Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke died unexpectedly last week at age 29, leaving Coward and other members of the Grizzlies franchise struggling to cope with such a tragedy. Yet, Coward has also reminded himself about the need to stay resilient, just as Clarke did when he managed various injuries in recent years to his left Achilles tendon (2023) and right knee (2025).

Hence, Coward visited the Los Angeles Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo, Calif., this week to watch his agency (Life Sports Agency) host a pre-draft workout for their clients before various NBA executives and scouts. Then, Coward talked with R.org about what Clarke meant to him and how he wants to honor him. Coward also delved into other topics. He defended Ja Morant as a leader. He shared how Kevin Durant has mentored him. He detailed his growth as a rookie as the Grizzlies’ No. 11 pick. He opined on what it will take for the Grizzlies to become a playoff contender again.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.

Interview with Cedric Coward

– I’m sorry about the news with Brandon’s passing. How have you been holding up with everything?

Coward: “I appreciate it. It’s been rough. But at the same time, I’m grateful for the time that I had with him. Now you honor his memory by winning games and doing what he was doing with being a great teammate.”

– What made Brandon such a great teammate?

Coward: “I only had a year with him. But at the same time, it was so impactful due to his love for his teammates. Especially for me as a rookie, he had a lot of love for me. He didn’t treat me like the stereotypical vet, giving me the typical rookie treatment. He did at times, but it was all fun and love. So with him, I thought it was so inspirational that he dealt with so many injuries, but he came in every day with a smile on his face. He came in every day with the same great attitude. He never treated anybody any differently. He never let anybody see that he was in a bad mood because of that. It helped me when I got hurt to do the exact same thing.”

– What perspective did he share with you about handling injuries?

Coward: “The biggest thing that he told me is, ‘It’s bigger than you.’ Your job, my job or anybody’s job is just to get back and get as healthy as possible. But at the end of the day, the world doesn’t revolve around you and that one injury. The world revolves around the team. The injury is just a part of it. So all you have to do is make sure that you’re doing what you can to get back healthy.”

– With how you said Brandon treated you well but occasionally gave the rookie treatment, what examples come to mind?

Coward: “It was crazy. The biggest one was in Media Day. He just skipped me in line. That was that vet work. I just had to wait a little bit longer. But that isn’t a problem (laughs).”

– In the spirit of you wanting to honor Brandon’s memory by winning games, how do you go about that?

Coward: “It’s about doing what we can to get better each and every day. He was super impactful, especially during the times that the Grizzlies made the playoffs. So it’s about getting back there. Getting back to the playoffs is huge. It’s also about not taking every day for granted. That’s the biggest thing. You have to understand that time is short, not just for the people that you’re with, but for the time that you have in basketball. Anything can happen. Obviously, the most tragic thing happened with Brandon. But at the same time, injuries or contract situations are other parts. There are a whole bunch of things that can happen. So you have to take that into account. Since all of these things can happen, you really have to make sure that you’re doing what you can to maximize every moment that you’re on the court.”

– What did you do to maximize the rookie season that you had, even amid the losing, injuries, and Jaren Jackson Jr’s trade?

Coward: “I made the most of my opportunity. My teammates, coaches, and staff had the utmost confidence in me. That gave me the utmost confidence in myself. I always tell myself that it’s just basketball. I’m probably one of the most competitive people that you’ll ever meet. But at the same time, in order to calm nerves and calm down in big moments, I tell myself that it’s just basketball. It’s a game that I’ve been playing since I was four. So it is what it is. Ultimately for me, I think the opportunity that you’re given, you have to take advantage of it. I had a lot of confidence given to me from my teammates and everybody in the organization. So that helped me play better.”

– What things do you do to fuel your competitive chip while staying calm? 

Coward: “To be honest with you, I don’t know if it’s part of my routine. It’s just who I am. I never want to lose. I never want to be second or third in anything. Anything after that is even worse. I always take into account that the competitiveness has to come from somewhere in you. It’s not taught. You can’t teach competitiveness. You can’t teach effort. It’s something that you have to be bred with. That’s something that I believe I’m bred with, and it isn’t going to leave.”

– You worked on your grandfather’s house. You also played for different schools after not having any scholarship offers (Williamette, Eastern Washington, Washington State). How did those experiences shape you?

Coward: “It was huge. It allowed me to understand how hard it is to get to this moment. It allowed me to have the hunger to know that I never want to go back to that. No disrespect to anybody that is in that. But at the same time, I got out of it. I never want to go back. I always want to go forward. It’s a precious thing for me to be where I am now. I’m super grateful. But at the same time, I always tell people that the easy part is making it, and the harder part is staying in it. That’s my goal.”

– Can you paint a picture on what it was like working with your grandfather on the home for a summer?

Coward: “Imagine waking up at 7:30 am and driving 30 minutes to get somewhere by 8. After that, you’re working from 8 am to 5 pm doing whatever needed to be done. Whether that’s laying down foundation, chopping wood, building cement or painting the house. It was hard work. But at the same time, he taught me a lot. If I can do this, working out two times a day is easy. Playing in a game is easy. So for me, it’s pretty light work compared to what I’m doing now.”

– What did it take to have the physical and mental stamina to do that every single day?

Coward: “I knew that my Grandpa needed me. So that gave me some motivation. I also knew that I was learning valuable life skills. I use my hands a lot. I build stuff out of boredom. I build Lego’s. I’ve built some cabinets for my closet. That’s what I do from the valuable skills that I’ve learned with him. That’s something that I didn’t even notice until I looked back on it. There were those times where I was like, ‘Damn, I don’t want to get up and work on this house today.’ But four or five years later, I’m building cabinets in our closets. I know exactly how to do it. I don’t need any direction.”

– What Lego sets have you built?

Coward: “A lot of flowers. My girlfriend loves flowers. I told her that these Lego flowers will last a lot longer than real flowers (laughs).”

– What do you think you showed that warrants being on an NBA All-Rookie team (Interview took place before NBA announced results on Wednesday evening. Coward made the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team)

Coward: “I’m not the one that makes those decisions. But for me, it’s not as important as it may seem. It would obviously be a blessing. I would be grateful to get it. But at the end of the day, I would just tell people to watch the tape. I had ups and downs as a rookie. But I think the ups were really ups. The downs weren’t as down as they may seem. That’s every NBA player. You’re going to have good games and bad games. But I think the impact that I made on the floor, I was trying to win every game and I was positive in some metrics. That’s not my decision. I just tell people to watch the tape.”

– You had the team’s best efficiency rating for anyone that played at least 300 minutes. What went into that?

Coward: “I was trying to help the team win. I was trying to help the team do as well as possible. That’s it.”

– You’re not getting direct comparisons to Kawhi [Leonard] or J-Dub [Jalen Williams]. But some note similarities to your shooting mechanics and how you defend. How have you tried to emulate what they do into your game?

Coward: “It’s always great to be compared to great players. Kawhi is going to be a Hall-of-Famer. Before the injuries this year, J-Dub was All-NBA and was on an All-NBA Defensive team. But there’s only one of each. There’s only one Kawhi. There’s only one J-Dub. There’s only one me. But at the same time, a lot of people will tell you that it’s a copycat league. You have to be a copycat of the guys that have done great before. So for me, I always look at it. If those are the comparisons, I can use those as examples. I look at what they do on how they’re successful and just incorporate them into my game.”

– You’ve said you want to work out with Kawhi. Have you gotten a workout with him yet?

Coward: “Not yet. But it’ll happen. It’ll happen eventually. I’m not in a rush.”

– You’ve also said you hope to ask questions to some of the other star vets, including LeBron [James], Steph [Curry] and KD. Have you been able to do that yet?

Coward: “Yeah, I’ve talked to KD a lot. After games, I talk to him a lot. I haven’t talked to ‘Bron or Steph yet. But the opportunities will come. I was born believing that closed mouths don’t get fed. So whenever I get those opportunities, best believe that I’m going to talk a lot to them about it. But at the end of the day, it’ll all come in due time.”

– What has KD’s messages been?

Coward: “Honestly, just keep going, no matter what happens. No matter if you have frustrations with losing, good games or bad games, the work will show above everything. For him, as one of these greats in this game, his love of basketball has carried him so much further than people think. As soon as you fall out of love with the game, that’s when you start falling down. But his love of the game matches mine. So I always remind myself never to lose love and never lose care for it. Honestly, just keep putting in the work.”

– What was it like handling their tests on the court?

Coward: “Oh, man. It’s one of the most surreal things. But once you step into the four lines, it’s basketball. Best believe that it is one of those things where I’m thinking, ‘I get to guard LeBron, Steph and KD.’ But once you step in the lines, I think, ‘It’s basketball. Let’s get it going.’ They’re trying to take away my goal from winning. There isn’t any ‘star-struck stuff’ anymore. After the game, I can be back to thinking, ‘Oh my gosh! It’s KD!’ But at the end of the day, it’s basketball. They’re trying to take away my goal of winning the game. For me, I try to do my best not to let that happen.”

– What did they do to test you?

Coward: “Steph doesn’t stop moving. He’s one of the hardest people to guard because he doesn’t stop moving. Plus, he’s really strong. He knows how to create space. LeBron’s mind for the game is absolutely insane. He knew almost everything we were doing defensively. His most deadly thing, besides his size and scoring ability, is his passing. KD, in my opinion, is a top-three scorer of all time. You have to make him shoot whatever is not comfortable for him. That isn’t many shots. But everybody has given me a test this year in certain ways. I’ve won battles. I’ve lost battles. But at the same time, I just have to keep going. Kawhi’s mid-range game is insane. It got to a point one game where he didn’t miss. You were thinking, ‘Just don’t let him touch the ball.’ He works hard. That’s what shows.”

– You’ve defended Ja quite a bit. What is the public getting wrong about him? 

Coward: “I don’t understand how you can talk about somebody when you’re not spending every day with him. For me, I get it. You have the media representation and whatever the media says about him from past events. But at the end of the day, people learn and grow. One thing that he has done is that he hasn’t made the same mistake twice. Obviously, there was the [gun] incident in 2022. He hasn’t made the same mistake twice. But people still look at him the same. That’s ridiculous, in my eyes. But he’s one of the best people that I know personally.

I told my family that he’s one of the people that you could invite to the cookout. He would just come, chill and hang out. That’s the type of person he is. He wants to take care of you and everybody around him. He has a genuine heart like that. During an ice storm, he even offered to pay for my groceries. I declined it. But the fact that he said that was huge. He really cares about his rookies and his teammates.”

– Why did you decline the offer?

Coward: “I didn’t want to take advantage of that. It was a great offer, though. I appreciate it.”

– Many also reacted strongly to Ja’s disagreements with Tumoas [Iisalo] and his one-game suspension after that.

Coward: “At the end of the day, those are questions that you have to ask him. But what I know of him, he’s one of the greatest people.”

– A lot of his other teammates have talked about Ja as a great leader for how he is with teammates and his competitiveness. How did he show that to you on the court?

Coward: “He showed me different things in the game that I can take advantage of that can help him. He provides the most gravity on the court when he’s playing. So for me, it’s about being in the right spots offensively and defensively. I remember one day, I grabbed the ball and they took it out and passed to me. I looked for him. He came up to me and said, ‘Why don’t you dribble the ball up?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I got you.’ It’s certain things like that where he’s making sure he can make the game easier on both of us. At the end of the day, if we’re successful, then we can help the team be successful. Then if the team is successful, we win games.”

– Why is it important for you to play in Summer League again this year?

Coward: “One, I want to keep growing my game. Two, I want to let the team know that no matter what I got to do, whether it’s play in Summer League or in training camp, I’m going to be there to do it. It’s something that they wanted me to do. It’s something that I didn’t have any problem doing. For me, it allows me to maximize my game, too, and work on things that I didn’t do as much this past season. I’ve been working on that this summer. Also, I’m trying to win. It’s the competitiveness.”

– What are you trying to do to improve your game?

Coward: “The biggest thing is my handle and showing that I’m a primary ball handler. I have it. But we had a lot of point guards last year. So I wasn’t able to show quite as much. But at the end of the day, that is something that I’ve been working on. Then it’s also about making the game a lot simpler. Last year, there were times where I made the game tougher than it needed to be. Every player has go-to moves and things they can get to where it’s really simple. So I’m making sure to do that, I’m making the game easier.

Defensively, I’ve been doing a lot of work to make sure that I can get through ball screens, handle one-on-one defending and staying in the gaps and closeouts. It’s about whatever can help me become a better player, offensively or defensively. Or even just watching the game. If I’m on the bench and call out on certain things, we’ve been doing that.”

– Where do you all go from here with dealing with the uncertainty of any off-season roster moves and getting back to the playoffs?

Coward: “That’s mainly a question you can ask our front office. They move the pieces. But as a player, I can only speak for myself. It’s about helping not only myself and the team to get into positions that we need to get into with building habits and culture to get back there. The teams that are most successful now are younger teams with the Spurs and Thunder. Those are teams that have great camaraderie and they have a culture where it’s built. Obviously, it helps when you have the MVP [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] and you also got Wemby [Victor Wembanyama]. But at the same time, who’s to say that we can’t have one of those players, too?

For guys, it should everybody’s individual goal to maximize their potential and maximize what they can be good at. But at the same time, as a team, you build that culture and camaraderie, it helps take care of a lot of things. A lot of people shy away from the work. I’m not one of those people. We’re not going to be one of those teams.”

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer not only led the Knicks to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons with the franchise, but he also led them to their first playoff series win in 13 years in 2013 while leading the league in scoring.

It was also sweet that Anthony returned home to his roots, bringing prominence back to a franchise he grew up watching and cheering for.

Anthony is now retired and works as a studio analyst for NBC and Peacock’s NBA coverage, and he’s seen firsthand how the Knicks have emerged as arguably the best team in the Eastern Conference. New York is now the hottest team in the East, having won seven straight games and clinching their second straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Included in that streak is a series-clinching 140-89 beatdown of the Atlanta Hawks and a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The former 10-time NBA All-Star took the time to sit down for a one-on-one interview to talk about how the Knicks have become the team to beat in the East, along with some of the best defenses he faced during his own career.

Interview With Carmelo Anthony

– I want to talk to you about your former team, the New York Knicks. Thoughts on them overall and it’s looking like they may be the favorites in the East. What is the key for them to make that Finals run?

Anthony: I mean this run feels different. The Knicks have an identity right now. They’re tough, they’re connected. They don’t seem like they’re flinching in any environment. (Jalen) Brunson is playing like one of the best five players in the league right now, and Karl-Anthony Towns is just showing he can be that two-way piece, right? And the bench, there’s been a collective effort, and it’s been impressive to watch.

