David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 21

LOS ANGELES – One of the areas of concern for the Los Angeles Lakers following their early flameout in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs last season was consistent bench production. As the series dragged on, the Lakers reserves were unable to make a major impact. In fact, in Game 4, Lakers head coach […]

LOS ANGELES – Perhaps no player on the Los Angeles Lakers roster last season took as much criticism and heat than Bronny James. The target was placed on his back simply because of who his father is, and it only grew when the Lakers selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 […]

LOS ANGELES – When the 2025-26 season tips-off, four of the five starters for the Los Angeles Lakers are certain to be LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton. Whom the fifth starter is for the Lakers is a little less certain. Last season, the starting small forward spot was held by Rui […]

LOS ANGELES – Coming into the 2025 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers only had the No. 55 pick in the second round. However, on draft night the Lakers managed to trade up in the draft, acquiring the No. 36 overall pick. The Lakers used that pick to select Adou Thiero from Arkansas, and as […]

LOS ANGELES – One of the bigger storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers as they enter training camp is that this is Luka Doncic’s first preseason with the team. Right before last season’s trade deadline, the Lakers acquired Doncic in arguably the most shocking trade of all-time. He fit in well with the team, helping […]

LOS ANGELES – Coming into the offseason, one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ most obvious needs was a starting center. While Jaxson Hayes filled in admirably following the Anthony Davis trade, the playoffs showed he is more suited to being a reserve center. With little to no trade assets to acquire what they needed, the […]

LOS ANGELES – Coming into the 2025-26 season, the Los Angeles Lakers are stacked with ball-handlers and playmakers. From Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, to new addition Marcus Smart, and even Gabe Vincent and Bronny James, the Lakers’ roster has players who are comfortable with the ball in their hands. Being able to fit in […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have made a series of roster moves leading up to the start of training camp, but most of those moves have had G League implications rather than actual regular season roster moves. The Lakers still had one two-way contract spot open coming into camp, and they filled that slot on Monday […]

The Kansas Jayhawks have long been one of the standard bearers in college basketball, especially under head coach Bill Self. Self has led the Jayhawks to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, including two NCAA national championships. Kansas has always been a program that’s able to attract the top recruits in the country, and they did so […]

The Las Vegas Aces are on the verge of reaching the WNBA Finals for the third time in four years as they hold a 2-1 series lead against the Indiana Fever coming into Game 4. And early in the first quarter, Aces star A’ja Wilson was doing her best to ensure that, that happens as […]

Fever star Caitlin Clark might be injured and unable to play in the WNBA Playoffs, but she still makes time for everyone who wants to meet her, including a baby. Prior to the Fever’s must-win Game 4 against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, Clark stopped courtside to interact with a family and give the […]

Veteran big man Al Horford’s anticipated signing with the Golden State Warriors became official this weekend when news of the deal was announced, ending his tenure with the Boston Celtics. Horford had been linked to the Warriors since the start of free agency, but the Jonathan Kuminga saga had been holding up the team’s expected […]

With NBA training camp just around the corner, most NBA teams will shuffle their rosters over the next couple of weeks as they finalize their regular season roster, and also fill out their G League teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves made a roster move this weekend with the signing of Alize Johnson for training camp, as […]

When Cameron Brink checked into the game for the Los Angeles Sparks back on July 29 with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter, it marked the first time in over a year that she was back on a WNBA court. After a devastating injury that ended her rookie season prematurely, Brink […]

The next couple of days, and weeks, are going to be busy for NBA teams as they finalize their training camp rosters and work towards finalizing their regular season rosters. For the Los Angeles Lakers, media day is on Monday and training camp begins right after. The Lakers have a full 15-man roster and so […]

There is a lot of uncertainty coming into the 2025-26 NBA season for the Philadelphia 76ers when it comes to the availability of Joel Embiid. During the team’s media day this past week, Embiid himself acknowledged there is no set timetable for his return as he continues to rehab from a knee injury. But one […]

Coming into the 2025-26 season, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers. All-Star center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid is currently sidelined due to injury, and there is no concrete timeline for his return to the court. Paul George, the 76ers’ prized 2024 offseason acquisition, is also sidelined due to injury […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on top the NBA world right now after having won their first championship in the Thunder era. With contract extensions given out this offseason to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, the Thunder ensured they have their title core together for at least the next few seasons. But with […]

With NBA training camps set to open this coming week, and a few already underway, there are still two major free agency situations yet to resolved. While the Jonathan Kuminga situation with the Golden State Warriors has been well-chronicled, Quentin Grimes’ contract situation with the Philadelphia 76ers has been flying under the radar a bit. […]

The 2024-25 season was a highly successful year for the Georgia Bulldogs considering the team reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in ten years. The last time Georgia made it to the Big Dance was the 2014-15 season when they reached the round of 32 under former coach Mark Fox. The program obviously […]

