NBA names Malik Beasley, Ty Jerome and Payton Pritchard as finalists for Sixth Man of the Year

Omari Sankofa II: Malik Beasley: “I love the crowd, especially New York fans. I love big moments. I worked hard for those.” On being heckled by Knicks fans after the loss: “I love that. That’s New York, it’s basketball, it’s competitive. That’s the fans. Wait til we get to Detroit.” -via Bluesky / April 20, 2025

Cade Cunningham knows he’s walking into the unknown, but it’s way more of a waking-up-Christmas-morning anticipation than a sense of dread that washes over him and teammates who’ve never experienced the NBA playoffs as they count down the hours until Game 1 tips off Saturday in New York. “I’ve always picked my vets’ brains since my rookie year,” Cunningham said of leaning on Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley, Dennis Schroder and Paul Reed – who take a combined 240 games of playoff experience into the postseason with them – for an idea of what to expect. “There’s been conversations throughout my career, hearing stories about the craziest things that have happened. It’s all good. I think I’ve learned a lot from that, but experience is the greatest teacher. I’m excited to be out there.” -via NBA.com / April 16, 2025

Bobby Marks: The 82 game club Chris Paul, Jalen Green, Mikal Bridges, Jarrett Allen, Harrison Barnes, Jaden McDaniels, Julian Champagnie, Bub Carrington, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Malik Beasley, Buddy Hield -via Twitter @BobbyMarks42 / April 13, 2025

How would you describe yourself as a leader right now, and have you evolved in that regard? Donovan Mitchell: People always look at leadership as being able to just beat them up. ‘Hey, do this. Hey do that.’ But it is also being receptive. Kenny’s first thing was like, ‘Hey, you may not be on the ball as much. We got to get push Ev. We got to push the guys around you.’ I’ve wanted to push and have others grow. That’s been the biggest thing. Now I’m starting to see how much it helps. You already know what I can do. But how well can Evan play? Can Ty [Jerome], DG, JA [Allen] mix in? Now, when it comes back to me, you’re so worried about everyone else. That’s the form of leadership where I’ve grown the most. I’ve always been the talker to motivate, but I think for me, [it’s] being able to step back, empower and go from there. -via Andscape / April 20, 2025

Whistle: Ty Jerome speaks on the lack of respect the Cavs get from the national media. Carmelo Anthony: To me, Cleveland is the most disrespected crew. If that exact f*cking team was in New York it would be Pandemonium, c’mon! Ty Jerome: Shout out to Melo. I grew up in New York. He was a Knicks legend. I don’t really pay too much attention to it. The beauty of the regular season is really the journey, you play 82 games, you play in 41 different cities with these guys, all the plane rides, all the bus rides, we’ve enjoyed that, we’ve embraced that, and aren’t really worried about what the national media has to say, whether it’s good, bad, indifferent, at the end you have to do it in the playoffs to be remembered historically, you have to win a championship. -via Twitter / April 18, 2025

Signing with Cleveland in the summer of 2023 — a union more than four years in the making — was supposed to be a fresh start, the opportunity no other team was willing to provide. Ty Jerome was a camp standout. He kept turning heads during the preseason. Momentum was building toward a significant role as the primary backup point guard and rotational mainstay. And then, in the second game of the regular season, against his old Thunder buddies, Jerome suffered a sprained ankle late in the third quarter — a footnote in a home-opening loss. Or so everyone thought. Jerome never returned. Not that night. Not the rest of the season. It was an outcome no one could have predicted. Frustration. Anger. Doubt. Misery. Depression. Jerome felt all of it. “I was in a very dark place,” Jerome admitted. “I felt disconnected from the group. I felt alone.” -via Cleveland Plain Dealer / April 17, 2025

Payton Pritchard was a difference-maker off the bench with 19 points in 25 minutes, and Jayson Tatum turned in a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double despite shooting the ball poorly (8-for-22, 1-for-8 from three, 0-for-4 from the foul line). -via Boston Herald / April 20, 2025

NBA Communications: Other nominees … West: Luke Dončić (LAL), Anthony Edwards (MIN), Aaron Gordon (DEN), Aaron Wiggins (OKC) and Ivica Zubac (LAC). East: Scottie Barnes (TOR), Onyeka Okongwu (ATL), and Payton Pritchard (BOS). -via Twitter / April 14, 2025

Payton Pritchard is the frontrunner for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. But the Celtics guard didn’t necessarily feel the need to campaign for the award coming off the C’s beating the Hornets on Sunday, offering up a differing opinion. Some guys openly pump themselves up for awards, but Pritchard elected not to do that as he let his body of work speak for itself. -via Booth Newspapers / April 14, 2025