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New on Sports Illustrated: How Will the Rockets Approach the No. 2 Pick in the 2021 NBA Draft?

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/30/rockets-options-no-2-draft-pick">
With Houston slated to select second in July's NBA Draft, Rafael Stone's team has plenty of options to jump start a rebuild.
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Rafael Stone is a man of process. The Rockets general manager is no Sam Hinkie disciple, and an extended tankathon is unlikely in Houston. But as the Rockets mull their options with the No. 2 pick <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/23/nba-mock-draft-post-lottery-projections-pistons-cade-cunningham">in the 2021 draft</a>, Stone is quick to emphasize a key tenet of his philosophy as an executive. He plans to leave no stone unturned in his search for the next franchise anchor. Less than a year after James Harden’s departure, Stone can kickstart Houston’s rebuild in a hurry with the right decision.
“You shouldn’t foreclose anything,” Stone said following the NBA draft lottery on June 22. “You have to do the work and use the allotted time and have all of the discussions. I think the process is worthwhile to avoid predetermining things. That’s something we try hard to avoid.”
Houston dropped to No. 2 in the 2021 draft after putting up the league’s worst record in 2020-21, though sitting second in an impressive top-of-the-draft class is a welcomed outcome compared to the alternative. The Rockets risked losing their pick to the Thunder entering the lottery, with any pick outside the top four conveying to Oklahoma City as a result of the ill-fated Russell Westbrook trade. Forfeiting the pick would have been a disaster for Stone and Co. The Rockets are likely only a fringe playoff contender in 2021–22 even if they hit on the No. 2 pick. If there was no lottery talent on the way, another last-place finish in the West was certainly plausible. No rookie is a guaranteed success, especially right away. But there is legitimate star power in the top three of this draft. Daryl Morey’s biggest blunder hasn’t hurt his successor just yet.
So what exactly will the Rockets do with the No. 2 pick? Perhaps Stone knows whom he’s going to select, though if he does, he’s sporting an impressive poker face. Stone didn’t mention any of Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley or Jalen Green during his post-lottery press conference. He even floated the idea of trading the pick, though largely to illustrate his open mind entering the draft process. Houston could very well fall in love with either Mobley or Green in the coming weeks. Stone could pull a Morey and make a trade. As the Rockets chart a path forward in the post-Harden era, let’s assess their wealth of potential options:
<h3>Door A: Detroit Shocks the World</h3>
Cade Cunningham may be sitting atop nearly every mock draft imaginable, but the Oklahoma State point guard’s arrival in Detroit isn’t exactly a fait accompli at this point. Detroit’s interest in Green at No. 1 <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/25/nba-combine-notebook-post-lottery-cade-cunningham">is legitimate per SI's Jeremy Woo</a>, and there could be consideration of pairing a skilled center like Mobley with Jerami Grant in the frontcourt. The smart money is still on the Pistons taking the expected route and selecting Cunningham. But if they don’t, the Rockets are in prime position to land an NBA-ready star.
Expect Houston to pounce on Cunningham if he falls, and if Detroit shops the No. 1 pick, the Rockets could still be in position to move up. Houston has picks No. 23 and 24 in the 2021 draft, and perhaps a veteran wing like Eric Gordon could be of interest as the Pistons look to avoid another year in the lottery. Still, consider this more an unlikely hypothetical than anything at the moment.
<h3>Door B: Move Back From No. 2</h3>
We’ll be brief here with this option as well. If Cunningham is available at No. 2, he’ll be in the Toyota Center on opening night. If the Pistons stick with the presumed top pick, the debate between Mobley and Green will come to a head. I’d be skeptical of any rumor moving Houston out of the top three, though perhaps there’s a world where the Rockets slide down one spot in a deal with the Cavaliers. Cleveland could choose who it perceives to be the right fit alongside Darius Garland, Colin Sexton and Jarrett Allen, while the Rockets can add a couple of assets and select either Mobley or Green at No. 3. This is a bit of a hyper-specific scenario, though it is a plausible one considering the stage of each team’s rebuild.
<h3>Door C: Stick and Pick</h3>
The most likely scenario here is the simplest. Cunningham goes No. 1, the Rockets pass on making a trade, and a battle for the No. 2 pick emerges. Both Green and Mobley have star potential, and it’s easy to envision either youngster fitting in well on Stephen Silas’s squad. Let’s briefly put on our GM hat and assess each option.
The Case for Mobley:
The NBA remains a league of guards, but a truly special big can change a team’s ceiling in a major way. And all signs point to USC’s <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/03/27/evan-mobley-usc-march-madness-best-player">Mobley being such a player</a>. The 7-footer could very well contend for All-Defense honors with a 7’4” wingspan and quick feet, able to both battle behemoths down low and slide along with guards and wings on the perimeter. Mobley’s jump shot is a work in progress, though he’s an impressive athlete with a surprisingly solid handle, and his passing ability is quite advanced for a player of his age. Mobley could theoretically grow as a fulcrum in Houston’s offense, serving as an oversized version of Bam Adebayo. There’s legitimate upside here and a bankable floor, giving Kevin Porter Jr. a big man running mate of the future. Mobley is a special enough player to dismiss any positional value concerns.
<figure><img height="350" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAzOTYwOTM5NjY4NjEx/evan-mobley-usc.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>The rangy Mobley was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in his only season at USC.</figcaption>
</figure>
Regardless of fit concerns, I’m not so sure Wood’s presence should impact Houston’s decision with its pick. Wood only has two years left on his deal, and his relatively cheap contract could make for an easy trade. The Rockets could use Wood in a package that would bring back a guard or wing (perhaps Buddy Hield in Sacramento, Malik Beasley in Minnesota or Marcus Smart in Boston), allowing Mobley to flourish without any crowding in the frontcourt. Drafting Mobley doesn’t necessitate a Wood trade—though it’s not out of the question for Stone to be proactive and swap Wood for more natural fit.
The Case for Green:
I’d be quick to assume Green is the Rockets’ choice if Morey was still running the show. Houston’s former architect prioritized dynamic ball handlers above all else, and by all indications, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/12/21/g-league-ignite-scouting-jalen-green-jonathan-kuminga">Green is just that</a>. He has elite burst to the rim and a dynamic first step, and he creates space on his jump shot with relative ease. Add in an impressive showing against G League competition, and it’s not hard to see why Green is now in the conversation for the No. 1 pick.
Landing Green would create an interesting experiment in Houston. Green and Kevin Porter Jr. make for an intriguing backcourt combination, pairing two dynamic young scorers who have some real questions as playmakers. Houston may quickly lead the league in step-back threes, and on the right night, this could look like the Rockets’ duo for a decade. It won’t always be so easy. Porter is raw as a leading man in his own right, and John Wall’s presence only complicates matters. Garland and Sexton can combine for 60 points in a given evening, though their scoring ability doesn’t exactly equate to winning basketball. There are no guarantees in this league, but if Stone believes Green is the better prospect, he’ll worry about Porter’s development at a later date.
More NBA Draft Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/29/nba-draft-combine-prospects-stock-watch">Who Helped, Hurt Their Case at the Combine?</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/22/g-league-ignite-jalen-green-jonathan-kuminga-daily-cover">Inside the Experiment That Produced Two Likely Top-Five Picks</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/14/nba-draft-2021-college-basketball-decisions">NBA Draft Decisions That Will Shape the 2021–22 College Hoops Season</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/25/nba-combine-notebook-post-lottery-cade-cunningham">NBA Combine Notebook: Cade Cunningham at No. 1 Not a Foregone Conclusion</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: How Will the Rockets Approach the No. 2 Pick in the 2021 NBA Draft?

With Houston slated to select second in July's NBA Draft, Rafael Stone's team has plenty of options to jump start a rebuild. View ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Mailbag: Observations From Opening Days at Wimbledon and Why So Many Are Skipping the Olympics

