham may not qualify for major postseason awards, All-Star center Jalen Duren met the minimum requirement on Wednesday, Patterson notes. Duren, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, offered some insight into Cunningham’s mentality while he was recovering from the injury. “Time away for him, probably personally, was needed,” Duren said. “It sucks that he was injured, but I think it gave him a mental break, obviously a physical break. He was able to kind of shake back and get his body right going into the playoffs. In terms of the team, I don’t think we really missed a beat because he wasn’t away. We were still around him, he would still be talking, he was still in the facility, still in the group chat, still giving his opinion on games. So it wasn’t really like he was away and today was the first time we’d seen him. His presence was always around.”
- Second-year big man Tolu Smith was converted from a two-way deal to a two-year standard contract earlier this week. The former Mississippi State star said his family was emotional when he FaceTimed them to inform them of the news, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter video link). Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters that the 25-year-old earned the promotion, Sankofa adds (via Twitter). “He’s been great. Over the past couple of years he’s done everything we’ve asked him to and more,” Bickerstaff said. “He plays a similar brand we play … we’ve seen stretches this year where he’s just dominated the painted area and dominated the offensive and defensive boards.”
- In an interesting interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, former Pistons head coach Monty Williams said he still follows the team and remains in contact with members of the organization. “Yeah, I do. I was talking to [Pistons assistant coach] Fred Vinson today, actually,” Williams told Spears. “Those guys have done an unreal job there. … I’ve been on teams that won. I’ve been on teams that didn’t win, and that was a failure for me — Detroit was. And I don’t shy away from that. What J.B. [Bickerstaff] and that staff have been able to do there should be applauded. Those guys are knocking it out of the park, and Cade is exactly what I thought he was. I couldn’t bring it out of him like J.B. has. And Jalen is knocking it out of the park, and Ausar [Thompson] and all those kids, man, they’re awesome. Would I have loved to have been a part of that? Absolutely. … But man, I’m cool with where I am and happy for those guys. I still talk to a number of people up there. … But yeah, I don’t shy away from that. I failed and that’s only going to make me better as a coach. And I’ve been able to share my failures with other people so that they can be better. I think that’s what life is about — or part of living — is to be able to talk about your shortcomings and failures so that you can help another person not go down that road. And that’s how I view it.” Williams has spent the past two seasons coaching his sons in Texas — his older son Elijah Williams, who has committed to Baylor, could be a one-and-done prospect in the 2027 draft, Spears writes. Williams added that he hasn’t ruled out a potential NBA return down the line, but he’s not actively seeking out head coaching jobs.
And-Ones: NBA Awards Picks, G League Awards
Reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander claims two awards on the unofficial ballot of Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports: MVP and Clutch Player of the Year.
To be clear, Devine does have an official vote for year-end awards, but those ballots aren’t sent out until the regular season concludes on April 12. Devine also notes that he may be forced to change some of his picks, depending on which players are eligible.
Victor Wembanyama, for example, needs to play at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s remaining two games to be eligible for awards consideration. The French big man is Devine’s choice for Defensive Player of the Year and is his runner-up for MVP, ahead of Nikola Jokic.
Kon Knueppel (Rookie of the Year) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Most Improved Player) are a couple of Devine’s other awards picks.
Here are a few more awards-related stories and announcements:
- There’s quite a bit of overlap between Devine’s awards picks and the tentative selections of Zach Harper of The Athletic. Both writers have Joe Mazzulla, J.B. Bickerstaff and Mitch Johnson as the three finalists, in order of how they finish, for Coach of the Year, and Keldon Johnson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. as their top three picks for Sixth Man of the Year.
- Michael Pina of The Ringer lists his three All-NBA, two All-Defensive, and two All-Rookie teams. Pina’s first-team All-NBA picks are Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama and Jokic; his All-Defensive First Team selections are Wembanyama, Derrick White, Scottie Barnes, Ausar Thompson and Chet Holmgren; and his top-five rookies are Knueppel, Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and Derik Queen.
- The NBA G League has announced its All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams, which are each comprised of five players (Twitter links via the NBA). The All-Defensive selections are Jamarion Sharp (Texas Legends), Chris Manon (South Bay Lakers), Alijah Martin (Raptors 905), Andersson Garcia (Mexico City Capitanes) and Jalen Slawson (Noblesville Boom), while the All-Rookie team consists of Raptors 905 standout Martin, Norchad Omier and Sean Pedulla of the San Diego Clippers, Keshon Gilbert (College Park Skyhawks) and RJ Davis (South Bay Lakers). Martin, Manon, Slawson (Pacers), Omier and Pedulla are on two-way contracts with their respective NBA teams.
And-Ones: Perimeter Defenders, Malone, Cooper, Vezenkov
The NBA’s All-Defensive teams tend to be loaded with big men, so Fred Katz of The Athletic put together a hypothetical All-Perimeter Defense team for the 2025/26 season.
