On Monday evening, I sat in my office with two screens, one showing Spurs-Heat and the other showing Pistons-Lakers. As the postseason nears, I try to pay closer attention to the inner workings of these “high-profile” matchups, viewing them from a playoff lens.
Is Team X truly hitting their stride? Can Team Y adjust to an opponent’s adjustment in the second half? How does Team Z fare against a shapeshifting zone?
What I took away from those two games not only reinforced why both Detroit and San Antonio are among the best teams in the NBA this season, but why their coaching has separated them from the rest of the pack — and why crowning just one as Coach of the Year is cruel.
The Pistons, who were without Cade Cunningham (and will be for some time as he recovers from a collapsed lung), held the Lakers to 23 points in the fourth quarter, including 0-for-5 from 3 and seven turnovers to boot. Daniss Jenkins (who went undrafted, by the way) continued to excel functioning as a primary initiator, leading the way with 30 points on an efficient 11-for-18 shooting to go along with 8 assists and 4 rebounds.
J.B. Bickerstaff has guided a young Pistons team to the No. 1 seed in the East. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Gregory Shamus via Getty Images
Detroit’s defense-by-committee limited Luka Dončić to 32 points on 29 shots, and its two most important possessions had Kevin Huerter and Jalen Duren tasked with stopping the Slovenian and succeeded, a reminder of the trust that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has in his entire group. (The Lakers were also one of the hottest teams in the league, having won 12 of their past 13 games. So there’s that.)
A little over 1,000 miles away, the Spurs were able to turn one of their biggest weaknesses — functioning against a zone defense (fourth-worst points per possession) — into a strength against the Heat, the heaviest zone usage team in the NBA (978 possessions, per Synergy tracking data). They registered a monstrous 1.875 points per chance on spot-ups against Miami’s zone, and 1.333 points on cuts, per Synergy tracking data.
San Antonio stretched an eight-point lead, from the 8-minute mark of the second quarter, to a whopping 30-point lead by the midway mark of the third quarter. Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson both finished with 21 points apiece off the bench, Bam “Mr. 83” Adebayo struggled courtesy of an aggressive Spurs defense (18 points on 17 shots) and 136 points were dropped on the NBA’s No. 7 defense.
In both instances, coaching was at the epicenter. There are various storylines you could pluck from either team. For the Pistons: the improvement of Duren, the development of Jenkins, and the consistency of Cunningham. For the Spurs: Stephon Castle’s rapid rise, Johnson’s malleability and Harper’s reliability. The list goes on and on.
You could also point to the success both teams have had without their best players. Detroit is 8-2 without Cunningham this season and San Antonio is 10-5 without Victor Wembanyama.
Again, coaching.
So how do you determine who should win Coach of the Year?
This is where it gets tricky. Late March is typically when awards discourse heats up around the league. Look no further than Wembanyama himself making his case for why he should win MVP over the incumbent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The sheer fact that Wemby is passionate enough about regular-season accolades is refreshing, but hearing him elaborate on his reasoning drove home the realization that criteria — both for voting and non-voting individuals — is fluid, and the narrative can change from year-to-year.
This season has already yielded the need for rule changes to address tanking, gambling and overall integrity. But why stop there? Let’s add another tweak to the awards, and add an All-Coaching team.
I’ll say it again: The NBA needs to consider replacing Coach of the Year with All-Coaching First Team.
The way the award is currently presented doesn’t do enough justice to some of the work being done around the league.
We already have the MVP award, but that is supported by All-NBA teams. The Defensive Player of the Year is crowned and there are two All-Defensive groups. Even the Rookie of the Year has two All-Rookie teams. So why not expand the award based on the individuals tasked with leading these great players and teams on a nightly basis?
As with any award selection, my methodology of differentiating who and who doesn’t belong on my All-Coaching team is down to the following criteria:
Season expectations (a combination of previous season’s record and Vegas odds)
Talent level and development
Player availability and maneuvering in the presence of injuries
Current success
These would be my five selections for the inaugural All-Coaching team:
J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons
Vegas preseason win projection: 46.5
Current record: 52-19 (10th in offense, 2nd in defense)
Who needs to shoot a bunch of 3s when you lead the league in turnover rate? Bickerstaff has done perhaps the most remarkable coaching job in the league this season. The Pistons are playing with house money, being considerably ahead of schedule, spearheaded by Cunningham’s MVP-esque campaign, the NBA’s No. 2 defense and an abundance of youth. Detroit, which won 44 games last season, isn’t supposed to be here right now. Period.
Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Vegas preseason win projection: 44.5
Current record: 54-18 (4th in offense, 3rd in defense)
Coming off of Wembanyama’s second season, one would have assumed the Spurs would at least challenge for a play-in spot. Making it to the NBA Cup final, going band for band with the reigning champs, having beaten them four out of five times this year already, wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card. The Spurs are 20-2 over their last 22 games. Johnson has built this team in his image. He has gotten complete buy-in from the veterans and is challenging the status quo. Oh, and Wemby looks like the best player in basketball right now and still has other levels to get to.
Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics
Vegas preseason win projection: 41.5
Current record: 47-24 (2nd in offense, 4th in defense)
2025-26 was slated to be a mulligan for Boston, with Jayson Tatum gone for the majority of the season rehabbing a torn Achilles, and Celtics ownership stripping the roster down to its barebones to avoid heavy tax penalties. Tell that to Mazzulla, who shoehorned Jaylen Brown into an uber-efficient, hybrid scorer/playmaker/primary defender role, Neemias Queta as an athletic anchor, and Derrick White as apparently a top-5 player with analytical ethical ball.
Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder
Vegas preseason win projection: 62.5
Current record: 57-15 (6th in offense, 1st in defense)
When Vegas made its projections for a Thunder team fresh off winning a title, continuity was assumed. Explain that to a Thunder team that has Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe as its two most-played guys. Jalen Williams has appeared in just 27 games this season, Isaiah Hartenstein has played in 40 — which ranks 15th and 11th on the roster, respectively. Daigneault’s Finals-winning lineup has played 52 minutes across six games! How he’s responded to his lack of player availability is by extracting an All-Defensive season out of Wallace, developing Jaylin Williams into a reliable floor spacer, creating a solid secondary creator in Ajay Mitchell, and having all roads lead back to SGA, who has had just about as fine of a potential repeat season as any former MVP.
Charles Lee, Charlotte Hornets
Vegas preseason win projection: 27.5
Current record: 38-34 (5th in offense, 13th in defense)
The Hornets were destined for another season rooted in mediocrity, but Lee sold his vision on making Charlotte an offensive juggernaut and viable defensive unit. Since Jan. 1, the Hornets lead the league in point differential, have won 27-of-39 games and sport the No. 1 offense and No. 5 defense in that span, per Cleaning the Glass. Expand that to all season and the Hornets are just outside the top-five in net rating.
Lee has convinced the likes of LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller to accept lesser roles within the overall structure for the betterment of the group, and has rookie Kon Knueppel as a real threat to snatch Rookie of the Year from Cooper Flagg. How many folks could predict that the Ball-Bridges-Miller-Knueppel-Moussa Diabate lineup would score 136.7 points per 100 possessions, with a +28.4 in differential? I’ll hang up and listen.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver backed the league’s 65-game rule during the Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday. The rule, implemented in the 2023-24 season, requires players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for major awards such as MVP, All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year.
“I’m not ready to say it’s not working,” Silver said. “It is working. I’m not ready to say that because there is a sense of unfairness for one player, the rule doesn’t work.”
“Cade Cunningham’s potential ineligibility for postseason awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and yet another example of why it must be abolished or reformed to include an exception for significant injuries. Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”
Cunningham has played 61 games and was expected to be in contention for All-NBA and MVP honors before suffering a collapsed lung last Wednesday. He is set to be reevaluated in early April. To qualify for awards, he must play in four of the Detroit Pistons’ remaining 11 games.
Cunningham’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, told ESPN’s Shams Charania that the 24-year-old point guard should be granted an exception.
“Cade has delivered a first-team All-NBA season,” Schwartz said. “If he falls just short of an arbitrary games-played threshold due to a legitimate injury, it should not disqualify him from recognition he has clearly earned over the course of the season. The league should reward excellence, not enforce rigid cutoffs that ignore context. An exception needs to be made.”
Other players who could be affected by the rule if they fail to reach 65 games include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Cooper Flagg, Kawhi Leonard and Tyrese Maxey.
What is a baseball season, if not a series of cascading stories, unfurling one after another? October is its own grand beast, but the marathon regular season is a stage all its own. The singular length of the MLB calendar allows for narrative arc, for character development in a way other sports do not. This is the lens through which we’ll attempt to preview the upcoming campaign.
Who are the figures most likely to define, influence and dictate the 2026 season? When the dust settles in November, what and whom will we remember? That is the admittedly vague framework for this list of the top 50 people who will impact the MLB season. But this is not a science, so lighten up and enjoy the ball, why don’t ya?
25. Kevin McGonigle, Tigers infielder 24. Konnor Griffin, Pirates shortstop
Oh, to be young and full of promise.
Widely considered the two best prospects in baseball, McGonigle and Griffin are both expected to be major contributors this season. McGonigle’s impact should start right away; the 21-year-old made Detroit’s Opening Day roster. Skipper A.J. Hinch said McGonigle will go back and forth between third base and shortstop, but his magic is in the batter’s box, where he projects as a special, special hitter. It’s a short, compact move with legit juice and elite swing decisions. McGonigle immediately becomes one of the Tigers’ best bats and represents the club’s only major offensive addition from a year ago. How quickly he hits the ground running will play a big role in determining how good Detroit’s lineup is in what is likely the final year of the Tarik Skubal Era.
Griffin, almost two years younger than McGonigle, did not make Pittsburgh’s roster. That decision, despite all the hype, was likely more about legitimate player development concerns than service time tomfoolery. The 19-year-old Mississippian clocked some big homers in spring training but didn’t otherwise blow the lid off the joint. Besides, Griffin has yet to take a Triple-A at-bat. He’ll be up in Pittsburgh soon enough, and when that happens, he’ll be the most hyped Pirates rookie position player since Andrew McCutchen.
23. Emmanuel Clase, former (?) Guardians pitcher and alleged gambler
A word to the wise: If you’re a major-league ballplayer, you probably shouldn’t be wagering on Major League Baseball.
Clase, once the most dominant closer of his generation, has become the face of something much more sinister. His direct alleged involvement in a gambling scandal was made public just before last year’s trade deadline and has since become one of the most important stories in the sport. Allegedly, Clase was intentionally throwing balls outside the strike zone in predetermined moments while an off-site accomplice was placing prop bets on the outcomes. He’s also accused of roping in teammate Luis Ortiz into the scheme, though Clase appears to have been the ringleader.
The trial won’t commence until after the World Series, but this story will most certainly cast a shadow on the 2026 season. MLB’s embrace of the online betting world is equal parts understandable and unsettling. All the other leagues are doing it, the money is there to be had, and partnering with gambling sites, in theory, allows for better monitoring practices. But with Pandora’s box completely ajar, scandals such as Clase’s will keep happening as long as stupid ballplayers are around to do stupid stuff.
22. Elly De La Cruz, Reds shortstop 21. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles shortstop
Here we have two of the game’s most talented young players coming off down years. Health, for both, was a huge factor in 2025, even though Henderson played 154 games and De La Cruz played all 162. A left shoulder issue limited the O’s shortstop’s offensive output, though he finished the season with 17 long balls and 5.3 bWAR. De La Cruz battled through a partial strain of his left quadriceps, an issue that significantly restricted his trademark athleticism. Before the injury, he was having the most consistent season of his career.
Clean bills of health should propel both unicorn shortstops to bounce back, and that will only raise the volume on their futures. Henderson is a free agent after 2028, De La Cruz after 2029. Both are represented by agent Scott Boras, renowned for his aversion to contract extensions. Perhaps a new economic model brought about by the future collective bargaining agreement alters that calculus, but it’s fair to begin thinking about whether and how the Reds and Orioles can keep their cornerstones around for the long haul.
20. Tony Vitello, Giants manager 19. Rafael Devers, Giants infielder
The San Francisco Giants, under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey, took two massive swings in 2025. First, they pulled off a shocking blockbuster with the Red Sox that brought Devers to the Bay. Then, after the season, they tabbed University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello to be their new manager. Both have to be considered high-risk, high-reward moves.
Vitello was a superstar in the college ranks, a polarizing but undeniably effective leader who turned Volunteer Baseball into a national brand. He is the first figure in the modern era to make the leap directly from college head coach to big-league manager. Vitello might need an adjustment period — he’s liable to say and/or do a ton of newsworthy things this year — but the ball coach can really coach ball. This was a fascinating hire and a reminder that Posey is willing to color outside the lines.
Devers’ is a more familiar story. The Giants took on his entire, bulky contract to make him the face of their franchise, and now they expect him to hit. The baby-faced slugger was great, though not spectacular, after his midseason changing of clothes, with his OPS 100 points lower as a Giant. Some of that is attributable to the poor hitting environment at Oracle Park, but that’s not changing anytime soon. After being the center of so much drama in Boston in 2025, the Giants want Devers to focus on just hitting in 2026. Good thing that’s his job.
18. Garrett Crochet, Red Sox starting pitcher 17. Roman Anthony, Red Sox outfielder
Can Garrett Crochet do that — 205 1/3 innings, 2.59 ERA, 255 strikeouts — again? Can Anthony, who doesn’t turn 22 until May, live up to the hype and carry an entire offense on his shoulders? Therein lies the 2026 Red Sox’s season.
Craig Breslow, Boston’s chief baseball officer, has made an abundance of transactions since taking over as head honcho in October 2023. No move has proven more immediately fruitful than the trade he swung for Crochet last winter. The swashbuckling southpaw made The Leap in 2025, finishing second in AL Cy Young voting and solidifying himself as one of the game’s true aces. It’s a lot to ask, but Boston needs Crochet to do that again, even with offseason rotation reinforcements Ranger Suárez and Sonny Gray now in the fold.
Anthony, who debuted in June, is expected to lead the line for Boston’s lineup. The Red Sox have a lot of nice hitters, but Anthony is the likeliest to evolve into a game-changing monster. Every World Series champion since the 2015 Royals has had a truly elite hitter in the middle of the order. Everyone around baseball believes Anthony can become that type of player, but whether he can do it right away will likely dictate how Boston’s season pans out.
What will happen in Tarik Skubal’s final season in Detroit? How will Shohei Ohtani wow us this year? Can the superstars in Philly and Queens deliver? Will there be a lockout? These are among the storylines that will define this MLB season.
Instead of full-blown robo-umps, starting this season, teams will have two challenges to potentially overturn bad calls. If they fail the challenge, they lose the challenge. But all things considered, they’d rather not even use the challenge. It all means that umpires will be under the microscope more than ever this year.
During each challenge, the home plate umpire will remove their mask and announce the challenge to the crowd. Rather than relegating them to the shadows behind a veil of technologies, umps are about to become main characters. We will see their faces and hear their voices. Some will become appreciated, even beloved, as they nail challenge after challenge. Others, like Bucknor, will have to up their game or risk notoriety.
Tucker’s decision to join up with the Los Angeles juggernaut was one of the top stories of the offseason. Considered the market’s best free agent, many prognosticators expected the 29-year-old to sign a long-term deal somewhere. Instead, he ended up with the Dodgers on a four-year, $240 million contract. Tucker is a sensational hitter who rocked an adjusted OPS 43% better than league average in a so-called down year with the Cubs in 2025. But as a character, there’s not much exhilarating about Tucker. He’s a subdued cat, happy to stay out of sight until he needs to skulk into the batter’s box. That will, in some ways, make him a perfect new villain on a Dodgers club that has already irked so many fans around the country.
Yamamoto, on the other hand, is an utter delight even when he’s carving your team into shreds. His World Series heroics made even the troll-iest of haters tip their caps. Armed with an aesthetically diverse arsenal and top-shelf athleticism, Yamamoto is a joy to watch pitch. He’s also damn good. If he can work a bit deeper into games and get his innings total up, the 27-year-old can give Paul Skenes a run for his NL Cy Young money.
13. Cal Raleigh, Mariners catcher 12. Julio Rodríguez, Mariners outfielder
Cal Raleigh probably isn’t hitting 60 homers again. Such is the humbling pendulum of baseball. That’s not an indictment of Seattle’s Large Caboose — he’s still one of the best backstops in MLB — it’s just that the only players ever to go 60-piece in back-to-back seasons were Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998 and 1999. Give me the under, your honor!
That means a different Mariner will have to step up in 2026. Enter J-Rod. Still only 25 years old, Rodríguez has delivered a stellar four-season opening salvo to his big-league career, with three All-Star Games, three top-10 MVP finishes, an average of 31 homers per 162 games and spectacular defense in center. Yet the charismatic Dominican has yet to reach his offensive ceiling. Rodríguez could continue to be what he has been and nobody in navy and teal would complain. But if it fully clicks? Watch out.
The Mariners fell one game short of a first World Series appearance in 2025, then doubled down over the winter, re-signing Josh Naylor and trading for Brendan Donovan. Even so, their season will likely be defined by how much worse Raleigh is than last year and how much Rodríguez is able to fill that gap.
11. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals shortstop
At this point, everybody more or less agrees that Bobby Witt Jr. is the third-best baseball player on Earth. In this era, there’s no shame in bronze. Aaron Judge might be the greatest right-handed hitter who has ever lived. Shohei Ohtani pitches and hits! And so Witt is forced to settle for the title of “best all-around player.”
His numbers actually took a step back in 2025, which mostly speaks to just how outrageous his 2024 season was (9.6 bWAR, 174 OPS+, 32 homers, 31 steals, .977 OPS, Gold Glove defense at shortstop). Still only 25, Witt enters this season looking to carry the Royals back to the postseason. Kansas City won a playoff round in 2024, but Witt was generally underwhelming during that run, going just 5-for-26 with one walk and no extra-base hits. October glory seems like a birthright for the preternatural Texan, but as Mike Trout learned the hard way, it gets late early around here. Witt is currently at the peak of his powers. That means the clock has begun to tick.
10. Vlad Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays first baseman
Do you know where Vladdy finished in AL MVP voting last season? I bet you didn’t guess 13th.
That’s not too shabby, but for a player of Guerrero’s immense talent, it’s too low. The landmark contract extension in April and epic postseason performance in October somewhat overshadowed the fact that Toronto’s franchise man was simply great and not otherworldly in 2025. Guerrero went yard just 23 times, and his OPS was only .848.
Yes, he made good in the playoffs, clobbering eight homers in 18 games and winning ALCS MVP. But there’s much, much more in the tank here as far as regular-season output is concerned. And with former sidekick Bo Bichette now in Queens, Guerrero needs to reemerge as one of the absolute best bats in the sport if the Jays want to win another AL East crown.
9. Bryce Harper, Phillies first baseman
Is Bryce Harper still elite? Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski certainly has his doubts. “He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past,” the veteran exec proclaimed during his postmortem presser for the 2025 season. “And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good.”
While it was questionable and shocking to hear Dombrowski critique his superstar publicly, Harper’s season stats reinforce that claim. An .844 OPS with 27 home runs is very much not elite. Harper clearly took his boss’ comments to heart, sporting a black T-Shirt with the words “not elite” on it in an offseason workout video.
For team and player, this bizarre storyline only raises the stakes as Philly seeks to keep its window of contention propped open. Harper, the face of this franchise, isn’t getting any younger. He turns 34 in October. There is still no championship ring on his finger. Whether he’s elite or not in 2026 will go a long way in determining if that continues to be the case.
8. Paul Skenes, Pirates starting pitcher
It all happened very fast for Skenes, who was pitching against the Louisville Bats at this time two years ago. His brilliance, at this point, is inarguable. Skenes is a unicorn, an athletic marvel, a finesse pitcher with an array of offerings who also happens to throw 99. There’s nothing like him, and barring injury, he will post ERAs under 3.00 for the foreseeable future.
For the Pirates, things are much hazier. Pittsburgh enters this season with legitimate playoff aspirations for the first time in a while. They at least attempted to rehabilitate an offense that finished dead last in homers last year, adding Ryan O’Hearn, Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna. Griffin will show up at some point. The other arms behind Skenes are legitimately good. There’s a world in which the Pirates play October baseball this season. Wouldn’t that be something? Skenes, who won a national championship with LSU, is clearly thirsting for meaningful games. Getting to witness him truly unleashed on a grand stage would be a win for us all.
7. Bruce Meyer, MLB Players Association interim executive director 6. Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner
There’s a labor tsunami coming, a runaway freight train of exhausting discourse and no baseball. With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire Dec. 1, the entire baseball world is preparing for a messy, acrimonious battle. A league-initiated lockout is almost definitely happening. Team owners want a salary cap. The union does not. Missing games is a real possibility.
5. Francisco Lindor, Mets shortstop 4. Juan Soto, Mets outfielder
The 2025 Mets were not a trainwreck because Lindor and Soto didn’t become besties. The shambolic starting pitching and disorganized defense were much, much bigger problems. However, things definitely weren’t all peaches and cream between these two superstars. Both are on the team for the long haul, so it would behoove everyone in Queens if Soto and Lindor could get on the same page. Again, they don’t need to have scrapbooking sleepovers or anything, but there’s room for them to establish a more productive working environment.
