And-Ones: Rivers, Awards, Playoff X-Factors, Wemby, Morant
In a podcast appearance with Bill Simmons of The Ringer (Twitter video link), Doc Rivers suggested his coaching career might be finished. The 64-year-old stepped down as head coach of the Bucks earlier this week.
“We met about seven weeks ago, me and (Bucks) ownership,” Rivers said (hat tip to Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports). “We had a great meeting. They asked me what I wanted to do. One of the owners says one plan is, ‘If we do this, you can hang in there for a year or two.’ I literally said, ‘Oh, no, no, no.’
“I told my coaches, I’m done. I loved coaching. Loved it. I had a lot of success at it, had way more ups than downs. But at the end of the day, I’ve given 47 years or whatever, I don’t even know how old I am … with no off time. I just wanted a break. I want to get away. The grandkids and just life in general, man. Right now, I can tell you, Bill, I think it was time, so I’d be surprised if I coached another game, I’ll put it that way.”
Rivers, who will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, compiled a 1194-866 regular season mark (.580) over the course of 27 seasons as an NBA head coach.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports and Tim Bontemps of ESPN have released their full 2026 NBA awards ballots. While both media members have the same top-five finishers for Most Valuable Player, with Luka Doncic fourth and Cade Cunningham fifth, the order of the three finalists are different. O’Connor has Victor Wembanyama as his MVP, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, whereas Bontemps had SGA winning his second straight MVP award, with Jokic the runner-up and Wembanyama in third.
- In another story for Yahoo Sports, O’Connor lists his playoff X-factors for every team competing in the postseason. Celtics center Neemias Queta, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson and Spurs guard Dylan Harper are a few of the players mentioned.
- The Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA) has named Spurs center Wembanyama the winner of the Magic Johnson award for the 2025/26 season, per a press release. The award “honors the NBA player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation and grace in dealing with the media and fans.” Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) was the runner-up for the second straight season, while Stephen Curry (Warriors), Jaylen Brown (Celtics) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) were the other finalists.
- Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has purchased a stake in the Metropolitans 92, Wembanyama’s former team in France, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “I’m excited about how this first season with the Metros is going,” Morant told ClutchPoints. “They represent the culture, just like we do. I like what we are building and hopefully we get to take it into NBA Europe.” Morant made the investment alongside his media and business venture company, Catch12.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Queta, Shulga
This week’s return to Madison Square Garden, the site where he suffered an Achilles tear last May, was a huge milestone for Celtics star Jayson Tatum, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. After posting 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes in a loss to New York, Tatum talked about the feeling of relief that came with being back on the court where he experienced the worst injury of his career.
“It was a big moment, a big hurdle for me,” he said. “I was nervous and anxious to come back here. Obviously, I wanted to win and play great, but more importantly, I just kind of wanted to walk off the floor on my own two feet.”
Tatum is back to his regular workload a little more than a month after returning to action, but he’s still not being used on back-to-back nights. That meant he had to decide whether to play Thursday in New York or Friday against New Orleans. He opted for MSG to try to erase some of the bad memories from last year’s playoffs.
“Today was important to me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today,” Tatum told reporters. “I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- After undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus last summer, Jaylen Brown isolated himself to prepare for the challenges of this season, he tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Brown understood that a lot more would be asked of him in the wake of Tatum’s injury and the loss of several key veterans from Boston’s 2024 championship team, and he wanted to be mentally ready to handle the increased responsibility. “From a financial standpoint, this was a rebuild, right?” he said. “But I didn’t look at it like that. … I looked at it as an opportunity to show the world who I am and what I could do.”
- Coach Joe Mazzulla is touting Neemias Queta for Most Improved Player honors, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (subscription required). Queta took over as the team’s starting center this season and is averaging career highs of 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. “He deserves it,” Mazzulla said. “To me, again, obviously as a player, but more what it means to do it for the Celtics, I think, goes a long way. And where he’s been on his journey in the NBA, but also his journey with us in our organization, he should seriously be considered for that because of where he was, and where he is now, and we wouldn’t be in that position without him.”