<a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2021/06/30/mailbag-wimbledon-novak-djokovic-olympics">
Dissecting why Djokovic excels on grass, the quick turnaround from the French Open, why so many are skipping the Olympics and more.
It’s day three at Wimbledon. We’ve already had an abundance of twists, turns and slips.
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2021/06/29/serena-williams-retires-wimbledon-injury">Here are some thoughts</a> on Roger Federer and Serena Williams—39-year-old parents trying to establish records—one still in the draw, the other not. But, as it is written: Wednesday is Mailbag Day; so here goes….
Jon, I saw your <a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2021/06/25/wimbledon-2021-predictions-men-djokovic-federer">seed reports</a> and agree that Novak Djokovic is the player to beat. My question: Why is he so good on grass? I understand hard courts. And we know that if Nadal weren’t around, he would have many more French Opens. But why grass? 
Charles, LA
• For the record, after beating Jake Draper in round one, Djokovic now has precisely the same winning percentage on grass as he does on concrete. He is the de-de-fending champ at Wimbledon and most people have him versus the field.
We were talking about this on Tennis Channel (h/t Martina). Too often we are stuck in 90s stereotypes about grass. It’s serve-bots. It’s power. It’s Goran and Philippoussis. The truth: It’s all about movement. Grass benefits the athletes, the fleet of foot, the players who can change direction, those who are flexible. When players' movement gets exposed (Tsitsipas, Pliskova), they are vulnerable. When players can combine ballstriking and returning and serving with slick movement, they can excel. Which Djokovic does. 
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAyNDQzNzQyNDcxMjk5/novak-djokovic-wimbledon-mailbag.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Is only having two weeks off between the French Open and Wimbledon really such a big deal? I heard you say that on Tennis Channel. But what’s the difference? Carlito, NY
• Until 1977, there was only ONE week between Roland Garros and Wimbledon. In 1978, there were two weeks between the two majors and—while causation doesn’t equal correlation—note that this was the same year Bjorn Borg started his three straight years of winning “the Channel double”—both the French and Wimbledon. The two-week gap remained until 2015, when it was moved to three weeks.
As far as this year, I think the short turnaround had a huge impact. For all the talk of homogenization, grass and clay are distinctly different. They require not just different shoes, but an entirely different approach to movement. There were no grass court events in 2020, which meant that for players like Tsitsipas, who declined to play a tuneup, they went a full two years without grass matches. Also, just as with emotional reset during a period with lingering COVID-19 effects, the field could have used an additional week to exhale and then inhale.
Recognizing it will be some time before [Wednesday's] Supreme Court ruling…allows dollars to flow to college tennis players. But if I’m Gaudenzi, I’m thinking this is yet another reason to move with urgency to ensure journeymen (women) earn a living wage. Dale Stafford
• Context: Another <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/29/ncaa-scotus-nil-jeffrey-kessler">blow against the antitrust protection</a> that the NCAA has enjoyed, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities need to limit the educational benefits conferred on athletes. (Presumably, compensating athletes would also not withstand this antitrust exemption.)
I’m not sure whether this is a concern of Andrea Gaudenzi, head of the ATP. But I do think we are nearing a day when the NCAA won’t—or can’t—restrict the earnings of college players who can earn money playing pro events.
Just a quick observation while watching Federer play Mannarino….Federer NEEDS Steffi to teach him how to slice a backhand. As much as Federer’s topspin/drive backhand has vastly improved, he is merely floating his slices. A Fed Fan, Toronto
• I was going to suggest the opposite. Federer is blocking and slicing so many balls—serves especially—hit to the backhand. Take a whack, especially against Adrian Mannarino, who doesn’t overpower his opponents.
Jon, do you still do WTHIGOW? If so, WTHIGOW Tsitsipas? Thanks, Carl R.
• For the uninitiated, WTHIGOW is an anagram: “What the hell is going on with.” It seems a little too harsh, especially as I get softer and older. But let’s invoke it here: WTHIGOW Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has now lost six straight sets?
Let’s be clear. Frances Tiafoe played perhaps the match of his life. He had nearly twice as many winners as errors. He broke Tsitsipas five times and didn’t get broken once himself. He was magnificent on getting the crowd on his side with energy and projecting a sense of this-means-a-lot-to-me. But we always have this balancing exercise in sports. Tstisipas looked vacant and lost and emotionally beaten. Fifteen days ago, he was a set from a career-transforming win, his first major and a takedown of the Mighty Djokovic. He lost three straight sets. And then, still perhaps shellshocked, he lost another three today. A number of us wondered whether Tsitsipas would benefit from (see above) the short interval between the French and Wimbledon. No time to sulk when you have another major pending. This was opposite: not enough time had elapsed. He didn’t play a match between the French final and the first round of Wimbledon. Like a plate not fully cleaned, there were remnants of his French meal that were still apparent Tuesday
Hey Jon, Wimbledon Pre-Tournament Interview. It’s kind of embarrassing for a…reporter to ask Novak his thoughts about his “20” major titles. Sorry Jon—am not buying the niche sport argument. If an individual gets an opportunity to ask Nole a question—not knowing the stats is not acceptable. Read up! Deepak, New York .
• I didn’t hear that. I’m with you that basic research is in order. Not knowing Novak’s major count is inexcusable. But there is a tension between the knowledgeable tennis type and the mainstream broadcaster. I would love for, say, Stephen A. Smith or Dan Patrick to spend more time in and on tennis. If they didn’t know that Kohlschreiber hits a one-handed backhand or that Carla Suarez Navarro has had a hell of an 18 months, that’s O.K.
It seems like every day another player pulls out of the Tokyo Olympics. For a while there, I thought the Olympics were equal to a major. Now it doesn’t seem that way. What happened? The Sidewinder!
• We talked about this <a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2021/06/23/mailbag-2021-wimbledon-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal">last week</a>. There’s really a huge range here. For some players, the Olympics represents EVERYTHING. Wang Qiang has skipped Wimbledon expressly to train for the Olympics. For others, it’s clearly a been-there-done-that, more of a bucket list item than an event that—like a major—must be won as many times as possible.
I do think—to use our favorite symbol on the qwerty keyboard—there’s an asterisk around the Tokyo Games. It’s entirely understandable that, for reasons having nothing to do with their esteem for the Games, they would want to beg off.
Hi Jon, So Venus won her 90th match at Wimbledon. Wow! Do you remember when her father said that she was thinking of retirement after losing to Hingis in the 1999 U.S. Open semifinals? Joe Johnson, Easton PA
• I remember Richard Williams, in the 90s, explaining that his daughters had only a few more years of tennis because they had an abundance of other interests. I say, great. The longer stars stick around, the better. And if Venus and Serena still find fulfillment and are playing decades (!) longer than had initially been thought, this is something to be celebrated.
Can [you] explain why the ball persons behave like they just got out of basic training? Their military-style movement is disconcerting. @pazmagat
• We’re all for precision. But a smile would be nice.
Enjoy the holiday weekend of tennis! 
More Tennis Coverage: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2021/06/29/serena-williams-retires-wimbledon-injury">Serena Wimbledon Withdrawal a Cruel Reminder of Time</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/olympics/2021/06/29/venus-williams-to-miss-first-olympics-since-1996">Venus Williams Likely to Miss Olympics for First Time Since 1996</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2021/06/16/mailbag-2021-french-open-djokovic-nadal-krejcikova-wimbledon">Mailbag: What We Learned from the 2021 French Open</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Mailbag: Observations From Opening Days at Wimbledon and Why So Many Are Skipping the Olympics

Dissecting why Djokovic excels on grass, the quick turnaround from the French Open, why so many are skipping the Olympics and more. It’s d...

New on Sports Illustrated: Stay or Go? Examining the Looming NBA Decisions of 14 College Hoops Standouts

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/30/nba-draft-decisions-juzang-dickinson-liddell">
These players have less than a week to decide whether they will stay in the draft or not. Which way are they trending?
CHICAGO — With the NBA combine wrapped up and less than a week until the NCAA’s July 7 withdrawal deadline, a number of prominent college players are facing career decisions that will impact the broader landscape of the sport next season. On Tuesday,
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/29/nba-draft-combine-prospects-stock-watch">I highlighted a number of prospects who improved their draft stock from an NBA perspective</a>. Now, we’ll dive into this from a college angle, looking at the situations of the top players who appear to still be on the fence as the NCAA’s deadline approaches.
Class year represents the player's most recently completed NCAA season.
<h3>Johnny Juzang, UCLA | Sophomore</h3>
Looking at the big men’s college hoops picture, Juzang’s decision is among the more consequential, with the Bruins set to bring back all the key pieces from last season’s Final Four run, in addition to adding projected lottery pick <a href="https://www.si.com/college/recruiting/basketball/peyton-watson-highlights-evaluation">Peyton Watson</a>. Juzang’s stellar showing in March earned him an invitation to the combine and an opportunity to play his way into the draft. He measured surprisingly well (6' 7" in shoes with a 6' 10 ½ " wingspan), but struggled to make an impact in five-on-five play. Juzang isn’t extremely explosive, and he relies heavily on making jumpers to be effective. A return to UCLA, where he’d be one of the leaders of a high-profile potential contender, could be a legitimate opportunity to improve his standing among NBA scouts for 2022. Ultimately, Juzang may not have moved the needle enough to fully ensure he gets drafted this year, making this a tricky call.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAyODQ5NjE2ODgwNzcx/johnny-juzang-nba-draft-decision.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<h3>Jason Preston, Ohio | Junior</h3>
Preston was one of the top players in five-on-five competition at the combine and significantly raised his profile in NBA circles, now profiling as a likely top-40 selection if he stays in the draft. This is a consequential decision from a college basketball standpoint: If he stays at Ohio, the Bobcats will be one of the top mid-major teams in the country, and Preston should contend for national awards as one of the top guards anywhere. His ascent over the past few years has been remarkable. He’s built real momentum around the NBA, and the question is whether he wants to ride that into the draft and a likely guaranteed contract now, or whether it makes more sense to put up big numbers, win in college for another year and try to further improve his stock. Preston has won a lot of people over this week, making this one of the more intriguing decisions still to come.
<h3>Joshua Primo, Alabama | Freshman</h3>
<h3>Jaden Shackelford, Alabama | Sophomore</h3>
Primo was one of the big winners of the combine, performing well in drills and five-on-five and successfully showcasing a more well-rounded game than was readily apparent in a supporting role at <a href="https://www.si.com/college/alabama/">Alabama</a>. He’s the youngest draft-eligible prospect, and was primarily a spot-up shooter for the Crimson Tide, but it’s clear now that he has a lot more to offer in the way of ball skills and decision-making potential. NBA teams have been intrigued by Primo dating back to the 2019 Basketball Without Borders Camp, and he’s trending toward the first round of the draft right now. As a business decision, it would make sense for him to capitalize on his rising stock and develop in the pros next year.
Alabama should be in decent shape even if Primo leaves, with freshman JD Davison and Texas Tech transfer Nimari Burnett set to join Jahvon Quinerly in a loaded backcourt. It seems like Shackelford should join them, as he did not receive an invitation to the G League Elite Camp, signaling minimal interest from NBA teams. The Crimson Tide are loaded regardless, and should again be among the favorites in the SEC.
<h3>Max Abmas, Oral Roberts | Sophomore</h3>
From a college standpoint, Abmas is one of the higher-profile names on the fence, after leading the NCAA in scoring, taking Oral Roberts <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/22/oral-roberts-sweet-16-march-wildest-celebration">on a memorable Sweet 16 run</a> and carrying that momentum into the predraft process. At this point, it would behoove Abmas to return to college and try to add elements to his game in that setting. He struggled in combine five-on-five and measured as the smallest player at the event. It’s unlikely he’ll get drafted at this point, but Abmas clearly has some talent and will need to make developmental adjustments to better hold up against pro competition. His strengths just don’t translate that well at this level yet, as he struggled to get his jumper off and needs to become a better playmaker for others. If he returns to Oral Roberts, he’ll again be the focal point of their offense, and his scoring ability should give it a chance to be a tournament team again.
<h3>E.J. Liddell, Ohio State | Sophomore</h3>
<a href="https://www.si.com/college/ohiostate/">Ohio State</a> is shaping up as one of the best teams in the Big Ten and was hoping to have both Liddell and Duane Washington back next year. At the moment, the sense I get is that the Buckeyes expect Liddell to return, while Washington announced Tuesday he's staying in the draft. Both players took part in the G League Elite Camp, and Liddell may have had a bit more interest from teams entering the week, but it was Washington who successfully built momentum in NBA circles with his play. He now seems likely to end up on a two-way contract and could potentially sneak into the back end of the draft.
Getting Liddell back would still be a big help for the Buckeyes after he emerged as their best player last season, and he should again be one of the more productive forwards in the Big Ten. He continues to develop an effective inside-out game and presents matchup problems at the college level, where he can pull slower bigs out to the perimeter or take them off the dribble. From a defensive standpoint, Ohio State would be smart to let him guard forwards rather than stick him on centers. Losing Washington is a significant blow for the Buckeyes on offense and will likely require them to replace him with a transfer in the backcourt.
<h3>Terrence Shannon Jr., Texas Tech | Sophomore</h3>
There’s been some chatter around the combine that Shannon is considering returning to school, and that he could potentially end up transferring if he takes that route. The situation seems like a toss-up at the moment: Shannon has his fans around the NBA, but he opted not to participate in five-on-five at the combine, and didn’t build significant momentum in terms of his draft range. He’s been projected in and out of the first round this season, and right now the second round feels more likely. If Shannon wants to be a first-round pick, returning to school might be the way to make that happen, but he’s certainly draftable and should have an NBA roster spot next season if he stays in. This is one of the trickier situations to peg, but if he goes back to school, he should be one of the better players in college hoops.
<h3>Marcus Bagley, Arizona State | Freshman</h3>
Bagley is in the transfer portal and thought to be looking for first-round assurances to stay in the draft. It doesn’t look like he’ll get any, as he didn’t gain any traction at the combine and opted out of playing five-on-five, which limited any opportunity to really increase his stock. His early-season NBA momentum has stagnated, and right now he’s a second-rounder at best. Bagley is a talented scorer, but may be better off putting it all together in college next season and making another run at the draft with a stronger résumé. He played just 12 games at Arizona State and shot just 38.7% from the field, and was a player teams needed to see more of here in Chicago, making the decision to sit out of combine games a bit baffling. Bagley can change the narrative with a better sophomore year, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be back at Arizona State, regardless.
<h3>Ochai Agbaji, Kansas | Junior</h3>
<h3>Jalen Wilson, Kansas | Freshman</h3>
Neither of Kansas’s prospects left a lasting impression on scouts in Chicago, with Wilson playing at the G League Elite Camp and Agbaji in the combine itself. There’s a good case to be made that both should return, with Agbaji having a chance at the second round and Wilson unlikely to be drafted. Agbaji has a great frame but has struggled a bit with consistency and hasn’t fully refined himself into a reliable role-playing wing yet. Wilson flashed some versatility here that he hasn’t always shown at Kansas, but he’s not the most athletic player and needs to become a more reliable shooter to add value in an NBA context. Both players would be wise to consider staying in college, and Kansas will certainly be better off with them back.
<h3>Isaiah Mobley, USC | Sophomore</h3>
Mobley played well at the combine, showcasing some of his ball skills and playing with energy on both five-on-five days, and while he’s still unlikely to be drafted, he at least made a better case for himself to turn pro. If he stays in college, he’s a potential All Pac-12 player on the Trojans, who could really use him up front. If he turns pro, he’s likely looking at a two-way contract at best. Mobley has yet to perform up to his potential at the college level, averaging just 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds last season, but there’s certainly enough ability here for him to put it together in a big way for a <a href="https://www.si.com/college/usc/">USC</a> team that would need to feature him more offensively to succeed. He can start his professional clock now if he wants to, but it will take a strong showing in the G League before he gets a real shot in the NBA.
<h3>Julian Champagnie, St. John’s | Sophomore</h3>
Champagnie’s decision is thought to be a toss-up, as he didn’t leave a strong impression in Chicago and has the option to rejoin what could be an improved St. John’s team alongside standout sophomore guard Posh Alexander. NBA scouts were intrigued by Champagnie’s shooting ability in college, and he came off a strong sophomore season, but he wasn’t overly effective in any other capacity at the combine and isn’t a particularly physical or creative forward. Champagnie certainly has a chance to be drafted in the future and can hitch his wagon to his shooting as a skill, but right now, it could make more sense to return to college and develop there as a featured offensive player.
<h3>Aaron Wiggins, Maryland | Junior</h3>
Wiggins played well at the G League Elite Camp and earned an invitation to the combine from there, building a bit of buzz for himself as a player who could sneak into the second round. He subsequently fell back to earth a bit against better competition in combine five-on-five. Wiggins has ultimately helped himself, and should have a shot at earning a two-way contract, but he hasn’t quite shaken his reputation as an inconsistent performer over three years at Maryland. He’s shown legitimate flashes of trending in the right direction, so this is a question of whether he’s better off developing in college or in the G League. Maryland returns a decent roster and could really use him back—particularly if Wiggins can deliver on his flashes and elevate his game in a real way. He could be an All–Big Ten player if he returns.
<h3>Hunter Dickinson, Michigan | Freshman</h3>
It seemed like Dickinson’s foray into the draft was more exploratory than anything else, as his game is ill-suited for the modern NBA and he’ll need to work himself into the best possible shape to have a chance at sticking. The Wolverines may be the Big Ten favorites on paper, and it makes sense for him to return as their interior anchor. Dickinson may have a stellar college career ahead, but he’s a bit of a dated player archetype by NBA standards and didn’t make a huge impact at G League Elite Camp. It won’t stop him from being plenty effective for <a href="https://www.si.com/college/michigan/">Michigan</a> next season, assuming he returns.
More NBA Draft/College Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/29/nba-draft-combine-prospects-stock-watch">NBA Combine Stock Watch</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/23/college-basketball-top-recruits-holmgren-banchero">SI's Top 10 Recruits Will Have Major Impact in College</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/30/penny-hardaway-hiring-larry-brown-memphis-tigers-coaching-staff">Report: Hardaway Hiring Larry Brown as Assistant</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Stay or Go? Examining the Looming NBA Decisions of 14 College Hoops Standouts