– What has been the difference in their play since that record blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6?

Anthony: When they stop being a team that loses into a moment. They are the moment now, and when you control that moment, you have the power. You put yourself in position to win. That’s what they’ve been doing. Instead of weeks ago, when they were trying to figure it out, still trying to figure it out, they were just losing to a moment. Somebody hit a big shot, an offensive rebound. Now they are the moment.

– You’re talking about them coming up in the big moment, time will tell if they actually complete the run. But are you seeing them do things differently, maybe schematically? Are you seeing them use Karl-Anthony Towns a little differently, having him up top, passing the ball more, overlooking the defense?

Anthony: Well, he’s been doing that. He’s been doing that, that’s kind of been the adjustment, not just in the playoffs, but towards the end of the season, when the Knicks were trying to figure it out. I think they figured out putting KAT kind of at the top of the key situation because KAT is a hell of a passer. He could see the floor, he’s seven foot. He can pass. He can make passes that a guard cannot make sometimes so he can shoot the ball. I think he’s being a dual threat right now.

– I want to switch gears to your own playing career. Who was the best defender you went up against or the toughest in your mind?

Anthony: It was different, man. I went up against teams. I went up against team defenses. right? It wasn’t like anybody who was just individually, ‘Hey, I got to worry about this person.’ No, it was more team defenses and double teams and load ups and so I never really got a chance to play one on one.

– One specific team that gave you trouble above the rest?

Anthony: Oh man, I’ll say the Spurs. I think because they just had a great defensive team, defensive schemes. try to figure that out and to get better and trying to try to beat that system, that was tough.

– Especially when they had Bruce Bowen, right?

Anthony: Oh just everybody, they had a deep team. They just knew how to guard certain players, and they put schemes together for that. It was a testament to the players, but also Gregg Popovich.

Not everyone who was invited to participate in the event, which takes place May 10-17, will stay in the draft process, but Steinbach most certainly will.

It all leads up to the 2026 NBA Draft, where 60 players will hear their names get called, over the span of June 23rd-24th.

Steinbach is a projected top 10-15 prospect, and he’s almost certain to go somewhere in the lottery (first 14 picks), which are the most prestigious selections of all.

Steinbach should likely be the second Big Ten player off the boards, behind only Keaton Wagler from Illinois. The Wurzburg, Germany native is 6’11”, with an ability to shoot the three, and that’s exactly what the league wants right now. The NBA loves bigs who often shoot from the perimeter.

He also led all of college basketball in rebounding this past season, and that ability to clean the glass has only augmented his draft stock even more.

Strong Mentorship

Despite having played just one year of college ball, Steinbach is pro-ready right now thanks to the great mentorship he’s enjoyed throughout his life.

He credits his youth coaches in Germany for his rapid development.

“They played professionally in Germany,” Steinbach said in an exclusive with Ratings. “My youth coach for the last four years has played the most games in the German League. So he’s been a pro for really long.

“So him just having me for four years, being kind of a mentor for me (helped me out a lot).”

Those coaches include his father, former Würzburg Bundesliga player Burkhard Steinbach, who brought him into the Würzburg Baskets youth program.

His list of mentors also includes the first true German-born star in NBA history, Detlef Schrempf. A three-time All-Star and back-to-back winner of the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, Schrempf also played for the Huskies at UW.

Steinbach credits Schrempf for being “there to kind of just help me and just give me security.”

He then added: “I have somebody I can talk to, so that was really good.”

Other than Dirk Nowitzki, Schrempf is arguably the greatest German-born player in basketball history.

Another factor working in his favor is the season that he spent in the Bundesliga with Wurzburg. During the 2024-25 campaign, he honed his skills against more seasoned opponents.

“I played against grown men there, so it really helped, just having that kind of experience,” Steinbach added.

Wurzburg is a really small town, so moving to a big city like Seattle, with a very hipster reputation, was quite the adjustment for him.

Seattle is on the other side of the world, both literally and culturally, from where he grew up.

“It’s really cool outside of the rain, which was pretty annoying,” Steinbach joked with us this postseason. “But, no, living in a big city was kind of new for me, because where I’m from was like a small town, or, like a small village.

“So that was pretty cool to experience for the first time.”

Versatility for the Next Level

Steinbach is an extremely versatile player who was named to the All-Big Ten third team and the All-Big Ten Freshman team. He also broke the Big Ten freshman record with 20 double-doubles.

He also has a ton of international experience at the youth level, winning gold at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket and silver at the FIBA U19 World Cup. Steinbach also achieved a bronze medal with the German national team at the AST World U18 Tournament in 2024.

“That’s always the most fun,” he said of international competition helping to shape his game.

“Because this group that we have (had) the last three years, always been together, and really close off the court too. So winning the European Championship with them two years ago and coming in second this past summer in the World Cup was a really great experience.”

Steinbach is known for his really easygoing personality, very strong work ethic, and extremely grounded outlook, making him a great prospect both on and off the court.

These traits should help him immensely with NBA scouts and personnel, as he should likely ace the interview portion of the combine.

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard said he doesn’t know Steinbach personally, but added that he’s heard nothing but great things about Steinbach as a person.

We asked him what kind of player a given NBA team would be getting if they drafted him.

“Obviously, the measurables he has, you look at length, bounce off the floor,” Gard said after his team had just eliminated the Huskies in the Big Ten Tournament.

“His hands are terrific. He’s got big hands. I think they make those decisions on those internal things, but for a kid that age to be able to do the things he’s done and how he plays — I mean, I was impressed with him before he ever got to Washington, when he was playing in the Euro stuff.”

Reflections on the Season

Steinbach described his individual game strengths as rebounding and finishing at the basket. Conversely, he also discussed what he needs to work on—some aspects of his defense and his overall shooting ability.

We also asked him to look back on his one season at UW and reflect on the highs and lows.

“The games where we, as a team, played together and always stuck together,” he responded.

“It doesn’t matter what the score is,  we just came back and made it a close game in the end. So I would say these are the highs.

“I think the lows are games at home that we didn’t like look like ourselves, for example, Penn State, or against Wisconsin, we didn’t really look like a team that we want to be.”

Payton is best known for his long career (1990-2003) with the Seattle Supersonics, where he led the team to the 1996 NBA Finals and became the first point guard to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

However, the Hall of Fame point guard did spend time with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping lead the 2003-04 squad to the NBA Finals. The 57-year-old said James will continue to play as long as he feels “he can still dominate.”

“I think he’s going to do one more year,” said Payton in a one-on-one interview with R.org. “I think LeBron — because I know about his ego — he has to really feel that he can’t play in this league anymore. I don’t think he feels that way. I think he feels he can still dominate. But what the things that he does with his body is a lot different because what he does with his body is he takes care of it. Once he starts feeling it, I don’t think he’s going to let himself go down. I don’t think he’ll let himself be looking like a fool or anything.”

James is the oldest player in the league at 41 years old, but is coming off his 22nd All-Star appearance. He ended the 2025-26 regular season averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game on 51.5% from the field. In other words, he’s still playing at a high level.

The four-time MVP will be a free agent this offseason and has yet to commit to whether or not he’ll play next season. Payton believes that there’s no question that James will be play for the Lakers if he continues his career.

