Browsing: guard

With Warriors guard Moses Moody doubtful for Golden State’s 2025-26 NBA season opener due to a calf strain, when could the fifth-year pro make his debut?

Stanford Medicine orthopedic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Abrams, MD, provided some expert analysis on what Dub Nation can expect from Moody’s injury — which Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the team isn’t “too concerned” about — as he works his way back to the court.

“If the team is describing it as a minor muscle strain, it’s probably … some microscopic tearing and minor partial tearing,” Abrams told NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday. “The good news about that, obviously, it’s on the lesser severe end of the spectrum, and typical return-to-play timelines are a couple weeks or so for these more minor muscle grade strains.”

Kerr said this past Tuesday, Oct. 14, that Moody would be reevaluated in a week, with the Warriors set to open their new season against the Los Angeles Lakers this Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. A return timeline of a couple weeks, as noted by Abrams, hopefully would put Moody back in Kerr’s rotation by Golden State’s Oct. 28 game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center, their fifth contest of the season.

There are several hurdles Moody will have to clear before that happens, Abrams explained.

“Obviously, the Warriors are a great professional organization and they’ve got top notch medical personnel, so they’re going to run him through the professional protocol and things like that,” Abrams said. “In terms of returning to play, he basically has to be able to participate in full practices 100 percent, and before he even gets to that, he has to demonstrate he’s got strength, range of motion, flexibility of the muscle and be able to do the things that are required for an NBA athlete, of course, before they even throw him into full practices.

“And then, once he’s comfortable with full practices and jumping and running up and down the court, that’s when you start to think about getting back into games. Sometimes … there’s situations where they may limit minutes initially before throwing him back into full pre-injury participation. But that just depends on a variety of different circumstances.”

After entering the Warriors’ starting lineup late last season en route to the NBA playoffs, Moody missed Golden State’s final three preseason contests this month with his calf issue.

As long as the Warriors don’t rush Moody back, Abrams noted, there’s little chance that the calf strain impacts Moody’s play moving forward, and the chance of an Achilles tear, as has been seen in countless NBA stars recently, is minimal.

“Certainly re-injury is also sometimes a possibility, but that’s why you go through the protocol is really to reduce that risk and not put him out there before he’s ready, which I’m sure the staff will do,” Abrams said.

Moody has proven himself as a valuable member of the Warriors’ lineup, and Kerr certainly hopes to have the 23-year-old back sooner rather than later.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Source link

The Knicks will waive guard Garrison Mathews ahead of Saturday’s 5 p.m. deadline, league sources told SNY’s NBA Insider Ian Begley.

New York has been impressed by Mathews’ play during the preseason and training camp, but with the club financially restricted by the second apron, there was no space for the 29-year-old veteran.

Mathews, off that strong preseason, is expected to draw interest from teams around the league looking to add shooting ahead of the regular season.

Entering the preseason, the Knicks had veterans Landry Shamet and Malcolm Brogdon battling with Matthews for the final available roster spot. With Brogdon announcing his retirement earlier this week and Matthews’ release, the final spot will go to Shamet.

Shamet joined the Knicks last year, appearing in 50 games off the bench, averaging 5.7 points on 46.1 percent shooting (39.7 percent from three) in 15.2 minutes.

Mathews did not play in New York’s preseason finale on Friday. Shamet logged 20 minutes off the bench, scoring 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting (all from three) and was a plus-3 in the 113-108 win over Charlotte.

Mathews, undrafted out of Lipscomb in 2019, broke into the league with Washington, where he spent two years before bouncing to Houston for parts of two seasons and spending the last two years in Atlanta. In 314 career games (64 starts), the six-foot-six guard has averaged 6.5 points on 40 percent shooting (38.2 percent from three) in 17.5 minutes.

Source link

DETROIT — Pistons guard Jaden Ivey’s long-awaited return hit a snag as he will miss the next four weeks following right knee surgery, the team announced Thursday.

Ivey missed the last 49 games last season after a left fibula injury and played one preseason game before issues of discomfort arose. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said it wasn’t a particular play that birthed the injury.

“It was something that was developing over his work. Obviously, from coming back but in training camp also, he started to feel something,” Bickerstaff said before the Pistons’ final preseason game against the Washington Wizards. “We took precautions, and then the medical team did their assessments and those things, and then had to make the decision that ultimately led us to where we are today.”

Editor’s Picks

1 Related

Ivey, the fifth pick in the 2022 draft, was in the midst of a breakout season last year before colliding with Magic guard Cole Anthony on New Year’s Day. He was averaging 17.6 points and shooting 41% from 3-point range, both career highs.