- One of the highlights of Max Shulga‘s rookie season happened on March 22 when he became the first player to appear in games with the Celtics and their G League affiliate in Maine on the same day, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. The 57th pick in last year’s draft began the season on a two-way contract, then became playoff-eligible when he was promoted to a standard deal last month. “A lot of learning,” Shulga said of his first NBA season. “Obviously, got a lot of time, a lot of playing in the G League. Lot of ups and downs and stuff like that. Just getting adjusted to the NBA-style game. Just learning the system and stuff like that. It’s been a good first year.”
Atlantic Notes: George, Knicks, Poeltl, Queta, Stevens
Paul George has come back strong from his 25-game league suspension for violating the league’s drug policy, averaging 24.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his last seven games. However, it’s unlikely the Sixers forward has meaningfully increased his trade value, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com.
Aaronson notes that George will soon turn 36 years old and will make over $54.1MM next season while holding a player option worth more than $56.5MM for the following season. George’s injury history would also likely discourage any potential suitors this offseason.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks coach Mike Brown doesn’t anticipate making a starting lineup change in the postseason, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports. “I don’t believe in never ever. But right now we’re going to start that five and that’s how I foresee it,” the coach said. “If I feel I need to make a change at any time, I’ll make a change. But I don’t feel that way right now.” There were discussions about moving Landry Shamet into the lineup. Earlier this season, Brown downsized his starting five, replacing Mitchell Robinson with Josh Hart.
- Jakob Poeltl was handed a three-year contract extension last offseason to remain with the Raptors. Now, the big man appears to be an awkward fit for Toronto’s rotation and cap sheet, The Athletic’s Eric Koreen opines. Poeltl has appeared in just 42 games due to a back ailment. He’s also not a scoring threat outside the paint and isn’t a good enough defensive player in the paint to make up for that, Koreen adds. Making a move involving Poeltl will be complicated due to his contract being guaranteed through 2028/29.
- Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is lobbying for Neemias Queta to receive consideration for the Most Improved Player award. “Neemi’s been great,” Brown said, per The Athletic’s Jay King. “He’s been just consistently getting better, protecting the rim, finishing, making those little shots, rebounding. He’s been great. In my opinion, he’s probably one of the most improved players this year. And I don’t know if he’s up for the award, but he should be.” Queta has started 72 of 73 games, averaging career bests in points (10.2), rebounds (8.4) and blocks (1.3) per game.
- Celtics top executive and former head coach Brad Stevens guided Butler to two NCAA Tournament championship games. However, Stevens indicated he has no interest in going back to the college ranks, Brian Robb of MassLive.com tweets. “I’m not motivated to do anything but what I’m doing,” he said.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Atlantic Division
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents – or could become free agents – during the 2026 offseason. We’ll consider whether each player’s stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors.
Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players in the Atlantic Division, starting with a former second-round pick having a breakout season.
Celtics Notes: Queta, Mazzulla, Pritchard, Vucevic
Center was viewed as a potential Celtics weakness heading into the season, but Neemias Queta has turned aside any doubts about whether he can handle the position, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes in a subscriber-only story. Queta continued his career-best season on Friday with 19 points, 10 rebounds and a plus-33 rating in a win over Milwaukee.
“It’s unbelievable,” Jayson Tatum said. “I couldn’t be more proud and happy for Neemy. The way he’s seeing the game, the leap he’s made as a screener, as a passer, someone we can trust when we throw him the ball in the seams, finishing, protecting the rim. He is an NBA starting big man, that’s who he is now. He’s only going to continue to get better.”
Queta had only made six total starts in four seasons before being asked to take over when Al Horford and Luke Kornet left in free agency and Kristaps Porzingis was traded in a cost-cutting move. Through 72 games, he’s averaging 10.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 25.4 minutes per night, and his emergence is one of the reasons Boston has been able to post the second-best record in the East.
