The Athletic NBA Daily – April 8, 2026

Episode Theme:
All-NBA Most Improved Team + Celtics as East Favorites?
Hosts: Dave DuFour & Esfandiar (S)
Guest: Jay King

Overview

This episode dives into two main storylines: The selection of the NBA’s Most Improved Team for the 2025-26 season—highlighting breakout players who exceeded expectations—and an in-depth conversation with The Athletic’s Jay King about the Boston Celtics’ big win over the Hornets, their status as Eastern Conference favorites, and looming playoff questions.

Standings & News Recap

Key segment: [02:33–04:41]

• Playoff Picture Updates:
  • Raptors beat Heat—Miami officially locked in for the play-in; reportedly held a team meeting afterwards (“Never good.” – S, 03:17)
  • Heat’s repeated play-in status questioned: “Have they turned into the Chicago Bulls of the east now?” – S, 03:36
  • Bam Adebayo criticized for inconsistency: “So bizarre to watch Bam Adebayo score seven points… after watching him score 83.” – S, 03:49
  • Houston beats Phoenix; Timberwolves and Suns clinch playoff/play-in spots; Spurs, Clippers, Trailblazers, Warriors make Western play-in

All-NBA Most Improved Team

Key segment: [04:41–14:37]

Framing the Conversation

• Hosts note this season’s improvement candidates are unusually strong—hard to pick a single winner.
• “The most improved award is…interesting. Number one, it’s hard to pick one guy, especially a season like this.” – Dave, 04:41

Top Candidates (Detailed Discussion):

• Nikhil Alexander-Walker (Hawks)

  • Likely to win Most Improved. “He went from 9.4 points a game to 20.8… he’s done more than that.” – Dave, 04:44
  • Defensive value highlighted: “Other than Dyson Daniels, [he’s] guarding the opposing team’s best guard on any night.” – S, 05:35
  • Symbolic of what the award should mean: “A guy who ends up getting opportunity, running away with it…this is year seven for him.” – S, 05:35

• Jalen Duren (Pistons)

  • Transformed into an all-star; Pistons #1 in East sans Cade Cunningham.
  • “He’s doubled his value as a defender.” – Dave, 07:08
  • “He’s up for some money this summer.” – S, 07:54
  • Playmaking praised: “I like the playmaking chops he’s shown too.” – S, 08:04

• Neemias Queta (Celtics)

  • Noted as “a great two-way center” and “probably the most impactful player in the NBA…because of how cost effective his contract is.” – S, 08:58
  • Key to Celtics’ improvement, excels in rebounding and fits system well.

• Peyton Watson (Nuggets)

  • Benefitted from injuries to starters; huge leap in offensive production.
  • “He scored like 100 points in college and…100 points through a four or five game stretch for the Nuggets this season.” – S, 10:00
  • Three-point shooting up to 41%; important rotation piece ahead of his payday.

• AJ Mitchell (Thunder)

  • Emerged as a secondary creator; praised for shot creation and potential.
  • “He only played like 36 games last year… expectations were pretty well.” – Dave, 12:12
  • On a team-friendly deal, raises questions about possible future roles.

Honorable Mentions

• Colin Gillespie (Suns):
  • Seized opportunity amid injuries, “been one of their more consistent players…he’s worth mentioning.” – S, 13:16
• Sandro Mamukelashvili (Raptors):
  • “Mamu has had such a great year… the way he moves, the way he’s passing.” – Dave, 13:40

Memorable Quote:
“It’s been a fun season for guys breaking out. Part of that is because stars have missed so many games this year and we’re just seeing a lot of new faces.” – Dave, 14:51

Celtics-Hornets Game & Boston’s Playoff Outlook

Key segment: [18:09–37:45]

Celtics’ Recent Success

• 17th double-digit comeback win (win vs. Hornets: 113–102).
• “They’ve just been playing great basketball lately. Everything’s trending in the right direction.” – Jay King, 19:52
• NBA-best net rating, especially with Tatum healthy (13–2 since his return).

