And-Ones: Toppin, All-Star Saturday, Bailey, Storylines
JT Toppin, the standout junior forward at Texas Tech, has suffered an ACL tear in his right knee, the school announced in a press release. The injury, which occurred during Tuesday’s loss to Arizona State, will end Toppin’s season and jeopardize his availability for 2026/27 as well, given the typical recovery timeline for a torn ACL.
It’s a brutal blow for Toppin, who was a consensus second-team All-American last season and was in the conversation for NCAA Player of the Year in 2025/26. He had averaged 21.8 points, an NCAA-best 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.4 steals in 34.8 minutes per game through his first 25 outings this season.
Toppin was projected to be a second-round pick in the 2026 draft in the latest mocks published by ESPN and Bleacher Report, but the Red Raiders star may be in no hurry to go pro this spring as he embarks on an extended rehabilitation period.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA and NBC, the league’s new broadcasting partner for All-Star weekend, were happy with the changes made to Sunday’s event, according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. However, the network is expected to pitch ideas to the league to spice up Saturday’s festivities, as NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood confirms. “On the NBC side, we’re thinking if there’s another element that could be added that would make Saturday even more of a showcase for the players,” Flood said. According to McCarthy, one option expected to be discussed is adding a fourth event such as a 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 tournament.
- Former second-round pick Amari Bailey, who is looking to become the first player to return to the NCAA after playing in NBA games, apparently hasn’t been discouraged by a recent court ruling against Charles Bediako. Bailey recently made a visit to Grand Canyon and is expected to visit additional schools in the coming weeks, according to Joe Tipton of On3 (Twitter link), who hears from the guard’s NIL representatives that over a dozen schools have expressed interest in him.
- Panels of NBA reporters at ESPN and The Athletic preview some of the most compelling storylines to follow in the second half of the 2025/26 season, including which teams will emerge as the biggest threats to stop the Thunder from repeating as champions and the most compelling award races. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo look ahead to the 2026 offseason and predict which NBA subplots will dominate headlines this summer.
- Zach Harper of The Athletic checks in on this season’s frontrunners for All-NBA recognition and says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham, and Jaylen Brown would make up his first team right now.
Knicks Notes: Defense, Schedule, Warren, All-Star Game
The Knicks‘ 2025/26 season has progressed through several different phases, and the fact that they’ve seemingly been able to maintain their status as a contender throughout those changes is something to value, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
Bondy weighs several different answers when it comes to the highlight of the season so far: there’s the NBA Cup victory, though that was quickly followed by the team’s worst stretch of play this year. There’s the increase in three-point attempts — Bondy notes that the Knicks are first in corner threes attempted and made after being 11th in both categories last season.
Ultimately, he lands on the defensive improvements. After ranking 18th on defense through their first 43 games, the Knicks have ratcheted up the intensity and have been the best defense in the league from January 20 to the All-Star break, improving to 11th overall on the season.
Bondy credits assistant coach Darren Erman for switching the scheme to force the ball to the sidelines and baselines, rather than funneling into the middle as they had been doing.
He notes that the return of Landry Shamet and the addition of Jose Alvarado at the trade deadline helped improve the team’s point-of-attack defense. The recent signing of Jeremy Sochan will give them another versatile defender — and one with enough size to guard wings and forwards.
Bondy wraps up by positing that the second half of the season will be a success if the Knicks can clinch the No. 2 seed. They are currently a half-game behind the Celtics, and while it’s unlikely they catch the No. 1 Pistons, securing home court advantage for the first two rounds could help the team make a deep playoff run.
We have more from the Knicks:
- One thing that will make the pursuit of the second seed a little more challenging is New York’s schedule coming out of the All-Star break. Peter Sblendorio, writing for the New York Daily News, describes the team’s first 11 games as a gauntlet, starting with the return to action against the Pistons, albeit a Pistons team missing its usual big man rotation as Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart serve suspensions. The Knicks will go on to face the top five teams in the Western Conference and three of the top five Eastern teams in a stretch that includes seven road games and two back-to-backs.
- Veteran NBA wing T.J. Warren has rejoined the Westchester Knicks, the G League team announced today. Warren played for Westchester last season as well, averaging 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 21 regular season games, but hewas never called up to the parent team. His last NBA action came in the 2023/24 season, when he played 11 games for the Timberwolves.
- The Knicks won the Shooting Stars event during All-Star weekend, but Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes that the All-Star Game itself was one to forget for the New York stars. While Jalen Brunson‘s team made it to the final game, he played deferentially throughout the event, doing little to leave his mark on the competition. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns was on the wrong side of two game-winning sequences. There were some minor fireworks, though, when Brunson got Towns in isolation and flew by him for the layup — Towns tried to block the shot and was called for goaltending.
