The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: Sergio Agüero's Arrival Kicks Off Barcelona's Renovation Project

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/05/31/barcelona-rebuilding-sergio-aguero-free-transfers-messi">
Barcelona announced Sergio Agüero's signing, which is expected to be the first of multiple free transfers at the heart of a rebuilding effort.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
Joan Laporta promised a squad renovation this summer at Barcelona, and even with the club <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/10/barcelona-crisis-messi-laporta-future-champions-league-daily-cover">as cash-strapped as it is</a>, the club president may be on the verge of delivering. Whether it will be good enough for Barcelona to accomplish its objectives, however, and what it means for the club's long-term outlook remain to be seen.
On Monday, Barcelona announced the signing of Man City legend and veteran Argentina forward Sergio Agüero to kick off what's <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/31/barcelona-confirm-aguero-deal-with-garcia-and-wijnaldum-lined-up-to-sign">expected to be a slew of signings on free transfers</a>. Man City center back Eric García, Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and Lyon forward Memphis Depay are all also reportedly being lined up on free transfers, with all set to be out of contract this summer. Not having to pay enormous transfer fees is one way to improve a squad without going too much further in the red, but the wages those players will all command and other fees involved in the process make them far from costless moves.
Nevertheless, the arrival of Agüero, who will sign through June 2023 after coming up short of winning the Champions League with Manchester City, is the surest sign yet that Lionel Messi, Agüero's longtime friend, isn't going anywhere. Laporta said last week that <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/05/28/lionel-messi-joan-laporta-barcelona-future-contract">he was "moderately optimistic" about Messi staying</a> on, despite the all-time great's contract expiring at the end of June. 
Last summer's saga, in which Messi declared his intention to leave the club amid a rift with then-president Josep Bartomeu, seems to have subsided. Barcelona won the Copa del Rey title and contended in La Liga before settling for a third-place finish. It's clear that plenty needs to be done before Barcelona is in position to contend for Champions League titles again, though, and it's fair to ask whether the signing of a forward who turns 33 this week and is coming off his worst and most injury-riddled season as a professional is part of the answer.
Agüero played in just 20 matches, made just eight starts and scored just six goals for Man City across all competitions this past season. If appeasing Messi with the presence of an aging forward he knows and is close with was part of the solution, then Barcelona would've been better off just sticking it out with Luis Suárez, who, at 34, went on to be the difference-maker in Atlético Madrid's <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/05/22/atletico-madrid-wins-la-liga-title-final-day-real">its first La Liga title in seven years</a>. And at least Suárez is someone with whom Messi has a history of on-field success as opposed to Agüero, with whom he has endured checkered results on the international level.
<figure><img height="422" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxNDA3MDMwNTU1MTkwMzc1/messi-aguero-barcelona-argentina.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Of course, the arrival of Agüero and other pending attacking reinforcements means Barcelona will have to find some buyers for the plethora of high-priced attacking talent it already has. Philippe Coutinho seems to be a sure bet to be offloaded (at a significant loss after what Barça paid for him as part of its reaction to losing Neymar), provided Barcelona can find a proper suitor, while there must be questions regarding Antoine Griezmann's future as well. The Frenchman did find his way deeper into his second season with the club, but if Barcelona needs to raise funds to offset debt of over $1 billion, then both he and countryman Ousmane Dembélé are the best bets to attract bigger bids.
Much will depend on the injury status of Ansu Fati, the 18-year-old wonderkid who has undergone <a href="https://en.as.com/en/2021/05/04/football/1620142392_788270.html">four knee surgeries in the last six months</a> following an injury in November that prematurely ended his breakout season. If he can return to full fitness and stay healthy, then his and Pedri's continued development could give Barcelona two teenage attacking stars to build around for years to come.
But the needs-improvement areas go beyond the attack, which, for all of its deficiencies, was still La Liga's best by a wide margin (Barcelona led the league with 85 goals scored; Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid were closest at 67 apiece). Barcelona's imbalance, lack of cohesiveness and aging stars in key positions make for a set of problems that has complex solutions—solutions made more difficult by the club's perilous financial standing. 
And while free transfers always look like low-risk propositions on paper, they don't always pan out. For every Robert Lewandowski success story, there's a Marouane Chamakh flop. But such is the position in which Barcelona finds itself: needing to placate Messi in an effort to ensure he stays while improving a squad on a tight budget. And that's to say nothing of the manager situation, which still appears to be unsettled after an awkward week of public statements from Laporta and Ronald Koeman that suggests that even if the Dutchman returns to complete the final year of his contract, it won't be with unequivocal support.
“It’s the end of a cycle. We are entering a process of renovation,” Laporta said recently, putting a bow on what's been a tumultuous couple of years for the club.
“We won the Copa del Rey title, and we are proud of that, but we were eliminated very early in the Champions League and we lost the league in an incomprehensible manner. So it’s time to analyze the results, our game, and also our attitude, mentality and ambition.
“We’ve been working for some time to find the elements that we’ll need to build a very competitive team and win the relevant titles.”
Agüero, evidently, is part of that. What follows will determine Barcelona's trajectory at a time when its unquestioned place among the world's elite clubs is under significant threat. 
More Soccer Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/30/sergio-aguero-manchester-city-premier-league-history-legacy">Wilson: Agüero's Place in Man City and Premier League History</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/05/29/chelsea-champions-league-winner-thomas-tuchel-manager-change">Wilson: With Manager Change, Financial Might, Chelsea Reigns Again</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/05/31/zinedine-zidane-exit-real-madrid-letter-perez">Zidane Outlines Why He Left Real Madrid</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Sergio Agüero's Arrival Kicks Off Barcelona's Renovation Project

Barcelona announced Sergio Agüero's signing, which is expected to be the first of multiple free transfers at the heart of a rebuilding ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Packers GM Stands Firm, Still Against Trading Aaron Rodgers

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/05/31/report-packers-gm-stands-firm-against-trading-aaron-rodgers">
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is contractually obligated to report to the team's mandatory three-day minicamp starting June 8.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst is reportedly "still holding firm" to not trade quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason, according to
</a><a href="https://theathletic.com/2622431/">The Athletic</a>. 
The report cites the upcoming week as a critical point in the ongoing saga. If the team waits until after June 1 to trade Rodgers, it will save $16.05 million in cap space. Meanwhile, Rodgers is not contractually obligated to report to the team until June 8 when a mandatory three-day minicamp begins. 
If the reigning MVP does not show up, he would be fined $15,515 for the first day, $31,030 for the second day and $46,540 for the third day, under the current collective bargaining agreement. Rodgers, who is under contract until 2023, has not reported to the voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) that began last week and will miss out on a $500,000 workout bonus.
When asked last week by<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/05/25/aaron-rodgers-criticizes-packers-philosophy-trade-rumors"> Kenny Mayne whether he was demanding a trade</a>, the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback was coy in his response and instead criticized the team's philosophy. 
"[I] love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay," <a href="https://twitter.com/robdemovsky/status/1397034512857587716?s=21">Rodgers said on SportsCenter.</a> "An incredible 16 years. It's just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. 
"It's about character. It's about culture. It's about doing things the right way."
<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/04/29/aaron-rodgers-packers-rumors-doesnt-want-return">News of Rodgers' desire to leave the team initially broke on Draft Day</a> but Gutekunst quickly reiterated the Packers' commitment to the 37-year-old three-time MVP. 
"As we've stated since the season ended, we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond," Gutekunst <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/04/29/aaron-rodgers-packers-rumors-doesnt-want-return">told ESPN in April.</a> "Aaron has been a vital part of our success, and we look forward to competing for another championship with him leading our team."
According to The Athletic, that still remains the case.
More Aaron Rodgers Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/05/18/business-of-football-aaron-rodgers-packers-possible-resolution">Brandt: Solution to Keep Rodgers a Packer in 2021</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/05/14/aaron-rodgers-packers-feud-everyone-loses">Rosenberg: Everyone Loses in Rodgers Feud</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/04/29/green-bay-packers-give-aaron-rodgers-what-he-wants">Orr: It's Time for the Packers to Give Aaron Rodgers What He Wants</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Packers GM Stands Firm, Still Against Trading Aaron Rodgers

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is contractually obligated to report to the team's mandatory three-day minicamp starting June 8. Pac...

New on Sports Illustrated: MLB Power Rankings: Rays Rise While Yankees, Dodgers Stumble