Separately, too, these two are crucial characters for the season. Lindor is working back from a hamate injury, an issue that can sap a hitter’s power for a little while. When will he return to full strength? Soto’s first year with the Mets, statistically speaking, lived up to the hype. He hit 43 homers, stole 38 bases, had a .921 OPS and finished third in NL MVP voting. His defense in right field, unfortunately, was horrendous. The Mets have moved him to left, where the responsibilities are somewhat lighter, but Soto making any sort of significant improvement defensively would be a massive development.
If the Mets and their rejuvenated roster don’t make the playoffs, next winter is going to be a hot-take snowball fight for the New York media, with Lindor and Soto at the center of it.
3. Aaron Judge, Yankees outfielder
Judge is the greatest Yankee ever without a World Series ring. From now until the day he retires or raises a trophy, that reality will define Judge’s professional life. Such are the stakes in the Bronx. Still, it’s difficult to pin New York’s 17-year title drought on Judge, who has established himself as one of the most productive right-handed hitters in MLB history. He has won the AL MVP award in three of the past four seasons and enters 2026 as the favorite to win a fourth. Most importantly, his preposterous 13-for-24 performance in the postseason quieted some of the “Judge can’t handle October” gobbledegook.
Fair or not, Judge’s legacy won’t be secure without a ring. That’s true even in the most team-oriented sport there is. Whether Judge reaches the promised land depends largely on whether the 25 other souls on the Yankees show up when the weather gets cold. That’s the whole thing. The regular season is just a preamble, a home run derby exhibition for the best to ever do it.
2. Tarik Skubal, Tigers starting pitcher
Barring an unforeseen contract extension, the two-time reigning Cy Young will reach free agency for the first time at season’s end. What happens between now and then is anybody’s guess.
The likeliest scenario is probably the most boring one: Skubal is excellent again, the Tigers make the playoffs but don’t win the World Series, a richer ballclub pays Skubal to leave. But all of that is far from a given. If the Tigers struggle and find themselves out of contention at the trade deadline, Skubal could become the best hurler to hit the midseason trade block since … Randy Johnson in the late 1990s?
Painful though it would be to deal away Skubal, the alternative is even scarier. The Angels learned this the hard way, when they clung to Shohei Ohtani at the 2023 deadline before missing the playoffs, a decision that set their entire franchise back. No matter how things play out this season, each Skubal outing will feel like a referendum on his future and his team’s future. It’s a fascinating dynamic.
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers two-way player
Who else? There are a gazillion interesting things about Ohtani, like there are stars in the sky. Such is life as the game’s most transcendent figure. This year, the Ohtani storyline is all about the two-way superstar’s full-time return to pitching. Elbow surgery in September 2023 left the four-time MVP sidelined from the mound for all of 2024 and much of 2025. When he came back halfway through last season, he did so very gradually, very carefully. Los Angeles loosened its grip a bit during October, but Ohtani was clearly limited to some extent.
So here we go: The most famous player in baseball is once again trying to do the thing for which he is famous. It has been three years since Ohtani did his two-way schtick without limits. How differently things look in Dodger blue compared to Angel red will be interesting to follow. Anaheim let Ohtani do whatever he wanted; Los Angeles has already been much more hands-on. How will the Dodgers limit his workload? Will his offensive output decline now that he’s working two jobs? Can he continue to do both at such a high level now that he’s a few years older? Who knows, but I can’t wait to find out.
Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine break down the NBA MVP debate between Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by diving deep into the advanced stats. With Wemby’s league-best +16.5 on/off swing and SGA’s dominance across nearly every all-in-one metric, the MVP race may be closer than the odds indicate.
Tom & Dan also discuss why the NBA’s 65-game rule might be overdue for reconsideration and react to the possible NBA expansion into Las Vegas and Seattle.
(1:12) Wemby’s MVP case (22:22) SGA’s MVP case (40:43) NBPA calls for awards rule changes (1:02:50) NBA votes to explore expansion
Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is surrounded by teammates after he scored the game-winning basket against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center on March 19, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas
The NBA in March is thoroughly weird. It’s a time when guys who usually fly under the radar string together games (due to injuries to the team’s primary players) where they look like future key pieces.
Are they? In some cases, yes. In other cases, perhaps not. But that shouldn’t prevent us from enjoying their play, while hoping they stick at the pro level — because let’s be honest, the league is always better when more talent pops.
Here are three players who are putting in the late-season work while fighting for a role, and even a job, for next season.
After coming over from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Ayo Dosunmu trade, Miller has made the most of his opportunity in Chicago.
The 6-foot-10 power forward has played in 16 games for the Bulls, averaging 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in just under 20 minutes of play. He’s creative inside, and has a bit of a jumper (which needs work over the summer) and a high motor. He’s cracked double-figure scoring in his last seven games, including a 17-point, nine-rebound performance against the Rockets on Monday.
Miller is fairly adept on the wing, as he handles the ball competently and is improving as a passer. At 22, there’s still quite a bit of potential left in the tank. So the Bulls are hoping, with a strong summer ahead, that he turns into a permanent rotation player for them as they continue their rebuild.
Julian Reese, Washington Wizards
Yes, he may be better known as Angel Reese’s brother, but he’s also making a name for himself these days.
