Donovan Mitchell, presented with the challenge of solving the NBA’s oft-discussed ratings issue, smiled as he gave his immediate retort.

“Get into more fights,” the Cleveland Cavaliers star said.

He was joking, of course, and provided his usual eloquence in his real answer. But the essence of his quip was onto something.

The biggest issue with the NBA isn’t (primarily) how many 3-pointers are being cast, except maybe for those hunting for disparagement. Nor is it the length of the season, or the perceived triviality of regular-season games. Are those concerns? Sure. But only as low-hanging fruit for the unsatiated.

The real issue, the one proven by the spike in ratings on Christmas Day, is the wanting magnetism of the league’s stars not named Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. It’s the next generation of NBA ambassadors who have yet to do enough to seize attention.

LeBron and Curry both lead mediocre teams and still dominated the NBA’s showcase day.

No doubt, it’s unfair to compare the appeal of the next wave of stars with legends who have footprints in three decades. But it’s certainly fair to wonder who will take the baton from them. Or who even wants it. We know Anthony Edwards does, but the Minnesota Timberwolves star’s got to win for his charisma to matter. We know Jayson Tatum wants it, but the Boston Celtics leader’s charisma doesn’t quite match his success. It’s a tricky dance.

But the NBA was built on this, on a superstardom that’s as much intangible as it is palpable. The NBA was built on the magnetism of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The former was more front-facing than the latter, but they both did the job of putting the league on their backs.

Michael Jordan made sure he was always dressed well and presentable, honoring the reality that seeing him was a moment for people. Kobe Bryant groomed his whole life for the mantel. James has been willingly in the public consciousness since he was 16 years old. Curry saturates the market with himself. Durant would seem to be the anti-superstar, but he traffics in accessibility and transparency and cares about the league and the game as much as anyone, if not more.

What NBA superstars, the one who carry the league, have always seemed to understand is the role is as much a responsibility as it is a perk. Along with the maximum contracts and the honor of the elite realm comes the burden of carrying the torch.

And Mitchell made a fair point. Their burden didn’t end with their playing days.

“The way we talk about our game is huge,” Mitchell said. “The way we talk about our current players, I think, has a huge impact on what people think. You have some people saying, ‘Who is this guy? How is he getting paid this?’ I think that overall is not the greatest look. … A lot of guys who are retired that have shown love and continually will. But I think that’s a big thing … the way you talk about the product, in a sense. That’s something we really can be better at as a whole, as a brotherhood.”

Still, it feels like the succeeding generation of superstars doesn’t care so much to continue the tradition of putting the league on their back, of winning the affection of the audience.

Jayson Tatum backs down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during a game Sunday in Oklahoma City. They’re among the biggest of the new generation of NBA stars. (Joshua Gateley / Getty Images)

In fairness to them, some of these players just aren’t naturally drawn to the spotlight. And they’re just being their authentic selves, retreating to the confines of obscurity and peace.

In fairness to them, several of them are not from this nation. They may not long for affinity from the American populace. Nikola Jokić, the best player in the league, doesn’t seem to desire it at all. Certainly, those who want it, may understandably not be savvy on how to get it. They have their own home to which they can retreat. That’s the reality of a global league.

In fairness to them, they’ve been raised in a different time. Expectations of access have grown debilitating, so have the ramifications of such access. Anyone who watched “The Last Dance,” ESPN’s documentary on the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 season, saw the pound of flesh superstardom took from Jordan. That was just traditional newspaper and broadcast journalists. The media landscape since then has multiplied like wet Gremlins.

So it must be confessed — the desire to not dive headfirst into this setup is actually a rational response. But since the players aren’t rewarded rationally, it’s fair to ask for them to go ahead and dive in anyway. Like their ancestors in superstardom.

We need more from the next generation.

They’ve got the greatness down. These dudes are good. The skill is off the charts.

“For us,” Mitchell explained on the role of the next wave of stars, “it’s continuing to play high-level basketball. There’s always going to be discourse. There’s always going to be something to talk about. Just continue to play high-level basketball. … I think the biggest thing for us is to continue to carry the game.”

Yes. But it takes more than just great basketball. It takes more than these unappealing manicured personas curated from a focus group by some publicity firm. It takes more than safe comments for fear of going viral. It takes more than just wanting to play basketball and go home.

Mitchell knows this. He is an irrefutable fan of the game. At 28, he’s also part of the collection of torch-bearers for the future. His Cavaliers being atop the Eastern Conference is setting him up to be one of the chief ambassadors. When the smoke arrives in the playoffs, whether from Boston or Milwaukee, Mitchell will inhale.