Key Roster Questions

• Nikola Vucevic Integration: “Just feels like they’re trying to find their way with a guy who plays very differently than their other two big men… biggest challenge is figuring out the front court.” – Jay, 21:19
• Frontcourt Rotation Concerns: Defensive limitations of Vucevic and Garza vs. East’s star guards discussed; can they hold up in playoff matchups? [23:29–24:17]

Hornets Love

• LaMelo Ball’s “incredible” performance: “Lamelo was unbelievable for two and a half quarters… The touch on his floaters tonight was ridiculous.” – Jay, 24:43
• Young Hornets core (Diabate, Knipple, Brandon Miller) praised: “It’s a pretty complete team for a team that’s so young and inexperienced.” – Jay, 25:25

Evaluating the East – Celtics as Favorites?

• Jay now sees Celtics as a step above the rest: “The Celtics have started to separate themselves as a team that might be a step above the rest of the East.” – 27:16
• Detroit’s defense: “They are burly men. They. They will fight you. Literally, figuratively. They will make every bucket challenging.”
• Knicks, Cavs, and Sixers discussed as looming threats, but each with caveats (injuries, reliability).
• On Sixers/Paul George: “They’re in the Clipper zone for me… Fool me once, fool me twice, fool me five times.” – Jay, 29:31

Deep Dives:

• Hawks’ potential as playoff troublemakers: “They have so much length and athleticism… their athleticism is just a lot to deal with.” – Jay, 31:09

Jalen Brown’s Leap and Celtics Development

• Will he get MVP votes? (“Toward the end of the ballot.” – Jay)
• “It’s not just the numbers… To me, it’s more just the presence…when this Celtics season could have gone sideways…They weren’t going to let this season slip away.” – Jay, 33:20
• Jalen as a model for improvement: “When it looks like he can’t do something, he then works at it enough to where he’s good at it.” – Jay, 36:46
• “He just keeps growing and growing.” – Jay, 37:05

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If Nikhil Alexander-Walker wins Most Improved, we are getting back to what the award is truly about.” – S, 05:35
• “No, 100%. Also like [Jalen Duren]’s up for some money this summer… got a chance at All-NBA.” – S, 07:54
• “[Neemias] Queta…probably the most impactful player in the NBA just because of how cost effective his contract is.” – S, 08:58
• “Part of that is because stars have missed so many games this year and we’re just seeing a lot of new faces.” – Dave, 14:51
• “Lamelo was unbelievable… the touch on his floaters tonight was ridiculous.” – Jay, 24:43
• “Celtics have started to separate themselves as a team that might be a step above the rest of the East.” – Jay, 27:16
• “Fool me once, fool me twice, fool me five times…” (on the Sixers) – Jay, 29:31
• “[Jalen Brown] just keeps growing and growing.” – Jay, 37:05

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 02:33 | Hosts intro, recap of playoff standings | | 04:41 | All-NBA Most Improved Team discussion | | 18:09 | Celtics-Hornets recap, Jay King joins | | 21:19 | Celtics’ frontcourt/playoff questions | | 23:29 | East big man/playoff matchups | | 24:43 | Lamelo Ball & Hornets’ rise | | 27:16 | Celtics as East favorites | | 29:31 | Sixers/Paul George playoff chances | | 33:20 | Jalen Brown’s MVP case & development | | 37:05 | Closing reflection on Celtics/Hornets |

Conclusion

This episode serves both as a celebration of this season’s breakout players—highlighting not only statistics but stories of opportunity and development—and as a snapshot of the championship-caliber Celtics and a reshaped Eastern Conference. While the improving Celtics appear to have separated themselves, the East remains unpredictable, with upstart Hornets, gritty Pistons, and perennial enigmas like the Sixers all looming as playoff storylines. Anchored by Jalen Brown’s ongoing evolution, Boston looks poised for a deep run, but as always, playoff basketball promises surprises.