David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 38

After starting out the 2023-24 season poorly, the UCLA Bruins had been playing better basketball as of late. However, UCLA dropped a game over the weekend against crosstown rival USC. It was a poor loss as USC has been hovering near the bottom of the Pac-12 standings all season. In any case, the Bruins have […]

Throughout NBA history, there have been a few players who have been notoriously poor free throw shooters. The name Shaquille O’Neal comes to mind, but he always said he made them when it counted. In today’s NBA, Rudy Gobert is probably in contention for being a poor free throw shooter. While the Minnesota Timberwolves center […]

The 2024 Olympics are set to be held this summer in Paris, France and Team USA Basketball’s roster will look drastically different than the team that finished with a poor showing last summer at the FIBA World Cup. That team didn’t even win a medal. There are few players in contention for the final roster […]

Once NBA free agency comes around in the offseason, one of the potential top players on the market is Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson. Thompson has been able to sign a contract extension with the Warriors but so far the two sides have failed to reach an agreement. If Thompson becomes a free agent, […]

The Boston Celtics have jumped out to the best record in the NBA this season and that’s largely due to the MVP caliber season that Jayson Tatum is putting up. Surprisingly though, Tatum hasn’t gotten as much buzz for the award as other players have. In any case, voters are definitely going to have to […]

Back when the Los Angeles Clippers made the Chris Paul trade with the Houston Rockets, it was known that the Rockets were Paul’s preferred destination. Chris Paul spent only two seasons with the Rockets before they traded him in the 2017 offseason to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On a recent appearance on Dwyane Wade’s podcast, […]

If Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark is the biggest name in college basketball right now, then USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins is a very close second. Watkins, only a freshman, has been eclipsing various feats and setting records left and right. Just recently, she was given the prestigious honor of gracing the cover of SLAM […]

Back in 2020, it wasn’t clear whether Keyontae Johnson would ever play basketball again. He had collapsed on the court while still in college at Florida. He sat out for almost two years before resuming his basketball career at Kansas State. The NBA’s Fitness to Play panel had to clear Keyontae Johnson before the Oklahoma […]

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their Sunday matinee game against the Phoenix Suns, 123-113. While they were able to make a game of it, what ultimately doomed the Lakers was their slow start giving up 45 points to the Suns in the first quarter. It’s tough to come back and win especially on the road […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have had their season derailed due to an ever-increasing injury report. The Grizzlies are starting to get a little more healthy amid the final months of the season, but they’ve been relying on rookies and two-way contract players for a good portion of this season. Rookie GG Jackson has been thrust into […]

The Miami Heat are in the midst of a big road trip with their next game coming on Monday against the Sacramento Kings. Following the major altercation that took place between the Heat and the New Orleans Pelicans, the Heat will be short-handed in addition to the multiple injuries they’re dealing with. There could be […]

The Orlando Magic have been a much improved team this season and that’s largely due to the continued development of star forward Paolo Banchero. The Detroit Pistons, meanwhile have been on the wrong side of history having set the record for most consecutive losses in a season. The Pistons woes continued on Saturday against the […]

The Atlanta Hawks were involved in a bit of controversy on Friday during their game against the Toronto Raptors. Hawks head coach Quin Snyder was ejected after arguing a no-call on Jakob Poeltl that knocked Trae Young to the ground. Young was seemingly hurt on the play and rolled over to the sideline. He remained […]

The Chicago Sky are entering a new era for the 2024 WNBA season. They’re not that far removed from the 2021 championship team, but they have a vastly different roster. The Sky brought in a new head coach in WNBA legend Teresa Weatherspoon and their rebuilding direction was cemented when they traded franchise cornerstone Kahleah […]

The Indiana Hoosiers have struggled mightily this season. It’s the third season for Mike Woodson as Indiana head coach and it’s shaping up to be his worst season yet. Indiana is currently 6-9 in Big 10 Conference play and just recently suffered another loss to Penn State. Following the game, Woodson took full responsibility for […]

It was a brutal Friday for the New Orleans Pelicans. Not only did the Pelicans lose CJ McCollum during the game due to an ankle injury, but they will likely have several key players suspended in the coming days due to their role in the altercation with the Miami Heat. The Pelicans could be dealing […]

The New Orleans Pelicans home game against the Miami Heat on Friday quickly descended into chaos during the fourth quarter. Players from both the Pelicans and Heat bench got involved in the fight that began when Kevin Love seemingly fouled Zion Williamson intentionally. Naji Marshall came over to defend Williamson and that was when he […]

The San Antonio Spurs may be the worst team in the Western Conference record-wise, but they have been a must-see team due to the presence of rookie star Victor Wembanyama. The No. 1 overall pick has so far lived up to the hype that was bestowed upon him coming into this season. His dazzling display […]

The New Orleans Pelicans suffered a major blow on Friday during their game against the Miami Heat when CJ McCollum sustained an ankle injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the game as per the team. He was originally listed as questionable to return, but ultimately ruled out. The Pelicans had been playing […]

