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Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun is one of the best offensive bigs in the NBA.
Sengun, 22, has proven to be someone the Rockets can build around on the offensive end, but he has often struggled on the defensive end. This season, however, Sengun is showing growth on defense, especially protecting the rim.
“He’s improved in rim protection,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said via The Athletic insider Kelly Iko. “He’s improved at being up and disrupting, and his biggest area has been on non-centers, his recognition and being a roamer and helping when need be. Knowing when to give up certain shots to certain guys. That versatility allows us to do different things so it’s not just traditional coverage.”
Sengun is already seen as one of the best young players in the league due to his ability to create on the offensive end of the floor. With his size, he has the potential to also be very strong on defense, but that part of the game doesn't come as naturally to him compared to the offense.
So if he can continue to develop on the defensive end of the floor, the Rockets could have one of the best players in the NBA, who has so much room to grow at just 22 years old.
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Pacers fans should feel let down by their franchise
Fans of the Indiana Pacers waited 25 years to see their team return to the NBA Finals last season, and it looks like they could be waiting another quarter-century for a shot at that elusive Larry O'Brien Trophy. The organization has recently made some questionable calls that portend a bleak future. First, they let Tyrese Haliburton play through a calf injury in the NBA Finals despite the warning signs. Then, they let Myles Turner, their third-best player from last season's magical playoff run, walk as a free agent to avoid paying the luxury tax. Myles Turner felt betrayed by Pacers The pair of decisions means the Pacers will not only endure a gap year in 2025-26 but also swim in mediocrity for the foreseeable future. Pacers fans should feel all the more livid when they understand the circumstances behind Turner's exit. According to the sharpshooting big man, the Pacers decided they weren't going to pay him the second Haliburton suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. "All everybody told me was, 'Myles, just keep your head down. Keep your head down and work. You're going to get taken care of,'" he told the "Thanalysis Show," via RealGM. "...Then, the unfortunate situation happens in the Finals with Tyrese, and I guess the front office and ownership just changed their mind. It was like, 'Yeah ... we told you all those things. And yeah ... you helped us get to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals ... but ... we had to pivot.'" Not a good look for the Pacers In the candid conversation with Milwaukee Bucks teammate Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Turner said he felt deeply hurt because the Pacers paid T.J. McConnell, Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam the year before but didn't extend him the same favor when his contract was up. Turner's comments portray the Pacers as a cutthroat organization that doesn't value its loyal soldiers. That point is even more relevant given that Turner, who was drafted No. 11 by the Pacers in 2015, was the longest-tenured member of the team that made it to the Finals. Also worth highlighting is that Turner was the most animated of all Pacers when they beat the New York Knicks to reach the Finals. "Y'all been rocking with me for 10 years, man," Turner told the fans after the Pacers won the Eastern Conference Finals. "I got nothing but love and respect for this city, this team, and this organization." Turner truly loved the city of Indiana, but got cast out in the blink of an eye. The Pacers' unfair treatment of him could hurt their chances of recruiting players in the future, as a level of trust may be broken. The Pacers (0-4) have yet to win a game in the new season.