These players have less than a week to decide whether they will stay in the draft or not. Which way are they trending? CHICAGO — With the ...

New on Sports Illustrated: MLB Roundtable: Making the All-Star Case for Players Not Getting Their Deserved Recognition

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/30/all-star-game-players-make-the-case">
These unheralded players deserve to earn a spot on their league's All-Star teams.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
At at time when baseball is ripe with talent, it can be easy to overlook some of the game's best players when naming the All-Star team rosters. 
Look no further than the three Juniors (Vladimir Guerrero, Ronald Acuña and Fernando Tatis) to see the obvious greats the game has to offer. But, there are also plenty of unheralded stars deserving of recognition at this year's All-Star Game at Coors Field.
The Sports Illustrated MLB staff made the case for one player to be selected for their league's All-Star team. Here's what they had to say:
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAyMDMwODg4NzQwMTY4/cedric-mullins-bal.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Cedric Mullins</figcaption>
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<h2>Tom Verducci</h2>
Cedric Mullins of Baltimore should not only go to the All-Star game, he should start it. He leads the AL in hits (94), and among AL outfielders leads in OPS (.920) and total bases (168), is second in stolen bases (14) and third in OBP (.383). He is also a great story. Mullins is a 5-foot-8, 13th-round pick from 2015 who was a switch-hitter and batted .197 in his first 67 games in the majors over two years. After hitting .147 from the right side, he gave up switch-hitting this year. As a lefthanded-only hitter, he has flourished. Mullins is on his way to a 20/20 season (home runs and stolen bases) while hitting .300. That’s been done by only one player in franchise history, Ken Williams of the St. Louis Browns a century ago (1921, 22).
<h2>Stephanie Apstein</h2>
<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/14/shohei-ohtani-can-do-everything-the-opener">Shohei Ohtani</a> will make the All-Star team, so I will not make the case for his inclusion. I will make the case for his inclusion as the two-way player who has so impressed us. Technically, if Ohtani pitches and hits for himself, the AL should lose the DH. I have seen some people suggest MLB scrap that rule for the day. That would be fine. Also fine: Keep it! It's the All-Star Game! AL manager Kevin Cash should just pinch hit with his bench guys after Ohtani leaves the game. Fans would rather see Ohtani pitch and hit than see Kyle Gibson throw an extra inning. (No offense to Kyle Gibson, who is having an excellent season.) The result doesn't matter now that home field advantage in the World Series goes to the team with the better record instead of being decided by the ASG winner, so let's put on a show.
<h2>Emma Baccellieri</h2>
Cedric Mullins will almost certainly be an All-Star—the one-representative-per-team rule requires that there be someone from the Orioles and, well, that's obviously him. But I think he has a clear case to be not just a member of the team, but a starter, and it would be a shame to see him overlooked. He finished seventh among outfielders in the first round of voting for the American League—but his play this season has been decidedly worthy of the top three. He leads the position in WAR from both FanGraphs (3.7) and Baseball-Reference (3.4). His defense is a joy to watch. He boasts a 152 OPS+. He's first in the AL in hits and first among AL outfielders in steals. And he was responsible for this <a href="https://twitter.com/Orioles/status/1391928612337639429">completely delightful pop-up triple</a> back in May. What more can you ask for? That's an All-Star starter.
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAyMDcxNjkwOTI5Mjgz/trea-turner-nats.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Trea Turner</figcaption>
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<h2>Will Laws</h2>
The fans got it wrong by voting in Javy Báez over Trea Turner as a <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/27/mlb-announces-all-star-game-finalists-ohtani-tatis-acuna">National League finalist</a> at shortstop. San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. is the deserved surefire starter, but Turner—who was drafted in the first round by San Diego before being dealt in the three-team Wil Myers trade—has a claim to being the best all-around option. He's been the NL's second-most valuable shortstop both on offense (behind Tatis) and on defense (behind Pittsburgh's Kevin Newman) by fWAR, and with 16 stolen bases is tied with Tatis and Ronald Acuña Jr. for the second-most among all players (behind only Kansas City's Whit Merrifield). He's also one of just 12 qualified hitters batting .300, and with 13 homers could end up as the first Nationals player since Alfonso Soriano (2006) to complete a 30/30 season. Turner kept Washington's offense afloat while Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber were either injured or struggling early on, and is still regarded by fWAR as the team's most valuable by more than a full win despite <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/29/nationals-kyle-schwarber-history-on-monday-the-opener">Schwarber's recent homer binge</a>. The North Carolina State product is more than deserving of his first All-Star bid. 
<h2>Matt Martell</h2>
Maybe this is cheating, but I posed this roundtable prompt so I make the rules: <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/03/kris-bryant-chicago-cubs-the-opener">Kris Bryant</a> should make the NL All-Star team as an outfielder instead of as a third baseman. He's going to be on the team, and deservedly so, despite his June skid. The thing is, he's played more than twice as many innings this season as an outfielder than he has at third. This positional eligibility fudging is about more than just Bryant. Nine or so outfielders will make the All-Star team, compared to the three third basemen. Manny Machado, though certainly deserving of an All-Star selection, looks like the odd man out with Bryant at third, with Nolan Arenado and Justin Turner as the other two third basemen likely to earn a spot.
Machado isn't having his best season at the dish (.260, 13 HR, .792 OPS), but that's because he got off to a rough start. Since returning to the Padres' lineup after consecutive days off on May 28, Machado is slashing .311/.353/.554 with six homers and 21 RBIs. Meanwhile, he's played superb defense all season (five defensive runs saved) and leads all NL third basemen in bWAR (2.7) and ranks third at the position in fWAR (2.1).
<h2>Nick Selbe</h2>
In a lineup with Shohei Ohtani and (at least for the first six weeks) Mike Trout, it's easy to overlook first baseman Jared Walsh. The 27-year-old former 39th-round pick was never regarded as a high-impact prospect during his five minor league seasons, but he made the most of his first crack at extended playing time during the shortened 2020 season. Through three months this year, his success at the plate has continued. Walsh ranks fourth among AL first basemen in fWAR (2.0), third in home runs (18), fourth in wRC+ (143) and tied for second in RBIs (53). He's third in win probability added behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Matt Olson, and has teamed with Ohtani to give the Angels some much-needed thump from the left side of the plate. Cracking the AL roster as a first baseman is a tall task this year given the outstanding seasons from Guerrero, Olson and Yuli Gurriel, so ultimately the field might be too crowded for Walsh. But his play has made him worthy of inclusion, and his emergence as a star has provided the Angels with a potential franchise cornerstone for the foreseeable future.
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAyMTgzNjI4NTE0NDM1/bryan-reynolds-pirates.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Bryan Reynolds</figcaption>
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<h2>Michael Shapiro</h2>
The every-team-represented gimmick in the All-Star Game often leads to some maddening omissions, but I have no problem with Bryan Reynolds snagging a National League outfield spot. Pittsburgh’s switch-hitting star is having quite the impressive season in relative obscurity, bouncing back from an ugly 2020 with a .925 OPS in his first 75 games. Only three NL hitters sport a better on-base percentage. Reynolds ranks third in the NL in WAR, and he’s added 13 dingers to boot. Reynolds and defensive dynamo Ke’Bryan Hayes represent the future in Pittsburgh, with an improving minor league system ideally leading to winning baseball by 2025. For now, let’s hope to see Reynolds at Coors Field in a few weeks.
More MLB Coverage: 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/30/marquez-loses-no-hitter-throws-maddux-the-opener">Germán Márquez Loses No-Hit Bid in 9th But Achieves Something Better</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/29/nationals-kyle-schwarber-history-on-monday-the-opener">Kyle Schwarber Isn't Paying Attention to the Numbers</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/28/sticky-stuff-crackdown-is-working-opener">Sticky Stuff Enforcement Is Already Making Baseball a Better, Fairer Game</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/21/baseball-interpreters-daily-cover">'A Game of Speech'—But Also, For Baseball Interpreters, So Much More</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: MLB Roundtable: Making the All-Star Case for Players Not Getting Their Deserved Recognition