Featured among Katz’s first-teamers is Knicks‘ OG Anunoby. Katz points to a game against Denver in which Anunoby guarded Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, and Bruce Brown, managing all of those assignments effectively. Anunoby is a key part of why the Knicks are a top-10 defense this season despite having a roster built around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Also on Katz’s All-Perimeter Defensive first team are Derrick White (Celtics), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Ausar Thompson (Pistons), and Cason Wallace (Thunder). Thompson’s brother, Amen Thompson of the Rockets, headlines Katz’s second team.
We have more notes from around the world of basketball:
- Michael Malone made news recently when he was named head coach for the University of North Carolina. The former Nuggets head coach had been in the NBA from 2003-25 in various capacities, but will now embrace the challenge of college basketball. Details of Malone’s contract have now been reported, as Brian Murphy of WRAL News in North Carolina writes that he is set to earn $50MM over six years (Twitter link).
- Lakers legend Michael Cooper will be the next head coach at Cal State LA, according to the City News Service at the Los Angeles Daily News. The 70-year-old Hall of Famer spent three seasons as a Lakers assistant coach from 1994-96 before moving to the WNBA, where he served first as a Los Angeles Sparks assistant and then as a head coach, leading them to two championships and being named Coach of the Year in 2000. He was the interim head coach of the Nuggets for 14 games in the 2004/05 season. “I’ve always said it takes five Ds to win a championship: determination, dedication, desire, discipline and decision-making,” Cooper said. “I’ve incorporated those principles into my coaching philosophy, and they will be pillars of what we do here at Cal State LA.”
- Former Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov struggled during the 2023/24 season, his lone year in the NBA. Vezenkov’s agent, Nikos Lotsos, says the 6’9″ shooter made the move stateside because of external pressure, not internal drive, which was one reason why he had an underwhelming year. However, Lotsos also says that Vezenkov never felt that he had the support of then-head coach Mike Brown. “Everyone else wanted him except for Brown,” Lotsos said, according to Stavros Barbarousis and George Adamopoulos of Eurohoops. The agent believes that the lack of faith from the coaching staff is part of why Vezenkov was unable to carve out a consistent role with the team.
Pistons Clinch Top Seed In Eastern Conference
The Pistons clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2006/07 following Saturday’s lopsided victory in Philadelphia, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Detroit is currently 57-21 with four games left in the regular season. The team now has home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs.
Veteran forward Tobias Harris was among seven Pistons who scored in double figures on Saturday, finishing with a team-high 19 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists in 27 minutes. The 33-year-old, who spent five-plus years with the Sixers, was booed throughout the game, per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill, and viewed it as test against a team trying to secure a playoff berth.
“It’s a good opportunity to go out there and play and figure it out,” Harris said. “It gets you ready for the playoffs, high intensity basketball. In any other arena, they boo the other team, not specifically you. For me I look at it as a challenge. Use it as a training, really.”
The Pistons have gone 8-2 since Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung on March 17, with Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins continuing their strong play in the All-NBA guard’s absence. Detroit’s only two losses over that 10-game span were in overtime (vs. Atlanta and at Oklahoma City).
Fourth-year center Duren has averaged 22.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 66.0% from the field and 83.8% from the foul line in nine games over that stretch (he was out for the loss to the Thunder), while second-year guard Jenkins has put up 19.0 PPG, 7.7 APG and 4.4 RPG on .448/.438/.911 shooting in 10 contests.
“With Cade here we were more relaxed, we knew we had more of a superstar to get us to wins,” Pistons swingman Ausar Thompson told ESPN. “But since he’s been gone we all gathered around and knew we had to be more gritty, missing such a big piece. We had to make up for less offense on the defensive side.”
The last formal update on Cunningham came a few days ago, when the Pistons announced that he “continues to make progress in his return to play process” and would be reevaluated in a week. According to Goodwill, all signs continue to point to Cunningham being ready to return for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs.
Victor Wembanyama, Ausar Thompson Win Defensive Awards For March
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a third straight time. After winning the award for January and February, Wembanyama has also claimed it for March, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The overwhelming favorite to be this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama continued to anchor one of the league’s best defenses across 15 outings in March, racking up a league-high 56 blocks (3.7 per game) and 20 steals (1.3 per game) for the month. According to the league, the star big man also ranked second in the league by contesting 11.6 per game in March as he led San Antonio to a 14-1 record (the Spurs lost a second game in which he didn’t play).
While Wembanyama is the only player to win three Defensive Player of the Month awards this season, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson joins him as the league’s only other multi-time winner, having earned the Eastern Conference honor for March. Thompson was also the East’s Defensive Player of the Month in January.