Pistons Notes: Bickerstaff, Suspensions, Reed, Cunningham, Duren
The Pistons have stunned the NBA world by going from worst to first in the Eastern Conference in two seasons. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is somewhat surprised by the team’s quick rise but felt good about joining the organization after owner Tom Gores hired Trajan Langdon as the president of basketball operations in 2024. Shortly after being fired by Detroit’s Central Division rivals in Cleveland, Bickerstaff was hired by Langdon.
“When you were with the group every day, you knew there was a ton of potential there. I couldn’t tell you that I would say that a year and a half later we’d be coaching the All-Star Game and be in first place, but I knew we were going to grow, I knew we were going to continue to get better and we had the pieces,” Bickerstaff told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “The biggest thing for me also I trust Trajan totally because Trajan is the type of person that understands team and how to construct a roster. I think the small, subtle moves that he made last [season] and then even this [season], that helped elevate this team and I trusted his vision and plan.”
Bickerstaff says he doesn’t talk to the team about winning a championship this season because he’s more focused on winning in the short term.
“We’re all about the process. We talk about today every single day,” he said. “That helps control the emotional ups and downs. If you’re looking at big picture views of 10 games and all that, there’s so many different things that can vary. But if you can stay in the moment and focused on that, it helps your team continue to get better because you’re just attacking the problem that’s in front of you.”
We have more on the Pistons:
- All-Star center Jalen Duren and key reserve Isaiah Stewart will continue to serve their suspensions when the team returns to action on Thursday. Duren has one more game left on his suspension for his part in a scuffle with the Hornets last week, while Stewart still has six games to go. Bickerstaff told Spears the Pistons’ depth will carry them through this stretch. “Whenever they have been called upon, they have lived up to the moment and the team has supported them and helped them be successful,” Bickerstaff said of his reserves. “That’s how we move forward. We hold the fort down until our guys get back. We will miss those guys while they are out but the strength of our team has been our depth and we will contribute to use that as a weapon.”
- Paul Reed stepped forward in the first game after the suspensions were issued, a 113-95 road victory over the Raptors. Reed finished with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five rebounds, four blocks and three assists starting in place of Duren. “My minutes might not be consistent, but my teammates and coaches expect me to come in and be ready, and that is what I am going to do,” Reed said, per Coty Davis of the Detroit News. “I take pride in that. To come in and know that when things go left, I can step up and provide.” Reed re-signed with Detroit on a two-year, $11MM contract last summer but his $5.6MM salary for next season is not guaranteed.
- Cade Cunningham and Duren were prominent members of the USA Stars team that prevailed in the three-team All-Star contest on Sunday, Davis notes. In those three 12-minute games, Cunningham recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks, while Duren finished with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
- Duren, a restricted free agent after the season, said that the bad times he and the team endured during his first two seasons have provided extra motivation for everyone in the organization. “It’s kinda like being broke and then getting money,” Duren told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “You never want to be broke again. That’s really what it is, bro, is understanding what that bottom felt like and never wanting to go back because we all have basketball pride and we all want to be the best in what we do. Knowing what that bottom feels like again, it’s never wanting to be back.”
All-Star Notes: Wembanyama, Doncic, Jokic, Brown, Tanking
Victor Wembanyama‘s commitment to bringing intensity back to the All-Star Game is a positive step toward making him the next face of the NBA, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Wembanyama figures to be a regular participant in the event over the next 10 or 15 years, so it’s beneficial to the league that he genuinely cares about it.
“I’ve always thought to myself that if I was in there, I’m never stepping onto the court to lose or not (care),” Wembanyama said. “Just like at home, I’m never stepping into a board game not caring if I’m going to lose. So I’m thinking it’s (not) OK to lose, so I’m going to be out there, I might as well win.”
One of the dilemmas the league is facing is that long-time stars such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are nearing the end of their careers and no obvious replacements have emerged who resonate the same way in the public consciousness. Wembanyama, who’s already an international sensation at age 22, is becoming the top candidate to fill that role.
“I am part of something. I’m part of a big-picture mechanism,” he said after Sunday’s games. “I think that, right now, it’s an era of very skilled bigs that this position is definitely evolving. Am I a symptom of that? Yes, because I’ve watched these guys growing up and got inspired by that. Am I participating in the change? I think I am. I’m pushing the boundaries in some way.”
There’s more from All-Star Weekend:
- In a post-game interview, Anthony Edwards expressed disappointment that Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic didn’t see more court time (Twitter video link). The Team World stars, who have both dealt with recent injuries, came out after 5:05 in the first game and didn’t return. “No shade towards Luka and Jokic, but they’re two of the best players in the league,” Edwards said. “They’re not trying to play in the All-Star game.”
- During Saturday’s interview session, Jaylen Brown expressed interest in becoming a UFC fighter or a boxer after his basketball career is over, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “To be honest, I’ve toyed with this, and I’ve talked to some people,” Brown said. “Maybe in the post-career part of my life, I would love to partake in something like the UFC or even boxing. I’ve talked to (UFC president) Dana White about some stuff. We’ll see how things go.”
- Finding a solution to the rampant tanking problem was among the most frequent topics of conversation at All-Star Weekend, according to The Athletic staff.
New All-Star Format Earns Positive Feedback From Players
The NBA may have finally found an All-Star Game format that works, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The U.S. vs. the World approach with a round-robin tournament of 12-minute games was a huge hit on Sunday, bringing the event’s competitive intensity to a level that hasn’t been seen in years.
The first three contests all came down to the wire, providing thrilling finishes that captivated the players as well as the fans. Anthony Edwards, who earned MVP honors while leading his USA Stars team to the championship, credited Victor Wembanyama with inspiring the rest of the All-Stars by going all out to win.
“[Wembanyama] set the tone, and it was definitely competitive with all three teams,” Edwards said. “He set the tone, man. And it woke me up, for sure.”
The Spurs star delivered on the promise he made Saturday to approach the event like a normal game and provide a few “exclamation-point plays.” He was noticeably upset when a defensive mix-up caused his World team to lose its opener on a three-pointer by Scottie Barnes.
“It’s a game we love — it’s a game I personally cherish — so being competitive is the least I can do,” Wembanyama told reporters.
Kawhi Leonard put on a show for his home fans in the third game, scoring 31 points in a 48-45 victory over Team World. He thanked commissioner Adam Silver for selecting him as an injury replacement.
“It was great; happy that Adam let me in,” Leonard said. “That’s what the home crowd wanted to see. I’m glad I was able to do something in that game.”
Leonard’s performance also made an impression on his fellow All-Stars.
“We were watching it … like, ‘Damn, this guy is killing,'” Barnes said. “We were just like in awe. In shock, too. When a guy has it going like that, it’s special. That’s what the people want to see.”
In addition to the competitive games, Sunday’s showcase put a spotlight on the league’s younger stars, with Edwards, Barnes, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Johnson and Chet Holmgren leading the Stars team to a dominant win over the veteran-laden USA Stripes contingent in the finals, notes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports.
Although no decision has been made, it seems likely that the new format will be retained next season when the All-Star Game moves to Phoenix.
“I think they ain’t really going to take in what I’m saying, but I like this format,” Edwards said. “I think it makes us compete because it’s only 12 minutes, and the three different teams separate the guys. I think it was really good … I feel like the old heads played hard, too. They were playing real good defense.”
LeBron James Discusses Past, Lakers’ Present, Future
LeBron James spoke about a range of topics on All-Star Sunday, reflecting on his journey over the years, the Lakers‘ status this season, and his future.
The 21-time All-Star was particularly sentimental when it came to discussing his time spent playing with and competing against Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Joaquin Ruiz writes for NBC Sports.
“It’s always a pleasure and an honor to see those guys,” James said. “We’ve had so much of an unbelievable journey throughout our individual careers… When it comes to me, Steph, and KD, we’ll be interlocked for the rest of our careers, for sure. And it’s been great to be able to have some moments with those guys, versus those guys, teaming up with those guys.”
Although Curry sat out the All-Star game with a knee injury, James and Durant helped take their team to the All-Star championship game, losing to the younger American stars led by Anthony Edwards.
Discussing the Lakers’ rest-of-season outlook, James was hesitant to project how the team will play at full strength.
“It’s hard to say [what the team is capable of accomplishing] because this is a new group,” James said, per Athlon’s Mark Medina (Twitter video link). “… It’s too hard to really say what we’re really capable of. I know that when we’ve played some of our best basketball this season, we’ve looked really good. On the other side, when we’ve been terrible, we’ve looked disgusting. So I think the most important is like, if we can get healthy, how many minutes we can be on the floor, how much chemistry we can build with the sprint starting.”
He added that the regular season is meant for playoff teams to build chemistry, and he’s hopeful that the Lakers can get healthy enough to start doing that while integrating the newly acquired Luke Kennard into the mix.
As for his plans for the 2026/27 season, James remained noncommittal, Dan Woike writes for The Athletic.
“When I know, you guys will know,” he said. “I don’t know. I have no idea. Just want to, just wanna live. That’s all.”
He added that his upcoming free agency doesn’t impact his approach or thinking about what the future will bring.
“It has nothing to do with that,” James said. “Same motivation, same mind factor. Just, we’ve got past the marathon, and now the sprint is about to start.”
Anthony Edwards Named 2026 All-Star MVP
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was named All-Star MVP after his team – the USA Stars – defeated the rival U.S. squad – USA Stripes – 47-21 in the All-Star championship game. It’s Edwards’ first All-Star MVP award and his third All-Star appearance overall.
The first three games of the All-Star game rewarded the choice of format, with all three matchups decided by one possession.
In game one between USA Stars and Team World, Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) set the tone early, recording 14 points and three blocks while his teammate Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) contributed 10 points. Edwards led the Stars attack with 13 points, but it was Scottie Barnes (Raptors) who knocked down the game-winning three-pointer, completing a comeback to defeat his head coach, Darko Rajakovic, who was coaching Team World.
After the game, Edwards credited Wembanyama for doing what he said he would and amping up the intensity on the floor for everyone.
Game two between the two American teams also came down to the final shot, as Jaylen Brown (Celtics) led USA Stripes in scoring while Edwards and Cade Cunningham (Pistons) paced USA Stars with 11 points apiece. De’Aaron Fox (Spurs) hit the game-winning three-pointer for the Stars.
In game three, Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) took over for his home crowd, scoring 31 points in 12 minutes on 11-of-13 shooting while Wembanyama kept Team World in it with 19 points of his own. Leonard iced the game with a three-pointer over Towns to take USA Stripes to the championship game in a rematch with USA Stars.
In the fourth and final game, USA Stripes’ older legs appeared worn down by the previous two contests and the younger stars ran out to a 12-1 lead, led by Edwards and Tyrese Maxey (Sixers), who finished with a game-high nine points. They pushed the lead up to 26-9 on an Edwards three-pointer and eventually went on a 15-0 run, as Jalen Brunson (Knicks) and LeBron James (Lakers) were the only players to hit a field goal over the first seven minutes for USA Stripes. Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) finished the game with a team-high six points for USA Stripes.
All-Star Notes: Richardson, Curry, Brown, Johnson
Jase Richardson says that he’s okay after suffering a bad fall while representing the Magic for the 2026 Dunk Contest.
“I’m good,” he said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “I tried to go do a little 360 off the side of the glass, (but) my arm got caught on the side of the backboard.”
Richardson was eliminated in the first round after his backup dunk was given a 43.4 composite score.
“After taking a fall like that, I just had to move on from that dunk,” Richardson said. “It is what it is.”
Richardson took to social media after the contest to share a clip of how he intended the uncompleted dunk to look (Twitter video link).
Richardson had turned to his father, two-time Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson, to help with his preparation for the event, Kurt Helin writes for NBC Sports, though Jase resisted wearing his father’s jersey during the event, wanting to forge his own path, according to Beede.
“I just wanted to do the contest and try to make it my own thing instead of everything having to do with my father,” the younger Richardson said.
We have more from around the All-Star festivities:
- Stephen Curry would like to return to the three-point contest next season, writes Taylor Wirth for NBC Sports, especially after Damian Lillard won for a third time this year — the Warriors star only has two three-point championships to his name. “I already scheduled it,” Curry said. “We’re going to bring some people: Me, Dame, I’m going to try and get Klay [Thompson].”
- Jaylen Brown is one player in favor of bringing a 1-on-1 competition to All-Star weekend, per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill (via Twitter). “I’m actually a big fan,” the Celtics‘ All-Star said. “It’s the purity of the game. I would love to challenge some people here. Like Luka [Doncic], Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Donovan [Mitchell]. We could donate to charity. Set it up.” The idea of a 1-on-1 tournament has been a popular discussion topic this weekend following the success of the women’s league Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament, which was won by Aces guard Chelsea Gray.
- Keshad Johnson‘s journey from undrafted player to slam dunk contest champion for the Heat has given him a sense of gratitude, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I beat the odds. I made it. I made it into the NBA,” he said. “I dreamed of every year I was watching the NBA dunk contest, I dreamed of being out there, putting on a show for everybody… I learned from all the people that came before me, paying homage to them, and now I’m here.” Johnson said he was just excited to be able to introduce himself to the wider basketball world, both as a dunker and as a person. “Now they know who I am,” he said.
Suns Notes: Highsmith, Ishbia, Brooks, 2027 All-Star Game
The Suns have long been fans of Haywood Highsmith, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, who hears from sources that the team has been eyeing the veteran forward for two years. Highsmith plans to sign a multiyear deal with Phoenix.
