Jasprit Bumrah will travel to the UK in October to receive treatment for the stress fracture on his lower back that forced him out of the Test series against South Africa. A BCCI official confirmed the development to ESPNcricinfo but they didn't put a timeframe on his recovery.

However, last week, former India physiotherapist Andrew Leipus explained that such injuries usually take around a month to heal. "If it is just a stress reaction, he could be fine in about four to six weeks with an active rehabilitation programme. But if it is further along the bone stress injury spectrum than this, then it could need three to six months. If the stress fracture is bilateral (a crack on both sides of the same vertebrae), then it might be more than year or longer."

ALSO READ: Bumrah, the complete bowler, whatever the format

Bumrah's condition came to light during a routine check-up in September and India's team management was quick to pull out the cotton wool. They have taken a lot of care in managing his workloads, mindful of the fact that he is one of the team's biggest weapons. The series against South Africa would have been his first at home after impressive performances in South Africa, England, Australia and West Indies. He has five-wicket hauls in each of those countries and bagged a hat-trick in the Caribbean as India wrapped up a 2-0 series win earlier this month.

An MRI on the injured shoulder of Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky revealed that he has a dislocated left shoulder with a slight labrum tear, but he does not need surgery, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter Monday.

A source said that the QB should be back "sooner rather than later." Trubisky will travel with the team to London for its game against the Raiders but is unlikely to play.

Trubisky injured the shoulder early in the first quarter against the Vikings on Sunday and missed the majority of his team's 16-6 victory.

The Vikings knocked Trubisky out of the game on the Bears' sixth offensive play when Minnesota defensive end Danielle Hunter sacked the 25-year-old quarterback for a 10-yard loss.

On the play, Trubisky's body twisted and his left shoulder hit the ground violently as Hunter pulled him down, causing the quarterback to fumble. Minnesota's Everson Griffen scooped up the ball, although a defensive holding penalty on Vikings safety Anthony Harris gave the ball back to Chicago.

Trubisky immediately went to the blue injury tent before being escorted to the locker room for further medical attention. He returned to the sideline with his left arm in a sling, watching a good portion of the game from there, and was in the locker room congratulating teammates after the game.

Veteran backup Chase Daniel replaced Trubisky and tossed a first-quarter touchdown pass to running back Tarik Cohen. Daniel managed Sunday's game without any turnovers and finished 22 of 30 for 195 yards and the one touchdown as the Bears improved to 3-1.

Information from ESPN's Jeff Dickerson was used in this report.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Surely, the Oakland Raiders had to know this was a possibility when they signed Vontaze Burfict to play middle linebacker, right?

Right. Kinda. Doesn't mean they have to agree with it.

"He's marked, in part, because of his reputation," Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther told ESPN.com this spring.

And it is a well-earned reputation, so to speak. One that, due to repeated violations of unnecessary roughness rules, has landed Burfict a season-long suspension and cost the Raiders the quarterback of their defense with his helmet-to-helmet hit on a prone Jack Doyle Sunday in the Raiders' 31-24 victory at the Indianapolis Colts.

Burfict, who was named one of five team captains by players, was rightly flagged for unnecessary roughness. But then the game's observer in New York weighed in and decided Burfict should be kicked out of the game. Burfict is now looking at serving the longest suspension for an on-field transgression in league history.

It's in no small part because of his history. Consider: Burfict has led the NFL with 23 personal fouls since entering the NFL in 2012, including the playoffs.

His 15 flags for unnecessary roughness since 2012 also lead the league.

And he has been fined $469,119 for on-field violations in his career, the most of any player since 2013, and that does not include the approximate $3.7 million he has forfeited in game checks due to suspensions for on-field violations.

So yeah, Burfict's reputation preceded him, even if coach Jon Gruden seethed after the game about Burfict being ejected. The Raiders are in London now -- they departed for England from Indianapolis for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears -- and will not have any access until Wednesday.

"Nobody on the field, in our stadium, or in this zip code, made the call to eject him," Gruden said after the game. "That came from New York City. So, what can I do? I don't have a cellphone on the field.

"It's a tough decision, it's a tough call. I think it was a flag. It was very-well-documented that the league was going to review those plays this year in New York City. So, that's what happened and I'll wait to hear what their reasoning was. But it was a penalty, he went in there with his head down, it was called and, unfortunately for us, it was an ejection."