These unheralded players deserve to earn a spot on their league's All-Star teams. View the original article to see embedded media. A...

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Ryan Ramczyk Becomes Highest-Paid Right Tackle with Five-Year, $96 Million Extension With Saints

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/06/30/ryan-ramczyk-contract-five-year-deal-96-million">
Ryan Ramczyk will reportedly sign a five-year extension worth $96 million with the Saints and earn $19.2 million per year until 2026.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
Saints offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk is expected to sign a five-year extension with the Saints worth $96 million and $60 million guaranteed, per <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1410263434025918472?s=20">ESPN's Adam Schefter</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1410259388544204807?s=20">NFL Network's Ian Rapoport</a>. 
The deal makes Ramczyk the highest-paid right tackle in all of football. 
Ramczyk, 27, is now signed through 2026 with the Saints and will earn $19.2 million per year. He was drafted by the Saints in 2017 and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2019 and named Second-Team All-Pro in 2018 and 2020. 
He didn't allow a sing sack in 2019 and was the highest-graded offensive lineman that same year. Ramczyk has only missed one game in his four-year career and has started in every appearance. He hasn't missed a game since 2018. 
More NFL Coverage: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/06/30/nfl-mailbag-tom-brady-aaron-rodgers-drafted-opposite-team">Mailbag: Imagining Rodgers and Brady on Each Other's Teams </a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/06/28/mmqb-sam-rapoport-guest-column-carl-nassib-is-football">MMQB: Carl Nassib is Football, and So Am I</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/washingtonfootball/news/tanya-snyder-named-washington-football-team-co-ceo-wft-nfl-news-dan-snyder">Tanya Snyder Named Washington Football Team Co-CEO</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/06/22/carl-nassib-raiders-jersey-tops-fanatics-sales-list">Nassib's Jersey Becomes Fanatics Top Seller</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Ryan Ramczyk Becomes Highest-Paid Right Tackle with Five-Year, $96 Million Extension With Saints

Ryan Ramczyk will reportedly sign a five-year extension worth $96 million with the Saints and earn $19.2 million per year until 2026. View...

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Playoff Injuries Don't Equal Asterisks: Unchecked

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/30/giannis-bucks-hawks-nba-playoffs-injuries-asterisk">
There is no asterisk or any one thing to blame for the injuries to stars this NBA playoffs.
Injuries have absolutely marred the NBA playoffs, there’s no getting around that. But that doesn’t mean this season should have an asterisk, nor is there any one thing to blame. It just sucks. 
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A title is supposed to crown the best team, not the last one standing. And <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/30/giannis-antetokounmpo-leaves-game-4-against-hawks-with-injury">with Giannis Antetokounmpo going down</a>, he joins the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Chris Paul, Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell on the list of players who have been limited or taken out by injuries this postseason. That’s an Olympic team (and doesn’t even include guys who didn’t play at all because they were hurt before the playoffs started). 
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When it comes to asterisk talk, I simply don’t believe in those, as circumstances help determine every champion. This isn't the first season where an injury has altered a playoff series.
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As for as the number of injuries? Well, it’s common sense that a <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/06/16/lebron-james-star-injuries-lack-of-rest-twitter-rant">shortened offseason and condensed schedule could have contributed</a>. And I personally wonder whether today’s style of play being so explosive with all the switching, closing out, and getting up and down the floor, is likely to result in more players getting hurt. Especially given how many games are played, which I do think needs to be addressed going forward. 
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But when it comes to the turnaround for this year, the league, like everyone else, was dealing with something unprecedented and of course rushed the start for monetary reasons. However, that was not a unilateral decision as the NBA Player’s Association signed off on it. And some of these injuries—including what happened to LeBron, Kyrie, Trae and now Giannis seem much more like freak collisions to me. 
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There’s a definition of blame that says it is a way to discharge pain and discomfort, but in this case, I don’t know if there’s any one thing to be blamed, even if seeing all these NBA stars getting injured hurts to watch.

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Playoff Injuries Don't Equal Asterisks: Unchecked

There is no asterisk or any one thing to blame for the injuries to stars this NBA playoffs. Injuries have absolutely marred the NBA playof...

New on Sports Illustrated: Fantasy Fans Buck NFL Trends By Waiting on Receivers & Stockpiling Running Backs Early

<a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/06/30/strategy-wait-for-receivers-draft-running-backs-early">
The NFL is as pass-happy as ever, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the first round of a fantasy football draft
The value of running backs is constantly being mitigated in the NFL, and it's steadily falling.
Teams electing to reward their rookie running backs with extensions often have to pay just to get them off their books. And the teams that spend high-end draft capital on running backs are criticized for doing so in an increasingly pass-dominant league. Front offices would often be better off searching for replacement-level running backs at a fraction of the cost. The 2020 season showed the blueprint to do so.
Wide receivers’ value, though, is rising.
Teams are quick to throw money at wide receivers and use high draft picks in search of the team's next great pass catcher. This offseason showed that several free-agent receivers signed huge deals, and three receivers were selected in the top 10 of April's draft. It's even spilling over to the tight end position--two have been drafted in the top 10 over the last three years
A recent trend shows fantasy football managers are waiting longer to draft wide receivers, instead loading up on running backs earlier than in recent years and breaking with prevailing logic at the NFL level. The days of the
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2020/07/20/does-zero-rb-still-work">zero RB strategy</a> seem to be fading into ancient history. We're knee-deep in a <a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2020/07/23/robust-rb-strategy-fantasy">robust RB strategy</a> boom.
The wide receiver with the highest <a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/adp/ppr-overall.php">average draft position</a> (ADP) early on this offseason is the Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill. He’s certainly worthy of the distinction, finishing the 2020 season as the WR2. Having breakneck speed and the NFL’s best passer in Patrick Mahomes throwing to him doesn’t hurt, either.
But Hill’s current ADP is 10, four spots lower than the <a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/adp/overall.php?year=2020">highest-drafted wide receiver in 2020</a>, Michael Thomas. The Saints’ star receiver, who set an NFL record in 2019 with 149 catches, was also drafted lower than the top receiver from the year before. DeAndre Hopkins, then with the Texans, had an <a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/adp/overall.php?year=2019">ADP of 5 in 2019</a>.
Antonio Brown was fantasy football's top-drafted receiver from 2015-2018. His ADP fell for three consecutive years, starting in <a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/adp/overall.php?year=2016">2016</a>.
Brown, the former Steelers receiver who’s now with the Buccaneers, peaked in 2016 as the consensus No. 1 pick, a rare honor for a receiver.
After that peak came a wide receiver ADP valley that we're still experiencing.
Packers star Davante Adams might have broken the trend this season if it weren't for the uncertainty around the future of his quarterback and league MVP Aaron Rodgers. Adams caught a league-leading 18 touchdowns and was the No. 1 fantasy wide receiver despite playing just 14 games. His ADP is 11.
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If Hill’s ADP holds, he would be the lowest-drafted first receiver off the board in at least the last 10 years.
Running backs make up the bulk of first-round picks in any year, but the top eight ADPs belong to running backs this season. Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce interrupts that streak at No 9. If his position holds, it would be the highest ADP for a tight end since Jimmy Graham in 2014.
Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey's ADP is 1 for the second year in a row. He's followed, in order, by the Vikings' Dalvin Cook, the Saints' Alvin Kamara, the Giants' Saquon Barkley, the Titans' Derrick Henry, the Colts' Jonathan Taylor, the Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliot, and the Browns' Nick Chubb.
The number of running backs selected in the first round of 12-team drafts has stayed relatively stable in the last few years. There were lows of just six first-round ADPs for running backs in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017. But in the last four years, the number of running backs with first-round ADPs has been nine or more.
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What’s changed is when and how often receivers are being selected in the first round. As the ADP of the first wide receiver drafted fell from 2017 on, so did the number of receivers with top-12 ADPs.
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In each of the last three drafts, only two receivers have first-round ADPs in each draft. In 2019, it was Hopkins and Adams. In 2020, it was Thomas and Adams. And in 2021, so far, it’s Hill and Adams representing receivers in the top 12 picks. Elite running backs are simply more scarce and you've got to get them early!
With that in mind, running backs are increasingly dominating the top of drafts, and fantasy owners are opting to wait longer before selecting receivers. They're employing the NFL's running back logic to the wide receiver position by spending later in a draft for similar production—and it's working.
In the NFL draft and a fantasy draft, the goal is to extract the most value from each draft selection. The difference is, in fantasy football, running backs still reign supreme, now more than ever.
More Fantasy Football:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/05/11/team-outlooks-hub">2021 Fantasy Football Team Outlooks</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/06/24/case-against-saquon-barkley">The Fantasy Case Against Saquon Barkley</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/06/30/new-orleans-saints-team-outlook-taysom-hill-jameis-winston">New Orleans Saints Fantasy Team Outlook</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Fantasy Fans Buck NFL Trends By Waiting on Receivers & Stockpiling Running Backs Early

The NFL is as pass-happy as ever, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the first round of a fantasy football draft The value of runn...