“I think maybe at the beginning of the year we didn’t trust him as much as we do now, and now every time we throw it to him, we expect him to make the right read and right play,” Derrick White said. “He’s developed a lot of confidence, and we all have confidence in him.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Joe Mazzulla recently dismissed Coach of the Year as a “stupid award,” but Payton Pritchard thinks he deserves to win it, Himmelsbach adds. Mazzulla is considered one of the leading candidates, along with Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff. “He’s a competitor, and he focuses on how this team is going to get better and better,” Pritchard said. “He changed some things up this year as far as film sessions. He went to more, instead of a dictatorship, like a classroom setting where we’re just going to learn through all the ups and downs in that setting.”
- Nikola Vucevic, who has been sidelined with a fractured finger since March 6, could make his return Sunday afternoon against Toronto, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Vucevic was acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline, but was only available for 12 games before the injury forced him to undergo surgery. He was originally projected to be reevaluated in three to four weeks, and a Sunday return would have him back on the court in a little less than a month. Terada expects him to replace Luka Garza as the primary backup center.
- Vucevic will be playing for his next contract when he returns, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. The 35-year-old big man has a $21.4MM expiring deal, and Robb suggests that his salary for next season might be less than half of that. The Celtics could be interested if he plays well in the postseason, but only at a low-cost, one-year deal because they still might be focused on avoiding the luxury tax. Robb adds that the Celtics may also be considering a younger option on the offseason trade market.
And-Ones: Expansion, Sweet 16, Coaches, All-Surprise Team
Although all 30 NBA governors voted this week to formally explore the possibility of expanding to Seattle and Las Vegas, there are at least two or three owners who have concerns about the financial aspect and aren’t thrilled by the idea of adding two new expansion teams, writes Howard Beck of The Ringer. According to Beck, there are also several front office executives who view expansion as being solely financially motivated and are skeptical about whether it’s a good idea from a basketball perspective.
“Is (expansion) good? I would say no,” one executive from a playoff team told Beck. “I look at some of these rosters and can say some teams have at least one, if not two, players that shouldn’t be in the NBA. There should be a concern about dilution of talent. The two new teams are going to be really bad for a while. Add to it that good players are staying in college for the paydays they are getting (via NIL), and there is even less talent available.”
As Beck notes within his story, the NBA’s decision to approve an “exploration” of expansion is something of a hedge, giving the league an out if the process doesn’t go as planned. For instance, while team owners would surely feel comfortable moving forward with expansion if it can extract fees in the $8-10 billion range for two new franchises, many of those same owners would be less enthusiastic if the bids topped out at, say, $5 billion.
Beck also wonders if the NBA might be willing to turn away from either Seattle or Las Vegas if a prospective ownership group from another city came through with a massive bid, given that the process appears to be driven by money. However, one executive he spoke to predicted that Seattle and Vegas would be “better markets than some we already have.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- With the Sweet 16 games set to tip off in a matter of hours, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic shares his thoughts on how the NCAA tournament has impacted his perception of several of this year’s top draft prospects, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report updates his 2026 mock draft, and Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints each identify four players – one from each region – whom they’ll be watching on Thursday and Friday.
- Arguing that a single Coach of the Year award isn’t sufficient to recognize the exceptional performances in the NBA’s head coaching ranks, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports introduces his “All-Coaching team,” headlined by J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons, Mitch Johnson of the Spurs, and Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics.
- Elsewhere on the made-up-award front, Fred Katz of The Athletic unveils the 10 players who made his All-Surprise first and second teams this season. The first team consists of Pistons center Jalen Duren, Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson, Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, and Celtics center Neemias Queta.
And-Ones: Fournier, Mamukelashvili, Queta, NCAA Tourney
Veteran wing NBA Evan Fournier, who currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece after spending 12 seasons in the NBA from 2012-24, said in an interview with L’Equipe that he expects to retire as a player at the end of his current contract, which expires in 2028 (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops).
