And-Ones: All-Defense, G League Playoffs, Acuff, Fertitta
Yahoo Sports contributor Nekias Duncan lists his picks for the two All-Defensive teams (as of March 27). Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo and Derrick White comprise Duncan’s first team, while Cason Wallace, Stephon Castle, Dyson Daniels, Scottie Barnes and Marcus Smart are on the second.
Duncan also cites nine honorable mentions who didn’t quite make the cut, including Evan Mobley, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. Duncan says Ausar Thompson would replace Smart if he qualifies; the third-year forward needs to play at least 20 minutes in seven of Detroit’s last eight games to be eligible (Smart may not qualify either due to the requirements of the 65-game rule).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The 16-team field and schedule for the NBA G League playoffs has been set, the league announced in a press release. The Osceola Magic (26-10) are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while the South Bay Lakers (26-10) are the No. 1 seed in the West. The NBAGL playoffs feature a single-elimination tournament until the finals, which is best-of-three. Osceola and the Stockton Kings (23-13, the third seed in the West) faced off in last year’s finals, with Stockton winning the title.
- Darius Acuff Jr. is widely projected to be a top-nine pick in the upcoming draft and one NBA general manager recently told Marc J. Spears of Andscape he thinks the Arkansas guard is the third-best prospect in the 2026 class, behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and UNC’s Caleb Wilson. Razorbacks head coach John Calipari, who has coached numerous future NBA stars in college, says teams would be foolish to pass over Acuff, a first-team All-American as a freshman. “Pass on him, you’ll regret it,” Calipari told Andscape. “I said it about Tyrese (Maxey). I’ve said it about a bunch of guys. I said it about Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander): ‘You’re going to regret passing on this kid.’ And I know there are other good players, but this kid (Acuff) is unique.”
- Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta and his family have reached an agreement to purchase the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and relocate the team to Houston, confirms Alexa Philippou of ESPN. Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine first reported the news. The plan is for the Sun to finish 2026 in Connecticut before relocating in 2027. The Fertitta family is spending $300MM to buy the team, which is expected to be called the Comets. The Houston Comets were a WNBA team from 1997-2008.
Spurs Notes: Castle, K. Johnson, Fox, Kornet, Wembanyama
Coach Mitch Johnson made sure Stephon Castle got the chance to pick up his fourth triple-double of the season in Saturday’s win at Milwaukee, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
With the Spurs leading by 32 points midway through the fourth quarter, Johnson observed that Castle was one rebound short of reaching the mark. After being reinserted into the game, it only took Castle 24 seconds to grab the extra board, and he was quickly pulled out after also posting 22 points and 10 assists in 29 minutes.
“I knew I needed one more before I got subbed out, so coach put me back in there,” Castle said.
Orsborn notes that the coaching staff has been urging Castle to improve his rebounding to add another dimension to his skills. He’s averaging 5.1 per game, up from his 3.7 mark as a rookie.
“If I can help our bigs rebound and start our break and keep our pace up, then I feel like it’s a plus,” he said.
There’s more on the Spurs:
- Keldon Johnson scored 16 points, recording his 50th double-digit game off the bench this season, Orsborn states in the same piece. Johnson, who’s a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year honors, is the only player in franchise history to accomplish that feat, having done it last season as well. He also tied a season high with five assists on Saturday.
- De’Aaron Fox and Luke Kornet returned to action after missing Wednesday’s game at Memphis with minor injuries, Orsborn adds. Both players logged 21 minutes against Milwaukee, with Fox posting 12 points and six assists and Kornet finishing with two points, one rebound and a steal.
- Victor Wembanyama is making good on the warning he issued to the rest of the basketball world after his French team had to settle for the silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. “I’m learning,” Wembanyama said at the time, “and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years.” He added that he was referring to players “everywhere,” not just in future Olympics. Wembanyama is living up to that statement in 2025/26, putting together an MVP-caliber season and stating his case for the award earlier this week.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Losing Streak, Playoffs, Free Agency
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes that Monday’s game against the Spurs featured the top two candidates for Defensive Player of the Year in Bam Adebayo and Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Chiang writes for the Miami Herald.
“If we can really defend the way we’ve been defending the last month, then I think it’s a two-man race for the Defensive Player of the Year,” Spoelstra said prior to the game. “I think it’s just whatever flavor you like. They’ve won at an extremely high level, San Antonio. And their defense has been consistently a notch above ours. But we’re starting to catch them in that.“
Sportsbooks have Adebayo closer to fifth than second, Chiang notes, with Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Rudy Gobert (Wolves), and Scottie Barnes (Raptors) ahead of him.
Spoelstra also believes that Adebayo is deserving of an All-NBA spot this season.