Linebacker Tahir Whitehead assumed the role of defensive playcaller following Burfict's departure, the second game in a row he had to wear the "green-dot" communications helmet. Burfict suffered an elbow injury in Minnesota a week earlier and left the game.

Whitehead, also a team captain, was none too pleased with the prospect of losing Burfict for the season, taking to Twitter Monday to post: "This is straight bulls---. No way that hit calls for that. This s--- is getting out of hand."

But again, the suspension is not about that one hit, rather, that his was the proverbial straw as the league saw it.

And, right or wrong, the Raiders will pay for Burfict's reputation and, well, the hit laid upon Doyle, who ironically saw little wrong with it.

"I just got tackled," he said after the game. "I'm sure it looked worse than it was. I didn't really feel anything from it. My helmet protected me."

Burfict has three business days to appeal the suspension, which would then be heard by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, both of whom were jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA.

Burfict was brought to Oakland because of his intimate knowledge of Guenther's system, Guenther having been his position coach and coordinator in Cincinnati from 2012 through 2017.

"To take a leap of faith on him was a no-brainer," Guenther said. "He's coming to resurrect his career. He's coming into a defense he knows, but a new place, a fresh beginning.

"This is a guy that had a rough upbringing. We bonded. I saw a really good player in there somewhere. I had to get it out ... there was a trust factor."

Among Burfict's most infamous hits is the headshot he put on former Raiders teammate Antonio Brown in a 2016 playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.

"We can't have that," Guenther said. "But I'm not looking for nice linebackers either."

The Raiders are now looking for another linebacker. This was the risk the Raiders took by not only signing a player with such a reputation, but by not investing enough depth in the position.

The only other linebacker on the roster with real middle linebacker experience, Marquel Lee, just went on injured reserve. The rest of the linebacker corps -- Whitehead, Nicholas Morrow, Kyle Wilber, Justin Phillips, who was just promoted from the practice squad, and Dakota Allen, who was just signed off the Los Angeles Rams' practice squad -- is mostly outside linebackers.

"I'm not a dirty player," Burfict said upon signing with Oakland. "I can't go in there playing patty-cake. If I go out there playing patty-cake, then I'm going to be getting run over. I have 300-pound linemen, 300-plus-pound linemen coming at me, trying to block me. If I play soft, then I'm not doing my job.

"Every team plays a little bit after the whistle. It's just a matter of if the ref catches it, you know what I mean?"

Consider Burfict caught, then, fairly or unfairly.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Mike Scott said he should have walked away from the fight with Eagles fans outside Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 8 but he doesn't feel sympathy for the fans that were involved in the fight.

Scott, who met with reporters at the team's media day, was asked about the scuffle, which happened before the Eagles' Week 1 game against the Washington Redskins, at the top of his session.

On my way @4thandJawn pic.twitter.com/Wf6hV0aZeO

— Mike Scott (@mikescott) September 8, 2019

"Looking back on it, I always play devil's advocate with myself. I definitely should have walked away before it got to that point. I'm the professional, got to be the bigger person, walk away. Once you keep going ... he was popping hella s---. He was going off. I don't know, maybe it was the microphone ... once you take it to the next level and you're throwing other slurs in there, now I got to see if you match that energy. That's what happened," he said.

Scott, who is from southern Virginia, played in college basketball for Virginia and wore a Redskins jersey to the game, acknowledged he has to be the bigger person, but, "as far as sympathy for them, I don't feel any for the individuals."

He said he doesn't have animosity toward all Eagles fans.

"Those guys don't represent everyone. I'm not stupid, that doesn't represent everyone. I still had a ball. Still had fun. Still took pictures with fans, throwing balls in the parking lot and enjoyed the game," he said.

He joked Monday that when the Redskins jumped out to a 20-7 lead in the game, he thought he might had to fight the whole stadium.

"You know, the Redskins go up 20-7, and I'm looking around like s---, I'm like, 'C'mon Eagles, help me out now. Can't fight the whole stadium.' (The Redskins) win that game, s---. (Eagles fans) would have been waiting for me outside the stadium with pitchforks," he said. "I still had fun. You gotta let social media have fun with it. Definitely doesn't look good on my behalf, you know embarrassing the organization and my family, but once you take it past that point. You know, god damn, what are you going to do."

The Eagles rallied to defeat the Redskins 32-27.

It's time for our first fall tradition: picking the six most intriguing players of the season. As usual, we (mostly) steer clear of superstars and rookies.

Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic

Orlando's offseason plan for Isaac led him to a startling discovery.

"I did not know I could eat this much," Isaac says. "My mind is blown. Eating is almost not enjoyable anymore." Isaac says he has eaten five or six "real meals" every day to add heft to his string-bean frame -- without compromising the quickness and switchability that hold All-Defense promise.

The Magic estimate Isaac has put on 15 to 20 pounds. That would mitigate his only major vulnerability on defense: brutes burrowing into Isaac's chest, dislodging him, and lofting layups as he stumbles backward. Against some teams, the Magic toggled assignments so Aaron Gordon would defend behemoth power forwards -- leaving Isaac to trail wings.

Jeff Van Gundy often had Isaac defend wings during practices with the USA Select team; during that camp, Isaac says he texted Pat Delany, an Orlando assistant, requesting Delany prepare film of players who were good at scampering around with wings. "I really don't know how to read guys coming off screens," Isaac says.

Isaac should become a stopper against every position. His combination of length and speed is outrageous. He reads the game well. What stands out already is an absence of mistakes -- unusual for a player so young.

The other side will determine Isaac's ceiling (All-Star or solid starter?) and whether the Magic's ultra-big lineups can squeeze enough points for Orlando to chase home-court advantage in the first round.

Isaac is never going to be a high-volume screen-setter alongside Gordon and Nikola Vucevic. He lives off the ball. Isaac shot 38 percent from deep after the All-Star break last season (kindly ignore his 4-of-20 mark in the first round of the playoffs against Toronto!), and carrying that over is one of Orlando's most important swing factors.

Opponents are going to ignore Isaac, clogging up everything else, until he proves he can punish them. Forcing defenders to guard him more closely would unlock a surprisingly nifty pump-and-go game. Isaac can handle lefty and righty, and see the next pass:

(He still settles for too many pull-up 2-pointers.)

Isaac is only so useful loitering around the arc. He has good timing as a cutter, but the Magic rarely found him; Isaac would often slip open toward the rim, raise his arms, and continue with polite dejection to the other side. Cutting also slides Isaac into offensive rebounding position, and the Magic -- 22nd in both scoring efficiency and offensive rebounding rate -- could use extra juice there:

He would be a threat hanging in the dunker spot. He can dive to the rim when he and Vucevic set staggered screens:

Opponents will switch, wagering Isaac can't hurt little guys in the post. Isaac averaged just 0.54 points per possession on post-ups, second worst among 166 players who logged at least 25 such plays last season, per Second Spectrum. Bulking up should help. The apex version of Isaac should dust traditional power forwards and score over wings -- denying opponents the luxury of tailoring frontcourt matchups to stop Gordon.

"I think there will be more post-ups," Isaac says. He has dipped his toe into bringing the ball up and running a two-man game with Vucevic. He flashes finesse that catches you off-guard, with loping Euro-steps and soft floaters.

"I feel like I can do everything," he says.

Isaac exists in a state of tension with many of Steve Clifford's central tenets. Clifford's teams have historically punted on working the offensive glass to get back on defense. Isaac should be a weapon in transition, but Clifford's teams are cautious there; defensive rebounding comes first. "I'd like to get more leak-outs, but we don't do that much," Isaac says. Random cuts muck up spacing.

Tension is healthy. The Magic need a dose of wildness. They need methods of scrounging points beyond their intricate half-court system. By not precisely fitting in, Isaac can round out the Magic.

It's hard to overstate how much the Magic love Isaac. They have batted away any Isaac trade inquiries, sources say. He has quickly become a standard-bearer of the culture president Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond want to nurture.

Isaac's younger brother, Jeremiah, 11, is almost part of the team. He is always around the facility, and makes regular rotation suggestions to Clifford -- not always in favor of his brother, Clifford says. Weltman even let Jeremiah call in Orlando's picks to the league office during the draft. He practiced pronouncing Chuma Okeke's name all day, Isaac says.

Orlando is betting on Isaac's work ethic. Most players return home after doing local media the day after being drafted. The Magic expected Isaac to do the same in 2017. Instead, he asked whether coaches were around that weekend; he wanted to start work.

That story has stuck with higher-ups. They hope the payoff is coming.

Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks

Robinson burst onto the scene as the rare big man with the fast-twitch explosiveness to regularly reject jumpers -- a potential second-round steal for the Scott Perry/Steve Mills regime. He obliterated 22 3-pointers, five more than any other player, in just 1,360 minutes. There are maybe two living humans who can do some of the things Robinson does on defense.

He also fouled the bejesus out of everyone. Clever ball-handlers baited him with eyebrow fakes and give-and-go trickery:

New York's coaches have hammered in a simple message: Be the second jumper. Don't leave your feet until you see the other guy get air.

"I hear that," Robinson says. "But with some guys -- Steph Curry, James Harden -- you can't wait."

Jumping too late can be a problem around the rim. Robinson sometimes leaves the glass naked hunting no-chance-in-hell blocks.

Robinson cut his foul rate toward the end of the season, but it was still too high -- and not just the result of hyper block-chasing. Robinson needs to hone his fundamentals. He defends the pick-and-roll with his hands at his sides, exposing passing lanes.

"That can be fatigue," he says. "When you're tired, you drop your arms." He reaches and hand-checks. He tries to blow up pick-and-rolls by shoving the screener -- a gambit he says he learned from Amar'e Stoudemire -- but refs caught on. "I can't get away with it every time," he says.

He is not as good as he should be covering both ball handler and roller at once. He sometimes takes poor angles. His footwork can be mechanical:

Robinson has shown progress, but it may take longer than optimists expect.

On offense, he is a raw rim-runner thirsty for lobs. (You can sometimes catch Robinson leaping for a lob when no one has thrown one.) He seldom sets actual screens, preferring to slip early into the lane. He sometimes rolls full speed with his head down instead of starting and stopping to make himself a target. New York seemed fine with most of that, and Robinson sucks in a ton of attention -- creating open looks for shooters.

Laying the wood now and then would be nice, though. Teams learned Robinson's tendencies, and started moonwalking in sync with him:

They also switched some, daring Robinson to beat them on the block. He couldn't. The Knicks scored just 0.79 points per possession on any trip featuring a Robinson post-up -- third worst among all players, per Second Spectrum tracking.

He fared well enough when he played amid decent shooting. The Knicks compromised that by signing Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis and Marcus Morris. Robinson will rim-run into walls.

Randle and Robinson can run some big-big pick-and-rolls. Randle will bulldoze one-on-one, draw help, then drop the ball to Robinson for dunks. When he's not involved in the pick-and-roll, Robinson is dangerous lurking along the baseline; Dennis Smith Jr. likes finding him there:

The Portis-Robinson pairing intrigues; Portis shot 39 percent from deep last season.

Robinson anticipated the need to evolve. "I'm going to shoot midrangers, maybe a couple of 3s," he says. He has started practicing basic playmaking from the elbows, though he concedes his jumper has been a higher priority. It is unclear what Robinson might do if opponents trap New York's point guards on the pick-and-roll, and force them to hit Robinson far from the rim. He averaged about half an assist per game.

But Robinson represents a reason for hope after New York's free agency whiff.

Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets

It might be the most interesting question going into this season: What is Westbrook going to do when James Harden has the ball?

He has to shoot better, for one. He can't cut and screen and dart inside for offensive rebounds and do all the sexy-nerdy basketball things on every possession. The game doesn't flow that way for most stars. Westbrook has hit about 35 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s in some prior seasons; he could bounce back to that kind of acceptable, non-grisly number on the looks Harden will feed him.

But Westbrook has to do a lot more of that sexy-nerdy stuff for this bizarro partnership to take Houston as far as the Harden-Chris Paul version got them in 2018. Westbrook has done almost none of that. He is the battering-ram-on-repeat who drove stars out of Oklahoma City. Playing with Harden -- a superior on-ball scorer in every sense -- provides a chance for Westbrook to rewrite the narrative of his career.

He'll still have the ball a lot, of course. Westbrook can reanimate a zombified transition game and thrive running spread pick-and-roll in the sort of spacing Oklahoma City rarely gave him. Harden has to play off the ball more, too.

But Westbrook has never been his team's secondary ball handler. If he spends his off-ball time chilling behind the arc, hands on knees, the Rockets have little chance to come out of the Western Conference.

Jerami Grant, Denver Nuggets

Grant spent five seasons in two strange places: the Process Loss Factory in Philadelphia, and the Westbrook show in Oklahoma City. He adapted to each, but you always got the sense he could grow into a different sort of player -- the player he should be, not the one teams tried to manufacture -- in the right environment.

The Nuggets are betting they have that environment because they have Nikola Jokic, the greatest passing center in modern NBA history. They spent a year-plus scouring the league for a power forward of the future -- someone Jokic's age, who fit Jokic's game, says Tim Connelly, Denver's president of basketball operations. They zeroed in on Grant and one other player they could not obtain. If they are right, and some actualized version of Grant is waiting to emerge, the Nuggets should be really good for a long time.

Connelly called Grant after finalizing the trade and told him: We want this to be home. "That made me feel real comfortable," Grant says.

Jokic texted Grant a welcome message from overseas. Grant, a film buff, began watching clips of Jokic's passing. He was giddy. Grant is a cagey, explosive cutter, but the Thunder mostly had him stand around the perimeter. The paint belonged to Steven Adams.

Grant survived. He shot 39 percent from deep. When slower defenders contested his shot, he could pump-and-go by them.

Most of Grant's individual work has centered on fixing that jumper. In Philadelphia, he would ask shooting coach John Townshend to meet him at the practice facility for 6 a.m. workouts, both recall.

The Sixers also tried to break Grant's habit of dunking everything. "We are talking violent dunks in every drill," says Billy Lange, a longtime Sixers assistant who is now head coach at St. Joseph's University. "You could almost feel them across the whole facility." Lange pulled Grant aside during one pregame warm-up and asked if he knew what peanut brittle felt like. "Hard," Grant replied. "What happens if you drop it to the ground?" Lange asked. "It shatters," Lange told him. "That is your foot. Every time you dunk, you are hurting your foot a little."

"I think about that to this day," Grant says.

Grant tried to keep Philly's locker room afloat amid historic losing. "We have to take our craft more seriously," he would remind young players, Lange says. The losing took its toll in Grant's second season, when Philly went 10-72. Grant grew sullen. He drifted away from the practice facility that summer.

When the Sixers traded Grant to Oklahoma City early the next season, coaches felt a combination of sadness and relief that he might win, they say now.

"We went through all the s--- we went through, and he came out unscathed on the other side," says Sixers coach Brett Brown.

Grant became a full-time starter and signed a three-year, $29 million extension with a player option for next season -- a deal Grant has called "a bargain" in conversations with confidants, he and others say.

But Grant as a stretch power forward in Westbrook's offense was a square peg/round hole contortion. Defenders strayed from Grant even as his percentage ticked up, laying in wait for his drives:

Grant scored only 0.89 points per possession on drives, one of the worst marks in the league, per Second Spectrum data. He can make functional passes in space, but misses the advanced reads that really puncture defenses. Look at Paul George on the right wing begging Grant to hit Nerlens Noel under the basket:

His first step isn't as quick as you'd think -- occasional indecision doesn't help -- and Grant can get caught in the air with no place to go:

In Denver, Grant can bob and weave while Jokic surveys from the elbow. He can screen for Jamal Murray as Jokic spaces the floor as an outlet -- waiting to touch a pass to Grant flying down the lane. He can set improvised picks for Jokic in semi-transition. Playing with better shooters makes everything easier. Driving corridors widen. Passes lanes stay clearer, longer.

On defense, Grant can switch across every position, cover Jokic's weaknesses, and protect the rim. Any team built around Murray and Jokic needs strong defenders at the other three positions.

It will be interesting to see how Mike Malone juggles minutes. Paul Millsap is the deserved starter. Grant can work as a backup center, but Mason Plumlee -- that's Team USA stalwart Mason Plumlee, mind you! -- killed it in that role last season. Both Juancho Hernangomez and Michael Porter Jr. can play some small-ball power forward. We may even see Grant, Millsap and Jokic together when Denver faces LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard -- with Grant guarding those alpha scorers.

"I'm excited to see how he fits," Lange says. "If he cuts with the same violence he dunks with, he's gonna get a lot of easy baskets."

