Zach Kram
NBA at ESPN | formerly at The Ringer
- The Cavs! The Thunder! Surprise star destinations! Here are the biggest winners, losers, and trends of the trade deadline:
- Between the Clippers getting worse, the Jazz getting better, and the other top teams in the West not getting much better—plus a shrewd trade of their own—the Thunder are the big winners of the deadline with 40 minutes to go
- Pretty wild that the two biggest buyers of the trade deadline so far are the Jazz and Wizards, with a combined record of 29-71 (and two top-8-protected picks they're both desperate to keep)
- I read the Washington Post sports section every day growing up. My hands and elbows often turned purple from so much time pressed against the newspaper ink. To close the sports department is shameful.
- Over the last three seasons, 47 players are averaging at least 20 ppg. Fewest assists among that group: 47. Lauri Markkanen (1.9 per game) 46. Jaren Jackson Jr. (2.1 per game) Nobody else is below 3 assists per game.
- This news hit me like a strong zinc pull from a Rioter. I'm bursting with excitement.
- The Rockets have a plus-11.8 net rating with Adams on the floor this season—the best mark on the team. This is a massive loss for a championship contender, and a huge bummer for a fun, unique player.
- New rookie rankings! - How high did Cooper Flagg rise since his early-season struggles? - Which new rookies are in the top 10? - Who are Kon Knueppel's outrageous statistical comps?
- Took a spin with @kpelton.bsky.social through four of the NBA's biggest questions at the midway point of the season, discussing slumps in OKC and NYC, the surging Clippers, and comps for Paolo Banchero
- With reporters suggesting that NBA teams are starting to shy away from all-in blockbuster trades, I analyzed the trades with the most draft picks in league history to see if they're worth it, or if in fact they should be avoided
- Quick story from an unusual scene in Chicago, where Bulls-Heat was postponed due to condensation on the court
- In case you missed it last week: Go for a drive down memory lane, as I wrote about the defining moment of every basketball season since 1954.
- As another year ends, I'm not just reviewing the last year for ESPN—I'm reviewing the last 7 decades of NBA history, with a big project that answers the question: What moment defines every NBA season since 1954? (h/t @sammillerbb.bsky.social for the original idea)
- Jokic has finished 1st or 2nd in MVP voting for the last five years. But if he doesn't return within 31 days, he won't be eligible for MVP voting (or All-NBA or other postseason awards) this year.
- I wrote about the hopes and concerns for the 10 teams that played on Christmas, featuring: - OKC's imbalanced schedule - the Nuggets without Jokic - shaky young shooters - the Lakers in and out of clutch time And much more!
- The Thunder are now 3-3 with a +1.8 point differential against the other teams in the West's top six. For comparison, they're 23-1 with a +18.2 differential against all other opponents.
- Limiting pick protections to top-4 and 14+ wouldn't stop all tanking, but I've long thought the league should do it to curb the most egregious tanking examples. Real hoopers remember the Mark Madsen game, among more recent examples.
- LeBron James is playing like he never has before—fewer points, lower usage, less time on the ball. What does this mean for the career scoring leader, and for the Lakers with LeBron, Luka, and Reaves?
- 25 for 25 in '25! Presenting ESPN's ranking of the NBA's best young players based on long-term potential:
- Years after the NBA moved away from the post-up, this old-school strategy has quietly become the most efficient play in the league. I talked to six All-Star scorers about why—and what this surprising trend says about analytics in sports.
- LeBron James failed to score double-digit points in the regular season for the first time since January 5, 2007, breaking a record 1,297-game streak. He had a chance to score on the last possession but made a kickout pass to Rui Hachimura for a game-winning 3.
- Highest true shooting percentage in a 50-point game in NBA history: 1. Aaron Gordon in October 2. Kyrie 3. VanVleet 4. Jamal Murray in 2021 5. Kyrie 6. Jamal Murray tonight
- I took an early look at the likely All-Star rosters for this year's US vs. World format. One big lesson: The Western Conference has too many qualified players for too few All-Star spots.
- The four best players in the NBA are off to four of the best statistical starts to a season in league history. Read about Jokic, SGA, Giannis, and Luka here:
- My real estate holdings on Peyton Watson Island are spiking in value, as he's now 13/25 on 3-pointers in his last four games
- 30 teams, 7 tiers! It's my new piece with @kpelton.bsky.social www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...
- The first edition of ESPN's 2025-26 NBA Rookie Rankings features not one, not two, but *three* Charlotte Hornets, plus a surprising player at no. 1
- There's a ton of really exciting NBA action tonight, but watching Victor Wembanyama in person in this 4th quarter has been a religious experience
- Nikola Vucevic posted career-best efficiency numbers last season, and he's been even better to start 2025-26. He just hit a corner 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to complete a Bulls comeback from a 24-point deficit against the 76ers. Pretty cool story for the 35-year-old center.
- I teamed up with @kpelton.bsky.social to debate some early-season storylines, including: - Are the Spurs true contenders? - Magic or Hawks? - Is Austin Reaves the Lou Gehrig to LeBron's Wally Pipp?
- Sports are amazing because our great-great-grandchildren are going to know Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s name because of what he did this week
- Important analytical question: Do the Thunder keep playing overtimes because Oklahoma Thunder abbreviates as OT?
- It's my last big 30-team preview as the season begins: the Now or Later rankings, which measure each team's urgency to win now
- Overtime between two title contenders in the opener seems like a good omen for this NBA season
- It’s cool that every key Thunder player is back this season, so they can all receive their rings together tonight
- The defending champs might be on the verge of a dynasty, so I explored the possible futures for the Thunder as they attempt to become the NBA's first repeat champion since the Durant-era Warriors
- I've seen a lot of people say the Warriors' window is closed—but I think they're still a dangerous contender in the West this season. Here's why:
- The "face of the NBA" title has shifted neatly from Magic and Bird to Jordan to Kobe to LeBron and Curry. But who comes next? My new story on the possible paths for Wemby, Ant, Luka, Flagg, and more:
- With the new Basketball Hall of Fame class being inducted this weekend, I surveyed the active players who are most likely to join them in the future www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...
- I have fun with this piece every year: Here's the key statistic for all 30 teams entering the 2025-26 season
- This was a fun one to write: I ranked all 30 NBA teams' worst mistakes of the 2020s thus far, from confounding contracts to disastrous draft picks to franchise-altering terrible trades
- I don't understand the sentiment I've seen online that Bradley Beal is an upgrade over Norm Powell at this stage of their careers
- SGA will earn almost $1 million per game in the final year of his new supermax contract. The first NBA player to cross that threshold is coming soon. I dove into all the implications of this financial milestone in a new piece for ESPN.
- I tiered the 15 Western Conference teams after the initial offseason flurry. The Thunder are in a group of their own, but who's closest to catching the champs?
