All NBA Most Improved Team + Celtics East favorites?

Summary

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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 |

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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.

Transcript

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[Dave Defor]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for April 8, 2026 I'm Dave Defor here with Esperaheny. Coming up, we're going to give our all NBA most improved teams and then we're going to talk to Jay King about the Celtics win over the Hornets and their playoff outlook. Good morning, everybody. What is up? S. Not. Not a great. Not a great NBA night last night. A lot of games. Yeah. Not a lot of action.

[Esperaheny]

No, no. Yeah, not a lot.

[Dave Defor]

We do have a standing update.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, we do have a standing update. There were three important games in this one. Obviously we'll get to Boston Charlotte with Jay. I thought that was a really great game to watch. The Raptors beat the Heat. Heat are now locked into a playing spot. They also apparently had a team meeting after the game, which is never good. Never good.

[Dave Defor]

I mean, how many years in a

[Esperaheny]

row are you going to be in the play?

[Dave Defor]

Right? Like, it's not like the team has really changed all that much. I'm not sure what exactly the Heater

[Esperaheny]

have they turned into the Chicago Bulls of the east now?

[Dave Defor]

I mean, have they not just been there essentially? You know, I mean, even the year that they, you know, they make the run from the play in. It was improbable.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah. Can I just say it is so bizarre to watch Bam Adebayo score seven points in an NBA game after watching him score 83. It's like, where is that level of aggression? You talked about this when he dropped 83.

[Dave Defor]

It's like, how does that happen?

[Esperaheny]

How does that exist? You.

[Dave Defor]

I mean, were the. Was the Raptors defense just too much? I mean, like, it is the Raptors defense. They are suited to stop a guy like Bam.

[Esperaheny]

No, you're right. But seven points. I just. And he. Most of his shots were corner threes. Anyways, the Heat are stuck in the playing. We'll see them next week for a playing game. Okay. Also, the Houston Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns. That means the Timberwolves clinch a playoff spot. But also the Suns clinch a plan spot. So we've got our team set for the Western Conference play in tournament. It'll be the Suns, the Clippers, the Trailblazers and the Warriors.

[Dave Defor]

Okay, so there, there are the standings. No, no real big shakeups. But I, you know, we've been talking about this season and the surprise guys. These, these guys that have come out of nowhere. The most improve award is. It's interesting. Number one. It's hard to pick one guy, especially a season like this. Yeah, I do think Nikhil Alexander Walker is likely winning the award. It feels like he's got all the buzz. He had that big game against the Knicks the other day, and rightfully so. I mean, he has had probably as big of an improvement as maybe any, any player in the league. I mean, I, I think just statistically when you look at, yes, he has a better role or, or, you know, has more minutes, but he went from 9.4 points a game to 20.8. And it's not just to say that scoring is all that matters because, I mean, he's done more than that. But this, that's a huge scoring jump.

[Jay King]

It.

[Esperaheny]

It's a massive scoring jump. Also, I would say if Nikhil Alexander Walker wins most improved, we are getting back to what the award is truly about, which is a guy who ends up getting opportunity running away with it. And it's also a guy later in his career, right. Who's getting this run like this is year seven for him. And now he's finally getting a chance to show what he has. And the scoring is there. The three point shooting has been absurd. He's also the guy other than Dyson Daniels, who's guarding the opposing team's best guard on any given night, did a

[Dave Defor]

great job against Jalen Brunson, which, you know, obviously that's something that might come up in the playoffs.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, I think he is the most improved, to be honest with you. Like, if, if I had to make a pick right now, I would probably pick na. Just because where the Hawks are at the pivot that they had to make halfway through this season to say we're done with the Trae Young experiment because in part, we believe in Nikhil Alexander Walker and, and his ability to kind of be a secondary ball handler of sorts. I think he's the, the most improved player. Okay, I'll throw a name out at you because I think this guy also has a very good case. Jalen Duran. The Detroit Pistons obviously turned into an all star this year. Pistons are the number one team in the Eastern Conference even without Cade Cunningham. He's had some very, very impressive performances next to a guy like Dennis Jenkins, who, I mean, we can maybe have that conversation here if you want. It's interesting with Dennis, you know, like, should he be in the most improved conversation or we didn't really know anything

