Year: 2024

Sixers Have Stopped Fining Ben Simmons

October 25th, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Ben Simmons is no longer being fined by the Sixers for missed practices and games, according to reports from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (video link) and Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link).

While it’s unclear exactly when the team stopped assessing those fines, it’s probably safe to assume the decision was made last Friday, after Simmons met with the club and told them he wasn’t mentally ready to play.

As Shelburne notes, there’s a provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that protects a player’s salary in the event that he misses time for mental health reasons, which is one reason why the Sixers have stopped those fines from accumulating. The Sixers are taking Simmons’ claim in good faith and have offered him any resources he needs to work through the situation.

A holdout early in training camp and the preseason, Simmons racked up nearly $2MM in fines in missed games, practices, and meetings, including the salary lost due to being suspended for Philadelphia’s regular season opener. It remains unclear if he’ll be able to recoup any of that money via arbitration or an agreement with the Sixers.

Although there has been no indication that Simmons has wavered in his desire to be traded, his standoff with the franchise doesn’t appear as acrimonious at the moment as it has been at times. “Right now, everybody’s in a good place,” Shelburne said during her ESPN appearance.

Stephen Curry, Miles Bridges Named Players Of The Week

October 25th, 2021 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry and Hornets forward Miles Bridges have been named the NBA’s Western Conference and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for the first five days of the 2021/22 season, the league announced today (Twitter link).

Both Curry and Bridges helped lead their teams to three-game win streaks to open the year — Golden State and Charlotte are two of the NBA’s seven undefeated teams and are among the three that are off to 3-0 starts.

Curry, who led the NBA in scoring last season, picked up right where he left off by averaging 31.0 PPG and knocking down 14 three-pointers in his first three games. He also filled up the box score with 9.0 RPG, 7.0 APG, and 2.3 SPG, recording a triple-double and two double-doubles. Curry beat out fellow Western Conference finalists Nikola Jokic, CJ McCollum, Ja Morant, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Bridges is coming off a pair of 30-points outings and has averaged 25.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG overall, with a scorching-hot .542/.444/.938 shooting line. He took home this week’s hardware over Eastern finalists Seth Curry, Spencer Dinwiddie, Kevin Durant, Tyler Herro, Zach LaVine, Julius Randle, and rookie Evan Mobley.

New York Notes: Nets, Irving, Durant, Noel, Samanic

October 25th, 2021 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets lost for a second time in three games on Sunday, prompting reporters to press Kevin Durant on whether he believes the team has enough firepower to seriously contend without Kyrie Irving available, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details.

“While we are playing in a game, I am not going to sit there and say … when we get down or it is a tight game, like ‘Damn, we don’t have enough,'” Durant said. “We are not going to be thinking about (that) during the game. We definitely want Kyrie Irving out here on the floor. And he is a huge part of what we do. But it is not happening right now. So we got to figure it out.

“… It’s three games in. Of course we have enough.”

With Irving on the shelf until he agrees to be vaccinated or New York City drops its vaccine mandate for indoor public venues, the Nets will have to make up his scoring elsewhere. The first step will be getting James Harden on track — the former MVP is averaging just 18.3 PPG on 38.8% shooting through three games, both well below his career marks.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

Nets head coach Steve Nash said on Sunday that the plan is to have Durant play both games in back-to-back sets most of the time this season, tweets Youngmisuk. However, Durant may sit out the occasional game during back-to-back sets to keep him fresh.
After signing a lucrative new three-year contract with the Knicks in the offseason, Nerlens Noel has yet to make his 2021/22 debut due to a knee injury. However, head coach Tom Thibodeau said today that Noel is “doing more” in practice and has a 50-50 shot at playing on Tuesday vs. Philadelphia, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Thibodeau doesn’t expect Luka Samanic to play for the Knicks anytime soon, suggesting the former first-round pick will begin the season in the G League, as Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I think it’s for the Westchester team,” Thibodeau said of signing Samanic to a two-way contract. “We’re excited to have him. We’ll get a look at him once they get going.”

