NBA G League Announces ROY, DPOY, COY Award Winners
Clippers two-way guard Sean Pedulla has been named the NBA G League’s Rookie of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced in a press release.
Pedulla, who went undrafted out of Mississippi last June, averaged 23.6 points, 6.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 28 combined games (32.0 MPG) with the Rip City Remix (the Trail Blazers‘ affiliate) and the San Diego Clippers this season. He posted a shooting line of .443/.369/.845.
Pedulla ranked first in points per game and second in assists per game among rookies who qualified.
The 23-year-old signed a two-way contract with Los Angeles in February. He has made four NBA appearances with the Clippers this season, averaging 3.3 PPG in 5.8 MPG.
Raptors two-way guard Alijah Martin and Clippers two-way forward Norchad Omier finished second and third in voting for the award, respectively, per the NBA (Twitter link).
The NBAGL also announced the Defensive Player of the Year and Head Coach of the Year award winners. Dallas Legends (Mavericks’ affiliate) center Jamarion Sharp won the former award, while Mexico City Capitanes coach Vitor Galvani won the latter.
Sharpe averaged 7.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and a league-high 3.9 BPG across 25 regular season appearances for the Legends (24.9 MPG). Lakers two-way guard Chris Manon and Martin of the Raptors finished second and third in voting, respectively.
Galvani guided the Capitanes to a 24-12 record in his first season with the team, who entered the G League playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. It’s the first NBAGL playoff appearance for the league’s lone independent club.
Greensboro Swarm (Hornets‘ affiliate) head coach DJ Bakker and Osceola Magic head coach Dylan Murphy finished second and third in voting, respectively.
All three awards were voted on by G League head coaches and general managers, according to the NBA.
Thunder’s Daigneault, Hawks’ Snyder Named Coaches Of The Month
Mark Daigneault of the Thunder has been named March’s Coach of the Month for the Western Conference, while Quin Snyder of the Hawks has earned the honor in the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
There were no shortage of strong candidates for Coach of the Month recognition in the Western Conference. Daigneault’s OKC squad maintained its spot atop the NBA’s standings by posting a 14-1 record in March, but JJ Redick of the Lakers (15-2) and Mitch Johnson of the Spurs (14-2) also had excellent months. They were nominated for the award too, along with Tyronn Lue of the Clippers (12-6), according to the league (Twitter link).
Snyder, meanwhile, guided the Hawks to a 13-2 record in March, which moved them from play-in territory into the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. That made him the top choice among a group of nominees that also included Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers, J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons, Mike Brown of the Knicks, Charles Lee of the Hornets, and Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics.
Daigneault and Johnson are the only coaches to win multiple Coach of the Month awards this season, claiming two apiece, while Suns coach Jordan Ott also earned the Western Conference honor in January. In the East, five separate coaches were named Coach of the Month, with Snyder joining Bickerstaff (October/November), Mazzulla (December), Lee (January), and Atkinson (February).
Luka Doncic, Jalen Johnson Named Players Of The Month
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson have been named the NBA’s Players of the Month for March in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter link).
It was a monster scoring month for Doncic, who became one of just 10 players in league history to pour in 600 points in any calendar month. He did so across 16 contests, for an average of 37.5 points per night. That run included a 60-point game, a 51-point game, and five additional outings of at least 40 points.
The star guard also contributed 8.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game while posting a shooting line of .492/.392/.794. The Lakers went 15-2 in March (14-2 when Doncic played), and the 27-year-old was even recognized for his defensive contributions — he was a Defensive Player of the Month nominee after averaging 2.3 steals per night.
The Hawks have been another one of the NBA’s hottest teams as of late, with Johnson playing a crucial role in their recent success. Atlanta went 13-2 in March (11-2 when Johnson played) and he averaged 22.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 8.5 APG while shooting 48.9% from the floor, 39.2% from beyond the arc, and 80.7% from the free throw line.
Johnson’s best games of the month came against conference rivals, including a 35-point, 10-rebound performance vs. Philadelphia on March 7 and a 24-point, 15-rebound, 13-assist triple-double against Orlando on March 16.