Rankin writes that the Suns view Highsmith as a strong fit due his “competitiveness and toughness.” Although Phoenix has a standard roster opening the team can use to sign Highsmith, the Suns are also expected to waive guard Cole Anthony, Rankin confirms.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- The Suns have already exceeded external expectations this season — they were only projected to win 31.5 games, and they’re currently 32-23, the No. 7 seed in the West and just three games out of the No. 3 spot. As Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, Mat Ishbia was widely criticized around the league for leaning into his Michigan State ties in his first couple years as owner, but instead of going away from those connections, he doubled down and went all the way in last offseason. Ishbia promoted Brian Gregory, his former assistant coach with the Spartans, to be the Suns’ new general manager, and worked with Gregory and CEO Josh Bartelstein to establish the team’s hardworking culture. “When people wanted to blame me last time, I wasn’t actually doing it my way,” Ishbia told The Athletic. “Now, I am, and there’s no question about it.”
- According to Amick, while James Jones was technically still Phoenix’s head of basketball operations last February, it was actually Bartelstein who spearheaded communications with rival teams interested in trading for Kevin Durant. League sources tell Amick the Rockets made a late pitch for Durant prior to last year’s deadline, offering a package that included Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr., but the Suns wanted Dillon Brooks in the deal and decided to wait until the summer to revisit trade talks. A Rockets source denies Smith was ever included in the offer, Amick adds.
- As impressive as Phoenix’s turnaround has been this season, the team still finds itself at an asset deficit after trading away so many draft picks and swaps to acquire Durant and Bradley Beal in the first place, Amick notes. The Suns will also carry Beal’s dead-money cap hit on their books for several more seasons, limiting their financial flexibility going forward.
- Speaking to the media on Saturday, All-Star guard Devin Booker says he has enjoyed playing with Brooks this season, as Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter video link). “Dillon is a hardworking man. He’s someone to rally behind. He’s a fierce competitor. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’d rather too competitive than to be the other way. It’s been a pleasure playing with him,” Booker said.
- Commissioner Adam Silver discussed the 2027 All-Star game, which Phoenix will host, at his Saturday press conference, per Rankin (Twitter video link).
Warriors Notes: Green, Horford, Santos, Dunleavy
Warriors forward Draymond Green believes complaints over a lack of intensity in the All-Star Game are a result of the league overscheduling players, relays Eden Collier of NBC Sports Bay Area. Speaking Friday on his podcast, Green recalled several All-Star appearances that featured a series of required events leading up to the game.
“I’ve been at this community thing, I’ve been at this event, I’ve been at this this sneaker deal thing, I’ve been at this this podcast thing,” Green explained. “By the time you get to the game … oh, I get 20 minutes to shoot the basketball.”
Green added that he prepares all day for a normal game, starting with morning workouts, followed by cardio, treatment, hot tub recovery, work in the weight room, shooting sessions, team meetings and then taping with trainers. That process is cut way short for the All-Star Game, so players are reluctant to compete at full speed for fear of injury.
“I’m going to go out here and play hard in this game that I prepared for, for 20 minutes?” he said. “That played a big part.”
Green’s solution is to let big-name players who weren’t selected for the All-Star Game handle the other events and have the All-Stars devote their time to the game.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Green has been kept on the bench for the closing minutes of the team’s last two victories, Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle notes in a subscriber-only story. Green started the games as a small-ball center, but coach Steve Kerr opted to close with Al Horford in the middle surrounded by shooters and ball-handlers. “Al in the Phoenix game and last night was playing so well and I think without (Stephen Curry), it’s easier for us to score if Al is at the five and we space the floor around him,” Kerr said after Monday’s comeback win over Memphis. “… It’s harder to find lineup combinations without Stephen where we can play Dray at the four.”
- A roster shakeup caused by the season-ending injury to Jimmy Butler and the trade of Jonathan Kuminga to Atlanta has resulted in Gui Santos moving into the starting lineup for the last five games, Gordon states in a separate piece. For the first time in his career, Santos is being trusted to create opportunities for his teammates by driving to the basket. “Without Jimmy, we don’t have much size at the (small forward and power forward) spots,” Kerr said. “Gui is — you can see by the way he’s been playing. He’s been one of our best players. He’s consistent, gaining confidence by the day.”
- The Warriors have a chance to re-sign Kristaps Porzingis at a reduced price, and Horford could be a bargain if he picks up his $6MM option to return next season, but general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. needs to add more youth and athleticism to the roster, contends Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.