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Wednesday night, he clashes with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City versus Cleveland is a potential NBA Finals preview. It pits two of the most explosive guards in Mitchell and SGA, two incredible young players in Jalen Williams and Evan Mobley. It should be a prime matchup.

All it needs is some fireworks.

That’s the NBA’s secret sauce. Rivalries. Which are sparked by personalities and fueled storylines. The clashing of stars. Players who inspire hate and love.

The NBA is culpable. Ownership’s bent on suppressing dynasties also deprives the league of that special element dynasties bring. Now it’s lacking and unclear from where it will come.

It increases the need for players to uphold the banner. Such requires vulnerability from the characters, a revealing of more than just one’s game. A willingness to play a part in the melodrama of it all.

“More fights,” as Mitchell joked, can be translated to more of a willingness to mix it up. More of a willingness to clash with each other. More of a willingness to competitively, theatrically, challenge one another. More of a willingness to at least be transparent and embrace whatever drama comes as a result.

That’s how LeBron and Curry got to this point, where they are senior citizens of basketball and still the chief needle movers. They dueled for four straight years at the highest levels. They go at each other. Their history includes trash talk and competitive ice between them. They’ve inspired disdain as much as adoration, which doubled their interest. They weren’t interested in playing it cool.

The NBA is desperate for a new rivalry.

It looked for a while as if the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić and Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker would be next. We know Dončić is willing to mix it up. But that spark was short-lived, though entirely riveting.

It looked for a while as if Ja Morant was next. And he still may be. But he must get his Memphis Grizzlies back on that big stage.

It looked as if Edwards was heading to the top. But his Timberwolves are starting to feel more like a flash in the pan.

Who takes the torch? It doesn’t get passed by osmosis. Someone has to go pry it from the hands of its current owners. Someone has to get to the big stage frequently enough, and be impactful enough while on it, to inspire passion.

Two of the future faces of the league, so the NBA hopes, closed 2024 with a showdown in Oklahoma City. SGA vs. Ant Man.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 of his 40 points in a dominant third quarter. He made 15 shots, nine came in the paint, and seven of those in the restricted area. It was a display of SGA’s mastery of penetration. He was asked about finding his way to the rim against one of the league’s best defenses — featuring perimeter hounds such as Jaden McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo and Edwards, and anchored by four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

SGA, surrounded by his teammates as with every on-court interview, impregnated a pause before answering. He eventually let out a “hmmmm” while sighfully slumping his shoulders. He looked toward the rafters as he searched his brain for an answer. He even rubbed his chin, trying to massage his mind for the right words.

The NBA needs him to use this moment to make it a moment. In competition for attention spans, with the NFL encroaching on their space, with the narrative demeaning the league, it would behoove SGA to lean in. Declare his supremacy. Taunt Edwards. Make this something. “More fights.” It clearly wouldn’t be organic for him. But it would surely be useful.

Finally, he answered.

“I,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, holding his mouth open for a beat before letting the words escape, “I get to the rim on anybody.”

Close enough. For now.

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(top photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell: Jason Miller / Getty Images)

It was a tough season for the San Francisco 49ers, and with it came Brock Purdy’s worst stretch as a starter.

Certainly, Purdy did not benefit from injury issues all over the offense, most notably from Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk, but Purdy’s numbers were worse in 2024 than last season.

He threw for roughly 400 fewer yards, went from 31 touchdowns to 20, and threw one more interception (12) than he did in 2023. After posing QB ratings of 107.3 and 113.0, it dipped to 96.1.

After missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season, though, general manager John Lynch has no plans on letting Purdy walk out the door.

“What we know about Brock is that he’s our guy. We have interest in Brock being around here for a long, long time,” Lynch told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s done so much for our organization. He’s won big games and had a little tougher task, as we all did this year, with some of the things that happened throughout the course of the year. We just never could string games where we were all together. And through that, he continued to lead, he continued to play at a high level, so we have every interest in him being around.”

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) walks off the field after a loss to the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif.  (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

EAGLES’ JALEN HURTS, DEALING WITH CONCUSSION, TAKES STEP FORWARD FOR POTENTIAL PLAYOFFS RETURN

Purdy is eligible for a large contract extension – as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, his base salary this past season was less than $1 million. He could see a wild increase, as Spotrac says his market value is $59.7 million annually, which would be the largest in the league.

The site says he could be slated for a four-year deal worth nearly $239 million, which would be more than Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, and Jared Goff.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at Lumen Field. (Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images)

If he were to sign such a deal, he’d become the 14th QB in NFL history to surpass to $200 million mark, with each of the previous contracts having begun since 2020.

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A second safety went on injured reserve in as many weeks. The Chargers were calling on practice squad players who hadn’t even had a week’s worth of practices to fill in.