“I think he’s got about one or two more years left in his body,” said Payton of James. “I don’t think he wants to move anywhere. People talking about where he’s going to end up. That’s not what LeBron is about right now. I think it’s about comfortability, about how his daughter — which is the only one still left in the house — and how his wife wants to be. I don’t think they want to be in the cold. I think they think they’re very comfortable in Los Angeles and that’s where they’re going to be. I think he’s going to stay here and try to work something out with the Lakers.”

Payton Backing LA to Beat Houston

Making matters even more impressive is that James — without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves — recently led the Lakers to a 1-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets. James notched eight assists in the first quarter alone, which is a new career high for assists in a single quarter in his playoff career.

The four-time NBA champion finished the night with 19 points and 13 assists while role player Luke Kennard scored 27 points to lead the Lakers. Payton believes it’ll be Los Angeles — not Houston — that wins the series. Kevin Durant missed Game 1 due to a knee bruise and will be a game-time decision for Game 2.

The Lakers actually won two of three meetings in the regular season, including both in Houston in March.

“That series right there is real, really matched up,” said Payton. “People didn’t understand at the end of the year when they were fighting for that four or five spot to see who can get home court advantage, the Lakers beat them. They beat them with Durant and everything. LeBron took over and had a triple double. Their team is built like that, even without Luka and without Raeves at play.

“What happens is that all the players play around LeBron, and they all play together like his teams in Cleveland,” Payton continued. “Everybody is now circulating it, and there’s not a ball stoppage where one person looks at one person, and let’s look at him just play. I think it goes around and everybody gets an opportunity to play the game, and that’s why they’re so effective right now. I think that’s why they’re effective.”

Payton feels that with the Lakers stealing home court advantage with their Game 1 win in Houston, it’s their series even if Durant returns at some point.

“You look at the game the other day, LeBron only had like, eight, nine, or 10 points in the third quarter, and then he started picking it up,” said Payton. “And then everybody started playing, and they still were leading the game. I think with this, it’s going to be a battle. I think it might go to six games, and I think LA’s got the advantage they want. They took the first one. All you gotta do is hold home court if they win this next one, and let Houston go back and see what happens with Durant coming back. We’ll see what goes on. But if you hold home court advantage, you win the series. I think the Lakers got that advantage. They didn’t let them take Game 1 to take it away from them, and they gotta win Game 2.”

LeBron Setting the Tone

Payton once again hammers home that everybody on the Lakers is “playing their role.” He said the more Kennard shoots, the more he gets into a rhythm.

“The simple fact is how they play — I’m saying everybody’s playing their role right now,” said Payton. “If you see it, if you see Kennard, if he hits shots like he did that other night, he was five-for-five from the three-point line, and he had almost 30 points. He’s one of the best three-point shooters ever to play in the game if you get him in the rhythm and keep it right, and then run plays for him, his confidence goes up to here.”

The longtime NBA point guard gives major props to James for playing at the level that he’s playing at at his age.

“And then you got LeBron, who’s doing his thing — the 41-year-old doing what he does is amazing to me,” said Payton. “If he could keep doing that, you’re getting triple doubles. He’s averaging 22 points with 12 or 14 assists and then nine rebounds. You have a leader, and you have a person who’s going to make big-time shots. I think a lot of them players, you got Marcus Smart coming off the bench, doing what he does. These guys can do it, but without Durant, I don’t think Houston has a chance of beating the Lakers.”

West Finals Are Lakers’ Ceiling

While Payton is high on this series for the Lakers against the Rockets, he believes their ceiling is probably the Western Conference Finals. He doesn’t believe they can get past the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs to get to the NBA Finals.

Reaves will likely be sidelined through the first round due to an oblique strain, while Doncic is still a question mark due to a hamstring strain. However, Doncic recently returned to the practice court, leaving optimism that he can soon return.

“I think they can make a lot of noise,” said Payton of the Lakers. “I don’t know if they can deal with Oklahoma and San Antonio, I think it’ll be a great series against San Antonio. I think Oklahoma would be a little bit different for them. But I really do think that they can go to the Western Conference Finals and upset one of them teams if they really had all three of them guys, especially at a high rate, because they have three guys who can score 20 or more points and get very effective and especially with LeBron, who can get rebounds, who can get assists like Jokic in Denver,that’s why he makes his teams so well, because he’s got a triple double.

“He just had a triple double and they had no problem with Minnesota the other night,” Payton continued. “I’m saying LeBron is doing the same thing. I think if they had all three of them, they’d be a real threat and to go really deep in the playoffs. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. I don’t know if LeBron will wear down and people will wear him down, but the other young kids gotta step up. But they started off well, they beat them in Houston. Let’s see what happens in the first round.”

Horry expressed optimism about the Lakers’ chances against the Rockets without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, likely for the entire series. It didn’t sound like a hot take. Horry, who helped the Lakers to three NBA titles from 2000 to 2002, has followed the Lakers closely as a Spectrum SportsNet television analyst. Horry, who also helped the Rockets win two NBA titles in 1994 and 1995, still monitors the Rockets and has worked and resides in the area at various times throughout the year.

Horry spoke to R.org on why he thinks the Lakers can still win the first-round series in seven games, his outlook on LeBron James in his 23rd season, and why he’s a strong supporter of Lakers center Deandre Ayton.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed

Interview With Robert Horry

How do you look at the Lakers-Rockets matchup overall?

Horry: “The matchup is a pretty even matchup, if you put it on paper. I don’t think no one has the advantage at any position. So it’s going to be about who’s hot, who plays well and who executes. I think for me, it’s going to boil down to if the Lakers can keep home-court advantage,then they’ll be all right.”

Oh really. Why is that enough considering Luka and Reaves are out?

Horry: “With Luka and Reaves out, the Lakers would definitely have the advantage. But with them being out, they lose a lot of offensive firepower. But with the way Luke Kennard and Rui [Hachimura] have been playing, they’ve been playing really well. If the Lakers game plan involves DA, they’ll be fine. It has to be direct possessions. If they don’t do direct possessions with DA, they lose him. But hopefully they’re smart enough to understand that he can get them 20 [points] and 10 [rebounds]. That’s exactly what they need to beat the Rockets.

[Aleperen] Şengün is going to get his 20 and 10. So you need someone to negate that. But if you look at the Rockets’ roster, they’re all good players. Kevin Durant is going to get his 23 [points]. But there is nobody else that scares you. Shaq scares you. Kobe [Bryant] scares you. Dream [Hakeem Olajuwon] scares you. Clyde [Drexler] scares you. All of those people scare you. But KD is only one that scares you. Nobody else worries you.”

What do you make of this Rockets team with being up and down, but then winning nine of their last ten to end the season?

Horry: “I don’t pay attention to that because I don’t know who they played. I start to look at who they play. Who did they play in nine of their last 10 games? Some teams are resting players. So I don’t really care about that. I don’t care if teams had a winning record. They just had a week off. All of those records go out the window. It’s how you prep and how you prepare for the next game. I don’t think Ime [Udoka] was prepared last year with being a rookie coach. This year, he’s better prepared and understands that he can’t play five guys for an entire half. It’s going to be a little different.”

What do you make of their young roster overall?