Thompson now leads the NBA in steals per game after racking up 32 in 13 March appearances (2.5 per game). In addition to ranking first in steals per game for the month, he also led the league in deflections per game, with 4.8, and contributed 1.1 blocks per night as well.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other Western Conference nominees included four usual suspects – Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Clippers guard Kris Dunn, and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren – along with one surprise: Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
In the East, Thompson beat out fellow nominees Scottie Barnes of the Raptors, Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers, OG Anunoby of the Knicks, and Hawks teammates Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels.
Central Notes: Thompson, Stewart, Dillingham, Miller
Ausar Thompson has quickly become one of the league’s premier defenders for the Pistons, a feat which didn’t happen by accident — it came about through work and film study, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). As Sankofa details, after the final buzzer sounds, Thompson can be found in the locker room, still in uniform, watching film from the game that just concluded.
“I watch it the next day too, but I watch it immediately after to see, I don’t know. It’s close to the game,” Thompson said earlier in the year. “You still feel the emotions of the game, the one I just played. And it’s easier to remember stuff that happened.”
Sanfoka notes that the habit often means the rest of the team has already showered, dressed, and gotten ready to leave while Thompson continues to study up.
“Right after the game he wants to watch the whole game,” Cade Cunningham said. “We’re trying to get on the plane. I think that’s where a lot of the teasing comes from… He has to see the highest-level scorers every night. Takes his job seriously. That’s what you want from your primary defender like that.“
The attention to detail will quite possibly result in an All-Defense selection for the 23-year-old wing, who is in the 99th percentile in wing steal percentage and the 96th percentile in block rate. He’ll have to play at least 20 minutes in seven of Detroit’s final eight games to meets the 65-game requirements.
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Isaiah Stewart took an important step forward in his calf strain recovery, receiving clearance to resume on-court basketball activities for the Pistons, writes Coty M. Davis for The Detroit News. “He’s progressing,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It is something that we will take our time with, making sure he is right with the timing of everything. Every day when he takes a step, we evaluate and take another step the next day.” There’s still no set timetable for Stewart’s return, and his extended absence means that the defensive-minded big man will miss out on All-Defense eligibility.
- Rob Dillingham has played in 22 straight games for the Bulls since being acquired in the Ayo Dosunmu deal with the Wolves, but that doesn’t mean he feels at ease about his long-term status with the team, Joe Cowley writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s a good feeling that I’m getting the opportunity, but I don’t feel comfortable at all,” Dillingham said. “I don’t feel like I’ve proven anything, so my goal is just to help us win, help us get better, be the best I can be.” The Bulls will have plenty of decisions to make regarding the many young guards on the roster, and Dillingham – whose contract is guaranteed through 2026/27 – is hoping to prove that he’s someone worth investing in.
- Leonard Miller went from fringe rotation player in Minnesota to valued contributor with the Bulls nearly overnight, a role change he has fully embraced, Julia Poe writes for the Chicago Tribune. “This has never happened for me before,” Miller said. “But I just knew — like, I wanted to carve out a role with this group. So it’s new, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like anything crazy. This is what I’m born to do.” Over his last 10 games, Miller has averaged 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game. He credits teammate Matas Buzelis, whom he played with on the G League Ignite, for helping him acclimate to the new environment.
Injury Notes: McBride, Grant, Edwards, Pistons
Miles McBride will return to action for the Knicks on Sunday after being sidelined since January 27 due to a sports hernia surgery, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (via Twitter).
McBride is scoring at a career-best rate this season, averaging 12.9 points per game while hitting a career-high 42.0% of his 6.9 three-point attempts per contest.
His return comes during a key stretch for the Knicks, who are looking to catch the Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the East while playing in Oklahoma City on Sunday and Houston on Tuesday in two of their remaining regular season tests. Entering Sunday, the Knicks trail the Celtics by 1.5 games.
Edwards adds (via Twitter) that McBride will be on a minutes restriction, though he doesn’t specify what the restriction will be. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post adds that Landry Shamet is with the Knicks on their road trip, and, according to coach Mike Brown, is progressing in his recovery from a bone bruise in his knee (Twitter link).
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- According to Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter, veteran forward Jerami Grant underwent an MRI on his calf and will remain without a recovery timeline until he can go through more testing, per Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (via Twitter). Grant said he “felt a pop” in his right calf during the third quarter of Friday’s loss to the Mavericks.
- Anthony Edwards has been upgraded to questionable for the Timberwolves‘ game on Monday, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Edwards has missed Minnesota’s last six games with a knee injury, with the team going 4-2 during that stretch. The Wolves currently hold a half-game lead over the Rockets for the No. 5 seed in the West.
- The Pistons have a lengthy injury report for Monday’s game against the Thunder, with Jalen Duren (right knee), Tobias Harris (left hip), and Duncan Robinson (right hip) all listed as doubtful, while Ausar Thompson (right ankle) is questionable. Detroit is already missing Cade Cunningham (left lung) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf).