Justin Benton Articles - Page 2

Coming off the final year of his massive 2016 payday courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks, Wesley Matthews will be among many in the free agent market this summer. He spent the final 23 games last season playing a prominent role for Indiana Pacers, who were struggling with some injury concerns at shooting guard. During that […]

The Philadelphia 76ers, who are coming off a competitive postseason run that ended with a run in against the 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors, have a busy summer ahead of them. Free agency kicks off at 6pm Eastern Time on June 30 and the Sixers will head in with only four players locked into a […]

With a penchant for doing so, it only makes sense that the Phoenix Suns made some interesting moves both leading up to and during the NBA draft. The first of these moves came hours before the draft and saw Phoenix ship out forward T.J. Warren to the Indiana Pacers. The move included the no. 32 […]

With the first three games now behind us and game 4 set to tip off on Friday night, the NBA Finals are nearing an end. Thankfully, there is never a down moment in this beautiful league and the crowning of the 2019 NBA Champions will signal the start to the increasingly hectic 2019 NBA offseason. […]

The 2019 NBA Playoffs have been a roller coaster through the first rounds and game 1 of the Finals. It’s looking like there will little doubt that the upcoming NBA offseason will be a wild one, as well. A truckload of big-name free agents have the potential to change the landscape of the NBA. Some […]

The NBA Draft Lottery concluded on Tuesday night setting the order for the upcoming NBA Draft on June 20th and it definitely did not disappoint. The New Orleans Pelicans took home the first overall selection for this year’s draft despite only having a 6.0% chance of doing so. Meanwhile, the three teams that shared the […]

A heartbreaking loss to the Portland Trail Blazers ended the Denver Nuggets’ postseason run this past Sunday. Although the Nuggets scrapped their way to game 7 and Nikola Jokic had an impressive outing of his own, a monster performance by C.J. McCollum was just too much for the young Denver squad. There is no doubt, […]

The NBA Draft Lottery is set to unfold on Tuesday night, and the tanking gods will grace one of the league’s franchises with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. While this year’s draft may be pretty heavy at the top, there will be valuable players throughout most of the first round. This […]

Everything isn’t quite coming up Milhouse for the Los Angeles Lakers as of late. Following the team’s failure to make their way into the playoffs, Luke Walton parted ways with the franchise after a three-year run as the team’s head coach. The goal for the Lakers was to bring in a recognizable name with prior […]

After being eliminated from the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics will quickly be adjusting their focus to the upcoming offseason. With seven players that aren’t locked in for next season, this summer will require the Celtics to keep their nose to the grindstone in order to keep their roster ready to compete […]

Outside of the eight remaining teams in the exciting 2019 NBA Playoffs, the offseason is here for most NBA franchises. One team that has been on the outside looking in since the start of the postseason, the Charlotte Hornets, came close to their first playoff since 2016, but fell just shy finishing ninth in the […]

Winter (and playoff basketball) is here!  It is only right that both of these events will be taking place within a day of the other, as not only do the NBA and Game of Thrones have two of the most serious and dedicated fanbases in the world, but they have been connected to one another […]

The last day of the NBA regular season is upon us. As always, the 82-game journey of the 2018-19 season was a wild ride with plenty of excitement and captivating storylines. Compared to those previous, player movement was ramped up this season, as we saw a lot of familiar faces in new jerseys. With almost […]

After falling to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night with a 124-121 final score, the Phoenix Suns slid into a 17-59 record for the season. With just six regular season games to go for the Suns, they are not only a lock for the worst record in the Western Conference but have a real chance […]

Not only is the free agent class of 2019 set to be top heavy with plenty of star talent, it could also end up being one of the most impactful offseasons the league has seen in a while in terms of redistribution of power. Players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and […]

Right now it feels good to be the Houston Rockets. Despite a multitude of obstacles through the season, such as an early appearance in the 14th spot in the Western Conference and what felt like endless injuries to key players on their roster, they are currently seated in the fourth seed with a 39-25 record that […]

It was just a little over three months ago when a letter from Riley Morrison made its way to Stephen Curry asking why his signature shoe wasn’t available in girl’s sizes or styles. The letter from the 9-year-old hooper had an impact on the two-time MVP, because he let her know right away that he […]

For some NBA players, the retired life doesn’t mean one without basketball. After stepping away from the NBA in 2013, Rasheed Wallace is back to what he loves. It was announced Friday that Sheed would be taking over the Jordan High School boys basketball team as the new head coach. BREAKING: Durham Public Schools announces […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo is having a breakout season. Not only is he possibly on his way to his first MVP award at just 24-years-old, but the Milwaukee Bucks have the best record in not just the Eastern Conference, but the league. According to the Atletic’s Sam Amick, His success alongside Mike Budenholzer has the first year […]

As of right now, there is a five-way tie in the National Basketball Association for the longest number of seasons played, with Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Vince Carter all tallying 21 seasons in the league. Vince and Dirk are the only active players on that list, and Nowitzki has all […]