Horry: “I like Jabari [Smith Jr]. Even though he went to that other school [Auburn], I think he’s a really good talent. He improved so much this year. I don’t know if a lot of it had to do with watching KD. They have similar bodies. I like Şengün and Amen [Thompson]. I love the way they play. But the one thing I don’t understand about the Rockets is why they didn’t get some type of point guard before the trade deadline. I know teams have to be willing to give up a point guard and you have to be willing to give up something for a point guard. But I feel like that is the one thing they’re missing from being a really good team.”

LeBron has been the main guy for most of his career. What do you expect that will look like given both his resume and that he’s in a much later stage of his career? 

Horry: “Each year, your body gets a little bit more fatigued. I thought last season in the playoffs, they played LeBron too many minutes. You could tell he was fatigued. I always watch guys’ body language. But this year, he hasn’t really looked that fatigued as far as him huffing and puffing when he’s giving it his all. So I think he’ll be fine. He’s figured it out. You watch Luke Kennard bring the ball up. You watch Marcus Smart bring the ball up. I know they’re not AR and Luka. But LeBron knows he can still get off the ball. He doesn’t have to be on the ball all the time. That’s the one thing that he’s learned.

I think it’s the dumbest thing ever to say that LeBron is the third option. He was never a third option. He just always plays basketball the right way. He’s fine with that. I really like the way that Luke Kennard has organized the offense. He can take some of that pressure off of LeBron. Also, it helps that Marcus Smart is back.”

What has Marcus done to make the Lakers a better defensive team?

Horry: “The biggest thing is the communication. Good defensive teams have someone telling everyone else what to do. He’s telling people what to do and putting people in the right position. He’s always pointing out and being in the help position. When you have guys telling them what to do, even if they know what to do, it’s a reminder. There’s nothing wrong with reminding guys of the places to be and how to play defensively. Marcus is that guy.

When you also have someone playing up top who can point backward and dedicate themselves defensively, it’s much easier, especially when you have guys that are not known for their defense. They have guys who can get lost watching the ball.”

I watch Spectrum all the time, so I noticed that you’ve been a strong advocate for DA. When he’s had bad games, you’ve said it’s more on the Lakers to get him going. What do you see that gave you that opinion?

Horry: “If you watch when he plays with Marcus Smart and he knows the ball is coming to him, how many times do you see him fumble the ball? I tell people all the time this. Let’s play basketball. If I take all of the shots and all of a sudden, I throw the ball at you when you least expect it, you’re probably not going to catch it. When DA comes off the pick-and-roll, and he has his hands up, give him the ball. That means he’s open. When he puts them down, and you throw it to him, he’s going to fumble the ball. There’s a lot of bigs like that. There are a lot of players like that. Don’t get me wrong. Some of it is DA’s fault, too. You should always keep your hands ready because you never know when a ball is coming. You should learn that with Luka. You should learn that with the other guys who are ball-dominant and are going to look for their shots first.

But for some guys, it doesn’t resonate with them. People forget that he’s used to getting the ball and demanding the ball all the time. So he’s used to when his hands are up, that means he’s going to get the ball. It becomes a hard habit to break. That’s why I think when you don’t understand the big aspect of the game, get him rolling and get him involved. I played with a lot of guys. I’m not going to name names. But if you get them involved early, they’re going to be so active on the defensive end. We always said, ‘Get the big a little sugar and it amps them up.’ You got to give the big a little sugar to amp them up and have them play 24/7 for you.”

You don’t have to name names. But I know you played with Hakeem and Shaq.

Horry: (laughs) “They got the ball all the time. They got it, regardless. If you didn’t get the ball to them, they were going to tell you about it. (laughs)”

With DA, given his role and how the dynamic is different, what do you see with his engagement level?

Horry: “It’s so weird. Players have connections with certain players. When I was on the Lakers, Ron Harper and I had a great connection. Shaq and I had a connection. You can tell that DA and Marcus Smart have some type of connection better than anybody on the team. With him on the floor, it makes a big difference. Everybody has their safety blanket. That’s his safety blanket. If Marcus Smart is in the game, put DA in the game because he’s going to look out for him. You’re going to get him right. I played with players and they start talking. I’m like, ‘Dude, will you shut the eff up?’ I won’t listen to him because I don’t respect him in that they can tell me what to do. But there are certain players that you know you look at and they can say three or four words, and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, I got you.’ It’s a respect factor. I don’t know this. I’m just assuming. But I feel like there is a respect factor between DA and Marcus Smart because he tries to get him involved and look out for him.”

How many games do you think it will take for the Lakers to win this?

Horry: “I think the Lakers will get it in six. But if they don’t get Game 1, it’s going to be tough. The playoffs are always a chess match. Knowing Ime Udoka, he’s going to be saying a couple of words to LeBron to try to get him thrown out or get him off his kilter. One time, he said something to ‘Bron and they were about to go at it. I know Ime. He’s always trying to play a chess game. If the Rockets win Game 1, it’ll be hard for the Lakers to overcome that. Then it becomes a confidence thing instead of a home-court thing.”

How do you look at the uncertainty on when or if Luka and Austin come back?

Horry: “Let me just say this. It’s tough to get into any type of game condition right away from that. You don’t want a hamstring like that, and then you come back and you’re tired and fatigued. That can lead to another injury again. As far as Luka, I don’t see him coming back. It’s hard to come from a hamstring injury like that. With AR, it might just be a pain factor. If he wants to come and play through the pain, then that’s fine. But if he can mess it up even more, then he should be careful. So who knows.”

He just completed his freshman season at another place where football is almost everything, the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. When we caught up to Allen, it was in Chicago, so naturally, we began by asking him how it felt to be in Bears territory.

“Don’t feel too good, you know. I’m a Packer fan,” Allen joked, during an exclusive interview with Ratings, before making it clear that he actually loved to be in The Chi, adding “Chicago is a beautiful city.”

It’s hard to determine whose football fanbase is more obsessive, the Green Bay Packers or the Alabama Crimson Tide.

And while football will always come first in ‘Bama, the men’s basketball program is on the upswing, thanks to head coach Nate Oats. This season marked the Tide’s fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance, and fifth within the past six years.Oats also led the program to its first-ever Final Four in 2024.

Allen said it feels good to be a part of the process that built up the program.

“Oats built the program from the ground up,” he said.

“And getting to the Sweet 16, that’s not something we celebrate around here. You know we’re happy to be here, but it’s the standard.

“If we don’t make it here, it’s a horrible year for us. We expect Final Fours- anything less than that, it’s a disappointment for us.

“Oats being able to build this program to where that’s what we expect, it’s something that’s been really special to be a part of.”

Feeling “Underrated”

The Green Bay native was the state of Wisconsin’s “Gatorade Player of the Year” in 2025, during his only season at Ashwaubenon High School. During this stellar season, Allen averaged 34.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 2.6 steals per game.

In high school, he was a four-star recruit with offers from Wisconsin, Mizzou, Ohio State, and Cincinnati, in addition to Alabama.

However, Allen has sometimes spoken publicly of feeling that he’s “underrated” in interviews.

“Coming out of high school, I wasn’t ranked high,” Allen told us.

“I feel like I’ve been overlooked pretty much all through high school. Even early in college, I’m starting to get some notice recently, but I feel like I’m still underrated in that aspect.”

He’s currently projected to be a late first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, should he decide he wants to leave school right now and go pro. Or at least fully professional, as the current state of college basketball is now semi-pro ball.

