Knicks To Sign DaQuan Jeffries To Second 10-Day Deal

The Knicks are signing guard/forward DaQuan Jeffries to a second 10-day contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter).

Jeffries signed his first 10-day deal with New York this season on February 22 and was eligible for a second 10-day contract at the beginning of March. Instead, he’ll be returning a couple weeks later, according to Scotto.

This is actually the third separate time Jeffries has been on the Knicks’ roster in 2023/24. He was initially on a standard non-guaranteed contract, but was waived as part of a trade back in late December.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, Jeffries will officially sign his new deal on Thursday, when New York faces Portland (Twitter link).

Once his second 10-day deal expires, Jeffries will be ineligible to sign a third. To retain him at that point, the Knicks would have to sign him for the rest of the season.

Jeffries, 26, went undrafted out of Tulsa in 2019. He has played in 60 NBA games for the Kings, Rockets, Grizzlies and Knicks over the past five seasons, including 13 brief cameos (34 total minutes) with New York in ’23/24.

Jeffries didn’t play in any games in 2022/23 with New York, but he was under contract the whole campaign — initially on a two-way deal, and then a pair of 10-day contracts, before finally signing a multiyear deal.

While he hasn’t played much for the NBA club, Jeffries has been a standout for the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester the past two seasons, averaging 22.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1.1 BPG on .484/.385/.758 shooting in 13 regular season games in ’23/24.

As our tracker shows, New York only has 13 players on standard contracts at the moment, and was required to fill the 14th spot within two weeks of Jeffries’ last 10-day deal. The Knicks are currently 38-27, the No. 4 seed in the East, though only 2.5 games separate them from the No. 8 Heat.

Draft-And-Stash Prospect Tristan Vukcevic Signs With Wizards

7:50pm: Vukcevic’s contract with the Wizards is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.


9:00am: Vukcevic is on track to sign a multiyear contract with the Wizards, confirms Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’ll be a two-year deal, adds Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).


7:55am: Seven-foot center Tristan Vukcevic has agreed to a buyout with KK Partizan, his team in Serbia, according to an announcement from team president Ostoja Mijailovic (Twitter link).

The buyout, which will be split between Partizan and Vukcevic’s former team Real Madrid as a result of a prior arrangement, is reportedly worth in the seven figures and will free up the big man to make the move to the NBA.

Vukcevic, who turned 21 on Monday, was the 42nd overall pick in the 2023 draft. He was selected by the Wizards, with general manager Will Dawkins expressing excitement about the youngster’s upside and lauding his shooting and passing abilities.

Although Vukcevic conveyed a desire last summer to join the team right away, Washington opted to have him spend another season overseas, where he played a very limited role for Partizan in 12 EuroLeague games. However, he impressed in 14 ABA League appearances, averaging 10.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .544/.440/.805.

It’s unclear whether Vukcevic has an NBA deal lined up with the Wizards or whether he’ll take a route similar to the one fellow draft-and-stash prospect Karlo Matkovic took last month with the Pelicans and finish the season with the Capital City Go-Go in the G League. Given the price of Vukcevic’s buyout, signing with the Wizards seems more likely.

Washington has only used a small portion of its mid-level exception so far in 2023/24, so the club could utilize it to sign Vukcevic to a deal that covers up to four years (including the rest of this season). The Wizards opened up a spot on their 15-man roster when R.J. Hampton‘s 10-day contract expired on Tuesday night.

Pistons’ Fontecchio Meets Starter Criteria, Increasing QO

Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio met the “starter criteria” for potential restricted free agents by making his 41st start of the season on Wednesday, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

An RFA-to-be meets the criteria – which dictates the value of his qualifying offer – when he starts 41 games or plays 2,000 minutes in the final season of his contract, or when he averages 41 starts (or 2,000 minutes) in his last two seasons before free agency.

As a result of meeting the starter criteria, Fontecchio will see the value of his qualifying offer increase by approximately $1.4MM. The 28-year-old had been on track for a QO worth $3,806,090 — 125% of his current salary — but that figure will now be worth $5,216,324, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter), which is the equivalent of what the No. 21 pick in 2020 would receive.

It seems unlikely that the fairly modest bump in QO will have a tangible impact on Fontecchio’s free agency. If the Pistons issue the qualifying offer and the Italian wing signs a multiyear contract, the QO will essentially just function as a placeholder until his new deal is completed.

However, since Fontecchio only has two years of service time, he’ll also be subject to the Arenas provision. That means Detroit will be somewhat limited in what it can offer him in restricted free agency, and a rival team theoretically could give him a back-loaded offer sheet to put pressure on the Pistons. That seems pretty unlikely though, considering the same was also true of Austin Reaves and Herbert Jones last summer and they wound up re-signing with their respective clubs on standard deals.

Acquired in a trade-deadline deal with Utah, Fontecchio has played very well through 13 games (29.0 MPG) as Piston, averaging 15.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.0 SPG on an elite .490/.431/.842 shooting line. His role and stats were more modest with the Jazz in 2023/24, averaging 8.9 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .450/.391/.800 shooting in 50 games (23.2 MPG).

Will Barton Signs With Spain’s CB Granada

Free agent wing Will Barton has signed a contract with Spain’s CB Granada that covers the final 10 games of the Liga ACB season, the team announced in a press release. The news was first reported by Jose Manuel Puertas of Ideal.es.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Barton spent most of his career with Denver, where he had his most productive seasons. The 33-year-old was traded to Washington in the 2022 offseason and split last season with the Wizards and Raptors, but was unable to find another NBA opportunity in 2023/24.

Barton signed a contract with CSKA Moscow in January, but he never actually played for the Russian team, as the deal was voided via an early exit clause. A subsequent report indicated that Barton’s departure was due to failed medical tests.

According to the announcement from Granada, Barton will undergo a medical exam over the weekend and then join the team for practice on Monday. Granada is currently 7-17 this season in Spain’s top basketball league. The team’s roster also features former Bulls big man Cristiano Felicio.

In 679 regular season games, including 286 starts, Barton holds career averages of 11.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 2.7 APG on .430/.355/.787 shooting in 25.2 MPG. The veteran guard/forward averaged 6.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 2.0 APG on .379/.367/.787 shooting in 56 games (17.7 MPG) with Washington and Toronto last season.

Community Shootaround: Most Improved Player

There’s one clear frontrunner for most of the NBA’s end-of-season awards in 2023/24, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for Most Improved Player, an honor that multiple players have strong cases to earn.

Sports betting site BetOnline.ag has two candidates in a neck-and-neck race for the Most Improved Player award, listing Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey and Bulls guard Coby White as the co-favorites for the hardware.

Maxey is the kind of candidate voters often gravitate toward, a player who has made the leap from above-average starter to All-Star. After averaging 20.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game a year ago, Maxey has boosted those averages to 25.9 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 3.7 RPG in 37.2 MPG this season as his usage rate has risen from 24.1% to 27.9%.

There are arguments to be made against Maxey though. His 44.8% field goal percentage is the worst mark of his career and his 37.9% three-point mark is well below his career rate, so his efficiency has taken a hit as his responsibilities have increased. Still, if the 76ers can hang onto a playoff spot despite Joel Embiid being healthy for less than half the season, Maxey will deservedly get much of the credit for that, bolstering his case for Most Improved honors.

White’s 19.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game pale in comparison to Maxey’s numbers, but expectations for the Bulls guard were far lower entering this year after he put up just 9.7 PPG, 2.8 APG, and 2.9 RPG in his fourth NBA season in 2022/23. While White’s improved numbers can be attributed partially to an increased role (he’s averaging 36.7 MPG after playing just 23.4 MPG a year ago), his .454 FG% and .388 3PT% are career highs, and his per-minute production is way up too.

The knocks against White are the Bulls’ record (still three games below .500) and the fact that he hasn’t been asked to carry as significant a load as Maxey in Philadelphia. White’s usage rate (22.7%) ranks behind that of DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, and also trailed Zach LaVine‘s when LaVine was healthy.

Although BetOnline views Maxey and White as the huge favorites, there are other players with legitimate cases for Most Improved consideration. Thunder forward Jalen Williams and Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga are the other two given odds on BetOnline’s board.

It’s rare for a second-year player to earn the award, but there’s no doubt Williams has taken a huge step forward in his second NBA season, boosting his scoring average to 19.0 PPG and his shooting line to .539/.447/.817 after averaging 14.1 PPG on .521/.356/.812 shooting as a rookie. The Thunder are the No. 1 team in the West and Williams is one of their top three players, which works in his favor.

Kuminga has increased his scoring average by more than six points per game and is shooting a career-high 53.0%, having finally established himself as a regular, reliable rotation player in Golden State. He has played the best basketball of his career over the last two months, averaging 20.2 PPG on .554/.370/.784 shooting since January 12. If he continues to play like that for another month, he’d strengthen his case.

Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is another player who has taken a major step forward this year, increasing his averages across the board to 21.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG in his third NBA season.

It remains to be seen whether Sengun will be eligible for the award, however, since he’ll likely fall short of the 65-game minimum. A player who suits up for at least 62 games can be deemed eligible if he suffers a season-ending injury considered likely to sideline him through May 31. Sengun, who played 63 games, may fall into that category after sustaining a severe ankle sprain and bone bruise in his knee.

We want to know what you think. Do you expect one of the players discussed above to be named Most Improved Player this spring? Is there another candidate you believe deserves serious consideration? What would your ballot look like?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Northwest Notes: Lofton, Thunder, Porter, Holiday, Billups

The Jazz used a portion of their room exception to sign Kenneth Lofton Jr. to a three-year contract that includes a $500K rest-of-season salary, Hoops Rumors has learned. Lofton’s deal is worth approximately $4.9MM in total, with minimum salaries in the second and third seasons.

However, the agreement doesn’t currently include any guaranteed money beyond this season. If Lofton remains under contract through July 25, he’d be assured of a $400K partial guarantee for 2024/25, and that partial guarantee would increase to $600K on the first day of the regular season, but if he’s waived on or before July 25, the Jazz won’t be on the hook for any ’24/25 salary.

If Lofton plays out the first two years of the contract, the Jazz would face a team option decision for the 2025/26 season.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • The fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a legitimate MVP candidate while Chet Holmgren is in the running for Rookie of the Year is emblematic of how unique the young, contending Thunder are, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who notes that an NBA club hasn’t had a top-two finish in both MVP and Rookie of the Year voting since the 2001/02 Nets. Before that, the last time it happened was in 1979/80, when Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won MVP while Magic Johnson finished second in ROY voting.
  • Monday’s game between the Nuggets and Raptors marked the first time that brothers Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter shared an NBA court for meaningful minutes, writes Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. In honor of the occasion, Benedetto looks back at the role that Michael played in convincing Jontay not to give up on his NBA dream despite recurring injury issues.
  • Jrue Holiday was only a member of the Trail Blazers for a few days last fall between stints in Milwaukee and Boston, but he tells Jay King of The Athletic that a discussion he had with Chauncey Billups during that time “meant a lot” to him. Billups gave Holiday advice on how to handle the transition period and assured the veteran guard that the team wanted him to end up in a favorable landing spot.“I love Jrue, man. I love Jrue,” Billups said. “And we got him very briefly obviously. And I had a conversation — a long, good conversation with him — just about I know it was a little tough spot for him, being traded, kind of being blindsided by that. I’ve been there before. So just being able to rap with him like that because I know him. And it was important for me that a good person like him, who’s been great on every team and every community that he’s lived in, for him to be treated properly and be put in a great position and a great spot.”