It’s the second time this season and the seventh time in his career that Doncic has been named a Player of the Month. He beat out fellow nominees Kevin Durant of the Rockets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers, Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs, and Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray of the Nuggets, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Johnson, meanwhile, is a first-time Player of the Month winner. The other nominees in the Eastern Conference were his Hawks teammate Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Cavaliers guard James Harden, Magic teammates Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, and the Knicks duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Sixers’ Edgecombe, Kings’ Raynaud Named Rookies Of The Month
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe has been named the Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Month for March, while Kings big man Maxime Raynaud has won the award for the Western Conference, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
Edgecombe’s win prevents Hornets wing Kon Knueppel from achieving a clean sweep of Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards this season. Knueppel earned the honor for October/November, December, January, and February. He was among this month’s nominees in the East, along with Wizards forward Will Riley, per the league (Twitter link).
But it’s Edgecombe that claimed the honor after an impressive March in which he averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 32.7 minutes per game across 13 outings. He posted a solid .454/.361/.895 shooting line for the month, strengthening his case for a spot on this season’s All-Rookie first team.
Over in the West, Raynaud is the third player to receive Rookie of the Month recognition this season, joining Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (Oct./Nov., Dec., and Jan.) and Spurs guard Dylan Harper (Feb.), both of whom were nominated for the March award along with Jazz forward Ace Bailey.
Injuries to Kings centers Domantas Sabonis and Drew Eubanks have cleared the way for Raynaud to play a significant role in Sacramento’s frontcourt since the All-Star break. In 15 March appearances (all starts), he put up 17.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 1.8 APG on .595/.444/.784 shooting. His most impressive individual stretch came when he had back-to-back 30-point games on March 17 vs. San Antonio and March 19 vs. Philadelphia.
Checking In On Playoff Picture, Expired 10-Day Contracts
Although we already know which 20 teams will be taking part in the NBA’s postseason, only seven of those clubs have officially clinched playoff spots, assuring themselves of a top-six finish in their respective conferences. The Pistons, Celtics, and Knicks have booked their tickets in the East, while the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, and Nuggets have done so in the West.
Two more teams could secure top-six playoff spots on Thursday. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the Cavaliers will clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight in Golden State, while the Rockets will be assured of a playoff appearance if the Suns lose in Charlotte.
Although the Timberwolves can’t clinch their own playoff spot with a win tonight, they hold a 4.5-game lead over Phoenix for the No. 6 spot in the West, where we’re getting pretty close to the playoff and play-in fields being set. Barring a late-season collapse, Minnesota and Houston will almost certainly join Oklahoma City, San Antonio, the Lakers, and Denver as top-six seeds, leaving the Suns, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors to battle it out in the play-in tournament. Those last three teams are already locked into the play-in, though seeding remains up for grabs.
The most compelling remaining playoff race figures to be for the final guaranteed playoff spot(s) in the East. The Cavs, who could’ve clinched with a win on Tuesday or a Philadelphia loss on Wednesday, will undoubtedly secure their spot sooner or later, but the fifth and sixth seeds in the conference are far from settled. The No. 5 Hawks (44-33) are separated from the No. 10 Heat (40-37) by just four games, with the Sixers (42-34), Raptors (42-34), Hornets (40-36), and Magic (40-36) also battling to finish in the top six — or at least to take part in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game, which would guarantee them two chances to make the playoffs.
While none of those Eastern teams is locked into the play-in yet, blowout home losses on Wednesday have made it increasingly difficult for Orlando and Miami to claw their way into the top six. Conversely, Atlanta strengthened its hold on the No. 5 seed with an impressive win over the Magic. The Hawks have now won 17 of their last 19 games.
In other housekeeping news, a total of four 10-day contracts expired overnight on Wednesday: Bez Mbeng (Jazz), DeJon Jarreau (Grizzlies), Tyler Burton (Grizzlies), and Markelle Fultz (Raptors).
Reporting has already indicated that the Jazz intend to re-sign Mbeng for the rest of the season, but that’s not an option for the Grizzlies with Jarreau or Burton unless they waive someone from their 15-man roster, since they were on hardship deals and aren’t eligible to sign another 10-day contract with Memphis. The Grizzlies remain eligible to re-add two players in those hardship slots, but barring more significant roster changes, they’ll likely have to bring in a pair of newcomers to replace Jarreau and Burton.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have the ability to re-sign Fultz, since they now have an open 15-man roster spot and the former No. 1 overall pick has only received a single 10-day deal with the team. He did appear in five games during his first 10 days with the club, but played very limited minutes and wasn’t all that effective (four total points on 2-of-11 shooting in 36 minutes).