The deadline to decide is May 1, so he still has some time to figure it out.

Allen can declare for the draft, participate in the NBA Scouting Combine, and then make a decision based upon the feedback that he receives, which will gauge the perceived value of his draft stock.

If he can somehow work his way up closer to the level of the lottery picks (top 14), then he would, or at least should, stay in the draft.

If his draft grade stays around where it is now (a low first-rounder), then going back to school would probably make more sense because Allen would then avoid the risk of falling into the second round of the draft, where contracts don’t always come with stipulations of guaranteed money. It is only in the first round that contracts for draft picks include a level of guaranteed income.

Taking Advice on Draft Process

A great role model for Allen, who has already weighed up the pros and cons of this monumental decision, is his (now former) teammate and point guard, Labaron Philon Jr.

Philon was among the prospects who went through the predraft process last year before ultimately opting to return to school before the deadline. And during this past season, he more than doubled his offensive production over his freshman season, while earning several award honors along the way.

And last year at this time, the Tide point guard was viewed as a potential second-rounder, but this draft season, he’s a likely lottery pick, after declaring for the draft again.

Philon discussed what he learned from “testing the waters” last offseason.

“It really wasn’t anything that I had to change,” Philon said, ahead of the loss to eventual national champion Michigan in the Sweet 16.

“It was just about the type of shots that I was getting and the confidence level.

“I feel like when I was working in the summer, my confidence just grew so much that every shot that I shot, I thought it was going in.

“That’s how I play the game of basketball now.

“I didn’t really have to change anything in my shot mechanics or anything like that; just getting extra reps in and building that confidence.”

Improving His Skillset

Philon saw all his shooting percentages significantly increase from 2024-25 to 2025-26, and perhaps Allen could do the same next season, should he decide to stay in Tuscaloosa.

After all, it’s the top facet of his game that he’s currently working on.

“I want to get more consistent with my shot, you know that can always get better,” Allen responded, when asked what he’s working on, specifically, to improve his game.

“My pace, my ball screen reads, I feel like that’s something I can get better at.

“And then just sometimes my rim decisions, knowing when to get to two, knowing when to go off of one. I feel like those are the main things I can really improve on.”

Just having completed his freshman season, Allen has a lot of room left to grow. However, he also brings a lot to the proverbial table, and he discussed that too.

“I would definitely say my reads,” Allen responded when asked what he believes are his biggest strengths as a player.

“I feel I have a good feel for the game, my IQ, I feel like I see the game super well. I don’t really get sped up.

He then continued: “I kind of play at my own speed. And then I would definitely say my effort, my hustle, being able to go get rebounds and all that stuff.”

Nowadays, college athletes have more rights than ever, and there are added monetary opportunities to be had while staying in school. Amari Allen can wait until the time is absolutely right before he makes the jump to the Association.

The former two-time All-Star guard was the star of the team’s surprising run to the 1999 NBA Finals. As an eighth seed, the Knicks made a shocking run to the NBA Finals, defeating their rivals and the No. 1-seeded Miami Heat.

Houston hit the game-winning jumper in Game 5 to eliminate the Heat, becoming just the second No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Fast forward 27 years, and the Knicks are seeing their first Finals appearance since then. Led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York is one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, currently ranked third in the standings. They’re coming off arguably their biggest win of the season, a 112-106 victory over the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks came within two games of an NBA Finals appearance last year. With the Brunson/Towns pairing in its second season, New York will seek to get through the likes of the Celtics, No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons, and the James Harden-led Cleveland Cavaliers to get to the NBA Finals.

“I like that we’re healthy,” said Houston in a one-on-one interview with R.org. “It’s something you can’t control. Anytime you go into the playoffs, you want to be healthy. That’s the thing that we pray about. We’ve been continuing to pray about, ‘Hey, let’s stay healthy.’ I think they have a good mixture of leadership and experience. The guys have established a connectedness this year that I like.

“I think they’re continuing to just figure out how to, just because you’ve been playing together for years and you have a new coach doesn’t mean things are going to all of a sudden just click right and flow,” Houston continued.

“So when it gets a little clunky, they have bounced back and responded throughout this season. I think they’re in a good frame of mind to take it one game at a time.”

One Step at a Time

The Knicks have been an annual playoff contender since they acquired Brunson prior to the start of the 2022-23 season. New York has advanced to at least the semifinals every year since Brunson was acquired.

This season will represent a new challenge with the Pistons now being the team to beat in the East, the Celtics looking reloaded since the season debut of Jayson Tatum, and the Cavaliers looking like one of the best teams since acquiring Harden at the trade deadline.

When asked what the key is for the Knicks to make their first Finals run in 27 years, Houston said it’s a matter of taking it “one game at a time.”

“It’s taking it one game at a time,” said Houston.

“People don’t like that. It’s not a sexy answer. But when you’re doing this every day, that’s all you can think about. It makes no sense to think about — people outside want to do that because that’s natural. The people outside want to say, ‘Oh look, we’re going to face this team, we’re going to be here.’ That’s the last thing you’re thinking about when you’re inside the lines. Because that’s what kills you. If you’re walking down some steps, you’re not thinking about the third or fourth step down here, you’re thinking about the next one or you’re going to fall. So to me, that is the mentality.”

Praise for Brunson, KAT

Brunson and Towns have both been a part of multiple deep playoff runs during their careers, but the All-Star is seeking the first NBA Finals appearance of their careers. Houston gave them major praise, saying they’re both “hard workers.”

“They’re both extremely hard workers,” said Houston. “They have a multi-layered skill set. Karl has been an underrated passer throughout his career. That’s what makes the offense work. People are always going to say, ‘He needs to get down, he needs to do this.’ But you forget what a facilitator he is, that he can keep the ball moving. I think obviously Jalen, he can score with the ball, but he’s extremely effective off the ball, making plays, cutting. I think the things that you see that are dominant overrides the things that you don’t see which they’re really good at. That’s what I’ve learned to watch and appreciate.”

Houston said his best advice to them is staying “locked in on the moment.”

“I just have the same message for everybody,” said Houston.

“I don’t really go specifically and share individual conversations with them, but it’s really when they come to me, and it’s really on staying locked in on the moment. It’s really about that, staying connected with your teammates. I think that you gotta be able to tune out the noise and tune out distractions, but that’s something they already know. It’s really not a lot that I say that they don’t know. It’s just sometimes they hear different things from different people, but it’s really about staying in the moment, staying connected and tuning out a lot of the distractions and noise that really is neither here nor there.”

NY on Their Back

The 54-year-old spent nine of his 12 seasons with the Knicks and currently occupies a front office role for New York. He knows how special it would be for this current Knicks team to go on a similar Finals run to what he helped lead the franchise to back in 1999. Houston said it’s “fun” seeing the impact that it has on the city, which is the biggest media market in the country.

“It’s been fun, like the whole the whole time has been fun, kind of getting back seeing it from another side of it,” said Houston. “Seeing excitement when you’re in it, you don’t really appreciate the impact that it has on people outside of your close circle, until later on you hear it. So you don’t really see and hear in real time. People remind you of that back then. But getting to see how this has impacted the city and really energized a lot of people has really been fun. As a fan, and as someone who’s involved, it’s great.

