David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 94

The Los Angeles Lakers have been navigating the absence of Anthony Davis for the past month as he recovers from a foot injury. They’ve been steady for the most part largely due to the presence of Thomas Bryant. This is Bryant’s second go-round with the Lakers. They originally drafted him with the 42nd pick in […]

Ja Morant sent shock waves through the NBA world on Saturday when he threw down one of the absolute best dunks of the season during the Memphis Grizzlies game against the Indiana Pacers. Morant exploded to the basket, rose up, cocked his arm back and absolutely posterized Jalen Smith. Not only was the dunk a […]

After a nightmare 2021-22 season, Russell Westbrook has been having an incredible season for the Los Angeles Lakers. He has vaulted himself into the running for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award and has been one of the Lakers most consistent players this season. Despite that, Westbrook has still seen his name come […]

When the New York Knicks acquired Jalen Brunson in free agency this past off-season, they were banking on his best days being ahead of him. Their pursuit of Brunson was not without controversy, but their belief seems to have paid off as Brunson is having the best season of his career so far. Since the […]

With the NBA trade deadline approaching, the Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting on a bevy of draft assets. Through various trades they have accumulated 15 first round draft picks and 14 second round picks extending through the 2029 NBA draft. They also have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA and have begun to […]

Lonzo Ball seemed to give Chicago Bulls fans some hope this week when he posted a video of himself throwing down a dunk. But Bulls fans should hit the brakes and not get too optimistic that Ball will be returning to the court anytime soon. According to Bulls head coach Billy Donovan via K.C. Johnson […]

When the Dallas Mavericks made a trade with the New York Knicks in 2019 to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, they felt like they were getting a major piece to their puzzle. While Porzingis did not play at all that season as he recovered from an ACL injury, the Mavs were eager to pair him with Luka […]

With the Oklahoma City Thunder still embroiled in their rebuild, rumors have flown about their franchise player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander possibly wanting a trade due to the losing. But most of that has been from second-hand reports and nothing has come from Gilgeous-Alexander himself. He’s actually gone out of his way to proclaim how much he […]

With the NBA trade deadline approaching, the Memphis Grizzlies are sitting pretty at the top of the Western Conference standings with the second seed. They have the same 28-13 record as the Denver Nuggets but the Nuggets are in first due to owning the tiebreaker having one their only matchup of the season so far. […]

Although Victor Wembanyama is widely considered to be the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 NBA draft, the consolation prize isn’t bad at all. Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite is expected to be selected in the top three of the draft if not second overall. And there is at least one NBA […]

Contrary to popular belief, the Los Angeles Clippers do not need a natural point guard and they have never needed a natural point guard. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will do most of the ball-handling and they both have developed into very good playmakers. In his time with the Clippers, Leonard has averaged career-highs in […]

When the Phoenix Suns made it to the NBA Finals in 2021, they probably didn’t expect what these last two seasons have looked like. After securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last year, they were humiliated in Game 7 of the West Semifinals at home by the Dallas Mavericks. This season, they […]

The NBA trade deadline is just about one month away and it presents a good opportunity for the Oklahoma City Thunder to continue to shape their roster. The Thunder are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and the front office has done a good job amassing draft picks for the next couple of […]

Despite putting up a tough fight, the Miami Heat were unable to cool off the red-hot Brooklyn Nets on Sunday as they fell 102-101. It could have been worse for the Heat as Tyler Herro slipped on the final play and appeared to suffer an injury. But Heat fans shouldn’t worry as Herro himself said […]

The Milwaukee Bucks started out the 2022-23 season 9-0 and were one of the top teams in the league overall. They still have one of the better records in the Eastern Conference. They are 25-14 and in third place in the Eastern Conference standings. But their play has been a bit more uneven since their […]

The Chicago Bulls have been playing better basketball as of late after their uneven start to the season. They’ve now won eight of their last 11 games and are moving up in the Eastern Conference standings. Much of what the Bulls do offensively is centered around Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is leading the […]

San Antonio Spurs rookie Malaki Branham thought he had a good look at a three-point shot. The Spurs were down by 13 points with a little over one minute to go in the second quarter at home against the Boston Celtics and that shot could have given them some momentum heading into halftime. Maybe Branham […]

Until 2006, high school basketball players were allowed to skip college and enter their names in the NBA draft. During those years, quite a few players took advantage of that opportunity with notable names such as Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady. There were those that didn’t end […]

The Chicago Bulls got a monster performance from Zach LaVine on Friday as he went off for 41 points in a win against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was LaVine’s third 40-point game of the season and it comes amid a stretch where the Bulls have been playing improved basketball. His 41 points also put him […]