The Atlanta Hawks are fighting for a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, and one of the teams behind them in the standings is the Toronto Raptors. The team has been inconsistent this year and has dealt with rumors about the availability of star point guard Trae Young. The Hawks have the opportunity to gain […]

While the Memphis Grizzlies have been hit hard by injuries this season, they’ve turned into a fun team to watch. Part of the reason the Grizzlies have become an exciting team is their youth led by promising rookie GG Jackson. Jackson began the season not playing much for the Grizzlies but with all the injury […]

The Seattle Storm revamped their roster for the upcoming WNBA season, adding All-Stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith to pair alongside Jewell Loyd. With these new additions, the Storm have seemingly vaulted themselves back into championship contention. They’re still going to have to go through the Las Vegas Aces but they’re closer to title contention. […]

The Chicago Bulls are a team that’s seemingly stuck in no-man’s land. They aren’t good enough to be a top playoff team but they aren’t bad enough to get a top draft pick. They’re probably locked into a play-in spot and have a shot at one of the lower playoff seeds but aren’t good enough […]

There isn’t a bigger name in college basketball right now than Iowa star Caitlin Clark. Clark has captivated fans across the country this season, selling out arenas both at home and on the road. Clark made history this season as she surpassed Kelsey Plum to become the women’s NCAA Division 1 all-time leading scorer. With […]

When the New York Knicks pulled off a trade with the Toronto Raptors near the end of December, the prize in the deal for the Knicks was OG Anunoby. The versatile wing defender was sure to strengthen the Knicks defensive approach. But one player in the deal who has arguably had an equal impact on […]

The New York Knicks have emerged as a potential sleeper contender in the Eastern Conference. They strengthened the roster with additions of OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. While they have hit some injury issues recently, they’ve managed to stay afloat and in the picture for a top four seed in the East standings. […]

One of the biggest talking points in the NBA this season has been the subject of refereeing. From fans to players to media alike, there’s been constant griping about the officiating. One player who has had his run-ins with the officiating this season has been Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. That continued on Thursday during […]

Even though the Memphis Grizzlies have been hit hard by the injury bug this season, they’ve been a fun team to watch with a lot of their younger players getting a chance to shine. One player who has stood out for the Grizzlies this season is GG Jackson. Jackson has made a major impact off […]

Aside from the Washington Wizards being one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, one of the top storylines surrounding the Wizards has been the play of Jordan Poole. When the team acquired Poole in the offseason, the prevailing thought among many was that he was due for a breakout season with an […]

The Philadelphia 76ers were scouring the buyout marker for a potential impact player and they found one in a hometown hero. A Philadelphia native, Kyle Lowry was set to make his Sixers debut on Thursday against the New York Knicks. The Sixers are in a precarious situation with Joel Embiid sidelined due to injury. They’re […]

Following the NBA All-Star break, the Detroit Pistons are close to no longer having the worst record in the league. They are now only a game behind the Washington Wizards for the second worst record in the NBA. Considering where they were earlier in the season, this is significant for them. With regular season play […]

The Milwaukee Bucks come out of the NBA All-Star break in a slump. Since hiring Doc Rivers as their new head coach, the Bucks have managed only a 3-7 record. When they fired Adrian Griffin, they were 30-13 and closing in on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings. While the Bucks are still […]

There were plenty of opinions on the 2024 Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend. Some enjoyed the Dunk Contest, others did not. At the forefront of some of the controversy was whether or not Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown should have made it to the final round. Back to back dunk champ Mac McClung recently appeared […]

Never in their program history have the George Mason Patriots beaten a ranked opponent at home. That all changed on Wednesday when the Patriots stunned No. 16 Dayton, 71-67. Both George Mason and Dayton came into the game on a two game win streak. Both teams have winning records George Mason is near the middle […]

The Duke Blue Devils have been one of the top teams in the country this season. With a 21-5 record, the Duke came into their game against the Miami Hurricanes as the No. 8 ranked team in the latest AP men’s basketball poll. Duke is riding a five game win streak that continued against Miami […]

Despite LeBron James and Stephen Curry still playing at elite levels, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors have not been very good this season. While both teams are currently in the playoff picture by means of the play-in tournament, they could just as easily miss the postseason. Both the Lakers and Warriors certainly […]

Prior to the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers had been playing better basketball. They managed to climb over .500 albeit still being the ninth seed in the Western Conference standings. The Lakers first game after the break is on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors and they’re already going to be short-handed without LeBron […]

While Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the face of the franchise for the Milwaukee Bucks, his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo has seemingly been just as much in the spotlight. Thanasis rarely plays for the Bucks and many fans have speculated as to whether or not he actually deserves his roster spot. Some have claimed that he’s only […]

One of the most talked about storylines in the NBA this season and during the NBA All-Star Game has been the age of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. James came into this season as the oldest player in the league at age 39. As the oldest player at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, LeBron […]