Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Notes: Porzingis, Beal, Satoransky, Kispert

March 26th, 2022 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis is showing that he can be a dominant scorer late in games, which makes the prospect of a future pairing with Bradley Beal very intriguing, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The Wizards only have two wins in the past 19 days, but Porzingis took over both of them, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter against the Lakers last week and 11 in the fourth quarter against the Pistons Friday night.

“I enjoy those clutch moments, those last possessions,” Porzingis said. “There’s more on the line. I think every basketball player enjoys those shots more.”

Beal hasn’t played since Porzingis was acquired from the Mavericks in February, so the Wizards haven’t gotten to see how their games fit together. They are hoping to keep Beal this summer and use them as the basis to build a contending team. For now, coach Wes Unseld Jr. is experimenting with the advantages that having the tallest player on the court can offer.

“He’s kind of a steadying presence. You can play through him,” Unseld Jr. said. “With his size and stature, you know he can get a shot off. Get him to a spot and let him do his thing. He made some big plays late.”

There’s more from Washington:

Beal, who has a decision to make on his $36.4MM player option for next season, talked about his situation on Draymond Green‘s podcast this week (hat tip to James Herbert of CBS Sports). Beal appreciates that the Wizards front office has refused to include him in trade talks, but he’s still planning to keep his options open. “It’s kind of funny. I’ve never been a free agent,” he said. “It’s kind of reminding me of college recruiting. Like I hear every single game somebody’s recruiting me. Someone’s like tagging on me, whether it’s another player or whether it may be a coach or whoever it may be, somebody’s chit-chatting: ‘B, what you want to do this summer? What you doing this summer?'”
Tomas Satoransky made his first start on Friday since signing with the Wizards at the end of February, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. It may be a sign of hope for Satoransky, who has been through three trades, a buyout and an injury over the past seven months.
After fighting to earn minutes early in the season, rookie Corey Kispert is now a regular part of the starting lineup, Robbins notes in a separate story. Beal’s absence created an opening, and Kispert seized the opportunity. “There’s no substitute for NBA minutes, no matter how many you get,” he said. “So I’m just really happy that I have a chance to play through mistakes and play through all those things. It’s made me a better player and then consequently I make less of them.”

Southeast Notes: Ball, Thomas, Hawks, Beal, Heat

March 22nd, 2022 at 9:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball has developed a good relationship with reserve point guard Isaiah Thomas, writes Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer.

Earlier today, it was officially announced that Thomas signed a rest-of-season deal with Charlotte. The 33-year-old Thomas, a former two-time All-Star, has already served as a mentor to Ball.

“I feel like on the court, he’s just helped Melo slow down,” forward Miles Bridges said. “It’s certain plays, Melo, he makes the flashy plays or he tries to force something. But I.T., he’s been talking to Melo, making sure he makes the right play at all times. And off the court, just staying professional.”

Thomas addressed his Hornets role in relation to Ball. The duo occasionally share time on the floor together.

“Just knowing how important the possession is … obviously we want him to push the pace,” Thomas said, “but there are times where we don’t get things three or four possessions. We’ve got to slow it down. Get us in a set that’s going to get the ball moving side-to-side, then attack downhill. So I think it’s easier for him to relate to me because I’ve been in those situations.”

In seven games for Charlotte, the 5’9″ veteran guard is averaging 9.9 PPG, 2.0 APG and 1.3 APG in 13.4 MPG. As a shooter, Thomas’s output has reached an efficiency level unseen since his Boston days. He boasts shooting splits of .462/.480/1.000 with the Hornets.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