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/31/mlb-power-rankings-rays-yankees-white-sox-dodgers">
The defending American League champs cannot be stopped while their AL East rivals falter as the calendar flips to June.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
With the close of May and Memorial Day’s arrival comes the unofficial start of summer. That means the 2021 season has stretched its legs and is running at full speed. Just this past week, we saw the <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/28/mvp-race-two-months-roundtable">American League MVP favorite</a> miss a pitching start <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/28/shohei-ohtani-angels-scratched-bay-area-traffic-oakland-athletics">because of traffic</a>; a defensive lapse in Pittsburgh that took on <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/27/javy-baez-cubs-pirates-baserunning-play">operatic levels of dysfunction</a>; and the <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/30/josh-donaldson-two-millionth-run-mlb-history">two millionth run</a> to cross home plate in MLB history. Imagine how much quicker we might have reached that milestone if not for all these darn no-hitters.
As we welcome the start of June, there’s been a shift in the pecking order up top, as teams in the top 10 jockey for position. If your team isn’t where you’d like them to be—either here in the venerable SI power rankings or in the actual standings—fear not. This time last year (in terms of games played), we were gearing up for the home stretch with most playoff spots already filled. Instead, we’ve now got an entire calendar season’s worth of games to decide each club’s fate. Now let’s settle in for the long haul and get to the rankings.
<h2>30. Baltimore Orioles (LW: 29)</h2>
What do you say to an O’s fan at a time like this? Baltimore has lost 13 in a row and 20 of its last 22, sinking to the basement of our power rankings for the first time all season. With their current form, the Orioles could be here a while. It’s not all doom and gloom, though: Top prospect Adley Rutschman is hitting .293/.465/.573 this month in Double-A, with more walks (22) than strikeouts (20) and three home runs in his last six games.
<h2>29. Arizona Diamondbacks (LW: 27)</h2>
Arizona ends May without a series win despite finally snapping its 13-game losing streak against St. Louis on Sunday. The D-Backs were swept by three division rivals in the Dodgers, Rockies and Giants during the skid, which dropped their playoff odds all the way down to 0%, per Fangraphs.
<h2>28. Pittsburgh Pirates (LW: 30)</h2>
After <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/27/javy-baez-cubs-pirates-baserunning-play">Javier Baez humiliated the Buccos</a> on Thursday, the only thing keeping them out of the basement are Baltimore’s and Arizona’s matching 13-game losing skids. To be fair, Pittsburgh kept it close with the Cubs in all three of their midweek losses and rebounded to win a weekend series against Colorado. But the Pirates still carry MLB’s worst run differential (-74).
<h2>27. Colorado Rockies (LW: 26)</h2>
The Rockies have historically boasted good offenses, but Coors Field has been hiding a sneakily awful lineup this season. Colorado ranks ninth in the NL in runs scored but last in the majors with a 74 wRC+, which takes each ballpark’s run-scoring environment into account. Ryan McMahon is the only hitter with more than five homers. Trevor Story, who just hit the injured list with elbow inflammation, has looked rather ordinary this season but should still fetch a good return before the trade deadline once healthy.
LAWS: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/28/trevor-story-trade-destinations-the-opener">The Four Best Fits for Trevor Story</a>
<h2>26. Detroit Tigers (LW: 28)</h2>
The Tigers swept the Yankees at home this weekend for the first time since 2000, and they did it thanks to some outstanding pitching performances. Detroit has a 2.64 ERA over the last two weeks, with the team’s young arms showing all kinds of promising results in that span. Veteran right-hander José Ureña was placed on the injured list on Saturday with <a href="https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/jose-urena-placed-on-tigers-injured-list">right forearm tightness</a>, but manager A.J. Hinch said he expects Ureña to be activated as soon as he’s eligible.
<h2>25. Texas Rangers (LW: 22)</h2>
As Nick Solak goes, so do the Rangers. That might not hold true all the time, but Solak’s bat has cooled off considerably as the losses pile up in Arlington. After a scorching April, Solak has hit .200/.268/.318 in May, during which the Rangers have gone 11-17. Texas has lost six straight games and 15 of its last 19 to fall into last place in the AL West.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzk1OTkxNDE1NDk3ODMx/mitch-garver.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<h2>24. Minnesota Twins (LW: 25)</h2>
Last week saw the Twins do something they hadn’t done all season long: win four consecutive games. Minnesota is still at the bottom in the AL Central, but progress is progress. A key figure in the team’s recent stint of success has been catcher Mitch Garver. Garver broke out with 31 home runs in 93 games in 2019 but suffered through injury and ineffectiveness in what was an awful 2020 season. He started off slow in April but has come on strong in May, batting .291/.435/.600 with four home runs in 69 plate appearances.
<h2>23. Los Angeles Angels (LW: 24)</h2>
The Angels beat the A’s, 4-0, on Saturday, becoming the last team in the majors to pitch a shutout this season. That tells you just about all you need to know about the team’s pitching fortunes, though the oft-maligned rotation had itself a good week on the whole. Things aren’t going so well offensively, either. The Angels have just four players with at least 75 plate appearances sporting a wRC+ above league average (100), and two of them (Mike Trout and José Iglesias) are on the IL. The team heads to San Francisco for a two-game series Monday in what will be its first games in a National League ballpark. Keep an eye out for how Joe Maddon opts to use Shohei Ohtani, who is not scheduled to pitch and could be in store for some more reps in the outfield.
<h2>22. Washington Nationals (LW: 21)</h2>
Manager Davey Martinez moved Juan Soto to the leadoff spot Sunday for just the second time in his career to try and provide a spark for the struggling slugger, who has just four homers in 135 at-bats. It didn’t work; he went 0-for-3 with a walk as Washington lost its fourth straight. The Nationals lineup as a whole has been extremely disappointing, having only outscored the Pirates and the Mets despite ranking fifth in the NL in on-base percentage.
<h2>21. Seattle Mariners (LW: 22)</h2>
Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis missed roughly the first three weeks of the season with a bone bruise, and he looked a bit rusty upon his return. He’s picked things up since the calendar flipped to May, though, batting .274/.373/.389 this month after going 5-for-31 in April. Similarly, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi has turned things around of late, with a 2.77 ERA and 41 strikeouts over his last six starts.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzk2MDM3MzE3OTYxNjc1/jesse-winker.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<h2>20. Cincinnati Reds (LW: 20)</h2>
Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker rank first and second in the NL in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. However, Cincinnati continues to struggle for consistency, having not won consecutive series since the first two of the season. Luis Castillo (7.22 ERA) hasn’t made it through six innings since his second start of the year, and accordingly has just one quality start out of 11.
<h2>19. Kansas City Royals (LW: 19)</h2>
Last week marked the long-awaited return of shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who hit the ground running in his first six games of action. The 25-year-old went 7-for-22 with four extra-base hits, making plenty of hard contact with lots of swings and misses. He struck out 10 in 23 plate appearances and no walks, showing no deviation in what’s been a common theme throughout his career. Whatever holes exist in his game, Mondesi is a key player for the Royals, and how he’s able to adjust at the plate will go a long way toward Kansas City’s success.
<h2>18. Philadelphia Phillies (LW: 17)</h2>
Roman Quinn’s season-ending Achilles injury means the switch-hitting, speedy outfielder may have played his last game as a Phillie. Despite never representing much of a threat at the dish, which makes him a non-tender candidate this offseason, his sprint speed of 30 feet per second ranked fifth in the majors and he boasted the league’s strongest outfield arm at 97.1 mph. His absence will be felt on a Phillies defense that’s already among the league’s worst.
<h2>17. Miami Marlins (LW: 16)</h2>
Garrett Cooper leads MLB with a .457 batting average over the last 15 days. But he and Brian Anderson have been the only hot bats for the Fish lately, as they’ve failed to climb out of fourth place in the NL East despite continued excellence from the rotation led by Trevor Rogers.
<h2>16. Atlanta Braves (LW: 14)</h2>
Marcell Ozuna’s fractured fingers—sustained on a head-first slide—and <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/30/marcell-ozuna-arrested-domestic-violence-battery-braves">domestic violence arrest</a> just a couple days later cast a pall over this team, which only played three games last week due to a couple off-days and rainouts. In their only game since Wednesday, the Braves allowed the Mets to score 13 runs on Saturday after New York hadn’t topped eight in any previous game this year.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzk2MDcxOTQ2MTM1NDk5/jackie-bradley-jr.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<h2>15. Milwaukee Brewers (LW: 18)</h2>
Milwaukee should hope Jackie Bradley’s off-the-wall walk-off on Thursday against San Diego, the first one of his career, could serve as a springboard into June (although he hasn’t tallied a hit since). The Brewers probably weren’t expecting the world from him at the plate, but they also were banking on better than an MLB-worst .317 OPS in May. He has just four hits and 20 strikeouts in his last 49 at-bats.
<h2>14. Cleveland (LW: 12)</h2>
Cleveland’s offense has been a mess all season, but the team has gotten a boost lately from shortstop Amed Rosario. The crown jewel return from the Francisco Lindor trade, Rosario slogged out of the gate this season, batting .153 through his first 20 games. Since then, he’s hit .303/.361/.449 in 23 games, including the game-tying RBI walk that helped Cleveland avoid being swept in Sunday’s doubleheader against the Blue Jays.
<h2>13. New York Mets (LW: 13)</h2>
The top four pitchers in May by ERA were Kevin Gausman, Brandon Woodruff, Trevor Bauer and … Taijuan Walker, who blanked the Braves on Saturday while racking up eight strikeouts over five innings in his return from the injured list. The Mets got in just one game against the Braves over the weekend due to rainy weather, but they scored a season-high 11 runs in the one contest they did play, are riding a four-game winning streak and are looking increasingly more like the favorites to win the NL East. Fangraphs gives them a 74.5% chance of claiming its first division title since the 2015 World Series season.
BACCELLIERI: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/25/first-place-mets-still-metsy-the-opener">Don't Worry, the First-Place Mets Are Still the Mets</a>
<h2>12. Chicago Cubs (LW: 15)</h2>
The Cubbies have won five straight series against the Tigers, Nationals, Cardinals, Pirates and Reds to climb within a half-game back of St. Louis in the NL Central. After a horrific April that made the Yu Darvish trade look even worse than it did at the time, Zach Davies rebounded in May with a 1.72 ERA in six starts (albeit with just 15 strikeouts against 12 walks in 31.1 innings).
SELBE: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/27/cubs-climb-nl-central-race-the-opener">Here Come the Cubs. But for How Long?</a>
<h2>11. Toronto Blue Jays (LW: 11)</h2>
A down 2020 season resulted in Marcus Semien signing a one-year contract with Toronto this winter and moving off his primary position to second base. What a boon that’s been for the Blue Jays. Semien leads the AL in wRC+ in May (189), hitting .368/.429/.702 in 126 plate appearances. Semien finished third in AL MVP voting in 2019, and he’s making harder contact this season than ever before. Even in what’s expected to be a loaded upcoming free agent class for shortstops, it’s safe to say Semien won’t have to settle for another one-year deal.
<h2>10. St. Louis Cardinals (LW: 9)</h2>
John Gant and his <a href="https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/34841.png">majestic mane</a> have been beating the odds all season. Despite walking 31 hitters and striking out 35 in 44.2 innings, he holds a sparkling 1.81 ERA through nine starts. The difference between his ERA and FIP (4.06) is the largest in the majors among pitchers with at least 40 innings, and suggests it’s only a matter of time before regression hits the 28-year-old during his first year in the rotation. But manager Mike Shildt has done a good job of hooking Gant before he goes through the lineup a third time to protect him and his beautiful head of hair (sorry, but it really is a sight to behold … and a much better look than the <a href="https://www.audacy.com/kmox/local-sports/st-louis-cardinals/fans-react-to-cardinals-pitcher-drastic-hairstyle-change">cornrows he sported last month</a>).
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzk2MTAzMzUzMDgyOTgz/chris-bassitt.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<h2>9. Oakland A’s (LW: 8)</h2>
A’s starting pitchers put up a 2.60 ERA over the past week, yet the team still lost four of seven games. Leading the charge in the rotation is Chris Bassitt, whose first career shutout Thursday was the culmination of a long and winding path to ace status. Bassitt, 32, joined Oakland as part of the Jeff Samardzija trade in 2015 and missed all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He’s been a mainstay in the rotation since 2019, going 20-9 with a 3.31 ERA in 277 innings during that time.
<h2>8. New York Yankees (LW: 4)</h2>
A week ago, the Yankees won six straight games and looked to be hitting a stride, and since then things have sort of fallen apart. The bats have gone cold while Corey Kluber and Luke Voit are on the IL. A bright spot amid the struggles, though, has been Gleyber Torres. Since coming off the COVID-19 injured list, Torres is hitting .368/.429/.474 in 42 plate appearances. A crucial seven-game homestand this week against the Rays and Red Sox looms large.
<h2>7. San Francisco Giants (LW: 10)</h2>
Kevin Gausman allowed just three runs in six May starts, including Sunday’s two-hit stifling of the Dodgers over six innings to record the NL’s best May ERA (0.73). The 30-year-old righty is set to cash in next offseason on the strength of his nasty fastball-splitter combo after accepting the qualifying offer last November.
<h2>6. Houston Astros (LW: 7)</h2>
A 2-3 week isn’t the worst outcome in the world for the Astros, considering how banged up the team is at present. Michael Brantley and Lanc McCullers Jr. are on the IL, while Yuli Gurriel and Yordan Álvarez have not been available in recent games. Thankfully for Houston, Zack Greinke was there on Sunday to serve as the team’s stopper. The 37-year-old fired eight innings of one-run ball against the Padres. He’s 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA over his last four starts, holding opposing hitters to a .208 batting average. Now, if he could only <a href="https://twitter.com/Chandler_Rome/status/1399056750888644608">remember to wear the right jersey</a>.
<h2>5. Los Angeles Dodgers (LW: 2)</h2>
Los Angeles was leapfrogged in the standings by the Giants after losing three of four at Chavez Ravine, but stay above them in our rankings thanks to last weekend’s sweep in San Francisco and an ever so slight advantage in run differential. Max Muncy leads the National League in home runs in May with 10, and ranks third for the month in walks with 16. The 30-year-old is putting together a pretty solid MVP case to help make up for a pretty blah season from Mookie Betts (5 HRs, .782 OPS).
<h2>4. Boston Red Sox (LW: 3)</h2>
The Red Sox have been among the best teams in the AL to this point thanks in large part to several savvy, under-the-radar acquisitions this past winter. One of those moves that’s paid off is the signing of right fielder Hunter Renfroe. In 90 plate appearances this month, Renfroe has hit .307/.322/.557 with 12 extra-base hits. He’s not walking nearly as much as he did last season, though he’s making higher quality contact.
<h2>3. Chicago White Sox (LW: 5)</h2>
The top of the White Sox rotation has gotten outstanding results from Lance Lynn, Carlos Rodón and Dylan Cease all year long. But it was Lucas Giolito who was supposed to ascend as the team’s ace, and after a somewhat rocky start the right-hander appears to have found his stride. Giolito went 4-2 with a 2.41 ERA and 45 strikeouts in six starts this month, holding opposing hitters to a .187 batting average. The White Sox are the only AL Central team with a positive run differential, and have the highest (plus-80) in the AL.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzk2MTM0MjIzMTYwNDIz/ji-man-choi-joey-wendle.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<h2>2. Tampa Bay Rays (LW: 6)</h2>
On May 12, the Rays were a mediocre 19-19 with a stalled offense that had just been shut out by Gerrit Cole. Since then, nobody’s been able to slow down Tampa Bay. The team has won 16 of its last 17, with basically the entire lineup catching fire simultaneously. Of the bunch, we’ll highlight Ji-man Choi, who returned from the IL after recovering from a knee injury and has hit .342/.479/.605 in 12 games. The upper echelon of the junior circuit is an impressive group, but none can top the defending AL champs at the moment.
MARTELL: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/26/rays-false-narrative-spending-roster-the-opener">Don't Praise the Rays for Not Spending</a>
<h2>1. San Diego Padres (LW: 1)</h2>
With the Padres down to their last out against Houston on Saturday, Fernando Tatis Jr. strode up to the plate … and popped up into foul territory. But Astros first baseman Taylor Jones misplayed it and the ball dropped to the ground. On the next pitch, Tatis hit a game-tying three-run homer, and San Diego went on to win in extra innings. It’s better to be lucky than good, but being both is even better. The Friars’ MVP candidate has taken to the cleanup role since moving there on May 19 upon his return from a COVID-19 absence; he leads baseball in OPS (1.573) since then, with a .447 average and a whopping 22 RBIs in his last 11 games.
More MLB Coverage:
<ul>
<li>MLB Roundtable: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/28/mvp-race-two-months-roundtable">Picking the MVP of the First Two Months</a></li>
<li>VERDUCCI: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/24/pitching-prospects-college-joe-ryan-the-opener">The Precarious Case of Joe Ryan and Former College Pitchers</a></li>
<li>MARTELL: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/27/javy-baez-cubs-pirates-baserunning-play">Javy Báez Defies Logic With Ridiculous Baserunning</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: MLB Power Rankings: Rays Rise While Yankees, Dodgers Stumble

