Month: November 2024

Scottie Barnes Wins Rookie Of The Year Award

April 23rd, 2022 at 12:16pm CST by JD Shaw

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes has won the 2021/22 NBA Rookie of the Year award, the league announced in a press release. Barnes finished in first place over fellow finalists Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham who finished in second and third place, respectively.

Barnes, who earned 48 first-place votes and 378 total points, narrowly edged out Mobley for the award. The Cavaliers‘ big man had 43 first-place votes and 363 total points. The 15-point difference is the smallest margin of victory for Rookie of the Year since the current voting format started 19 years ago.

Cunningham, the Pistons‘ starting point guard, had nine first-place votes and 153 total points for a solid third-place finish. Jalen Green, Franz Wagner, and Herbert Jones were the only other rookies who received votes — none of them earned a first-place vote, and none had more than two total votes.

The 20-year-old Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Toronto this season, shooting 49% from the floor and 30% from deep. He also provided versatile defense and helped the Raptors finish with the fifth-best record in the East at 48-34.

Barnes was drafted by Toronto No. 4 overall last year. He ranked third in points per game, third in rebounds per game and seventh in assists per game among all rookies this season. He also finished with the second-most steals in the group (80 in 74 games).

The NBA still hasn’t revealed the winners for most of this season’s awards, including Most Valuable Player — Defensive Player of the Year (Marcus Smart) is the only other award that has been announced to date. The full list of finalists for each award can be found here.

Atlantic Notes: Siakam, Simmons, Smart, Maxey

April 23rd, 2022 at 11:33am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Raptors, down 3-0 in their first-round playoff series against the Sixers, need more production from star forward Pascal Siakam, but criticism of the 2020 All-Star should be nuanced, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

Siakam underwhelmed during the team’s 104-101 Game 3 overtime loss on Wednesday, scoring just 12 points on 6-of-16 shooting, a far cry from the 22.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 6.5 APG he put up in the team’s two games in Philadelphia. Siakam also missed all five of his field goal attempts during the game’s second half and overtime.

Lewenberg writes that Sixers starting power forward Tobias Harris handles chief defensive duties on Siakam outside the paint, while All-Star center Joel Embiid guards him inside. Siakam has struggled to adjust to the defensive attention, but Lewenberg cautions that the 28-year-old still has room to grow, even after his six NBA seasons.

“I think for me, I just gotta stay aggressive, get to my spots and live with the results,” Siakam said. “I think that the experience from just being in the playoffs, we all learn from it. Even players that have been in the league a long time, that [have] been in many playoff games, I’m sure that there’s some series where they learn something about themselves or about their game or how they can evolve.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

In what has been a topsy-turvy kind of season for the Nets, it is perhaps fitting that the newest star player, Ben Simmons, is set to play for the first time in the fourth game of a playoff series, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Lewis observes that, should the Nets lose to the Celtics again tonight, Simmons will be rejoining the club as it faces a 3-0 deficit. Mental health issues and a desire to be traded resulted in Simmons opting to sit out while with the Sixers, prior to being traded in exchange for James Harden at the deadline. A back injury has hampered him since joining Brooklyn.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart, the newly-minted 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, hasn’t just been excellent on defense in helping Boston achieve a 2-0 series edge against the Nets, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. He is also averaging 16.0 PPG and 5.5 APG across the team’s first two playoff contests. After spending years as a combo guard, his emergence as a passer may be surprising some, but not Smart. “To hear people say I’m not a point guard or, oh my gosh, I can’t believe he’s a point guard — I was a top-six pick, as a point guard,” Smart said. “I was chosen as a point guard — for some reason. It is funny but I just continue to keep getting better, working on my game, and not really worried about everybody else.” Team president Brad Stevens praised Smart’s ability to handle plays mapped out by head coach Ime Udoka. “He’s got a lot of the qualities that really good point guards have,” Stevens said. “I think what we wanted to do this year, and Ime and his staff has done a really good job of coaching to, is we wanted to be big and versatile.”
Second-year Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has taken significant strides this season, and that has continued apace during the team’s first-round matchup against the Raptors. Tim Bontemps of ESPN details Maxey’s rise, noting that he put in the hours during the offseason to grow his game as a long-range shooter. “In my exit interview [last season], my goal was to get one percent better every single day,” Maxey says. “I stuck with it the entire summer.” After shooting 54.7% from the restricted area during his rookie season, Maxey converted 60.5% of his looks around the rim this year. He also saw his three-point shooting improve from making 30.1% of his 1.7 looks a night last year to 42.7% on 4 attempts this year. “I would get up, and I’d be in the gym,” Maxey said of his prep as a three-point shooter during the offseason. “First one in the gym at 6 a.m. and I’d try to make at least 700, 800 shots. And then I’d go lift and I’d come back again at 10 [a.m.] and I’m doing the same thing.”

Southeast Notes: Bamba, Wizards, Winston, Todd, Hawks

April 23rd, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Magic center Mohamed Bamba, who is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, hopes to stick around in Orlando long term, writes Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel.