Fournier, 33, also indicated that he’d be interested in representing France again at the 2027 World Cup and/or 2028 Olympics if the national team wants him on its roster.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Raptors forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili remains focused on competing in the NBA for the foreseeable future, but he told Ric Bucher of Full Court Passport (YouTube link) that he likes the idea of eventually finishing his career and spending his retirement years in Europe. Specifically, Mamukelashvili is intrigued by the possibility of competing in the NBA’s European league. “The talent will be there, and I think it’s going to compete with college and even the NBA,” the Georgian big man said of NBA Europe, per Eurohoops. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops, and hopefully, down the line, I will have my chance to play over there.”
- Celtics center Neemias Queta, Heat forward Pelle Larsson, and Cavaliers swingman Jaylon Tyson are among the role players highlighted by John Hollinger of The Athletic within a story on the unheralded contributors enjoying breakout seasons.
- Mamukelashvili and Queta are two of several minimum-salary players who should be in line for significant raises on their next contracts, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan, who also examines players like Suns guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, suggests Mamukelashvili could earn a starting salary of $8-10MM on his next deal and speculates that Queta’s floor will be the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM+).
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic identifies nine players he’s excited to watch in the NCAA Tournament, including top-five prospects like Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, as well as a few projected to be drafted later in the first round, such as UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. and Alabama’s Amari Allen.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Thompson, White, Vucevic
After making an emotional season debut Friday night in Boston where fans celebrated his return 10 months after Achilles surgery, Jayson Tatum was relieved to get back to a normal environment Sunday at Cleveland, writes Jay King of The Athletic. Tatum remained on a minutes restriction, but he scored 20 points as the Celtics posted an emphatic win in a battle of Eastern Conference contenders.
“The other day was such a big deal, and obviously, in a home game in the city of Boston, I had a lot of family in town,” Tatum said. “Today just kind of felt like getting back in the flow of things. And that felt good for me.”
Tatum scored 12 points in the first seven minutes to help Boston build an early lead. Although he missed seven of his nine three-point attempts, he sank a clutch one with about two minutes left to play to stave off a Cleveland comeback. King notes that the Celtics were already playing well without Tatum – holding the league’s best defensive rating and second-best net rating – and have won the two games since his return by an average of 15.5 points.
“I don’t think his game has gone anywhere,” Payton Pritchard said. “I’ve seen him working on it. I think it’s more now, after not playing in a while, you’ve just got to get your flow back. Like, one-on-one reads, stuff like that.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- After Friday’s win over the Mavericks, Klay Thompson offered some advice to Tatum, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe states in a subscriber-only piece. Thompson has plenty of experience in overcoming major injuries after suffering an ACL tear during the 2019 Finals and a ruptured Achilles tendon the following year. “One of his messages was like, ‘Man, just give yourself some grace,’” Tatum said Sunday. “He said that he wished he would have given himself more grace. Obviously, being elite athletes and competitors that we are, we want it so bad. But I’m still on the road to recovery and this is just a phase of it.”
- Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson views Derrick White as a major reason that the Celtics were able to remain competitive during Tatum’s absence, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “Derrick White, he’s a top-five player in this league,” Atkinson said. “I know no one says that in the standard media, but analytically, you look at all the advanced stuff, he’s (a) top-five player in the league, superstar. Jaylen [Brown] is obviously having a great year. [Neemias] Queta is analytically one of the top 30, probably. They have a lot of talent even without Jayson. So I think if you just kind of look, ‘Oh my gosh, Jayson Tatum’s out, they’re going to be terrible,’ I never bought into that.”
- Speaking to reporters on Sunday, coach Joe Mazzulla shared his advice for Nikola Vucevic, who will be sidelined for about a month with a fractured finger, relays Souichi Terada of MassLive. “Just stay in shape,” Mazzulla said. “Do everything he can with whatever the limitations are. He does a great job in the film room studying. Just continuing to do what he’s been doing. He’s a professional.”