The Pistons acquired veteran guard Dennis Schroder to play backup point guard in the wake of Ivey’s injury last season. Bickerstaff believes guards Marcus Sasser and two-way guard Daniss Jenkins can fill in the blanks during this absence. Third-year forward Ausar Thompson has been given more responsibility in training camp to be a primary facilitator when All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham goes to the bench.

As for Ivey, it could be 10 months before he sees regular-season action again, and he’s up for a rookie-scale extension should the team and he agree on a contract before the Oct. 20 deadline.

The Pistons will be careful with his recovery given the back-to-back injuries to one of the league’s fastest players.

“Our priority is to do what’s right by our guys, and never put them in a position where we feel like we have to rush them back,” Bickerstaff said. “We know mentally how that can impact him, physically and long-term as well.”

Source link

Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green agreed to a four-year, $45 million, fully-guaranteed extension Thursday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Green, 26, went undrafted out of Northern Iowa in 2022 and started his NBA career on a two-way contract. He leveled up to a standard deal, and now he’s graduated to an extension that will keep him under contract with the Bucks through the 2029-30 season, per Charania.

Advertisement

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 7.4 points in 22.7 minutes per game last season, his third and most productive in the NBA. He notably shot north of 40% from deep for the third year in a row, finishing third on the team with 155 made 3s, behind only Gary Trent Jr. and Damian Lillard.

Trent is back, but the 35-year-old Lillard signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers after the Bucks waived him at the start of free agency.

Locking up Green on Thursday gives Milwaukee a reliable catch-and-shoot option from beyond the arc for years to come. Green was set to become a free agent next summer.

Advertisement

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

Green emerged as a key contributor for the Bucks last season. After scoring a combined 406 points over his first two seasons in the league, he collected 541 points in 73 games of action during the 2024-25 regular season.

He more than doubled his minutes per game from the 2023-24 campaign and turned in six outings with at least 15 points. Green connected on five or more threes in all but one of those performances.

Then, in the Bucks’ lone playoff series — a first-round loss to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers — he averaged 11 points and 27 minutes with a 51.4% clip from downtown. He also chipped in 2.8 rebounds and two assists per game.

Advertisement

Green even got the bump to the starting lineup in a win-or-go-home Game 5, during which he scored a playoff career high of 19 points, albeit in what was ultimately an overtime elimination defeat. He logged 46 minutes and went 6 of 10 from 3-point range in the loss.

Green had been eligible for an extension since July. Now, after starting all four of Milwaukee’s preseason games, he has a new deal heading into his fourth season in the league.

Source link

The wild pull-apart brawl between Adam Page and Samoa Joe on the October 1 episode of AEW Dynamite had fans talking—but one of the security guards trying to break it up has now been identified, and heâ€s no stranger to the ring.

Independent wrestler Leeroy Shogun took to social media to confirm that he was one of the guards who stepped in when Page and Joe started throwing hands after their tag team win over the Death Riders.

Shogun, based in Florida, has built a strong reputation on the indie scene, especially in promotions like Tampa Bay Pro Wrestling and POW, where heâ€s held the POW Florida Championship.

The AEW appearance placed him directly in the middle of Dynamiteâ€s segment, as Page and Joeâ€s partnership imploded post-match. The chaos escalated to the point where Page issued a challenge for the AEW World Championship at WrestleDream, and Joe accepted—making the title match official for the upcoming October 18 pay-per-view in St. Louis.

While Shogunâ€s role was brief, being part of one of AEWâ€s hottest angles is a major spotlight for an indie talent. His presence in a segment involving two of AEWâ€s top stars could open doors for more appearances down the line.

Should AEW give more indie wrestlers like Leeroy Shogun the spotlight? Could we see him in a match next time? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

Source link

Though their most important player is 7 feet tall, the 2025-26 Sixers plan to lean into guard play.

The Sixers hope Joel Embiid is healthy enough to play and to star. They also expect to feature small, skilled and fast lineups.

At Fridayâ€s media day, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse highlighted the teamâ€s ability to play a variety of guard combinations, including three-guard units and “maybe a four-guard rotation at times.â€

Some waiting will be required before Nurse can test all of his guard experiments.

Jared McCain is sidelined by a UCL tear in his right thumb and Quentin Grimes†restricted free agency is unresolved. Jake Fischer reported Sunday that, “short of accepting a one-year ‘balloon†payment, Grimes appears headed toward accepting†the Sixers†single-season, $8.7 million qualifying offer. Grimes did not join the Sixers on their trip to Abu Dhabi for two preseason games vs. the Knicks.Â

For now, Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe are both working to gel and competing against each other at practice. Following Sundayâ€s session, the two were part of a small group that played 1-on-1 with a five-second limit. In the brief period open to reporters, Edgecombe fared well.Â

“For the most part, weâ€re going to have them together, but there is a good 40 percent of practice where theyâ€re going at it,†Nurse said. “And they like to go at it after practice. … Thatâ€s good to see, too.â€

