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The long wait is finally over for the hyped 2024 NBA Draft as the Los Angeles Lakers have finally selected Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in the second round, finally ending all the speculations of where will the USC Trojans guard end up in the Draft. There were multiple talks as to how Bronny might end up with different teams, but it ends up where it was expected to begin with.

It was just a dream for LeBron James back in the day. He didn’t even expect to stay long enough in the NBA to be on this pace, and yet here we are, now playing with his eldest son in just a few months’ time. Bronny brings in a new feel for the Lakers’ as the team sets its eyes towards development in the season with a new head coach in JJ Redick as well.

This has been quite a historic feat considering that there are no father-son duos in the league – at least until now. At least, the league can be sure that James that won’t be retiring from the NBA after a spectacular career, and it seems that he will be taking this chance to play at the big stage with his son.

A Historic Team-Up in Los Angeles

Back then, James was just hoping to get that chance with Bronny, and now he is just a few months away from playing with his son – at least when he opts in with his player option. James can become a free agent next week, and he can either sign a new deal with the Lakers – or bring his talents to another team, possibly for the last time in his career. However, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was confident that they can sway James to return, especially after drafting Bronny.

“In the history of the NBA, there’s never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out … but if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made. And NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.”

It should be clear that even with Bronny drafted, there are no guarantees that both players would end up in a Lakers uniform. However, it is worth noting that there have been at least 100 instances in the history of the league where sons of players have joined the league after their fathers played, but a gap of at least five years has been present after the father’s career has wrapped up.

Will Bronny Log Heavy Minutes?

At 6-foot-4, Bronny comes in as one of the shortest guards in the NBA, and yet he comes with a promising athleticism and defensive IQ – reflecting him of his father’s game. At the age of 19, many fans and critics are keen to speculate how well he will end up with the rotation when the season begins.

After all, the Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick, showing that Bronny was not much of a priority unless he came around in the second round. Let’s not forget that the Lakers have multiple guards on the roster, including Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Max Christie to add to that list. It does seem that Bronny will have to contend for minutes when the time comes, and there’s no guarantee that he can even secure a rotation spot.

For now, the Lakers can be happy that they have brought in a bargaining chip for LeBron to stay with the team, but only time will tell once July kicks in as the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer decides on his future.

After Victor Wembanyama became the first French player to be drafted 1st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, French teen Zaccharie Risacher was brought in by the Atlanta Hawks to kick off the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, which sets a promising precedence in the history of the league.

While the Atlanta Hawks are stacked with guards already at star level in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, it does seem that Risacher comes in as a foundational player in the squad – a team that won a playoff series ever since making it to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals. There were rumors of the Hawks trading down considering that they don’t really need the 1st overall pick and was hoping for more selections, but GM Landry Fields took advantage of the pick and drafted Risacher.

To be fair, the consensus nearly favored yet another French star in Alex Sarr, who is another 7-footer who is expected to continue the trend of tall centers in the NBA. Other options for the Hawks could have ended up in UConn’s Donovan Clingan and Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.

Atlanta’s Questionable Selection

The Atlanta Hawks had a 3% chance of landing the top pick in the lottery, but it did seem that the team didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to get a prime talent. The Hawks were essentially trading for the 1st pick, but he nearly considered giving it away with the lack of future trades for the team.

Risacher was named the Best Young PLayer for the 2023-24 LNB Elite season, finishing the campaign with averages of 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 22 minutes of action per game. The forward has a flurry of awards in his career, being named the EuroCup Rising Star in the previous season and was an LNB Elite champion back in 2022.

1st overall pick was also selected to the France Senior Team for the upcoming EuroBasket 2025 campaign. He has represented the country for both the U19 and U17 World Cups and finished with silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Other Draft Happenings

The Washington Wizards went on to bring in Alex Sarr with the 2nd pick, while Sheppard was drafted by the Rockets. Notably, Clingan was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 7th pick, while the Memphis Grizzlies brought in Zach Edey with the 9th pick. Cody Williams, who was also hyped to be a perfect fit for the Hawks, was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 10th overall pick.