JaMychal Green, LA Clippers

For a relative unknown, Green could play a pivotal role in the title chase. The Clippers are thin in traditional big men, and have none with Green's ability to shapeshift between lineup types. He may start at power forward, play center after Montrezl Harrell's first stint each half, and log heavy minutes alongside Harrell.

Green was dejected when the Clippers acquired him from Memphis last season; he thought LA was tanking after dealing Tobias Harris and he would not get much playing time, he says. He sulked. (Green is quiet by nature. Chatty Memphis veterans took to him because he never spoke, higher-ups there recall.) Doc Rivers and Sam Cassell gave him pep talks, he says.

Two months later, he was starting as a floor-stretching center against Golden State in the playoffs. Then, he dangled for two weeks in free agency. He passed on richer offers from several teams, including playoff mainstays, according to Green and sources at those teams. The Clippers had shown faith in him. Green is loyal. He has stuck with his agent, Michael Hodges, since the start of his career, even when bigger fish tried to poach him. (When those agents call, Green secretly lets Hodges listen in on their pitches, he and Hodges say.)

Kawhi Leonard texted Green after joining the Clippers and urged him to re-sign, promising "this sacrifice will pay off," Green says.

Winning will get him paid down the line, Green says. Green has played the long game before. He was ready to give up on the NBA after the Spurs cut him just before the 2014-15 season. He had an overseas offer for about $500,000. Hodges pushed him to turn it down and give the D-League one more shot -- to stay closer to his NBA dream. Green reluctantly agreed. He made the D-League All-Star game, and the Grizzlies signed him in February 2015.

In Memphis last season, it appeared Green had lost a step. He was hesitant jacking from deep, and Green doesn't have much of a role without a reliable 3-pointer. He bumped up his attempts in LA, and coaches want even more.

He looked comfortable again in LA switching onto smaller players -- one good performance hounding Luka Doncic stood out to coaches -- and we may see more of that. He has years of experience guarding Anthony Davis. He may play a lot of crunch-time defensive possessions.

If Green hits -- if he can spread the floor for Harrell and Ivica Zubac, defend multiple positions, and hold his own on the glass in small-ball lineups -- the Clippers become a different team: deeper, more versatile. If he sputters, they will search out help.

Luke Kennard, Detroit Pistons

There may not be a team that needs a role player to pop as badly as the Pistons need Kennard to establish himself as an above-average wing. That won't happen on defense. Detroit hides Kennard on the least threatening opposing players. His off-ball rotations can be scattershot. He is the rare player -- joining fellow Duke sniper JJ Redick -- with a listed wingspan shorter than his height.

The jump has to come on the other end, where Kennard showed major progress as a herky-jerky pick-and-roll maestro late last season and in the playoffs. "I didn't know he was this good with the ball," says Detroit coach Dwane Casey.

Kennard doesn't get it as much sharing the floor with Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson -- one reason Casey says he may bring him off the bench again. Kennard ran just seven pick-and-rolls per 100 possessions with Griffin on the floor, per Second Spectrum. That number tripled to 22 without Griffin.

He has not shown the ability to work as a turbocharged, roving catch-and-shoot menace like Redick, Kyle Korver and Wayne Ellington. "He's more useful with the second unit," Casey says. (That second unit now includes Derrick Rose, who needs the ball a ton.)

Still: Kennard and Griffin have untapped potential for a spicy two-man game. Kennard has a little Bradley Beal in him -- a knack for dancing back and forth as Griffin holds the ball at the elbow, and then cutting in unpredictable directions. "We have been repping that this summer," Kennard says. "We are getting comfortable."

He has the craft to shoulder more pick-and-roll duty. He jukes away from screens before going around them, pins defenders on his back, and slings smart passes with both hands:

But he can be tentative, pulling up for long 2s when he still has runway:

(Keep an eye on that last action. Detroit has only scratched the surface of the Griffin-Kennard pick-and-roll.)

Kennard attempted just 61 free throws last season. He barely got to the rim, and flung up panicky floaters when he did. "I've really been focusing on my finishing," Kennard says. Detroit's cramped spacing didn't help -- Kennard saw a forest of bodies anytime he approached the paint -- but that problem isn't going away.

