January 2026

There were 1,518 posts published in January 2026 (this is page 7 of 152).

Who will make All-NBA teams this year? How the awards race is shaping up with injuries to top stars

This year’s award races, particularly All-NBA honors, will be incredibly difficult to suss through. There are always a ton of great individual performances across the league, so in a literal sense you can’t highlight everyone. Once you factor in the 65-games played minimum, the field simultaneously shrinks while making decisions even more difficult in some cases. 

In light of today’s exercise, taking a snapshot of what these teams could look like a little past the halfway point of the season, I’ll be selecting from the pool of players who are currently on pace to be eligible by the end of the year. Playing 65-of-82 means logging ]

Stats: 27.6 points (53/38/85 shooting splits), 3.2 rebounds, 6 assists, 0.6 steals

Brunson doubles as an insanely talented scorer and an infuriating player to defend. The list of guards who possess Brunson’s bag of pivots is a short one; his footwork is rivaled by few, especially if you filter for guys his size. Throw in an increasingly willing trigger from deep (career best 7.6 attempts) and continued growth as an interior passer — there’s still more room to grow against aggressive coverages — and you have a problem on your hands. 

Stats: 26.5 points (56/41/89 shooting splits), 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.9 blocks

Durant continues to climb up the record books, one silky-smooth jumper at a time. He’s been as advertised in his first season as a Rocket, his bucket-getting raising the floor and ceiling of an offense that desperately needed his skill set. He shape-shifts into whatever is needed — a spacer, iso threat, post hub, screener (he’s been hitting folks, lowkey) — and forces defenses to think hard about how they want to handle him and whatever action surrounds him. 

Stats: 29.3 points (55/41/79 shooting splits), 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.8 blocks

Edwards has leveled up in multiple areas, leading to the best offensive season of his career. Nobody as athletic as Edwards should be this good of a pull-up shooter from deep. That he’s also refined his midrange and post game makes him more dangerous — and those skills in particular should bode well once the postseason rolls around. Similar to Brown, Edwards has also shown that, when he locks in, he can be a strong on-ball defender willing to take on tough assignments in key moments. Speaking of key moments, Edwards has been insanely efficient in clutch situations. Keep an eye on him in the Clutch Player of the Year race.

Stats: 29.4 points (53/39/89 shooting splits), 4.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 2 steals, 0.9 blocks

Maxey has taken another step, arguably cementing himself as the Sixers’ best — or at the very least, most important — player this season.

His speed alone causes trouble for defenses, both in transition and in half-court situations. The Sixers have smartly weaponized that, along with his shooting, with more off-ball involvement. He flies off of screens every which-way, and sets quite a few of them in his own right. Even without fluff, Maxey can (and will) win with straight-line drives. If your defense is bent at any time, he’ll make sure it’s broken. 

Stats: 25.9 points (52/44/88 shooting splits), 4.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1 steal

The usual Murray script is being good-not-great at the beginning of a season, usually taking a little time to gain a rhythm as a shooter and driver before turning into a monster. This year, Murray’s been near or at the top of his game from the very beginning. 

He’s enjoying the best shooting season of his career and continues to infuriate guards with his blend of pick-and-roll chops, off-ball utility, shifty drives and occasional post-ups. While the partnership between him and Jokić has once again been excellent, Murray has been a monster — 27.8 points on 54/41/87 splits, 4.2 rebounds, 8.3 assists — since Jokić has been out. First-time All-Star and All-NBA honors are well-deserved right now.

Stats: 25.8 points (54/36/80 shooting splits), 7.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks

It’s kinda funny watching teams deal with Avdija. Nobody is driving more on a per-game basis than Avdija (19.9), edging out Jaylen Brown (18.5) and SGA (18.4) for those honors. Nobody drives going right more than Avdija (576); Mitchell is second on that list with 390. The scouting report is obvious. There are no surprises, and yet, Avdija gets to his spots — and to the free-throw line — almost at will.

He has carried this Blazers offense, particularly during their extended stretch without Jrue Holiday. To that point, the Blazers score at a top-10 level with Avdija on the floor and score at a much lower clip than the league’s worst offense when he sits. That, combined with the rarity of his basic box score — he’s one of six players averaging 25-5-5, and the list shrinks to three when bumping it to 25-7-6 — makes for a compelling All-NBA case.

Stats: 19.4 points (55/31/83 shooting splits), 8.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.5 blocks

While it’d be understandable because of the league’s depth, it’d be a shame if Barnes wasn’t rewarded for his all-around excellence this season. Not many players have to toggle as many hats as he does: primary playmaker, secondary playmaker, screener, post hub, mismatch hunter, wing defender, big defender, guard defender, backline clean-up guy, full-court pressure weapon.

The Raptors wouldn’t be a top-four team in the East, only a game out of the No. 2 seed, without Barnes filling as many roles and gaps as he does. He’s put together an All-Defense-caliber season — and his Defensive Player of the Year case at least deserves some examination.

Stats: 25.4 points (52/31/86 shooting splits), 4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.9 steals

There’s stiff competition for the We Didn’t Think You’d Win This Much award between the Celtics (no Jayson Tatum), Sixers (alllll of the health concerns), and Suns (no Durant, no Bradley Beal, new head coach).

