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In September, Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested for the alleged assault and strangulation of his girlfriend in a New York City hotel. In the month since, Porter Jr. has not been with the team as they’ve looked to trade him in order to avoid waiving him for nothing and paying the $16.9 million in guarantees remaining on his deal, but unsurprisingly no teams around the NBA have any interest in Porter Jr. as he awaits trial for domestic assault.

On Tuesday, the Rockets found a trade partner in the Oklahoma City Thunder that allows OKC to get out of some of its roster crunch while acquiring two more second round picks in their never-ending quest to bring in every possible draft asset. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder will send Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Victor Oladipo to Houston, with Porter Jr. being immediately waived by the Thunder once the trade goes through.

While the Thunder certainly don’t need more second round picks (this brings their total to 22 over the next seven years), they had far too many players on their roster and were going to have to make cuts next week anyways. By moving Robinson-Earl and Oladipo to Houston for essentially just picks in return as Porter Jr. is an easy decision to waive even with guaranteed money left on his deal, they clear up some of their overcrowded roster, even with a couple more cuts needed to get to 15 guaranteed contracts.

With the Invincible Season 2 premiere less than a month away, fans caught a brief glimpse of some of the new heroes and villains smashing into Mark Grayson‘s life thanks to the official trailer. As always, Mark will have his work cut out for him as he sifts through the aftermath of the first season’s catastrophic twist.

The hit animated series based on the Robert Kirkman comic book series has had no shortage of star power, and that holds true for this new batch of characters. We break down who they are and who’s behind their voices in the handy guide below:

Angstrom Levy

In Season 2, Mark will have to deal with his first full-on supervillain threat, Angstrom Levy voiced by Sterling K. Brown. The brilliant scientist has the ability to open portals to other dimensions, which he uses to gain the knowledge of every version of himself, essentially super-charging his brain.

“This is a character that kind of comes in at a time when Nolan is gone and really becomes a Mark-centric villain, and is one of the first villains that really put Mark through his paces and showed him as a capable superhero,” Kirkman told Comic Book. “Angstrom as brought to life by Sterling K. Brown is a more lively, more vibrant version of what we know from the comics.”

General Telia / Queen Aquaria

After voicing Queen Lizard in the Invincible: Atom Eve special, Tatiana Maslany is back with two new characters for Season 2 who both have history with Omni-Man and/or the Viltrumites, according to io9.

The first is General Telia, “a decorated general for the Coalition of Planets with a zero-tolerance policy for Viltrumite aggression.” The second is Queen Aquaria, “Sole monarch of the Atlanteans and their undersea kingdom after her husband, Aquarus, was murdered by Omni-Man. A beloved leader who rules with an iron fin, she seeks retribution for her husband’s death—through unconventional means.”

Shapesmith

Next up is Shapesmith voiced by Parks and Recreation star Ben Schwartz. “With the shapeshifting powers his name suggests, he springs into the superhero scene seemingly out of nowhere,” Comic Book reports. “Except, why does he eat candy with the wrapper on?”

Bulletproof

And, finally, there’s Bulletproof voiced by Jay Pharoah. He will be a pivotal character down the road, so keep an eye on him.

“He is impervious to harm, can fly, and will be a new addition to the Guardians of the Globe,” according to Screen Rant. “However, fans who have read the comics know that his powers have a tragic origin tied to his family, experimentation, and parents playing favorites.”

Invincible Season 2 premieres November 3 on Amazon Prime Video.

Britney Spears‘ upcoming memoir The Woman In Me is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Arriving later this month, the book is expected to contain stories from the pop hitmaker’s lives, as well as major bombshells.

According to both TMZ and Page Six, one of the major bombshells involves her ex-boyfriend, singer Justin Timberlake.

TMZ indicated that “sources with direct knowledge of the book” confirmed to the publication that Spears was pregnant with Timberlake’s baby at some point in the year 2000. Spears, having been raised in the Southern Baptist church, was reportedly conflicted about having an abortion, but was said to have later agreed to the procedure.

TMZ notes that the decision haunted Spears for years, and that she has previously spoken about the abortion in her private circles.

Spears had her first child, Sean Preston, in 2005, with her then-husband Kevin Federline, and Jayden James in 2006.

Earlier today (October 17), People published an excerpt from The Woman In Me, in which she talked about her first kiss with Timberlake.