“The league is fun,” Houston continued. “It’s great, basketball all across the board. You watch college, high school, when you watch this level of play when it’s played the right way. I will put that in there, when it’s played the right way. It’s really, really fun basketball to watch. Because these guys are super talented, they’re athletic, they’re skilled, and they’re more competitive than people give them credit for. I’m talking about across the board, not just our team. It’s fun to watch. It’s a fun, fun time for a basketball fan.”

The superstar freshman is widely projected to become a top 15 overall pick, should he declare for the 2026 NBA Draft. Most likely, the 6-10, 207-pound wing from Manassas, VA will be a lottery pick if he decides he’s one-and-done with college basketball.

Or he can stay in Knoxville, TN, and truly be one of the kings of Rocky Top for another year.

If Ament, who was a finalist for the Julius Erving award (nation’s best small forward), stays in school, he could develop his game further and position himself as a potential top-five overall pick for 2027.

There seems to be a belief, among some NBA scouts, that the 2027 draft class will be weaker than the 2026 edition, so if you’re a prospect with additional eligibility, staying in college another season might be the right recourse.

Trusting the Process

Ament is a 5-star recruit who picked UT over blue blood programs Duke and Kentucky, as well as Arkansas and Louisville. He said the coaching staff and the roster that they assembled were major reasons why he chose the Volunteers.

“I kind of waited, later in my recruiting process, so I could see the team that was going to be here,” Ament said in an exclusive with Ratings.

“So I knew who my teammates were going to be, and I loved every one of them, like Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Jaylen Carey, and the returners like Felix (Okpara), and everybody coming back.

“I knew that they were gonna be great teammates to play with.”

UT is situated in Knoxville, which is in close proximity to several natural wonders, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee National Forest. It’s a vibrant campus filled with very passionate fans who love their teams, and their live mascot, an adorable bluetick coonhound named Smokey.

Off the court, Tennessee has a lot to offer in terms of trying to retain players like Ament for another year. On the court, head coach Rick Barnes has the Vols program rolling, as they lead the SEC in both total victories and winning percentage over the past nine years.

“(Coach Barnes) wasn’t gonna stop until he made me a better player,” Ament said on the final weekend of the season.

“And I think he’s done just that. So I know our job’s not over, and I know he has more work to do with me. So I think he’s delivered on this promise.”

Ament, Barnes, and the rest of the #6-seeded Vols upset the #2-seeded Iowa State Cyclones to reach the Elite Eight for the third straight season.

Unfortunately, they fell to eventual national champion Michigan in the next round and failed to reach the program’s first-ever Final Four.

Ament, who won a gold medal for the Team USA U18s in the FIBA World Championships, said he’s trying to get stronger, develop his body a little bit more, and “continue to just grow (basketball) IQ, (and) learn how to play the game,” when we asked him what he’s trying to improve upon.

The All-SEC second team honoree participated in the 2025 Jordan Brand Classic, a high school All-Star game, and when we caught up to him, it was at the United Center, the House that Michael Jordan Built.

“I’m blessed to play in this historic gym,” Ament said of the Madhouse on Madison in Chicago.

“I kind of been a little bit starstruck, seeing the jerseys up there- Derrick Rose and Michael Jordan, everybody- it’s been great.”

As someone born in 2006, Ament only knows of His Airness, and what made him elite, secondhand.

“I think I’m definitely too young to know his greatness,” the SEC All-Freshman Team member said.

“You only hear stories and watch highlights, so I couldn’t really understand his impact.

He then articulated which specific NBA greats served as an inspiration to him.

“I just grew up watching a bunch of basketball,” Ament continued.

“I grew up watching KD (Kevin Durant) and LeBron, Steph Curry, and a little bit of Russell Westbrook, those guys are all kind of up there for me.

“Just how exciting they were made me want to share my game like that.”

Praise from Teammates

Ament is one of the most intriguing draft prospects out there. Scouts marvel at his skill set and raw talent. His natural abilities are pretty awe-inspiring, but his game still needs some polish.

“He’s gifted in so many different ways,” said teammate and sophomore forward J.P. Estrella.

“He’s just a tall kid that just gets buckets. He does a little bit of everything. Defensively he’s gotten really good since being here. I feel like he’s got an unguardable jump shot in that little mid-range.

“He just does a little bit of everything for us, and it benefits us as a team so much.”

Another teammate, and member of Ament’s recruiting class, Amari Evans, lauded his strong work ethic, and said that going against him every day in practice has made both players better.

“I feel like Nate, he’s a hard worker,” said Evans.

“It ain’t just raw talent. He’s putting in the work to get to where he’s at, to put up the buckets he’s putting up every day. And I feel like he’s a great player to play against every day in practice.”

No matter which way Ament decides to go, the future looks very bright for him.

The Magic have been up and down all season long, and they’re currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference entering Wednesday night’s play with a 43-36 record. On the positive end of the spectrum, Orlando is on a three-game winning streak and just defeated the best team in the East, the Detroit Pistons (without Cade Cunningham), on Monday night.

Orlando is looking to clinch its third consecutive playoff appearance this season, which features largely the same core in Carter, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs. The only new major addition is Desmond Bane.

The Magic are looking to escape the first round for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Carter said the biggest key for Orlando is to remain healthy, as they’ve rarely had their starting five intact this season.

“I would say that, and the fact that from the first guy to the 15th guy on and off the court. we all rock with each other,” said Carter in a one-on-one interview with R.org. “It’s rare that you see that in this league. But from what I’ve seen and what I’ve been around with this team, every guy rocks with one another. That’s very important. That means we go out there on that battlefield and will do whatever for the next person. I think with the talent and the togetherness, that’s why I feel like we can beat anybody in this league.”

Celtics are Team to Beat in East

The Eastern Conference is currently stacked at the top with the Pistons leading the way — Cunningham is indefinitely out due to a collapsed lung — and the Boston Celtics look reinvigorated with Jayson Tatum back in the lineup. Furthermore, the New York Knicks are still around, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have hit another gear since acquiring James Harden.

Carter believes the Celtics are the team to beat right now in the East. They’re currently second in the conference. Boston has a 12-2 record since Tatum made his season debut. The Magic lost to the Celtics in five games in the first round last season.

“I think it’ll be Boston, yeah, but Boston has put together a really impressive year without Tatum,” said Carter of the Celtics. “And now Tatum’s back is still playing at a high level. It’s gonna be tough to beat that team in a seven-game series for sure.”

Staying Healthy, Future Goals

It’s hard to believe, but Carter is a fully established veteran at this stage of his career. The 6-foot-10 center will be 27 years old this month but is already on the verge of completing his eighth season. He holds an important role on the Magic as the team’s starting center, averaging 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while starting 75 of the team’s 79 games this season.

His 75 games played are the second-highest on the team and a career high for Carter.

“One of my biggest goals going into this year was being available,” said Carter. “If I finish out the season, I will have played in 78 games. This year was the highest I’ve ever played in. I think the next step for me is just being more consistent throughout all those games. That’s really about it.”

When asked where one area he would like to improve, Carter said it’s on the offensive end.

“I think being more consistent on the offensive end,” said Carter. “I think being more reliable, whether that’s making more shots, being more aggressive, my frame, my body.”

The former seventh overall pick in the draft said another objective of his is to clinch an All-Star bid, along with being the Most Improved Player of the Year. Carter is still seeking his first all-league accolade.