The defending American League champs cannot be stopped while their AL East rivals falter as the calendar flips to June. View the original...

New on Sports Illustrated: Fan Who Tossed Bottle at Kyrie Irving Facing Assault Charge

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/31/fan-kyrie-irving-arrest-face-assault-charge">
The fan is also subject to a lifetime ban from TD Garden.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/31/celtics-fan-throws-water-bottle-kyrie-irving-nets-celtics-nba-playoffs">The 21-year-old Celtics fan who threw a water bottle at Nets guard Kyrie Irving following the conclusion of Game 4 in Boston on Sunday night</a> faces an assault and battery with a dangerous weapon charge and will be arraigned on Tuesday, <a href="https://whdh.com/sports/braintree-man-facing-assault-charge-for-allegedly-throwing-water-bottle-at-kyrie-irving/">according to the Boston Police Department.</a>
The fan, Cole Buckley of Braintree, Mass., was identified and arrested by TD Garden security following the incident. He is also subject to a lifetime ban from the venue, according to an arena spokesperson.
"A guest was arrested by Boston Police at the end of tonight’s Boston Celtics game for throwing an object. We will support and provide assistance to Boston Police as this incident is under review. We have zero tolerance for violations of our guest code of conduct, and the guest is subject to a lifetime ban from TD Garden," Tricia McCorkle, a TD Garden spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday.
After the game, Nets forward Kevin Durant sounded off on the incident, urging fans to, "Grow the f--- up, and enjoy the game. It's bigger than you."
"It's unfortunate that sports has come to this kind of crossroads," Irving said. "Just underlying racism and just treating people like they're in a human zoo. Throwing things at them. At a certain point it just becomes too much."
<a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1399359742451978242">According to The Athletic's Shams Charania,</a> a second fan in Boston was also arrested Sunday night due to assault and battery of a police offer.
The incident involving Irving came just days removed from high-profile fan incidents in New York and Philadelphia. The <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/27/knicks-fan-spit-trae-young-hawks-game-2">Knicks banned the fan who spat on Hawks star Trae Young in the fourth quarter of last Wednesday's Game 2</a>. A <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/27/russell-westbrook-injury-fan-pours-popcorn-wizards-76ers">fan in Philadelphia dumped popcorn on Wizards star Russell Westbrook as he left the court after injuring his right ankle in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's Game 2.</a>
Durant and Irving combined for 81 points on 25-for-44 shooting and 9-for-15 on three-point attempts on Sunday in the Nets' 141-126 win.
Brooklyn leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 set for Tuesday.
More NBA Playoff Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/31/can-the-knicks-improve-nba-playoffs-daily-cover">What If This Is As Good As It Gets?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/30/chris-paul-deandre-ayton-back-against-lakers">Chris Paul Is Back, and He Brought the Suns With Him</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/26/mental-health-peril-nba-season-daily-cover">The Mental Peril of This NBA Season</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/19/nba-playoff-preview-2021-atlanta-hawks-trae-young-daily-cover">Atlanta Is Falling in Love With Trae Young</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Fan Who Tossed Bottle at Kyrie Irving Facing Assault Charge

The fan is also subject to a lifetime ban from TD Garden. View the original article to see embedded media. The 21-year-old Celtics fan w...

New on Sports Illustrated: 2021 Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Team Outlook: Trevor Lawrence's Splash Impact Reinvigorates Expectations