Back in January, Maxey talked about his comfort in three-guard lineups with Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson, citing his college days alongside Immanuel Quickley and Ashton Hagans. The Sixers†three-guard units this season project to be much more youthful.Â

“I think the biggest thing is youâ€ve got to be unselfish,†Maxey said Friday, “and youâ€ve got to have an open mind. …That just really helps, especially when you have dynamic shooting, dynamic playmaking, guys that can play off the catch, play off closeouts, attack the paint. … It makes you more dangerous.â€

Of course, lineups loaded with guards usually have vulnerabilities. Nurse has said defensive rebounding will need to be a “collective effort†that the Sixers purposefully drill and game plan. The team struggled on the defensive glass the past two seasons.Â

With that said, no team is excellent in all areas. For instance, the defending champion Thunder ranked 21st last year in defensive rebounding rate, per Cleaning the Glass.Â

Nurse wants to identify the Sixers†strengths and make the most of them.

“I always try to look at the positives,†he said Sunday. “Youâ€ve got to always keep thinking of, ‘Whatâ€s our advantage here?†… Are we faster, are we quicker? Are we better shooters? Do we have more handlers out there? Keep reminding yourself that there are advantages.

“And then youâ€re saying, ‘Oh my God, how are we going to guard the low post when we switch the 1-4 pick-and-roll, or the 2-3 pick-and-roll, or the 2-4 pick-and-roll?†So yeah, we know weâ€ve got to work. Weâ€ve got to drill guarding bigger people on the low block or drill schemes on the low block. … The rebounding, weâ€ve got to drill it and weâ€ve got to scheme it.

“… But Iâ€ve always got to keep reminding myself that yeah, thatâ€s going to be tough to guard on the low block. And yes, itâ€s going to be tough to rebound against size. But can we pull ‘em away and get more space? Can we get more threes because theyâ€re too slow for us? Can we go around them and offensive rebound? … Mostly, I think itâ€s just making sure we put some thought into those two areas — guarding the low block and defensive rebounding.â€

Source link

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain suffered a UCL tear in his right thumb during a workout Thursday, the team announced.

“McCain and the 76ers are consulting with specialists on next steps, and further updates will be provided as appropriate,” the Sixers said in a statement.

Advertisement

Philadelphia selected McCain out of Duke with the No. 16 overall pick in last year’s draft. He averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in the 23 games he played in before suffering a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee in December and missing the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Injuries plagued the Sixers last season, Philadelphia’s first missing the playoffs since 2016-17. In the second year of Nick Nurse’s run as head coach, the Sixers had a whopping 54 starting lineups. Star center Joel Embiid played only 19 games. Paul George, whom Philadelphia brought aboard last offseason on a four-year, $212 million max contract, played just 41 games. Even standout point guard Tyrese Maxey was in for a career-low 52 games.

When Maxey was out early last season, McCain took over at point. In that six-game span, McCain averaged 25.2 points, 4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1% from deep. In the process, he turned in 27-, 29- and 34-point performances.

Even after Maxey returned to the lineup, McCain still registered another 30-piece. That outing against the Brooklyn Nets gave McCain seven straight 20-plus-point games and, more importantly, the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in the first five starts of a career (26), the Sixers’ recordfor most 3-pointers made through the first 15 games of a career (37) as well as the NBA rookie recordfor most consecutive games with at least three 3-pointers made (8).

Advertisement

McCain became the early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year before his knee injury. He’s part of a Sixers backcourt that features Maxey but also includes this year’s No. 3 overall pick V.J. Edgecombe.

McCain’s injury news Thursday raises additional questions about the Sixers and restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes, who averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 28 games, and 25 starts, after the Sixers acquired him at the trade deadline last season.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that two sides “are very far apart on a deal.”

Charania said Grimes’ agent told him that Wednesday was the first time the Sixers had made a “formal hard offer” to Grimes as a restricted free agent.

Advertisement

Grimes will not be attending Sixers media day on Friday, nor will he be traveling with the team this weekend for preseason, Grimes’ agent reportedly told Charania.

“From the 76ers’ side of this all, getting V. J. Edgecombe in the high lottery, obviously that changes the dynamics of their backcourt,” Charania said. And there is a level of uncertainty going into this year health-wise with key players like Joel Embiid, Paul George and where does that leave the Sixers in terms of offering those high-value, high multi-year deals.”

Source link

Sep 25, 2025, 12:14 PM ET

Kyle Lowry is joining a new team, without leaving his current team.

Prime Video announced Thursday that it has hired Lowry — the Philadelphia 76ers guard who is about to enter what will be the 20th season of his pro career — as an NBA on Prime analyst. It’s a multiyear deal, with Lowry “making select appearances” this season, Prime said, adding that he will have “increased responsibilities in the future.”