“[Once] at a sleepover, we played Truth Or Dare, and someone dared Justin to kiss me,” Spears said. “A Janet Jackson song was playing in the background as he leaned in and kissed me.”

The Woman In Me is out 10/24. Find more information here.

Each year, thousands flock to south Dallas for the annual State Fair Of Texas. Sprawling across Fair Park are thrilling rides, fun-but-vitually-unwinnable games, and (most importantly!) fried food galore. While the rides have been in the park for decades (and may be of rather questionable safety), the food options are always guaranteed to be inventive and tasty.

Some booths — think Fletcher’s Corn Dogs and Fernies Funnel Cakes — are longtime favorites of fairgoers. But the pressure to get creative each year is always high. At this year’s fair, which is running until October 22, nearly 100 small business vendors are offering selections from their menu, along with deep-fried remixes of their more traditional food options. You know the old saying: ‘Everything is bigger and fried-er in Texas!”

With one week left in this year’s iteration of the fair, we’ve put together a ranking to the best deep-fried dishes we tried this year. On any given day at the State Fair, you’re going to break the bank and stand in line, but you can rest assured that these foods will give you your money’s worth.

5. Ranchero Deep Fried Love – Deep-Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

Expected Price: 16 tickets ($16)

Where To Find: Hall of State

Why It’s Essential:

If your TikTok algorithm is configured to find content surrounding all things Texas, you’ve probably seen that deep-fried cheesecake on a stick from Drizzle Cheesecake. But over next door at Ranchero Deep Fried Love is the indulgent Deep-Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches cheesecake.

Coated with a crispy butterscotch batter exterior, this cake is soft to the touch — with chocolate slowly oozing as you stick your fork into the pastry. Garnished with strawberries and peaches and whipped cream, a dessert this good is not to be missed. According to Ranchero owner Denise Garza De La Cruz, the idea came from one of her nephew’s school assignments many years ago and has more than earned its place on the fair menu.

4. Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs – The ​​Jalapeño & Cheese Corny Dog

Expected Price: 12 tickets ($12)

Where To Find: Directly across from the Big Tex statue (and six other booths throughout the fairgrounds)

Why It’s Essential:

Founded by brothers Neil and Carl Fletcher in 1942, Fletcher’s Corny Dogs has been a Texas staple for more than 80 years. Over eight decades, the Fletcher family has perfected the corn dog recipe, while adding their own Texas spin.

The Jalapeño & Cheese corny dogs come with a spicy sausage, covered in a gooey cheese sauce, and coated with a crispy battered layer. Sure, the concept sounds simple, but with the Fletcher family’s attention to detail and the dog’s potent flavors intermixed in every bite, you might not ever find a better corndog than this.

3. Chef Cassy’s Creations – Fried Collard Greens

Expected Price: 12 tickets ($12)

Where To Find: Near the tail end of the midway, close to the haunted house ride.

Why It’s Essential:

There is no eating healthy at the State Fair. But Chef Cassy’s creations are here to help create the illusion that there might be. While the copious amounts of junk food on hand is one of the State Fair’s selling points, the fried collard greens are both vegetable based and damn good.

Served in three small egg roll wrappers, the fried collard greens originally came to chef Cassy Jones as an idea one day when she was thinking about making egg rolls, and decided to use collard greens instead of cabbage in them. According to Jones, some fairgoers wait “upwards of two hours” in line to get a bite of these collard greens.

“Other vendors have asked me if I’ve put a little crack in them,” Jones says, laughing, “because they’re so addictive and the lines are so long.”

TIP: A small pour-over of Louisiana Hot Sauce atop the fried collard greens gives them a magical southern touch that feels very Lone Star State.

2. Eat Krispies – Deep Fried Pho

Expected Price: 24 tickets ($24)

Where To Find: In the Midway, adjacent to the Texas Star ferris wheel.

Why It’s Essential:

Even before this year’s fair opened, the deep-fried pho was one of the buzziest food options.

Inspired by a family pho recipe, chef Michelle Le takes noodles, beef, and traditional pho spices, wraps the ingredients in a large tortilla, and deep fries the combination, creating a crispy, portable phoritto. The deep-fried pho is served with a side of beef pho broth, making for a deconstructed version of the Vietnamese sauces. Hoisin sauce, Sriracha, limes, and sliced jalapeños available on the side help give the deep-fried pho additional flavor.

The deep-fried pho has proven so popular that the Eat Crispies booth has four separate lines, including one specifically for fairgoers who are only purchasing this dish. But we can say with certainty that this dish lives up to the hype and is worth the wait in line (as well as the 24-ticket price tag).