[Dave Defor]

about him because he could have just been this good. Yeah, that is, that is legitimately an on the fly opportunity thing that I just feel like that's where the award goes sometimes and I don't love that. But I think Jalen Duran is a great example and the biggest thing for Me that he's improved at not only just with the ball on offense, like the ball in his hands, he actually can attack the basketball. His defense has. I mean he's gone from below average to above average. That's a massive leap in one season. Some of that is you've got our Sar Thompson out there, full health, wreaking havoc. But what he's done around the rim, I, I just think it cannot be denied that, that he is just a. About, about double as far as a defender goes. Like he has doubled his value as a defender.

[Esperaheny]

No, 100%. Also like he's up for some money this summer. You know, like I, I think he's

[Dave Defor]

got a chance at all NBA just be given the way that the 65 game rule stuff is shaken out.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, for sure. He's. He's probably going to get into one of those final spots and to your point about the, the ball being in his hands, I've actually kind of like the playmaking chops he's shown too as a handoff hub and playmaking hub. I just think it's there. Okay, what's, what's another all improved team.

[Dave Defor]

Our next guy, I think. Look, let's. We just saw him against the Hornets last night. Nes K. I mean you know again credit to him for, for the improvement we, we have given Joe Missoula a lot of credit for. Yeah, the development of all these guys. But Nemas Keda has turned into a great two way center that has really opened up the options for the Celtics. It was one of the reasons why we feel like this team is probably better than last year's team. His, his versatility, his rebounding. You know he's still young and got some, you know, some warts. But I think that he should make this list pretty easily.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, I agree with you. Dollar for dollar, probably the most impactful player in the NBA. Maybe the most impactful player in the NBA just because of how cost effective his contract is. Like he's not making much and yet he's a starting caliber center who on any given night could outplay the opposing team's starting center. He's one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA. He works so well in their defensive scheme of just putting a hand up, being vertical and yeah, I mean the rebounding makes a lot of sense. They make life easy for him. But he also buys into his role in a really great way.

[Dave Defor]

The next guy on our list, Peyton Watson. Yes. Who never really got a chance like this. You know the, the Nuggets were hurt all year. And you know, we can give a lot of credit to, to Jamal Murray and the season he's had, but if Peyton Watson doesn't show the improvement that he has, has demonstrated off the dribble and shooting the 3, I don't think we're talking about the Nuggets as title contenders.

[Esperaheny]

This is a guy who scored like a hundred points in college and, and he scored a hundred points through a four or five game stretch for the Nuggets this season. Like that's the level of growth that he's had. You talked about the three point shot. He's shooting 41% from three this season. He's still a little banged up for the Nuggets. I think he'll be important for them as they head to the playoffs. But he was averaging eight points last season, now he's up to 15. And yeah, he's another guy who's going to be up for a payday. Right.

[Dave Defor]

And a guy that we weren't even sure if they were going to keep around and now he's a guy I don't think that they can afford to lose, you know. You know, with his, given his age and his positional versatility and how important that I, I do think long term he winds up being for the defense. Yeah, like they gotta, they basically have to resign him this summer, which makes the Nuggets have, makes it very interesting conversations. Right. Like yeah, Cam Johnson, Christian Brown, you know, do you have to choose one of those?

[Esperaheny]

Something has to shake out there. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Okay. Speaking of, of guys on, on great contracts, et cetera, et cetera, we have to talk about the Thunder and pick AJ Mitchell. This is a guy who clearly with some injuries for the Thunder, particularly Jalen Williams, he stepped up in a major way, been this secondary creator for them. I think part of what makes the Thunder different this season is that they do have secondary ball handling outside of SGA in an AJ Mitchell in a Jarred McCain and Jalen Williams now that he's healthy. But AJ just gives them a guy who can create off of the bounce. I think he's a pretty superb shooter and truthfully like the level of creation that he's been able to show off this season. You wonder if he has even more to give if his role were to be expanded moving forward. You know, maybe it doesn't end up in okc. I don't know. I know Thunder fans would love for him to stay there, but ultimately my question is like, hey, maybe there's, maybe there's like a Dennis Jenkins type of situation for AJ Mitchell where if he's on a different team, he's putting up.

[Dave Defor]

Like is he your number one guy? Right? Like, could he, could he. I don't know. Like, do you think about that role? Like we've seen him maybe at times in that role.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah.

[Dave Defor]

This season where he was, you know, there was no Shea and obviously no J Dub and I thought he did pretty well. The scoring is great. I'm not so sure about the shooting. Right. He's not this high volume guy. I would like to see that volume go up and I do think that that's something where if he's the, the main guy or, or your, your play starter on, on another team that, that three point volume would have to go up. But his ability to get to the basket and finish has just, it really has opened my eyes quite a bit. He could be a guy that we could put into the bucket of. We didn't really know him all that well. He, he only played like 36 games last year. Right. But, but the truth is when you're on a contract that low, he's three years, three million. So he's got two years left after this. I'm sure that, that OKC is going to figure that out. I, I just don't think it's, it's very easy to keep you off a list like this because the expectations were, were pretty well.

[Esperaheny]

I also think to a similar degree this is not a guy that we have on the list but should be mentioned. Colin Gillespie.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah.

[Esperaheny]

Because not a very well known player. But obviously getting opportunity this season for the Suns has been a massive factor for them. When they had some injuries, when Jalen Green was out of the lineup, when Dylan Brooks was out of the lineup, he's been one of their more consistent players. Shooting wise ball like shot creation wise. I think he, he's worth mentioning, but I know you want to bring up this final guy. Dave, I'll let you do the honors.

[Dave Defor]

Mamu, come on. Mamu has had such a great year. You know, coming off the bench for the Raptors. The scoring has been. It's not surprising to me, but I, I think his connectivity, this guy, like the way he moves, the way he's passing. This is, this is a different player than we've seen in years past and I think part of that is role. He can come in and dribble and they're just, they don't have any guys his size that can do anything. You know, two dribbles in a decision and Mamu has been great at that this year.

[Esperaheny]

No 100%. And he connects so many of their lineups just because of the shooting. He can play next to Scotty Barnes, he can play next to Brandon Ingram. He just opens up so much for them. So to your point, I think it's a combination of like right team, right fit, allowing a player to grow. And that's also another guy who might get a payday this summer. Like he's, he's a free agent. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up going and getting some money, so.

[Dave Defor]

That's right. All right, guys, let us know how we did on our most improved team. Again. It's been a pretty.

[Esperaheny]

We missed. I'm sure there's guys.

[Dave Defor]

We missed it.

[Esperaheny]

We missed a few.

[Dave Defor]

Again. The Dennis Jenkins thing, I think Colin Gillespie is a great call.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah.

[Dave Defor]

Again, just some of this is, is about lack of expectations. I agree for these guys and, and, but man, 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. I don't know, maybe, maybe we'll get a fix for that sometime in the next few years. Guys, stick around after the break. We got Jake King to talk about the Celtics.

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[Dave Defor]

One of our biggest games of the week, the Hornets and the Celtics. Last night, the Celtics took care of business. Another comeback win for them. Their 17th on the season. 17 double digit comeback wins for the Celtics. They win 113. 102. Our man in Boston, J. King, was there. What's up, buddy? I. I'm not sure about this backwards hat situation, but the. The cinder block wall is really kind of perfect for you, Jay.

