Tag: The Athletic

Report: Thunder trade Lindy Waters III to Warriors for No. 52 pick of 2024 NBA draft

Report: Thunder trade Lindy Waters III to Warriors for No. 52 pick of 2024 NBA draft.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Lindy Waters III to the Golden State Warriors for the No. 52 pick of the 2024 NBA draft, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

This gives the Thunder a shot to add another rookie to their draft class. They selected Nikola Topic with the No. 12 pick and Dillon Jones with the No. 26 pick in the first round.

This marks the end of Waters III’s three-season tenure with the Thunder. He was a two-way player for most of his time at OKC and was converted to a standard deal twice. He has a $2.2 million team option for next season.

The 26-year-old was buried on the depth chart last season and seldom played. He averaged 3.6 points on 47.1% shooting, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists. He shot 43.5% from 3 on 2.2 attempts.

This is cheap depth for the expensive Warriors. Waters III has shown flashes of being a good shooter, which is always a hot commodity in the league.

Meanwhile, OKC flips someone who was likely going to get his option declined for a cheap second-round rookie. There’s a decent chance who they add will be in a two-way slot next season.

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The Swamp among most difficult places to play college football

EA Sports College Football 25’s impending release has The Athletic thinking about the toughest stadiums to play in.

There has been a lot of talk recently on the topic of the most difficult college football stadiums to play in following the announcement of the EA Sports College Football 25‘s venue rankings earlier this week.

In that release, the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, known also simply as the Swamp, was listed at No. 10, giving the Southeastern Conference six of the 10 most difficult venues to play in. But not everyone agrees with those ratings.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman took a stab at ranking the top 10 home fields in all of Football Bowl Subdivision play and came up with some different results than EA. In his reassessment, the Gators came in at No. 6 — somewhat surprisingly ahead of three SEC peers.

“In my experience, The Swamp isn’t quite in the category with LSU and ‘Bama, but it is right there with Tennessee and Georgia when it comes to big-time, true SEC heavyweight experiences,” Feldman notes.

“Being there in the ’90s in the [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] days to see the Gators face FSU and Bobby Bowden was fantastic.”

SEC schools in the top 10

The LSU Tigers‘ Tiger Stadium took the top spot, and Feldman’s first sentence says it all: “The place is just pure mayhem, and it starts way before kickoff.”

The Alabama Crimson Tide‘s Bryant-Denny Stadium took second place to give the conference two of the top five venues.

Florida, of course, came in sixth while the Tennessee Volunteers‘ Neyland Stadium (No. 7), Georgia Bulldogs‘ Sanford Stadium (No. 9) and Texas A&M Aggies‘ Kyle Field give the SEC a total of six of the 10 most difficult places to play, in Feldman’s opinion.

Other top venues

The Penn State Nittany Lions (Beaver Stadium), Ohio State Buckeyes (Ohio Stadium) and Virginia Tech Hokies (Lane Stadium) rounded out the top five, respectively, while the Oregon Ducks (Autzen Stadium) earned the eighth spot on the list.

Florida’s 2024 season opener

The Florida and the Miami Hurricanes open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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Are the Chargers overrated? An NFL analyst thinks so

The Chargers should not fall under this category.

If you asked anyone, they would say they’re excited for the new-era Chargers under Jim Harbaugh. However, despite having one of the most proven coaches in football, one analyst believes the Bolts are one of the most overrated teams.

The Athletic’s Mike Jones listed the most overrated and underrated squads heading into the 2024 season. His reasons for putting them under this category are Harbaugh’s extensive period of not coaching in the league and the “lack of weapons” following the losses of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler.

Jim Harbaugh should be good for Justin Herbert and the Chargers in the long run; he was regarded as the top coach on the market this past winter. But an overnight turnaround might be far-fetched, particularly since Harbaugh hasn’t coached in the NFL in 10 years. Also, while the Chargers made an effort to bolster their defense, Herbert will be missing a number of go-to offensive players after the departures of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler.

I disagree with Jones listing the Chargers as an overrated team. Harbaugh has been a winner at every stop of his coaching career, and I believe that continues in Los Angeles. He is equipped with one of the best quarterbacks and top-end talent at various positions. Furthermore, they have the second-easiest schedule in the league. I think they can contend for a playoff spot.

As for his statement regarding the skill players, Herbert is talented enough to elevate the players around him. Joshua Palmer has proven to be reliable when healthy. I expect Quentin Johnston to take a step forward. Ladd McConkey will make some noise in his rookie season. Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins are a nice one-two punch.

Report: Weber State’s Dillon Jones had predraft workout with Thunder

Report: Weber State’s Dillon Jones had predraft workout with Thunder.

The calendar has flipped to June, which means NBA teams are intensifying their predraft process and hosting players for workouts and visits. The 2024 NBA draft will take place from June 26-27.