Dickel’s Smokehouse – Deep Fried Surf And Turf Empanada

Expected Price: 18 tickets ($18)

Where To Find: Outside of the Cotton Bowl, near the aquarium

Why It’s Essential:

If the above Deep Fried Pho is the star of this year’s State Fair, the Deep Fried Surf And Turf Empanada is the hidden gem. Stuffed with chorizo, lobster, and crab, this empanada is a tribute to chef Tino Sosa’s Puerto Rican upbringing and makes for a snack fit for State Fair royalty.

“A lot of times, when I go to a nice steakhouse, I see ‘Surf and Turf’ on the menu, which usually means steak and lobster,” says Sosa. “Plus, I know anything deep fried at the State Fair is going to sell.”

Soft and warm to the touch, this empanada keeps all of its ingredients spicy, flavorful, and (thanks to its clever construction) intact.

The Recording Academy’s CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has a tough job. After all, it can’t be easy to oversee “music’s biggest night” — or field the complaints that come from both artists and their fans when those artists miss out on the most prestigious awards at each year’s Grammy Awards. One example is the recent sentiment that Beyoncé should have won Album Of The Year for Renaissance and not just Best Dance Album.

It’s his job to make sure that the Academy’s membership reflects music’s increasingly diverse audience and the rapidly changing landscape, incorporating new musical genres and styles in the categories, and helping to make sure the “right” names compete for these admittedly subjective awards, like Bad Bunny. And even with all that, it still comes down to how the votes shake out, making some losses “inevitable” in his eyes, unless more voices participate in the process.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Mason addressed the perceived snubs of Beyoncé and Bad Bunny for Album Of The Year, and put forth his suggested fix to ensure changes to the oft-criticized Grammys.

“It’s always tough because it’s a subjective award,” he said. “But I take all criticisms very, very seriously, and I look into how we can be better as an academy — we all do. So when somebody’s upset, whether it’s an artist or a fan base, we take it seriously. There’ve been giant steps forward, and we’re going to continue to evolve and grow. We don’t like it when anybody feels snubbed, although it’s inevitable.”

He continued, “We could look at it two ways: If somebody’s feeling like the voting went the wrong way, they can turn their backs or they can say, ‘I’m going to get more involved and make sure our community’s voice is heard.’ In the past, where someone felt something else should’ve won, I’ve asked, ‘Did you vote?’ And they’d say they weren’t a member. We’ve got to get you to be a member because I need your vote. The academy needs the votes of all the different people in all the different genres. We can’t leave the voting to someone else. We have to be voters ourselves.”

Considering the Academy hadn’t always included ethnic minorities or women, Mason’s efforts have focused on getting more membership from those demographics. As he told Rolling Stone, the Academy is 80 percent of the way to its goal of adding 2,500 women to its rolls by 2025. Whether that helps to ensure more contemporary faves actually get what fans believe they’re due remains to be seen.

Gardening is a tradition that transcends time. It blends the simplicity of nature with human ingenuity. As we navigate the rhythm of modern life, the allure of bringing nature indoors blossoms. And while the concept of indoor gardening isn’t new, a company called
Rise Gardens is taking the idea to a whole new level. Their indoor smart gardens blend simplicity, modern technology, and nature’s bounty into a sleek design that effortlessly finds its place in any home.

The farm-to-table movement underscores the value of fresh, locally sourced produce. Rise Garden amplifies this ethos, narrowing the space between the farm and your table to a few steps. The joy of harvesting fresh, pesticide-free produce right from the comfort of your home and having it on your plate is unparalleled. Beyond the health benefits, understanding the origins of your food and the nurturing hands that guide it adds a wholesome dimension to your meals. Rise Garden is more than a gardening kit; it’s a voyage from seed to plate, cultivating a deeper connection between you, your loved ones, and the nourishment you partake in.

A Smart, Modern Approach To Gardening

Gardening can often seem daunting, especially with urban spaces constricting our green aspirations. That’s where
the Rise Gardens swoops in to save the day. The setup process is as simple as pie. Once the garden arrives at your doorstep, a clear set of instructions will guide you through assembling your new green haven, even if you’ve never potted a plant before. The setup is designed with greenhorn gardeners in mind. And it’s not just a one-time setup; the modular design allows for expansions as your green thumb gets greener.