[Jay King]

People have been getting on me about my, my hat choice because number one, it's, it's pastel green and number two, it's a Red Sox hat and they're the worst team in baseball these days. So it's. It's been a tough few days wearing this hat. For me, a new hat, it was on sale and yeah, I'm in some back room at TD Garden. That doesn't look super exciting.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah, that's like where players like meet up to fight after the game when they've got some beef. It's where? Whatever corner right now.

[Jay King]

Yeah, it's like the secret Clippers passageway, but in Boston.

[Dave Defor]

Look, man, the Hornets have been probably the best story in the NBA since the first of January. They. They've been one of the five Best teams record wise, best offense, fifth best defense since then. But the Celtics are just at a different level. Right. Like, this is a championship core. Seems like this time of year, like, they really start to play some of their best basketball. I think what we saw last night was kind of a touch of what we're going to get from the Celtics in the playoffs. I mean, everything started clicking in that second half. Jalen. Jaylen Brown had an incredible game. Jason Tatum contributed quite a lot, especially in the fourth quarter. How do you feel about the Celtics right now, especially after that win against Charlotte last night?

[Jay King]

They've just been playing great basketball lately. Everything's trending in the right direction for them. They're 13 and two with Jason T. In the lineup. I believe there's something like 11.5 net rating in those games. They, like Tatum is just looked super, super capable since since returning a month ago. The only issue they have is, is what. How to kind of reincorporate Nikola Vujovic, who obviously only played a handful of games with them before then missing a month with a finger injury. And. And he's looked kind of. His minutes have been bumpy since he came back a couple games ago, but other than that, just. Just. It seems like a team that's surging at the right time, that's. That has had no issues bringing back Tatum. It's just been a seamless reincorporation for him. And, you know, there's a lot going right for this Celtics team right now.

[Esperaheny]

It's. It's funny because you mentioned Vuch, and that was the one thing that popped out tonight. To me, he was 1 to 10 and it just felt like he couldn't hit anything. Maybe that's just returning from injury, but all season I've liked the combination of Keita and Luka Garza, and it's. It's like, why not just stick to that? I understand you trade for Vuchovic for a reason, but how much trust do you have in the Celtics front court heading into the postseason? Because I think that's probably one of their bigger questions if they want to make a legit run.

[Jay King]

Yeah, that's definitely their biggest question mark to me. And the other is like just the lack of playoff experience because they have a ton of guys who just haven't been to the postseason before. As. As experienced as their core is. The guys around it, from the MIAs, Kato, who's their starting center, to. Even Fuchsiavic hasn't played much in the playoffs as. As. As long as he's Been around the league, but yeah, like their, their backup center spot, it's been pretty good all year. Like Luca Garza has been. He's knocked down threes. He's really spaced the floor well for them. He gives them an offensive rebounding component. Just constant energy on the glass. They're trying to fit in Vuchovic and maybe he'll be an upgrade in different ways. Obviously his passing is a, it adds another layer to, to the Celtics offense when he's right, but it just feels like they're just a beat off with him right now. Like, there was one play in the, against the Hornets where Vucevich was in the middle and Derrick White tried to throw an entry pass and it got picked off. And it's just like they don't know when to find him. They don't know where to find him. And he's struggling with his shot right now and just, Just feels like they're. They're trying to find their way with a guy who plays very differently than, than their other two big men. And at the end of the day, this is. This is probably Joe Missoula's biggest, biggest challenge is like, just figuring out the front court. Does he go back to Garza? Does he ride with Fuchsia bitch? What will he do in the playoffs? And each of those guys have defensive limitations. And so they're going to. They. They could be targets for, for other opponents. How do they handle that? That's. That's probably, like you said, the, the biggest question mark right now for Boston entering the postseason.

[Dave Defor]

Well, we got some questions from our Discord. If you guys are listening, you can join our Discord. The link is in the show. Notes.

[Esperaheny]

Nice segue, Dave.

[Dave Defor]

I like hang out and watch games there all the time. But Jay, it's kind of on that same note, they. They want to know, like, what do you think about this big man rotation against the east come playoff time? Like, how did they stack up, in your opinion, to the rest of the bigs in the East?