2021 NBA Offseason In Review: New Orleans Pelicans

October 25th, 2021 at 12:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s offseason moves and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Free agent signings:

Note: Exhibit 9 and 10 deals aren’t included here.

Devonte’ Graham: Four years, $47.3MM. Fourth year partially guaranteed. Acquired via sign-and-trade.
Josh Hart: Three years, $38MM. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Third-year player option. Re-signed as restricted free agent using Bird rights.
Garrett Temple: Three years, $15.47MM. Third year non-guaranteed. Acquired via sign-and-trade.
Didi Louzada: Four years, $7.68MM. Third and fourth years non-guaranteed. Re-signed as restricted free agent using Non-Bird rights.
Willy Hernangomez: Three years, $7.33MM. Third-year team option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
Jose Alvarado: Two-way contract.
Daulton Hommes: Two-way contract.

Trades:

Acquired cash ($2MM) from the Sixers in exchange for the No. 53 pick in the 2021 draft.
Acquired the Trail Blazers’ 2026 second-round pick and cash ($2MM) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights to Greg Brown (No. 43 pick).
Acquired Jonas Valanciunas (from Grizzlies), Devonte’ Graham (sign-and-trade; from Hornets), the draft rights to Trey Murphy (No. 17 pick; from Grizzlies), and the draft rights to Brandon Boston (No. 51 pick; from Grizzlies) in a three-team trade in exchange for Eric Bledsoe (to Grizzlies), Steven Adams (to Grizzlies), the draft rights to Ziaire Williams (No. 10 pick; to Grizzlies), the draft rights to Jared Butler (No. 40 pick; to Grizzlies), the Lakers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected; to Grizzlies), Wesley Iwundu (to Hornets), the Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected; to Hornets), and cash ($2MM; to Hornets).
- Note: The Pelicans created a $17,073,171 trade exception in the deal.
Acquired the Kings’ 2022 second-round pick (top-54 protected) and cash ($2.5MM) from the Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Brandon Boston Jr. (No. 51 pick).
Acquired Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (sign-and-trade), the Bulls’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash ($1.2MM) from the Bulls in exchange for Lonzo Ball (sign-and-trade).

Draft picks:

1-17: Trey Murphy
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $14,779,414).
2-35: Herb Jones
- Signed to three-year, $5.32MM contract. Third-year team option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Contract extensions:

Jonas Valanciunas: Two years, $30,135,000. Includes trade kicker ($1MM or 15%; whichever is lesser). Starts in 2022/23.

Departing players:

Steven Adams
Lonzo Ball
Eric Bledsoe
Wenyen Gabriel
Wesley Iwundu
James Johnson
James Nunnally

Other offseason news:

Hired Willie Green as head coach to replace Stan Van Gundy.
Hired Jarron Collins as assistant coach and Mike D’Antoni as coaching advisor.
Zion Williamson underwent offseason foot surgery and remains sidelined to start the season.
Jaxson Hayes was arrested and charged with battery following a domestic dispute.
Being investigated by NBA for possible gun-jumping violation in Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade.
Launched new G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.

Salary cap situation:

Remained over the cap and below the tax line.
Carrying approximately $114.9MM in salary.
Hard-capped at $143MM.
$7,836,000 of non-taxpayer mid-level exception still available ($1.7MM used on Herb Jones).
Full bi-annual exception ($3,732,000) still available.
Two traded player exceptions available, including one worth $17MM.

The Pelicans’ offseason:

The Pelicans hit the reset button again over the summer in their effort to build a contending team around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. They brought in a new backcourt, a new center, and the third head coach in Williamson’s three seasons in New Orleans.

The coaching change came first, as the Pelicans turned to Willie Green following a disappointing year with Stan Van Gundy at the helm. A former player, the 40-year-old Green spent time as an assistant with the Warriors and Suns, and the organization hopes he’ll be able to motivate his players more effectively than Van Gundy did.

New Orleans shook up its roster with a pre-draft trade agreement that sent Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams to the Grizzlies for Jonas Valanciunas and an exchange of draft picks. That trade was folded into a three-team deal with the Hornets once the Pelicans reached an agreement with Devonte’ Graham in free agency.

