THE BASKETBALL INTELLIGENCE NETWORK
*FEATURES OF THE DAY*
Kevin Durant and the Rockets Both Had a Plan. Here’s How the NBA’s Perfect Fit Finally Came Together
Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated
Jakob Poeltl: A Triumph of Substance Over Flash
SheedinATL, The Center Hub
LEAGUEWIDE
Five most pivotal NBA role players this season
Fred Katz, The Athletic
NBA power rankings: 2026 championship chances from No. 30 to No. 1
Ricky O’Donnell, SBNation
The one bright spot waiting on each likely NBA Draft lottery team this season
Bradley Rowland, Fansided
Why Your Favorite Team Won’t Win the 2026 NBA Championship
Dan Favale, Bleacher Report
The most important NBA player on each Northwest Division team
Ian Levy, Fansided
Central Division Preview
Kenny Moore
ESPN talking actual basketball with actual basketball experts
Matt Yoder, Awful Announcing
(H)eading into the new campaign, could ESPN finally be turning over a new leaf and lead their basketball coverage with… analysis about basketball?
The last two days has featured Tim Legler sitting down with two coaches who preceded him in the ESPN broadcast booth – Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks and JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers. And both were able to give breakdowns that were more reminiscent of what you may see on the Mind the Game podcast than any episode of First Take on the new Coaches Corner.
Judging by the reactions from fans on social media, basketball fans were overjoyed to see actual analysis about the game on ESPN airwaves instead of another manufactured debate, endless dialogue about needing a face of the league, hypothetical trade talks involving the New York Knicks, and whatever the drama of the day might be.
Everything to know about upcoming NBA rookie contract extension decisions
Bobby Marks, ESPN
Who are the best forwards in the NBA?
Jon Hoefling, USA Today
Who are the longest-tenured coaches in NBA history?
Alex Kennedy, ESPN
How the NBA has evolved into a ‘media and technology company’
Mike Vorkunov, The Athletic
Team-specific and Draft-related stories follow for paid subscribers