The 22-year-old is a formidable rebounder (like his sister) who understands the power of angles, is relentless in his pursuit of the ball, and just has a nose for being in the right spot at the right time. While his 9.2 points and 9.4 rebounds are solid, his two-way contractual status limits his availability. But when he plays, he’s making a difference.
Finally, the power forward is converting on nearly 60% of his shots, and has shown a patience in letting the offense develop. If he doesn’t end up with the Wizards next season, some other team should definitely give him a shot.
Tyson Etienne, Brooklyn Nets
At 6-foot-nothing, Etienne will always be at a size disadvantage, which means a stable offensive game is outright required. After a slow start to the season, the 26-year-old is coming on strong, and he’s doing it off the 3-ball.
Etienne is hitting 43.9% of his 3-point attempts this season, and he’s getting those bad boys up quick and on high volume. Over his past eight games, he’s taking 5.5 of them in just over 17 minutes of play. He essentially doesn’t take 2s, but that’s by design, and it’s a design which works within the construct of the offense.
Whether Etienne has a future in Brooklyn, or if he has to look elsewhere, remains to be seen. It’s always exceedingly difficult to break through at the NBA level at that size. But if he can spend the remaining part of the season showcasing his ability to take, and hit, a plethora of outside shots, that should give him the ammunition to seek out a more permanent home.
Baseball season has officially arrived! The 2026 season will kick off tonight in California when the New York Yankees take on the San Francisco Giants. As part of the start of the grind that is the regular season, we tell you about some of the most important names you need to know in baseball for this year.
On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the top 50 most notable names, including four important members of the Los Angeles Dodgers who aren’t named Shohei Ohtani and one very large presence in the Bronx looking to make history. They also discuss which umpire you should be aware of with ABS becoming a part of the league, and why we need to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have a more impactful season.
Later, Jake and Jordan try to determine which starting pitchers will fare the best on the first game of the season with their annual starters draft. The guys then discuss the Chicago Cubs extending Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Detroit Tigers breaking camp with Kevin McGonigle, and why the Netflix broadcast for the first game of the season is going to be a wild experience.
The NBA playoff picture will come into clearer view each day between now and the end of the regular season on April 12. In the meantime, we will provide detailed daily updates on the landscape, including magic numbers, remaining schedules and the stakes for every day’s slate of games.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, in some order, appear bound for the top four playoff seeds and home-court advantage in the opening round. The Pistons, who hold a five-game lead on the Celtics and Knicks, are almost certain to capture the East’s No. 1 seed, barring a complete meltdown in the absence of injured Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung).
Who, exactly, those four teams will play in the opening round is entirely up for grabs, as just two wins separate the fifth seed from the 10th seed. The Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat are all jockeying for position down the stretch of a season that has surpassed 70 games.
Technically, the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls are still alive for postseason contention, though they are locked in a different kind of race — one for lottery odds.
What’s at stake: Whichever team finishes with a worse record will receive a 20.3% chance at a top-four pick and a 4.5% chance at the No. 1 pick. And whichever team finishes with a better record will get a 13.9% shot at top four and a 3% shot at No. 1.
However, if the Bucks do ultimately land the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery — or any selection higher than the New Orleans Pelicans — it will convey to the Hawks.
Wednesday’s games of consequence (all times Eastern)
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are bound for the top two seeds, with OKC holding a considerable lead for the league’s No. 1 overall seed.
The Los Angeles Lakers, with their recent nine-game winning streak, moved in as heavy favorites to capture the conference’s No. 3 seed. Beyond them is anyone’s guess.
Zero losses separate the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets, who are all but guaranteed the West’s final three guaranteed playoff spots. Only one of those three teams will earn home-court advantage in the first round.
The conference’s play-in tournament field is also all but set. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors appear headed for the Nos. 7 and 10 seeds, respectively. And the L.A. Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers will duke it out for the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds.
Who doesn’t love a good return, am I right? Your favorite artist making new music, a superhero saving the day, a TV couple finally answering the “Will they or won’t they get back together?” question. There’s a joy that comes with it. It’s like anything is possible. Jon Snow rose from the dead, Snooki went back to the Jersey Shore house, order has been restored.
Basketball, of course, has had its fair share too. From “Here comes Willis!” to Magic Johnson at the 1992 All-Star Game to “I’m back,” etc., etc.
The thing about a return, though, is the second that moment sticks there is a harsh reality of: “What’s next?” The games stack and that adrenaline is replaced with a reminder of expectations. Those expectations could be accelerated by the Boston Celtics being the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, or because of the All-NBA form Tatum was in pre-injury. With a (small) sample size, how do we evaluate a player who wasn’t likely to return, on a team that wasn’t expected to do all of this?
The reintegration of Jayson Tatum
The Celtics are 6-2 in games that Tatum has played in, so hopefully we can throw a bow on the Jaylen Brown/Tatum discourse for a beat. There’s a familiarity that exists, but also reintegration that must take place.
All season long the Celtics’ roster has understood the assignment. Offensively, without Tatum, we saw ball movement in the half-court, an effort to get to drive-and-kick, off-ball movement and (of course) a lot of 3s. Very little of that has to go away with Tatum returning, and to a degree it gives Tatum more margin for error. As he works to find his rhythm and confidence, it could help not having to make every single play.
Something that flies under the radar is what the Celtics’ offense can do as far as opening up shots and opportunities for Tatum.
