While the veracity of the rumors involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Boston Celtics continue to be debated, there are a couple of very important people are missing about all of this should this trade come to pass. 

Boston’s style of play will not change, and simply swapping Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo doesn’t change the trajectory of the team so significantly that Brad Stevens’ work will be done. 

For some reason, there is a school of thought that acquiring Antetokounmpo, a noted non-shooter, would materially change Boston’s offensive strategy. It won’t. It doesn’t mean things won’t be a little different, but this notion that Antetokounmpo will force Mazzulla to scrap his approach and try something new is false. 

The Bucks have routinely been in the top five in three-point attempts beginning in the 2018-19 season, Antetokounmpo’s first MVP run. Beginning in that season, they have ranked second, fourth, eighth, fifth, fourth, fifth, 18th, and 10th. The last two seasons when they dropped out of the top were coached by Doc Rivers. 

According to PBPStats.com, Antetokounmpo has assisted on more three-pointers than two-pointers in each of the past two seasons, with a low of 209 three created in in the 2023 season, and a high of 290 created the following year. Over his career, he has assisted on 2,325 three-pointers. That’s almost as many as Jaylen Brown and Derrick White have made combined (2,437) over their entire careers. 

It should be no surprise that Antetokounmpo is a three-point generating machine. His drives are massively effective, and they generally require a lot of defensive help. That opens up passing lanes to shooters, which Antetokounmpo finds regularly. 

If anything, we could see Boston’s three-point volume go up. Brown’s closest season generating that kind of three-point volume was this past season when he created 196 over 71 games. By contrast, Antetokounmpo created 135 over 36 games. So anyone pushing for the Antetokounmpo trade thinking it will force Mazzulla’s hand to change strategies is sorely mistaken. “Mazzulla-ball” will probably take off under these circumstances. 

Which brings us to the work Stevens will have to do once they theoretically acquire Antetokounmpo. 

Giannis flirted with some volume three-point shooting a few years ago, averaging 4.7 attempts in 2020, his second MVP season, and 3.6 in each of the next two, but he’s a career 28.5% shooter from deep who peaked at 34.7% in his rookie season. Mazzulla is willing to go with one non-shooter on the floor, but generally not two. 

So where does that leave Neemias Queta? 

How would the Celtics build an offense with Queta, a non-shooter, and Antetokounmpo on the floor at the same time? The drives that Antetokounmpo is known for would be clogged with defenders who already know to build a wall to prevent him from getting to the rim. What worked in Milwaukee was playing Brook Lopez at center and having him stretch the floor. Boston doesn’t have that element right now. The closest thing they had to that, Nikola Vucevic, never got his footing in his short stint in Boston and seems to be done here. 

A straight swap of Antetokounmpo and Brown will obviously upgrade a top 15 player to a top five player, but Brown led the NBA in two-point attempts per game last season with 16. At his peak, Antetokounmpo averaged 17 or 18 two-point attempts per game, but Brown’s three-point shooting does add an element of floor spacing that Antetokounmpo doesn’t. A straight swap of those two players creates a bit of a fit issue with the current starting center that would have to be addressed. 

This also doesn’t solve Boston’s need for a third scorer and some punch off the bench. Stevens will still have to use his mid-level exception to find that no matter which of the two stars is in Boston to start the season. 

We can debate whether Antetokounmpo or Brown make Boston more of a favorite next season, but that debate is leading people down some wrong paths. Giannis isn’t some cure for the three-point-heavy Celtics offense. In fact, it might be more appropriate to call him Gasoline Antetokounmpo for what he might do for the shooting volume. And any notion that everything is fixed with Antetokounmpo in the fold is wrong. Stevens will have to solve some fit issues and still address needs that exist today. 

As schools close for the summer, many children lose access to meals they rely on during the school year. 

However, once again, CitiParks has teamed up with Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Turner’s, Monteverde’s, and the American Dairy Association to continue their free summer meal program. From now until mid-August, any child under the age of 18 can receive free breakfast, lunch and snacks at eight rec centers and more than 40 partner locations across Pittsburgh.

They announced the continuance of the program on Tuesday at the Super Playground in Highland Park, where kids enjoyed face painting, creating their own paintings on canvases, live music and a puppet show, among other activities. CitiParks’ Roving Art Cart hosted the event.

Last year, they provided more than 70,000 breakfast meals, more than 100,000 lunch meals, and more than 20,000 snacks, free of charge.

“This program reflects what can happen when city government, schools, nonprofits and community organizations work together toward a common goal,” said Eric Sloan, the city’s Director of Parks and Recreation. “Together, we’re helping to ensure that children remain healthy, active and connected throughout the summer.”

“Our work does not end when the school year ends, and while the school year may end in June, the need for reliable access to nutritious food does not,” said Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters, who encouraged families to both take advantage of this program and spread the word to other families who may need it.

Kelsey Gross, director of child nutrition programs for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, said an average of nearly 54,000 children per day in Allegheny County rely on school meals. According to Feeding America’s research, 20,000,000 students nationwide were eligible for free and reduced-price school lunches a year ago. But fewer than 5,000,000 participated in summer meal programs. That’s a gap they hope to reduce.

“Because that’s exactly what this program is about: making sure every child has the resources they need to thrive all summer long,” said Sloan. 

“A healthy meal helps students to focus, to engage and succeed in the classroom, and that understanding guides our work every day,” said Walters. “It is why programs like Summer Meals are so important.”

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Housing advocates and experts are weighing in on a recent report on Connecticut’s housing crisis, after the state received a failing score for a second year in a row. 

Titled “Grading the States: Affordability & Homebuilding Report Cards,” the Nutmeg State ranks at number 46 compared to all 50 states. Each grade is weighed on a 100-point scale across two factors: affordability and homebuilding. 

The median household income sits at $95,392 per year in Connecticut, yet the median listing price for a home lands a little over $500,000. 

While some believe there is some truth to the score, people like Connecticut Realtor Michael Barbaro say it’s a bit of an oversimplification. 

“The fact is, we’re a small state. We have high density, we have older housing stock,” Barbaro said. “So all these factors coming together, giving us that score is probably not fair. It’s probably penalizing us for characteristics that we just can’t change here.”

While Connecticut has seen a rise in building permits, factors like a high cost of living, rising construction costs and restrictive regulations aren’t helping in the eyes of some.

To address the state’s housing needs, at least 120,000 units need to be built, according to a 2025 commissioned study by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

“We’re digging out of like a really deep hole on under production,” Chelsea Ross, executive director of the Partnership for Strong Communities, said. “So it’s going to take us a while to have that part of our grade increase.”

State lawmakers passed legislation last year, formally known as House Bill 5002, with the goal to incentivize new builds and alter zoning regulations. 

While advocates of the bill praised the step, some say it’s just a start. 

“What we have is kind of a framework for that work, but no real enforcement on how suburbs are going to handle that and ensure that they’re building more affordable housing,” Representative Antonio Felipe, chair of the legislative housing committee said.