I do love the NBA Finals. Would love to be a part of them one day.
With the 2023-24 season about to start its final act with teams looking ahead and the Sixers trapped in a cycle of the same three rumors, it’s time to take a look at what’s going on in the NBA.
NBA Finals begin Thursday
The two teams not looking towards the future are of course the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics, with Game 1 of the Finals set to tip off Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. in Boston. It looks like the Celtics will be getting some reinforcements as the series gets underway.
Krisptaps Porizingis, who’s missed the last month of action after injuring his calf in Game 4 of the first round against the Miami Heat, is expected to make his return for Game 1. Dallas is heading into this series as healthy as anyone can be this time of the year. Their rookie standout Derrick Lively II suffered a scary neck injury in the Western Conference Finals, but was able to return before the end of that series.
Draft prospect Topic tears ACL
Some more injury news came out this week that will likely have big implications on the upcoming draft.
At just 18 years old, Topic averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 assists per game for Mega MIS and Red Star Belgrade in the Adriatic League this past season. He shot 49.8% from the field and 30% from three. Topic was projected to go as high as No. 4 overall in some mock drafts, and was ranked as the best point guard in this draft class by Tankathon.
This news will certainly get the attention of teams picking outside the top 10 who may now have a chance of drafting Topic. That of course includes the Sixers, who currently have the 16th pick in the draft.
The latest on the coaching carousel
Coaching searches continue to progress as well. The Cleveland Cavaliers are securing interviews with several assistants to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, and the Los Angeles Lakers might be closing in on their replacement for Darvin Ham.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported yesterday that the Lakers are “zeroing in” on former Sixer JJ Redick to become their next head coach. This isn’t shocking news, as Redick has been linked to the Lakers job since they dismissed Ham after their first-round exit.
Redick first popped up as a potential coaching candidate when he interviewed for the vacant Hornets job back in April. The last two months or so he’s spent podcasting with Lakers star LeBron James has also added fans to this fire.
If Redick does end up manning the sidelines next season, that will be two color commentators ESPN has lost in the coaching search after Doc Rivers left the booth to take the Milwaukee Bucks job midseason.