Injuries are ruining the NBA. Well, maybe not ruining it — that's the Thunder's job — but they're certainly putting a damper on things. Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo are out for extended stretches and could fall out of the postseason award races. Anthony Davis is on the trade block but also not playing, and many of the league's biggest stars are nursing nagging ailments. It's gotten so bad that the NBA is launching a "biomechanics assessment" to see if they can figure out what's going on.
None of that is fun, but our NBA team is trying to focus on the positive. In this week's roundtable, we're guessing at who could supplant the injured Victor Wembanyama in the DPOY race, wringing our hands about the Pacers or Hawks getting the No. 1 pick, naming our favorite pick-and-roll duos and more.
1. Who becomes the DPOY frontrunner if Victor Wembanyama’s injury absence stretches on?
Brennan Sims: With how much defensive team success and DPOY are mashed together, Chet Holmgren anchoring one of the greatest defenses ever could affect the race even if Wemby is around the 65 games played mark. Chet and Wemby are such boring answers, as those two will likely top the DPOY ladder for the majority of their primes if they’re healthy. (Sorry, Evan Mobley). It'd be fun if Ausar Thompson were seriously in the race! He's the most active defender on a dominant Pistons defense. How many stoppers are tasked with guarding the other team's primary ball handler, regardless of size and archetype? Don't let Ausar's versatility fall under the radar.
Eamon Cassels: Who will be? Draymond Green, he is a fantastic self-promoter and is determined to retire with more than one DPOY to his name. Admittedly, Green is a historically great defender, and he has a stronger case than last season. Who should be the frontrunner, though? Ausar Thomspon, yes Ausar, not Amen. The Pistons have the second-best defense, in large part due to Ausar's versatility and on-ball defense. Impressively, he has a 99th percentile in defensive EPM. It probably won't happen, but I'd like to see Ausar get some more DPOY love if Wemby is sidelined for an extended period of time.
Rucker Haringey: Centers have more defensive value than guards, but Alex Caruso deserves serious consideration for what he’s done this season. His defensive prowess is a big reason why the Lakers find themselves in a playoff position despite LeBron James’ injury absence. Remember that Caruso is doing his work without the luxury of a dominant, defensive center to rely on. DeAndre Ayton might be one of the weakest defensive fives in the NBA. Caruso possesses the best EPM in the NBA, and he’s got the defensive chops to keep this going all season long.
Ian Levy: It has to be someone on the Thunder, who are playing like an all-time defense relative to the rest of the league. Chet is probably the right pick, but Cason Wallace deserves some shine — he's creating deflections and steals at roughly the same rate as Dyson Daniels, and his relentless ball pressure at the point of the attack sets the table for everything that comes after.
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2. Which team is scarier next season with a top-3 pick — the Hawks (who have the Pelicans unprotected pick) or the Pacers?
Brennan: I love the infrastructure and stability a healthy Pacers team has with Tyrese Haliburton at the helm. He'd get the most out of me and you if we were his starting wings. Give him AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson, and the league has a problem on their hands. Along with the steady Pascal Siakam, Hali and Indy already made the Finals without a certified three-level scoring shot creator. It's curtains if they get either of those can't-miss prospects.
Eamon Cassels: Despite being interested in the Hawks, give me the Pacers. They are the proven commodity after the Finals run last year. With Trae Young's future uncertain, who knows what the Hawks will do if (and likely when) they get a top pick. We know the Pacers will compete, though. Yes, they need to figure out their center rotation, but with Tyrese Haliburton coming back, a draft, and a healthy rotation, they will be contenders.
Rucker Haringey: The Pacers are the clear answer here by a pretty wide margin. The Hawks do not know what they want to do with Trae Young, which means they could lean into a rebuild next year. Indiana will be dying to put their foot on the gas, provided Tyrese Haliburton returns to something approaching full health. The versatility of Haliburton also opens up the idea that the Pacers can use the top-three pick on any sort of player they like. Drafting the best player available is always a wise strategy for teams looking to build the best roster possible. Indiana could be downright scary after adding another potential All-Star to the mix.
Ian Levy: I can't choose. As a certified Trae Young hater, I'm psyched to see them playing so well without him. Someone like Peterson in their backcourt is a totally different kind of offensive engine and a perfect fit for the versatile roster they built for Young. But Boozer or Dybantsa would be game-changers for the Pacers, especially if Bennedict Mathurin continues developing over the rest of the season. Hawks vs. Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals next season sounds pretty fun to me.
3. Who is your favorite pick-and-roll duo in the NBA right now?
Brennan: Without hesitation, it's been Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. You watch this duo and wonder why Cade throws the ball in traffic with bodies draped all over Duren, and when the pass is completed and slammed, you're like "oh yeah, that's a freak he's passing to down there". The most intriguing aspect of this duo's growth is how the perception that Cade makes Duren is flipping on its head. Cade benefits from Duren's Calvin Johnson-like catch radius just as much as Duren benefits from Cade's insanely deep pass selection. Those early 20-something-year-olds will pound teams in the PnR for years to come.
