David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 47

Last season, Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler made a very late run for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award. Kessler was never a serious threat to win, but the fact that he put his name in the conversation was impressive in itself. Jazz fans were understandably expecting a big second season for Kessler, […]

After an entire offseason and preseason of speculation, the Philadelphia 76ers finally completed a James Harden trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. In return, the Sixers received Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris Sr. and K.J. Martin. After a brief interlude due to a personal matter, Batum made his Sixers debut this week. He immediately […]

San Antonio Spurs rookie star Victor Wembanyama is set to make his debut at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. Madison Square Garden is one of the original NBA arenas and one of the most recognizable. But ahead of the game, Wembanyama felt like the actual arena was a little bit lackluster. In […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are enjoying a breakout season from potential All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey this season. With James Harden having been traded, the Sixers were going to need additional punch at the guard positions. The Sixers might have gotten the free agent stealthe free agent steal of the offseason with Kelly Oubre Jr. also experiencing […]

The Detroit Pistons came into this season with renewed optimism largely in part due to their exciting young core. One of those players who figures to be a major part of the Pistons future is rookie wing Ausar Thompson. Thompson and his brother Amen became the first players from Overtime Elite to be selected in […]

The Texas Longhorns are looking towards another strong year as the 2023-24 NCAA regular season is set to tip-off this coming week. The Longhorns are coming off an impressive run to the Elite Eight last year. Texas is hoping to get key forward Dylan Disu back in the lineup from injury as soon as possible, […]

The Sacramento Kings are trying to build on last season’s momentum and prove that they’re for real and that it wasn’t a fluke. So far, the Kings have stumbled a bit out of the gates with a 2-3 record and have lost two games in a row. The Kings have been without All-Star guard De’Aaron […]

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off the biggest move of the 2023-24 NBA season so far in acquiring All-Star shooting guard James Harden in a trade with Philadelphia 76ers. Harden is set to make his debut in a Clippers jersey on Monday when the team takes on the New York Knicks on the road. The […]

The Golden State Warriors are coming off their most thrilling win of the 2023-24 season off a Stephen Curry game-winning shot that almost wasn’t as Draymond Green’s potential offensive interference violation was determined to be legal. The Warriors next game is Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers but it’s possible that they will be short-handed. Warriors […]

The Boston Celtics organization have had no shortage of Hall of Fame players don their jersey. From Bill Russell to Larry Bird to Paul Pierce and many more in between, the Celtics have had some of the greatest players in NBA history to wear the Boston green. The Celtics’ current superstar iteration is Jayson Tatum, […]

Coming into the 2023-24 NBA season, the Phoenix Suns were supposed to be one of the league’s title contenders. With a star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Suns have hopes of making a run to the NBA Finals. So far though, it’s been a rocky start to the year with […]

The Toronto Raptors come into Sunday’s clash against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs with a record of 2-4 so far to start the 2023-24 season. The Raptors decided to maintain the status quo rather than blow the team up. It’s been a mixed bag so far for the team but this is a […]

The New York Knicks certainly made one of the better moves of the 2022 offseason when they signed Jalen Brunson in free agency. Brunson had an All-Star caliber 2022-23 season even if he was not selected to the midseason showcase. With the 2023-24 season underway, it looks like Brunson has carried over his strong play […]

The Washington Wizards have not gotten off to the best start to the 2023-24 NBA season. They are 1-3 and as of publication, they were trailing the Miami Heat by 20+ points late in the third quarter. With the Wizards fully immersed in a rebuild, there are going to be growing pains. The Wizards did […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have started out the 2023-24 season as one of the best teams in the league with a 4-1 record. Health has always been the biggest issue with the team and so far they’ve been okay in that department since their preseason injury issues. This week, the Pelicans made an interesting roster […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have suffered their fair share of injury woes the past couple of seasons. They came into this season already without Jose Alvarado, Trey Murphy III and Naji Marshall. In the Pelicans most recent game against the Detroit Pistons, they played without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. But fans can breathe a […]

The 2023-24 NCAA season tips-off next week with several programs ready to highlight their top recruits. One of those programs is UCLA who is set to feature potential NBA lottery pick, freshman center Aday Mara. Mara had not yet been cleared by the NCAA and did not play in the Bruins’ exhibition game against Cal […]

Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren got his first look at Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic on Sunday. Jokic got the better of the matchup, finishing with 28 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and a 128-95 win. Holmgren didn’t do too bad himself though with 19 points and four rebounds. After the game though, […]

The biggest question the Golden State Warriors had coming into the 2023-24 season was what the starting lineup would look like. After acquiring Chris Paul in a trade with the Washington Wizards, the Warriors tabled their starting lineup discussions until it actually matter. A preseason injury to Draymond Green made that decision easier, but with […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking to build upon last season’s run to the playoffs. They held off the Oklahoma City Thunder in the play-in tournament to earn the eighth seed in the Western Conference before falling in five games to the Denver Nuggets. In order to do so, they’ll need continued development from promising young […]