Some of the notable trades in the first round was Rob Dillingham, who was selected by the Spurs with the 8th overall pick. The Kentucky product was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for future draft picks. On top of that, Dillon Jones was drafted by the Wizards with the 26th pick, before he was subsequently traded to the New York Knicks, who would then send the Weber State product to Oklahoma City in exchange for five second-round picks.

The second round of the 2024 NBA Draft will continue tomorrow with 28 picks set to be made. It is worth noting that the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers have lost their second-round picks due to League penalty. The Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Grizzlies all have two or more picks in the coming round, which should lead to potential trades in the Draft Night.

It is official. The New York Knicks are reuniting Mikal Bridges with his Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo after agreeing to a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks are sending Bojan Bogdanovic along with four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Bucks, an unprotected pick swap, and a second-rounder.

This comes as a massive shift for the Knicks, who are looking to retool its squad with the hopes of getting back to the top of the league after missing out on a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals when they lost to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7. Armed with a two-way guard in Bridges, it does seem that they are on the way to bigger development this offseason.

This addresses the need for the Brooklyn Nets, who did not have a draft pick until 2026 prior to the trade. The deal gives them a total of five first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick. So far, these picks will convey starting 2025, and will be there until 2028, which is the protected pick swap.

A New Dawn for the Knicks

For those who didn’t know, Brunson, Bridges, Hart, and DiVincenzo spent three seasons at Villanova together and went on to win a total of two national championships there. The Knicks have suffered a lot of injuries during the playoffs, and adding an Iron Man player in Mikal Bridges would be a good note, especially when he has not missed a game since entering the league. Bridges played a total of 82 games last season and was averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists for the Nets, which was his first full season since being traded from the Phoenix Suns.

The Knicks would have to come up with some changes in the squad still. OG Anunoby is coming in as a free agent this July, and with Bridges now in the squad, it does seem that there are still some unknowns whether Anunoby would be signed or not. The Knicks are slated to enter the 2024-25 season with a 25-year drought the Eastern Conference Finals, and fans are hoping to see Bridges be the spark who can help the Knicks reach that stage.

Nets Surging for Bigger Hopes

The Brooklyn Nets have also engaged in a deal after sending Bridges to New York, this time earning more picks to bring in some picks with the Houston Rockets. Houston is said to acquire the favorable first-rounders from Dallas and Phoenix after the Nets returned the 2026 first-rounder in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick from the Suns.

For the Nets, this comes as a favorable exchange as it means that they can position themselves in the coming years and structure a much more favorable rebuild. Let’s not forget the fact that the Nets are keen to make the most of the coming seasons in the hopes of finding value in their players to make some key trades in the long run.

For the Rockets, however, the goal is to bring in Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant in a future trade. While the Suns have already stated that they are not open to trading Durant, the Rockets are now armed with a luxury of picks that can possibly sway the Suns to bring in Durant in the long run.

No one can deny the fact that it was a surprising note that OKC has gone to send one of their young and impressive guards in Josh Giddey, who has been on a tough note with the Thunder after the team got eliminated in the second round of the 2024 Playoffs. Oklahoma City received Alex Caruso in exchange for Giddey in the said deal.

The deal was such a surprise on both ends. For OKC, Giddey’s brilliance on the court in the past few years has him intended to be one of the best staples in the squad who could really help the Thunder come up with massive strides in the game, so trading him away seemed to be a huge surprise, especially when his so-called “liability season” saw him average impressive numbers even as a fourth scoring option in the team so far.

For the Bulls, however, it seems that it is going to be one of the biggest stories that will see them either regret it or celebrate it. Many fans even thought that they could’ve gotten more from Caruso as a valued player in the Bulls’ roster so far.

A New Future for Giddey

Giddey is one of the biggest assets in Oklahoma City. Selected sixth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, the promising guard finishes his tenure with the Thunder with averages of 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 31.0 percent from three. Giddey was essentially a candidate for the Rookie of the Year back then and was also the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double.

What proceeded with OKC’s decision to trade Giddey was that the team sought to see him come off the bench in the 2024-25 season. However, discussions with the third-year guard led to him seeking options where he can serve viable minutes while being a starter. That came for Chicago later on, in which sends a promising groove for Giddey in the long run.

