Monday Daily Duncs

Here's the latest installment of our Daily Duncs: a curated list of writing, video, and podcasts on a near-daily basis for subscribers. You can read, watch, and listen to exactly what Danny and I are consuming every day if you so choose.

With Ben Simmons-James Harden trade a hope worth waiting for, sources say Sixers prefer a summer deal (The Athletic)

  • Shams and Sam Amick on the latest they’ve been hearing around Simmons and the Sixers. 

It’s time, finally, for the Wizards and Bradley Beal to move on from each other (The Athletic)

  • David Aldridge on Beal and the Wizards. 

Nine games, 8,000 miles and Kyrie Irving's return: Inside the Brooklyn Nets' frenzied two-plus weeks (ESPN)

  • Nick Friedell on Kyrie’s return and the last couple of weeks overall for the Nets. 

What Blazers’ sudden surge means; scouting Bulls rookie Ayo Dosunmu, Memphis’ Jalen Duren (The Athletic)

  • John Hollinger on Portland’s recent play, scouting Jalen Duren, and more. 

Rockets trade deadline notebook 1.0: What I’m hearing on John Wall, Eric Gordon, Christian Wood and more (The Athletic)

  • Kelly Iko on the latest he’s been hearing on the Rockets. 

The NBA’s Best Supporting Cast, Best Level-Up, And More Of Our Midseason Awards (FiveThirtyEight)

  • Jared Dubin dishes out some midseason awards. 

Power Rankings, Week 15: Suns, Bucks on the rise in Top 5 (NBA.com)

  • John Schuhmann on the rising Mavs, plus much more in this week’s power rankings. 

The Mavericks Have Turned the Corner. What’s Behind It, and What Will Last? (D Magazine)

  • Iztok Franko on the Mavs’ defense. 

Without a true anchor, how do the Mavs have an elite defense? (Basketball News)

  • Nekias Duncan with more on Dallas finding their way defensively. 

The numbers behind the Cavaliers’ impressive start (Nylon Calculus)

  • Max Mortenson on the Cavs. 

Six styles of team offense in men’s college basketball (Synergy Sports)

  • Todd Whitehead with an interesting look at team offense at the college level. 

A Taxonomy of Rim Protectors (The Stepien)

  • Matt Powers on the different types of rim protectors and how they can make an impact as NBA prospects. 

Five observations: Steph Curry buzzer-beater erases 48 hours of Warriors frustration (The Athletic)

  • Anthony Slater on Steph Curry’s game-winner, plus what the Warriors still need to address moving forward. 

The Revival of Stanley Johnson (Silver Screen & Roll)

  • Alex Regla on Stanley Johnson impressing with the Lakers. 

Vučević continues inconsistent shooting season (NBC Sports)

  • K.C. Johnson on Vuc’s shooting struggles this season. 

Sources: Kings hope to build around De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton (The Kings Beat)

  • James Ham on Sacramento’s backcourt.