NBA Player News

The timing of this report is interesting in that it comes one day after the United States finished fourth in the FIBA World Cup. James being “in” on the Olympics, and other NBA stars being in a similar position, comes as no surprise, as recruiting for that event has never been a problem for USA Basketball. The World Cup, on the other hand, has been, especially after FIBA changed its calendar to play its world championships in the summer prior to the Olympic Games (as opposed to the two-year separation between events). Among the other names mentioned for the Olympics are Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Anthony Davis, and Jayson Tatum. Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, De’Aaron Fox, and Devin Booker are also said to be interested in making a commitment to playing in the Olympics.

Champagnie’s impact can be seen by splitting Wednesday’s contest into two halves. In the first half, he sank five threes, including one to beat the buzzer before halftime, to tally 15 points and nearly a team-best plus-9 rating. But after halftime, he went 0-of-5 from the field, produced one point, and was tied for a team-worst minus-17 rating. A more consistent game may have prevented San Antonio from completely squandering a 14-point lead. Yet, Champagnie continues to shoot the three well of late, and will have another opportunity to produce from beyond the arc on Friday in Game 2.

Castle’s first-ever NBA Finals game was a respectable one. The second-year guard finished second on the Spurs in scoring and did so on decent shooting. He crashed both the offensive and defensive glass on Wednesday while also doing a little bit as a passer. Still, Castle didn’t deliver high production. He’ll likely need to do a bit more on Friday to help the Spurs avoid dropping a second straight game.

Despite pretty good counting stats on both ends of the floor, Wembanyama struggled to find a rhythm and make his usual impact on the offensive end in Game 1. His offensive shortcomings consisted mostly of inefficient shooting both inside and outside the arc, as well as six turnovers in his 38 minutes. Wemby ultimately tried to will his team in the fourth quarter by tallying 11 points in the frame, but the Spurs ultimately couldn’t stop the Knicks’ comeback. San Antonio could benefit from a stronger performance from Wembanyama on Friday.

Towns’ biggest moments of Wednesday’s contest came in the third quarter, scoring 10 points in the frame while helping overcome a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 76 at the period’s end. He didn’t score in the final frame, but still concluded the game with solid numbers. The veteran center had several nice drives and finishes at the basket while being defended in isolation by Victor Wembanyama. If he can continue to hold his own in that matchup, the Knicks could find themselves in favorable positions.

Anunoby had been quiet on the offensive end up until the fourth quarter of Game 1, when he drilled a couple of huge three-pointers before finishing with 12 points in the final period. The veteran wing didn’t shoot as efficiently as he had over the first three rounds of the playoffs, but still managed to come up big when it mattered most on Wednesday to help New York to a come-from-behind win. Anunoby logged 31 minutes and appears to be recovering from his hamstring injury well. He’ll have a chance to help the Knicks take a 2-0 series lead on Friday.

Brunson had a rough first three quarters of Wednesday’s game, having to overcome multiple lower-body ailments en route to producing 17 points on just 7-of-22 shooting. But he came alive in the fourth quarter and amassed 13 massive points while connecting on several big shots down the stretch to lead New York to a Game 1 win. Despite inefficient shooting, Brunson never stopped attacking. As a result, he’ll have a chance to help his team take a 2-0 series lead on Friday.

Robinson’s return comes after undergoing surgery on his broken pinky finger. He will not have missed any games, despite the injury, and will likely come off the bench to continue playing a key role for a Knicks team that has won 11 straight games. They’ll enter with a significant rest advantage against the Spurs, who are coming off a seven-game series against the Thunder.

Robinson was listed as questionable on Tuesday, so his upgraded status certainly bodes well for his availability. Robinson will be leaned on to slow down Victor Wembanyama with his elite defensive acumen.

Previous reports indicated that Robinson should be available, and he was able to do some individual work on Sunday. However, his official designation for the first game of the Finals is questionable. Don’t expect Mike Brown to dip deep down the depth chart for center minutes if Robinson is out. Karl-Anthony Towns will likely play a massive workload, with Ariel Hukporti giving him a few minutes to breathe when Victor Wembanyama isn’t on the floor.

The 40th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Ighodaro appeared in all 82 games this season, starting 24. The 7-footer’s role expanded when a foot injury sidelined Mark Williams, and that could remain the case in 2026-27 if the Suns were to move on from the former Hornet. However, one would assume that Phoenix would look to upgrade the position if that were the case, and 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach would also be in the mix for more playing time. Ighodaro averaged 6.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season. That production was not enough to make him much more than a deep-league streamer on nights when Williams was out.