The Suns may still have my vote. The defense has led the dance, but the offense has been spearheaded by the versatility of Booker. He’s a bucket in his own right, constantly receiving picks to zoom through before attacking bent defenses. Because of his gravity and willingness to operate off the ball, it’s made it easier for the players around him to break out. Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, Grayson Allen and others aren’t able to thrive to this degree without Booker’s approach — and the fear that his presence alone unlocks. 

(Also, while I wouldn’t make an All-Defense argument for Booker, I do think it’s worth noting his level of buy-in defensively.)

Stats: 22.2 points (56/33/82 shooting splits), 6.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals

The list of players averaging at least 20-6-5 is only seven-deep — really five-deep considering Jokić and Giannis aren’t factoring in for me right now. Either way, Randle is on that list, and has been quite efficient (59.8 true shooting) while doing so. His blend of chest-caving drives and playmaking have been important to Minnesota’s offense. It’s been especially important when Edwards hasn’t been on the floor; the Wolves have not only won the Randle on, Edwards off minutes, their offense has largely tanked without Randle on the floor, period.

Stats: 17.8 points (66/38/77 shooting splits), 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 2 blocks

Holmgren’s case is pretty straightforward: he’s been an insanely efficient play-finisher, has grown as a self-creator — a career-high 37.7% of his 2s have been unassisted; the drives and turnaround jumpers in particular have been fun — and is a, if not the, frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year. Opponents are converting roughly 47% of their shots at the rim against Holmgren, the second-stingiest mark in the league (Isaiah Stewart, 43.4%) among 56 players defending at least four rim attempts per game.

Stats: 17.9 points (64/0/72 shooting splits), 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks

Duren has, figuratively and literally, been at the center of the Pistons’ success this year. Operating as the primary screening partner for Cunningham, Duren has consistently pried Cunningham open for fruitful pull-ups and drives while becoming more of a threat in his own right. He’s grown as a short-roll playmaker, feasted on midrange jumpers all year, and been a devastating driver when he has room to operate. Add in the defensive growth, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he winds up making quite a few ballots this year.

Stats: 25.4 points (49/35/90 shooting splits), 4.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.3 steals

In a way, I feel for Harden. He was the metronome of productivity while the Clippers got off to one of the worst starts in franchise history. They’ve since turned it around, driven primarily by the currently ineligible Leonard, but it’s not like Harden hasn’t been hooping in his own right. His blend of drives, playmaking, step-back jumpers and foul-drawing still makes him one of the best offensive players in the league.

Stats: 22.9 points (56/36/78 shooting splits), 10.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.2 steals

Johnson is the new face of the Hawks following their decision to trade Trae Young, though you could argue the tide was turning before the transaction actually happened. He’s taken on more ownership of the offense, oscillating between pick-and-roll reps, elbow initiation (often after receiving an off-ball screen to set it up) and his usual goodness in transition. His (late) jump-passes excite me; the defense leaves a bit to be desired at this stage, though it’s (sadly) expected in light of his rise in offensive responsibility.

Stats: 25.6 points (57/40/85 shooting splits), 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals

Many expected Porter Jr.’s production to go up in Brooklyn by virtue of the roster context. I’m not sure many expected him to be this good, this efficient (61.8 true shooting) and be weaponized in so many ways. He’s an absolutely lethal shooter, but the chemistry he’s built with Nic Claxton — off-ball work, handoffs, pick-and-rolls — has been one of the underrated joys of the season.

Stats: 21.1 points (54/30/69 shooting splits), 9.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 1 block

Probably my toughest omission among eligible candidates, Şengün has largely been awesome this season. The Rockets get him the ball at different spots — on the low block, in the middle of the floor, at the elbow, above the break — and unleash him as a scorer and initiator. Defensively, he’s continued to grow (I think he’s firmly good now, hope that isn’t a hot take) and the Rockets smartly deploy him as part of their cross-matching and growing aggression against ball screens. The two nitpicks keeping him off the third team, at least for now: 

  • He’s below league-average in efficiency right now (56 true shooting, league average is 57.9), but more importantly for this exercise, he’s behind all five Third Teamers (Barnes is the closest at 57.5). 

  • He’s at a games and/or minutes deficit against all five Third Teamers as well; Randle and Barnes are probably the easiest direct comps to make to Şengün, and they’ve appeared in 10 and nine more games respectively. 

Athletics extend Jacob Wilson on 7-year, $70 million deal

The Athletics and shortstop Jacob Wilson agreed to a seven-year, $70 million contract extension, the team announced on Friday.

The deal includes a club option for the 2033 season.

Wilson, 23, is coming off his first full MLB season. He finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting to teammate Nick Kurtz after batting .311 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI in 125 games and was named to the AL All-Star team.

The sixth overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of Grand Canyon University, Wilson, whose dad, Jack, played 12 MLB seasons, told MLB.com recently he was using this offseason to improve his strength.

“It’s definitely been the main focus for the last couple of offseasons now,” Wilson said. “Being able to grow into my body a little bit more and put on more muscle. I’ve been at the A’s facility for the entire offseason now, working with the strength staff to get stronger and prepare my body for the long season ahead.”

This is the latest move for the Athletics this offseason after signing reliever Mark Leiter Jr., acquiring infielder Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets, and extending outfielder Tyler Soderstrom with a seven-year contract.

Wilson, Kurtz, Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Shea Langeliers represent a hitting core the Athletics hope can lead the team back to the postseason for the first time since 2020 and drum up excitement for their future move to Las Vegas.