Lead Briefing
The Spurs' contender question is whether Victor Wembanyama has enough healthy guard structure around him to make his production hold up through a playoff series.
Are the Spurs contenders without healthy guards?
Hot topics
Fresh coverage
Team Pulse
The Thunder cannot erase Victor Wembanyama. Their real job is making his dominance less connected to clean Spurs offense around him.
Explainer
A playoff injury changes the rotation because it changes which skills a coach has to replace, not just which name fills the next starting spot.
Explainer
A playoff injury changes more than who starts; it changes which skills a coach has to buy with the next rotation spot.
Explainer
A playoff matchup hunt is not just picking on one defender; it bends the floor until the defense has to reveal what it can no longer hide.
Team Pulse
The Bulls' new-look front office matters only if it leads to cleaner offseason roster decisions, not just fresher organizational packaging.
Team Pulse
The Knicks’ Cleveland plan starts with one repeatable stress point, not a paper argument about toughness, depth, or arrival.
Team Pulse
Jamahl Mosley gives the Pelicans a cleaner roster standard, not an instant contender label. The next question is which pieces survive it.