Valanciunas, who agreed to a two-year extension this week, is more of a scoring threat than Adams while providing the same rugged inside presence. He is now signed through the 2023/24 season and will hopefully be able to complement Williamson’s unique skills. The Pelicans gave Adams a similar extension after acquiring him last year, so the team is counting on better results from its commitment to Valanciunas.

The Pelicans decided against bringing back point guard Lonzo Ball, even though they could have matched offers for the restricted free agent on the open market. Instead, they worked out a sign-and-trade that sent Ball to Chicago in exchange for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple and a future draft pick. The deal gives New Orleans a stronger veteran presence in its backcourt and potentially opens up more playing time for young guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis.

The other significant move in free agency was re-signing swingman Josh Hart, one of the pieces still remaining from the Anthony Davis trade. Hart, who has been a useful bench player during his two seasons in New Orleans, agreed to a three-year deal that only has guaranteed money in the first season. The Pelicans can waive him by June 25 if they want to get out of the final two years of that contract without a financial hit.

New Orleans kept two more of its own free agents by re-signing Willy Hernangomez and Didi Louzada.

In the draft, the Pelicans used their first-round pick to add Virginia forward Trey Murphy, who shot 43.3% from three-point range last season and should help space the court. Alabama’s Herb Jones, taken with the 35th pick, provides a strong defensive presence and is expected to see time as a backup center.

Every move the Pelicans make is under the shadow of a looming decision by Williamson, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer. No player has ever turned down a maximum-salary rookie extension, but there has been speculation that Williamson might consider doing so if he’s not happy with the direction of the team. Amid rumors that Williamson’s family wants him to move on and that he has a strained relationship with head of basketball operations David Griffin, there is an obvious need to make progress before that offer gets put on the table.

The offseason shakeup leaves the Pelicans with a much different group to put around their two stars. They have security with Ingram, who is under contract through the 2024/25 season, but the direction of the franchise will change drastically if Williamson doesn’t accept an extension next year.

The Pelicans’ season:

Injury concerns with Williamson are already threatening to throw this season into chaos. He underwent surgery on his right foot during the offseason, and there’s no firm timetable for when he’ll be able to start playing. Williamson is a game-changing talent when healthy, but he has played just 85 total games in his first two NBA seasons.

The Pelicans know what to expect from Ingram, who has become one of the league’s most consistent scorers. He has averaged 23.8 PPG during both of his seasons in New Orleans and was an All-Star selection in 2019/20. He’s capable of carrying the offense until Williamson returns.

The Pelicans need a strong season from Graham, who was overshadowed by rookie LaMelo Ball last year with the Hornets after a breakthrough season in 2019/20. They were confident enough in the 26-year-old guard to give him a four-year deal and let him take over for Lonzo Ball. New Orleans needs to work out the roles for its other guards and determine whether it’s better to play Satoransky or use those minutes to develop Lewis and Alexander-Walker.

The Pelicans are hoping to at least reach the play-in round, but it seems like a lot to ask in a tough Western Conference where the top eight or nine teams appear already set. A quick return by Williamson would help as New Orleans will need big things from him to become a contender. But no matter what happens on the court, the real excitement for the Pelicans will begin next offseason.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

2021/22 NBA Waiver Claims

October 25th, 2021 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

Waiver claims are something of a rarity in the NBA. In order to claim a player off waivers, a team generally must be able to fit the player’s entire salary into cap room, a traded player exception, or a disabled player exception.

Given those limitations, the players most frequently claimed on waivers are those on minimum-salary deals, since any club is eligible to place a claim on those players using the minimum salary exception.

Even then though, there are some caveats — the minimum salary exception can only be used to sign players for up to two years, so the same rules apply to waiver claims. If a player signed a three-year, minimum salary contract, he can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception, even if he’s in the final year of his deal.

Taking into account all the rules that reduce the odds of a waiver claim – not to mention the limited roster spots available for NBA teams – it makes sense that nearly all of the players who get released ultimately clear waivers. The 2020/21 league year featured a total of just five waiver claims, for instance, including one player (DaQuan Jeffries) who was claimed twice.