[Jay King]

So it's not necessarily the big man or I think it's going to be a problem. It's like, how does Luca Garza hold up against Jalen Brunson? How does he hold up against Cade Cunningham and pick and roll? Like, what do the Celtics do when teams are using their primary initiators to go after Luca Garza or Nikola Vucevic? How do the Celtics handle that? And so it's not to me about how they deal with size. Like, I think obviously you could run into Joel Embiid or you could run into Carl Towns or you could run into any number of guys who are talented in the east. But to me it starts with defensively, how you hold, how those guys hold up in space and how the Celtics sort of COVID up for their. Their weaknesses. On that air.

[Esperaheny]

I. I want to kind of switch gears to the Hornets because Lamelo ball was incredible in the first half of this game. He scored 36 points for the entire contest. I know you, Jay, are a huge Lamelo ball fan fanatics.

[Jay King]

World's greatest.

[Esperaheny]

World's greatest. How was it watching that in person and, and just your overall impressions of this Hornets team that's obviously been playing some really great basketball.

[Jay King]

Lamello was unbelievable for. For two and a half quarters. Like just pick everything.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah.

[Jay King]

And for a while it looked like he was going to flick away every single Celtics charge. Instead, they found a way to slow him down late. He went scoreless in the fourth quarter, but man, he's so much fun to watch when, when he gets it going. And like the touch on his floaters tonight was ridiculous. The. Yeah. Just his ability to get to three point shots and I think he took like 16 or 17. Like he even shooting that many threes in a game as a primary initiator is like tough to do.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah.

[Jay King]

And he was super efficient for a while. They needed to really, really find another level in the fourth quarter to. To limit him. Then the Hornets as a whole, they're. They're just a fun team, man. Like, they've got Diabate who's just constantly fighting you on the glass, working for extra possessions. They've got Knipple and Brandon Miller who are only beginning to emerge in this league, but are already super gifted and great shot makers. On top of everything else, they've got size on the wing, they've got a dynamic playmaker. They've got, like I said, diabate. And then Kalkbrenner comes off the bench and gives him some good minutes at backup center. I just think it's a pretty complete team for a team that. That's so young and inexperienced and is. Is only like this. This is. Should only be the start for this team. And obviously, you know, they're. They're in a kind of a tough place in the Eastern conference standings right now. They're going to have to fight their way into the playoffs. But, but if they do get in there then, then that's a team that, that could probably give some teams some problems.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah. As of right now, they're the nine seed, you know, and if they got out, they'd be the eight. And. And I've been saying this for a few weeks that the one team that I think would be super nervous in that top four would probably be Detroit, just because they can go on these scoring droughts and the Charlotte Hornets can really just shoot the lights out sometimes. So I don't. I don't know that they're going to win a playoff series, but, man, I think they would make it a lot of fun. How do you feel about the east in general? Right. There's been a. A lot of shakeups here in the last few months. Obviously, the James Harden trademark, Jason Tatum coming back, Kate Cunningham being injured, and that's up in the air. The Hornets developing where, like, where are you, like, finding that the. The Celtics are going to run into problems in the East.

[Jay King]

So I thought coming into this year that the east was as wide open as it's been for a long time. Like with. With Halliburton's injury, with Tatum's injury, it was just like that whole east is wide open. I don't really feel quite that strongly about that anymore because I do think the Celtics have started to separate themselves as a team that. That might be a step above the rest of the East. That said, like, Detroit's defense is real. They are burly men. They. They will fight you. Literally, figuratively. They will make every bucket challenging. I love watching those guys play because they're just old school. Just. They just want to just destroy you. The Knicks, like, they're still there, and I know their. Their starting lineup has had its issues, like, sort of like it did last season, but they're. They're a team with. With a lot of proven guys, a lot of veterans. They have defensive versatility. They can throw Mitchell, Robinson out there to just bully you on the glass. I still think they're going to be a factor. Then Cleveland is just sort of a wild card to me. They. They've had a year where they haven't really ever found their str. Their stride after last year, which was like, everything went right for them until they lost to Indiana in the playoffs. But I. I still think, like, with Donovan Mitchell, with James Harden, there's just an upside there and, and that they have firepower that. That not a lot of teams can match. And then you add to that, you know, the, the front court size and. And Evan Mobley's defensive versatility and then some shooting around him with Strus and Merrill, I just think they haven't reached their potential yet. But if they do get there, then that's a really dangerous team in the East.