New on Sports Illustrated: Lucas Giolito Obliterates Josh Donaldson in Excellent MLB ‘Sticky Stuff’ Feud: TRAINA THOUGHTS

<a href="https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/06/30/lucas-giolito-rips-josh-donaldson-sticky-stuff-contorversy">
White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito calls Josh Donaldson a 'f---ing pest'
1. At the end of
</a><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sports-illustrated-media-podcast/id997819235?mt=2">last week’s SI Media Podcast</a>, during the "Traina Thoughts" segment, I said this entire “sticky stuff” controversy is good for Major League Baseball because it has provided entertainment and gotten the sport a ton of coverage it never gets.
Is this the kind of attention Major League Baseball wants? Probably not. But for a fan who loves anarchy and controversy, “sticky stuff” is the gift that keeps on giving.
Case in point: Last night, Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson, who has had a lot to say about Yankees pitcher Gerritt Cole doctoring the baseball, homered off White Sox starter Lucas Giolito.
As Donaldson crossed home and headed to the dugout, he said, “Hand’s not sticky anymore.”
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Following Chicago’s 7–6 win, Giolito laid into Donaldson during his postgame press conference.
“He’s a f---ing pest. That’s kind of a classless move. If you’re gonna talk sh--, talk sh-- to my face. You’re gonna go cross home plate and do all that? Just come to me. It’s just annoying. We won. The W’s next to my name. They’re in last place.”
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DAYYYYYUM!!! Now that’s how you respond to a troll. Well done, Lucas.
And thank you, Spider Tack, for adding some spice to Major League Baseball.
2. Charles Barkley tore into Paul George last night after the Clippers forward complained about getting criticized throughout his career.
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3. Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard didn't waste any time taunting Trevor Bauer over the sexual assault accusations that came to light yesterday.
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4. Here's is your Daily Ohtani. Last night, he belted two homers against the Yankees (who he'll face tonight as a starting pitcher).
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5. This year's NHL playoffs are struggling when it comes to ratings.
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6. The latest SI Media Podcast features two guests and a new segment.
First up is AEW play-by-play man and senior advisor Jim Ross. The man known as "Good Ole J.R." reveals that he thinks Vince McMahon would sell WWE and explains why McMahon would sell. Ross also discusses the biggest challenge facing AEW, why he loves working for Tony Khan, whether there's anything we don't know about the night The Undertaker threw Mick Foley off the top of the Hell in the Cell, his reaction to the <a href="https://www.si.com/wrestling/2021/05/25/adnan-virk-out-as-raw-commentator">WWE hiring and firing Adnan Virk</a> and much more.
Following Ross, John Ourand from Sports Business Journal joins the podcast. Ourand shares insight into the <a href="https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/06/23/mark-cuban-defends-nba-ratings">NBA playoff ratings</a>, the difficulties in trying to watch the U.S. Open, whether Vince McMahon would sell WWE and more.
The show finishes with our new Traina Thoughts segment.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on <a href="https://link.chtbl.com/si-media-a">Apple</a>, <a href="https://link.chtbl.com/simedia-spotify">Spotify</a> and <a href="https://link.chtbl.com/simedia-stitcher">Stitcher</a>.
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You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
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7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Ended up in a Sopranos YouTube rabbit hole yesterday after watching the newly released trailer for the prequel. I'll never understand how James Gandolfini and Edie Falco did this as well as they did.
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Be sure to <a href="https://www.si.com/author/jimmy-traina">catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts</a> and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sports-illustrated-media-podcast/id997819235?mt=2">Apple</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4Bvno6GHUWSuOLTAIWma1u">Spotify</a> or <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/sports-illustrated-media-podcast#/">Stitcher</a>. You can also follow Jimmy on <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyTraina">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jimmytraina/">Instagram</a>.

New on Sports Illustrated: Lucas Giolito Obliterates Josh Donaldson in Excellent MLB ‘Sticky Stuff’ Feud: TRAINA THOUGHTS

White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito calls Josh Donaldson a 'f---ing pest' 1. At the end of last week’s SI Media Podcast , during the...

New on Sports Illustrated: Who Will Win the Most Games in the 2021 NFL Regular Season?

<a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/30/most-wins-nfl-regular-season-odds">
SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking breaks down a favorite, a mid-tier team, and an underdog pick for which NFL team will win the most wins, based on the odds.
<h2>NFL 2021 Preseason Update</h2>
With the
</a><a href="https://twitter.com/nfldraftbible?lang=en">2021 NFL Draft</a>, organized team activities, and minicamps now complete, teams are preparing for the start of training camp. Unlike previous seasons, when camps opened on various dates, 29 of 32 teams will get back to work on July 27, 2021. Pittsburgh and Dallas play in the <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/news/game-on-dallas-cowboys-vs-steelers-scheduled-for-hall-of-fame">Hall of Fame Game</a>, so their camps begin on July 21. Defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay can report to camp starting on July 24.
While the NFL is in a short summer slumber, there are loads of preseason betting options at top-ranked U.S. sportsbooks like DraftKings. From <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/05/07/ranking-every-nfl-division-2021-season">Division champions</a> and team win totals to Season Specials and <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/03/30/super-bowl-lvi-on-feb-13-2022">Super Bowl LVI</a> odds, the DraftKings NFL futures betting board is packed with choices. As part of the package, the “Team to win Most Games in the Regular Season” prop betting option is on our radar today.
<hr />
We track our preseason picks and publish hedge betting advice during the regular season when warranted. SI premium subscribers receive betting plays, updates, and articles, as soon as they are published.
Want even more NFL betting picks and analysis? Become an SI PRO member today and gain access to our exclusive Discord chat for premium plays in real-time!
<figure><a href="https://get.si.com/sports-illustrated-fantasy-pro" 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>
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<h3>Super Bowl Winners - Regular Season Records</h3>
This is an enticing wagering option from a few angles. Does anyone see a clear-cut Super Bowl LVI lock at this point?
DraftKings have Kansas City (+500) and <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/07/nfc-south-futures-division-win-totals">Tampa Bay</a> (+650) as their top two favorites. After that, there is a gap between Buffalo (+1100) and the <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/11/nfc-west-futures-division-win-totals">Los Angeles Rams</a> (+1300). Baltimore and San Francisco are tied as fifth favorites with a +1400 moneyline price.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1359194427764350976"></a></blockquote>
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When researching this prop option, bettors don’t need to worry too much about which team will win the outright NFL Championship. Dating back to the 2004 season, 26 teams have finished with the best regular-season record – including ties. <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/02/06/sports-illustrated-philadelphia-eagles-super-bowl-commemorative-issue-cover">Philadelphia</a> (2017) and New England (2016 and 2014), plus <a href="https://vault.si.com/vault/2014/02/10/angry-birds">Seattle</a> in 2013, were the only teams that won the Super Bowl. A wager here may also set up a late-season hedge bet.
<figure><img height="612" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMDk4NjYyMDIzNzY3MzY4/nfl-super-bowl-lvi-futures-odds-063021.png" width="620" />
<figcaption>Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook on 06/30/21</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3>Most 2021-22 NFL Regular Season Wins - Favorites</h3>
Usual suspects, plus a 6–10 team from last season, occupy the favorite slots on the “Most Games Won” prop at DraftKings. As they are on the Super Bowl futures board, the Chiefs, Buccaneers, and <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/bills/">Bills</a> are the top three favorites. San Francisco, who finished NFL 2020 on a 2–7 slide, is a somewhat surprising fifth favorite. <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/09/afc-west-futures-division-win-totals">I bet the Kansas City win total</a> OVER 12.5 (+100) and, while it’s chalky, I like them out of this group as well.
Pick: Kansas City Chiefs – Most Games Won (+400)
Sleeper Pick: Green Bay (+2000) If Aaron Rodgers stays with the Packers
<figure><img height="245" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMDk4Njg1OTE0NTIyOTUy/top-10-favorites-most-games-won-nfl-2021-22-odds.png" width="620" />
<figcaption>Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook on 06/30/21</figcaption>
</figure>
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<h3>Most 2021-22 NFL Regular Season Wins - Mid-Tier Teams</h3>
The water gets a little murkier when looking at the middle 10 chalk squads. Not due to wondering if any of the teams will post the most wins, but more so because a few squads could rack up the most wins. I have <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/01/nfc-north-futures-division-win-totals">Minnesota winning the NFC North</a>, plus <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/">Dallas</a> winning the NFC East. Both teams could go on long winning runs this season. I also bet on the Los Angeles Chargers exceeding their 9.5 (+110) win total odds.
Pick: Minnesota Vikings – Most Games Won (+5000)
<figure><img height="217" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMDk4NzEwMDczNzEzNzk1/middle-10-chalk-most-games-won-nfl-2021-22-odds.png" width="620" />
<figcaption>Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook on 06/30/21</figcaption>
</figure>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/Vikings/status/1409500580486156295"></a></blockquote>
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<h3>Most 2021-22 NFL Regular Season Wins - Dark Horse</h3>
This is where the water turns to mud, as it is difficult to see any of the bottom 12 underdogs posting the most wins during the <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/schedule">2021-22 NFL season</a>. That said, if defense wins championships, the Washington Football Team could claim back-to-back titles. The <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/05/26/nfc-east-futures-division-win-totals">NFC East will be fairly competitive</a> so a concern is the WFT winning the division with a 9–8 record. An 8–9 season is a stretch for the other 11 pups listed below.
Pick: Washington Football Team – Most Games Won (+6000)
<figure><img height="264" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMDk4NzMwNDc0ODA4NjQ4/bottom-12-underdogs-most-games-won-nfl-2021-22-odds-.png" width="620" />
<figcaption>Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook on 06/30/21</figcaption>
</figure>
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More NFL Betting From Sports Illustrated
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/24/si-sportsbook-launch">Authentic Brands Group, 888 Announce SI Sportsbook Launch</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/29/nfl-futures-betting-miss-the-playoffs">Fade These NFL Teams' Odds to Make the Playoffs in 2021-2022</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/28/nfl-futures-betting-make-the-playoffs">Take These NFL Teams' Odds to Make the Playoffs in 2021-2022</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/25/week-1-odds-update-line-movement">2021 NFL Week 1 Odds Update - Which Games are on the Move?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/05/24/afc-east-futures-division-win-totals">2021 AFC East Team Futures - Division Winner and Win Totals Outlook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/05/28/afc-north-futures-division-win-totals">2021 AFC North Team Futures - Division Winner and Win Totals Outlook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/06/03/afc-south-futures-division-win-totals">2021 AFC South Team Futures - Division Winner and Win Totals Outlook</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Who Will Win the Most Games in the 2021 NFL Regular Season?

SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking breaks down a favorite, a mid-tier team, and an underdog pick for which NFL team will win the most wins, ba...

New on Sports Illustrated: Olympics to Allow Babies of Breastfeeding Athletes to be at Tokyo Games

<a href="https://www.si.com/olympics/2021/06/30/tokyo-olympics-allow-babies-breastfeeding-athletes">
Olympic organizers have amended their policy regarding the attendance of family members at the Tokyo Games.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NzM0MzUyNTg4OTczMzM2/tokyo-olympics.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Olympic organizers announced Wednesday they will allow the babies of breastfeeding mothers to attend the Summer Games in Tokyo in July.
Wednesday's announcement marks an update on the previous policy regarding family members at the Olympics. There are no international guests allowed at the Tokyo Games, including both friends and family members. 
"Given that the Tokyo 2020 Games will take place during a pandemic, overall we must unfortunately decline to permit athletes' family members or other companions to accompany them to the Games," Tokyo 2020 organizers told
</a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyo-organisers-allow-nursing-mothers-bring-children-games-2021-06-30/">Reuters</a>. "However, after careful consideration of the unique situation facing athletes with nursing children, we are pleased to confirm that, when necessary, nursing children will be able to accompany athletes to Japan."
Numerous athletes appearing in the upcoming Olympics <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/05/20/aliphine-tuliamuk-baby-tokyo-olympics/">spoke out against the organizing committee's original stance</a> banning all family members in recent weeks. 
U.S. marathoner Aliphine Tuliamuk petitioned Olympic organizers in an effort to bring her 4-month-old daughter, Zoe. USWNT star Alex Morgan hoped to bring her daughter, Charlie.
“I’m just still very hopeful that I’ll have my daughter with me,” Morgan <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/05/20/aliphine-tuliamuk-baby-tokyo-olympics/">told reporters</a> in May. “It’s important to allow mothers the option to have their kids with them when they compete. If a child is under 1 or 2, they might still be breastfeeding, so that’s a huge piece of it.”
Athletes with babies present will stay in approved hotels outside the Olympic village during the Tokyo Games, per <a href="https://www.today.com/parents/breastfeeding-athletes-can-bring-babies-tokyo-olympics-t224175?cid=sm_npd_td_tw_ma">NBC</a>. The IOC said Wednesday it is "very pleased to hear that the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee has found a special solution," for nursing mothers at the Olympic Games.

New on Sports Illustrated: Olympics to Allow Babies of Breastfeeding Athletes to be at Tokyo Games

Olympic organizers have amended their policy regarding the attendance of family members at the Tokyo Games. Olympic organizers announced ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Where it All Went Wrong for France at the Euros

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/30/france-euro-2020-failure-rabiot-mbappe-pogba-deschamps">
The reigning World Cup champion has enviable talent, squad depth and a blueprint for success. So how did its Euros wind up with a last-16 exit to Switzerland?
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
It didn't take much to see that Group F at Euro 2020 was unequivocally the competition's <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/23/france-portugal-germany-hungary-euro-2020-group-death-ronaldo">Group of Death</a>. Yet none of the sides in it have reached the <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/29/euro-2020-bracket-matchups-quarterfinals-semifinals-times-dates-results">quarterfinals of the tournament</a>, which might be taken as evidence that in football, as William Goldman said of show business, nobody knows anything.
Except we did know Hungary was game for a challenge despite its limitations. And we did wonder about the integration of this Portugal side, even if nobody expected <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/19/germany-portugal-euro-2020-gosens-kimmich-ronaldo-own-goals">the complete capitulation against Germany</a>. And we’d seen Germany fall apart at the last World Cup and in some significant, subsequent losses; that Joachim Löw should not have been allowed to continue as coach after Russia 2018 had been increasingly apparent with each passing week. Both the 2016 European champion and the 2014 world champion had the potential to be less than the sum of their parts.
But France's failure was the real shock. This is an extravagantly gifted squad. It probably should have won the last Euros, losing in extra time in the final on home soil. It did rebound <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/07/15/france-wins-world-cup-croatia-final-mbappe-pogba-deschamps">to win the World Cup</a>. It has such strength in depth that there was no place in the squad for Man City defender Aymeric Laporte (<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/05/14/aymeric-laporte-fifa-switch-spain-france-euros">who decided to declare for Spain instead</a>) or new <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/02/15/dayot-upamecano-transfer-bayern-munich-rb-leipzig">Bayern Munich center back Dayot Upamecano</a>. Under manager Didier Deschamps it had developed an understated style of play that seemed obsessed with doing just enough to win. This, it seemed, was the formula for international football: a solid block plus an array of stars who could produce a moment of magic when it was needed.
The outcome was the oddest of things: a team that was frequently boring to watch (for neutrals, anyway) but that every now and again became involved in a high-scoring classic. But by and large it won. <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/france-switzerland-euro-2020-pks-benzema-mbappe-sommer">At least until Monday</a>.
So what went wrong against Switzerland? How could this strongest of favorites go out to a team of journeymen, to a nation that hadn’t reached the quarterfinal of any major tournament since the 1954 World Cup that it hosted—to a nation that had never beaten France before outside of friendlies? And how, specifically, could it squander a two-goal lead with nine minutes to go?
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAwOTcxMTA1NTU5Njgz/pogba-rabiot-france-switzerland.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
The best answer, perhaps, <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/france-fra/story/4423733/france-loss-to-switzerland-sees-spat-between-adrien-rabiots-momkylian-mbappes-dad-sources">was to be found in the stands</a>, where Adrien Rabiot’s mother became involved in a heated row with the families of Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappé. She reportedly raged about the way Pogba had given the ball away in the buildup to the Swiss equalizer and told Mbappé’s father that he should teach his son to be less arrogant.
This is not a happy camp—<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/05/05/france-2010-world-cup-2018-domenech-deschamps">this is not a new phenomenon for France</a>—and Paris Saint-Germain seems to lie at the heart of it. Rabiot, whose mother is also his agent, clearly still feels aggrieved by the manner of his departure from PSG for Juventus in 2019. Mbappé remains a brilliant footballer and is still only 22, but it feels as though his progress has stalled a little recently as <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/18/erling-haaland-kylian-mbappe-stats-dortmund-psg-debate">the astronomical expectations for him</a> soar. Playing for a club that, even if it somehow failed to win the league this season, is way richer and way stronger than any of its rivals, perhaps does not encourage a player to stretch himself.
Mbappé’s future remains unclear, with his contract set to expire next summer, and that may be playing on his mind, but he has shown only flickers of his extraordinary talent since the return from the COVID-19 hiatus, and he went scoreless in this competition. He perhaps wasn’t helped at this tournament by being asked to play from the left rather than the right—an indication, perhaps, of the struggle France had covering for the phasing out of Blaise Matuidi. Nobody should be scapegoated for missing a penalty, but Mbappé was notably more rushed in taking his than the four French players who had gone before him. Perhaps he felt the pressure.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAxMTg1NTg1NDg5MjI0/kylian-mbappe-france-out-euros.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Deschamps’s <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/05/18/karim-benzema-france-return-euros-deschamps-real-madrid">decision to recall Karim Benzema</a> may still draw criticism given the history there, but he did score four goals—including the <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/france-switzerland-euro-2020-video-benzema-lloris-gavranovic">two vs. Switzerland that appeared to turn the tide</a> in France's favor—and the suggestion is that he was a response to a pre-existing problem in the forward line rather than the cause of the problem.
Then there’s Pogba. Unconvincing in the first half vs. the Swiss, he was much improved as the shape changed to add an additional midfielder in the second, and he scored a sensational goal and played four exquisite forward passes. But then he also gave the ball away sloppily, giving Switzerland the possession from which it scored its goal to force extra time. Not only was that a basic error, especially for a deep-lying midfielder, but it cast his absurdly extended goal celebration in a poor light. Had he thought the game was done? Had he allowed his concentration to slip? Perhaps nothing is ever quite so simple, but when you celebrate like that and then make a mistake like that, it doesn't come off well.
Worse, the incident seemed to encapsulate a wider issue within the French squad of hubris. It was as though it had come to believe it would always manage to do just enough to get by, as though Deschamps’s functionality had mutated into complacency. 
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAxMjc3MzkwNDE0OTc5/deschamps-kante-france-euros.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Questions must be asked of Deschamps, too, not only about the atmosphere in the squad, but about the ill-conceived switch to a back three for the last 16. It is true France was a bit hobbled, with Lucas Digne and Ousmane Dembélé both out injured and a hurt Lucas Hernandez unused on Monday, but then if any team was built to overcome some absences, it was this France. It's also true that France was a couple of inches away from skating by again on a brilliant moment, with Kingsley Coman's volley at the death of regular time, after Pogba picked him out, clanging off the crossbar. 
Nevertheless, Deschamps had the best squad in the tournament, and he blew it. Being solid and having good players was enough at the World Cup, but it turns out management is about more than that. And whoever is the French's manager—whether Deschamps remains in the role, or whether the French federation makes a move for Zinedine Zidane or someone else—will always have to deal with the PSG issue.
More Euro 2020 Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/29/england-germany-euro-2020-sterling-grealish-kane-southgate">Wilson: England's Approach vs. Germany Winds Up Being Perfect</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/france-switzerland-euro-2020-pks-benzema-mbappe-sommer">Wilson: The Most Stunning Finish to the Most Stunning Day at the Euros</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/spain-croatia-euro-2020-own-goal-morata-luis-enrique">Wilson: Spain Puts Its Pitfalls, Potential on Display in Thriller vs. Croatia</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/27/belgium-portugal-euro-2020-thorgan-hazard-cristiano-ronaldo-de-bruyne">Wilson: Thunderbolt and Thunderdome: How Belgium Ended Portugal's Reign</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Where it All Went Wrong for France at the Euros

The reigning World Cup champion has enviable talent, squad depth and a blueprint for success. So how did its Euros wind up with a last-16 e...