With the pressure of the postseason looming, how did Jim Harbaugh feel about the position that was scraping the bottom of the team’s personnel barrel?

“Tremendous confidence,” the Chargers coach said with a proud smile. “We’re talking about Derwin James’ position.”

The star safety has re-established himself as one of the league’s top defensive backs, earning a fourth Pro Bowl nomination and notching a career-best 5½ sacks while anchoring a secondary that has started 10 players.

No matter how many times the Chargers have to shuffle their secondary with rookies, practice squad call-ups and mid-season signings, James remains their defensive trump card.

“He’s the guy that if somebody, whatever position, we lose a guy, he can make it right,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said.

Top cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. has missed most of the season with a shoulder injury. Week 1 starting nickel Ja’Sir Taylor has been in and out with a leg injury while rookie cornerbacks Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still have started six and 12 games, respectively, after they were drafted in the fifth round last April.

Alohi Gilman, the Chargers’ returning free safety from last season, has missed six games because of injuries. One year removed from retirement, safety Tony Jefferson has gone from practice squad menace to reliable starter with 27 tackles in the last six games.

It seems almost impossible to keep track of the moving parts each week, but safeties coach Chris O’Leary didn’t have trouble sorting out the secondary. He knows leaders such as Gilman, James, Elijah Molden and Kristian Fulton keep matters straight.

“Those guys have been the glue of the group,” O’Leary said.

The reliable veterans have rallied around practice squad elevations, including Kendall Williamson and Dicaprio Bootle. When safeties Marcus Maye and Eddie Jackson were signed midseason and needed to play within a week, film study became a group activity.

“Derwin, he’s always a guy who’s high energy,” said Jackson, who played in the last two games for the Chargers since signing on Dec. 23. “T-Jeff, those guys do a good job, if I have any questions, they always have an answer for me.”

The 31-year-old played nine games for Baltimore this season then moved into an Airbnb in Venice with one bag and four outfits. He gets most of his food from the Chargers practice facility these days because there’s not much time to stock his temporary home.

When the Chargers traded for Molden immediately after training camp, the safety also was scrambling to travel from Nashville, where he lived with his wife and young daughter, and learn the playbook. James was the first teammate to reach out.

Maye was claimed off waivers from the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 27, four days before the Chargers would need him to play against the Atlanta Falcons. James assured Harbaugh the staff didn’t have to worry about the new addition. He would handle it.

“Whether you’re a starter or on the opportunity squad or backup, or whatever it is, [James] sort of demands that everybody does things a certain way,” Minter said.

It didn’t take long for the Chargers’ first-year defensive staff to witness James’ standard. O’Leary recalled how James pulled his chair uncomfortably close to the coach on their first day working together. James locks eyes with everyone he speaks with. He demanded to know everything about the defense right away.

Minter, in his first year as an NFL defensive coordinator after a record-setting and championship-winning season at Michigan, envisioned the NFL’s best “team defense.”

Although the Chargers had immense star power with James and edge rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, Minter didn’t want to design a scheme that would fall apart as soon as one player was injured or struggled. For James, the coordinator wanted to let the versatile defensive back be the best version of himself.

To O’Leary, that means James is “hitting people really hard.”

“Legally,” the first-year safeties coach added. “When the play is finished, is No. 3 close to the football? That’s him being the best version of himself and having fun. He’s the heartbeat of our defense, when he is enthusiastic and sweating and yelling and running around, that’s when we’re at our best.”

The Chargers led the league with 17.7 points allowed per game, making a dramatic turnaround from their No. 24 rank last season.

James has played a significant amount at nickel, putting him close to the line of scrimmage to attack running backs or tight ends. Acknowledging James’ versatility, Minter encouraged the safety to not just memorize his position in a play but also to interpret concepts while understanding his position could vary within the same call.

James called it the best scheme he’s been in. The key is the architect behind the play sheet.

“Coach Minter,” James said of what makes the scheme so effective. “Allowing me to play, allowing everybody to play free and allowing everybody to play fast and team defense. I feel like it’s just been amazing all season and I can’t wait for us to keep playing our best football coming up in the postseason.”

Etc.

The Chargers opened the 21-day practice window for cornerback Eli Apple, who was on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was a full participant in practice Wednesday. … Receiver Quentin Johnston did not practice Wednesday with an illness after he was limited Tuesday with a thigh injury. Fellow receiver Joshua Palmer (foot) missed practice for the second day this week. … Defensive back Ja’Sir Taylor didn’t practice Wednesday with a rib injury. … Offensive linemen Zion Johnson (ankle) and Rashawn Slater (knee), receiver Simi Fehoko (elbow) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) were upgraded to full participants after being limited Tuesday.