David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 73

The Las Vegas Aces may be the team to beat in the WNBA this season, but a potential sleeper team could very well be the Connecticut Sun. They replaced former head coach Curt Miller with Stephanie White this season and so far she’s guided them to a 15-6 record. That’s good enough for third best […]

The Las Vegas Aces have been the talk of the WNBA this season. They just hosted All-Star weekend where they showed out in the Skills Challenge. They hold the best record in the WNBA so far at 19-2 and are the overwhelming favorites to repeat as WNBA champions. A big part of their strong season […]

The Charlotte Hornets suffered through an injury plagued season last year that saw franchise star LaMelo Ball play in only 36 games. After a promising 2021-22 season that saw them reach the play-in, they took a clear step back. It’s hard though to envision the Hornets taking a step forward next season. They appear to […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have been hit with a ton of injuries/absences so far during the first half of the season. They started out the year with some solid play, but it’s quickly dissolved into simply trying to stay healthy from game to game. Fortunately for them, they are within reach of playoff spot. With […]

As the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to take the necessary steps to becoming a power in the Western Conference, they’ve had a somewhat busy offseason. They signed head coach Mark Daigneault to a contract extension after he finished second in the NBA’s Coach of the Year voting. They signed Euroleague star Vasilije Milic, added Jack […]

WNBA All-Star weekend is in the rearview and now teams are ready to focus on the second half of the season and the playoff push that comes with it. The Phoenix Mercury have been playing better as of late despite their brutal start to the 2023 season. Buoyed by the recent news of them hosting […]

NBA Summer League is officially in the books and now begins the doldrums of the offseason. While there are still some major NBA dominoes yet to fall, the time period between now and the start of the 2023-24 season is usually a dry period in terms of roster movement. That said, some teams are still […]

The Drew League has become a rite of passage for many young basketball players in Los Angeles. Before many of them have gone to become both college and professional stars, they got their start against tough competition at the Drew League. The summer pro-am has grown in popularity over the years and not only does […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have been hit with a rash of injuries this season, seemingly more so than any other team in the WNBA. In addition to Stephanie Talbot, who suffered an season-ending injury while playing overseas in Australia, and Katie Lou Samuelson who is out all year while pregnant, the Sparks have had stretches […]

To say that the Louisville Cardinals had a disappointing season last year would be an understatement. A storied college basketball program, the Cardinals finished a dismal 4-28 overall and 2-18 in ACC Conference play. It was a trying season for first-year head coach Kenny Payne. But reinforcements are on the way. Louisville has managed to […]

There’s no question that Atlanta Dream wing Rhyne Howard is one of the top rising stars in the WNBA. Howard won the league’s Rookie of the Year Award last season and was named to the WNBA All-Star team. Rhyne Howard is having a better season this year than she did last year which could logically […]

Even before WNBA All-Star Weekend arrived, it didn’t take long to notice the support for the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. One of the hottest teams in the league right now with some of the biggest names in basketball, the Aces have become a marketing treasure for a league that’s looking to grow and expand […]

When the Orlando Magic opened up NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, one of the most anticipated players on their roster was not one of their rookies whom they just drafted, but rather a player whose NBA future largely depended on his NBA Summer League play. The Magic brought in Kai Sotto to play on […]

With WNBA All-Star weekend in full swing, the biggest theme of the event has been the return of Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner. Griner was one of the top vote getters for the WNBA All-Star Game and was selected by Breanna Stewart in the WNBA All-Star draft. Griner got off to a hot start to […]

After the Dallas Mavericks re-signed Kyrie Irving this offseason in NBA free agency, their number one task quickly became to surround Irving and Luka Doncic with a supporting cast capable of contending in the Western Conference. The Mavs had a somewhat busy free agency and they apparently aren’t done making moves yet, as they are […]

The Charlotte Hornets sure shocked their fans this offseason when they chose to draft Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick instead of Scoot Henderson who was widely considered the next best prospect after Victor Wembanyama. The Hornets had a very disappointing season last year and their prospects in the Eastern Conference this upcoming […]

Each year, NBA Summer League serves as a showcase for not only rookies looking to make their mark in the NBA, but also for players looking to breakthrough and stick in the NBA or even get back to the league. There’s always a few players who end up having a breakout performance at NBA Summer […]

The Cal Golden Bears have been one of the bottom teams in the Pac-12 Conference the past couple of seasons. They are under new leadership however, with former Pac-12 standout Mark Madsen at the helm. Ever since taking over the program, Madsen has been active in the transfer portal in trying to improve a team […]

When Chelsea Gray stepped up to the podium for a media availability session before the WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge, she didn’t think she was going to be doing it alone. Sure enough, her Las Vegas Aces teammate and backcourt partner Kelsey Plum sauntered in late after Gray had already begun taking questions. Gray gave her […]

