Basketball Intelligence For 12/28/25
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
LEAGUEWIDE
Rookie Check-In: Taking a Look at the Top-6 Coming Into 2026 (Part 2)
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops
VJ’s motor, Harper’s impact, and the Flagg Effect
THE DRAFT
Quadir Copeland Scouting Report
Ersin Demir, NBA Draft Newsletter
Natural guard skills at 6-foot-6. With top role versatility, Copeland’s ready to fill an immediate need in the NBA
TEAM-SPECIFIC
ATL: Hawks rally falls short to Knicks, lose sixth straight game
Lauren Williams, AJC
ATL: After six straight losses and a players-only meeting, where do the Hawks go from here?
John Hollinger, The Athletic
BKN: Streaking Nets’ unexpected rise reaches new heights with win over Timberwolves
Brian Lewis, NY Post
BKN: Will Thomas Embrace Different Role On Improved Nets?
Steve Lichtenstein
BOS: Simons returns to Portland with new team, new (winning) role
Sherrod Blakely, Full Court Press
BOS: Anfernee Simons is improving in the area where his critics questioned him most
Bobby Krivitsky, Hardwood Houdini
BOS: Jayson Tatum could look to Heat’s Dru Smith, who rehabbed successfully from Achilles injury
Gary Washburn, Boston Globe
CHI: An inevitable shift is emerging in the Bulls’ ideal starting five
Austin McGee, Pippen Ain’t Easy
CLE: Cavs single out reserve as playoff-ready ‘beacon’ in otherwise dark loss
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
“Jaylon (Tyson) was the beacon tonight,” Atkinson said. “That’s how you have to play. He was ready for the fight. He was ready for the physicality. He was ready for the game. I highlighted him after the game. I said, ‘That’s what we needed across the board, and we didn’t get it.’”
Tyson finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, one steal and one block in 30 minutes.
He brought toughness, heart, hustle, vigor and effort — everything he pointed to as problematic earlier this month when he chastised the team in a postgame press conference. He personifies those characteristics — ones that are too frequently missing from the Cavaliers’ portfolio.
CLE: Game Night Observations: A Disaster in Houston and the Season’s Most Important Stretch
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot
