Tyson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan. They’re the go-to examples of a distinctive NBA archetype: the athletic center who patrols the paint on defense and rolls to the rim on offense. They’re also the players to whom scouts and analysts compared Willie Cauley-Stein ahead of the
The leap. It’s that mythical transformation players undergo when they turn from rotation guys to key role players, role players to stars or stars to superstars. It’s vague and imperfectly defined, but we know it when we see it. Kristaps Porzingis, Victor Oladipo and Jaylen
Take a look at the NBA’s defensive efficiency rankings, and you’ll notice the Boston Celtics at the very top, allowing just 95.7 points per 100 possessions. That number isn’t merely good; it would be the best defensive rating since the 2011-12 season, when Tom Thibodeau’s
Two weeks ago, the San Antonio Spurs were chugging along in typical Spursian fashion, winners of their first four games despite the absence of Kawhi Leonard. The collective basketball world gushed about their ability to grind out victories. They looked destined for a sixth consecutive