Giddey was quite said to be a liability in his games, especially against the Dallas Mavericks. However, Giddey’s playstyle was quite hampered with him going more off-ball than what he was used to. For context, Giddey used to average 25.1 minutes per game in the regular season, but was on the court for just 18.1 minutes each night in the playoffs.

A 3&D Boost for the Thunder

At the age of 30, it is actually quite baffling how fans should expect Caruso to fill in the playmaking that Josh Giddey brings to the table for OKC. But with both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Wiliams transitioning into elite playmakers, it seems that OKC is seeing a formula work for them, much like how Jrue Holiday, a 3&D player, did the trick for the Boston Celtics’ championship run.

Caruso averaged a career-high 10.1 points this past season and was named to the All-Defensive First Team for 2022-23, the All-Defensive Second Team for 2023-24, and he won the NBA Hustle Award for 2023-24. To add to that impressive trade, Caruso used to play for the Oklahoma City Blue, under the Thunder’s current head coach Mark Daigneault back then.

OKC can either see him come off the bench, or as a starter for the team should he ever be considered to be a good fit on each unit. His defensive brilliance makes him a good choice for the Thunder considering that they are on the pace to become one of the best defensive teams in the league.

From being criticized for his costly performances in the previous playoffs, Jaylen Brown has finally arrived as the best version of himself with his extraordinary performances in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, where he has embraced his flaws and finally came up with some of the best strings of massive games ever seen on the big stage.

We have always commended Jayson Tatum for being the piece that has held the Celtics together as the main star of the team, with Brown mostly in the shadows, making some big performances from time to time, but now Brown has undeniably surpassed Jaylen Brown as the big star in the Celtics’ squad.

With averages of 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals on 44% shooting from the field, Jaylen Brown was named the 2024 Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award. Among in consideration for the award were Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving.

An Finals MVP Run From the Start

In 19 games in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Jaylen Brown has been superb in his run for the Boston Celtics, where he averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. If you are not impressed, he shot a staggering 51.6% from the field, including 32.7% from three, which is a massive growth considering that he was a menace on both ends of the floor.

It can be remembered that Brown was also named as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP in their series against the Indiana Pacers, where he played at a magnificent level with averages of 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in four games to help Boston complete the sweep. No one ever forgot his massive clutch shot in the corner in Game 1 that delivered a promising shockwave in the game and beyond.

It cannot be denied that Boston has thrived well behind a promising run from Jaylen Brown this postseason. This is the biggest improvement from him over the years, and he definitely deserves to be named as the Finals MVP with all of the heroics that he has played for the Celtics in their wondrous playoff run.

Cutting Down the “Left Hand” Allegations

In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Brown was heavily criticized by experts for his lack of ball security. What led to their demise at the hands of the Miami Heat back then was Brown’s lack of impressive offensive production – but what hampered him throughout the whole campaign was his ball handling. Jaylen Brown had a total of 68 assists, sure, but he also had 66 turnovers to counter that.

For this one, however, Brown has trimmed down his turnovers. He had a total of 62 assists for the whole playoff run, with only 51 turnovers to counter that. This is a huge feat considering that he had an extra series and still did not surpass his total turnovers from the last season.

At this point, Brown is a new player of his own version. He has become a promising star that the Celtics can rely on to carry the load and help the team win when it matters most. Sure, he has made a lot of adjustments, and this campaign proves why he deserved to be named as the Finals MVP of the Celtics’ record-setting 18th championship.

For the first time since 2008, the Boston Celtics have clinched a title in the biggest stage of NBA basketball as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in a show of attrition after a promising campaign that showed why the Celtics deserved to win the NBA title right from the start of the season.

Jayson Tatum dropped 31 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds to lead the Celtics in the massive victory, while Jaylen Brown chipped in 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Derrick White added 14 points and 8 rebounds. The Celtics were firing from all cylinders, drilling 13 threes early in the game.

But the defense was the biggest story of the game. Dallas was held to just 29.7% from three, and had 13 turnovers for the whole game. Kyrie Irving only had 15 points, and Luka Doncic was held under 30 points for the fourth straight game – even making 0-6 from deep in the first half.