[Dave Defor]

Two Sixers make anybody nervous, you think? For real? I mean, I know Nick Nurse. I mean, was he worried they might win? Listen, Embiid has looked great on offense. Paul George, he looks better than he looked at any point during the season before his suspension.

[Jay King]

They're in the Clipper zone for me, which is like, fool me once, fool me twice, fool me five times. I'm just.

[Dave Defor]

I'm in the Xbox. I just want to believe. You know, I. I would love to see what happens if they can all stay healthy and actually, like, put up a series. Just.

[Jay King]

Here's the thing. If they can stay healthy, then there's a lot there. Like, Tyrese Maxey is basically unstoppable at this point. Like, he's so, so hard to guard. Paul George came back and probably could use the time off to. To get his body right and. And prepare for the playoffs. Embiid, like you said, like, he looked like an absolute shell of himself early in the season. For him to reach the point he is now is. Is really promising for Philadelphia. And then you had Edgecomb and his freakish athleticism. Some of the role guys like Dominic Barlow, like, they. They've stood up. And so, yeah, I. Philadelphia, I don't think they. They really make too many teams nervous just because their track record. But. But you could. You could convince yourself on a good night that. That they could go on a deep playoff run, too.

[Esperaheny]

They're definitely the hardest team that the Celtics might face in round one. Right. Like between the Hawks and Raptors and Sixers and maybe the Hornets, but unlikely the Horn like Hawks have been playing good ball too. They have been. I agree. So. So would that be another team where you're like, I don't know what the series would look like between the Celtics and Hawks.

[Jay King]

Yeah. The thing about the Hawks too, is they have so much length and athleticism on the way. Like, there aren't many teams that can handle the. The Jalen Jason duo and. And have enough size and length to. To throw different guys at them. And obviously the. The Hawks right now, like, they do have some limitations. I'm not sure at the end of the day, they have, like, enough like, scoring firepower.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah.

[Esperaheny]

I mean, we saw that against the Knicks on Monday where it was like, please score in the half court and problems started popping.

[Jay King]

Yeah, but, but, but Jalen Johnson has been playing at such a high level, and Dyson Daniels can disrupt your entire team by himself sometimes.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah.

[Jay King]

And oh, Kong Woo, like Those guys are just playing some good ball. Nikhil Alexander Walker, like, the level that he's reached lately, super impressive. So, yeah, I, I, I think the Hawks could, could give team some, some problems because, like, especially if they turn you over and they could get out and transition, their athleticism is just a lot to deal with.

[Dave Defor]

Is Jaylen Brown going to be on your MVP ballot?

[Jay King]

So I don't have an MVP ballot, but. Well, you're imagining he would probably be toward the end of it, like, like fifth or something.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah.

[Jay King]

And I don't know exactly who will qualify or who will be eligible for that yet.

[Esperaheny]

No one knows right now.

[Dave Defor]

I'm waiting on the paperwork to come back.

[Jay King]

Exactly. So. But he, he's had such a great year. And it's not just the numbers, though. The numbers like the scoring is, has been great and, you know, he's, he's taken another step forward with his playmaking. To me, it's more just the presence. And when this Celtics season could have gone sideways, they lost half their rotation over the offseason. Tatum was injured. They lost their first three games of the season. They were incorporating a bunch of young guys that had never really played before.