Jaylen Brown has had an incredible season, but notice the decision defenses have to make when Brown looks to attack. A wing iso with Tatum one pass away opens doors. You’re either opening up a driving lane (that Brown is more than willing to attack) or committing to help and opening a kick to Tatum for a shot. This can make the — checks shooting splits — misses from Tatum feel a little louder, but that type of shot quality and pressure feels like something Boston would live with day in and day out.
Using Brown and Tatum in action together also has value, but we can be honest, most defenses are going to switch. Since Tatum’s return, I’ve been watching the “wave effect.” Stick with me.
The added pressure point is when a defense has to be concerned with one of them on one side of the floor and that flows into the other attacking on the other side. A quick dribble-handoff to Brown is going to draw nail help, leading to an advance pass to Tatum, who now can attack a tilted defense. It’s a subtle way for Boston to find a blend and get the best of both worlds.
Flashes of the ‘Old Tatum’
According to the tracking data from NBA.com, Tatum averaged 10.3 drives per game last year. He’s at 9.7 per game since he’s returned. Why is this important? One, it points to him being a similar type of player as when he left. Two, whenever a player returns from injury, I’m looking at how much they want to drive the basketball. It’s an indicator of how they are feeling in that moment.
Tatum has been willing and it feels important because of how much of a rhythm player he is. One of my favorite basketball riddles is, does the shot set up the drive or does the drive set up the shot? The easiest ways to see flashes of the “Old Tatum” is when he’s had his strongest drives. The patience is still there, the craft is still there, but it can sometimes be a fight between the mind and the body.
There are moments where you can see Tatum revving up for a drive and trying to find the footwork to set up a finish or work through contact. There are also moments where the footwork is on point, the grace returns and rhythm is a dancer. The willingness to drive speaks volume and the flashes of confidence feel just as important as the result.
Boston has tried to help Tatum by setting higher screens for him to get downhill and get some momentum to get to a pull-up 3 or get downhill into the paint. The Celtics have worked to flow into an action when Tatum trails in transition and a big is positioned ready to screen for him. If the ball advances to him, it’s a pick-and-roll with him on the move. If it doesn’t, it’s flare screen with him moving into space. It appears intentional to allow him to rev up in a natural flow.
One thing that has also stood out on tape has been the passing from Tatum since he’s returned. He grew as a playmaker pre-injury, but to return and get right back to reading defenses is impressive. He’s been quick, decisive and on-target once he sees how defenses are helping.
What Tatum adds to the Celtics
Tatum’s return has brought an added bonus to the Celtics: a pressure point. Boston has used Tatum as a screener (or has had someone screen for him) to try to create an advantage. This is not a new tactic for the Celtics, but it does carry a little more weight if an initial action fails or if they can get to it within the flow of the offense. Tatum as a screener has been most impactful in matchups where a team doesn’t want to switch a specific defender onto him. One moment of hesitation can open up a shot for Tatum or others.
Tatum has shown he still has a knack for doing the little things as an on-ball screener. Sometimes he’s screening wide, getting enough of a push so the defense can’t get under, and working toward the elbow.
Other times, he’s slipping in the path of a defender before they can complete the switch, opening a roll to the rim.
Boston will still have people screen for Tatum to attack matchups in a more “traditional” way. The key again is to keep pressure on a defense.
A little thing that Tatum does is work to make a quick decision to secure a coverage. You can see below against Phoenix, Sam Hauser screens for him to get Collin Gillespie in action. He takes one dribble right and then immediately goes back left. That combined with Hauser working to roll the other way secures the switch. Tatum is able to get in the paint, force more help and open up a kick to Derrick White.
It can be easy at times to think of screening to attack matchups as just an “on ball” type of action, but it can be just as powerful off ball. Boston has worked to go to elbow action to get Tatum involved as a screener, a disguise to get defenses to potentially give a switch without giving away what it truly wants to attack.
Tatum will set a back screen and immediately look to slip and dive toward the post. It’s a test of what a defense wants to do and how it will react. It’s another leverage play on Tatum as a pressure point, a hope that a defense either is not clean at the first level, or that the weakside reacts to Tatum closer to the basket.
What can get lost in the reintegration process is the impact a player can still have without stuffing every single part of the box score. Boston has to continue to work to figure out how to best use Tatum. He adds layers to the offensive attack and the Celtics can get to those without changing what they’ve done.
Joe Mazzulla was recently quoted as saying Tatum is “giving the game what it needs,” and I think that speaks volumes. Tatum’s presence can impact their formula and winning without altering much of the attention to detail they’ve shown throughout the year.
How Tatum has looked on defense
Lastly, I do want to mention Tatum’s defense because it was one of the bigger question marks I had upon his return. Not in a pure 1v1 type of way, but how would he fit into the Celtics’ defensive context. The way they guard requires multiple efforts, working to help and recover to yours, closing back out to the perimeter and containing.
One of my favorite parts of watching the Celtics’ defense this year has been the different ways they show help and collapse on drives. Sometimes it’s sudden. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes it’s sneaky; the closer you get to the basket, the more jerseys you see.
For the most part, Tatum has fit in and done his job. What that lacks in neon lights, it makes up for in honest work. Just because a seasoning isn’t bold doesn’t mean it’s not getting the job done. Tatum has had good reps on the weakside, has worked to get to the right spot, has been ready to switch and work to contain dribble penetration.