From the Boozer twins to a high-flying Eagle: Must-know names for the 2025–26 men's college basketball season
College basketball is almost back. The 2025–26 season tips off Monday, ushering in another year of intrigue, talent and high expectations. Can Florida defend its national title? Will Houston or Purdue finally break through? And who will claim national player of the year honors — a seasoned star like Purdue’s Braden Smith or Texas Tech’s JT Toppin or a dynamic freshman ready to take over? Beyond the headlines, plenty of players and storylines deserve attention. Here are 10 names to know — in alphabetical order — as a new season begins. The Boozer Twins, Duke Blue Devils OK, these are two names here, but you must know them. Power forward Cameron Boozer (6-foot-9) and point guard Cayden Boozer (6-foot-4), both five-star prospects, won a state title last season at Miami's Columbus High and are expected to play key roles as freshmen at Duke, which eyes a return trip to the Final Four. Cameron Boozer is a preseason All-American candidate. Trilly Donovan, Burner Account In recent years, Donovan has built up almost a cult-like following. He's also associated with an excellent media outlet called Basket Under Review. Consider following him on X, where he provides plenty of scoops. Noah Eagle, Broadcaster The 28-year-old is a rising star in the sports broadcasting world. He will serve as one of NBC Sports' lead play-by-play announcers for men's college basketball games. He is also a broadcaster for the NBA and Big Ten Conference football. Eagle's dad, Ian Eagle, is the voice of the men's Final Four. Boogie Fland, Florida Gators Fland had a solid freshman season at Arkansas (13.5 PPG), helping lead the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16. Then the 6-foot-3 guard transferred to defending national champ Florida, where he is expected to be starting point guard. He has big shoes to fill in trying to replace former first-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. Florida is ranked third in the preseason AP poll. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan Wolverines The 6-foot-9 forward, a graduate student, was a two-time All-American Conference first-team performer at Alabama-Birmingham before transferring to Michigan. The Wolverines, ranked third in the preseason Associated Press top 10, and Purdue likely will give the Big Ten its best shot to win a national title since Michigan State in 2000. Lendeborg is on the preseason AP All-America first team. Tyler Lundblade, Belmont Bruins The graduate student last season led the nation in three-point shooting (48.1 percent) and on a high volume of attempts (216). Could the former TCU/SMU player lead the country in three-point shooting again? Don't bet against this 6-foot-5 guard. Fun fact: His brother brother Brad played in the NFL as a center. Steven Pearl, Auburn head coach Pearl has big shoes to fill, as in September he replaced his dad, Bruce Pearl, as head coach. Bruce Pearl won 246 games at Auburn and took the Tigers to the Final Four in 2025 and 2019. Auburn is the No. 20 team in the preseason AP Top 25. Darryn Peterson, Kansas Jayhawks Since winning the national championship in 2022, Kansas (No. 19 in AP poll) hasn't advanced past the Big Dance's second round. If the Jayhawks go on a deep run this season, Peterson will be a big reason why. The guard was the No. 1 national prospect in the 2025 class, and analysts think the 6-foot-5 guard has a good shot at being an All-American and the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Jim Phillips, ACC commissioner In recent seasons, Atlantic Coast Conference teams have advanced far in the NCAA Tournament, but the number of ACC squads getting invited to the Big Dance has lagged way behind other power leagues. (Only four — Duke, Clemson, Louisville, and North Carolina — got invites last season; the SEC had a record 14 invites.) The pressure is on Phillips and his conference to get back to its historical excellence. The ACC made the decision this season to add two more non-conference games to improve member schools' postseason resumes. Will it pay off? Kelvin Sampson, Houston head coach Sampson is on an incredible run with the Cougars, having won at least 30 games in the past four seasons (32, 33, 32, 35). Under his guidance, Houston went to the 2021 Final Four, and the Cougars lost a heartbreaker to Florida this past spring in the national title game. Houston is No. 2 in the preseason AP top 25. This might be Sampson's best chance to win it all.
