Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 113

During preseason, coaches tend to focus on assessing the players they have on the roster and evaluating which members of the current roster are deserving of minutes. But that doesn’t mean that teams can’t have fun during this time. In fact, during preseason’s more exhibition-style nature, it is the perfect time for NBA teams to […]

Washington Wizards combo guard Jordan Poole is the very definition of a hot-and-cold player. When a basketball fan browses a visual dictionary and stumbles upon the word streaky, Poole’s photo is what comes up. His explosive scoring nights have endeared him to fans, but it’s his ghastly, inefficient performances that tend to leave a sour […]

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama’s mere existence must be seen to be believed. There aren’t too many human beings standing at 7’4 to begin with, so it makes it even more perplexing that a person with Wembanyama’s size is as skilled in basketball on both ends of the court as he is. And on […]

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas Aces’ 2023 WNBA championship win over the New York Liberty, a lot of emotions have come out from the Aces’ side of things. In particular, Kelsey Plum couldn’t fathom just how much adversity the Aces have overcome en route to winning their second straight title, and in expressing […]

Given how crucial a Game 5 tends to be in a best-of-seven series that’s currently tied, the tension between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros in the 2023 ALCS was bound to reach its boiling point. And reach its boiling point, it has; after Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia was hit by pitch, perhaps as retaliation […]

Many analysts have soured on Kyrie Irving in the aftermath of a tumultuous few years for the talented yet mercurial point guard. As one would recall, Irving brought plenty of controversy upon himself last season when he shared a film that spewed anti-Semitic views on his Twitter account, and then he didn’t exactly end the […]

From the moment a leap to the NBA was imminent for generational prospect Victor Wembanyama, the hype surrounding the young Frenchman was almost second to none. Talent evaluators raved about Wembanyama’s impressive skillset for the physical tools that he had. Standing at 7’4 with an 8’0 wingspan, Wembanyama’s shot-creating potential combined with his Defensive Player […]

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has missed the entirety of the Dubs’ preseason run after suffering an ankle injury in a pickup game a week before training camp commenced. While the Warriors are merely erring on the side of caution due to how important of a player Green is for the team, there may […]

The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t exactly been putrid during the 2023 season thus far; entering their Week 7 clash against Joe Burrow and the Chicago Bears, the Raiders have posted a 3-3 record, which isn’t great, but that record doesn’t necessarily warrant the doom and gloom surrounding the franchise. But it’s clear that for some […]

Ever since the Houston Astros broke into the contending scene in 2015 after years of being basement-dwellers in their division, Jose Altuve has been a huge part of their roster. Altuve, the star second baseman, has been a driving force for the team for years; and throughout this period, he has endeared himself to fans, […]

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has leaned into his persona of apathy, content with giving the media the impression that he could not care less about basketball, he just so happened to be good at it. And for a second, many believed that even New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum was fooled by this mask […]

Preseason is usually a time for NBA teams to figure out what works for their team in terms of lineup combinations, plays, and overall strategies. It’s the best time for teams to put whatever they’re working on in training camp to practice. Thus, this is also the time for teams, such as the Los Angeles […]

Is there such a thing as a championship hangover in the NHL? If there is, then the Vegas Golden Knights are doing a wonderful job of avoiding it. Fresh off winning the 2023 Stanley Cup, the Golden Knights have continued to dominate the opposition, going off to a 5-0-0 start in the 2023-24 season following […]

A good start to a ballgame doesn’t necessarily mean that a team would win. But serious title contenders know just how crucial it is to begin games on the right foot. This is exactly what the Houston Astros did in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Texas Rangers. Jose Altuve wasted no time setting […]

The Arizona Diamondbacks appeared to be holding on for their playoff lives after the Philadelphia Phillies took them to the woodshed in a 10-0 demolition in Game 2 of the NLCS. But now, the Diamondbacks are right back in the series, thanks in large part to Ketel Marte’s heroics. With the game tied at 1-1 […]

For all of the Phoenix Suns’ strengths in the aftermath of putting together a lethal scoring trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, they still have a potential weakness on the interior, Jusuf Nurkic’s addition notwithstanding. And during a preseason clash on Thursday night, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers exploited that […]

Following a Game 2 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS, it seemed as though the Philadelphia Phillies were already booking a one-way ticket to the World Series. But the MLB playoffs rarely work that way; the Diamondbacks, fueled by their home crowd, ended up taking home a 2-1 walk-off win in Game 3, […]

Jordan Poole has become a lightning rod for controversy and criticism in the aftermath of the punch heard around the world that he took from former Golden State Warriors teammate Draymond Green. Poole’s actions became magnified, especially amid the Warriors’ topsy-turvy 2022-23 season, and fans soured on him when he didn’t take as big of […]

Fans erupted at once when the Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a trade for Damian Lillard, pairing him with Giannis Antetokounmpo to form a duo that would have opposing teams scrambling for answers on the defensive end of the floor. Not only did their games have natural synergy to them, with Antetokounmpo doing his damage from […]