We have more out of Miami:
- On the heels of a seven-game winning streak, the Heat matched their longest losing streak of the season when they fell to the Spurs on Monday for their fifth loss in a row. They have a 16-26 record this season against teams that entered Monday with a winning record, Chiang writes. “When the going gets tough, we let go of the rope,” guard Norman Powell said. “I think that’s what happens when we have losses like this. We get hit, get some adversity, miss some shots, and then just everybody starts worrying about what happened on offense and teams take advantage of it and keep punishing us. But yeah, when we get hit, we continue to fold.” While the Heat have hung their hat on defense this year, Chiang points out that this marks the first time in franchise history that the team has given up at least 120 points in five straight games. Adebayo and Spoelstra were seen having an animated exchange after the Heat coach subbed out his star big in the second quarter. “I don’t want to be in the play-in. So some of that is, yeah, he’s got to protect me from myself,” Adebayo said after. “But also I don’t want to be in the f—–g play-in. So every game, I’m going to try to go out there and do the best I can to carry this team and force our way out of that.”
- As counterintuitive as it might run to the Heat’s DNA, it could be beneficial for them to miss the playoffs this season, Barry Jackson writes for the Herald. Jackson notes that Miami’s refusal to tank has impacted their ability to bring in another star-level player, while even vaunted teams like the Spurs have endured years of pain to form their talented cores.
- The Heat are entering year seven of being unable to reel in a “whale” of a talent, according to Jackson. By that, he’s referring to their ability to sign or trade for a star player, though Powell did make the All-Star game this season with Miami. Jackson goes through some of the top stars the Heat were in the running for in recent years – including Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant – and considers how falling short in each of those pursuits looks in hindsight.
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Argues MVP Case
A locker room conversation on Monday night that began with Spurs wing Keldon Johnson making Victor Wembanyama‘s Most Valuable Player case to Jared Weiss of The Athletic turned into Wembanyama himself tagging in for his teammate and explaining to Weiss why he feels he deserves to be this year’s NBA MVP.
As Weiss writes, Wembanyama highlighted the impact he has on the defensive end of the court, contending that his case hinges on the fact that he’s such an outlier in terms of defensive value, especially compared to his primary competitors for MVP. The Spurs big man suggested that’s one of three primary arguments in his favor relative to current betting favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder.
“My first (argument) would be that defense is 50 percent of the game and that is undervalued, so far, in the MVP race,” Wembanyama said. “I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league. Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season and we dominated them three times with their real team and four times with the, you know, more rotation players. My third argument would be that offense impact is not just points.”
Wembanyama expanded on that last point by focusing on the defensive attention he commands in the pick-and-roll, adding that he has seen data showing that he ranks right alongside Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the most effective roll man in the NBA. However, he acknowledged that voters need to weigh defensive impact more heavily in order for him to have a legitimate chance at MVP honors.
“It’s going to happen (over) time,” Wembanyama told Weiss. “If there were more players like Giannis (Antetokounmpo) in the past years, maybe defense would have been more recognized. I don’t know.”
Wembanyama is averaging 24.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 blocks in just 29.3 minutes per game over the course of 56 appearances this season, with a .504/.356/.818 shooting line. Those offensive numbers pale in comparison to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31.6 PPG, 6.6 APG, and .553/.390/.888 shooting.
Still, Wembanyama’s on/off numbers reflect his value, particularly on defense. The Spurs have registered a +16.6 net rating and 103.5 defensive rating when he’s on the court, compared to a -0.1 net rating and 113.7 defensive rating when he’s not. According to Weiss, he has spoken to some voters who’ve said that they’d vote for Wembanyama if the Spurs (54-18) pass the Thunder (57-15) for the NBA’s best record.
Following his conversation with Weiss, Wembanyama told reporters in his post-game media session that he’s determined to solidify his MVP case by finishing the season strong.
“I think right now, there is a debate,” he said. “There should be, even though I think I should lead the race. And I’ll try to make sure that by the end of the season, there’s no debate.”
Luka Doncic, LaMelo Ball Named Players Of The Week
Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference, while Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has won the award in the East, the NBA announced today in a press release.
It’s the second straight week Doncic has claimed the award. The 27-year-old had a spectacular showing from March 16-22, helping guide Los Angeles to a 4-0 road record by averaging 42.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 3.0 steals on .500/.390/.723 shooting in 38.5 minutes per contest.
The highlight of Doncic’s week came on Thursday in Miami, when he poured in a season-high 60 points. The Slovenian superstar has now won Player of the Week four times in 2025/26, moving past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has three.
Ball helped lead Charlotte to a 3-0 record last week, averaging 26.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.0 RPG and 2.3 SPG on .500/.412/.846 shooting in just 27.3 MPG. This is the first time the former All-Star point guard has claimed the weekly award in 2025/26 (and in his career).
According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Ayo Dosunmu, Rudy Gobert, Gilgeous-Alexander, Amen Thompson and Victor Wembanyama. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Duren, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Karl-Anthony Towns were nominated in the East.