The 36-36 Hawks appear in desperate need of a defensive upgrade next season, as was evinced in a 117-112 loss to the Pelicans on Sunday, writes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. What New Orleans exhibited in perimeter defensive effort, the Hawks lacked, per Kirschner. “They have a lot of guys who have size and length on the wing,” Atlanta All-Star point guard Trae Young said. “They made some good reads. They were really pulling in to help on the roller, and the guy who had to guard two did a good job of picking the right one. I made a couple of turnovers picking the wrong one. You have to tip your hat to them in making the right reads.”
Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal recently discussed what he thinks Washington requires to return to contention in the East, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Beal expressed his enthusiasm for new Wizards addition Kristaps Porzingis, added at the trade deadline, but there are areas where he sees particular room for improvement. “I think we need bigger guards,” Beal said. “We need more guys that can get in the paint for us, more ball-handlers, more guys that can really create and get two feet in the paint, but also who can knock down threes.” Beal also wants additional two-way perimeter help: “Just some dog wings, some 3-and-D guys who can get after it and accept those challenges come playoff time when we play the Jayson Tatums, all the elite primetime wings.”
As the 47-25 Heat gear up for the playoffs, the top-seeded team in the East continues to tinker with its rotation. That decision-making extends to how Miami opts to dole out minutes to its reserve big men Markieff Morris and Dewayne Dedmon, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Chiang explains that Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is letting opponent matchups dictate whether he decides to use Morris or Dedmon on any given night.

Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Jordan, Haslem, Morris

March 20th, 2022 at 8:13pm CST by JD Shaw

Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis showed he can still be dominant in the team’s victory over the Lakers on Saturday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. Porzingis finished with 27 points and five assists, helping his team win 127-119.

“Just down the stretch, we wanted to play through him,” teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “No one could stop K.P. at the elbow. He was just turning around and shooting over everybody. It’s going to be great just to see if we can get him a full season. We already know what he can do.”

Porzingis was acquired by the Wizards in February. He has dealt with a variety of injuries over his career (and hasn’t played over 60 games since the 2016/17 season), but he can still be productive when healthy. In seven games with Washington, he’s averaging 20.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

DeAndre Jordan is discovering his niche as a late-season addition with the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines. Jordan was waived by the Lakers earlier this month and subsequently signed with Philadelphia. He recorded eight points and seven rebounds in the team’s win over Dallas on Friday, logging 13 minutes off the bench.
Longtime Heat veteran Udonis Haslem briefly explained why the team has had success developing players in recent years, as relayed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Those undrafted guys come here – Max [Strus], Gabe [Vincent], Caleb [Martin], Duncan [Robinson], Omer [Yurtseven], Chris Silva – when those guys come in here, it’s an automatic expectation from me to do more than the guys that got drafted, do more than the guys that got signed, work harder, push more, pay attention to detail more,” Haslem said. “And nobody complains here. That’s one thing about these young guys; they don’t complain.”
Playing Markieff Morris at small-ball five is no longer a stretch for the Heat, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel contends. Morris saw action as a backup center against Oklahoma City on Friday, scoring 13 points in nearly 20 minutes. The Heat could play Morris more at center in certain lineups and matchups, as nine-year veteran Dewayne Dedmon has struggled in recent weeks.

Southeast Notes: Unseld, Herro, Strus, Vincent, J. Johnson

March 18th, 2022 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Wes Unseld Jr. has been thrown into the deep end during his first year as an NBA head coach, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, who notes that the Wizards have used a franchise-record 29 players in games this season.

Injuries, trades, and COVID-19 outbreaks have shaken up the Wizards’ roster, and Unseld himself missed multiple games when he contracted COVID. Despite having to deal with a somewhat chaotic first season in D.C., Unseld has tried his best to take it all in stride.

“With this being my first experience in this chair, in a weird way it’s the norm. I can’t compare it to anything,” Unseld told Hughes. “But it’s not lost on me that this has been a bizarre experience, just because of all the things that we’ve had to process and go through.”

Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who is out for the rest of the season while he recovers from wrist surgery, said he had “huge respect” for the way Unseld has responded to a challenging year.

“That’s tough on a coach, a first-year coach,” Beal said. “I’m very impressed with how well he’s handled the adversity.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

With Tyler Herro extension-eligible beginning this July, Keith Smith of Spotrac takes a closer look at what the guard’s next contract might look like and considers how much the Heat should be comfortable paying to lock up a player who is currently a sixth man.
Now that the Heat‘s roster is healthier than it has been all season, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent aren’t getting the same sort of consistent minutes they were earlier in the year. However, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, the two reserves said they were prepared for that possibility, recognizing that the coaching staff needs to experiment with different lineups ahead of the postseason. “They got to play with things. They got to see what works, see what doesn’t work and try to get this chemistry going in a short span,” Vincent said. “I kind of knew it was coming. But you don’t really know how it’s going to go. You could only prepare for something like that so much.”
Nate McMillan‘s inclination to trust his veterans over rookies has meant there has been no NBA role this season for first-rounder Jalen Johnson, who has spent much of his rookie year in the G League. According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Hawks are still very intrigued by the potential of Johnson, who was recalled today from the NBAGL with John Collins out, but it remains unlikely that he’ll see regular minutes this season.