Imagine having a garden that communicates its needs, taking the guesswork out of gardening. Its blend of technology and nature simplifies the gardening process, ensuring you don’t need a degree in horticulture to grow a garden. The Rise Garden is smart, intuitive, and grows with you, making the journey from seed to harvest rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable.

With its patent-pending SmartCare technology, the Rise Gardens app is your personal gardening assistant. The app takes over the mentoring process from the moment you plant your seeds. It guides you on when to water your plants, when to add nutrients, and even when it’s time to harvest. The app is available both on the App Store and Google Play, making it accessible no matter what device you use.

Variety and Versatility

The Rise Garden extends an invitation to explore the diverse world of plants from your living quarters. With the capacity to nurture up to 108 plants, the choices are abundant. From leafy greens to aromatic herbs and colorful flowers and fruits, the Rise Garden is equipped to host a wide array of plant life. The over 80 seed varieties rigorusly tested and curated by their plant experts ensure that there’s something for every palate and every home decor. The freshness of home-grown basil, the crunch of just-harvested lettuce, or the aroma of mint leaves plucked straight from the stem are luxuries that are now accessible.

The magic doesn’t just lie in the variety but also in the garden’s modular design. It’s crafted to blend with the interiors of any home effortlessly, be it modern, traditional, or anything in between. The Rise Garden fits right in whether you live in a spacious suburban home or a cozy city apartment. It comes in single, double, or triple-level configurations, allowing you to choose based on your space and needs. And as your love for gardening grows, so can your Rise Garden with its easy expansion options. It’s not just a garden; it’s living decor that evolves with your lifestyle, adding a touch of nature to your living space and bringing a slice of countryside freshness to your urban dwelling. This modern, modular indoor garden breaks the barriers, proving that space is no longer a constraint in pursuing the joy of gardening.

A Healthy, Sustainable Alternative

Navigating the grocery store aisles for organic, pesticide-free produce can be akin to a treasure hunt, with the prize often weighing heavily on your wallet. The Rise Garden offers a way out of this dilemma. It provides the framework for you to grow your pesticide-free produce. The freshness is unbeatable, and so is the nutritional value. When you pluck a vegetable straight from the plant, you get the maximum nutritional bang – something often lost in transit with store-bought produce.

On the flip side of the coin is the environmental footprint, or rather the lack of it, which makes
the Rise Garden a noteworthy contender in the journey towards sustainability. Traditional agriculture is a thirsty affair, consuming a large chunk of the planet’s freshwater supply. However, Rise Garden’s hydroponic system is a water miser, using 95% less water than its soil-based counterparts. Additionally, by eliminating the need for transportation from farm to store and eventually to your table, the Rise Garden helps reduce the carbon emissions associated with food transport. It’s a small yet significant step towards reducing your carbon footprint while enjoying fresher, healthier produce.

A Fun Communal Activity For The Whole Family

The Rise Garden isn’t just a hub of greenery; it’s a catalyst for community and familial bonding. Gardening, by nature, is a nurturing and collaborative activity. When done together, it transforms into a shared endeavor filled with discoveries, little victories, and the joy of collective harvest.

Families can find common ground, quite literally, as they come together to plant, nurture, and harvest. It’s a shared journey from the anticipation of the first sprout to the satisfaction of a home-cooked meal made with home-grown ingredients. Similarly, friends and extended community can share tips, celebrate harvests, and enjoy the garden’s serene ambiance. The conversations around the garden are as organic as the produce it yields. Relationships bloom through every seed planted and every leaf harvested, making
the Rise Garden a verdant ground for plants and social interactions.

Learn More

The Rise Garden seamlessly integrates nature’s verdancy with modern technology’s conveniences, bringing the farm-to-table ethos right to your doorstep. It’s a blend of education, nourishment, and community, wrapped in green leaves and ripe, ready-to-pluck produce. It’s a gentle nudge towards healthier living, a step towards sustainability, and a journey back to nature. The beauty of it all? It fits right in your living room, awaiting your green touch. So, as you seek fresh, pesticide-free produce and a greener lifestyle, let the Rise Garden be your companion in this verdant venture. Click here to learn more.

This week saw the release of a ton of great new pop music. Bad Bunny finally released his highly-anticipated new album, giving fans something to dance to over the past few days. Troye Sivan also made headlines for a few surprises that he had in store during his new music video. And so much more not to miss.

Check out the rest of Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.