Eamon Cassels: Brennan and I are in sync today because I also have Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. I'm not a Pistons fan, but I sure feel like one between this and my Ausar DPOY pick. Duren has shot up to the 93rd percentile for roll man frequency, and 48.4 percent of Duren's assisted baskets come from Cade. Duren deserves a ton of credit for putting together an All-Star level season, but Cade has certainly helped. Cade's passing, paired with Duren's powerful finishing, makes this duo exciting to watch.
Rucker Haringey: Cunningham and Duren is the easy answer, but that does not pay enough attention to just how brilliant Nikola Jokić has been this year. His partnership with a rejuvenated Jamal Murray has been a joy to watch. In fairness, it’s the big man who really makes this partnership sing. Jokic is having a historic start to his 2025-26 campaign. Some fans prefer to watch guards dominate their pick-and-roll partnerships, but Jokic is transcendent enough to be the exception to that rule.
Ian Levy: Everyone else took the good ones, so I'll say Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl. It might not be as efficient or dramatic as Cade and Duren, but there is a lot more versatility. Poeltl has long been of the best big-man passers in the league on the short roll, and Quickley is really finishing well. With Barrett, Barnes and Ingram around them, this is a really fun action to set the defense spinning and create open space all over.
4. Who would you rather have for the next five years — Keyonte George or Kyshawn George? (Or Paul George, if you’re a masochist).
Brennan: Do-it-all jumbo wings always intrigue me. With Kyshawn's size, you want to see more on the defensive end, but some of his missteps fall on the Wizards' defensive schemes and personnel. He's still shooting the leather off the ball. It doesn't seem likely that Kyshawn is a 45 percent 3-point shooter, but if he's even passable from deep, his well-roundedness as a connecter and play finisher is enough for me to lean his way over Keyonte, who's been phenomenal in his own right. Keyonte has a Most Improved finalist case if voting ended today.
Eamon Cassels: Kyshawn George easily. Keyonte's scoring is awesome, and his playmaking has improved a ton. Regardless, he isn't a good defender, and versatile big wings are more valuable in the modern NBA. Between Kyshawn's three-level scoring, off-ball abilities, playmaking, and defensive versatility, he has very few flaws, which positioned him nicely for stardom.
Rucker Haringey: The Washington Wizards have been hard to watch this year, but the play of Kyshawn George has been impressive to anyone paying attention. He’s stuffing the stat sheet in just his second season as a pro. The challenge for George moving forward will be to prove that he can drive winning basketball. That’s impossible given the lack of talent surrounding him this year in Washington. The good news is that he’s already displayed the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. It’s imperative that the Wizards give him as much freedom to grow in what will be a lost year for the franchise.
Ian Levy: I'll make the argument if Keyonte, even if I'm not entirely sure I buy it. His finishing on drives has improved, and he's figured out how to use his athletic advantages to get himself to the free throw line a ton. He's hitting a decent percentage of his catch-and-shoot attempts, and his playmaking is improving as the game slows down for him. If he could start hitting some jumpers off the dribble, the Jazz might have a legit lead guard and three-level scorer.
5. Favorite trend that is definitely a mirage, but you’re enjoying it while it lasts.
Brennan: Will the Miami Heat really stick to their "no PnRs" philosophy all season? Miami is dead last in PnR frequency, and the results have been mostly positive. They're a top-10ish type offense with Norman Powell and Jamie Jaquez Jr. bulldozing their way to the paint without on-ball screens. Tyler Herro will eventually return, and he's shown an eagerness to attack off PnRs constantly (33.1% freq last year). He's a lethal sharpshooter who can weaponize his shot and attack closeouts. If he uses those traits and adjusts to the new Heat offense, I believe this no PnR trend can continue, and the stale Heat offense of the past can stay in the past, but old habits die hard.
Eamon Cassels: For me, it's the Jazz being competent. They're currently 5-9 with a Play-In team in the West. I usually hate tanking, but the Jazz have no choice but to tank. Utah owes its top-eight protected pick to the Thunder. With Lauri Markkanen averaging 31 ppg, the time is now to sell high and secure a pick in a loaded 2026 draft class.
Rucker Haringey: The emergence of Reed Sheppard as a quality player in his second season is one of the most interesting storylines of the young season. A lot of his effectiveness is based on his three-point shooting. He won’t shoot over 47 percent from behind the arc all year, but he’s going to remain a key cog of Houston’s offense. In fact, his performance might be the biggest variable for the Rockets as the regular season churns along.
Ian Levy: Bennedict Mathurin — lead scorer. He's only played four games because of injury, and I don't expect him to shoot better than 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from the line for the whole season. But he's averaging 27.8 points and getting to the lane more than 12 times per game. I just love the idea of him as a halfcourt creator who can pull high-value scoring opportunities out of thin air, especially if the Pacers stay bad enough to land a top-three pick at the same time.