Atlantic Notes: Henson, Hill, Fournier, Maxey

It doesn’t sound as if Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau expects the team’s latest addition, big man John Henson, to crack the center rotation, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

“The John Henson signing was just insurance,” Thibodeau said. “Felt we wanted to get a look at both [Henson and fellow recently-added big man Norvel Pelle). We had a roster spot available and that’s what we chose to do with it. I like the idea of it.”

With center Mitchell Robinson out indefinitely after undergoing a surgery to address a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot last month, the team still expects to lean on veteran big men Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson to soak up most of the minutes at center.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

  • Sixers head coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that he does not know when new addition George Hill will make his Philadelphia debut, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. The veteran point guard is still recovering from a February thumb surgery. “I can’t see it anytime soon,” Rivers said. “I had that same injury. That’s not anything you mess around with. Just one whack, you may not get injured, but the pain is excruciating because the nerves are so raw. So we’re gonna try to be as tentative as possible with his injury.”
  • New Celtics shooting guard Evan Fournier will likely miss Boston’s games for the rest of the week as he remains in the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “We hope that it’s as little time as possible but (it’s) still part of what you have to get used to this year,” Boston head coach Brad Stevens said during an interview with Boston FM radio program Zolak and Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub, as recapped by Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link).
  • After missing one game due to the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, first-year Sixers point guard Tyrese Maxey has been cleared to return to the court, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). Maxey, the No. 21 pick out of Kentucky in the 2020 NBA draft, has shown plenty of promise across a limited 14.9 MPG, averaging 7.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG and 1.6 APG in 42 appearances.
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