<a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/05/31/jacksonville-jaguars-team-outlook-trevor-lawrence">
A fantasy football breakdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars by high-stakes legend Shawn Childs
<h3>Coaching</h3>
After finishing last in the AFC South for three straight seasons under Doug Marrone, the Jaguars bottom out with a 1-15 record in 2020. The offseason house cleaning led to Jacksonville landing a top college head coach –
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/news/veteran-leaders-urban-meyer-upbeat-about-jaguars-early-chemistry">Urban Meyer</a>.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgwODAxODU4NjU3MzMwMjY0/urban-meyer-jaguars.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Over 17 seasons coaching four different college teams, Meyer went 187-32 with three BCS National Championship (2006 and 2008 with Florida and 2014 with Ohio State). He won at every stop (Bowling Green 17-6, Utah – 22-2, and Florida – 65-15), highlighted by his seven-year run at Ohio State (83-9).
An off-the-field issue led to Ohio State dismissing Meyer after the 2018 season. The Jaguars only have one postseason appearance and winning record over their past 14 years.
Darrell Bevell takes over as the offensive coordinator after holding the same position for the past 14 seasons for the Vikings, Seahawks, and Lions. His offense helped Seattle win the Super Bowl in 2013. Detroit named him their interim head coach for five games (1-4) in 2020.
Last year Jacksonville finished 28th in yards gained and 30th in scoring (306 points). Opponents outscored them by 186 points.
The defensive coordinator job landed in the hands of Joe Cullen. His pro career started in 2010 as the defensive line coach for the Jaguars. He held the same position for 11 seasons, with the last five coming with the Ravens.
In 2017 and 2018, Jacksonville had a top-five defense in the league. They plummeted to 26th in yards allowed in 2020, with offenses scoring 496 points (31st).
<h3>Free Agency</h3>
Despite having the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jaguars signed a pair of quarterbacks (Mike Glennon and C.J. Beathard) in the offseason. Both players will compete for a backup job this year.
Jacksonville added Marvin Jones for wide receiver depth. His game improved after moving to the Lions in 2016. He has WR2 experience with the talent to make big plays and score touchdowns. WR Keelan Cole left town to play for the Jets, and WR Chris Conley has a new home in Houston. <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/duval-insider-plus/4-takeaways-on-tim-tebow-signing-with-the-jaguars">Jacksonville also signed TE Tim Tebow</a>.
<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars">More Jacksonville Jaguars Coverage from SI</a>
The top defensive addition was CB Shaquill Griffin. He has three seasons of experience in the NFL after getting drafted in the third round in 2017. Griffin has been up and down in coverage in his career, but the Jaguars saw enough in him to pay $29 million in guaranteed money over three years.
Jacksonville also signed S Rayshawn Jenkins and DI Roy Robertson-Harris. Both players have a chance to be league-average players. Jenkins will help in coverage while Robertson-Harris improves the run defense.
<h3>Draft</h3>
QB Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence will have smaller passing windows in the pros and a drop-down in receiving talent (at least early in his career) while seeing more pressure. He played almost exclusively out of the shotgun with an edge in size and speed at wide receiver. His ball fakes and rhythm on his release grade well. <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/news/lawrences-early-development-sets-the-stage-for-jaguars-offseason">Lawrence offers the arm to drive the ball in tight areas</a>, and he will let his receiver make plays on jump balls.
When given a chance to run, Lawrence will extend drives while being a dual-scoring threat at the goal line. His movements in the pocket will help his ability to find an open man downfield.
RB Travis Etienne
<figure><img height="413" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMDcxMzMyNDIxNjc0MzQ0/travis-etienne-jaguars-wide-receiver.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Etienne played in a high-scoring offense that allowed him to make big plays up the middle or outside. His vision and feel for play development helped him find the needed space to beat weaker defenses for long touchdowns. Etienne offered a drop step in the open field that led to catching some defenders flat-footed, creating the space to finish runs on the outside with touchdowns. Defenders had a tough time bringing him down with arm and half body tackles. When turning upfield, his speed is almost deceiving, letting Etienne blow by tacklers who take poor ankles.
His next step in his development will be proving his worth in pass protection and showing the ability to make the proper reads on blitzes. Last year Etienne had a four-game stretch with a fumble (three lost), but he only had four fumbles over his previous three seasons in college. His speed projects to be close to 4.40 in the forty-yard dash.
CB Tyson Campbell
Campbell has the tools and foundation skill set to play at a high level in man coverage with a good feel for pass routes over the first 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. His reads are tentative at times, leading to missed steps and lag in his positioning. Campbell has the wheels to make up for mistakes with his speed and quickness. Covering the long field shouldn’t be an issue. His next step is getting stronger to help in run support and lock up his receiver in press coverage.
T Walker Little
Walker barely played over the past two seasons due to a knee injury in 2019 while opting out last year. His top question mark comes with his ability to power defenders. Walker projects well in run blocking with the range to handle himself well in pass protection at left tackle. To reach an elite level, he needs to win with aggressive play rather than reacting to defenders. With almost two years off, his body and skill set should be much improved.
S Andre Cisco
His game revolves around attacking the line of scrimmage in run support, with the feel and vision to slow down ball carriers. His timing and path can lead to some missed tackles. When asked to cover receivers, his confidence doesn’t project as high.
DT Jay Tufele
Tufele is an undersized banger who wins with power plus the ability to expand his range. His next step is adding anticipation to his tracking of ball carriers. His game should lead to snaps and possibly starts in his rookie season. <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/news/jaguars-dt-jay-tufele-officially-signs-rookie-contract">Tufele shows up for every play</a>.
DE Jordan Smith
Smith brings intriguing talents to the pass rush, which will reach a much higher ceiling when he gets stronger. His lack of power and finish through big bodies will keep him on the sidelines early in his career. Smith looks to be a steal if his body and strength catch up to his play skills.
TE Luke Farrell
Farrell has a blocking slant while having a limited catch area and separation skills. <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/news/fifth-round-draft-pick-luke-farrell-signs-rookie-contract">His best value in the passing game will come in late releases</a>.
WR Jalen Camp
Camp gives Jacksonville a third-level big man with the size (6’5” and 220 lbs.) to win on fades and jump balls at the goal line. His route running barely has a pulse while lacking the acceleration to win over the short areas of the field. Camp needs to work hard, and some of his shortcomings will improve with coaching.
<hr />
Want even more fantasy and betting analysis? Become an <a href="https://www.si.com/signup/sports-illustrated-fantasy-pro-website">SI Fantasy PRO</a> member today and start beating the books and winning your leagues with us!
<figure><a href="https://www.si.com/signup/sports-illustrated-fantasy-pro-website" rel="nofollow"><img height="99" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc2MTY0NzMxNzE3OTUyOTM3/si-button-join-the-club.png" width="620" /></a></figure>
<hr />
<h3>Offensive Line</h3>
Jacksonville fell to 29th in rushing yards (1,519) with only nine rushing touchdowns. They averaged 21.1 carries per game with six runs over 20 yards.
The Jaguars worked their way to 19th in passing yards (3,995) with 25 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. They gained 6.4 yards per pass attempt while their offensive line allowed 44 sacks.
LT Cam Robinson
Over his first four years in the NFL, Robinson has yet to make an impact. His run blocking remains a liability. He continues to allow a ton of pressure. Robinson missed most of 2018 with a torn ACL while getting drafted in the second round in 2017.
LG Andrew Norwell
<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/news/pff-ranks-both-jaguars-starting-offensive-guards-among-nfls-32-best">Nowell has been an asset for his whole career in pass protection</a>. The Panthers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Norwell is closer to a league-average player at this point of his career.
C Brandon Linder
Linder continues to be an anchor in the middle of the Jaguars’ offensive line thanks to his plus value in pass protection, but he missed seven games last year due to knee, back, and ankle issues. He’s been an edge as well in each year in the league in the run game. The Jaguars selected him in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
RG A.J. Cann
<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/news/pff-ranks-both-jaguars-starting-offensive-guards-among-nfls-32-best">Cann saw a rebound in his overall play last season</a>. His run blocking trails the league average while regaining a bounce in his step in pass protection. The Jaguars drafted Cann in the third round in 2015.
RT Jawaan Taylor
Over his first two seasons, he allowed too many sacks and pressure to the quarterback while falling short of expectation in his run blocking. Taylor has a lot to prove in his third year with the Jaguars.
OL Snapshot
There is something to be said for chemistry with a team having the same five players on the offensive line. The Jaguars need both of their tackles to step up their games, especially in pass blocking, to become a much better offense. Jacksonville upgraded their quarterback and added another explosive option at running back, which brings the chicken or egg theory with offensive lines.
<h3>Offense</h3>
<figure><img height="58" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxNDAzNDYxMTY4OTMxOTQz/image1.png" width="620" /></figure>
A losing season (1-15) led to Jacksonville abandoning the run game in the second half in multiple contests. They ran the ball 35.4 percent of the time, with about league average success running the ball in the second half. <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/gm-report/for-better-or-worse-how-much-did-the-jaguars-improve-at-qb-in-the-2021-offseason">They can only get better moving into a promising future</a>.
<h3>Quarterbacks</h3>
Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence had a sensational three-year career at Clemson. He went 34-2, with his two losses coming in the national championship playoffs. Lawrence won the MVP and national championship in his freshman season in 2018.
He finished his college career with 10,098 passing yards with 90 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions. His completion rate came in at 66.6 percent while improving each year (69.2 in 2020). Over his last two seasons, Lawrence scored 17 rushing touchdowns while gaining 766 yards on 171 carries. His value as a runner peaked in 2019 (103/563/9 – 5.5 yards per rush).
His challenge in the NFL will be moving the deep safety to create enough separation to make plays over the long field. Lawrence had success in college with pre-snap reads, but he’ll need to work through more progressions to succeed in the pros.
Fantasy Outlook: Lawrence should win the starting job in training camp, giving him 17 starts in his rookie season. The Jaguars have a good foundation at wide receiver with offering enticing pass-catching talent at running back. The tight end position will only be an afterthought in the passing game. His early ADP in 12-teams ranks him as the 15th quarterback off the board. At a minimum, I expect 4,500 combined yards with 30 combined touchdowns.
Gardner Minshew
Over his first two seasons, Minshew went 7-13 as the starting quarterback for Jacksonville. His touchdown to interception ratio (37:11) grades well while averaging 240 passing yards per game. A thumb issue led to him losing his starting job over the second half of 2020.
Fantasy Outlook: A change at head coach puts Minshew on the hot seat to win the backup job for the Jaguars. His experience and path to the NFL give him a chance to surprise if asked to start over the short term.
Other Options: C.J. Beathard, Jake Luton
<h3>Running Backs</h3>
<figure><img height="155" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxNDAzNDYxMTY4OTk4MzQ3/image3.png" width="620" /></figure>
Over the past three seasons, the Jaguars’ running backs gained over 1,949 combined yards or more with a floor of 90 catches. Their backs gained 4.5 yards per rush in 2020, but they found minimal room receiving (6.6 yards per catch).
Travis Etienne
After dominating in the run game for Clemson in 2018 (204/1,658/24) and 2019 (207/1,614/19) while averaging almost eight yards per carry, Etienne had a more challenging time finding open space at the second level of the defense last year (168/914/14 – 5.4 yards per rush). He compensated for this shortfall by upping his value in the passing game (48/588/2). Over the last two years, he proved to be more than worthy as a pass-catcher (85/1,020/6).
