NBA Player News

Coach Dusty May has been impressed by Sasser's off-ball play during training camp, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.

Sasser is competing for a bench role ahead of the 2026-27 season, and he's showing early on why he deserves a spot in the rotation. "Sass, first of all, I've been impressed with his cutting. He's been a real contributor when he wasn't even directly involved in the play," said May. "He's had a lot of those hidden plays that really make the team go. His shooting, his decision-making has been very sound, and defensively, he played at Houston, so we know we're going to get his best effort." Sasser averaged 5.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 38 regular-season appearances a season ago in Detroit before joining Dallas in June as part of a six-team trade.

Coach Jamahl Mosley stated during Thursday's media day that he's challenging Missi to contend for Defensive Player of the Year this season, Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reports.

Mosley notes that he's well aware of how talented Missi is on the defensive end, and he's looking for the third-year center to take yet another step forward as the 2026-27 season approaches. The big man saw his opportunities take a hit during the 2025-26 campaign, averaging 19.7 minutes over 66 games after logging 26.8 minutes per game in 73 appearances during his rookie year. Missi is poised to open his third NBA season behind starting center Herbert Jones.

Brown stated Thursday that he's in the process of learning an entire new system in Philadelphia, Chris Hine of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Brown noted that he's been grateful for his teammate Tyrese Maxey during the install, as Maxey has reportedly been an excellent communicator and leader to start camp, per Austin Krell of OnPattison.com. The 29-year-old will have a few more weeks to get used to this new system before the 76ers open the 2026-27 season against the Knicks on Oct. 20.

Sharpe intends to pace himself entering the 2026-27 season as he slots into a starting role, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.

Sharpe ended the 2025-26 campaign as the team's starting center, but he's entering his first full NBA season with the expectation of tackling a larger workload. The big man acknowledges that while he may need to pace himself over the course of a long season, he has no intention of letting his foot off the gas. "I feel like I played against starters last year as well. Sometimes, when I would come in the game, they would put the more physical guy in the game to deal with me. So just do my thing, just keep playing hard," said Sharpe. "And even if it's double the minutes, learn how to pace myself during the game, learning what opportunities to take [to avoid] getting in foul trouble, saving myself for later on in the game. But I'm just going to play hard until the wheels fall off. That's all I can do."

Brooks, who was formally charged Tuesday with driving under the influence for an incident that took place on March 6, is focused on preparing for the upcoming 2026-27 season, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.

Brooks has been a fiery competitor to start camp, and his teammate Devin Booker stated Thursday that he isn't concerned about any potential distractions. "Nah, we already addressed it as a team back in February or March, when it happened," said Booker. "We kept everything in-house. He addressed the team also. We're moving on." Brooks is in line to open the upcoming 2026-27 season as part of the starting lineup after scoring 20.2 points per game in 56 regular-season appearances a year ago.

Queta has looked much improved on the offensive end to open camp, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.

Coach Joe Mazzulla has been impressed by the strides that the big man has taken over the summer, noting that Queta has looked comfortable on the offensive end. "Just making plays. Whether he's in the seam, catching it in the paint versus a small, or just when he has the ball in his hands, something happening and not just getting rid of it because we want something else to go to," said Mazzulla. "So I think just the comfort level of when he has the ball in his hands, making the right play. That's something that I've seen him work on, something we worked on together in Portugal, and something that he's been confident in." Queta has a major opportunity in front of him, as he's in a battle with Mitchell Robinson for the starting job at center with the 2026-27 season looming.

Bane feels confident entering his second year with the Magic, Philip Rossman-Reish of Orlando Magic Daily reports.

Bane navigated an entirely new team and coach a season ago after being traded from Memphis to Orlando in June of 2025. However, that won't be the case entering the 2026-27 campaign. Bane has voiced his confidence in the team and staff around him, and he's also been impressed with one of his new teammates, Nikola Vucevic, stating that Vucevic has a serious approach and makes it clear that he's in Orlando to win, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. Bane averaged 20.1 points while shooting 48.3 percent from the field over 82 regular-season appearances a year ago, and he'll have a good chance to inflict more damage on the offensive end heading into the new season.

Risacher is adjusting well to his new team and is looking forward to playing alongside Cooper Flagg, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Sports Journal reports.

Risacher has been adjusting well after being traded from the Hawks to the Mavericks in July, and he noted Thursday that he's confident his style will mesh well with Flagg. "I feel like we're going to be a good fit, especially in this team. We're going to play fast. We want to go," said Risacher. "We're going to play physical, and I feel like that's going to be a good fit. I like to play off-ball too, so I feel like just me being able to get to the right spot, get space, and finish those actions, that's going to be a big thing."

Washington is being considered for a spot in the starting lineup, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Washington is expected to have a key role for the Mavs heading into the 2026-27 season, though coach Dusty May is not yet ready to commit to the Kentucky product being a mainstay in the starting five. It's worth noting that Washington has only come off the bench four times in 113 regular-season appearances for Dallas over the last two years. However, the addition of rookie Morez Johnson could complicate the frontcourt.

The Lakers believe that James can earn a spot in the rotation heading into the 2026-27 season, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.

Coach JJ Redick has been a believer in James since he was drafted in 2024, and he's been impressed by the 21-year-old's continued development over the last few years. While roles have not yet been decided at this point in camp, it seems as though James could factor into the Lakers' plans for the 2026-27 season, as the team intends to play hard, fast and with physicality, per Woike.