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came into the 2023-24 NBA season as a legitimate MVP candidate. He finished last season top five in the MVP voting and depending on how this season goes, he could be a legit contender for the award. He went up against an elite defense in the defending champion Denver […]

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the top rising players in the NBA. He finished top five in the MVP voting last season and could potentially finish higher this season. He’s gotten off to a good start this season but had not yet encountered a team like the Denver Nuggets yet this […]

Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley caused a little bit of controversy recently when he proclaimed that he isn’t scared of anyone on the Toronto Raptors roster. Beverley clarified that he meant no disrespect, but that the Raptors just didn’t have that toughness factor. The veteran guard certainly is not one to hold back, and sure […]

The Miami Heat came into Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves down Jimmy Butler and Kevin Love. Butler was ruled out by the Heat due to rest and Kevin Love was ruled out due to a shoulder injury he sustained agains the Boston Celtics the game before. While Butler will probably play on Monday in […]

Atlanta Dream All-Star guard Allisha Gray’s involvement with WnB Factory all started because Wing Stop was closed. Gray was hanging out with her brother AJ when he wanted Wing Stop but it was not to be as the popular chicken wings restaurant was closed. Luckily for them, a WnB Factory happened to be close by […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a solid start to the 2023-24 NBA season. They’ve been on the road for their first two games of the year and are 2-0. They caused a player’s only meeting by the Chicago Bulls in their season opener. They followed that up with a come from behind win […]

When the Boston Celtics acquired Jrue Holiday in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, the prevailing thought from fans and media alike was that the Celtics had an incredible defensive duo at guard with Holiday and Derrick White. Holiday wasted no time showing his defensive chops on opening night against the New York Knicks. […]

Under Dawn Staley, the South Carolina women’s basketball program has become one of the top powerhouses in the country. The program has won two national championships and has five Final Four appearances since Staley took over as head coach in 2008. They’ve also had quite a few players move on to the WNBA. Staley and […]

The Washington Wizards will not have their 2023-24 home opener until Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies. They’re hoping that they have a much better performance than they did in their first game of the season, a 143-120 loss to the Indiana Pacers. This is a new era for the Wizards following an offseason of shakeup. […]

The Charlotte Hornets are hoping for a better 2023-24 season than the season they had last year. They’re a team that has lot of question marks surrounding the roster. They have a potential franchise player in point guard LaMelo Ball, an intriguing lottery pick in Brandon Miller and a few other worthwhile pieces. One player […]

The Memphis Grizzlies entered the 2023-24 NBA season with a decimated roster. Not only were they without star point guard Ja Morant who is serving his 25 game suspension, but they also are without two key frontcourt players in Steven Adams who was ruled out for the season, and Brandon Clarke who is still recovering […]

The Miami Heat whiffed out on both of their point guard trade targets in Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. After coming off a surprising run to the NBA Finals, the Heat were looking to further strengthen their roster to make another deep playoff run. Now, in order to do so, they’re going to be relying […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have gotten off to a 1-0 start to the 2023-24 NBA season after an impressive road win against the Memphis Grizzlies in their season opener. They were led by Zion Williamson who is looking healthy and spry and could be a potential MVP candidate. The one thing that’s been holding the […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo raised eyebrows this offseason when he suggested that his future might not be with the Milwaukee Bucks if they did not make the proper moves to maintaining a championship contender. The Bucks responded with a shocking trade for Damian Lillard. In turn, Antetokounmpo responded by signing a contract extension with the Bucks. In […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be one of the most followed teams in the NBA this season due to their potential star duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. They got off to a good start to the 2023-24 NBA season following a 124-104 road win against the Chicago Bulls. The Thunder are […]

Toronto Raptors guard Dennis Schroder is no stranger to FIBA basketball. He’s been a member of the German national team since he was played for the under-18 team back in 2012. Most recently, he helped lead Germany to an upset of Team USA at the FIBA World Cup and a gold medal finish. Schroder carried […]

The Toronto Raptors got off to a good start to the 2023-24 season with a 97-94 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on opening night. The Raptors came into the season having opted to run it back rather than blow the team up and rebuild. A big part of the Raptors potential success lies […]

The Denver Nuggets title defense got off to a good start following an impressive 119-107 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. Since the Nuggets swept the Lakers during last season’s playoffs, the two teams have exchanged verbal bars in the media with a little rivalry brewing. Until further notice though, it appears as if the […]

The Detroit Pistons came into the 2023-24 NBA season with a renewed sense of optimism. With a new head coach in Monty Williams and a promising young core, this could be the season they give Pistons something worthwhile to cheer about. While the Pistons dropped their season opener, 103-102, against the Miami Heat, some encouraging […]