He's not quite quick enough to burn brutes on switches. One solution: a step-back 3. Kennard has ultra-range, but he attempted only one pull-up 3 per game. He looked uncomfortable firing off the bounce, even when he had pried open some space with a mean dribble:

One culprit: a slow release. This can't happen:

Defenders ran Kennard off the line even if he caught the ball with 15 feet of empty space in front of him. Kennard and assistant coach D.J. Bakker have worked on being in shooting position -- hands out, knees bent -- before the ball arrives.

"I am dialed in on getting my shot off quicker," Kennard says. "I dissected film this summer like I never have before."

Spot-up shooting may end up Kennard's only "A" skill. He lacks the speed and explosiveness of most elite ball handlers -- true No. 1 option types. But if he gets a little better at everything, including adding a dash of Redick-style off-ball motion, he can transform into a different player.

The Houston Astros head into the postseason as the consensus favorites to win the World Series.

The Astros are around +200 to win the World Series at sportsbooks around the nation. The Los Angeles Dodgers are not far behind at +250, followed by the New York Yankees at +400.

Caesars Sportsbook has the Dodgers as the favorites, and at DraftKings sportsbooks, the majority of which are located on the East Coast, more money has bet on Yankees to win the World Series than has been bet on any other team.

The biggest reported bets at William Hill sportsbooks, though, are on the Astros. William Hill reported taking a $30,000 on the Astros +650 on April 21, and a $25,000 bet on Houston on May 13.

Even with the big bets on the Astros, multiple sportsbooks said Houston remains one of their best-case scenarios.

"The Dodgers and Astros are actually are best scenarios," Tony DiTommaso, risk manager for Las Vegas sportsbook operator CG Technology, told ESPN. "I'll take it."

The Astros and Dodgers met in the 2017 World Series, with Houston prevailing in a thrilling seven-game series.

"We would like the Astros to win it," MGM sportsbook director Jeff Stoneback said. "We're in a good position on them, and really, we should be OK as long as the Brewers or Twins don't make it in there."

At the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, the Atlanta Braves are (+1000), St. Louis Cardinals (+1200) and Twins (+1200) are next. The Nationals are +1600, followed by the Oakland A's (+2500), Brewers (+3000) and Tampa Bay Rays (+3000).

The wild-card games begin Tuesday, with the Nationals hosting the Brewers in the National League. The A's host the Rays on Wednesday in the American League wild-card game.

The Los Angeles Angels have fired Brad Ausmus as manager after just one year with the team, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney.

His status had been under review by the team's leadership in recent days, at the end of a disappointing season on the field and a tragic one off it, with the midseason death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

The Angels finished 72-90, 35 games behind the American League West champion Houston Astros, and failed to make the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

With Ausmus' dismissal, there will be immediate speculation that his replacement will be Joe Maddon, who parted ways with the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Before his first big league managerial job with the Tampa Bay Rays, Maddon worked for years in the Angels organization, and sources told Olney that owner Arte Moreno has high regard for Maddon.

Ausmus was hired as the franchise's first new manager in nearly two decades with Mike Scioscia's departure after the 2018 season. Scioscia managed 19 major league seasons, wound up with 1,650 career victories and led the wild-card Angels to a World Series title in 2002.

Some of Britain’s top athletics stars share insight into the events which excite them the most

While their focus is, of course, on their own performances at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, some of the GB team-members reveal which events and athletes they would be most excited to watch, if attending as a fan.

View the video on our YouTube channel to find a list of athletes interviewed and a link to each section.

Also see our channel for more behind-the-scenes content from the British team holding camp in Dubai.

Find the dedicated Doha 2019 section on our website here.

British number one Kyle Edmund has been beaten by a wildcard player at the China Open - his fifth straight defeat.

Edmund, the world number 34, was defeated 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in Beijing by Zhizhen Zhang, who is ranked 213.

Dan Evans beat another Chinese player Zhe Li 6-3 6-4, while Cameron Norrie was 7-6 (7-5) 1-0 up when opponent Cristian Garin of Chile retired.

Norrie could play Andy Murray in the second round, if the Scot overcomes Italian Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday.

Edmund has not won a match since beating Australian Nick Kyrgios at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal in August.

The 24-year-old has only won 12 matches at ATP Tour level in 2019 and he recently parted company with coach Mark Hilton.

Evans, 29, ranked 48th, will face either France's Gael Monfils or American John Isner in round two.