Here is maybe the simplest way of putting it: the Grizz want to feel, on a nightly basis, like they've done their job. That's what Marc Gasol was missing last season, why he cut such a bereft figure. Read more »

There's something almost admirable about DeMar DeRozan's distinctiveness, his apparent desire to refine his own style rather than attempt to fit into the prescribed idea of who he, or any modern guard, should be. Read more »

The Mavericks have always been innovative when it comes to Dirk Nowitzki. Read more »

Allen Iverson emphasizes over and over again the importance of being yourself, which is literally the moral of every other Disney movie, but coming from him is more political argument than feel-good sentiment. Read more »

What exactly Markkanen can become in the future is hard to say, but and at seven feet tall that makes him something the Bulls can put a high value on: an offensive weapon. Read more »

Don't look now, but is Kyle Korver one of the NBA's few remaining specialists? There aren't many single-skill guys kicking around these days; almost everybody is expected to do a few things well. Read more »

Without intending to, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler both show us how limited our patience today is for players acting like jerks, unlike in the Jordan/Kobe eras, how we now believe such behavior may be entertaining without being edifying. Read more »

Markelle Fultz's troubles aren't really his fault- he's the plaything of the cosmos at the moment- but they aren't Brett Brown or Elton Brand's either. Read more »

Luka Doncic's games haven't been statements or declarations of fact. They've just been reality playing itself out. He plays like he's exactly as good as he knows he is. Read more »

Wide open contests are fun, but so is invention, idiosyncrasy, contrasting approaches. Tastes are peculiar, but they're never narrow as a cocktail straw. Read more »

The Kings are already showing they have a chance to be something special, and they have a coach who has already shown he can win games in this league and appears to be invested in the future of the team. Read more »

It's gratifying to see the Bucks ascend like this because, after spending a not insignificant period of time stalling and scuffling, they've been suddenly seized by possibility. Read more »

When Karl-Anthony Towns came into the league, he was universally thought of as the answer to how a big man can operate in the modern game. Now he's considered by many a disappointment just as another set of unreachable expectations are being bestowed upon Zion Williamson. Read more »

Eric Paschall certainly looks the part for what the league is looking for in its combo forwards from physical and athletic standpoints. Read more »

The sky's not exactly the limit for Cedi Osman, but he's on his way to becoming a drunk impressionist's rendering of Gordon Hayward- in other words, a useful player. Read more »

Rui Hachimura might be a bit overrated at this point. He hasn't developed handling the ball from the perimeter against a set defense, isn't a reliable shot creator for others and doesn't offer spacing. Read more »

Anime Hayward is a fiction borne from a culture so over-producing and so neurotic about what it is, and who it is, that his stenciled visage feels all but inevitable. Read more »

While the owners successfully reduced the players' share of BRI in 2011, players, specifically stars, have wrestled a lot of the agency back from the owners. Read more »

Beyond the top teams, the NBA is full of interesting stories and, just importantly, reasons to watch each team. Read more »

What's being praised and proclaimed about Luka Doncic sounds a lot like what was previously said about Andrew Wiggins or Anthony Davis or Kwame Brown. Read more »