Partway through the 2018-19 season, just months before his Toronto Raptors would go on to win the franchise’s first NBA title, coach Nick Nurse had a problem. Kyle Lowry, Nurse’s All-Star point guard, was in a shooting slump — and no one could figure out why. Nurse, an analytics-driven coach who also ran dedicated shooting […]
In the early days of NBA free agency, most teams are busy trying to level up. There are always 29 teams whose seasons ended in disappointment the year before, and for the most part, they want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. This year was no different. Some teams brought back free agency formulas […]
A typical NBA draft prospect’s scouting report is likely to include a few common attributes listed as strengths: “athletic,” “long wingspan,” “playmaker.” One characteristic that rarely appears as a strength? “Old.” It’s no secret that over the years, NBA teams have selected fewer and fewer players who spent four years at a U.S. college, prioritizing […]
It’s hard to imagine a multitime MVP, 7-foot ball-handler who has barriers to overcome. But Giannis Antetokounmpo did. He entered the 2020-21 playoffs with questions about his postseason performance after series losses to the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and Miami Heat in 2020, when he averaged 22.7 and 21.8 points per game, respectively. But winning […]
For the first time in 50 years, the Milwaukee Bucks are NBA champions. In capturing the franchise’s first title since the days of Oscar Robertson, Bob Dandridge and Lew Alcindor, the Bucks came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Phoenix Suns in four consecutive games, capping a magnificent run during which they conquered […]