標籤: territory

The 2025-26 season has been a great one for the San Antonio Spurs, as they have risen to the top of the NBA totem pole and become one of the best teams in the association. And it’s not just that Spurs are the Victor Wembanyama show; They have such a young and deep team that it can hit on all cylinders even if Vembanyama withdraws, and their 54-18 record on the season is the furthest thing from a fluke situation as it could be.

But make no mistake, Spurs’ title hopes will hinge on Wembanyama and how far he can take this team, as franchise greats Tim Duncan and David Robinson did before him.

And prominent media member Bill Simmons, who has been a renowned student of the game for decades, believes Wembanyama is already keeping pace with some of the all-time greats compared to a similar point in his career.

“There’s only been three years two guys have won titles that were first-team All-NBA, which was ’99 (Tim) Duncan, ’81 (Larry) Bird, and ’71 Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). I’m only mentioning it because I think he’s in that league,” Simmons said of Wambanyama on the latest episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast.

“And it feels weird to have all these names from the first 80 years in the league and be like holy man, these are the best names we have but I think that’s what we’re seeing.”

Only time will tell whether Vembanyama will be able to overcome this problem like those players did early in his career. After all, standing in his way is the Oklahoma City Thunder. But if there is anyone who has shown enough individual excellence to deserve consideration, it is the Spurs star.

The good thing is that the Spurs had a poor performance in the first two seasons of Wembanyama’s career, giving them an opportunity to fill the roster with quality players. This makes him one of the best contenders in the association, and could make Simmons look like a visionary once again.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are not lacking in depth as they defend their title this season. Nevertheless, general manager Sam Presti managed to add another impact bench piece in Jared McCann at the trade deadline.

Stepping into a reserve role following his trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, McCann has made an immediate impact. The 22-year-old had his best performance of the season during Wednesday’s 121-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets, scoring a game-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from three.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said, “He’s definitely integrated well. He’s learning his teammates. He’s learning our system and the fundamentals that we emphasize.” “I thought in the first half, especially, he had some really good defensive possessions, which has been really encouraging. He’s done a really good job of committing to our fundamentals and the things we need to do on the defensive end of the field. Obviously, he’s a very powerful offensive player, but he gives up some size and needs to be really fundamental and powerful, and he’s done that, especially lately. So we’re happy with the progress he’s made there.” And he continues to be a fan favorite in the locker room just the way he approaches things since he was traded here.”

After a stellar rookie campaign, McCann struggled early this season with the 76ers while returning from a thumb injury to his shooting hand. Philadelphia sent him to the G League in January before dealing him to the Houston Rockets for a 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks at the deadline.

Jared McCann is making an immediate impact in the Thunder’s rotation after trade

McCann has quickly found his groove in the Thunder’s battle-tested rotation. The former Duke star is averaging 11.9 points on .475/.444/.885 shooting splits in 18.8 minutes per game in 18 appearances with the team. Oklahoma City posted a 109.3 defensive rating during his minutes, which would rank second in the league for the entire season.

McCann credited the Thunder’s coaching staff for easing his transition after the surprise deadline deal.

McCann said, “When you first get traded, you don’t know anything about what’s going to happen, especially when you find out you’re being traded to a championship team. So I didn’t have high expectations for myself.” “Just coming in and trying to learn as much as possible, which is hard because you don’t know what’s going on. But once you go out there with these guys, they give me confidence. It’s really simple. The coaching staff helped me right away. Not giving me too much information, just letting me play, letting me play my game.

“They’re champions already, so it’s just being able to fit in somehow. I think Sam Presti did a great job knowing how I would fit in. But this offense is amazing. Being able to move the ball and play with shooters, playing with guys that are specialized in the pick and roll is huge. It makes it a lot easier to come in and fit in, especially with the way I play.”

The Thunder hold a three-game lead over the NBA’s top-seeded San Antonio Spurs with 12 games remaining. McCain will compete for playoff minutes with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Ajay Mitchell in the backcourt rotation.

McCain said, “It’s great to be on a team that is the number one seed. It’s one thing to just have playoff hopes, and then it’s really cool to be the number one seed and try to defend it.” “Especially with them [defending] Champion. I’m just trying to come in and play every role I can to help make this team a champion again. “I’m really confident going to any game with these guys.”

The Houston Rockets’ Monday night contest against the Washington Wizards proved to be much tougher than anticipated, especially as the Wizards were deliberately looking to lose games to gain better lottery odds. The Rockets won by only five points, 123–118, and they suffered an early exit from Amen Thompson, who left after about four minutes in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury.

Houston’s depth was already quite shaky, and Thompson’s early departure made things worse for the team. But when a man goes down, there’s an opportunity for someone to step up, and that’s exactly what Reed Shepard did.

Shepard did not have good shooting nights; He went 7-18 from the field and just 4-11 from beyond the arc. But the Rockets made up for it with their disruptive ability on defense, playmaking and stat sheet-stuffing tactics.

He swiped the ball six times on the night, blocked two shots, recorded 10 dimes and pulled in seven boards and in doing so, he became the fourth sophomore in NBA history to average at least 15 points, five rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and two blocks in a single game, joining Larry Bird, Alvin Robertson and Alexander Volkov as the only ones to do so, according to StatMuse.

Reed Shepard is impressing Rockets brass

The Rockets’ competitive identity is built on grit and defense, and Shepard appears to be the antithesis of such an identity, as he plays with a more free-flowing style and steals numbers despite not being the most dominant on defense. But Shepard is stepping up on that end of the floor, and it will be important for him to earn more minutes under head coach Ime Udoka.

With Thompson facing a potential multi-game absence due to ankle trouble, Shepard could be in for a strong finish to the 2025-26 campaign.