The Boston Celtics came into the 2022-23 season as the favorite in the Eastern Conference to reach the NBA Finals. After losing to the Golden State Warriors in 2022, they were determined to make it back and contend for the franchise’s 17th title. The Celtics managed to reach the East Finals, but they lost in […]

When the 2023 WNBA season tipped-off, one of the most anticipated storylines was the debut of Aliyah Boston. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft by the Indiana Fever, Boston was one of the most highly touted rookies in recent history. A star at South Carolina under Dawn Staley, and arguably the best […]

The Toronto Raptors had a lot of big decisions to make heading into the 2023 offseason. After deciding to stand pat at the trade deadline, the question now becomes what direction do they want to go in. Do they want to stay the course and add to the already existing core? Or do they want […]

With each made three-point shot that Sabrina Ionescu swished, the crowd grew louder and louder. After she drilled several shots in a row, it became clear that something special was happening at the WNBA All-Star 3Pt-Contest. Sure enough, by the time that the New York Liberty star completed the course, she stood alone with a […]

The Houston Rockets have been building a solid young core even if there’s been a lot of growing pains the past couple of seasons. They were able to add to that core this offseason in the form of the NBA Draft. They had a solid foundation in the form of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., […]

This coming weekend is a big one for the WNBA as the All-Star Game is finally here. The event returns to Las Vegas, the home of the Aces after being held in Chicago last season. The Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will be held on Friday, July 13, the day before the actual WNBA All-Star […]

WNBA All-Star weekend is here. After being held in Chicago last season, the league’s midseason showcase is back in Las Vegas, the home of the Aces who currently hold the best record in the WNBA. The day before the actual game is played, however, the WNBA will showcase their version of the Skills Challenge as […]

It was a disappointing season for the Chicago Bulls in 2022-23. After a somewhat promising 2021-22 season, they took a step back and finished tenth in the Eastern Conference. Although they won their initial play-in game, they lost to the Miami Heat in their second play-in game and failed to make the playoffs. Not only […]

The theme for NBA Summer League this offseason for the Oklahoma City Thunder has been the play of Chet Holmgren. After he suffered an injury last offseason while playing in Jamal Crawford’s summer pro am league, he missed the entirety of what would have been his rookie season. This is his first game action against […]

The Los Angeles Lakers had a strong NBA free agency period this offseason. For the most part, they opted to run it back with a few key free agent additions. They re-signed Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura while adding impact players in Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince and Jaxon Hayes. But in order for […]

To say this was a magical season for Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray would be an understatement. After missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season as he recovered from an ACL injury, Murray returned with a vengeance having one of his best individual seasons while helping lead the Nuggets to the NBA championship. He’s cemented […]

The Brooklyn Nets made the major decision to move on from the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving duo this season. When they initially paired the two stars, they had championship aspirations. But injuries and off the court issues derailed that dream and the Nets decided it was time to change course. In the Durant trade […]

The Golden State Warriors knew they had to make some big decisions to make this offseason when it came to getting their team back to championship form. Their main focus was re-signing Draymond Green, who used his player option to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. While Green drew interest from […]

The Houston Rockets have established a solid young core of players. With former lottery picks Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. on the team along with Alperen Segun, Kevin Porter Jr. and Tari Eason, the Rockets have a future they can believe in. They added to that core in the NBA Draft when they selected […]

All eyes were on Las Vegas this week for the NBA’s Summer League as San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama was set to make his NBA debut. Not since LeBron James has a player had this much hype and anticipation. Wembanyama did not play in the California Classic Summer League and so there was a […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have had one of the best NBA free agency periods in the league. They managed to keep together the majority of the team that made it to the Western Conference Finals as well as adding a few new pieces who will make immediate impacts. One of the Lakers biggest moves in […]

The Miami Heat have had strong success in recent years with undrafted players. During their most recent playoff run to the Finals, they had three players who were undrafted in Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Duncan Robinson playing major minutes. They had another in Haywood Highsmith who gave them solid playoff minutes at times as […]

The women’s basketball world suffered a heavy loss this past week with the death of Nikki McCray-Penson. The former WNBA player and college coach was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. While the cause of her death has not yet been confirmed, McCray-Penson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and was also […]

It’s been a very disappointing season for the Phoenix Mercury thus far. What began as a season full of hope and excitement as Brittney Griner made her much anticipated return to the court, has ended up going south very quickly. The Mercury have been one of the worst teams in the WNBA this season and […]

When it comes to the WNBA All-Star game, the league has adopted a similar structure to the NBA with the two team captains selecting their respective teams. The two team captains this season were Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart. This past NBA All-Star game, Nikola Jokic had […]