And-Ones: Scoring Rate, McGruder, A. Williams, Sheppard

There has been a noticeable dip in points and fouls per game across the NBA since the All-Star break. According to Marc Stein at Substack, entering Tuesday’s games, teams were averaging 111.7 points and 19.9 free throws per game since the All-Star game, compared to 115.5 points and 22.7 free throws per contest prior to the break.

As Stein notes, there has been some speculation that – following a record-setting first half and an embarrassing All-Star game that saw nearly 400 points scored – the NBA quietly instructed its officials to call fewer shooting fouls in recent weeks.

However, a league spokesperson told Stein that the league office hasn’t given any directive to referees to call games any differently. The NBA’s position, then, is that the recent trend is a statistical anomaly, though those numbers are worth watching down the stretch, Stein writes.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Olimpia Milano and veteran guard Rodney McGruder have parted ways, the Italian club announced today (via Twitter). Milano’s statement indicates that McGruder was granted permission to return to the U.S. for personal reasons. The 32-year-old wing, who has appeared in over 300 NBA regular season games and was in camp with the Warriors last fall, averaged 7.6 PPG and 2.6 RPG in seven EuroLeague games this season.
  • Drexel big man Amari Williams has opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal while declaring for the 2024 NBA draft, agent George Langberg tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Williams, who has year of NCAA eligibility remaining, has been named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons, though he’s not on ESPN top-100 prospect list for ’24.
  • John Hollinger of The Athletic names the nine NCAA prospects he’ll be watching most closely in March, starting with Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard. Hollinger jokingly suggests that NBA evaluators have been trying to avoid reaching the conclusion that Sheppard is this year’s best college prospect “despite having the evidence punch them in the face every day.” Providence’s Devin Carter and Iowa’s Payton Sandfort are among the less obvious names on Hollinger’s list of players to monitor.

Southwest Notes: Spurs, Mamukelashvili, Pelicans, Mavs

Gregg Popovich is the only active NBA head coach who also holds the title of president of basketball operations. But when he was asked on Tuesday about the Spurs‘ offseason plans and whether Victor Wembanyama‘s strong rookie season would accelerate the club’s rebuild, Popovich didn’t offer any real hints, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

“I don’t pretend to know what we’re going to do,” he said. “We have a lot of possibilities ahead of us, whether it’s money in the bank or draft picks or being creative trade-wise. All those things are on the table. But aren’t they for every team? I don’t know why we’re any different. We’re just younger.”

There has been some speculation that Wembanyama’s rapid development might make the Spurs feel more urgency to build a competitive roster around the rising young star, but Popovich made it clear that he and general manager Brian Wright aren’t feeling any pressure from team ownership to make win-now moves.

“If your organization is unable to understand that rebuilding takes time, then you just never get there,” Popovich said. “We’re fortunate because we’ve always had under the leadership of the Holt family the ability to do what we think has been best. So we’re always grateful for that.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Spurs big man Sandro Mamukelashvili got a rare chance to play a rotation role on Tuesday vs. Houston, logging double-digit minutes for just the second time in the past two months. After recording six points, five rebounds, and three assists in 11 minutes, Mamukelashvili earned praise from Popovich for his performance. “Sandro was exceptional,” Popovich said, per Orsborn. “He moved well without the ball. He pursued rebounds. He was really good for us tonight.” The 24-year-old will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
  • The Pelicans have quietly emerged as one of the NBA’s best teams since the calendar turned to 2024, according to Danny Chau of The Ringer, who suggests they’ve flown under the radar in part because their stars have been merely very good rather than transcendent. Buoyed by excellent depth, New Orleans has a 20-11 record since January 1 and the team’s +7.9 net rating during that time is comfortably the best mark in the Western Conference.
  • Tim Cato of The Athletic poses four burning questions that he believes could define the rest of the Mavericks‘ season, starting with which of the team’s players can be relied upon in the postseason. As Cato details, Dallas has leaned on reserves like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber a little less as of late, with Dante Exum taking Hardaway’s place as the first player off the bench.