A Story of Back-and-Forth Runs

Dallas was well within the game despite their poor shooting, making runs to stay on the prowl and keep their hopes alive. However, a sudden burst from Boston that spanned just a minute helped the Celtics take the wheel to end the first quarter with a 28-18 lead. The Celtics would go on to pour more offensive barrages in the second as they scored 39 points to build a 67-46 lead at halftime.

On that note, Luka Doncic was held to just 9 points at the half, and no other Mavericks player had scored double-digits aside from Josh Green, who drilled three threes in the first half and ended the game with 14 points total. Boston has been deadly almost everywhere on the court, and even that halfcourt buzzer-beater three from Payton Pritchard set the cherry on top of a winning cake that sealed the deal right from the start.

A Story of Firsts in Boston

Al Horford, at the age of 38, has finally won the NBA Finals for the first time. It was also the first time that a player from the Dominican Republic has won the NBA title. There are a lot of firsts in the storied ending by the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis all won their first NBA titles. It is also the first title for head coach Joe Mazzulla as the man at the helm, and the first for Brad Stevens as the president of basketball operations.

Also, for the first time since the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, who had a 67-15 record, the team with the best record in the season has won the NBA Finals, with the Boston Celtics finishing the 2023-24 season with a 64-18 record and NBA Champions.

Lucky Date Continues to be Lucky

The last time the Boston Celtics won their NBA title was in the 2008 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Kobe-led Lakers in a 131-92 victory. If you are looking at the date, it was on June 17, 2008. Now 16 years later, on the same day, the Celtics would go on to blow out the Mavericks in stunning fashion, with a lot of promising plays as they wrapped up the 106-88 win that defined their story for seasons. Now they are champions – the winningest in NBA history.

After completing the sweep over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics now shifts its focus to the next task at hand – the NBA Finals, which has eluded them for years with a lot of tough losses, but now they are finally back with vengeance.

And that doesn’t come so easy as many critics claim it to be. Sure, the Celtics faced teams that have had injured stars, but they also missed the services of their big man in Kristaps Porzingis, who has been one of the consistent performers in the squad for most of their 64-win season.

Since the Game 4 of their First-Round win against the Miami Heat, Porzingis has missed action on the court due to a calf strain, which left Boston handicapped in their campaigns against the Cleveland Cavaliers (second round) and the Indiana Pacers (Conference Finals). But according to head coach Joe Mazzulla, it seems that the star is closer to a return and may likely come into the lineup in the NBA Finals, which begins this June 6th.

A Key Addition Coming Back into the Mix

Porzingis was traded to the Boston Celtics in the offseason from the Washington Wizards. The Latvian big man was hailed as a promising star in his own right, averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 57 games with the Celtics. He has been one of the most consistent performers for the team in the season, shooting a career-high 51.6% from the field and dropping 37.5% from three.

After losing in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Celtics addressed their need for a big man who could rival the Heat’s Bam Adebayo and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo in the paint, which was clearly Boston’s weakness in their previous playoff run. When Porzingis was inserted into Boston’s lineup, the team went on to finish the campaign with the best record in the season with a 64-18 campaign.

Prior to his injury, Boston has seen him perform well with 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals in four games. He would have been a valuable addition for the team had he stayed healthy over the course of the next two rounds after beating Miami. But the Celtics still managed to hold the fort, as they’ve gone to a 9-1 record this postseason without the big man.

Boston Needing Porzingis Now More Than Ever

Regardless of the result in the Western Conference Finals, where the Dallas Mavericks hold a 3-1 series lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves as of the time of writing, it does seem that Boston will need Porzingis to come back stronger than ever. Either team presents a strong front on the paint, with Dallas parading with Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber, and Derek Lively II (currently out with injury). Minnesota, on the other hand, almost has the same power on the paint with Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid.

It does seem that the Celtics will need more of Porzingis to actually strengthen its presence in the paint. We all know how the team has been relying heavily on Al Horford to enforce its strength in the paint, and there has been minutes to the likes of Luke Kornet and even Xavier Tillman in some games. No doubt, a healthy Boston squad with Porzingis in the middle will provide a much better advantage for the team in the NBA Finals.

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