Eastern Notes: Chandler, Griffin, Hayward

Wilson Chandler, who recently returned to the Nets from a 25-game suspension, is finding that there’s a big difference between being in great physical shape and NBA game shape, but he’s having no problem adjusting to his new teammates, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post relays.

“It’s very different,” Chandler said. “When you’re playing, you’ve got bodies, you’ve got a lot of athletic guys, a lot of strong guys. So just maneuvering around them, bumping and grinding with those guys, plus having to run up and down the court is a whole different dynamic.

“As far as the plays and teammates, it’s been pretty easy. Kicking off the rust has been hard. But that’ll come in a couple weeks, a few weeks, however long it takes. Cardio, lift, explosiveness, stuff like that.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

• Blake Griffin has struggled to be an impact player for the Pistons this season but coach Dwane Casey believes the power forward can contribute by being more of a playmaker, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press passes along. “He’s not shooting the ball well; that’s the bottom line and it’s no fault of anybody’s,” Casey said. “Players go through that, but out of that, I think he’s a good facilitator. He can pass the ball out of there. There are things he can do to help us win.”
• A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston wonders if load management is in Gordon Hayward‘s future. The wing only saw 27 minutes of action for the Celtics against the Raptors on Christmas.
• Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald details how the Heat discovered Duncan Robinson. Robinson went undrafted in 2018 but Miami added him to their Summer League squad before signing him to his current NBA contract.