The Utah Jazz have been one of the surprising teams in the NBA this season. They got off to a strong start and for a while held one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference standings. They’ve since come back down to earth a little bit but they still are in the mix […]

In 2021, the social media company Overtime launched their Overtime Elite program as a means to give high school basketball players a different path rather than the traditional route of playing NCAA basketball before playing professional basketball. The program has grown in popularity with several of the top high school basketball players in the country […]

The Golden State Warriors received a big boost on Friday with the news that veteran wing Andre Iguodala was set to make his season debut on Saturday against the Orlando Magic. While Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had just stated that he had no timetable for Iguodala’s return, Iguodala himself dropped the news on Friday […]

Paolo Banchero has been etching his name in the NBA’s record books this season as he makes his case for the league’s Rookie of the Year award. The No. 1 overall pick out of Duke University, Banchero showed enough in two summer league games for the Magic to shut him down for the remainder of […]

Draymond Green is no stranger to being fined and suspended by the NBA. Earlier this season, Green was fined $25,000 for a verbal spat with a fan during a game against the Dallas Mavericks. He has been fined multiple times throughout his career after criticism of the officiating. Throughout his NBA career, Green has amassed […]

Jae Crowder has not played a single game for the Phoenix Suns this season as he is awaiting a trade to another team. The situation was a little bizarre given the fact that Crowder had been an integral piece of the team the last two seasons and was a vital contributor to the team that […]

If there’s one player in the NBA who has seen his name mentioned numerous times in trade chatter over the last couple of seasons, it’s been Myles Turner. If rumors are to be believed, the Indiana Pacers have been actively shopping him almost every trade deadline yet he’s still remained on the team. The Pacers […]

Tyler Herro ended 2022 with a bang as he knocked down a buzzer-beating game-winner for the Miami Heat against the Utah Jazz on the road on Saturday. Herro’s willingness and confidence to have the ball in his hands during crunch time is something that has become more natural for the fourth-year wing and something that […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have been without prized free agent signing Gary Payton II this season as he was making his recover from off-season abdominal surgery. But it appears as if he is finally ready to make his 2022-23 season debut on Monday against the Detroit Pistons as per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Portland […]

Nikola Jokic is the reigning NBA MVP having won the award in back to back seasons now. This season, he’s making the case for a third straight MVP, but there are concerns that the voters might not want to award Jokic the MVP again due to him winning the previous two seasons. According to Nuggets […]

Ever since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has blossomed into a superstar player. But he flashed star potential as a rookie with the Clippers during the 2018-19 season. In fact, former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was so convinced that Gilgeous-Alexander was going to be […]

LeBron James celebrated his 38th birthday on Friday in a big way. As the Los Angeles Lakers continued their road trip against the Atlanta Hawks, James went for 47 points, ten rebounds and nine assists in a Lakers win. Those numbers made him only the second 38-year-old to put up at least 45 points, ten […]

Gary Payton II was an integral piece of the Golden State Warriors championship run last season, but he was unable to get his championship ring at the beginning of the season as he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in the off-season. The Blazers made their way to the Chase Center on Friday and it […]

To the untrained eye, it might appear as if Draymond Green is having a down year for the Golden State Warriors. His numbers don’t look all that flashy and he’s probably been more in the news for things not related to his on-court production. But according to Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Green is still […]

The Charlotte Hornets are presently in a position that one year ago they didn’t imagine they would be. Last season they were 19-17 heading into the New Year and were looking like one of the more promising young teams in the NBA. Flash forward to present day and they are sitting at 10-26 and near […]

Zion Williamson continued his phenomenal season as he went off on Wednesday in the New Orleans Pelicans win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He poured in a career-high 43 points completely dominating the Wolves with the Pelicans needed every single one of those points as they narrowly escaped with a 119-118 win after Anthony Edwards’ misfired […]

Buddy Hield has been one of the premier three-point shooters in the NBA since he was drafted and it appears that teammate Tyrese Haliburton’s dad knows that. Prior to the Indiana Pacers game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Haliburton’s dad John implored Hield to just let it fly every time he catches the ball. "I don't […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been without Brandon Ingram since Nov. 25 when he suffered a toe injury against the Memphis Grizzlies. There has been no real timetable for his return to the court and the Pelicans have been cautious in not rushing him back too soon. On Thursday, Ingram revealed that he’s not really […]

Jimmy Butler has always been one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA. On Wednesday in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers, Butler tied his season-high with six steals. After the game, he revealed that his penchant for playing defense came from his early days in the league with the Chicago Bulls and […]

Tempers flared up during the game between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic on Wednesday the resulted in Pistons wing Killian Hayes throwing a punch to the back of Magic forward Moe Wagner after Moe shoved Hayes into the sideline while they both chased down a loose ball. Moe Wagner was assessed a flagrant two […]