The expectation is that the Raptors will sign someone else to replace Fultz, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who identifies Raptors 905 sharpshooter Tyreke Key as a potential candidate for a 10-day deal. If Toronto signs Key or someone else to a 10-day contract on Thursday, it would expire next Saturday night, allowing the team to promote one of its two-way players to the standard roster ahead of the postseason next Sunday.
Since there are only 11 days left in the season, time is quickly running out for teams to sign players to standard 10-day contracts. Starting on Friday, a team with an open roster spot would simply be signing a player to a rest-of-season deal. However, hardship “10-day” signings are still permitted through the end of the season. They would expire after the regular season finale, making those players free agents immediately.
Several more 10-day contracts, including Omer Yurtseven‘s with the Warriors, Malachi Smith‘s with the Nets, and Charles Bassey‘s with the Celtics, will end this weekend. Boston will have to either re-sign Bassey or bring in a new 14th man on Saturday after the center’s second 10-day deal expires on Friday night, since the Celtics aren’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for a full day for the rest of the season.
Our 10-day tracker shows the full list of active deals.
NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2025/26 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominates one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.
The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
Bam Adebayo (Heat)- Harrison Barnes (Spurs)
- Al Horford (Warriors)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
- Derrick White (Celtics)
Gilgeous-Alexander is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who was also nominated last season. Whoever earns the honor for 2025/26 will be a first-time winner. Jrue Holiday took home the Joe Dumars Trophy a year ago.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2025/26. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, having earned the honor in 2020, 2022, and 2023. He’s the only past recipient who is among this season’s group of finalists.
Those Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Desmond Bane (Magic)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Pat Connaughton (Hornets)
- De’Aaron Fox (Spurs)
- Jeff Green (Rockets)
- Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers)
- DeAndre Jordan (Pelicans)
- Duncan Robinson (Pistons)
- Marcus Smart (Lakers)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Garrett Temple (Raptors)
- Jaylin Williams (Thunder)
Southeast Notes: Heat, Alexander-Walker, Bridges, Magic
It was another ugly loss for the Heat on Sunday as their defense was shredded by the lottery-bound Pacers. Miami is 1-7 over its last eight games after giving up 135 points to Indiana.
“We’ve got to communicate more on the defensive end,” Bam Adebayo said, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “A lot of the first half was us not communicating so they get open threes. Things like that, we’ve got to clean up.”
Head coach Erik Spoelstra said the team is exasperated by its recent futility heading into Monday’s matchup with the Sixers.
“We’re disappointed, we’re upset, we’re angry,” Spoelstra said. “We need to use it as fuel and bring a great game [Monday].”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker is making a strong push for Most Improved Player. An offseason free agent acquisition, Alexander-Walker has averaged 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He averaged 9.4 PPG in a more limited role for Minnesota last season. “I always figured that the better player I would be, the better it would be for the team,” Alexander-Walker told Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Like, if you can be a better player, ultimately, it’s going to be better for the team. So, I always try to align things that were going to be hand in hand, you know what I mean? And I would never sacrifice one for the other, and in this league, you can’t really, because I feel like it’s a league that rewards winning.”
- The Hornets woke up on Monday morning in 10th place in the East, though teams five through 10 in the standings are tightly bunched. Charlotte has lost two straight with seven games remaining on their schedule. “We don’t want to depend on teams,” forward Miles Bridges said to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “We want to create our own path to the playoffs. And in order to do that, we’ve got to start winning games again.”
- Another team trying to fight its way out of the play-in tournament, Orlando, was embarrassed by the Raptors on Sunday. The Magic lost 139-87. The 52-point loss was the biggest margin of defeat in franchise history. Orlando also gave up a 31-0 run during one stretch of the blowout loss. “I’ve got to do a better job of preparing them for what they were going to see tonight,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “We talked a little bit about it, but probably not enough — I’ve got to have them prepared for the physicality of the game, prepared for how much they were going to grab, hold and get us off of our spots. That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job there with this group to make sure they’re prepared in the right way, knowing exactly the sense of urgency that Toronto was going to play with … knowing the positioning that they were in for playoff positioning.”
