The Bounce Newsletter :basketball: | This is The Athletic’s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.

All the links here are unlocked, meaning no subscription is required to read them (though you do need to be logged in). {{/if}}

Today is Kenny Anderson’s birthday! Mr. Chibbs turns 55, and there are few better ways to spend time on YouTube than watching his career highlights. You know what that means? It means Kenny also shares a birthday with my good friend, Ian Karmel, who turns 41. Ian’s basketball highlights were so good that YouTube had to ban them. But you can watch his brilliant special from earlier this year – Comfort Beyond God’s Foresight.

Three of a kind?

A’ja Wilson, Aces one win away from a trifecta

A’ja Wilson is building a case as the best WNBA player ever. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

The Phoenix Mercury have a way of making big fourth-quarter comebacks during these playoffs. They had massive final quarters against the Minnesota Lynx when they punched their ticket to the WNBA Finals. That’s why they weren’t fazed at all by being down 17 points heading into the fourth quarter of Game 3. The Mercury needed more magic to keep their realistic hopes alive. 

They would’ve pulled it off, too, if it weren’t for that pesky four-time MVP, A’ja Wilson. The Las Vegas Aces star nearly messed up her team’s chance to go up 3-0 in the series when she fumbled a pass out of bounds on her way to the hoop with the game tied with 40.3 seconds left. That’s right; the Mercury charged back in this one to tie it up with less than two minutes left. And both teams were exchanging shots. 

Alyssa Thomas missed a layup that would’ve put the Mercury up with 19 seconds left, and after killing some clock, Becky Hammon called a timeout with five seconds left to draw up a play for Wilson to be the savior. That’s exactly what happened. She caught the ball just above the free-throw line, drove left into a double team and then pivoted for her fadeaway jumper. 

That bucket gave her 34 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in another dominant performance. The Aces avoided the collapse and now stand one win from their third title in five years. But DeWanna Bonner nearly ruined the moment with a catch-and-shoot with her back to the basket and 0.3 seconds left. Via B/R W Sports: 

Wilson is on a historic run, even by her high standards. She’s averaging 26.4 points, 10 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 2.0 steals during this playoff run.

Her 291 points (and counting) are the most in any WNBA postseason. She eclipsed Napheesa Collier’s 285 from last year’s playoffs. 
Wilson has done it in 11 games; Collier did it in 12. 
She’s six rebounds away from setting the playoff rebounding record. 
She’s four blocks from tying Lisa Leslie’s total of 31 in the 2001 postseason. 
But Leslie did it in seven games (!!!!). 

This is an all-time playoff run on every level for Wilson, who also led the Aces to the championship in 2022 and 2023. She’s putting together a case as the best WNBA player ever with her ability on both ends of the floor and her résumé. 

The individual awards are unmatched. Her four MVPs outpace Leslie’s three. And her third title would eclipse Leslie’s two. No team in WNBA history has blown a 3-0 lead in a series (because this is the first best-of-seven in league history). If anybody can do a dramatic comeback, it’s the Mercury. But they might want to get the ball out of Wilson’s hands.

The last 24

Get your hands on a Wembanyama

Wemby collectables. The deep vein thrombosis is no longer a concern. Collectors are flocking to Wemby cards. 

🌍 He’s out. Remember that global basketball league LeBron James and Maverick Carter were apparently meeting about? Mav is out. 

📺 Where’s the game on? Amazon, Peacock and ESPN’s new app have been added to the NBA slate. Here’s how to watch games this season. 

Secretary’s Day? Steve Kerr’s former “secretary” has put together a squad. How Nick U’Ren built the Mercury. 

Glass half full?

We need to know how optimistic you are!

We’re conducting a survey about your level of optimism for your favorite team this coming season! You can participate in the poll here, and we’re going to unveil the results right before the season. It’ll be featured both here in The Bounce and in its own article on The Athletic.Kyle Kuzma take questions from Milwaukee fans on the official Bucks account. But we want to know anyway. 

Big-time depth

Clippers have promise, along with drama

So… what’s new? As we preview every team’s upcoming season, I don’t know how many of us a month and a half ago had the LA Clippers entering this season with any unusual drama. Sure, you might want to question James Harden in an elimination game or Kawhi Leonard’s health and availability. But the Clippers essentially swapped out Norman Powell, Ben Simmons, Terance Mann and Amir Coffey for John Collins, Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal and Chris Paul. That’s a pretty good upgrade in depth!