Celtics Notes: Scheierman, Queta, Brown, Centers
Baylor Scheierman was in the Celtics‘ starting lineup Sunday night even though he fractured his left thumb in Friday’s win over Brooklyn, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes in a subscriber-only story. The second-year guard made his eighth consecutive start and managed a normal workload, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. The thumb injury on his shooting hand may have affected his outside shot as he only connected on 2-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc.
Scheierman explained that the injury occurred in a collision with Nets rookie Egor Demin late in the first half.
“He was running the other way, and I thought he was just going to chase after the ball because it was up in the air, and I think my thumb just kind of went into his chest,” Scheierman said. “Just hurt and looked down and just kind of felt weird and kind of just locked.”
He was able to tape his thumb and finish the game and didn’t realize the extent of the injury until X-rays revealed the fracture. He took some jumpers during the day on Sunday and decided he would be able to play.
“We’re kind of just evaluating it as it goes, but I feel good enough to be out there, so that’s how it’s going to be,” Scheierman said. “I’m not going to sit out.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
Celtics Notes: Queta, Scheierman, Tatum, Vucevic
Celtics starting center Neemias Queta recently detailed his journey as the NBA’s first (and only) player from Portugal in an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Queta’s parents moved to Portugal from their native Guinea-Bissau due to the civil war that took place in the West African country in the late 1990s, Spears writes.
Queta has never been to Guinea-Bissau or to Africa, but he hopes to visit his parents’ home country with his mother “in the next couple of years.”
“They were in kind of like a refugee type of situation. It was more trying to get to that safe place and Port Portugal welcomed them,” Queta said.
The 26-year-old big man, who was born in Lisbon and grew up 20 miles outside of Portugal’s capital, didn’t start playing basketball until he was 10 years old, per Spears, and only had one full scholarship offer (from Utah State) in the United States in 2018. After he spent three years with the Aggies, Sacramento selected Queta 39th overall in the 2021 draft.
Queta spent two years with the Kings on two-way contracts, but was waived in the 2023 offseason. The Celtics signed him to a two-way deal a few days later, and after being converted at the end of the 2023/24 season, he signed a multiyear standard contract in the summer of 2024. Boston holds a $2.7MM team option on Queta for 2026/27.
“It’s a lot of love. Being the face of the NBA for Portugal is pretty good for me,” Queta said. “It’s a blessing that I don’t take lightly. I just want to be out here and just do the best I can so I can put the best version of our culture on the map.”
Here’s more on the Celtics, who are currently 39-20, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference:
- Second-year guard Baylor Scheierman is questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Philadelphia due to a left thumb fracture, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Scheierman, who is left-handed, appeared to suffer the injury when he collided with Egor Demin in the second quarter of Friday’s win over Brooklyn, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter video link). The 25-year-old wing was able to stay in the game another 13 minutes after having his thumb taped, Forsberg adds. Scheierman has been productive in 13 games (27.1 MPG) as a starter this season, Forsberg notes (via Twitter), averaging 8.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.1 SPG while shooting 36.8% on threes and playing solid defense. Scheierman, the 30th overall pick in the 2024 draft, has started Boston’s last eight games.
- There had been speculation that Jayson Tatum might return to action on March 1, but that won’t be the case, as the star forward has been ruled out against the 76ers as he continues to work his way back from a torn Achilles tendon, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.com.
- The Celtics are focused on self-improvement and integrating trade deadline acquisition Nikola Vucevic as they look to make another deep playoff run, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). The 35-year-old center had his best game with Boston during Friday’s lopsided victory, recording 28 points (on 9-of-13 shooting), 11 rebounds and four assists in just 25 minutes. “I’m still getting used to the new offense and all my teammates and learning their tendencies,” Vucevic said. “At times I think I do overthink a little bit, which makes me kind of hesitant and takes away my aggressiveness. I feel like [Friday] I was able to put a little more together and play off my teammates. I just have to find the right balance of being aggressive, use my instincts but make it fit with what we want to run.”