“Yeah, I definitely think All Star is very possible,” said Carter. “I think that’s something I’m definitely striving for. Most Improved Player is another thing that I can taste and possibly go get in the future. Those two things in terms of accolades and things I think that I can go get.”

Carter said even though he didn’t grow up in the Hakeem Olajuwon era, the Houston Rockets center is the top player he looked up to.

“It’s a mixture of a lot of guys,” said Carter. “When growing up, my favorite player was Hakeem Olajuwon. He wasn’t playing as I was growing up, but my dad just showed me film and clips of them all the time because he was his favorite player. DeMarcus Cousins was one of the guys I also looked up to. I love the way that he played Anthony Davis, guys like that.”

The veteran center said he actually knows and has talked to Cousins, a former four-time All-Star big man. He said he’ll seek his advice this offseason.

“He’s one of those guys, I’m gonna definitely reach out to him this summer,” said Carter. “I want to get in the gym with him at some point. I know he’s overseas right now, but whenever he comes back, I’m gonna try to get in the gym with him.”

Carter said one of the biggest things he’s taken from Cousins his continuing to “stay aggressive.”

“Not directly, I think more so indirectly,” said Carter of what he’s learned from Cousins. “Just continue to stay aggressive, be that anchor for the team. Those are kind of the two biggest things I kind of took away from what I’ve heard from him.”

An “Anchor” for Orlando

He considers his role on this current Magic team, led by stars such as Banchero and Wagner, to be an “anchor” on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

“Just ever since I even got to this team, I think is just being that anchor on both sides of the ball — rebounding, defending, setting screens together, getting guys open,” said Carter. “On top of all that, I’m also able to score the ball. I think just kind of being a jack of all trades for this team, kind of the glue, kind of the guy that holds it all together. I think that’s what I’ve established as my identity for this Magic organization over the years.”

Carter — who is actually the second-oldest member of the starting lineup — said he considers himself to be a leader.

“For sure,” said Carter. “I feel like I do a little bit of it all when it comes to leadership. I lead with my voice. I lead by example, I’m one of the hardest workers. I was telling this team, ‘First one at the gym, last one to leave.’ Getting extra work, extra recovery, whatever the case may be. I think I do it on both sides.”

The 6-foot-1 point guard emerged as one of the top players in the NBA during the late 80s and early 90s, leading the Suns to their most successful era in franchise history. Not only did Johnson lead the Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993, but they also won the most games in the league from 1989 until 1995, averaging 56 wins per season and never winning fewer than 53 games in a season during that time frame.

Johnson won the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award in 1989 after averaging 20.4 points and 12.2 assists per game, becoming just the third player in NBA history to accomplish that feat after Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas. Johnson went to three All-Star games and was a five-time All-NBA selection during his career.

The 60-year-old Johnson will be a Hall of Fame finalist this year. The last time he was a finalist was between 2014 and 2016 when he was the mayor of Sacramento.

“It’s funny, I never thought as a player about getting into the Hall of Fame after I retired at year five, six or seven, and I retired in 2000,” said Johnson in a one-on-one interview with R.org. “Whatever the timeline is after that I was a finalist two other times. At that point I’m like, ‘Well, I want to get in. Who wants to be a finalist that fails to get in?’ My mom was a big basketball fan. I was hoping that would happen while she was still living. Unfortunately, that will not be the case, but it would be a tremendous honor.

“I had a great career, I played with great teammates,” Johnson continued to say. “I played for a great organization for the Phoenix Suns. I was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lenny Wilkins, and Wayne Embry, a great organization. I’ve accomplished everything that I wanted to do on the basketball court, and more with the exception of winning an NBA championship. I feel really bad for Charles Barkley that we did not get an NBA championship. I feel like he deserved it, as well as the city of Phoenix. And then number two, it would just be great individually that if my stats and what I did over my career on the court and off the court made me worthy enough to get inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. It would be an unbelievable honor.”

Johnson said he’s still close to the Suns organization, saying that he’s close to owner Mat Ishbia and that he has a condo in Phoenix. He also said he only roots for two NBA teams — the Suns and his hometown Sacramento Kings. The former All-Star point guard prevented the Kings from moving to nearby Anaheim and later to Seattle, Washington.

“I still have a condo in Phoenix. I’m close to Matt Ishbia,” said Johnson. “Being near the team I go to probably a handful of games each year. I’m a huge Phoenix Suns fan. I only have two teams that I root for. First, the Phoenix Suns. I played for them for 11-and-a-half years, and then I was mayor of Sacramento, my hometown. My second favorite team is the Sacramento Kings.”

Johnson Praises Devin Booker as “Ultimate Competitor”

The Suns are surprisingly playoff contenders this season after moving on from All-Stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in the offseason. They missed the playoffs last year, but Devin Booker remains the face of the franchise, and he has led them to being in position to make it to the playoffs.

As of this writing, Phoenix is in seventh place in the Western Conference with Booker coming off his fifth All-Star selection. The 29-year-old shooting guard is averaging 24.8 points per game. Johnson said he has a “very good relationship” with Booker.

“Very good relationship with Devin,” said Johnson. “I would first say he’s a great person. I’ll get to your basketball side in a second. He’s a great person. He went to high school in Moss Point, Mississippi, for all for crying out loud. His mom is a huge supporter. He was raised very well. Obviously, his dad played a role in his life. First of all, he’s just got a very good foundation, a good human being. That’s why he’s so popular in Phoenix and throughout the NBA and around the globe. It just because he’s a great person.”

Booker has been a member of the Suns since 2015, when he was 18 years old. He has led Phoenix to an NBA Finals appearance in 2021, and they’ve made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons.

He is regarded as one of the top players in the league and has been the Suns’ leading scorer each season since 2016-17 with the exception of last year when Durant was in the fold.

Johnson calls him the “ultimate competitor” who thrives on the “mid-range jumper.”

“And then on the basketball court, what you mentioned is he does a lot of things really well, but he is an unbelievable competitor,” Johnson said. “He also is an unbelievable shooter, and when I say shooter, he can score at the basket very effectively. He is a person that thrives on the mid-range jumper, which oftentimes is a lost art in this league, he does that very well offensively. Thirdly, he can open it up far beyond the three-point line. A person that can score in all three of those ways is a tremendous threat in the NBA, and has a lot of weapons that aren’t normal.

“And then the third thing again, he’s a great offensive player, great shooter, he’s a competitor, which I mentioned earlier,” Johnson continued.

“What I would say about him is the great players — LeBron, Kevin Durant today, Steph, obviously — and then you go back in the era with Kobe and back further to Michael Jordan and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, my era with Isiah Thomas. These guys weren’t just great competitors, they had the ability to concentrate and block out everything around them and play the mental game and have a high basketball IQ. I think Devin also has that. He doesn’t get enough credit for it.”

Booker Comparisons to Jerry West

When asked for a player comparison for Booker — especially considering he doesn’t rely on the three-point shot like many others — Johnson initially mentions Los Angeles Lakers great Jerry West.

“Let me throw this out at you first, and then you tell me if it doesn’t work. I’m gonna flip the script for you on this one — Jerry West.”

Johnson then thinks about it for a minute and then mentions New York Knicks great Allan Houston and former Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Rip Hamilton.

“I got another name, he’s better than this person, so don’t quote me on it, but he reminds me a little bit of Allan Houston, a little bit of Rip Hamilton. But Devin’s more elite than those guys. But I’m going with Jerry West. That’s where I’ll leave it.”