And then there’s the 25-year-old newcomer best suited to raise their ceiling and evolve their offense: Wood, who averaged 22.3 points and 9.5 rebounds and shot 41 percent from downtown in his last 15 games. Some might judge that late-season surge as more flash than substance. But Houston is betting on him as a late-blooming star who will be the most complementary luxury item Harden and Wall have ever played with.

When Wood positions himself in the right spot, Houston’s defense should be sound. When he steps in the wrong direction, focuses on his own man instead of the ball, or incorrectly assumes what the offense is about to do, it will splinter.NBA Face Masks & NBA Face Covers

“We are only one mistake at a young age from having it all taken away from us or losing everything we worked so hard to build. Or worst come to worst, being in between those yellow-taped lines,” Towns said. “We understand how precious and how important this moment is. For both of us to be Black men, me not only being Black but Afro Latino, we really understand that this moment is not supposed to happen for us. And we got to make the most of it to show the young generation that this is possible. It is possible to keep your morals and values, be a professional in all of this and not lose yourself. And to not follow the trends, but show the world what it is to be a good human being.”Atlanta Hawks Face Masks

He's also one of the sport's most durable stars, routinely ranking among the league leaders in minutes and often playing through injuries such as sprained ankles and shoulder bruises that would cause other players to rest. All these things made it easy for the Rockets to look the other way when it came to Harden's hard-living lifestyle.

"I was so nervous," Adebayo said. "Because I never really gave her a gift like that. So it kind of gave me like a feel like when I first stepped on the Finals court. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know anything at the moment. It was like one of those 'aw' moments where you just sit there for a minute. And she enjoyed it."New York Knicks Face Masks

The Saints will need to bounce back quickly on a short week. They host the Minnesota Vikings in just five days on Christmas Day.San Antonio Spurs Face Masks

NBA teams began coronavirus testing to prepare for camp around Nov. 24, and the league said 48 players -- almost 9% of all tested -- were positive for COVID-19 in the first week of that program.