Etienne should hit the ground running in his first season in the NFL. His three-down style will be a home run, and he has plenty of experience with Trevor Lawrence.
Fantasy Outlook: Even with James Robinson having a great rookie season (1,414 combined yards with 10 touchdowns and 49 catches) after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Etienne will move into the number one position at running back for Jacksonville. The Jaguars will give him at least 15 touches per game, leading to 1,350 combined yards with five to seven touchdowns and a run at 50 catches. In late May, fantasy owners have him priced as the 22nd running back with an ADP of 39 as they wait for him to get confirmation as the lead running for Jacksonville.
James Robinson
Robinson made the most of his opportunity in his rookie season, leading to a 7th place ranking running back scoring (251.40 fantasy points) in PPR leagues. Even with success, he left some stats on the table after missing the final two games with an ankle injury. Robinson scored over 20.00 fantasy points in four matchups (30.90, 31.70, 26.90, and 22.80) with a floor of 10.00 fantasy points in every game.
From Week 7 to Week 15, he averaged 22.6 touches per game. Robinson gained an impressive 4.5 yards per rush while gaining over 100 combined yards in seven matchups.
Over his final two years in college, Robinson finished with 3,451 combined yards with 31 touchdowns and 37 catches on 606 touches.
Fantasy Outlook: His success in his rookie year should warm him up to the new coaching staff, but Robinson should slip to the RB2 role in the Jaguars’ offense. He struggled in pass protection, which points to a sharp decline in catches. His ADP (32) in the early draft season in late May ranks him slightly ahead of Travis Etienne, which looks like a mistake. I expect Jacksonville to give him 10 to 12 touches per game, pointing to about 200 chances with 800 combined yards with some value in scores and 30 catches.
Other Options: Carlos Hyde, Dare Ogunbowale, Devine Ozigbo, Nathan Cottrell
<h3>Wide Receivers</h3>
<figure><img height="180" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxNDAzNDYxMTY4OTMyODEx/image2.png" width="620" /></figure>
The Jaguars looked to their wideouts for about 70 percent of their passing yards over the last two seasons with almost the same opportunity (356 and 360 targets) and touchdown production (19 and 18). Their catch rate came in at 63.3 percent in 2020, with fade in yards per catch (12.0).
DJ Chark
After his breakout season (73/1,008/8), Chark struggled to make an impact in seven starts (3/16, 1/26, 4/56, 4/41, 2/41, 2/16, and 4/53) while also missing three contests with chest, ankle, and ribs issues. His best play came in two matchups (8/95/2 and 7/146/1). Chark saw a regression in his catch rate (57.0 – 61.9 in 2019).
In 2019, he proved to be a value on draft day or a quick waiver wire pickup after his fast start to the year over five games (27/485/5 on 37 targets). Chark flashed in Week 1 (4/146/1) while offering two other impact games (8/164/2 and 8/104/2). Over his final five starts, he only caught 22 passes for 212 yards with no touchdowns.
Fantasy Outlook: Chark gained over 20 yards on 27 of his 126 catches (21.4 percent) over the last two seasons while scoring 13 times in 28 games. His ADP (79) rates him as a 30th wide receiver drafted in late May. The upgrade at quarterback and new offensive bodes well for Chark to regain momentum this season. With 17 games played, he looks to be on a path for 80-plus catches for 1,100 yards and a chance at double-digit scores.
Laviska Shenault
In his rookie season, Shenault worked as a possession-type receiver (58/600/5 on 79 targets) with some chances on the ground (18/91). His catch rate (73.4) commands more targets. He left Week 9 with a hamstring issue, leading to two missed games. Shenault gained over 50 yards in just three games, with his best output in Week 17 (6/68/2).
Fantasy Outlook: Trevor Lawrence should gravitate toward Shenault in 2021. He’ll help move the chains, score in close, and do the dirty work after the catch. His next step should be 80-plus catches for 1,000 and help in scoring. Shenault has an early ADP of 103, making him an upside WR4 in PPR leagues.
Marvin Jones
Over the last four seasons, Jones scored 32 touchdowns over 54 games while gaining over 20 yards 56 times. His game has developed where he can be trusted to work closer to the line of scrimmage plus test a defense deep.
Last year, Jones frustrated fantasy owners over his first five games (14 catches for 146 and one touchdown over 24 targets. An injury to Kenny Golladay led to him playing at a high level over his final eight games (51/670/5 on 74 targets), highlighted by four matchups (8/96/1, 8/116/1, 10/112/1, and 8/180/2). Jones finished as the 18th highest scoring wide receiver (227.80 fantasy points) in PPR leagues.
Fantasy Outlook: Jones will start the year at age 31, coming off a career-high in overall production (76/978/9). The Jaguars should line him up as their WR2, but Laviska Shenault has the talent to emerge as the better option. I’m lowering my expectations to 65 catches for 900 yards and about five scores. His ADP (142) ranks 51st at wide receiver in the early draft season.
Collin Johnson
In his rookie season, Johnson caught 18 of his 31 targets for 272 yards and two scores. Five of his catches gained over 20 yards. His only flash came in Week 12 (4/96/1).
Other Options: Phillip Dorsett, Jamal Agnew, Jalen Camp, Terry Godwin
<h3>Tight Ends</h3>
<figure><img height="180" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxNDAzNDYxMTY4OTk3NDc5/image4.png" width="620" /></figure>
Jacksonville's tight ends saw more action in 2020, leading 68 catches for 637 yards and one touchdown on 108 targets. Their catch rate (63.0) percent fell in line with the quarterback play in Jacksonville.
Chris Manhertz
The early leader on the depth chart spent the last four seasons as a second and third TE at Carolina. He has 12 career receptions so he has a ways to go before you can trust him in your fantasy lineup.
Tim Tebow
<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/news/3-reasons-why-a-taysom-hill-type-role-doesnt-make-sense-for-tim-tebow-and-the-jaguars">The Jaguars took an inspirational flier on Tebow in the offseason</a>. His last appearance in the NFL came in 2012. Tebow tried to reinvent his career playing baseball in the Mets system from 2016 to 2019. At the very least, he should make plays with the ball in his hands. The passing catching talent on Jacksonville isn’t very high, giving this 34-year-old a hail mary’s of a chance to contribute meaningful production.
Other Options: Luke Farrell, James O’Shaughnessy, Tyler Davis, 
<h3>Kicker</h3>
Josh Lambo
Lambo has been exceptional in making field goals over his previous three seasons (76-for-80 – 95.0 percent), but he missed 21 combined games between 2017 and 2020. A hip injury cost him 12 starts last year.
In 2019, Lambo made 33 of his 34 field goal chances, helping him to the sixth-highest scoring year at kicker (8.83 FPPG).
He missed six extra points over 74 attempts over the previous four seasons (138-for-152 in his career). Lambo is more than worthy when asked to kick from 50 yards or more (12-for-13 from 2017 to 2020).
Fantasy Outlook: The Jaguars signed Aldrick Rosas in the offseason to compete with Lambo from the kicking job for the Jaguars. Lambo should have the inside track at the starting job if he has no setbacks with his hip issue.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxNDAzNDQ3NzQ3MTU5MTQz/jacksonville-jaguars-joe-schobert.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<h3>Defense</h3>
The Jaguars slipped another notch to 30th in rushing yards allowed (2,452), with opponents scoring 23 touchdowns for the second straight season. They allowed 23 runs of 20 yards or more, and four rushes hit the 40-yard mark. Ball carriers gained 4.7 yards per carry while averaging 32.3 attempts due to game score.
Jacksonville lost their swagger to their pass defense over the past two seasons, which led to a fade to 27th in passing yards (4,231). They allowed 34 passing touchdowns while intercepting 12 passes. The Jaguars ranked 31st in sacks (18), with quarterbacks gaining 8.1 yards per pass attempt.
DE Roy Robertson-Harris
Over four seasons with the Bears, Robertson-Harris only had 75 combined tackles and 7.5 sacks. His best help will come in run support while heading to the sidelines on most passing downs.
DE Josh Allen
In his rookie season in 2019 (seventh overall selection), Allen upgraded the Jaguars’ pass rush (10.5 sacks) while recording 44 tackles. His run defense fell short of expectations. Injuries last season led to only eight games played with a sharp decline in his production (13 tackles and 2.5 sacks). Allen is a speed/power player who will improve with more experience.
DT Taven Bryan
Jacksonville drafted Bryan in the first round in 2018. Over his first three years in the league, his run defense is his best trait while losing momentum in this area in 2020. His sluggish start to the year led to Bryan coming off the bench in most of his final nine games. His pass-rushing barely had a pulse last year (a half of a sack – 3.5 sacks over 48 matchups). He projects as a rotational player unless the new coaching staff can unlock his expected talent coming into the league.
DT Malcom Brown
Brown shined in 2016 and 2017 for the Patriots against the run. After two down seasons, he played better for New Orleans in 2020. Brown missed three games with a calf issue while also seeing his snap diminish. His value in the pass rush has never been high.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxNDAzMzg0Mzk2MzkyMzk1/jacksonville-jaguars-myles-jack.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
LB Myles Jack
Jack set career-highs in tackles (118) for the second time in three seasons while also adding one sack, one interception, and five defended passes. When on top of his game, he adds value in run support with minimal pressure on the quarterback.
LB Joe Schobert
Over the last three seasons with the Browns, Schobert had success in tackles (144, 103, and 133) which he repeated in 2020 with Jacksonville (141 tackles). His value in coverage regressed despite picking up three interceptions. Schobert chipped in with 2.5 sacks last year, which fell in line with his career path. Overall, his stats tell a better story than his actual impact value on the field.
LB K’Lavon Chaisson
Chaisson looks to be on the verge of unlocking the keys to be an explosive pass rusher. He plays with fire and explosiveness off the snaps with the moves to finish his targets. His next step is adding the power to win in the trenches. Chaisson needs to develop his game vs. the run while having the thought process to get better. He does have a history of injuries.
In his rookie season, Chaisson saw the field every game (three starts), but he made only 19 tackles with one sack. Jacksonville had him on the field for about half of their plays in 2020. He failed to make an impact in any area of the game.
CB CJ Henderson
Henderson gives the Jaguars the elite cornerback they lacked last year after trading CB Jalen Ramsey midseason in 2019 to the Rams. He plays with vision and explosiveness with the foundation skill set to excel in coverage. His next step is improving in press coverage while locking into his moving target in free space. Jacksonville drafted him with the ninth overall selection in 2020.
Last year he missed eight games with a shoulder injury and a groin issue. Henderson had 36 tackles with one interception and six defended passes, but receivers beat him for four scores. His game should improve in his second year.
CB Shaquill Griffin
Over his four seasons in Seattle, Griffin averaged 62 tackles and 12 defended passes while picking up a combined six interceptions. He will help in run support, but Griffin needs to improve his play in touchdowns allowed.
S Jarrod Wilson
After a minimal career in the NFL over his first four years in the league, Wilson picked 148 tackles over the last two seasons with starting snaps. He added three interceptions, and seven defended passes over this span. Wilson doesn’t have the foundation skill set to be a difference-maker in run support.
S Rayshawn Jenkins
In 2020 with the Chargers, Jenkins set a career-best in tackles (84) while chipping in with one sack, two interceptions, and four defended passes. He does have risk against the run due to some missed tackles. Jenkins tends to keep receivers in front of him, leading to short yards per catch.
With multiple first-round players on the Jaguars’ defense, they should naturally improve over time. The pass rush was a significant problem last year. The health and growth of Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson should go a long way in improving the pressure on the quarterback. I only see baby steps coming against the run. Jacksonville will have a bottom-tier defense again this season.
More Fantasy Team Outlooks:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/05/11/team-outlooks-hub">All 2021 Team Outlooks</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/05/26/houston-texans-team-outlook-deshaun-watson">Houston Texans</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/05/28/indianapolis-colts-team-outlook-carson-wentz">Indianapolis Colts</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: 2021 Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Team Outlook: Trevor Lawrence's Splash Impact Reinvigorates Expectations