Despite how infrequent they are, we still want to track all the waiver claims that take place during the 2021/22 league year, since you never know which claim may end up being crucial (such as the Pistons‘ July 2019 claim of Christian Wood). We’ll track this year’s waiver claims in the space below, updating the list throughout the season to include the latest moves.

Here’s the list:

Thunder claim Mamadi Diakite from Bucks (September 26) (story)
- After spending his rookie season in Milwaukee, Diakite was cut prior to training camp in his sophomore year. The Thunder claimed his minimum-salary deal and took on his $100K partial guarantee, but after Diakite fractured his left hip during the preseason, he was released by Oklahoma City rather than earning a spot on the team’s regular season roster.
Wizards claim Joel Ayayi from Lakers (October 17) (story)
- The Lakers quickly signed Ayayi to a two-way contract after he went undrafted out of Gonzaga this summer, but decided to go in another direction with that two-way slot before the regular season began. The Wizards, who had a two-way opening, took advantage, claiming Ayayi and keeping him on his two-way deal.
Lakers claim Avery Bradley from Warriors (October 18) (story)
- Despite reportedly receiving some support from the Warriors’ stars, Bradley failed to earn the team’s 15th roster spot entering the regular season. After Golden State cut him and his non-guaranteed contract, Bradley was claimed by his old team in Los Angeles — the veteran guard played for the Lakers during the 2019/20 season.
Rockets claim Garrison Mathews from Celtics (October 18) (story)
- Mathews could’ve stuck with the Celtics if he’d agreed to have his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal, but he didn’t see a path to earning a 15-man roster spot if he remained in Boston and turned down that opportunity. When the Rockets claimed him, they converted him a two-way deal, but Mathews should have a clearer path to a promotion on a rebuilding team that could sell over veterans during the season.
Warriors claim Jeff Dowtin from Magic (October 18) (story)
- Orlando had presumably planned on having Dowtin report to its G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, after he played for the club last season. The Warriors foiled that plan by claiming Dowtin and converting his Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract. Dowtin could still action in the G League, but it’ll be with Santa Cruz for now, not Lakeland.
Spurs claim Devontae Cacok from Nets (October 18) (story)
- Cacok was in camp with Brooklyn competing for a two-way contract, but lost that competition to David Duke. The Spurs, with a two-way slot open, viewed Cacok as a good fit for that role, claiming him and converting his Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Ressler Wants Hawks To Be Top-Tier Free Agent Destination

October 25th, 2021 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Although Atlanta is one of the NBA’s largest markets, the Hawks haven’t typically been the sort of franchise stars flock to, like those based in Los Angles, New York, and Miami. Team owner Tony Ressler is hoping to change that, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic writes.

Since assuming control of the team, Ressler has renovated State Farm Arena, built a state-of-the-art practice facility, purchased a G League franchise, and – most recently – invested huge money in several important members of the team that made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals earlier this year.

Trae Young, John Collins, Clint Capela, and Kevin Huerter have all received lucrative long-term deals in the last three months, and Ressler says he’ll have no issue with paying the luxury tax going forward as long as Atlanta continues to contend.

“How could we not be a true free agent destination?” Ressler rhetorically asked Kirschner. “We think, I would argue, our facilities are as good as any, our city is as good as any, our roster is as good as any, our investment, our dollars, our commitment to spend is as good as any. It makes no sense that historically this team has not been a top-tier free agent destination. And I think you have to earn that, and make clear that it’s a franchise committed to winning in every sense of the way.

“… One of the true objectives or genuine objectives of this ownership is to make sure that we win on a tie for great players, if we have to. That we attract great players, that we keep great players, and that players, frankly, look at Atlanta as a really great place to play. I think that takes a lot of work. Hopefully we’re pretty close.”

The Hawks operated as an over-the-cap team this offseason, but had significant cap space available for a few summers before that. In most cases, Atlanta opted to use that space to accommodate salary dumps and accumulate assets, but the club forayed into free agency in 2020, signing veterans like Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Rajon Rondo. Those players aren’t superstars, but Gallinari and Bogdanovic especially were a couple of the top available players on the open market.