Hachimura Could Reclaim Starting Job Before End Of Season

March 16th, 2022 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

After starting all 105 games he played during his first two NBA seasons, Rui Hachimura has come off the Wizards‘ bench in all 27 of his appearances in 2021/22. However, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said it’s possible Hachimura will re-enter the starting lineup before the end of the season. “Everything is on the table,” Unseld said. “I like where he is right now, but as he progresses, we’ll see… Where he is right now from where he was two months ago, it’s night and day.”

And-Ones: Japan Games, Hardy, Prospect Matchups, West

March 14th, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors and Wizards will play two preseason games in Japan, the NBA announced in a press release. The NBA Japan Games 2022 will be played on September 30 and October 2. “We are excited to once again bring preseason games to our fans in Japan,” commissioner Adam Silver said. The NBA last played games in Japan in 2019, when Houston and Toronto squared off in a pair of preseason contests.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Shooting guard Jaden Hardy shouldn’t be discounted as a potential lottery pick, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines. Hardy got off to a slow start with the G League’s Ignite but has averaged 22.5 PPG and 4.1 APG over the last eight games. Hardy made some progress as a pick-and-roll playmaker and is taking better shots, O’Connor adds. Hardy is currently ranked No. 24 on ESPN’s Best Available list after once being considered the draft’s second-best prospect.
The NCAA Tournament provides an opportunity for draft prospects to match their talents against one another. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie takes a look at nine first-round matchups among this year’s class, including the University of Michigan big man duo of Hunter Dickinson and Moussa Diabate squaring off against Colorado State’s top scorer, David Roddy.
Former NBA player Delonte West participated in a BIG3 tryout in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, according to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. West, who has struggled with drug addiction and bipolar disorder, was one of a handful of players from the tryout to get an invite to the BIG3 pre-draft combine on May 14 in Las Vegas.

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Morris, Bamba, Ball, Thomas

March 13th, 2022 at 5:30pm CST by JD Shaw

Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. blasted his team’s defensive effort after Saturday’s 127-118 loss to the Blazers, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post writes. Washington allowed Portland to shoot 52% from the floor and 37% from three-point range. The Blazers were led by Josh Hart, who scored 44 points.

“It’s not something schematic, it’s some of the same issues,” Unseld explained. “We talked about the one-on-one containment, there’s no scheme for transition defense. “You can say okay, well, let’s take care of the ball, we can do that better. But when the shot goes up, there’s no scheme to say, ‘You have to be here, you have to be here, you have to be here,’ it’s an effort, a level of focus, communication that takes care of that.”

The Wizards also allowed 122 points in a loss to the Lakers on Friday. Los Angeles, led by LeBron James (50 points), shot 53% from the floor. On the season, Washington ranks just 24th in defensive rating and 18th in points allowed per game (111.2).

There’s more from the Southeast Division tonight:

Heat veteran Markieff Morris returned on Saturday for the first time since November 8, but the forward has no interest in hearing from Nikola Jokic, as relayed by Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Jokic’s hard shot on Morris caused whiplash for the 32-year-old, forcing him to miss most of the season. The hit came after Morris delivered a hard foul just seconds earlier. “F– nah, I don’t want to hear from him,” Morris snapped, according to Vardon. “He did what he did and it is what it is.”
Magic center Mohamed Bamba has stepped up for the team in recent games, specifically in the paint, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Bamba recently finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks against the Timberwolves on Friday, helping his club win 118-110. He was drafted No. 6 overall in 2018 and is in his fourth season with the organization.
Hornets veteran Isaiah Thomas is impressed with young star LaMelo Ball, Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes. “I mean, he’s going to be the face of this league,” Thomas said of Ball. “He’s already an All-Star. Give him two or three years and he’s going to be top-five, top-10 in this league easily. He’s a special talent. He’s very young. He has great energy. His pace to the game, you can’t teach his pace. And he’s, what, 6-foot-7? He has the full package.” Thomas is currently on his second 10-day deal with the Hornets and could be part of the rotation moving forward, Boone notes (via Twitter).