'TNF' takeaways: Lamar Jackson dazzles in return as Ravens humiliate Dolphins
The Baltimore Ravens dominated the Miami Dolphins in a 28-6 rout on "Thursday Night Football" as quarterback Lamar Jackson shined in his return from injury. Here are four takeaways from the first NFL game of Week 9: Lamar Jackson returns in style You would never know that Jackson had not played since Week 4 judging by his incredible performance on Thursday night. He wasted no time getting started with this fourth-down strike to tight end Mark Andrews in the opening quarter and capped his four-TD night with a nine-yard connection to wide receiver Rashod Bateman late in the third quarter. His 18 total TD passes against the Dolphins are the second-most all-time in five games vs. one opponent, only behind George Blanda's 21 against the New York Titans. After going 18-of-23 for 204 yards and four TDs, Jackson now has 14 passing TDs and only one interception in five games. If he stays healthy, this Ravens team will be difficult to slow down in the second half of the season. Mike McDaniel's seat keeps getting hotter It keeps getting worse for the Dolphins head coach after Thursday's latest dud. Miami had 332 yards of offense, but went 0-for-3 in the red zone and committed three turnovers, including a brutal one in their own territory in the first quarter. During a pregame segment on Prime Video, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was asked what McDaniel's future looks like in Miami and said his job status is "firmly up in the air." While he said he did not "see anything imminent" from owner Stephen Ross, it will come down to how the players respond going forward. Although he signed an extension prior to last season and is under contract through 2028, a 2-7 record and another blowout loss is doing nothing to help McDaniel's case at the moment. Kyle Hamilton spearheads strong defensive performance from Ravens The Ravens entered the night allowing the third-most points per game (30 PPG), but Thursday night was a much different story. The All-Pro safety Hamilton may have not had the most tackles on the team, but his impact was certainly felt with six total tackles and one tackle for loss. He was more impressive than the stats show, especially at creating pressure on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and keeping Miami from having any success between the tackles. In the first quarter alone, Hamilton did not even line up as a safety in his first 15 snaps and still only gave up one yard rushing on four carries, opposed to 31 yards on three carries away from him, per Next Gen Stats. For a team that has struggled defensively, they need more of what they got on Thursday night if they are going to claw their way back into the AFC North conversation. Don't count the Ravens out yet It was not that long ago that Baltimore was 1-5 and staring at a wasted season. After back-to-back wins, an improving 3-5 record and a sloppy AFC North in which the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) are the only team above .500, the Ravens are firmly in the hunt. In fact, FanDuel currently lists them as the favorites (-145) to win the division as of Thursday night. The defense still needs to prove itself against stiffer competition, but if Jackson continues to ball out, the Ravens could complete a remarkable turnaround and mix up the AFC playoff picture.
Three wild quotes from Louisiana governor Jeff Landry that could wreck LSU head-coaching search
Dak Prescott addresses comment from Jerry Jones that infuriated Cowboys fans
Jerry Jones made some comments in a recent interview that angered Dallas Cowboys fans, and Dak Prescott says he can understand the frustration. The Cowboys have had one of the worst defenses in the NFL through the first eight weeks of the season. They rank 31st out of 32 teams in points allowed (31.3) and total yards allowed (404.6) per game. Jones has spoken openly about trying to find ways to fix that, but he was criticized for making light of the issues during a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal. In the interview, which was published on Wednesday, Jones spoke about a $1B investment he has made in natural gas company Comstock Resources. The 83-year-old made a quip about how there is so much money to be made in natural gas that it has taken his attention away from the Cowboys' defensive struggles. "There's $100B present value with natural gas out there," Jones said. "That’s why I’m talking to you on the telephone rather than trying to fix our defense with the Dallas Cowboys.” Dak Prescott understands why Cowboys fans were angry Prescott was asked on Thursday about Cowboys fans being irritated with Jones' comments. The star quarterback defended Jones but said he understands where fans are coming from. "I don’t know the full context of it. I do know a piece of it. But being a fan and you just hear that or read that, yeah, of course. ... That can definitely be frustrating," Prescott said. "But in that sense, I would just say, the guy has never really lied about who he is or what he’s trying to do. "Hopefully he was talking about in that one particular moment. Maybe in those five minutes is what he was alluding to, and having a chance at a $100B opportunity I think you might take five minutes as well to answer a call. Hopefully that’s what he means, right? But I could see how it could be frustrating." Jones, of course, is not a passive team owner. He is still the general manager of the Cowboys, and many of his recent moves have been questioned. The most obvious was his decision to trade Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers just before the start of the 2025 season. Jerry Jones has tempered trade-deadline expectations While Jones has claimed he is open to any and all moves that might improve the Cowboys ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline, he said this week that nothing notable is close. He did not sound all that confident in that changing prior to Tuesday, though that could merely be posturing. The Cowboys acquired two first-round picks in the Parsons deal. Fans want Jones to use the additional draft capital to help the 2025 Cowboys make a run, but there is no guarantee of that happening.
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