Olivia Rodrigo has a scary moment on stage at a recent Australian stop of the Guts World Tour, but fortunately, she’s alright.
Fan-shot videos like this one show Rodrigo running around the stage and pumping up the crowd. Then, she accidentally ran into a lowered part of the stage, catching herself on the edge of the hole with her arms. The moment got a big gasp from the audience, but Rodrigo quickly put anybody’s fears to rest, cheerfully saying as she emerged from the hole, “Oh my god, that was fun! I’m OK! Woah! Sometimes there’s just a hole in the stage. That’s alright!”
Rodrigo continued the fun after the show, using the video to take part in the “subtle foreshadowing” trend that’s taking over TikTok right now, in which a seemingly innocent video is frequently interrupted by split-second clips of something unexpected that happens later in the original video.
As for things going well with the Guts World Tour, Rodrigo recently announced she has a concert film on the way. The concert special is coming to Netflix on October 29 and Rodrigo said in a statement, “I am so excited to share the Guts World Tour with my fans. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to rock out in-person, now you can have the best seats in the house! And to the fans who cheered, screamed, and danced with me, I am so glad we get to do it all over again!”
BTS is largely credited with bringing K-pop to the forefront of American pop culture and remains a phenomenon worldwide, even four years after the release of their most recent album, 2020’s Be. Since then, its members have been completing their compulsory military service, and all of its members, save one, have released their own solo albums. The last member to do so is the group’s eldest, Jin, who announced his solo debut album Happy today, one month before its release date (November 15). He previously released the single “The Astronaut” to a warm reception from both fans and critics.
Per a press release from BigHit, the group’s label and talent agency, “Jin reveals his honest thoughts and feelings on what happiness means to him in the hopes that those who listen to the album will also find joy. Happy is a genuine, heartwarming gesture that invites listeners to join him on a journey to find happiness, offering them a sense of strength and comfort in their day-to-day lives.”
In June, Jin became the first BTS member to complete his enlistment, with the group reuniting to celebrate him with flowers outside the base. During his enlistment, fans sent so many letters that BigHit released a statement asking them to chill out — something most K-pop fans have no concept of to this day. That could end up being a good thing for Jin on November 15, which could see his debut do big numbers — but not as big as the group’s inevitable reunion in 2025.
Megan Thee Stallion doesn’t need a “weird” biopic to be interesting. Her life is fascinating enough as is, and it will all be on display in a new documentary.
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words is described as offering “unprecedented access to the multi-faceted woman behind the persona.” It follows the Houston rapper’s journey “on the road to stardom as she tenaciously navigates fame, grief, pressure, and success. The documentary unpacks Megan’s most vulnerable moments in a powerful way that allows fans to meet the real Megan Pete.”
When Will Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words Be On Prime Video?
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words is directed by Nneka Onuorah, who won an Emmy for her work on Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls. “I feel so honored to work with Amazon MGM Studios, Roc Nation, and TIME Studios to share Megan’s story,” Onuorah said in a statement. “Her raw and beautiful spirit really shines through in the film. She is a champion for all women who deserve their truth to be heard.”
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words continues Megan Thee Stallion’s huge 2024. She released a No. 1 single “Hiss,” hosted the MTV Video Music Awards (and won Best Trending Video for “Mamushi” and Best Art Direction for “Boa”), and sold out arenas on her Hot Girl Summer Tour.
The Detroit Lions lost a high-profile game to the Dallas Cowboys at the end of the regular season last year on a controversial decision by the referees to wipe a successful two-point conversion off the board. Some hard feelings must’ve lingered from that game, because on Sunday, the Lions beat the hell out of the Cowboys in Dallas. Behind nearly 500 yards of total offense and a dominant display from their defense, Detroit picked up an emphatic, 47-9 win that makes clear they are one of the teams to beat in the NFC.
After the game, the fine folks with the Lions’ social media team were feeling themselves a bit. During the game, the official account for AT+T Stadium celebrated the fact that 93,644 people attended the game — an impressive number, for sure. But there was a catch: They blurred out the score, which the Lions noted and pounced on.
How anyone on the stadium’s social media team thought this would not backfire in this specific way is unclear, but kudos to the Lions for seeing an opportunity to get in on what was a pretty bad day for the Cowboys. With the win, Detroit moved to 4-1 on the year, while the Cowboys fell to 3-3 ahead of a stretch that features games against the Niners, Falcons, Eagles, and Texans.