Media Day for the Los Angeles Lakers is on Monday, and after that comes the official start of training camp. The Lakers regular season roster is essentially set, and they have one two-way contract spot open. The final two-way contract spot was reportedly going to rookie forward Eric Dixon, but those plans have yet to […]

The New York Liberty shocked the WNBA world with the firing of head coach Sandy Brondello almost immediately after the team was eliminated in the opening round of the WNBA Playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury. The decision came even after Liberty star Breanna Stewart scoffed at a question that seemed to suggest Brondello’s job could […]

The Utah Jazz come into the 2025-26 season armed with a plethora of young talent. In order for the Jazz to come out of their rebuild and start competing in the Western Conference, they’re going to need several of those young players show growth and development quite soon. Looking at the Jazz roster, there is […]

The Utah Jazz are in the midst of a rebuild, and although the draft lottery odds did not shine their way, they still managed to grab arguably one of the top prospects in the draft in Ace Bailey with the No. 5 overall pick. With training camps set to open next week, the Jazz, like […]

After pulling off a blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets had vaulted themselves into potential contender status. Those hopes and notions took a major hit this week with the announcement that starting point guard Fred VanVleet suffered an ACL injury, in all likelihood ending his season prematurely. What is a positive for […]

The Sacramento Kings are one of those teams that’s seemingly stuck in ‘no-man’s land.’ That is, a team that is not bad enough to get a high draft pick and accelerate a rebuild, but not good enough to be a threat in the playoffs. With the Western Conference shaping up to be as tough as […]

When it comes to WNBA free agency, a lot of players have cited facilities as being one of the biggest concerns in terms of making their free agent decisions. As a result, WNBA teams have been quick with announcements regarding team-specific practice facilities. In the case of the expansion team Portland Fire, they will share […]

With NBA media days already jumping off and training camps set to open at the end of the month, the Philadelphia 76ers took the opportunity to announce they would bring back an old jersey design for the 2025-26 season. Among the promo images for the 76ers’ announcement was a photo of second-year guard Jared McCain […]

When Hakeem Olajuwon roamed the court, the Houston Cougars were a powerhouse making it to three straight Final Fours and three national championship game appearances. So it would make sense that Houston would recruit Hakeem Olajuwon’s son, Aziz. But Aziz Olajuwon turned down the Cougars in favor of Stanford this weekend, as per Joe Tipton […]

Following a tumultuous 2024-25 season in which the Dallas Mavericks were heavily criticized, to put it mildly, over the shocking Luka Doncic trade, the team is ready to compete off the heels of drafting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick. With NBA training camps set to open at the end of the month, […]

Houston Rockets rising star big man Alperen Sengun had a coming out party this summer at EuroBasket for Turkey. Turkey ended up in the gold medal game, and to get there they had to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the EuroBasket Semifinals. The Milwaukee Bucks star struggled in that game being guarded by Ercan […]

It must be the dull days of the NBA offseason when hypotheticals start making headlines. One debate that has seemingly garnered steam on social media is whether or not former NBA star Tracy McGrady would have NBA titles playing alongside a prime Shaq like the late Kobe Bryant did. A few months ago, Tracy McGrady […]

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson made WNBA history on Sunday becoming the only player to have won the MVP Award four times. Wilson was presented with the award ahead of the Aces Game 1 matchup of the WNBA Semifinals against the Indiana Fever. During the presentation, Aces head coach Becky Hammon had a special […]

The underdog Indiana Fever kept on rolling on Sunday following their 89-73 takedown of the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals. Although the Fever are without star guard Caitlin Clark due to injury, Clark has been very vocal on social media during the team’s playoff run. Clark continued her social media […]

The Washington Wizards have assembled an intriguing mix of young players with potential for the 2025-26 season. With two-way contracts, NBA teams are able to keep tabs on young players they are interested in without having to use a standard roster spot. The Wizards made such a roster move this weekend with the late offseason […]

The results of the WNBA’s MVP voting were released this weekend, and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson made history becoming the first player to win the award four times. The complete results of the voting were revealed by Meghan L. Hall of USA Today Sports, and one of the most surprising MVP votes was […]

When the 2025-26 season officially opens later next month, the Washington Wizards will be chuck-full of young prospects as they continue to navigate a rebuild. The Wizards are not going to be contending for anything anytime soon, but they have managed to assemble an intriguing group of prospects. Playing time is going to be crucial […]

When the 2025-26 season officially opens later next month, the New Orleans Pelicans are a team looking to turn things around and compete in the Western Conference. Going back to last season’s trade deadline, the Pelicans made a couple of trades to shake up their core in trading Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors and […]

With the 2025 WNBA season in the books for the Dallas Wings, there is no question that Paige Bueckers is their franchise player for now and the foreseeable future. It’s not just on the court, but off the court as well as the star guard has amassed quite a following. Fresh off winning the Rookie […]