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Fred Katz is a senior NBA writer for The Athletic. Follow Fred on Twitter @FredKatz
Northwest Notes: SGA, Filipowski, McDaniels, Henderson, Billups
Hoops Rumors
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is fresh off his fourth 50-point game in the past seven weeks and currently appears to be the favorite for the league’s Most Valuable Player award. As Fred Katz of The Athletic writes, an unmatched motor and a strong summertime workout routine helped Gilgeous-Alexander take what used to be an unconventional route to superstardom (none of the top three presumed MVP vote-earners were top-10 picks).
“He’s ahead of his time,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Intuitively, he’s where the scientific research is, which is you wanna be making decisions. You want randomness in your workouts. You want variability. You want interweaving in the workout. He kinda does that naturally.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is breaking through the trend of high-usage players seeing efficiency taper off. His 64.5% true shooting percentage and 34.6% usage percentage are both career highs and lead most guards in the league.
“It’s like LeBron [James] in his prime, Giannis [Antetokounmpo], the speed of [Ja] Morant, the speed and power of [Russell] Westbrook; he’s a great athlete, but he’s not an overpowering athlete, where those guys are,” Daigneault said. “And yet, he gets to the same places on the floor as they do. And to me, that says it all about the skill.”
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The MVP debate is buzzing, and Nikola Jokić stands prominently in the mix. However, on “The Big Number” podcast, analysts Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine dissect Jokić’s MVP candidacy through the lens of his not-so-stellar defense. Could his defensive woes prevent him from clinching another MVP?
Jokić shines offensively, crafting a historic season by potentially averaging a triple-double. His efficiency eclipses former legends, yet Tom questions if Denver’s below-average defense can tarnish his MVP glow. He points out the contrast between Jokić’s offensive genius and his deficiencies under the basket, making his case less clear-cut than stats might suggest.
While Jokić’s ability to rack up points and assists is unmatched, his defensive metrics paint a different picture. He’s bottom-tier in defensive field-goal percentage at the rim, a concern Dan spotlights as part of Denver’s broader defensive struggles. “Jokić isn’t Dikembe Mutombo on defense,” says Tom, summarizing the strategic but cautious defensive shaping around Jokić.
Jokić maintains his astonishing offensive impact, creating 66.6 points per 36 minutes. Still, can his offensive dominance alone secure the MVP? The three-time MVP faces tougher scrutiny of his all-around game, especially as MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads an excellent defense in Oklahomas City and has risen to a -700 favorite for the award at BetMGM.
Is Jokić set to redefine MVP narratives by highlighting offense over defense? And if Denver’s defense improves, could this shift recalibrate Jokić’s standing in voters’ eyes? The season edges closer to an intriguing conclusion.
To hear the full discussion, tune into “The Big Number” on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired winger Logan Stankoven and two first-round picks (2026 & 2027) and two third-round picks from the Dallas Stars for upcoming UFA forward Mikko Rantanen.
Mikko Rantanen to the Stars with an 8 year extension in place, sources told ESPN. In return, Canes getting two first round picks, two third round picks, and Logan Stankoven.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) March 7, 2025
Despite acquiring Rantanen just under two months ago, trade talks really started to ramp up after Rantanen refused to sign an extension with the Hurricanes, despite the team reportedly making him a nine-figure offer.
Things stalled a bit into the night as the Stars worked to iron out an extension with Rantanen, but it seems that the two sides broke ground this morning on an eight-year, $96 million deal.
Stankoven, is a 22-year-old, right-shot winger who has nine goals and 29 points in 59 games this season.
The 5-foot-8 forward has played 83 games in his NHL career, (including 19 in the playoffs where he had three goals and eight points), but he was a prolific scorer in juniors, where he had 115 goals and 260 points in 179 games.
Stankoven has one year remaining on his ELC.
Here’s Stankoven’s microstat card from the 2024-25 season: pic.twitter.com/5u9fRN3fv3
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 7, 2025
On the surface, the return might seem disappointing for a player of Rantanen’s caliber, but it was clear that the Finnish winger didn’t want to be in Carolina and there’s something called addition by subtraction.
The way Rantanen played on Thursday against the Boston Bruins showed a player whose heart just wasn’t in it. Add in dodging the media and forcing teammates to have to talk for him, and you can see how that could have a negative effect on a team.
The Canes get a promising piece in Stankoven and can now use those first-round picks to make other deals as well.
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