Emilia Perez made quite the mark at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Not in the usual way of selling to a major studio or frivolous behind the scenes drama exploding into “Spitgate” investigations online or anything. No, Emilia Perez was the subject of conversation because of its trailblazing representation and the landmark achievement that it received at the festival honoring one of its lead actresses.
The new musical crime-drama from director Jacques Audiard (Rust and Bone, Dheepan) tells the story of Rita (Zoe Saladana) a lawyer who’s assigned to help a druglord escape the authorities and undergo sex reassignment surgery with the hope of beginning a new life free from the past. While the premise is similar to previous schlocky attempts at providing provocative commentary on gender identity, Emilia Perez sets itself apart by casting Karla Sofía Gascón as the titular role. A role that undergoes quite the drastic transformation throughout the course of the film.
You see, Karla started her career as a man. Born on March 31st, 1972 in Alcobendas, Spain, Karla found herself living and working in Mexico, adopting the culture and embracing the country as her home. She flourished, working on numerous telenovellas and Mexican soap operas, eventually finding herself in a few feature films. Then in 2016 there was a paradigm shift within herself. Despite her established acting career she decided to come out as transgender and make the transition from living as a man to living as a woman.
In interviews, Karla’s said of the decision, “I do it now or I never do it. I have always known what I was and what I wanted to do but there was no opportunity to do it because I had developed in a different way”.
Like many trans women who decide to transition later in life, she faced obstacles, insults and critics wishing her death “simply for existing.” Her career was altered in surprising ways too. The roles she was getting suddenly disappeared and, aside from a few guest appearances and a Mexican celebrity version of the show Masterchef, she struggled to book anything onscreen for years. For nearly a decade she’s been rebuilding her career, determined to prove to everyone she was still just as skilled a performer as she was before transitioning.
Emilia Perez feels like the end result, the culmination of all her hard work, a movie that puts her in the spotlight working with some of the biggest names acting today such as Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramirez. Karla almost passed on the film entirely, fearing her telenovela past hadn’t prepared her for a musical film. And yet, the movie premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, secured the coveted Jury Prize, and its ensemble of leading ladies received a Best Actress award, Karla Sofía Gascón included.
This year marks the first time that a trans performer has received an acting award of any kind at the prestigious festival. In fact, Emilia Perez has taken an award at every festival that it’s played at, setting up potential Academy Award hopes for Gascón, which would shatter glass ceilings everywhere, not only for trans performers, but also telenovela stars whose craft often goes unappreciated and overlooked.
Even without the accolades, Karla Sofía Gascón is a stellar example of representation, living proof that one can break away from a former life and build themselves up while still honoring their past and remaining authentic to themselves. Proof that, wherever your beginnings are, you can make history in a world that doesn’t want you to succeed.
Body horror movies don’t typically do well at the box office, but there’s nothing typical about The Substance.
Director Coralie Fargeat’s exquisitely gross film starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley has earned $25 million worldwide, making it arthouse distributor Mubi’s highest-grossing title ever. The Substance doesn’t have a streaming release date, so it should continue to do well in theaters for weeks to come. Especially after a (slightly NSFW) GIF from one scene went viral.
You can see it here, and once you do, you’ll get why everyone is making jokes about Qualley and her husband, Bleachers frontman and super-producer Jack Antonoff. “Can Jack Antonoff fight?” one user on X wrote, while another joked, “Jack Antonoff count your days.” Here’s one more: “i’ve never prayed on another human beings downfall the way i’m praying on jack antonoff’s.”
Qualley previously discussed starring in The Substance with The Sunday Times. “I’ve always wanted people to take me seriously and so I’ve done roles where I felt like that would come across, and this was something I’d never done because of that,” she said. “I leant in to being totally objectified, a completely vain character.” Qualley also revealed Antonoff proposed to her while she was filming the movie. “I was so excited that I tackled him and he cut his knee, and I flipped over a chair,” she said, “but it was cute.” They got married last August (and were swarmed by Swifties).
Drake and PartyNextDoor’s joint album may be coming soon, if we can believe what Party said during a recent interview. While appearing on OVO’s The Fry Yiy Show, Party gave an interesting update on the album’s status.
“I have had an insane week,” he said. “You guys know what’s coming for you. Party and Drake have a classic. And we, you know, we trying to put the finishing touches on it, so… Yeah, it’s a jam-packed month for me filled with the thing that I love to do the most.”
Drake first teased the upcoming collaboration during the Toronto stop of Party’s Sorry, I’m Outside Tour promoting his new album, P4. The hometown heroes surprised attendees with Drake’s appearance, then Drake surprised them again with the news that they’re putting together a new album — a welcome announcement for beleaguered Drake fans weary of catching hell online in the wake of his harrowing Kendrick Lamar battle.
Then, earlier this month, Drake liked a post promising the album’s on-track for a fall release. Party also revealed that the project will have 15 songs — although knowing these two, that could change as easily as a release date. Fans eager to hear more of the chemistry that the two artists have flashed on prior collaborations like “Recognize,” “Loyal,” and “Come And See Me” are hoping for an October release, as it would fit the title of their label, October’s Very Own, but it sounds like they are aiming to at least have it out before December.
The Tennessee Titans made a few big decisions this offseason, as the team opted to fire longtime coach Mike Vrabel and bring in a more offensive-minded coach in Brian Callahan. Part of the thought process was that this would help 2023 second-round pick Will Levis develop into a starting QB in the league after he showed flashes during his rookie campaign.
Instead, the Titans, and Levis in particular, have really struggled, as the team is 1-4. Levis has become more well-known for his reactions to things happening than his play on the field, as he leads the league in interceptions and is 30th out of 31 qualified quarterbacks in QBR. Of course, growing pains are expected, and the hope in Tennessee is he’ll be better for going through all of this, but his play still led to him coming up on Monday’s edition of First Take. Specifically, Stephen A. Smith wants to know one thing: How exactly was Levis able to get commercials as a spokesperson for mayonnaise?
Stephen A. Smith on Will Levis: “How the hell he get these commercials? See, that’s the problem with America… we got to stop rewarding mediocrity… how you gonna get a mayonnaise commercial and you playing like that? I mean come on.” pic.twitter.com/sIPlKvSRlp
“How the hell did he get these commercials, then?” Smith asked. “See, that’s the problem with America. That’s the problem with America, right there. Right there’s the problem with America. We got to stop rewarding mediocrity, you understand what I’m trying to say? You shouldn’t be able to accomplish — how you gonna get a mayonnaise commercial and you’re playing like that? I mean, come on. Come on.”
Levis, of course, has been a spokesperson for Hellman’s Mayonnaise for quite some time, and has spoken about how much he loves the product. That included an interview with us that was focused on his mayo-inspired cologne from before this season began.
Apple TV+ recently announced Murderbot (starring Alexander Skarsgård), but that isn’t the only heavyweight title coming to beef up the tech giant’s sci-fi offerings. Of course, the streaming service already has Sunny, Invasion, Foundation, For All Mankind and Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters under that label, not to mention the upcoming second seasons of the atypical worldbuilding on display in both Severance, and Silo, but now, Apple TV+ will be adapting a more challenging cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer.
You heard that right, and it’s a gamble. Let’s piece together some tidbits.
Plot
William Gibson’s debut novel, Neuromancer, is a seminal work that has been bestowed with the Philip K. Dick Award among other coveted honors and has inspired film directors, video game designers, and countless novels over the decades. Can this 1980s console-cowboys classic really work on the small screen?
Adapting this project will be a doozy, but that’s an understatement. Multiple efforts have been made over the decades to do so, including an abandoned Fox effort from Tim Miller (Deadpool) and Simon Kinberg (X-Men). In fact, the book has been called “unfilmable” for so long that it seemed that cyberpunk circles would never see Neuromancer onscreen, but Hollywood can never say never forever. Also, if Frank Herbert’s Dune can (finally) spawn a pair of successful WBD movies and another in the works, then anything is possible.
Early this year, Apple TV+ issued a a press release that revealed plans for a 10-episode first season co-created by Graham Roland (AMC’s Dark Winds, Amazon’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and JD Dillard (HBO’s The Outsider). In a joint statement, the pair declared, “[T]his collaboration marks a dream come true. Neuromancer has inspired so much of the science fiction that’s come after it and we’re looking forward to bringing television audiences into Gibson’s definitive ‘cyberpunk’ world.”
For Neuromancer, Callum Turner (Apple TV+’s recent Masters Of The Air) will embody hacker/”cowboy” Case, who will ride his console through cyberspace, and a brief series description follows:
The series will follow a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high stakes crime with his partner Molly, a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes aiming to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets.
Thus far, further plot details on this series remain hush hush as far as how closely the series will follow Gibson’s novel, but it’s worth noting that, if successful, this could potentially be a multisession effort. The author did, after all, complete his Sprawl trilogy with two other books, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive, for future reference.
Cast
Callum Turner will be joined by Briana Middleton as Molly. That leaves a bevy of other characters without casting news yet, but the cyber-night is young.
Release Date
Apple TV+ is growing ever-more serious about their sci-fi with a number of newly announced titles, but at this time, Neuromancer does not have a projected release date.
Trailer
As with this streaming service’s other sci-fi offerings, expect the production values to be top notch, in contrast to, say, Hackers starring Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie.
With the start of the 2024-25 NBA season just a week away, every team in the league thinks this is the year they achieve their goals. The truth, of course, is that only happens for a handful of teams and the rest enter the offseason disappointed, especially with the number of teams that have gone all-in to build a roster capable of contending for a title right now.
Success for each team in the NBA looks a little bit different. At the top, success is a title or, at the least, a Conference Finals appearance. Others are simply looking to take a step forward from last year and win a playoff series, make the playoffs, or even just crash the Play-In party. And then you have the teams at the bottom, where success isn’t measured in wins, but by seeing growth from young players and giving themselves a chance to add a potential star in what is expected to be a loaded 2025 NBA Draft class.
Here, we wanted to look at what we think success looks like for all 30 teams in the NBA, from the abstract of figuring out who their foundational pieces are to those with more concrete goals of winning series or lifting the Larry O’Brien.
Atlanta Hawks: Figure out a clear direction
To be clear, this does not mean the team has to trade Trae Young, or really anyone (although, it seems likely a move or two is coming for the Hawks). Atlanta’s just so far away from competing for a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference — let along competing for a title — that they need to determine how they’re going to get there. Whether that’s taking a swing to build around Trae, some maneuvering to seek out a running mate from the top of the 2025 NBA Draft, or staying the course because someone like Jalen Johnson proves themselves to be a budding star, the Hawks are just kind of listless right now and could use a sense of direction.
Boston Celtics: Repeat
Don’t think this section has to be especially long. The Celtics won a championship last year, and are all-in on doing it once again around the core that won them a ring. Maybe they aren’t as dominant in the regular season between the long-term injury to Kristaps Porzingis, but once the postseason rolls around, the expectation is another ring.
Brooklyn Nets: Embrace the tank
Let Cam Thomas shoot the ball 35 times a game, let Nic Claxton try to score exclusively via lobs that he finishes with his left hand, trade Dorian Finney-Smith and other vets, whatever it takes. The Nets are signaling that they plan on being horrible this year — they made it a point to get their 2025 pick back from the Houston Rockets in their offseason wheeling and dealing — and if you’re going to be bad, at least commit to being bad in a fun way. One thing is for sure: Thomas is going to put up some of the most entertaining box scores in the league this year. I can’t wait to watch.
Charlotte Hornets: Literally anything positive
The Hornets have been the league’s most bland team for years. Even when they have fun and interesting players, that just never translates to consistent, winning basketball. Now, they have a new ownership group, a respected new coach in Charles Lee, and a pair of building blocks in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller that should generate optimism in the Queen City (if, of course, Ball stays healthy). They just have to show they’re laying down a foundation. They don’t need to win 50 games or even be a Play-In team, just show that there’s something cooking here for fans to get excited about.
Chicago Bulls: For ownership, the 10-seed, a Play-In run, and then a 4-1 series loss in the first round; for fans, they finally tank
There is no bigger disconnect in sports than what the decision-makers with the Chicago Bulls want and what fans of the Chicago Bulls want. Really, the one thing that both sides can probably (I think?) agree on is that Zach LaVine plays well enough to rehab his trade value, which is far too low for a player of his caliber (at his best, of course) because of his contract and his injury situation.
Cleveland Cavaliers: The roster construction bet works and they make a playoff run
After plenty of talk about how at least one of Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen could move this offseason, they’re both back, and Allen actually got extended. Donovan Mitchell signed an extension. The team hired Kenny Atkinson to try and get the best out of Evan Mobley — who, you guessed it, signed an extension — on offense. The hope in Cleveland is all of this works, they win a ton of regular season games, and they can make at least the Eastern Conference Finals. If not? We’re willing to wager those trade rumors about Garland and Allen pop back up, at the very least.
Dallas Mavericks: Get back to the Finals
The Mavs made the NBA Finals then added Klay Thompson. That is not something you do if you plan on taking a step back, and as long as Luka Doncic is in town, there’s going to be a ton of pressure on everyone to bring a championship to Dallas. It’s hard to have title-or-bust aspirations when you’re not the clear-cut best team in the conference, though, so we’ll say a successful season involves navigating the West, getting to the Finals, and letting whatever happens happen. And who knows? Maybe Luka is the latest superstar to fail in the Finals, figure out what he has to do on that stage as a result, and win when he gets back there.
Denver Nuggets: Back to the Finals, as well
It’s an interesting year in Denver, which lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, gave Jamal Murray a ton of money despite a hobbled playoff run and a horrible Olympics, and has to figure out Aaron Gordon’s contract situation. Having said that, they were awfully close to making the Western Conference Finals last year and still have Nikola Jokic. They need their young guys to all take a big step, particularly Christian Braun, but the expectation is to get back to the Finals. If they don’t (and especially if they have an early exit in the playoffs) then some different conversations will almost certainly start up about Denver.
Detroit Pistons: Bad, but in a way that makes people optimistic
Very little has gone right for the Pistons over the last decade. It would, truly, be a miracle if they suddenly became a playoff team this year, so let’s instead say that we see the sorts of steps forward that lead to optimism under new head coach JB Bickerstaff. Cade Cunningham consistently looking like a guy you can build your whole operation around, guys like Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren look good under a new coach, Ron Holland flashes as a rookie, Ausar Thompson shows literally any progress as a shooter, stuff like that. Just give Detroit fans, who are some of the best in the league, something to latch onto.
Golden State Warriors: Keep the window open for Steph
We saw during the Olympics this year that Steph Curry can do some special things when you need him to win you a high-profile basketball game. The question with the Warriors is whether they can get Steph to a point where they can have him win them games. The good news is that, even though it lost Klay Thompson, Golden State made some smart moves to build out its roster this summer, and should fight for a playoff spot this year. Just getting to the postseason is half the battle with Curry, as he’s still able to make them a threat once there, but he does still need some help.
Houston Rockets: One really big step forward
The Rockets haven’t make the playoffs since 2020. Whether or not they can this year remains to be seen, but they definitely need to show that they’re a competitive Play-In team at the absolutely minimum. They have a ton of young, interesting, talented players, the veterans they have in place tend to complement those guys well, and Ime Udoka is one hell of a coach. Figuring out the futures of their extension eligible youngsters (Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green) is important, too, but that will likely get sorted out by whether they reach that Play-In goal or not.
Indiana Pacers: Last year, only better
The Pacers did get the absolute most out of their roster last year on their run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The question now is if they can repeat that with a full season of Tyrese Haliburton (who, hopefully, will be healthy) and Pascal Siakam. They didn’t really do a ton during the offseason outside of extending their guys, so they’re banking on continuity and maybe the young guys who didn’t play a role for one reason or another during their run last year — the injured Bennedict Mathurin, second-year forward Jarace Walker, rookie Johnny Furphy — giving them a boost.
Los Angeles Clippers: Everything finally clicks and they’re a contender in the West again
Is there a world where the Clippers get better after losing Paul George? If there is, it all comes down to two guys: Kawhi Leonard playing and staying healthy, and James Harden recapturing some of the magic he was capable of creating earlier in his career by having the ball in his hands more. Skepticism is fair, but if they can reach those heights, they can bring L.A. a long way.
Los Angeles Lakers: Don’t waste the final years of LeBron James
LeBron is going to turn 40 this year. For all the talk about how the Lakers are banking on the development of their young guys, there’s urgency to win for that simple reason — you can’t let the career of arguably the best basketball player of all time, who is playing at a high level skill, go out with a whimper. James and Anthony Davis can take the team a long way, but if they’re a Play-In team, the calls that the Lakers are not doing enough in the final years of LeBron’s career will become louder than ever.
Memphis Grizzlies: Back to the top of the West
Memphis went from winning 56 and 51 games in back-to-back years to a horror show of a 2023-24 campaign due to a ridiculous number of injuries. The team won 27 games and had 33 guys take the floor at one point or another. This year, with Ja Morant back and guys like Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. ready to go, the Grizzlies should have aspirations of returning to the top of the conference, and they might even be able to make the conference finals for the second time in franchise history.
Miami Heat: Have Heat Devil Magic (complimentary) strike again
The Heat are in a really weird spot with Jimmy Butler entering free agency next summer. Bam Adebayo is at the peak of his powers and Jimmy still has a high gear he can hit, but everything else is a big ol’ shrug. However, no one is better at taking a roster that doesn’t pop on paper and getting the most out of it than Erik Spoelstra, and perhaps there’s one more magical run left in the Heat. If they’re going to do that, young guys like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic need to make some leaps into being high-end starters, but we’ve seen the Heat development system deliver wins a number of times.
Milwaukee Bucks: Make the Finals
The Bucks are still all-in, even if they became a bit of an afterthought in the East this summer. The Knicks and Sixers made the splashy signings and the Celtics are coming off a dominant championship season, but with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo back healthy, I think it’s pretty clear that success for the Bucks in Doc Rivers first full season at the helm is getting out of the East. Not many outside Milwaukee will be picking them to do so, but that’s got to be the goal for a team with this much high-end talent.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Return to the Conference Finals
We all know trading Karl-Anthony Towns was in part a financial decision, but if the Wolves want to sell people on it being a good basketball move as well, they need to get back to the Western Conference Finals. This is still a really talented roster and the argument for the Towns trade is that they got deeper with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo seems capable of fitting in anywhere, and I think he’ll help their guard rotation tremendously (which was very thin behind Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards). Randle’s fit between Edwards and Rudy Gobert is TBD, especially in the Playoffs where he doesn’t have the best track record, but the talent is certainly in place for a return trip to the third round.
New Orleans Pelicans: Win a playoff series (and find a Brandon Ingram trade)
The Pelicans haven’t won a playoff series since 2017-18. It’s hard to do in the West, but after two trips to the first round (via the Play-In) in the last three years, it’s time for this group to take a step forward around Zion Williamson. They went out and got Dejounte Murray to give them the point guard help they’ve been lacking, but they now have a significant hole at center that has gone unaddressed to this point and a bit of a log-jam on the wing. That could all get solved in a Brandon Ingram trade after not extending him this summer, and might just be a prerequisite for reaching this goal.
New York Knicks: Make the Finals
The Knicks didn’t trade nearly everything for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns just to be in the conversation in the East. Those are moves you make to win a title, and I think anything short of a Finals run will feel like a failure in New York. That, in and of itself, is progress for a team that’s been starved of playoff appearances (much less success) in recent years, but that also means there’s a ton of pressure on this group to stay healthy and capitalize on their talent.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Make the Finals
The Thunder are the favorites in the West after being the 1-seed last year and upgrading their roster in a major way this summer with Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Perhaps they’d be happy with a step forward and a Conference Finals berth. This is still a young team that, as proven last year, has some things to figure out about winning in the playoffs and they are at the front end of their apparent window to compete for a title in the way some of these other teams (especially in the East) are not. However, OKC knows that better than anyone that title windows can close quicker than you think, and they need to capitalize now while they’re as loaded as they are.
Orlando Magic: Win a playoff series
Speaking of young teams still learning how to be contenders, the Magic went seven games in their first round series last year and went out and added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to upgrade their roster. The challenge is, it seems likely they’ll be facing one of the expected top-4 in the East in the Playoffs. Still, the goal should be to get that first series win under their belts and see Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner elevate their games to another level to cement themselves as a threat for years to come in the East.
Philadelphia 76ers: Finally make the Conference Finals (then win that)
The Sixers overhauled their roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, most notably adding Paul George to be the third star Tobias Harris couldn’t be. At minimum, they need to go where the Embiid-led Sixers haven’t gone before, which is the Eastern Conference Finals, but like Milwaukee and New York, this team was built with the idea of winning titles. We’ll see how quickly this new group can come together — and, of course, whether Embiid can be healthy in May and June — but their window is now, right along with three other teams in the East which is going to mean a bunch of fan bases will be unhappy this summer.
Phoenix Suns: Stay healthy and get to the Finals
The Suns are in a similar spot to Milwaukee having flamed out of the playoffs early last year, not making a lot of major roster moves this summer, but still clearly having a goal of winning a title. That’s just the reality of expectations when you have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal all making a ton of money. They did bring in some point guard help in the form of Tyus Jones and Monte Morris that should give them some needed depth there, but everything in Phoenix relies on their three stars being healthy and really good.
Portland Trail Blazers: Bad in a respectable way, but also, one that doesn’t take you out of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes
The Blazers have been chasing lottery balls for three straight years, and I can’t imagine there’s that much patience left in Portland for too many more years at the bottom. That said, this Draft is supposed to be special so I think fans will stomach one more year in the tank to get a chance at Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and the rest. Still, they’ll want to see some improvement and development from their youngsters to build some confidence that, once they add one more top pick, they can start taking steps forward. Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, in particular, need to take strides, and Donovan Clingan coming in and being a solid NBA big as a rookie wouldn’t hurt either, especially because that would let them get stuff back for at least one of Robert Williams or Deandre Ayton.
Sacramento Kings: Get back to the Playoffs
Sacramento snapped their playoff drought two years ago as the 3-seed in the West. Last year, they won just two fewer games and finished 9th, losing in the Play-In. Those are the margins in the West these days, and after going out and getting DeMar DeRozan, it’s clear the Kings are pushing to get back into the playoff picture. As they learned last year, being good isn’t good enough in the West, but they certainly have the talent to get one of those 8 playoff spots and that should be the first goal — and then seeing if they can make a little noise once there.
San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama takes another gigantic, 7’4 step forward
The Spurs should be a good bit better this season than last year, but it’d take a massive leap to even get into the Play-In mix. Everything for the moment is geared around fostering the development of Victor Wembanyama and making sure they’re nurturing what could be an all-time talent. He’s the odds-on favorite for DPOY and is a near-lock for All-Star, and they just need to let him spread his wings and see just how many gears he’s got. Everything in San Antonio is about building around Wemby, with the hope that Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle find their groove alongside him and adding two adults to the roster in Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes to create some more structure and support.
Toronto Raptors: The core pops and Scottie Barnes is in the All-NBA conversation
The race for 10th in the East figures to be wide open so the Raptors could be in the mix there, but it also might not be the worst thing for them to get in on this great Draft and hunt down some lotto balls towards the end. As such, I think success has to be measured in what their few core guys do and seeing them take strides both as a group and individually. They have high hopes for their “BBQ” group of Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley, and while they need to work on their depth in a big way going forward, they’ll want some signs that that trio is the right group to be building around. Most important in that group is Scottie Barnes, who was an All-Star last year, is the centerpiece of what the Raptors are doing, and got a big money extension this offseason. A step forward for him would be to be in the All-NBA conversation as a forward, taking on a bigger scoring load in particular.
Utah Jazz: Cooper Flagg
Yes, the Jazz just extended Lauri Markkanen, but the goal here should be pretty simple. Play the youngsters, see what you have, lose a bunch of games in the process (that’s just what happens when you play young guys), and hope the lottery gods smile in your favor. Let’s see some progress from second year guys Keyonte George and Taylor Hendricks, while getting flashes from their trio of first-round picks from this year. That’d be a successful season, especially if it ends in Cooper Flagg making his way to Utah next June.
Washington Wizards: Get. Those. Lotto. Numbers.
The Wizards are even further away than Utah by virtue of not having a guy the caliber of Markkanen, but the goal is the same. They’re going to give the youngsters the keys and see what sticks. Jordan Poole is going to play point guard apparently. Bilal Coulibaly hopefully takes a step forward. Alex Sarr is going to play a bunch and hopefully by the end of the season he’s having more good games than bad ones. Maybe Corey Kispert takes a stride on the wing after Deni Avdija’s departure. Maybe Kyle Kuzma is really good and they can trade him for some more young talent and picks. Again, let’s see what you’ve got, Wizards, and start figuring out what that foundation looks like in hopes that next year you’re adding one of the top picks to it.
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is it us or is the scoreboard a little blurry? 
