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.