New on Sports Illustrated: 2021 New Orleans Saints Fantasy Team Outlook: Lack of QB Talent, Not Starter Uncertainty, Is the Problem

<a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/06/30/new-orleans-saints-team-outlook-taysom-hill-jameis-winston">
A fantasy football breakdown of the New Orleans Saints by high-stakes legend Shawn Childs
<h3>Coaching</h3>
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTcxNTA1MTMxMzYyMjY0NTQ3/sean-payton-saints.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Over the last 15 seasons with Sean Payton as the head coach (suspended in 2012) and Drew Brees at quarterback, the Saints finished first or second in the NFL in offense yards nine times. Payton has a 143-81 record with one Super Bowl title (2009) and nine playoff appearances (8-7). They’ve won 11 or more games in each of the past four years. Payton enters 2021 without Drew Brees, who retired after an excellent career.
New Orleans scored 482 points (5th), 24 points more than 2019 (458). The Saints regressed to 12th in offensive yards gained, which was their fourth season of decline. From 2006 to 2017, they finished in the top five in offensive yards every year except in 2010 (6th).
Pete Carmichael returns for his 12th season as the offensive coordinator. New Orleans added him to their system in 2006 when Payton took over running the team.
The Saints’ defense climbed to fourth in yards allowed while giving up 337 points (5th). The last time New Orleans had a top-five defense came in 2013.
Dennis Allen gets a seventh season with the Saints’ defense. He held the same position for the Broncos in 2011, leading to a head coaching job for the Raiders from 2012 to 2014, where he struggled to have success (8-28). Allen has 18 years of NFL coaching experience.
<h3>Free Agency</h3>
The Saints lost TE Jared Cook to the Chargers. His catch total in 2019 (43) and 2020 (37) for the Saints didn’t make an impact, but Cook scored 16 touchdowns over 29 games while gaining 15.1 yards per catch. He’ll start the year at age 34.
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/saints/">More New Orleans Saints Coverage from SI</a>
New Orleans lost DE Trey Hendrickson, DT Sheldon Rankins, and LB Alex Anzalone to free agency.
<h3>Draft</h3>
DE Payton Turner
Turner gives the Saints another player with strength and range defending the run on the outside. His game isn’t where it needs to be when attacking the quarterback with power, but he’ll create havoc when flipping to the inside. Turner gets off the ball quickly while not fully developed.
LB Pete Werner
Werner brings an excellent fit to a team with strength on the defensive line. His vision grades well with a foundation to fill holes in a hurry against the run and attacking the quarterback position. He gets in trouble when facing big bodies in traffic. Werner needs to get stronger while adding more pop to his tackles.
CB Paulson Adebo
Adebo opted out of 2020, leaving him as a wild card in their year’s draft class. He projects as a lockdown press cover who gains value as the field shortens. His playmaking style can leave him at risk when playing off the ball and facing a speedy receiver with double moves. His technique in mirroring pass patterns needs work, but his feel for the ball creates an edge, especially against teams with a short passing window. Adebo has questions about his value in run support, which may be helped by patient decision-making.
QB Ian Book
His dual-threat ability falls in line with the recent success of Taysom Hill. He lacks an elite arm with questions with his size (6.0” and 210 Lbs.). Book offers a good feel for the pocket with a chain mover feel when asked to run on RPOs. His accuracy diminishes with the length of throws while needing improvement taking care of the ball under duress.
T Landon Young
Young gets off the ball well after the span while relying on his strength to create wins. His forward lean creates imbalance and missed timed blocks. He battles speed in the pass rush, and jumpers crossing his face can lead to pressure on the quarterback.
WR Kawaan Baker
Baker has the tools to reach a high ceiling once he shows he can win against NFL talent at cornerback. His early quickness and acceleration set the tone for wins with the wheels to turn a short pass into long touchdowns. Baker gets off the line well against press coverage. However, his success falls on the development of his hands.
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<h3>Offensive Line</h3>
The Saints climbed to 6th rushing yards (2,265). New Orleans scored 30 touchdowns while gaining (4.6 yards per rush with 14 runs over 20 yards. New Orleans averaged 30.9 rushes compared to 25.3 in 2019.
New Orleans slipped to 20th in the NFL in passing yards (3.945) with 28 touchdowns and eight touchdowns. They only had 44 completions over 20 yards while gaining yards per pass attempt (7.6). Their offensive line allowed 29 sacks.
LT Terron Armstead
Armstead was one of the best players at his position while playing at an elite level again last year in pass protection. His run blocking rebounded while also providing an edge over the league average. Armstead has never had over 1,000 snaps in a season in his career.
LG Andrus Peat
Peat improved to closer to the league average in the run game after two disappointing seasons. His pass protection has been a problem over the past three years despite getting drafted in the first round in 2015.
C Erik McCoy
Over two seasons after getting drafted in the second round, McCoy made 32 starts with success in both run and pass blocking. His game is built on power and strength, allowing McCoy to handle bull rushers. His range is limited, but he does protect his space quickly after the snap. His challenge will come when asked to defend a more significant piece of the field in pass protection.
RG Cesar Ruiz
The Saints expect Ruiz to upgrade their run game thanks to plus strength and the ability to win quickly after the snap. Ruiz uses his hands well, but his range may be limited. His challenge will come vs. power in the pass rush. New Orleans drafted him in the first round in 2020. He didn’t allow a sack last year, but defenders did apply plenty of pressure on the quarterback while showing weakness against the run.
RT Ryan Ramczyk
Ramczyk played well in all four seasons in the NFL after the Saints drafted him in the first round in 2017. Ramczyk is very skilled in the techniques needed to have success at his position while adding athletic ability. He has been an asset in all years in run and pass blocking.
OL Snapshot
New Orleans has a top offensive line, but a change at the quarterback position changes the game flow and passing window. The Saints will run the ball well again while having the same coaching staff who wants to put the ball in the air.
<h3>Offense</h3>
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The Saints ran the ball 48.6 percent of the time in 2020, helped by Taysom Hill (87/457/8) making four starts. Their passing attempts (32.6) fell below the league average for the fourth season.
<h3>Quarterbacks</h3>
Taysom Hill
In his four starts in 2020, Hill passed for 834 yards and four touchdowns while adding a high floor on the ground (39/209/4). His success led to 102.7 fantasy points (25.68 per game) in four-point passing touchdown leagues, which would have ranked seventh if Hill repeated his success over another 12 contests.
He finished with a high completion rate (72.7) while gaining 7.7 yards per pass attempt. In addition, Hill was active in the run game (87/457/8) even when not playing quarterback.
Fantasy Outlook: New Orleans will rotate two quarterbacks in 2021. Hill played well with Drew Brees out last year, giving him a window to prove he belongs as their number one quarterback. His game management skills added to his value in the run game should play well with the lead, but the Saints should hook him when a game gets out of hand, and New Orleans has to throw. His cloudiness ranks Hill as the 31st quarterback drafted in 12-team leagues in late June. For a fantasy owner looking to play matchups, Hill is a value as a QB3.
Jameis Winston
Over 70 career starts, Winston went 28-42, with his only winning record coming in 2016 (9-7). In 2019, Winston led the NFL in passing yards (5,109) with plenty of touchdowns (33) and attempts (626), but his incredibly high number of interceptions (30 – seventh-highest all-time) keeps his opponents in games too often.
His career completion rate (61.3) is well below the top quarterbacks in the game, but his stats in this area aren’t padded by an active receiver in the passing game at running back.
Fantasy Outlook: In his first season with the Saints, Winston went 7-for-11 with 75 yards and no touchdowns. Winston would be on a path for 5,000 combined yards with over 30 touchdowns if given the keys to run New Orleans' offense for an entire season. On the downside, he could hold a clipboard for a significant portion of the year. Possible wise guy target for a fantasy owner wanting to cheat the quarterback position, and the training camp news slants toward him starting in Week 1.
Ian Book
Book gained 10,466 combined yards over four seasons at Notre Dame with 89 combined touchdowns and 20 interceptions. His best success came in 2019 (3,580 combined yards with 38 touchdowns and six interceptions. Book has a winning resume, but he does need time to develop as a passer.
Other Option: Trevor Siemian
<h3>Running Backs</h3>
Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray combined for 2,520 yards with 20 touchdowns and 106 catches. The running back position gained 25 percent of the Saints’ passing yards while catching over 30 percent of their completions.
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Alvin Kamara
Over his four seasons with the Saints, Kamara delivered a high floor in each year (81/826/5, 81/709/4, 81/533/1, and 83/756/5) in the passing game. He’s still looking for his first season over 1,000 yards rushing (career-high in 2020 – 932 yards). Kamara has 43 rushing touchdowns over 60 games. He led the league in running back scoring (378.00) in 2020 in PPR leagues.
Last year, Kamara rushed for over 100 yards in one matchup (22/155) while scoring an incredible six touchdowns. His best success catching the ball came in Week 3 (13/139/2). He scored over 30.00 fantasy points in four contests (38.40, 44.70, 34.80, and 56.20). The Saints gave him 18 touches per game.
Fantasy Outlook: Other than 2019 (six touchdowns), Kamara has consistently delivered yards, touchdowns, and catches. He continues to compete with Latavius Murray for touches, and Taysom Hill could be more of a problem if he wins the starting quarterback job. On the flip side, Kamara has the tools to push even higher if given 325-plus touches, which would require an injury to Murray. He ranks third in the early draft season while offering a 300-point fantasy floor.
Latavius Murray
The Saints gave Murray 349 touches over the past two seasons, which works out to 11.25 per game. He finished 28th and 34th in running back scoring in PPR leagues in 2019 (157.20 fantasy points) and 2020 (136.80 fantasy points). Last year, a healthier Alvin Kamara led to Murray receiving 17 fewer targets and a step back in opportunity in the passing game (23/176/1). He missed Week 17 and most of the postseason with a quad injury.
Murray offered the best fantasy value in Week 4 (83 combined yards with two touchdowns and one catch) and Week 12 (19/124/2 with one catch for two yards). He scored under 10.00 fantasy points 10 times in PPR leagues, making him tough to time in the fantasy market.
