A fan’s perspective

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The other son

His name is Bryce James, he is the younger brother of Bronny and son of LeBron. While Bronny only remained in college for his freshman year Bryce has taken a different route. The 6-foot 5 shooting guard was redshirted last year at Arizona so technically the 2026-27 season will be his first competitive college basketball. At the time he graduated from high school scouting sites ESPN and Rivals rated Bryce a 3-star prospect while he played at Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth California.

This is but a small portion of his high school scouting report from Adam Finkelstein Director of Scouting for 247Sports. “He may not be the dynamic athlete or playmaker some expect at first, but he is a fundamentally sound player with solid perimeter size and a good early skill-set.” Now the question on the minds of most reading this, is Bryce a better talent than older brother Bronny? That question cannot be answered as this is written.

The other

I have attempted to update you on plans for new arena builds throughout the league. Naturally, the prospect of a “new” building is more exciting than one presently in existence. It requires an extensive timeline for construction to be completed, a remake of the existing building is usually less time. There are at least 5 arenas that are being refurbished or soon will be. Where are these arenas located, we begin in Portland and the Moda Center home court for the Blazers, the arena opened in 1995. The plan is a $573 million to $600 million overhaul of the arena which is yet to begin. Remaining on the west coast we journey to Salt Lake City and the Delta Center home of the Jazz.

This building first opened in October 1991 is currently in the middle of a massive, multi-year $525 million redesign. We now journey to Denver and the Ball Arena, this downtown arena home of the Nuggets opened in October 1999. The building will undergo an extensive $135 million renovation. Our next stop is the nation’s capital Washington D.C. and The Capital One Arena home to the Wizards opened its doors in 1997. This renovation is the most expensive in the NBA to date, this will be a massive $1 billion complete modernization of the existing arena. Our last stop is north of the border in Toronto Canada and the Scotiabank Arena which opened in 1999. The home court for the Raptors is undergoing what is termed a $350 million “Reimagination Project” whatever that entails. These projects have varying timelines on when they might be completed, sometimes what is old can become new again and that appears to be the case here.

This might have changed

By the time you read this there might be a change, I’m referring to Mizzou’s basketball recruiting ranking. The Class of 2026 witnessed the school finishing 7 in the nation in recruiting according to Rivals. Earlier I’d reported on two prospects who committed to Mizzou which entails the Tigers getting off to a fast start for the Class of 2027. 247.com places Mizzou 7 while On3/Rivals.com list them as the number 13 team in the nation. What does all this mean, at the top of the list the commits must turn into solid players, which is certainly no guarantee for high school talent.

I could state pressure is three-fold, on the coach his overall team and these fresh new commits. Despite the issues of NIL and the transfer portal it says to me coach Gates and staff are continuing to travel all over the nation in an attempt to build the Mizzou brand. Someone might point toward the adage “failure is not an option” oh but it is. We cannot forecast health from the aspect of avoiding injuries nor the ability for one to adjust to the college game. I love the fact there is a work in progress sign in front of Mizzou Arena at 1 Champions Drive, Columbia MO.

This is interesting

Last season Spurs guard Dylan Harper failed to play in the manner of a rookie. He would prove vital to the streaking Spurs as they would eventually play for the 2026 NBA Championship. Although Harper’s team came up short many asked the question, “how can you keep him out of the starting lineup?” Well coach Mitch Johnson may have an answer, a three-guard lineup. Recently the Spurs lineup contained DeAaron Fox, Stephon Castle and the aforementioned Harper. This is not the first attempt by a team to change its lineup in an expanded manner.

The Spurs depth chart listed on ESPN contains the name of Devin Vassell at small forward, he too was key to the success of the Spurs this past season. Does he become a permanent member of the reserve squad? That issue aside consider this, Fox is the oldest member of this expanded backcourt and he’s only 28-years old. As for the others, Castle will turn 22 in November while Harper is the “baby” of the trio at age 20. This move should not be considered final however it is interesting in several aspects. The chief one of course is placing second year man Dylan Harper in the starting lineup. Adding Harper’s athleticism and will power to an ever improving Spurs team.