What will get interesting is seeing how and when teams look to attack him. It’s not so much that the Celtics (or Tatum) have worked to hide him, more so human nature. Tatum has been willing to switch, but do teams try to up the ante? I’m curious about teams making Tatum make multiple efforts, getting him to guard multiple actions or guard on the move. Is that something teams will poke at while there is still some rust? Would that benefit Tatum going into the playoffs?
At the end of the day, the most important thing basketball-wise is piecing all of this together. There is a mental aspect that we as observers, analysts, fans can’t grasp. And that mental aspect can loom around the corner, or linger in the present and bring doubt about the future. It’s hard to imagine a world where Jayson Tatum came back and didn’t want to get right back to being Jayson Tatum.
The trick is balancing that, but also understanding that coming back is still impacting success in winning. Progress over perfection, giving your best and understanding that may look different each day. For Tatum it has to be about building on the flashes, stacking the moments on top of each other and moving forward.
The Celtics and Tatum are both better off having each other to rely on. The question may be how far that will take them, but there is no doubt they have a chance to make a louder noise together.
Like every season, I’m in a bunch of leagues. Mostly redraft leagues, one keeper league. Private leagues. Industry leagues. Draft leagues, salary cap leagues, a draft-and-hold league — the list goes on and on.
Nothing complicated in this case. You need early draft capital to take these players, and I generally didn’t have it. As for the salary cap leagues, I prefer not to build a roster centered around one expensive player. Everyone expects this trio to excel again, me included — I even picked Witt for AL MVP.
Paul Skenes, Pirates
Garrett Crochet, Red Sox
Here’s another example of how I opted to shop in the A-/B+ bucket and avoid the most expensive pitchers. I do have a Tarik Skubal share, so I’m not locked out there. But most of my staff are helmed by guys like Logan Webb, Logan Gilbert and Hunter Brown, and I wanted to grab offense in the first round. Skenes and Crochet are in the prime of their careers and I’ll consider them appointment viewing as everyone else does. I just won’t be benefiting from it.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
There’s a joie de vivre with the Blue Jays that I wanted to tap into, but mostly I didn’t land these guys. Guerrero’s had a productive but meandering career. He reached 48 homers one year, but last season was down to 23. He’s challenged for batting titles, but also hit as low as the .260s. Durability hasn’t been a problem. Ultimately, I decided he wasn’t quite worth an ADP in the mid-teens, but I’ll still miss not rostering him.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
He was an eyelash more pricey than the aces I targeted, so Yamamoto isn’t in my 2026 profile. I can’t unsee how amazing he was in the 2026 playoffs. The Dodgers generally handle their pitchers with extreme care and caution — it’s rare anyone here qualifies for the ERA title — but perhaps Yamamoto profiles as an exception.
Brent Rooker, Athletics
Jacob Wilson, Athletics
I expect the nomad Athletics to score a bunch of runs and be competitive, and these were two guys I was targeting. Rooker is the more established player, of course, while Wilson is a bat-control king who could easily hit a power spike. Unfortunately, my opponents get to make picks, too.
Roman Anthony, Red Sox
Everything about him screams out future superstar, and maybe that arrives in 2026. The batting eye is elite, he’ll hit leadoff in a great ballpark, the power should arrive quickly. Alas, the fantasy market is also expectant here, pushing Anthony’s ADP into the mid-40s. I was aggressive on Anthony in my salary cap leagues, but ran up against opponents who also love his profile.
Jacob deGrom, Rangers
My favorite pitcher to watch over the last 10-15 years has been a healthy Jacob deGrom. Unfortunately, we never really know when that guy will be available. I had deGrom on my most important roster last year and found it almost stressful to watch him, even as he stayed hale for 30 starts. This year, I decided to hold onto the fandom but not stake my fantasy success on his season. I do think the Rangers can be a fun team this summer.
William Contreras, Brewers
I’ve been promoting the smarter-than-everyone-else Brewers for a few months, and I thought my résumé would be overflowing with Milwaukee players. I landed some, but not as many as I expected. Contreras was generally not a target because I don’t like paying up at catcher, but I know I’ll be tracking this team closely and it stings to not have a stake in a player this consistent.
Maikel García, Royals
He’s the AL’s version of Gerardo Perdomo, a vastly improved player who now presents a tricky call in the 60-70 range. Oddly, I wound up with a bunch of Perdomo shares but none of García. In the middle of one salary cap draft, I recognized I didn’t have enough roster flexibility and told myself, “García, no matter what.” Then the offers sailed into the 20s and I had to back away.
Nolan McLean, Mets
Pretty sure I have a share somewhere but I know I’m underweight with this potential ace. McLean was dominant in eight starts last year and it will be a blast watching him every five days, with the outstanding SNY TV crew in the backdrop.
Corey Seager, Rangers
He’s basically the hitter version of deGrom. When Seager is right, he can be one of the five best hitters in baseball. But you have to expect him to miss chunks of time, and the Texas ballpark isn’t great for offense.
Cade Smith, Guardians
He was a little underpriced when draft season opened, but that was ironed out quickly. Smith does everything you want from a closer — he piles up strikeouts, doesn’t walk guys, keeps the ball in the park. And this Cleveland team was built to win low-scoring games.
Cam Schlittler, Yankees
Chase Burns, Reds
Bubba Chandler, Pirates
Shiny new toys are expensive. But I still felt pangs of regret when I wasn’t landing these guys.