The Hawks don’t project to have cap space again anytime soon, but if Ressler’s plan is successful, a higher caliber of player may be interested in joining the team on mid-level or minimum-salary money. That could be a factor in helping to push Atlanta over the top, though Ressler told Kirschner he believes that – even without further upgrades – the current roster is capable of winning a title.

“We expect to be contenders, man,” Ressler said. “We expect to be really good. We hope to be really good, and we’re going to see how it plays out.”

Raptors’ Ownership Group Fought Over Masai Ujiri Extension

October 25th, 2021 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

Various factions of the Raptors‘ ownership group held divergent opinions on how to handle the contract negotiations with team president Masai Ujiri earlier this year, according to a fascinating report from Christine Dobby and Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Ujiri finalized a new long-term extension with the franchise in August.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns the Raptors, is controlled in part by Rogers Communications (37.5%), BCE (Bell) Inc. (37.5%), and team governor Larry Tanenbaum‘s Kilmer Group (25%).

Edward Rogers – the former chair of Rogers Communications who has recently been embroiled in a public battle for control of the company with his mother and siblings – opposed the terms of the deal that Tanenbaum and Bell wanted to offer Ujiri, expressing that the compensation was too high and that general manager Bobby Webster was capable of taking over control of the team’s front office if necessary, sources tell The Toronto Star.

According to Dobby and Smith, Rogers explicitly told Ujiri he didn’t think he was worth the salary the rest of the Raptors’ ownership group wanted to offer him, prompting MLSE executives to go into “damage-control mode” and to tell Ujiri to ignore those comments.

Rogers insisted he would only agree to the deal if a dozen terms were met, including 11 relating to Ujiri’s compensation and one that would see Rogers Communications take its 37.5% stake in MLSE and combine it with the Toronto Blue Jays to create a separate company. However, because Tanenbaum holds the title of Raptors governor, he had the authority to make the final call on personnel issues without Rogers’ sign-off, which is the path he chose to complete Ujiri’s deal, according to The Star.

Rogers, who was “furious,” reached out to commissioner Adam Silver, but was told by two league officials that Tanenbaum had the right to make that decision, per Dobby and Smith.

Asked on Sunday about the negotiations, Rogers said he has the “utmost respect” for Ujiri and is happy he remains in his current role.

“Masai understands better than anyone that negotiations test both sides,” Rogers said. “The best deals involve compromise and leave all parties feeling like winners.”

According to Dobby and Smith, Ujiri’s contract with the Raptors includes a $15MM annual salary, with the ability to earn more in incentive pay if the value of the franchise continues to increase. Ujiri also received the new title of vice chairman to go along with his president title.

A league source tells The Toronto Star that another NBA team offered Ujiri a 3% ownership stake, with a salary higher than the $15MM per year he received from the Raptors. Soccer teams in the English Premier League also expressed interest in Ujiri, per Dobby and Smith.

Western Notes: Nuggets, McDermott, Green, Pelicans, Wolves

October 24th, 2021 at 8:51pm CST by JD Shaw

The Nuggets have debuted a new “Defensive Player of the Game” chain, something head coach Michael Malone hopes will inspire his team throughout the season, as relayed by Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports (Twitter links).

Will Barton was awarded the chain after the team’s win over Phoenix on Wednesday, while Nikola Jokic received it after the club’s victory against San Antonio on Friday. Denver held both teams to under 100 points.

“For us, we want to be a better defensive team,” Malone said. “So maybe having a Defensive Player of the Game, necklace, if you will, maybe that motivates some guys.”