Southeast Notes: Snyder, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards, Hardy
Quin Snyder became the 41st head coach in NBA history to record 500 victories as the Hawks won Saturday for the 15th time in 17 games, writes Maura Carey of The Associated Press. Atlanta is currently 42-33, the No. 6 seed in an extremely tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
“It was special,” Snyder said after the game. “When you’ve been in this league for a while, you realize that coaches, they keep your record, but it’s really the players and the other people that allow for that to happen. I’ve been really lucky to be able to coach some not just really good players, but just really quality people.”
As Carey notes, multiple Hawks players are having career years in 2025/26 under Synder, who holds a career record of 500-396 (.558) across 12 seasons with Utah and Atlanta.
Trade deadline acquisition Jock Landale, who recorded 19 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks as a fill-in starter in Saturday’s win over Sacramento, praised his new coach after the game.
“Quin’s incredible, honestly, and I don’t say that lightly. He’s been instrumental in just kind of getting me up to speed with exactly what’s going on,” Landale said. “He’s a great coach to play for, and I think that all 17 of us would say the exact same thing about him.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- The Hornets entered Saturday having won five straight games and 23 of their last 29. They led the 76ers by five points entering the fourth quarter in Saturday’s critical matchup for postseason positioning, but went 0-4 on twos and 5-of-18 on threes in the fourth quarter and their cold offensive spell trickled over to the other end, according to head coach Charles Lee. “In that fourth quarter especially, just our defensive focus started to wane a little bit as we were missing shots,” Lee said (story via Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer). “The guys did a good job the last few games of just not letting that be the case ever. Our shot-making can’t affect our defense and I thought I did a little bit. Too many guys just driving without that physicality piece. Too many back doors, too many offensive rebounds and clutch moments. Offensively, I thought that our pace started to slow down a little bit. And we were able to really put them in some compromising situations, created a lot of advantages when we played fast and played with great ball movement.”
- Hornets wing Kon Knueppel has been incredibly productive and efficient as a rookie this season. He has only missed one game in 2025/26, averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists on .485/.434/.864 shooting splits in 73 appearances (31.6 minutes per game). The Sixers had the third pick in last year’s draft and used it to take VJ Edgecombe, who has also been excellent as a rookie, one pick ahead of Knuppel. Head coach Nick Nurse praised the former Duke standout on Saturday, Boone writes in the same story. “Lots of people really liked him in the draft for sure, and he’s proved those people right and the people that didn’t, he’s proved those people wrong,” Nurse said. “For me, I just think he was a hooper, man. You just knew he was a competitor, and knew how to play and had lots of pieces to the game as well. He’s again one of those guys that he’ll rebound, he’ll block out, he’ll set screens — he knows how to play all parts of the game. And then, of course, he throws on that elite shooting skill … His elite skill is the shooting, and I think that’s what makes him so good, so valuable.” Knueppel pulled down 11 rebounds on Saturday but had his third-worst shooting game of the season (3-for-14 from the field).
- Forward Bilal Coulibaly had 21 points and six rebounds in the Wizards‘ close loss to Golden State on Friday but only played 19 minutes, including zero in the fourth quarter. Guard Bub Carrington (16 points and five assists in 26 minutes) also didn’t play in the fourth quarter, while second year-big man Alex Sarr was allowed to foul out of the game in the third quarter. Head coach Brian Keefe was asked about those decisions after the game, according to Nate Duncan (Twitter link), and said all three players had hit their minutes limits. As for not playing in the fourth quarter, Keefe said the team was prioritizing its players’ health and that the Wizards didn’t want to disrupt their rotations.
- Jaden Hardy has been on fire from three-point range since the Wizards acquired him from Dallas in last month’s Anthony Davis trade, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. The 23-year-old guard is averaging 13.3 PPG while shooting 43.9% from long distance in 18 games with Washington (20.4 MPG). “There’s a bunch of players out there who haven’t gotten their opportunity, but they have game. If you get the opportunity, you have to just try to take full advantage of it and that’s what I’m trying to do… I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me over here. It’s a young team, so I feel like I fit in,” Hardy said.
Heat Notes: Defense, Starting Lineup, Powell, Ware, Draft Pick
After watching the Heat surrender 149 points in Friday’s loss at Cleveland, coach Erik Spoelstra is having doubts about his defense as the postseason draws near, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes in a subscriber-only piece. Two nights after posting a 17-point win in the same arena, Miami was helpless to slow down a Cavaliers team that shot 53.6% from the field and 46.3% from beyond the arc.