2024’s Most Valuable Traded Second-Round Picks

Fans of lottery-bound NBA teams will be keeping a close on the bottom of the league’s standings down the stretch because of the effect that “race” will have on the draft order and lottery odds for the 2024 first round.

However, it’s not just the first round of the draft that’s worth keeping an eye on. Those reverse standings will also dictate the order of the draft’s second round, and an early second-round pick can be nearly as valuable as a first-rounder.

[RELATED: Traded Second-Round Picks For 2024 NBA Draft]

Here are a few of the traded 2024 draft picks that will land near the top of the second round:


From: Washington Wizards
To: Utah Jazz
Current projection: No. 31

Technically, the Jazz will receive whichever of the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ second-round picks is most favorable, while the Timberwolves will receive the least favorable of the two.

Even at 23-43, Memphis has an 11.5-game lead on the 11-54 Wizards in the standings, so we can safely assume Washington’s pick will be more favorable than the Grizzlies’ second-rounder and will head to Utah.

The Wizards initially traded the most favorable of those two picks to Brooklyn in 2021’s five-team deal that sent Spencer Dinwiddie from the Nets to D.C. via sign-and-trade. The Nets later attached the pick to DeAndre Jordan in a salary-dump deal with Detroit. The Pistons, in turn, sent it to Utah at this season’s trade deadline in the Simone Fontecchio swap.


From: Detroit Pistons
To: Toronto Raptors
Current projection: No. 32

The Pistons’ 2024 second-round pick was one of several future second-rounders they gave up for the right to draft Saddiq Bey in 2020. The Clippers acquired it at that time, then sent it to New York a year later in order to move up four spots to No. 21 in the 2021 draft to select Keon Johnson — that was a nice move for the Knicks, who used No. 25 to nab Quentin Grimes.

New York eventually used the Pistons’ pick about two-and-a-half months ago as a sweetener in the OG Anunoby trade with the Raptors. At the time, Detroit had the NBA’s worst record, so the pick was projected to be 31st overall. It may not ultimately land there, but given the Pistons’ 11-53 record, it will still be one of the top selections of the second round.


From: Charlotte Hornets
To: Portland Trail Blazers
Current projection: No. 34

The Hornets probably have no regrets about trading this second-rounder to New Orleans back in 2020 in order to acquire the No. 42 overall pick in that draft, which they used to select Nick Richards — Richards has been Charlotte’s starting center for much of this season, whereas there’s no guarantee that whoever is picked 34th overall this year will still be in the league in four years.

The Pelicans used the pick a few days later during the 2020 offseason as part of a package to acquire Steven Adams from the Thunder. Oklahoma City later flipped it to Denver, giving the Nuggets either the Hornets’ or Timberwolves’ 2024 second-rounder (whichever is most favorable).

Denver sent that pick to Portland at the 2022 draft in exchange for the No. 46 selection, which was used on Ismael Kamagate, whom the Nuggets ultimately turned into $2.68MM in cash at this season’s deadline.

Technically, the “most favorable” language still applies, but there’s no question that the 16-49 Hornets will have a higher second-round pick than the 45-21 Timberwolves, so Portland will get Charlotte’s pick.


From: Portland Trail Blazers
To: Milwaukee Bucks
Current projection: No. 35

While the Trail Blazers are in position to acquire a top-35 pick from Charlotte, they’ll lose their own high second-round pick, which they initially included in a five-player 2020 trade that sent Trevor Ariza from Sacramento to Portland.

Two years later, the Bucks acquired Portland’s 2024 second-rounder from the Kings in a four-team deadline deal that saw Donte DiVincenzo head from Milwaukee to Sacramento. As a result, despite having one of the NBA’s best records this season, the Bucks are poised to control a pair of top-35 picks, since they still own their own first-rounder as well.