It may have seemed inevitable from the moment they began to dominate the opposition in the regular season, but on Wednesday night, the Las Vegas Aces finally took their seat atop the WNBA totem pole, claiming their second consecutive championship with a 70-69 win in Game 4 of the Finals against the New York Liberty. […]

The Houston Astros roster has changed a lot ever since they broke into the contending scene in 2015. But amid all the roster churn, one major driving force has remained a constant at the top/heart of the Astros’ order in Jose Altuve. Altuve, who has been with the Astros since 2011, has made his mark […]

The Texas Rangers acquired Max Scherzer from the New York Mets via trade back in August with the intention of enlisting his services for the postseason. This plan, of course, was derailed by Scherzer’s battle with a shoulder injury, which some believed was season-ending. But thanks to the wonders of modern science, Scherzer recovered enough […]

The Houston Astros are simply like that cockroach that wouldn’t die even in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. Even though they may be facing a deficit in whatever playoff series they’re in, they always have a chance to win because of how much talent they’ve amassed up and down the roster. And in Game […]

As the old adage goes, iron does indeed sharpen iron. There’s no way for anyone to be better at their field of expertise without having to test the limits of their capabilities relative to that of other experts. And on Wednesday night, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry gave Gary Payton II his due flowers […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are entering a new era, turning over the keys to the franchise to Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, in the aftermath of trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. While Henderson is a talented young player, this responsibility may be too heavy for him at […]

On Wednesday morning, a major story came out on ESPN detailing the Memphis Grizzlies’ organizational concerns towards their star player, Ja Morant. In that article written by Baxter Holmes and Tim McMahon, one anonymous Grizzlies official pointed out the exact nature of the team’s apprehensions towards Morant’s behavior, including, but not limited to, the impact […]

Stephen Curry always manages to bring a certain dash of panache and bravado whenever he steps foot on the court for the Golden State Warriors. It’s not like Curry talks too much trash to inflict damage on the opponents; instead, his free-flowing nature on the court — his shimmying, his unbridled celebrations, his look-away triples […]

Is Stephen Curry in midseason form for the Golden State Warriors? Perhaps. On Wednesday night, facing a Sacramento Kings team that was taking the preseason game against the Dubs, the team they lost to during the 2023 NBA playoffs, more seriously than most people expect given the exhibition nature of preseason, Curry reminded the Kings […]

It seems as though the entire basketball world has soured on Jordan Poole in the aftermath of his trade from the Golden State Warriors to the Washington Wizards. Poole went from being one of the Warriors’ core pieces of the future, a role that usually brings a ton of attention and affection, to an afterthought […]

Ja Morant has been at the forefront of controversies aplenty for the past year. From delinquent behavior in malls to threatening a shoe salesman to intimidating a security guard, and then to brandishing a gun on his Instagram live, the Memphis Grizzlies star has seen his stock fall precipitously. He went from being one of […]

Kevin Porter Jr., the much-maligned guard who was recently at the center of controversy for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick, was recently traded from the Houston Rockets to the Oklahoma City Thunder and then was promptly waived. This does not bode well at all for Porter’s chances of returning to an NBA court anytime […]

During the 2022-23 season, there were times when the Boston Celtics looked like the most dominant team in the league by virtue of their two-way excellence. But there were also games where the Celtics looked disjointed, where it seemed as though Jayson Tatum and company failed to prepare in an acceptable manner for a specific […]

When the Chicago Bulls drafted Patrick Williams with the fourth overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, expectations were high for the 6’7 forward coming out of Florida State. Williams was a versatile defender who, if things broke out accordingly in his development, had a chance of developing into a dangerous scoring threat on the […]

The Indiana Pacers aren’t a team that embraces the prospect of bottoming out. The Pacers, through the years, have mostly re-tooled and remained in the dreaded middle ground of the NBA — not too bad to win the draft lottery, not too good to compete for a championship or at least a playoff spot. Even […]

Ben Simmons, ever since that fateful Game 7 tilt against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 playoffs, has been a shell of his former self. Due to mental health issues and back problems, Simmons has been unable to regain his All-Star form, struggling immensely for the Brooklyn Nets after his trade from the Philadelphia 76ers […]

The Arizona Diamondbacks entered the 2023 NLCS coming off such an impressive effort in the Wild Card Series and NLDS, sweeping two division champions in the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers to set up a matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies. Given how well the Diamondbacks have played to this point, there was not much […]

On paper, there may not be a scarier duo in the NBA than the Milwaukee Bucks’ star pairing of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The playstyles of those two players have natural chemistry, with Antetokounmpo demolishing defenses by putting so much pressure on the rim and Lillard capitalizing on the space Antetokounmpo will create in […]

When the Utah Jazz bought out Russell Westbrook back in February, fans of the Los Angeles Clippers were wary of adding yet another rapid All-Star point guard in decline after the addition of John Wall failed to work out according to plan. But in the end, Westbrook won over the Clippers fanbase, and on Tuesday […]

There was no reason to believe that the Denver Nuggets organization was in any sort of turmoil entering the 2023-24 season, especially with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray leading the way. But this past Monday morning, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth made waves when he explained away his rationale for trading away Bones Hyland to […]