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In case you missed Wednesday’s newsletter, the time has come for the Enjoy Olympics Challenge! If you can predict a few key things about this summer’s Olympic tournament, like Team USA’s leading scorer and who’ll be winning gold, silver, and bronze, some MAJOR prizes will be coming your way. Again—what are you waiting for?

Today’s Lineup

Offseason News Update

Knicks, HC Thibodeau agree on three-year extension

The Knicks have done a lot to solidify their on-court future this offseason—trading for Mikal Bridges, resigning OG Anunoby, and extending Jalen Brunson will hopefully prove to be beneficial for New York this upcoming season. But this latest move is the icing on top of the cake, as Tom Thibodeau is now set to remain head coach of the Knicks until the 2027-28 season.

Thibs has been the Knicks’ head coach since 2020-21, when New York went 41-31 in the shortened season led by Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. Now, with a completely revamped roster and their head coach locked in for the foreseeable future, the Knicks are in shape to be a threat in the Eastern Conference.

Nembhard signs three-year, $59 million extension with Indy

Since being drafted with the 31st overall pick in the 2022 draft, the Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard has been one of the most underrated young guards in the league, but he finally got some due recognition on Wednesday when he signed an extension to stay in Indiana until 2027-28 for just about $20 million per year.

After averaging 9.2 points in 25 minutes per game last season, Nembhard was a huge part of the Pacers’ run to the conference finals. His 14.9 points and 5.5 assists in the playoffs last year are a major reason why Indiana sees him as a promising young piece for their future.

⚡️ LIGHTNING ROUND! ⚡️

Orlando Robinson: one-year deal w/Kings

Killian Hayes: one-year deal/Nets

Anthony Gill: one-year deal w/Wizards

James Johnson: one-year, $3.3 million deal w/Pacers

Curious why the Pacers resigned JJ after he only played 47 total minutes last season? Listen to Draymond’s take on it:

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WNBA First Half Recap

Since their season lasts throughout the summer, the WNBA takes a monthlong hiatus to accommodate for the Olympics and the All-Star game (including an electric matchup between Team USA and the WNBA All-Stars, which we’ll get to in a second). We’re smack dab in the middle of that break right now, so what better time than now to go over the headlines and leaders from the 2024 WNBA season so far?

New York and Connecticut leading Eastern Conference; Minnesota, Seattle, and Las Vegas in dead heat out West

The W’s Eastern Conference is a two-headed beast. On the one hand, you have Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones’ dominant New York Liberty squad. On the other, you have the Connecticut Sun led by DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas among a whole roster full of elite talent.

But out West, things are a little more complicated. The race for the best team is currently being fought by (a) the Minnesota Lynx, led by star guard Kayla McBride and double-double machine Napheesa Collier, (b) Jewell Loyd and Nneka Ogwumike's Seattle Storm squad, and (c) the star-studded Las Vegas Aces, highlighted by MVP frontrunner A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young. The back half of the season will be tight!

Vegas’ A’ja Wilson dominating MVP race, Clark and Reese sparring for ROTY

There couldn’t be a bigger difference between the MVP and Rookie of the Year races this season in the WNBA. As for MVP, the choice is pretty clear—A’ja Wilson has been the best player on both ends of the floor the entire year, and Vegas fans will hope that the rest of their roster around Wilson will be enough come playoff time for the Aces to snag their third straight championship.

The ROTY race, however, is as tight as ever. The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark has been as dominant as her pre-draft hype dictated—not only does she lead her team in scoring (17.1 PPG), but her 5.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game prove that she has taken huge strides as a multi-faceted player that can impact the game without scoring.

But don’t count out Chicago’s Angel Reese! The Chi-Town Barbie has been an absolute force down low for the Sky, to the tune of a WNBA-record 15 straight double-doubles earlier this season. Averaging 13.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, Reese has some calling Caitlin Clark’s near-automatic ROTY award into question…

WNBA All-Stars beat Team USA 117-109 in thrilling pre-Olympics matchup

We’re big fans of how the WNBA All-Star Game works in Olympic years—instead of an East vs. West matchup, Team USA takes on a best-of-the-rest All-Star team. Not only is it a great way for the Olympic team to prepare for the tournament, but the energy from any of the All-Stars who think they might have been snubbed from the Olympic Team makes the matchup more competitive and electric than any other All-Star game out there.

And electric it was, as the All-Stars took control of what was a close game in the first half and ended up as victors over Team USA in a 117-109 win last weekend. Arike Ogunbuwale led the way for the All-Stars with 34 points, and the Olympic team took their loss as a good lesson before facing more talent on the international stage:

Three in the Key

Signing Off

TGIF, right Enjoyers? Thanks for sticking with us this week—stay tuned for real Olympic tournament action next week. We can’t hold in our excitement!

Austin Zeglis