A fantasy football breakdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars by high-stakes legend Shawn Childs Coaching After finishing last in the AFC Sout...

New on Sports Illustrated: What If This Is As Good As It Gets?

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/31/can-the-knicks-improve-nba-playoffs-daily-cover">
Like their ’90s predecessors, these Knicks are feisty—and that might not be enough to win a title.
At times, comparisons between the 2021 Knicks and their 1990s predecessors seem a bit overblown.
In contrast with the current club, those Knicks—who mimicked the Bad Boys Pistons and were the last of their kind—regularly led the NBA in flagrants and technicals. They weren’t merely inclined to play with a nasty streak; they were required to. After laying out opposing players with unforgiving physicality, then coach Pat Riley had an established, preemptive warning: Any player who tried to help up a fallen opponent would be fined. From 1992 to ’99, they were a perennial contender to win the title, but they never quite got there.
Still, even if those brutish elements are missing, one of the more defining characteristics—the club’s otherworldly work ethic, particularly on defense—
</a><a href="https://twitter.com/MikeVorkunov/status/1394712355519541251">appears to be similar</a>. It’s what the team’s undyingly loyal fan base has craved for decades, after growing accustomed to that sort of output for 10 straight years. And the mindset has been a driving force behind the Knicks’ surprise run to reach the postseason.
But in a way, that pedal-to-the-floor mentality may very well carry some unintended consequences, too. Specifically, it raises the question of whether these Knicks, who’ve already been giving maximum effort for months and now trail the Hawks 3–1 after <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/30/hawks-supporting-cast-balance-trae-young-knicks">Sunday’s 113–96 loss at State Farm Arena</a>, can realistically raise their play like a number of teams do during the playoffs.
<figure><img height="814" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzkyMjA4MDg2MTgxODM1/dcovknicks_v.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Several Knicks—including star forward Julius Randle, second-leading scorer RJ Barrett, backup guard Derrick Rose and swingman Reggie Bullock—shot almost improbably well from the perimeter during the team’s 41–31 campaign. <a href="https://twitter.com/johnschuhmann/status/1395029623029837828?s=20">According to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann</a>, those four saw <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/numbers-preview-knicks-4-vs-hawks-5">the NBA’s second, 10th, 11th and 13th biggest spikes in three-point percentage</a> since last year among players with 100 tries from deep in each of the past two years. Coach Tom Thibodeau deserves credit. (As does <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/04/22/knicks-late-night-shooting-sessions-have-changed-everything/">assistant Darren Erman</a>.) Upon being hired, he spoke with the analytics department about squeezing out more production from deep, <a href="https://theathletic.com/2603262/2021/05/21/the-4-point-revolution-how-the-knicks-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-3-point-bomb/">prompting the club to use a four-point line at practices</a> while making more frequent use of the corners. The Knicks, who just last year ranked 21st in the NBA in corner-three frequency, took a greater share of their threes from the corners than any other club this season.
But with an emergence this sudden—especially with Randle, the Most Improved Player, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/julius-randle-knicks-nba-playoffs-11620084363">whose shooting breakthrough was almost unprecedented—</a>it was always fair to wonder whether those sorts of numbers could were sustainable long-term, or against playoff-caliber defense. And if the first four games against Atlanta are any indication, something’s clearly shifted. Rose has played incredibly well. But Barrett, New York’s second-leading scorer during the season, has shot just 39.6% from the floor, and 27.3% from deep versus the Hawks. Bullock went scoreless (0 for 4) in Sunday’s defeat, and is shooting 37.9% in the series.
Then there’s Randle, who’s looked like a completely different player—in the worst possible way. The forward, full of swagger and regularly scoring against double-teams in the regular season, has been tentative and uncomfortable all series. Even in the few moments he’s been left relatively open, he’s occasionally looked to pass the ball. On Sunday, when he shot 7-for-19 and scored 23 points—somehow his best performance of the series thus far—he had a play in the third quarter where he got Atlanta’s Kevin Huerter in the air on a pumpfake, then dribbled into the paint. The Hawks had just subbed out stud rim protector Clint Capela, so a rumbling freight train like Randle looked like an even safer bet to score as he closed in toward the basket. But John Collins went vertical at the rim, and Randle’s attempt glanced off the iron. He had an opportunity to tip home his own miss before any other player leapt for the rebound, but that was off the mark, too. He ended up with the ball a third time, then fumbled it out of bounds.
Randle averaged 37.3 points per game on 58.3% shooting against the Hawks during the season, but the team’s No. 1 option is now averaging 16.8 points on 27.4% shooting for the series—numbers that, if they hold, indicate the Knicks have little chance of coming back to knock off Atlanta.
In a way, even Rose’s success has even created challenges for the Knicks at times. Because Thibodeau opted to move his longtime point guard into the starting lineup in Game 3, the team’s bench looked lost on offense without him during the second quarter, which turned out to be difference in that contest.
The Knicks have talent, but not in abundance. Stretching Rose’s minutes and moving him into the starting lineup was like robbing Peter to pay Paul. It plugged one clear hole, but quickly created another.
There may not always be enough putty on defense, which Thibodeau stresses more than perhaps any other coach. (Any given night, you can hear him shouting instructions, loudly, to his players from the sideline about how to play an opposing team’s pick-and-roll.) Without the injured Mitchell Robinson, New York has <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nbas-benjamin-button/">a young ace-defending guard who hardly plays</a> (Frank Ntilikina) and <a href="https://theknickswall.com/is-nerlens-noel-pricing-himself-out-knicks-future/">an athletic beanpole of a backup big</a> (rejection specialist Nerlens Noel) who at times lacks the stoutness to hang with the biggest centers. After them, though, the Knicks—<a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/can-tom-thibodeau-take-a-defense-first-knicks-team-to-the-playoffs/">23rd in defensive efficiency last year with virtually the same roster</a>—are more or less average from top to bottom in terms of individual defending. That makes it even more remarkable that they’ve managed to build a top-five defense with that group in 2021.
Under Thibodeau’s direction, the Knicks operate with a sort of synchronized chaos. During the regular season, they were masters at forcing the ball out of playmakers’ hands, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVj5nbZOFVk">making second, third and fourth efforts</a>. When they sent aggressive double teams at post players, opponents scored a league-low .796 points per possession in those scenarios, according to Synergy Sports. New York has been taught to funnel players toward help defenders, which, when done right, makes it challenging to find a clean shot or easy pass to make. Would-be spot-up shooters typically find themselves flustered, swinging the ball to the next open man or putting it on the deck because of how hard the Knicks race at them on the perimeter.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mj7Te8G9HMk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Knicks fans have long been accustomed to seeing their team give up wide-open threes, but now it’s often strategic. The Knicks are fine giving up an open look to someone like Atlanta’s Cam Reddish (26.2% from deep, and 28.6% against New York). But in turn, they’ll generally blanket the likes of Brooklyn’s Joe Harris, who shot a league-best 47.5% in 2021, and hit 42.1% of his tries against New York.
The team’s high-speed closeouts—and its ability to occasionally induce shots from poor shooters—led to the Knicks’ finishing the campaign with the lowest opponent’s three-point percentage in the NBA, at 33.7%. (League average is 36.7%.) Overall, New York held foes to 44.0% from the field, and 104.7 points per game—both league lows. It marks the first time since 1999–2000, under Jeff Van Gundy, that the Knicks ranked best in both categories. (New York also accomplished the feat in 1992–93 and ’93–94 with Riley in charge. The club owned the NBA’s best defensive efficiency rate three straight years under him.)
<figure><a href="https://www.si.com/tag/daily-cover" rel="nofollow"><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NjcyNDIyMTEzMzU1NzM2/daily-cover-promo-new.jpg" width="620" /></a></figure>
Consistently playing that way isn’t easy, though. “It’s some hard work,” <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/04/29/new-york-knicks-hot-streak-julius-randle-rj-barrett">Barrett said</a> of the commitment.
Barrett understands this better than anyone. Over the course of the season, he logged <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance/?Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&sort=DIST_MILES&dir=1&PerMode=Totals">more than 192 miles on the court, more than any other NBA player</a>. Randle tracked 188 miles. By contrast, Kevin Huerter, the high man on the Hawks, traveled just 158 miles. Star Trae Young covered only 155. John Collins and and Clint Capela finished with 138.7 and 137.1, respectively. (Part of this was Barrett and Randle’s playing virtually every game, which only a handful of players leaguewide managed to do this year.)
For better or worse, it’s yet another way in which these Knicks resemble the ones from decades prior.
Players from that generation—one with no concept of rest or load management—approached practices in the same cut-throat fashion they did the games. “I still remember when I got traded to the Knicks. I was working out at UCLA with Magic [Johnson] and [James] Worthy,” Doc Rivers recalls of being dealt from the Clippers to New York in 1992. “They said, ‘You’re in trouble, bro.’ They loved Riles. But they said the intensity of the workouts was going to kill me and kill my career. They said, ‘Your career is done.’ ”
Rivers, 32 years old and the Knicks’ starting point guard back then, tore his ACL the next year. And New York, outdueled by Michael Jordan and turned back in the Finals twice, never won a title in that era.
The situations are obviously different for many reasons. <a href="https://grantland.com/features/the-chicago-bulls-coach-tom-thibodeau-quest-perfection/">Dating back to his time with Chicago</a>, Thibodeau has faced questions about the heavy minutes he saddles his best players with. This season, whenever he’s been asked about the workload for Barrett and Randle, Thibodeau has said <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/01/11/rj-barrett-may-not-be-able-to-handle-heavy-knicks-workload/">they’re both young players, and that he’s often proactive</a> about giving them days off during practice sessions.
But looking beyond injuries and fatigue, there remains the broader issue of pacing in an effort to have a team peak during the playoffs.
Two schools of thought exist. The glass-half-full approach would suggest a team like the Knicks is better off for having played this way all season, because there’s no need to acclimate to a new level of intensity in the postseason. The effort is built in at this point, and their lead guys have played significant minutes all along. Yet it’s easy to see how a team like the Hawks—battered by injury for much of the season, but now finally whole again—could improve by extending their best players’ minutes and locking in defensively. (Both teams finished the season on fire. Under coach Nate McMillan, who took over midway through the year, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/19/nba-playoff-preview-2021-atlanta-hawks-trae-young-daily-cover">the resurgent Hawks went 25–11 after the All-Star Game</a>. Meanwhile, the Knicks reeled off a season-best nine-game win streak in April and closed out the year with 16 wins in their last 20 games.)
<figure><img height="346" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzkyMjI5MjkyNTgyODU5/rj-barrett-knicks.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Barrett was a consistent threat from deep in the regular season—but not so far in the playoffs.</figcaption>
</figure>
It’s obviously a bit strange to wrestle over the question of whether the Knicks have played too hard for their own good in recent months. That we’re even talking about it at all speaks to how much the club has overachieved. New York entered the season with the league’s lowest payroll, and even lower expectations following last year’s 21–45 mark. This is <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/tsl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=combined&order_by_asc=0&order_by=losses&type=team_totals&year_min=2001&year_max=2021&lg_id=NBA">a franchise that’s lost more than any other</a> the past two decades: one made up of a handful of young, key contributors who still need to learn the right work habits.
Asked whether there’s still more magic and the players can squeeze out of this season, Thibodeau said there was. “I think we will [make the adjustments]. I know how they work. Their attitude is upbeat, and their work ethic is second to none,” Thibodeau said after the Game 3 loss.
Perhaps more than anyone, Knicks fans always have a thirst for hard-working teams that embrace full effort and floor burns. After 20 years, the city finally has another cold glass of water. But whether that glass is half-empty or half-full is a moot point for the Knicks right now. Because if you’ve already poured everything you have into the regular season, that high-water mark probably won’t be enough to advance come playoff time.
More NBA Playoff Coverage: 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/30/chris-paul-deandre-ayton-back-against-lakers">Chris Paul Is Back, and He Brought the Suns With Him</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/26/mental-health-peril-nba-season-daily-cover">The Mental Peril of This NBA Season</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/19/nba-playoff-preview-2021-atlanta-hawks-trae-young-daily-cover">Atlanta Is Falling in Love With Trae Young</a>
<a href="https://www.si.com/tag/daily-cover">Read More of SI’s Daily Cover Stories Here</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: What If This Is As Good As It Gets?