Spurs Notes: Harper, Vassell, Castle, M. Johnson, Wemby
With Devin Vassell (sore right hamstring) a late scratch for precautionary reasons and Stephon Castle (right hip tightness) sidelined for the second consecutive time, Spurs guard Dylan Harper received the first start of his career in Saturday’s win over Indiana, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
Harper, last year’s No. 2 overall pick, overcame some pregame jitters to finish with 24 points (on 9-of-13 shooting), four rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in 28 minutes, Orsborn notes. Head coach Mitch Johnson praised Harper’s upside while pointing out that he committed four fouls and gave up a couple of backdoor layups to Andrew Nembhard.
“I think he can be sharper,” Johnson said. “I think he can continue to get in better shape. Those are nitpicking criticisms when you look at the production, but that’s how good he can be. … His upside and path is whatever he wants it to be. And I’m not trying to shine you on. I’m being dead serious. I just want him to be better at transition defense.”
As Orsborn observes, Harper almost certainly would have put up gaudier stats in his rookie season if he were playing on a lesser team, but Johnson and Harper’s teammates have praised the former Rutgers star for his maturity and willingness to accept a bench role for the betterment of the Spurs.
“We’re number two in the West,” said Harper, who turned 20 years old earlier this month. “To me, we’re the best team in the NBA. So for me to get drafted by an organization that’s so family oriented, I think any rookie would want to come here. From top to bottom, everyone is very professional and everyone is just so giving and so hands-on with everything.”
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- Johnson said after the victory that the Spurs don’t have any “long-term” concerns about Vassell’s injury, adding that the team was just being “super mindful” in regards to the sixth-year wing’s health (Twitter link via Orsborn). Johnson also said the Spurs weren’t worried about Castle’s hip issue, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who says more players might get days off down the stretch in preparation for the playoffs.
- McDonald wonders if Keldon Johnson is being overlooked as a Sixth Man of the Year contender. The veteran forward had 24 points (on 10-of-12 shooting), four rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes on Saturday, and has led the team in scoring five times this season. Johnson also has not yet missed a game in 2025/26.
- In another story for The Express-News, McDonald takes a look at the relationship of Mitch Johnson and Victor Wembanyama, who is making a late push for MVP consideration with his elite two-way play. Johnson used to help Wembanyama warm up before each game, but ceded those duties before the season began after being promoted to the full-time head coach. “There’s a level of accountability I have to hold him to,” Johnson said. “When you get to know somebody and then hopefully build trust with that person, it allows you to work with them, partner with them, push them in ways that I think probably could be a little bit deeper than just a coach trying to talk to a player.”
Spurs Clinch Playoff Spot
The Spurs became the second NBA team to clinch a playoff spot after pulling off a comeback victory over Phoenix on Thursday.
Victor Wembanyama, who had game highs of 34 points and 12 rebounds in 35 minutes, converted a game-winning fadeaway jump shot with 1.1 seconds remaining to put San Antonio up one (Twitter video link via the NBA). The Suns didn’t have a timeout to advance the ball, and Devin Booker missed a heave from beyond half court as time expired.
The Spurs, who have the second-best record in the league and are currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, improved to 52-18 with the win, while the No. 7 Suns dropped to 39-31. Phoenix is now 13 games behind San Antonio with only 12 games remaining, so there’s no way for the Suns to make up the deficit.
This will be the first playoff appearance for the Spurs since 2019, when they were eliminated in a seven-game first-round series against Denver. No one from that roster is on the current iteration of the team.
The Spurs had a strong start to the season, going 23-7 over their first 30 games. They had a brief lull in the middle of the season, compiling a 9-9 record from December 27 through January 31, but have been on fire ever since, reeling off 20 wins in their past 22 games.
San Antonio trails Oklahoma City, the only other team to secure a playoff berth, by three games for the top seed in the West.
Southwest Notes: Wemby, Missi, Marshall, Christie
While he acknowledges that he would vote for Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander if the season ended today, Sam Amick of The Athletic says Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama continues to strengthen his case in the race for Most Valuable Player and could steal some top-two votes that have long appeared earmarked for Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
As Amick points out, the on/off numbers are a point in Wembanyama’s favor, as the Spurs have a +16.0 net rating when he’s on the court and a 0.0 mark when he’s not, for a 16-point difference. That exceeds the 10-point gap between the Thunder’s net rating when Gilgeous-Alexander is and isn’t on the court. And while SGA is one of the NBA’s top scorers, Wembanyama, the overwhelming favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, is the more impactful player on the other end of the court.