Fantasy Outlook: Murray starts the year at age 31 with the resume to receive 150-plus touches off the bench for the Saints. He works as a bridge filler or bye week cover while also owning top 12 running back upside if given a full-time starting job. Murray looks to be easier to handcuff with Kamara based on his late June ADP (144). I won’t fight for him on draft day unless I’m trying to roster both New Orleans’ running backs.
Other Options: Dwayne Washington, Ty Montgomery, Tony Jones, Stevie Scott
<h3>Wide Receivers</h3>
Much of the wide receiver production for the Saints, with Drew Brees throwing the ball, came close to the line of scrimmage, leading to a higher catch rate (65.4) over the previous three seasons. Their downside comes from regression in their yards per catch (11.35). Injuries to Drew Brees and Michael Thomas led to a sharp decline in wide receiver touchdowns (13 – 20 in 2019) and fade in catches (195 – 219 in 2019) and receiving yards (2,213 – 2,617 in 2019).
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Michael Thomas
In 2019, Thomas set the NFL record in catches (149) while scoring almost 100 more fantasy points (375.5) than the 2nd ranked wide receiver (Chris Godwin – 276.1) in PPR leagues.
At the end of Week 1, he suffered a doomed high ankle sprain with minimal time left in the game. His injury led to six missed weeks and two empty starts (5/51 and 2/27 on 13 combined targets). From Week 11 to Week 14, Thomas has posted three playable games (9/104, 9/105, and 8/84) before suffering a hamstring injury.
In the first week of the playoffs, he scored his only touchdown (5/73/1), followed by a zero on four targets against Tampa.
In mid-January, Thomas had shoulder and ankle surgeries.
When at his best from 2017 to 2019, Thomas caught 378 passes for 4,375 yards and 23 touchdowns on 481 targets. His catch rate (78.6) over this span was elite while gaining 11.6 yards per catch. He averaged 7.9 catches for 91 yards and 0.48 touchdowns per game or 20.03 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues.
Fantasy Outlook: The questions on who starts at quarterback for the Saints and a down season by Thomas led to him sliding to the third round in PPR leagues in most early drafts in the 12-team high-stakes market. His ADP (31) has a breakaway layup feel. In 2018 and 2019, only six running backs outscored him within each year while ranking second behind Christian McCaffrey in combined fantasy points (857.20 to 693.00).
Thomas had 30 catches for 343 yards on 37 targets over his four starts with Taysom Hill behind center in 2020., Over this stretch, New Orleans passed for 834 yards with 82 completions. Thomas finished with 36.6 percent of the team’s team completions and 41.1 percent of their passing yards in these four games.
At a minimum, the Saints will attempt 34 passes per game, leading to an average of 22.2 completions. Thomas should have a floor of seven catches per game for 80 yards and a score every other week. My easy math comes to 18.00 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues. If New Orleans starts Jameis Winston for 17 games, Thomas gets a 10 to 20 percent bump in value.
Tre’Quan Smith
The ceiling of Smith remains a mystery. He has 80 catches for 1,109 yards and 14 touches over 40 career games. Last year, he set a career-high in catches (34), receiving yards (448), and targets (50) while missing three games (including the playoffs) with an ankle injury. Smith averaged under three targets in his three years in the league. His best value came in Week 2 (5/86), Week 13 (3/42/1), and Week 19 (3/85/3).
Fantasy Outlook: Smith has the stats to support much more upside if he can find a way to stay healthy and push his targets to six per game. The fluid dynamics at the quarterback position push him into the deep sleeper category with an ADP of 220. At the very least, Smith has the potential to be a fourth-year breakout with a 60/900/6 type season. His higher ceiling/opportunity comes with Jameis Winston starting.
Kawaan Baker
Over his final three seasons at South Alabama, Baker caught 119 passes for 1,727 yards and 15 touchdowns. He flashed big-play ability in 2018 and 2019 (15.0 and 16.4 yards per catch) while transitioning to a possession guy last season (51/659/8 – 12.9 yards per catch). Baker also has some experience running the ball (92/376/11), highlighted by his success in 2018 (59/251/9).
Fantasy Outlook: I'm intrigued by his scouting report while also understanding Baker needs time to develop. If Drew Brees started in 2021, he might have moved quickly up the Saints’ depth chart. But, for now, only a player to follow over the summer. In my head, my thought is a poor man’s Jarvis Landry with a flavor of Golden Tate with the ball in his hands. New Orleans should try to get him the ball on jet sweeps similarly as the Rams do with Robert Woods.
Marquez Callaway
In his rookie season over 11 games, Callaway caught 21 of his 27 passes for 213 yards with one contest of value (8/75). New Orleans signed him as an undrafted free agent last April. Callaway battled knee and ankle injuries over the second half of 2020.
From 2017 to 2019 at Tennessee, he caught 91 of his 164 targets for 1,633 yards and 13 touchdowns while working as a deep threat (17.9 yards per catch).
Other Options: Deonte Harris, Juwan Johnson, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Jake Lampman
<h3>Tight Ends</h3>
The tight end catch opportunity in the Saints’ passing game has been about the same over the past three seasons. They receive about 16.5 percent of the team’s completions and close to 20 percent of their passing yards. New Orleans does look for the tight end position in the red zone (20 touchdowns in 2019 and 2020).
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Adam Trautman
As the TE2 for the Saints last season, Trautman caught 15 of his 16 targets for 171 yards and one touchdown. His only playable game came in Week 9 (3/39/1).
Over four seasons in Dayton, Trautman caught 178 passes for 2,295 yards and 31 touchdowns. His play improved in 2018 (41/604/9) and 2019 (70/916/14).
Trautman comes to the NFL with a pass-catching skill set. He does some things well in his route running while also having questions with his release and blocking.
Fantasy Outlook: Based on ADP (169), not many fantasy owners fight for Trautman on draft day. He projects as a backend TE2 in PPR leagues with the talent to become a 50/50/5 player in his second year in the league. For someone looking to cheat the tight end position, Trautman is a must-follow this summer as he could very well emerge as the Saints’ third option in the passing game.
Other Options: Nick Vannett, Ethan Wolf, Dylan Soehner
<h3>Kicker</h3>
Wil Lutz
Over his five seasons with the Saints, Lutz made 86.6 percent of his 164 field goals. His kicks started to fade over the past two years from 50 yards or more (4-for-9), lowering his career percentage to 56.5 percent (13-for-23). Lutz has seven missed extra points in his 260 chances.
In 2020, New Orleans had a five-year high in extra points (58) at the expense of their field-goal tries (28 – averaged 34 from 2016 to 2019). The Saints run the ball well in close, which hurts their scoring in the kicking game.
Fantasy Outlook: Lutz ranked 8th, 4th, 2nd, and 13th in kicker scoring over the last four years. I expect a bounce-back this year. He ranks 12th at the kicker position in the early draft positions, pointing to a value.
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<h3>Defense</h3>
New Orleans remains fourth in rushing yards allowed (1,502) with 11 touchdowns and eight runs over 20 yards. They gave up 3.9 yards per rush, with opponents attempting 24.4 rushers per game.
The Saints jumped to fifth in passing yards allowed (3,472) with 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Quarterbacks gained 6.7 yards per pass attempt with 49 completions over 20 yards and nine catches over 40 yards. Their defense finished with 45 sacks.
DT David Onyemata
In his fifth season in New Orleans, Onyemata posted career-highs in tackles (44) and sacks (6.5) while adding an interception and two defended passes. Most of his playing time comes on early downs against the run, where his game tends to shine. However, he does need to improve his tackling.
DE Payton Turner
New Orleans protected their pass rush on the outside by adding Turner in the first round of this year’s draft. His game hasn’t reached its ceiling, so playing behind Cameron Jordan should help his development.
The second defensive tackle position for the Saints is an area of weakness. As a result, they signed multiple undrafted players to add to their already below-bar options.
DE Marcus Davenport
Davenport picked 53 tackles and 11.5 sacks over his first two years in the NFL with success defending the run while playing in 26 games. In 2020, he missed the first four games with an elbow injury, leading to a step back in his stats (21 tackles and 1.5 sacks). Nevertheless, Davenport remains a top player at his position.
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DE Cameron Jordan
Jordan has been a top player at his position for five straight seasons. His value vs. the run remains high, but he finished with a fade in his sack production (7.5 – 40 over his previous 48 starts). The Saints drafted Jordan in the first round in 2011.
LB Demario Davis
Davis has over 100 tackles in six of his nine years in the NFL while never missing a game in his career. Over the previous three seasons, he had played at an elite level vs. the run while delivering 13 combined sacks. However, quarterbacks did pick on him in the red zone, leading to too many touchdowns allowed.
LB Pete Werner
The Saints expect Werner to move into the starting lineup after getting drafted in the second round in 2021. His style of play should excel on the right side of New Orleans defense.
The strongside linebacker position for the Saints needs an upgrade via a late signing. All current options have minimal resumes while lacking top-tier draft pedigree.
CB Marshon Lattimore
The theory of Lattimore being a top coverage cornerback left the building in his rookie season. He held receivers to a reasonable catch rate over the past two years, but Lattimore allowed too many big plays, and touchdowns were a problem in 2020.
CB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
New Orleans shifted Gardner-Johnson to slot cornerback in 2020 after seeing action at safety in his rookie season. He held receivers to short yards per catch with neutral value in his catch rate.
S Marcus Williams
Over four seasons, Williams has 246 tackles, 30 defended passes, and 13 defended passes. He’s a beast in run support, but Williams did give up multiple long plays in coverage last year.
S Malcolm Jenkins
In his first year back with New Orleans, Jenkins played well against the run, which was the case over his six seasons in Philadelphia. He likes to keep receivers in front of him, leading to low yards per catch. Jenkins is a league-average player.
Fantasy Defense Snapshot
New Orleans has three glaring issues on defense – defensive tackle, outside linebacker, and left cornerback. They might get away with the defensive lineman, but the other two positions will get exposed by good teams. The Saints put pressure on the quarterback and slow down the run. Both Payton Turner and Pete Werner add playmaking to the defense. New Orleans needs Marshon Lattimore to play much better in coverage this year. In fantasy land, this defense should rank as a low-end DST1.
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/2021/06/28/atlanta-falcons-team-outlook-kyle-pitts-calvin-ridley">Atlanta Falcons</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/06/29/carolina-panthers-team-outlook-sam-darnold-christian-mccaffrey">Carolina Panthers</a></li>
</ul>

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