Like their ’90s predecessors, these Knicks are feisty—and that might not be enough to win a title. At times, comparisons between the 2021 ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Has Bradley Beal Reached His Limit With the Wizards?

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/31/washington-wizards-bradley-beal-future">
Speculating about Beal’s future has practically become an annual ritual, but there’s reason to think this time will be different.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of <a href="http://si.com/">SI.com</a>’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.
Within minutes of absorbing a 29-point thrashing that cast his team into a deep chasm of postseason despair, Bradley Beal took his place on a Zoom screen and declared, with all the earnestness he could muster, that the Wizards of Washington would persist.
“I’m a huge fan of the word ‘embrace,’” Beal said Saturday, after <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/76ers/news/sixers-dominate-wizards-game-3-potential-first-round-sweep">the Wizards fell into a 3-0 hole</a> in their first-round series against the top-seeded 76ers. “Embracing everything. Embracing the stages of life. Embracing every situation. And it's the same thing with this. Embrace where we are.”
A seasoned vet, Beal knows the reality as well as anyone: No team in NBA history has won a playoff series after going down 3-0. The Wizards—who posted an under-.500 record this season, who had to win two play-in games just to make the playoffs—will not be the first.
But after nine seasons in D.C., Beal is also a veteran of disappointment and frustration and a virtual master in the art of stubborn belief. He’s embraced his fair share of quixotic quests: <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/04/28/john-wall-bradley-beal-problem-for-wizards">striking a functional partnership</a> with John Wall; making the Wizards respectable; <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/video/2018/02/23/wizards-decision-bradley-beal-john-wall">keeping them relevant through Wall’s injuries</a>; forging a <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2932917-bradley-beal-praises-russell-westbrook-1-of-the-best-teammates-ive-ever-had">new partnership with Russell Westbrook</a>; dragging the Wizards <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/15/2021-nba-playoffs-postseason-field-play-in-tournament">to the playoffs</a> after a season marred by quarantines and postponements.
<iframe height="482" width="100%" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?p=DGT1910570625" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Every year, Beal evolves a little more—as a shooter and a scorer, as a playmaker and a ball-handler, as a leader and a culture-setter—only to find himself staring at the same, depressing fate: early elimination. The Wizards have made the playoffs just five times in Beal’s nine years, falling in the second round three times, the first round once (and soon to be twice).
Which has league insiders asking once again: How much more will Beal tolerate? How long before he says the two words he’s repeatedly vowed not to utter: Trade me. No one professes to know Beal’s intentions, but rival scouts and executives have believed for months that a day of reckoning is near—as in this summer.
It’s true that Beal has <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/02/02/bradley-beal-no-desire-traded-wizards">consistently professed his loyalty to Washington</a>, and a commitment to leading the Wizards out of the desert. But every NBA star has his limits.
“He’s been adamant,” says an Eastern Conference scout. “But yeah, it wouldn’t surprise people if he had an about-face on that and said, `Enough of this.’”
The case for Beal asking out is fairly straightforward. He’s an elite scorer, one of the NBA’s best, averaging 30-plus points per game the last two seasons. He’s firmly in his prime (turning 28 later this month). He’s never experienced playoff success. He’s routinely snubbed for individual awards, because of the Wizards’ ghastly record. And he’s on a capped-out team, with an aging, overpaid co-star, and no clear path to title contention.
Rui Hachimura, the Wizards’ top pick in 2019, had a solid second season—but no one projects him as a star. <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/05/06/deni-avdija-israel-faith-of-a-nation">Scouts like Deni Avdija’s tools</a>, but his rookie season was mostly a dud. Daniel Gafford was a late-season revelation, but he’s a role player. Davis Bertans is a nice shooter who cannot possibly live up to the <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/11/21/davis-bertans-wizards-five-year-contract-grade">$80 million contract</a> he signed last year.
“They got some nice players, but they’re not close to a championship team,” said the scout. “Future is not bright,” said an executive with another Eastern Conference team. It’s hard to find anyone around the league who disagrees.
And though no one doubts the sincerity of Beal’s declarations, well, these things tend to change when stars get fed up. James Harden pledged his undying loyalty to Houston, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/01/14/james-harden-nets-nba-ultimate-heel-turn-daily-cover">but eventually forced his way to Brooklyn</a>. Westbrook did the same in Oklahoma City, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/07/12/thunder-trade-russell-westbrook-rockets-chris-paul-free-agency">before forcing his way to Houston</a>…and then out of Houston. Kyrie Irving <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2017/08/23/kyrie-irving-isaiah-thomas-cavaliers-celtics-trade-grades-analysis#:%7e:text=The%20summer%20of%20blockbusters%20continued,trade%20request%20earlier%20this%20summer.">forced a trade from Cleveland to Boston</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2018/10/04/kyrie-irving-plans-re-signing-celtics">declared</a> he’d be a Celtic for life, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/06/30/kyrie-irving-nets-contract-deal-free-agency">then left for Brooklyn</a>. Anthony Davis <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/06/15/anthony-davis-trade-lakers-send-lonzo-ingram-pelicans#:%7e:text=Anthony%20Davis%20trade%20grades%3A%20Lakers,picks%20to%20Pelicans%20%2D%20Sports%20Illustrated&text=The%20Pelicans%20have%20traded%20All,and%20three%20first%2Dround%20picks.">ditched New Orleans for Los Angeles,</a> just eight years after Chris Paul ditched New Orleans for Los Angeles. And on and on.
Of the 27 players named to the 2021 All-Star Game (including injury replacements), just 14 are still with their original teams (including four players still on their rookie contracts).
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxNDAyMzUxMTg4MzIxMzgz/bradley-beal-wizards-trade-future.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Speculating <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/01/12/bradley-beal-wizards-trade-rumors">about Beal’s future</a> has practically become an annual ritual, but there’s reason to think this time will be different. Beal’s contract runs through the 2022-23 season, but the final year is a $37 million player option—which means he can be a free agent in just 13 months. The clock is ticking.
“I think so,” said an executive with a Western Conference team. “They’re in a tough spot.”
To be sure, it’s hard to accurately assess this Wizards season, marred as it was by injuries and <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/01/15/wizards-five-players-test-positive-covid-19">a COVID-19 outbreak</a> that forced the team to essentially shut down for two straight weeks in January. The Wizards went 6-17 over their first 23 games, fell 15 games under .500 in early April, then closed the season on an 18-7 kick, with Westbrook going supernova nearly every night.
“The last part of the season really impressed me,” said Ryan McDonough, the former Suns general manager, now a commentator for <a href="https://www.audacy.com/">Audacy</a>. “I think there’s some positive takeaways. I’d like to at least see how it looks next season with a healthy Westbrook and Beal, and more experience from Avdija and Hachimura and Gafford.”
Still, McDonough concedes, a healthy, improving Wizards team projects as a lower-tier playoff team in the East—perhaps with a chance to crack the top six, if all goes well. There’s your upside.
The downside? Westbrook turns 33 in November, and he’s already shown signs of erosion over the last two years. For all his gaudy counting stats and triple-doubles, Westbrook remains a low-efficiency, high-turnover gambit. He doesn’t get to the basket as often as he once did, nor finish as well as he once did, nor earn as many free throws as he once did, or even shoot them well (.656 this season). Also, he keeps getting hurt. (Also, he’s turning 33 in November. Did we mention he’s turning 33 in November?) Oh, and he’s earning $44 million next season, with a cap-clogging $47 million player option in 2022-23.
“The right move is to (trade) Beal and probably buy out Westbrook,” said the Eastern Conference executive (while noting that Wizards ownership has always preferred playoff berths over long-term planning).
If Beal at last requests a trade—or if Wizards officials decide it’s time to hit the reset button—the market would be robust, and the payoff considerable, if recent superstar deals are any guide. The <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/07/06/kawhi-leonard-signs-clippers-paul-george-trade-thunder">Thunder got five first-round picks, two pick swaps and a budding young star (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)</a> for Paul George. The Pelicans got three first-rounders, a pick swap and two promising young players (Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball) for Davis. More recently, the Pelicans <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/11/17/bucks-trade-grade-jrue-holiday-pelicans#:%7e:text=Holiday%2C%20one%20of%20the%20best,pick%20swaps%20in%20the%20deal.">acquired multiple first-round picks from the Bucks in the Jrue Holiday deal</a>.
Rival executives expect something similar if Beal hits the market. The Warriors could make a bid, dangling rookie center James Wiseman and Minnesota’s lottery pick. The Pelicans could offer an wealth of picks (via the Lakers and Bucks), along with Ingram. If the 76ers flame out in the coming weeks, perhaps they consider the (long-speculated) Ben Simmons-for-Beal swap. The Heat have few top-shelf assets, but could get creative and make a bid. Ditto the Mavericks. Maybe the Knicks, armed with two Dallas picks and R.J. Barrett, make a run.
“I think teams would pounce,” said the scout.
The Wizards’ season could end as soon as tonight, and almost certainly by the end of the week. Will it be the end of the Beal Era, as well? That’s probably up to Beal, and how much more anguish he’s willing to endure. For nine years, he’s embraced all manner of challenges and setbacks and humiliation. Maybe now it’s time to embrace change.
More NBA Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/19/nba-playoff-preview-2021-atlanta-hawks-trae-young-daily-cover">Atlanta is Falling in Love With Trae Young</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/30/chris-paul-deandre-ayton-back-against-lakers">Chris Paul is Back, and He's Brought the Suns With Him</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/28/kyrie-irving-boston-celtics-racism-comments">Kyrie Irving’s Return to Boston Reignites Racism Issue</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/05/30/hawks-supporting-cast-balance-trae-young-knicks">Hawks' Supporting Cast Too Much for Top-Heavy Knicks to Handle</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Has Bradley Beal Reached His Limit With the Wizards?