It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that the Spurs could catch Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings, Amick notes. San Antonio is just 3.5 games out of the No. 1 spot, and Wembanyama has talked about wanting to get to the 60-win mark, whereas the defending champion Thunder may feel less compelled to push hard for seeding at the end of the regular season.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Pelicans center Yves Missi was considered a prime trade candidate leading up to this season’s deadline, but he remained in New Orleans and has impressed head coach James Borrego, who spoke glowingly of the second-year big man after he racked up 10 rebounds, five blocks, and five assists in a win over Dallas on Monday. “We’re using him a number of ways defensively,” Borrego said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). “Then he gets out and runs. He’s all over the offensive glass. He’s made tremendous strides.”
- Another pre-deadline trade candidate, forward Naji Marshall, is showing why the Mavericks weren’t eager to consider moving him last month, writes Nate Sanchez of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Marshall, who spoke earlier this season about his desire to play alongside Cooper Flagg long-term, had his best game of the season on Monday in New Orleans, with 32 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and no turnovers. “I appreciate everything about Naji,” Flagg said after the game. “He’s just such a good basketball player, all-around, consistent. He shows up every single night and is just a true professional.”
- Flagg, Marshall, and fourth-year wing Max Christie have been a few of the bright spots in an otherwise forgettable season for the Mavericks. Even with Dallas falling well out of the play-in picture, Christie told Spencer Davies of R.org that he wants to “finish strong” and resist letting fatigue get the best of him in what has been a career year so far. The 23-year-old will become extension-eligible this July as he enters the third season of a four-year, $32MM contract.
Luka Doncic, Bam Adebayo Earn Player Of Week Honors
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league office (Twitter links). The awards cover games played from March 9-15.
Doncic led the Lakers to a 3-0 week by averaging 37.3 points, 11.0 assists and 10.3 rebounds per game. He came one assist away from registering three consecutive triple-doubles, had 51 points on Thursday vs. Chicago, and made a last-second basket to defeat Denver in overtime on Saturday.
The selection of Adebayo was a foregone conclusion after his historic 83-point game against the Wizards, which represented the second-highest single-game scoring output in NBA history. Overall, Adebayo averaged 41.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest last week as the Heat won two of three games.
Doncic became the second player to win a third Player of the Week award in 2025/26, joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For Adebayo, it’s his second Player of the Week selection this season and the fourth of his career.
Devin Booker (Suns), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Austin Reaves (Lakers) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane (Magic), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren (Pistons), Brandon Ingram (Raptors) and Jalen Johnson (Hawks) were the other nominees from the East.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Harper, Kornet, Three-Point Shooting
After missing Thursday’s game with soreness in his right ankle, Victor Wembanyama appeared to be back to 100% as he dominated the Hornets on Saturday, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The star big man posted 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and two steals as the Spurs improved to a league-best 17-2 since the start of February.
“It’s been really good for us to go through these games and find out about other teams and find out about ourselves,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “We’ve had to be in a lot of different types of games, whether it’s a little bit open or having to cover a lot of distance defensively, matching some physicality, late-game execution, seeing different ways that people guard us. All these experiences are, hopefully, lessons we turn into knowledge and wisdom moving forward.”
Wembanyama will be a top contender for Defensive Player of the Year honors and may be an MVP finalist as well, but only if he reaches the 65-game minimum to qualify. He can miss two more games over the rest of the season, and Johnson talked about the challenge of getting Wembanyama to that mark while still protecting his health.
“Victor has the longest things he wants to do that are important probably in the history of basketball,” Johnson said. “They all are important to me as well. There’s a lot that goes into that, and at times, we have to make tough decisions. Because on that long list, there are still things that we prioritize and put on the top of the list. But that guy, I think, is going to challenge us as long as we’re all here to continue to match that desire to keep checking things off that list.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Rookie guard Dylan Harper was held out of the game with a right calf contusion, Wright adds. Johnson called him day-to-day and said there’s “no long-term concern.”
- Wembanyama rekindled his “French Vanilla” connection with Luke Kornet on Saturday, setting Kornet up for a pair of alley-oop dunks in the third quarter, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). The double-big lineup is popular with fans, but Johnson said it’s a “math problem” to keep both players on the court at the same time because Kornet plays most of his minutes when Wembanyama is resting. The scarcity of practice time that affects all NBA teams is also an issue. “If we haven’t trained and worked it out and really have a clear direction of what we’re looking for in certain situations,” Johnson said, “it’s tough than to ask them to go out in a game like that and execute at high level.”
- Three-point shooting was a weakness for the Spurs in the past, but coming into today they were tied with Charlotte for the league lead in that category since the All-Star break, McDonald states in a separate story. San Antonio hasn’t made any significant roster moves to add shooting, so Johnson believes the improvement is a result of playing faster. “Our pace has been great, so we’re getting probably higher shot quality,” he said. “I think our offense has continued to clean up in terms of spacing, execution, awareness. And then that typically flows into expectation of where people’s shots come from.”