Then Pablo Torre unleashed chaos with his reporting on the Clippers’ alleged cap circumvention, revealing that Kawhi got paid $28 million for a “no-show job” with a carbon footprint reduction company called Aspiration. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer claims he was duped, no matter how much circumstantial evidence piles up. The Clippers have this as a distraction for the foreseeable future. Can Ty Lue get them focused to build on a good 2024-25 season? Let’s dive in!

Drama Meter: For once, we’re not focusing on the health of the Clippers. This is just below a 10 for drama because I don’t ultimately believe Adam Silver will drop the hammer on the Clippers (if the league finds wrongdoing worthy of the hammer), there doesn’t seem to be a smoking gun and this investigation won’t have a conclusion for months. But this will be a topic for a long time.

Hot Seat Meter: Lue is one of the best coaches in the NBA, does a phenomenal job for the Clippers and is signed through 2029.

Offseason question: The Clippers got a healthy Kawhi for the playoffs last season. Unfortunately, they ran into Nikola Jokić in a seven-game series. Kawhi didn’t begin his season until early January and made it to the postseason healthy. He’s been healthy and working out all summer.

2026 free agents: James Harden (player option) | John Collins | Bogdan Bogdanović (team option) | Brook Lopez (team option) | Nicolas Batum (team option) | Bradley Beal (player option) | Chris Paul

This team also has team options for Bogdanović ($16 million), Lopez ($9.1 million), and Batum ($5.6 million) next summer. So the Clippers could clear some big-time flexibility if they want to. If Harden declines his option, it’ll likely be to re-sign a new one-and-one deal. Collins could be a rental, and therefore moved before the deadline. We believe this is CP3’s last season, and Beal should probably decline that $5.6 million option next summer. Lots could be in flux here with the deep roster.

Expectation for this season: I think they win 50 games again, are in a battle to get into the top six of the Western Conference with tiebreakers being complicated, and then probably make a second-round run depending on the matchup. That’s assuming the league doesn’t levy a massive punishment that costs them Kawhi. This team would be a lot of fun to see healthy in the postseason.

What’s different?

Is it finally time to believe in the Hawks?

I know what you’re thinking. You’re doing the math, working the days backward and wondering why the Atlanta Hawks are here. You’ve realized The Bounce is projecting the Hawks to place seventh in the East. You’re looking at an offseason of bringing in Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. You’re seeing the East in a highly weakened state. And you’re probably wondering to yourself…

“Z-Note, what the hell is wrong with you? Why do you hate the Hawks?” Two things: 1) You’re right that nobody calls me Z-Note. 2) I fully recognize the Hawks should probably be higher than seventh. At the same time, it’s still the Hawks, and we should make them show us on the court instead of looking good on paper. I’d be so happy to be wrong in questioning whether they finally got it right. But we’ve seen them swap out players, coaches and everything in between. I’m not sure how you can feel confident they’ll make the top six. But let’s dive in!

Drama Meter: We’re midway on the drama meter because if the Hawks do not show the improvement so many assume we’ll see, then two things could happen. 1) The Hawks could start questioning whether Trae Young is the problem here. 2) Young has a player option for the 2026-27 season, and he could decide to opt out and explore somewhere new.

Hot Seat Meter: Quin Snyder has done a good job with the Hawks, for the most part. But it’s still a Hawks organization that has swapped out coaches a couple of times in the last five years. That seat can’t be totally cold.

Offseason question: The Hawks were below average in both offense and defense. Jalen Johnson is back healthy. Porziņģis and NAW will help them on both ends of the floor. Kennard can help their below-average 3-point shooting. All signs point to yes.

2026 free agents: Trae Young (player option) | Kristaps Porziņģis | Luke Kennard | Dyson Daniels (restricted)

I’d expect Atlanta to come to terms with Daniels on a rookie extension. Young would be smart to opt out and sign a two-year deal this summer if he wants to remain with the Hawks. Then he becomes a free agent after 10 years and can see an even bigger payday. He can also sign an extension to get him to 10 years. As for Porziņģis, it’ll be interesting to see if this is a rental or a new home for him.

Expectation for this season: I’m being cautiously cautious with the Hawks. The talent and coaching are there. The East is weaker. There is zero reason for them to be in the Play-In Tournament again. They have to finish in the top six. Their history shows that might be tough to assume, though.