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this year’s class with a sole draft pick of the No. 12 selection. OKC was gifted the free lottery pick via the Houston Rockets.

The Thunder have hosted several meetings with draft prospects in the past few weeks. This includes players outside the lottery range as OKC will likely seek to add undrafted free agents or even buy back into the second round if it likes someone enough.

One possibility is Weber State’s Dillon Jones. He reportedly had a predraft workout with the Thunder, per The Athletic’s Andrew Schlecht on his “Down to Dunk” podcast.

The 22-year-old played four college seasons from 2021-24 at Weber State. He was a starter in his last three seasons with the Wildcats.

In 31 games last season, Jones averaged 20.8 points on 48.9% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and two steals. He shot 32.4% from 3 on 3.4 attempts. At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, he has good size for a forward.

Jones is likely a second-round selection. This means the Thunder will need to trade back into the second round if they like him enough. He’d likely spend most of his next season with the G League’s OKC Blue.

A full list of 2024 NBA draft prospects that have worked out or visited the Thunder in the predraft process can be viewed here.

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The Athletic basketball writer raves about incoming Duke freshman Kon Knueppel

Every set of eyes will be on Cooper Flagg next season, but one senior writer for The Athletic adores another member of Duke’s freshman class.

No player in the country will balance more 2025 NBA draft hype than Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the consensus No. 1 player in the incoming freshman class.

According to The Athletic senior writer Sam Vecenie, however, there’s another Blue Devil newcomer that fans should keep an eye on.

Vecenie revealed his early 2025 mock draft would be published next week after the 2024 edition concludes on Thursday, and he’s particularly bullish on Kon Knueppel. He commented on some footage of Duke’s first scrimmages to confirm that Knueppel will be a first-round pick in his projections.

“I get the athleticism. I don’t care,” Vecenie wrote. “Think he’s just an absolute stud and will be Duke’s second-best freshman this year.”

Knueppel, who was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin this year, was one of four five-star signees in Duke’s esteemed 2024 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the 17th overall player in the class, and he measures out at 6-foot-7 and 217 pounds on the team roster.

Knueppel’s highlights from the scrimmage showed him knocking down two 3-pointers, a beautiful reverse layup off the glass, and a one-handed breakaway dunk.

Will the 2024 Vikings offense have more 21 personnel?

The Minnesota Vikings were in 21 personnel less than 10 percent of the time in 2023. Will that number increase with the 2024 squad?

The best offenses in the NFL can keep defenses on their toes. Generally speaking, they achieve that by having a balanced run/pass attack, employing pre-snap motion to create favorable matchups, and having diverse personnel groupings to also create favorable matchups.

The Minnesota Vikings offense sometimes got predictable, thanks to a rather anemic rushing attack in 2023. The team made several moves in the off-season to rectify this problem, but will that lead to more personnel groupings in the Vikings offense for 2024? One Vikings beat writer seems to think it may.

The Vikings signed former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones to improve the running game. But the pass protection skills of an in-house back have The Athletic’s Alec Lewis envisioning more 21 personnel.

In his article outlining quick thoughts on each of the 90 players currently on the Vikings roster, Lewis highlighted C.J. Ham’s consistent ability to pass protect and pondered at the idea of him and Jones being on the field together in 21 personnel:

Sneaky solid third-down pass protector. Vikings used 21 personnel 7.3 percent of the time last year, and that number could jump in 2024.

As Lewis points out, the Vikings were in 21 personnel—that is, two running backs and one tight end—less than 10 percent of the time in 2023. Adding diversity to their personnel groupings should help the team be more unpredictable next season. Whether or not that results in a better offense remains to be seen, but more options in an offense are rarely a bad thing.

Vikings DT Harrison Phillips prepping for increased workload in 2024

Entering a contract year, Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips is changing his routine to prepare for a higher workload.

Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense saw somewhat of a resurgence in 2023. The 2024 squad will look a lot different from the 2023 team, particularly up front. A big hole was left when Danielle Hunter left in free agency, one that the Vikings hope can be filled by first-round pick Dallas Turner. One thing that remains the same, though, is the presence of defensive tackle Harrison Phillips.

Phillips has been a fixture on the inside of the Vikings defensive line and has earned his place as one of the leaders on the defense — and the team as a whole. As Phillips prepares to enter his seventh NFL season and his third with the Vikings, he’s reportedly changing his off-season regimen.

According to The Athletic’s Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis, Phillips has changed up his preparation to be “more pliable” this season in anticipation of an increased workload.

Phillips saw his most work last season, being on the field for a career-high 839 defensive snaps, which amounted to 74% of the team’s defensive plays — also a career-high for Phillips.

Phillips’ usage cannot go much higher, but if his playtime does increase even further, it sounds like he’s doing everything he can to be up for the challenge.

The Athletic predicts the value of Christian Darrisaw’s extension

The Vikings will be working toward an extension with Christian Darrisaw and The Athletic predicted what he may get.

Now that Justin Jefferson signed his major contract extension with the Vikings and will be wearing purple and gold for a while, the question remains: What’s next for Minnesota?

One of the first thoughts is to go straight to the left tackle, Christian Darrisaw. The former first-round pick in 2021 is signed through 2025, but the Vikings have reportedly been in contact with their franchise tackle on a long-term deal.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis took a stab at predicting what Minnesota would have to pay Darrisaw to keep him a Viking for the long haul. While injuries are a little concerning, the Vikings would have to pay him a lot of money to keep him.

Lewis predicts Minnesota will pay Darrisaw $87 million guaranteed on a four-year extension.

Darrisaw has yet to play a full season during the three years he’s been a Viking. But when healthy, there is no denying he is one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL. Per PFF, Darrisaw was the fifth-best tackle at pass blocking with an 85.3 grade in 2023. Run blocking took a little dip last season, with a 73.9 grade, but Darrisaw has been a consistent player since he entered the NFL out of Virginia Tech.

Caglianone’s return to CWS a top headline, per The Athletic

The best players in the country find a way to get their teams to Omaha, and Florida’s Jac Caglianone might have the biggest spotlight at the 2024 College World Series.

Florida wouldn’t be headed to Omaha without [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] on the roster, and the national media is about to eat up the last hoorah of perhaps the greatest player ever to wear the Orange and Blue.

The Athletic dedicated most of the words in its [autotag]College World Series[/autotag] field preview to the left-handed Adonis they call Jactani on Monday.

“We have been fortunate to watch some special college baseball players in recent years, but I’m not sure we appreciate just how good Jac Caglianone has been for the Florida Gators over the last two seasons,” college sports editor Mitch Light said. “He was on the shortlist for best hitters in the nation last year as a sophomore and has made a significant leap as a junior.”

Caglianone might not be a Golden Spikes Finalist this year, but there’s no question that he’s upped his game with Wyatt Langford in the pros. He became the team leader whether he liked it or not and set the pace for the program on the diamond all season.

“His home runs have stayed the same (33 each season) while his slash numbers have improved from .323/.389/.738 to .411/.523/.860. His strikeout-to-walk ratio has flipped from 58 strikeouts and 17 walks in 2023 to 25 and 52 in 2024. Oh, have we mentioned he’s also a starting pitcher who throws in the high 90s and has 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings?”

Florida has to make it out of a tough bracket to get back to the finals, but they’ll avoid either Florida State or Tennessee entirely. The Gators already beat Texas A&M in a series this season, but Kentucky has the upper hand heading into double-elimination play. NC State is a relative unknown considering the rest of the field.

The expectations for Caglianone are clear — finish the job and do what last year’s club came one game short of.

“Cags struggled at the plate in the 2023 CWS, going 5 for 26 with two home runs during the Gators’ march to the championship series. The guess is he will be far more productive in his final go-round in Omaha.”

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Pair of Gators on The Athletic’s All-‘Wait, They’re Still Playing College Football?’ team

The Gators have a pair of elder statesmen among their offensive and defensive ranks.

The COVID pandemic of 2020 still has lingering effects on college football after the NCAA granted student-athletes an extra year of eligibility following the pandemic-shortened season. Among the ramifications of the decision is extended collegiate careers for a few gridiron warriors.

The Florida Gators are one of the programs that have benefitted from this extension entering the 2024 campaign with a pair of former transfer portal acquisitions who look to make a mark in the twilight of their amateur eligibility.

Quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], formerly of the Wisconsin Badgers, and safety [autotag]Asa Turner[/autotag], formerly of the Washington Huskies, are the two players The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel and Max Olson singled out in their All-“Wait, They’re Still Playing College Football?!” Team — both of whom started their collegiate careers in 2019.

QB Graham Mertz

“This October will mark seven years since the top-100 recruit filled Wisconsin fans with euphoria, becoming that program’s highest-rated QB commit since … ever?

“Unfortunately, his four-year career in Madison was filled with more mediocrity than glory, but given a fresh start in Gainesville, he improved dramatically last year (72.9% passing, 20 TDs, 3 INTs). Mertz is back for what will likely be his fifth consecutive season as a college starter.”

S Asa Turner

“Turner was a true freshman starter at Washington during Chris Petersen’s final season and started 28 of 43 games during his five seasons with the Huskies.

“He’s back for one more, this time in the SEC with the Gators, thanks to an interesting technicality: Turner played in four regular-season games in 2023 and was able to count it as a redshirt season — even though he returned from injury in time to play in the Pac-12 title game and both CFP games.

“Yep, that’s right, a seven-game redshirt. Don’t think we’ve ever seen that before.”

Florida’s 2024 season opener

Florida opens up its 2024 regular-season schedule in the Swamp against the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.