Basketball Intelligence For 5/21/25
The day's best news and reporting
*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
The Fall Guy: Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is Not a Scammer
Danny Chau, The Ringer
NBA DRAFT
International Wildcards: Rumors, Intel, Draft Impact and Portal Watch
Rafael Barlowe, NBA Big Board
Jake Fischer Latest: The NBA Draft, in many ways, starts at No. 3
Jake Fischer, The Stein Line
The Draft Now Revolves Around Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey
J. Kyle Mann, The Ringer
Cedric Coward: The Noise Is Valid
Stephen Gillaspie, No Ceilings
Whether it’s Jalen Williams or Payton Watson in the 2022 NBA Draft class, Ziaire Williams in the 2021 NBA Draft class, James Wiseman in the 2020 NBA Draft class, or Darius Garland —who only played five games for Vanderbilt—in the 2019 NBA Draft class, NBA teams are routinely presented at least one player that requires some squinting when reviewing their profile. The trajectory may be unorthodox, but that doesn’t mean that the reward won’t outweigh the “risk”.
This year, there are some players that fit well within this “conundrum” category. Carter Bryant of Arizona is one such player, who was highly regarded coming out of high school, received a modest role at Arizona, but now is teetering around a consensus Top 10 ranking. Hansen Yang—the big man who played for Qingdao in the CBA—is coming off the heels of a solid combine performance. Possessing great size, nice feel for passing, and a potential deep ball, Yang has introduced his own amount of intrigue now that we’ve seen him perform well against his peers. However, they are not the hottest names that fit this bill.
This year, teams will have to wrestle with this question: “How high is too high for Cedric Coward?”
Joan Beringer: NBA draft scouting report and intel
Cyro Asseo De Choch, Hoops Hype
Overseas -> College Hoops
Dynasty NBA
TEAM NEWS
BOS: What is post-viral syndrome? Explaining illness that limited Kristaps Porziņģis in NBA playoffs
Tess DeMeyer, The Athletic
CLE: Cavs’ championship hopes depend on Evan Mobley, not Donovan Mitchell
Jason Lloyd, The Athletic
CLE: The Cleveland Cavaliers ignored their most important player when it mattered most
Tony Pesta, Fear The Sword
DEN: Was Game 7 in Oklahoma City end of Nuggets’ championship core four?
Bennett Durando, The Denver Post
DEN: Nikola Jokic’s championship window with Nuggets? George Karl’s got plan to save it
Sean Keeler, The Denver Post
The Nuggets aren’t in a pickle. They’re in a hoagie of hurt, sandwiched between two of the deepest teams in the NBA right now. While Oklahoma City and Minnesota are tussling in a steel cage match to reach the NBA Finals, Chopper Circle is without a general manager, without a head coach, without a draft pick in 2025, and without much cap space.
IND: Eastern finals preview
Kelly Dwyer, Kelly Dwyer On Hoops
IND: Pacers feeling ‘greedy’ as they stare down best chance to win an NBA title
Zak Keefer, The Athletic
MIN: Timberwolves need Naz Reid and their bench to show up more than they did in Game 1
Jon Krawcyznski, The Athletic
MIN: Timberwolves' failure to launch in paint, score from bench spells doom in Game 1 loss
Lorenzo Reyes, USA Today
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