Bad Bunny — “Monaco”

Bad Bunny is back with his new surprise album. One of the standouts so far is “Monaco,” where he embraces the finer things in life. It also doesn’t hurt that the music video finds him channeling mob vibes by eating dinner with Al Pacino.

Troye Sivan — “One of Your Girls”

Sivan has not shied away from pushing the boundaries during his album cycle for Something To Write Home About. His latest, “One Of Your Girls,” has had the internet equally buzzing as he dances in drag in the music video for the synth dance anthem.

PinkPantheress — “Capable Of Love”

PinkPantheress unveiled that her debut album, Heaven Knows, is on the way. What better way to do a reveal than by dropping a new track, “Capable Of Love,” to hold fans over? The emotional song finds her grieving the loss of a relationship, with a B&W music video that perfectly fits the vibes.

Holly Humberstone — “Elvis Impersonators”

Holly Humberstone dropped her incredible new album, Paint My Bedroom Black, this week. “Elvis Impersonators” is a personal favorite. In it, she details missing her sister. Still, she also leaves room for listeners to apply their interpretations of looking back on good memories and inside jokes.

Lauren Mayberry — “Shame”

“I had the idea for a while of a song that had the tagline of ‘what a shame,’ but in a sarcastic way,” Mayberry shared of her new solo single. “And the word ‘shame’ having a double meaning – the shame you feel and internalize, but what a shame you feel like that and can’t change it.”

Fred Again.., Jozzy — “Ten”

“This is a song about missing home,” Fred Again.. wrote on social media about his new “Ten” collaboration with Jozzy. The electronic dance track takes on a chiller tone, tapping into the deeper meaning behind it all.

Chelsea Cutler — “You Don’t Think About Me At All”

Chelsea Cutler puts her emotions on full display during her vulnerable new album, Stellaria. “The second you start envying someone who looks like they’re in the hot seat, they’re out, and the next person’s in,” she told Uproxx about “You Don’t Think About Me At All,” where she grapples with the music industry.

Lauren Spencer Smith – “Sad Forever”

Featured on the deluxe version of Spencer Smith’s debut album, “Sad Forever” is a heartbreaking portrayal of how she struggles to let go of any negative emotions. “I just wish someone would give me an answer,” she hopelessly notes in the outro.

TXT — “Chasing That Feeling”

Tomorrow x Together finds the band “Chasing That Feeling” of romance on their latest upbeat song. In the entertaining video, it takes on a literal tone, as they chase colorful circles through the streets of New York.

Cobrah — “10/10”

Cobrah’s new EP opens with “10/10,” building the electronic instrumental up to a high point, just so listeners are aware that they’re in for a wild ride. “That’s what I die for,” she dishes about wanting a perfect score.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There are a lot of things that the world would like to collectively forget about 2021, and the list seems to go on and on. But somewhere in the chaos, there was an explosive news story about Armie Hammer and the disturbing allegations that the once-beloved actor actually had some cannibalistic tendencies, on top of some explicitly violent allegations.

Of course, Hammer has since retreated from the spotlight, but it was a little but of a coincidence when his Call Me By Your Name co-star Timothee Chalamet immediately went to star in a romance movie about cannibals. The timing was just…..weird. Chalamet hadn’t addressed the coincidence until a recent profile with GQ.

“I mean, what were the chances that we’re developing this thing?” Chalamet told the mag of the ordeal. Bones And All, directed by Luca Guaganina, was actually based on a book, which made Chalamet more inclined to see it through, just to prove that it wasn’t a “based on a true story” situation. He added, “It made me feel like: Now I’ve really got to do this. Because this is actually based on a book.” The movie made waves at Cannes and became a crowd favorite, despite the iffiness of the topic.

Lasy year, Bones and All director Luca Guagagnino seemed a little ticked off about the connection. “Any correlation with this kind of innuendo and silliness is preposterous,” he said last year at the Zurich Film Festival, before explaining that the novel was out many years before Hammer’s allegations surfaced. Chalamet seems less dismissive, telling GQ, “These things end up getting clickbaited so intensely. Disorienting is a good word.”

Next up, Chalamet will be showing off his talents as Willy Wonka, which is not disorienting at all.

(Via GQ)

Olivia Wilde faced the wrath of Swifties when she reposted a joke about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship.