[Esperaheny]

And that's why Joe Missoula is coach of the year, by the way. Like, all of what you're describing is also a great case for Missoula to win coach of the year.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah.

[Jay King]

And, and j. But he and Jalen, I, I think they were, they're both in it together. Those are proud dudes. They're, they're competitive guys and they weren't going to let this, this season just kind of slip away.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah. I mean, look, it's been a great year. And the Celtics, they, they honestly have, to me reinvigorated the Eastern Conference this year just by not tanking and trying hard. And then Tatum coming back is the cherry on top. I, it's been a really fun season to watch that team, which can't always say that about the Celtics. Right. Like, there's a lot of procedure to what they do. And, and like, we know Missoula ball and they're going to check boxes, but I think that the way, speaking of

[Jay King]

Missoula ball, they, they haven't been taking a ton of threes late.

[Dave Defor]

I noticed this.

[Jay King]

But before tonight or before the game against the hornets, their last 10 games, they were 14th in three point times average, which is so far away from the norm during the Missoula era, so far away from the way they started this season. And they're still, they're still lighting up the scoreboard. They're still scoring a ton of points. They're just doing it in different ways. So yeah, with, with Tatum back, like with the offensive rebounding they've added as a new weapon for them, they jailing his ability to get to his spots now and rise up. He just kind of punished Knipple time after time. I didn't even think Knipple was that bad defense most of the time and Jalen was, was still getting to his spots, still knocking down shots. They're, they have more ways to score probably than they, they used to in the past.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah, I, I would say this. I think year over year, I don't know of a single guy that has improved his tough shot making as much as I've noticed from Jaylen Brown from last year to this year. He can, he can stick those mid rangers with a hand in his face now.

[Jay King]

Yeah, although I don't think that's, that's just this year like last year, he really struggled with that. I think that was very much what he was dealing with physically. He was, he was banged up last year and especially during the playoffs, he was kind of a shell of himself. And like if you think back to the 2024 run to the title, a lot of those games when it was close, he was handling the big possessions. Game 3 against the Mavericks in the Finals, everything's crumbling. Mavericks get rid of a 25 point lead. Celtics are up two. I think Jalen gets to a spot at the elbow, rises up and cans a jumper. So yes, it's very different than it was last year, but I don't think this is totally new for him. He's been a tough shot maker from the mid range for a few years now with a little break last year when his knee wasn't working right.

[Esperaheny]

I will also just say I think Jalen Brown is one of the best developmental stories in the NBA overall. Think about what he was in college as a creator to what he is now, which is a 30 point per game guy for one of the best offenses in the NBA, potentially a team that's going to play in June. He, he is very easily one of the best developmental stories. You, I don't think you could have predicted that when he was a rookie that he was going to be out here averaging 30 and being Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP eventually.

[Dave Defor]

I don't know.

[Esperaheny]

I don't know.

[Jay King]

It's really the story of his entire career. When it looks like he can't do something, he then works at it enough to where he's good at it.

[Dave Defor]

Made a left handed layup last night too.

[Jay King]

People used to say he has no left hand. Now he goes left constantly and has some incredible finishes. He'll even throw cross court passes with his left hand. You know he had that disaster class against Miami in Game seven when Tatum got hurt on the first play of the game. They needed him to run offense. He couldn't do it. I think he had eight turnovers. He comes back the next year and his playmaking is at a different level. His ability to read the court is at a different level. He's always, always getting better at processing the game, figuring out ways to improve. It's like literally every year he comes back and whatever you think he's not good at, that's what he's ironed out and gotten better at. And he just keeps growing and growing.

[Esperaheny]

It's the underwater workouts. That's what it is.

[Dave Defor]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's all that underwater. Kyle Corver did the same thing, right? All right, Jay King, everybody. Go to the Athletic and read the kid. All right, Go and do it right now. J. King thank you so much for hanging out buddy. Thanks to Esperahenny. I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us. Thanks for listening. Make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed it, drop a like leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us.

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