“What we needed to have was a great disposition to start the game versus a team that was very motivated and on top of their game,” Spoelstra said. “So maybe they get off to a good start, but your defense can weather the storm and it ends up being a six to eight-point lead instead of a 20-plus point lead.”
The exact opposite happened as Cleveland registered 40 points in the first quarter and 41 in the second, building a 35-point lead by halftime. Chiang notes that the Heat had one of the league’s elite defenses for most of the season, but have collapsed recently, ranking among the bottom four during their 1-6 stretch.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” Spoelstra added. “We’ve put in the time. The guys have put in blood, sweat and tears to develop a top-four defense two weeks ago. And when we need it the most is when we’ve let it disappear.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Spoelstra used his preferred starting five of Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo for the second straight game, but the unit didn’t function nearly as well as it did on Wednesday, Chiang adds in the same story. They trailed 21-10 when Spoelstra made his first substitution and were outscored by six points in their 14 minutes together. “We need to just keep figuring it out,” Adebayo said. “Everybody keep buying in and we’ll see where it gets us.”
- Powell is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Indiana due to back spasms, Chiang tweets.
- The Heat are virtually certain to pursue a significant move this summer, Chiang states in a mailbag column. Giannis Antetokounmpo looms as an obvious target after Miami tried to land him at the trade deadline, and Chiang notes that the team needs its potential trade chips to finish the season strong to preserve their value. He points to backup center Kel’el Ware, who is viewed as the team’s top asset but has been inconsistent during his second NBA season with Spoelstra repeatedly singling him out in public comments.
- The decision to grant the Heat a 2026 second-round pick from Charlotte as compensation in the Terry Rozier dispute no longer seems as equitable in light of the NBA’s new anti-tanking proposals, contends Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel (subscription required). Winderman points out that the 2027 or 2028 first-rounder that was sent to the Hornets in exchange for Rozier has a chance to become much more valuable if the new rules are adopted.
Knicks Notes: McBride, Robinson, Towns, Hornets, Anunoby
The Knicks could get a key reserve back from injury on Sunday, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who reports (via Twitter) that Miles McBride hasn’t been ruled out of tomorrow’s game at Oklahoma City. If the fifth-year guard doesn’t play Sunday, he’s on track to return to action either on Tuesday at Houston or Wednesday at Memphis, Begley adds.
McBride has been sidelined since late January following surgery to repair a core muscle injury, also known as a sports hernia. He went through Saturday’s practice, tweets Jared Schwartz of The New York Post, and will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Thunder, per Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link).
We have more on the Knicks:
- Head coach Mike Brown benched Karl-Anthony Towns in favor of Mitchell Robinson for the final eight minutes of Thursday’s loss to Charlotte, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks were hammered on the glass, having lost the rebounding battle 43-24, which was “part” of the reason Brown turned to Robinson, who was plus-eight in 26 minutes (Towns was minus-18 in 22 minutes). “I just thought when we had Mitch in there with certain guys, we were able to match their physicality,” Brown said. “And we made a run. But we were down 20 at that time. And versus a good team on the road, that’s tough to do.” Towns was also on the bench down the stretch of Tuesday’s win over New Orleans as New York went with a small-ball lineup, Bondy notes.
- The Hornets could be the most difficult first-round opponent for the Knicks if they finish as the No. 6 seed and New York stays at No. 3, Bondy writes in a subscriber-only story. According to Bondy, the Knicks were “overwhelmed by Charlotte’s speed and athleticism” on Thursday. “That’s their style,” Brown said. “They play fast. They want to let that thing fly. They got shooters that’ll let it fly. Josh (Hart) did a great job. Josh was up into the ball. He was physical with his man without fouling. He showed his hands when he needed to, and everybody that he guarded, they felt him. I can’t say it was like that all the way across the board and we have to do a better job of that if we expect to beat a good team like this on the road.”
- OG Anunoby is the best defender on Knicks team that has the fifth-best defensive rating in the NBA, according to Bondy (subscription required), who believes the 28-year-old forward should be named to the All-Defensive first team for his performance on that end of the court in 2025/26. “He guarded a lot of different players,” Brown said after Tuesday’s win. “And to close the way he did against Zion (Williamson) — Zion is a monster, he’s a handful for anybody, so for OG to do what he did down the stretch with him was huge.”