Wizards Notes: Porzingis, 5-Team Trade, Westbrook, Schakel

March 12th, 2022 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis has only played three games since being acquired from Dallas last month, but the Wizards are encouraged by what they’ve seen, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. Porzingis was sidelined by knee soreness at the time of the trade and didn’t start playing until Sunday. He has averaged 19.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per night and has contributed as a rim protector and play-maker as well.

“It’s tough, it’s been a handful of games, so he’s still trying to work his way through it. He’s going to have some big nights and he’s going to struggle at times, just like everybody else,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “But he’ll find that level of consistency, it’ll even out. He’s too good of a player.”

Porzingis has barely practiced since coming to Washington, Wallace notes, so he’s still trying to develop chemistry with his new teammates. He will miss tonight’s game at Portland for precautionary reasons because it’s the second night of a back-to-back, but Unseld doesn’t expect him to have any more restrictions for the rest of the season.

“Of course, I want to play and have longer stretches of playing,” Porzingis said. “Sometimes it kind of creeps in your mind and you want to force some things out there because, ‘Ah, I might be coming out in a couple minutes,’ so I just [need] to have that calmness and knowing that I’m going to get there. I just need to stay focused and play the right way.”

There’s more on the Wizards:

The five-team trade that Washington was part of last summer continues to evolve, observes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Although there’s a perception that the Wizards got the better of the deal because Russell Westbrook has struggled with the Lakers, the pieces they got in return have already changed significantly. Spencer Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell and Aaron Holiday were all shipped out at the trade deadline.
Westbrook’s desire to go home and play for the Lakers sparked that five-team deal, but he had a much better situation in Washington, contends Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Westbrook became a team leader after sparking the Wizards to a late-season surge that got them into the play-in tournament last season, Buckner points out. He also had an All-Star backcourt partner in Bradley Beal who was willing to adjust to his style of play.
Jordan Schakel‘s new two-way contract will cover two seasons, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors.

Porzingis, Gafford Could Be Formidable Duo

March 10th, 2022 at 6:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The combination of Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford at center could produce big results for the Wizards, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. They combined for 33 points against the Clippers on Wednesday. They also give the team a consistent shot-blocker presence on defense.

“I think it’s a different feel,” Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “K.P.’s able to stretch the defense and Gaff obviously puts a lot of pressure on the rim as a roller. Both have good length and size up front. But just the ability to mix and match, kind of give offenses and our offense a different feel, the defense a different look.”

Rui Hachimura has shown expanded range offensively, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post writes. Known for his midrange game, Hachimura has made half of his 3-point attempts this season. “For me, it’s more confidence,” the Wizards forward said. “I’m more confident shooting threes.” Hachimura, who has appeared in 24 games after sitting out for personal reasons, is extension-eligible this summer and the improved perimeter shooting should pump up his value.

Jordan Schakel Signs Two-Way Deal With Wizards

March 9th, 2022 at 3:07pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 9: The Wizards have officially signed Schakel to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. As we relayed earlier today, the team waived Ayayi to make room for Schakel.

MARCH 8: Shooting guard Jordan Schakel will sign a two-way contract with the Wizards, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Schakel most recently played for Washington’s NBA G League club, the Capital City Go-Go.

The Wizards currently have both their two-way slots occupied, by guards Joel Ayayi and Cassius Winston. One of those two players will need to be waived for the Wizards to complete the signing of Schakel.

Schakel, 23, is an undrafted rookie out of San Diego State. The 6’6″ wing had previously signed a 10-day hardship contract with Washington in December, appearing in two games. He averaged just 7.0 MPG in those contests with the Wizards.

In 21 games for the Go-Go this season, Schakel is averaging 14.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.9 SPG. Across 32.0 MPG, he boasts shooting splits of .431/.352/.941.

Schakel will join a Wizards team at a bit of a crossroads this season. Washington, which has won five of its last 10 games, remains very much in the Eastern Conference play-in picture, despite the shelving of star guard Bradley Beal for the rest of the season following a left wrist surgery. At 29-34, the No. 11 Wizards are just 1.5 games behind the tenth-seeded Hawks and two games behind the No. 8 Hornets and No. 9 Nets.