Speculating about Beal’s future has practically become an annual ritual, but there’s reason to think this time will be different. View the...

New on Sports Illustrated: Inside the Mets' Extraordinary Improvement on Defense

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/31/mets-defense-improvement-the-opener">
The Mets are in first place despite a disappointing offense and an MLB-high 17 players on the injured list, largely thanks to a stunning turnaround on defense.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
If you wonder how the New York Mets could possibly be in first place with an MLB-high 17 players on the injured list, the answer can be found in a .191 hitter, two Ivy League math whizzes who were still in college in 2015, and the best pitcher on the planet who is learning to love baseball’s new math.
The Mets have pulled off a stunning transformation on defense. After four straight seasons wasting elite arms with a bottom five defense, the Mets are a top-four defensive team. They have done so by beefing up their analytics department, using more than twice as many shifts as they did last year, and by relying on human connection to get players to buy into cold, hard data. It is a modern baseball success story of marrying information with performance.
When asked by SI what was behind New York’s increase use of shifts and the positive impact of them, Mets president Sandy Alderson gives three reasons:
1. “We are more comfortable with the data and how we are interpreting it.”
2. “Buy in from manager and staff and expansion of traveling analysts, leading to better player buy-in.”
3. “Emphasis coming from the front office in a collaborative way.”
Asked the same question, manager Luis Rojas says, “First I have to start with two people.” He mentioned research and development analysts Jared Faust and Ben Zauzmer. He also mentioned how well the shifts have worked.
“It’s been more successful,” Rojas said, “and that’s why the whole group is trusting it more.”
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzk2NTk4MzQ4MDYzODQ3/mets-celebrate.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
From 2017-20, no team averaged a higher fastball velocity than the Mets (93.9 mph). Yet despite those big arms the Mets in each of those seasons finished in third or fourth place and at least nine games out of first. Defense was a big problem. Starting in 2017, the Mets ranked 30th, 27th, 28th and 26th in defensive runs saved. That is why how the Mets are playing baseball this year is, as Casey Stengel would have said, an amazing story.
This is a story about more than math. But let’s begin with the math. In simple terms, here is the massive improvement by the Mets’ defense. Their MLB rank in each category is presented in parentheses:
How did the Mets’ D get here? Follow the timeline:
March 2019: The Mets hire Faust as an R&D analyst.
Faust is less than one year out of the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in economics with a minor in statistics before taking a job with the Yankees as a quantitative analyst.
Nov. 6, 2020: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/10/30/steve-cohen-mets-sale-approved-mlb-owners">Steve Cohen purchases the Mets</a> from the Wilpon family.
Cohen, a hedge fund manager, gives Alderson the green light to boost the team’s research and development department.
Nov. 11, 2020: Pitcher Marcus Stroman <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/11/11/marcus-stroman-accepts-mets-qualifying-offer">accepts the Mets’ one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer</a>.
Stroman is one of the most extreme groundball pitchers in baseball. Infield defense is crucial behind him. In the 11 games Stroman pitched for the Mets in 2019, batters hit .342 on balls in play against him—43 points higher than when he pitched his first 21 starts that year for Toronto. Stroman is only a good investment with a good defense.
Nov. 18, 2020: Robinson Cano is <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/11/18/robinson-cano-tests-positive-ped-suspended-2021-season-new-york-mets">banned for the 2021 season</a> because of PED use.
Last season Cano posted a -4 DRS at second base at age 37. Since 1934, only three second basemen played 130 games at the position at age 38 or older: Frank White in 1989, Craig Biggio in 2005 and Jeff Kent in 2007. Only White was an above average defender at the age. Replacing Cano with 29-year-old Jeff McNeil, a plus defender, was an upgrade.
Jan. 7, 2021: The Mets <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/01/07/francisco-lindor-trade-mets-acquire-cleveland-shortstop-andres-gimenez">trade for Francisco Lindor</a> from Cleveland.
Lindor is among the two or three best defensive shortstops in the game. Though he was hitting .191 entering Sunday, he has continued his elite defense, which is a major upgrade on Amed Rosario, who lacked range and the footwork to make backhand plays.
Lindor has an uncanny knack of reading hitters, which adds to his tremendous range that is helped by playing one of the deeper shortstop positions in the game. In non-shifts, Lindor plays four feet deeper than Rosario did and six feet deeper than Andres Gimenez, who split the job with Rosario last year.
“It’s no knock on Rosario. He was great for us,” Rojas says. “Lindor is just a better defender than whoever you want to compare him to.”
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzk2NjQxMjk4MjYxMDk1/francisco-lindor-defense.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Jan. 20, 2021: The Mets hire Zauzmer from the Dodgers.
Zauzmer graduated from Harvard in 2015 with a degree in Applied Math and Computer Science. He gained some renown for using algorithms to predict Oscar winners.
Where once the Mets had one analyst focused on data science, Cohen and Alderson hire several while boosting the R&D department to 19. Alderson decides to have analysts travel with the team this year so information is presented with a human connection, rather than digitally or in print form.
Feb. 20, 2021: The Mets sign free agent pitcher Taijuan Walker, 28, to a two-year, $20 million contract.
April 5, 2021: Opening Day.
With a runner at first in the second inning, Jacob deGrom throws a 94-mile fastball to Jean Segura, the Phillies second baseman. Segura hits it hard up the middle. deGrom jerks his head quickly to watch what last year would have been a base hit. But Lindor, ranging far to his left, snares it with one hand and flips it to McNeil, who turns the double play. Instead of facing first and third with one out, deGrom walks off the field. Inning over.
deGrom is so good that he may be to 2021 what Bob Gibson was to 1968: a pitcher so good the rules of the game will need to change to give hitters a better chance. Do not overlook the role of the Mets’ improved defense in deGrom’s historic season. The Mets have reduced the batting average on balls in play against deGrom by 61 points, including a reduction of 129 points on groundballs and line drives up the middle, when Lindor’s range and their increased use of shifts are most noticeable.
“The players have trusted the information,” Rojas says. “Starting out, the pitchers don’t like it when a weak grounder gets through the open side of infield for a hit, especially when the pitcher is a Cy Young Award winner. And the pitchers do have a say-so. If they don’t like something about the shift, we listen. But they see it work. They see a ball that goes between their legs and instead of a hit up the middle we turn two behind them.”
April 6, 2021: Stroman, who opted out of last season, makes his first start since 2019.
The Mets turn 12 groundballs into outs behind Stroman, the most behind him since June 18, 2019.
This is Stroman’s sixth season with 10 or more starts. The .272 BABIP against him this year is the lowest of those six seasons.
May 18, 2021: Ronald Acuna bats against Robert Gsellman with a runner at second and two outs.
Gsellman throws a sinker. Acuna hits a groundball up the middle, just to the left of second base.
On July 24 last year Acuna hit a grounder off deGrom to the exact same area, only softer. The Mets did not shift against Acuna then. Rosario, playing shortstop, gave chase but never got close enough to even make a diving attempt. Base hit.
This year the Mets put three infielders on the left side against Acuna. This time the ball is hit directly to Jose Peraza, the second baseman. Last year the same grounder would have been an RBI single. This year it was a groundball out to end the inning.
Why shift on Acuna? Over the past two seasons, Acuna has come to the plate 403 times. He has hit one groundball to the traditional area of the second baseman—where the Mets stationed their second baseman against him last year. Why defend an area with a 1-in-403 chance of getting a grounder when in the same span Acuna hit 25 grounders up the middle?
May 29, 2021: Austin Riley bats against Walker with one out and a runner on first.
Walker throws a split change. Riley hits it back to the box at 95 mph. Walker reaches for it with his glove but is not quick enough to grab it. He turns anxiously as it skitters up the middle, presumably into centerfield. But Peraza, who was shifted to the left side of second base, glides a few steps to his left and easily fields it and turns it into a double play. It is the exact scenario Rojas described before the game: pitchers are watching what were hits through the box turned into double plays.
Walker has been pitching nine years with four teams. The .220 BABIP against him is the lowest of his career.
May 31, 2021: The Mets begin a nine-game trip to Arizona, San Diego and Baltimore, which will take them through the one-third portion of the season.
Pitcher Seth Lugo and first baseman Pete Alonso should return this week. McNeil and Michael Conforto may be back by the end of June. Pitcher Carlos Carrasco will contribute sometime mid-summer. New York will get healthier.
In the meantime, despite the injuries, the Mets have thrived because of pitching and defense. It’s been teamwork of the highest order. Only the Giants and Cubs have a higher groundball rate than the Mets’ pitching staff (46%). The Mets entered play Sunday night with a home ERA of 1.81 through 20 games. That would shatter the live ball record in a full season of 2.07 by the 1966 White Sox, in an era so long ago that Chicago used 13 pitchers the entire season.
It is no longer a small sample. The Mets have made real changes in personnel, philosophy, and application of information. They proved the past four years on the negative side that pitching is never separate from defense. Now they are proving it on the positive side.
More MLB Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/26/rays-false-narrative-spending-roster-the-opener">Don't Praise the Rays for Not Spending</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/27/cubs-climb-nl-central-race-the-opener">Here Come the Cubs. But for How Long?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/28/trevor-story-trade-destinations-the-opener">The Four Best Fits for Trevor Story</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/24/pitching-prospects-college-joe-ryan-the-opener">The Precarious Case of Joe Ryan and Former College Pitchers</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/25/first-place-mets-still-metsy-the-opener">The Mets Are in First Place, But 'Big Mets Energy' Is Alive and Well</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Inside the Mets' Extraordinary Improvement on Defense

The Mets are in first place despite a disappointing offense and an MLB-high 17 players on the injured list, largely thanks to a stunning tu...