Duke star Zion Williamson hasn’t played a game since Feb. 20 but that doesn’t mean he is laying low and out of sight. A shoe mishap that led to a strained knee is almost behind the rookie sensation, though he may have bigger things on his mind right now. In an Instagram live video on […]

The Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night was full of multiple different storylines. Primarily, it marked the fourth straight loss for the Lakers and pushed them to 30-35 on the season. Also wrapped up in that was a giant night for LeBron James, who passed Michael Jordan on the […]

While there is some debate to be had over who is the greatest big man of all time in the history of the NBA, it is pure fact that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is in that conversation. A resume that reads six-time NBA champion, six-time league MVP, all-time leading scorer, and inventor of the most unstoppable move […]

The Golden State Warriors roster saw quite the shakeup in the 2016 offseason. Bringing in Kevin Durant gave the team a heightened ceiling and made them the unquestioned strongest starting lineup in the league. However, to make that happen, it meant that big parts of their roster that had won a championship just two seasons […]

To say the Los Angeles Lakers have underperformed relative to expectations this season is not a stretch by any means. Currently riding a three-game losing streak that includes a loss to the last place Phoenix Suns, the Lakers are 30-34 and sitting in the 11th place in the Western Conference. With the eighth-seeded San Antonio […]

It’s not unusual for players and coaches to speak kindly on their opponents before or after a game. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse dished out some serious praise of the Houston Rockets ahead of their Tuesday night matchup. Raptors coach Nick Nurse on the Rockets: "This is a championship level team, no doubt about […]

The outlook for the rest of the season wasn’t great for the Indiana Pacers after they lost Victor Oladipo to a devastating injury in a late January game against the Toronto Raptors. Somehow, though, this team has kept things afloat and remained at the top of the Eastern Conference standings while playing some great basketball. […]

The struggling Los Angeles Lakers have been drastically missing Lonzo Ball. Since leaving the Lakers’ Jan. 19 game against the Houston Rockets after suffering an ankle injury, Ball has missed 17 games. During that stretch the Lakers have gone 5-12. There is a little good news for the team, and they can use just about […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have let a lot of people down this season. After losing to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, they are now on a three-game losing streak that also includes losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. Fox Sports 1 commentator Shannon Sharpe is one of the many who are […]

Few analysts are as streaky with their takes as Colin Cowherd. On Tuesday’s episode of The Herd, Colin broke down his list of top 10 players this season and put Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George on top of that list. There are plenty of reasons to consider this claim to be viable, though. OKC […]

For the New York Knicks, this season has been about preparing for the future and developing a young but talented roster. One of their core young pieces moving forward is Kevin Knox, who the team drafted ninth overall in the NBA draft last summer. While he has shown incredible potential at times, he has also […]

It has been a special season for De’Aaron Fox. The young point guard has made a monstrous leap in his development and is front-runner for the NBA Most Improved Player Award. Not only is he experiencing individual success, but the Sacramento Kings have a real shot to end a 12-season playoff drought due to Fox’s […]

There is just about nothing Vince Carter can do anymore that would surprise anyone. At 42 years old, he is still playing in the NBA, making this season with the Atlanta Hawks his 21st season — tied for the longest tenured career of all-time. Carter made his way into some other all-time great numbers on […]

The Houston Rockets have been on a roll lately. After a win in Boston against the Celtics on Sunday, the Rockets have ratcheted up their win streak to five games. The two-game road trip will continue Monday night as Houston is slotted to take on the Toronto Raptors. However, they could be taking to court […]

The surging Milwaukee Bucks will have multiple decisions to face in free agency this coming offseason, as multiple core pieces of their team will be seeking new contracts. The Bucks are acting quick, though, as they gave themselves a head start by locking up Eric Bledsoe with a contract extension on March 1. The extension […]

The Atlanta Hawks are slated to take on the Chicago Bulls in Atlanta on Friday night. Unfortunately for the team, they will be without the services of John Collins in the game. The Hawks are coming off of an overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday that saw their two young franchise centerpieces, Trae Young […]

The NBA handed out the Coach of the Month honors for the month of February on Friday, with Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts receiving the designation for the Western Conference and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer for the Eastern Conference. Both coaches were beyond deserving and have led their teams to an […]

The 13th annual Sloan Analytics Conference kicked off on Friday. NBA commissioner Adam Silver returned to the conference this year after making multiple appearances in the past. In speaking with Bill Simmons in their one-on-one discussion “Who Says No”, Silver dropped a little bit of a bombshell regarding mental health in the league. “I think we […]

The 36th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft has been showing out down the stretch of the season. Mitchell Robinson, the New York Knicks’ second-round pick from last year’s draft, is catching the eye of everyone around the league with some dominating defensive numbers. Despite only playing 18.6 minutes per game, Robinson can be found […]