Earlier this month, the Don’t Worry Darling director took to Instagram to share an X post from Dutch actress Katja Herbers which read, “I wish Taylor Swift was in love with a climate scientist.” The Harry Styles jokes followed, as did the “stop talking about Taylor’s love live” defenses. But Wilde insists it wasn’t a slight against her ex-boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend.

“I meant no harm,” she said on Monday, according to the Daily Mail. “It’s obviously a comment on how much attention gets paid to stupid things.” Everyone needs to — in the words of Taylor herself — calm down.

There was a lot of attention paid on Swift and Kelce this weekend when they made a last-minute appearance on SNL and the after-party. “Taylor and Travis were there all night and they were so smiley, they were so happy,” a source told People. “They were really fun. They talked to every single person in the room that talked to them. They were super cool. Super nice, super happy.” Kelce also kept “going over and touching her, putting his hand on her lower back or putting his hands on her waist and then they would do a little kiss and then they would go back to talking to whoever they were talking to.”

It sounds like they swapped spit, but didn’t spit on anyone.

(Via the Daily Mail)

The Dallas Mavericks were supposed to be a contender in the Western Conference last season after a run to the conference finals in 2021, but the departure of Jalen Brunson set them back considerably and their deadline move to acquire Kyrie Irving to fill that void left them without any floor balance.

This summer, the Mavs set off on a quest to replenish that depth and find a bit more balance between offense and defense, bringing in Grant Williams, Richaun Holmes, Seth Curry, and a pair of intriguing rookies in the first round. We’ll find out soon enough if they accomplished their goal of building enough quality depth around their superstar backcourt with Irving and Luka Doncic, but there is optimism that the Mavs will vault back into the race for a top-6 spot in the West this season. To get there, they’ll need to answer one major question and get a big time impact from one of their new additions.

Biggest Question: Can They Piece Together Enough On Defense?

The Mavs were dreadful defensively after the Kyrie trade, as they were never able to replace Dorian Finney-Smith’s presence on the wing. This year, they’ll hope Williams’ addition can bring some much-needed defensive versatility on the wing, as he showed in Boston he’s capable of defending both forward spots and centers in a pinch. Both of the rookies they drafted, Dereck Lively II and Olivier Maxence-Prosper, have some questions regarding their offensive capabilities, but both could play immediately for their defensive upside — with more to come on Lively below. The return of a healthy Maxi Kleber also should help, as they rode a small-ball lineup featuring him at center in their playoff run two seasons ago, and Josh Green figures to step into a larger role as well, as he’s their best bet for perimeter defense on this roster.

There should be a baseline of a top-8 offense with the combination of Doncic and Irving, which means to be a playoff team they don’t need to be elite at defense, but simply passable on that end. That wasn’t the case last year, but this roster certainly seems better equipped to be less of a sieve on that end. Jason Kidd’s reputation as a strong defensive coach will be put to the test this season, but if he can get them outside the bottom 10 in the league, this should be a pretty dangerous team.

X-Factor: Dereck Lively II

The player on the roster who seems capable of raising the team’s floor on defense is rookie center Dereck Lively II, who was unreal defending the paint at Duke, particularly in the back half of last season. Lively has a frame and skillset that no one else on the Mavs comes close to replicating at the center position, and as such they may be more reliant on him than you typically see from a hopeful contender with a rookie. Given Dallas has serious questions about their ability to guard at the point of attack with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, having a high-level rim protector is a necessity to mitigate the issues that come with below average perimeter defense. While they bolstered their frontcourt rotation with guys like Grant Williams and Richaun Holmes, their only hope for above average paint protection is their 7’1 rookie.

Lively looks like the kind of rookie who can step into a pretty big role immediately and be an above average defender as a rookie, perhaps becoming this year’s version of Walker Kessler. However, in order to do so he is going to have to be able to have an impact offensively beyond the spotty production he had at Duke. The good news is, in Dallas being a productive big man means setting good screens, rolling hard to the rim to finish lobs, and being active on the glass. He’s not going to be asked to deliver points via post touches, but he will have to find his space in the flow of the Dallas offense, which means building chemistry with Doncic and Irving in order to be on the same page as they probe and drive to the paint. If he can do that, the Mavs might have found themselves an immediate impact player as a rookie. They are a team in desperate need of the exact thing he is supposed to be good at, and if he can deliver as a rim protector and simply stay out of the way on offense and do the little things correctly, he should have a very good rookie season. If not, then the Mavs will run a lot more small-ball and will probably run into the same issues they’ve had in the past when dealing with the West’s top bigs.