NBA on Prime’s coverage of the league will begin Oct. 24 with a doubleheader, Boston at New York followed by Minnesota at the Lakers. Lowry is expected to have some role that night; the 76ers do not have a game that evening.

“I’m excited to start the next chapter of my basketball journey with the Prime Sports team,” Lowry said. “The talent they’ve assembled is incredible, and together we’ll deliver something fresh and special for basketball fans worldwide. It’s an honor to be part of this from Day One, and I’m committed to sharing the insights I’ve gained from my career through NBA on Prime for years to come.”

Lowry transitioning to television seemed inevitable when his playing days end — whenever that happens. He has enormous popularity among his fellow players, as well as coaches, some of whom have noted that he sees the game differently than many players do. And that ability should serve him well in the new role with Prime Video.

“Kyle’s a throwback,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of his former point guard last year. “You can’t just look at his numbers or his points per game or whatever. It’s the impact that he has on winning.”

The 39-year-old Lowry played his college ball at Villanova before entering the NBA in 2006. He’ll be only the 12th player in NBA history to be in the league for 20 or more seasons and just the second point guard to achieve that feat; Chris Paul, now of the Clippers, played his 20th season last season with San Antonio.

Lowry is a six-time NBA All-Star, won an Olympic gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, was part of the Toronto team that won the NBA title in 2019 and has said many times that he will retire — somehow — as part of the Raptors, even if it means only signing a one-day contract to make that a reality.

“We look forward to Kyle’s contributions to our team both this season as an active player and in the future,” said Amina Hussein, Prime’s head of on-air sports talent in the U.S. “His authentic personality and deep understanding of today’s game will offer viewers unique analysis as we deliver NBA coverage that celebrates the game and educates fans around the world.”

Prime Video joins the NBA coverage world this season with the league’s 11-year, $76 billion series of rights deals set to begin.

Amazon will show 66 NBA regular-season games on Prime Video this season, with Thursday night doubleheaders beginning in January, Friday evening doubleheaders, select Saturday afternoon games, and the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game of the NBA Cup in-season tournament.

Prime Video will also show all six games in the play-in tournament, then has part of the league’s playoff coverage as well.

Source link

Kobe Bufkin has played in just 27 NBA games across two seasons — because of time in the G-League and injuries — but at Summer League in Las Vegas this July he showed some potential as a point guard who could run the pick-and-roll, like during his 29-point outing against the Heat (17 in the fourth quarter to spark a comeback win).

That was enough to get the Nets to take a chance on him.

Atlanta is trading Bufkin to Brooklyn for cash considerations, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.

For Atlanta, this is a salary dump. The Hawks save Bufkinâ€s $4.5 million salary, putting them $7.7 million below the luxury tax line and $15.4 million below the first apron, where they are hard-capped (plus they create a trade exception they can use for the next year). For the Nets, this move puts them above the leagueâ€s salary floor, but they still have $11.4 million in cap space to facilitate trades.

The Nets also get a one-year roll of the dice on Bufkin, to see if he is the point guard who was putting up so many points in Las Vegas, or if he is more the guy who was committing turnovers and not shooting consistently while he was doing so. This is the kind of move Nets GM Sean Marks made a lot during his first rebuild, taking a shot on a flawed player with potential to see if other teams have given up too quickly. Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesnâ€t, but itâ€s a risk worth taking for the Nets, who are in the middle of another rebuild.

Source link

Kobe Bufkin is getting a fresh start.

The Atlanta Hawks struck a deal to send Bufkin to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday afternoon, according to ESPNâ€s Shams Charania. In exchange, the Hawks will receive cash considerations from the Nets.

Advertisement

The Hawks selected Bufkin with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Michigan, though heâ€s struggled so far in the league. Bufkin has appeared in just 27 games over the last two seasons, and he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in December after playing in just 10 games.

Bufkin spent some time with the Hawks†G League affiliate during his rookie campaign. He averaged 23.6 points and 5.9 assists per game with the College Park Skyhawks during the 2023-24 season. Heâ€s averaged 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 27 NBA games throughout his career. Bufkin has two years left on his initial four-year, $19.8 million rookie deal.

While his NBA career has yet to take off, Bufkin will get a bit of a restart with the Nets. The franchise went just 26-56 last season, and then used all five of its first-round draft picks earlier this summer to help jumpstart a rebuild under second-year head coach Jordi Fernández. Bufkin, now healthy, should play a significant part in that push.

Advertisement

The Hawks went just 40-42 last season and missed the playoffs for a second straight year. They traded back with the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA draft to acquire former Georgia star Asa Newell. Though the return isn’t great for a former first-round draft pick, the Hawks have now cleared up a roster spot. That’ll give them some added flexibility as they head into the season this fall.

Source link