From: Memphis Grizzlies
To: Minnesota Timberwolves
Current projection: No. 36

As we noted above when discussing the Wizards’ pick, Utah will receive the most favorable of Washington’s and Memphis’ second-rounders, while Minnesota will acquire the least favorable of the two, which is certain at this point to be the Grizzlies’ selection.

Initially dealt to the Thunder in the 2019 draft so that Memphis could move up from No. 23 to No. 21 to draft Brandon Clarke, the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-rounder bounced around the league after that and was eventually acquired by the Timberwolves from the Lakers at the 2023 trade deadline in the three-team deal that sent D’Angelo Russell to Los Angeles and Mike Conley to Minnesota.

Although the Grizzlies have traded away their own second-rounder, they control Brooklyn’s second-round pick, which may end up just a couple spots lower (it’s currently No. 38).


From: Toronto Raptors
To: Indiana Pacers
Current projection: No. 37

The Raptors originally traded their 2024 second-rounder to the Grizzlies during the 2018/19 season as part of a larger package for center Marc Gasol — it’s safe to say that deal, which helped cement the franchise’s first-ever championship a few months later, was a worthwhile one.

The Clippers eventually acquired the pick from Memphis at the 2023 deadline as part of the return for Luke Kennard, then used it in a package to land James Harden from Philadelphia this past fall.

Some “most favorable” language was attached to the pick in the Harden blockbuster, and that language still applied when the Sixers flipped it to Indiana in the Buddy Hield trade last month. However, the the 23-42 Raptors would have to pass the 37-29 Pacers or the 41-24 Cavaliers for any team besides Indiana to receive this pick, so it’s safe to assume it’ll land with the Pacers.

Atlantic Notes: Hield, Randle, Robinson, Anunoby, Schröder

After starting his first 13 games with the Sixers, Buddy Hield has come off the bench in back-to-back contests in New York on Sunday and Tuesday. As Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) writes, Hield told reporters after Sunday’s game that he has no complaints about the adjustment to his role.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be permanent or not, but sometimes change is good,” Hield said. “… All these guys have started or come off the bench, so it’s not like a big problem. … We’re NBA players, and we figure out how to adjust.”

As Hield alluded to, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse has been experimenting with different starting lineups for much of the season. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris are the only three players on the roster who have started every game they’ve appeared in this season, and Embiid is currently on the shelf with a knee injury. In total, 18 different Philadelphia players – including 13 who are currently on the roster – have started at least one game in 2023/24.

Hield has averaged over 25 minutes per contest in his first two games off the bench, playing well in a 16-point outing on Sunday and struggling a little with his shot in a 4-of-11 performance on Tuesday. He expressed confidence on Sunday that he’ll continue to be productive even if he’s part of the second unit.

“It’s not about starting all the time,” Hield said. “As long as I go out there and get quality minutes to help this team win, that’s all that matters. I’m going to play my role.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau provided minor injury updates on Julius Randle (shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) on Tuesday, telling reporters – including Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter links) – that Randle is working in “controlled” contact situations, while Robinson is running, jumping, and making “really good, steady progress.” Thibodeau didn’t offer a timeline for Randle to move on to 5-on-5 work.
  • While the Knicks continue to wait on Randle and Robinson, forward OG Anunoby (elbow) played on Tuesday for the first time since January 27 and provided a reminder of his importance to the team, says Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks outscored Philadelphia by 28 points in Anunoby’s 29 minutes and his teammates benefited on both ends of the court from his presence on the floor, Bondy notes.
  • Since joining the Nets at last month’s trade deadline, Dennis Schröder has averaged 14.6 points and 5.9 assists in 14 games and has improved the club’s ball movement, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Count center Nic Claxton among those who have been impressed by Schröder’s impact. “He really just, he treats the game right,” Claxton said on Tuesday. “He’s a true competitor, and he holds everybody accountable. He’s a winner. He has really good work habits, he works on his body a lot. … It’s tough being thrown in at the middle of the season, but it’s all starting to come together.”