The Nuggets finished 47-25 last season behind an MVP campaign from Jokic, but defending has long been an issue for the team. Jokic, for his part, appears to be setting the tone early about the team’s need to commit defensively.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Spurs wing Doug McDermott is proving that he’s one of the top shooters in the world, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes. McDermott has made 10-of-18 threes (56%) in his first three games, displaying his value as a floor-spacer in San Antonio. He signed a three-year, $42MM deal to join the franchise this past summer.
Will Guillory of The Athletic examines whether Pelicans coach Willie Green can find a way to fix the team’s issues. New Orleans has opened the season with a 0-3 record in Green’s first campaign. The club has upcoming home games scheduled against the Hawks on Wednesday and Kings on Friday.
The Timberwolves are trying to establish a new identity this season, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. “When you’re building an identity, obviously we don’t have one, to be very fairly honest in the NBA,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, “but if you want to build one, it’s going to take some time where you’re going to have to play your game even when people don’t understand how we’re playing. You try to be physical defensively, especially, so if we’re going to get a little foul here and there over physicality and building our identity and our culture, then that has to be what it is.” Minnesota struggled last season largely due to injuries, but the team is 2-0 to start the season.

Los Angeles Notes: Westbrook, Slow Starts, Lue

October 24th, 2021 at 7:52pm CST by JD Shaw

Lakers star Russell Westbrook isn’t concerned by his team’s sluggish start to the season, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. Los Angeles has opened the campaign with two straight losses, including a home game against Phoenix on Friday in which the team trailed by as many as 32 points.

“I’m OK with adversity, honestly,” Westbrook said. “I never panic throughout the course of a season. Especially at the start of the season. There’s really no need to. The season is too long and nobody is winning nothing right now.

“Yes, it’s good to get off to a good start and feel good about yourself, but especially me personally, I like to make sure that I’m — as the season goes on — I’m constantly just getting better and better and better as the season prolongs. And making sure that my team and my teammates are getting better as well as we all get comfortable with each other.”

The Lakers traded for Westbrook this past offseason, forming a new big three alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Los Angeles also signed veterans such as Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard, adding more experience to the team.

There’s more out of Los Angeles tonight:

Speaking of a slow start, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue expected that the same would happen for his team, Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times writes. The Clippers are also 0-2, dropping contests to the Warriors and Grizzlies. The team will host Portland on Monday and Cleveland on Wednesday. “Our first unit has to do a better job of setting the tone defensively, having a defensive mindset,” Lue said. “I don’t think we’re there right now, we’re not there yet. But it’s coming. And with guys being out for most of preseason and in and out, that’s to be expected. But we got to have the mindset and approach that we want to get stops coming out of the first and third quarter.”
The Lakers are beginning the process of evaluating their own problems, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes. The team has dealt with various chemistry, injury and defensive issues to start the campaign, but 80 games are left to address said issues before the postseason.
Be sure to check out our team pages on the Lakers and Clippers for more on Los Angeles’ two teams.

Eastern Notes: Barnes, Embiid, Ball, Caruso, Pistons

October 24th, 2021 at 6:58pm CST by JD Shaw

Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes impressed during his first back-to-back slate on Friday and Saturday, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports writes. Barnes was used as the primary defender against Boston’s Jayson Tatum in game one, then was given the assignment of guarding Dallas’ Luka Doncic in game two.

“It’s a challenge that I’m willing to take each and every night,” Barnes said of guarding the NBA’s top players, according to Lewenberg. “It’s what I look forward to.”

The 6’9″ Barnes was drafted by Toronto with the No. 4 pick in July. He has averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game during his first three contests, starting in every outing.

Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference:

Sixers coach Doc Rivers isn’t concerned by Joel Embiid‘s recent knee injury, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Embiid managed to play in Philadelphia’s loss against Brooklyn on Friday, recording 19 points (6-of-15 shooting) and eight rebounds in nearly 30 minutes of work.
Bulls guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have been bringing chaos defensively, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times examines. The pair’s strong defensive effort is a key reason why Chicago is 3-0 to start the season. “(Ball and Caruso are) so active (defensively) you’ve got to be aware of them,’’ LaVine said, as relayed by Cowley. “Even for guys like me and DeMar DeRozan), it helps us be in the passing lanes more, get some extra rebounds because then guys’ rhythm is off. They’re effort and energy bleeds throughout us as a team.’’
Rod Beard of The Detroit News examines the positives and negatives of the Pistons‘ start to the campaign. Detroit is 0-2 and dropped both contests to Chicago, having been held to 88 points and 82 points, respectively. The Pistons finished with the worst record in the East last season at 20-52.

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