“I want to be here,” Bamba said of his NBA future. “I just want to make that clear. I’ll let that stuff handle itself and continue to work.”

As Price details, Bamba enjoyed his best year as a pro during the 2021/22 NBA season, averaging a career-best 10.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.7 BPG and 1.2 APG across a career-most 25.7 MPG as a starter alongside fellow big man Wendell Carter Jr., who was drafted one slot behind Bamba in 2018. Bamba also did a good job protecting the rim, Price notes. A career 68.5% free-throw shooter, the 7’0″ Bamba also connected on a career-best 78.1% from the charity stripe on a modest 1.0 attempts per game.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

After a disappointing 35-47 season, the Wizards face a fascinating summer. Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) provides a thorough preview of Washington’s offseason, contending that it all starts at finding a reliable point guard to play alongside shooting guard Bradley Beal, who could decline his $36.5MM player option this summer and enter free agency. Center Thomas Bryant will also be an unrestricted free agent. Marks notes that, when it comes to assets, the team possesses 10 tradable player contracts and a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. intends to monitor the development of the team’s two most recent second-round selections, reserve point guard Cassius Winston and backup forward Isaiah Todd, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “It’s a big offseason for those two,” Unseld said. “It’s a big offseason for all of our young guys. You’re going to have a season of ebbs and flows. Consistency is the thing we’re searching for and that’s one thing that young players at times have difficulty with… I thought Cash had some really good moments. Not a ton of sample size with the Wizards, but even with [Washington’s NBAGL affiliate the Capital City Go-Go]. Both he and Isaiah had big games and great opportunities to learn and grow.” Winston averagd 12.7 PPG and 4.6 APG as a reserve with the Go-Go, while Todd logged 12.1 PPG and 5.2 RPG for Washington’s G League club.
While the Hawks won Game 3 on Friday to pull to within 2-1 in their first-round series, the Heat’s performance so far is showing Atlanta what the team still needs in order to make consistently deep playoff runs, writes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Kirschner opines that finding a great perimeter defender needs to be a top priority for the Hawks in their roster-building, as Miami All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler has largely been dominant against Atlanta wings De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter.

Joel Embiid Dealing With Thumb Injury, Plans To Keep Playing

April 23rd, 2022 at 9:20am CST by Rory Maher

APRIL 23: Embiid will suit up today in a possible closeout Game 4 against the Raptors and then will will undergo an MRI on his injured right thumb after the Sixers travel back home, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

APRIL 22: Sixers MVP finalist Joel Embiid is dealing with pain in his right thumb, but was able to practice Friday and plans to play in Game 4 against Toronto, which takes place on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski. Embiid might undergo an MRI soon to see if he has a ligament injury.

The star center’s injury is listed as a right thumb sprain, but he will be available to play, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Embiid wore a brace on his wrist and had his thumb taped after a medical treatment session following the Game 3 victory on Wednesday, during which he hit the game-winning three-pointer at the end of overtime.

“I don’t know exactly know what happened,” Embiid said at his press conference on Wednesday, nearly two hours later. “But I just started feeling pain and think I might have twisted it. So we’re gonna see what’s going on [Thursday].” Embiid was adamant that he wouldn’t miss any games with the injury.

As Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice notes, if Philadelphia is able to close out its series against Toronto on Saturday, Embiid would receive an extra week of rest before facing the winner of the Miami/Atlanta series, which Miami currently leads 2-0. Embiid told reporters that his wrist and thumb were “sore, but okay.”

“He’s good,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “We did a lot of stuff, we just don’t want anybody to hit his arm and all that, but he was fine.”

Shortly after ESPN’s report, Shams Charania of The Athletic relayed (via Twitter) that “there is fear” that Embiid has a torn thumb ligament, but plans to keep playing despite the injury.

However, a source told Neubeck in a separate article for PhillyVoice that an official diagnosis would be premature due to the lack of testing done on the injury. The star center is expected to continue playing with the thumb taped, and the team’s medical staff will provide pain management.

Obviously, Embiid’s potential absence could have a profound impact on Philadelphia’s title hopes, but all signs point to the ailment being manageable at this point. Through three playoff games against Toronto, all victories, he has averaged 27.7 points and 13 rebounds on .510/.333/.794 shooting in 39.7 minutes per contest.

Draft Updates: Terry, Mayer, Roach, K. Davis

April 22nd, 2022 at 10:48pm CST by Rory Maher

Arizona’s Dalen Terry has decided to enter the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility, he announced on Twitter. The sophomore guard is ranked No. 43 on ESPN’s big board.

In 37 games this season (27.8 minutes), Terry averaged 8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals on .502/.364/.736 shooting. The 19-year-old also averaged just 1.4 turnovers per contest, good for a 2.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Arizona was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but ultimately fell to Houston in the Sweet Sixteen. Terry had an impressive performance despite the loss, putting up 17 points, six rebounds and three assists on 6-9 shooting against the Cougars’ suffocating defense, which was ranked fourth in the country.

Here are a few more draft updates:

Baylor’s Matthew Mayer (No. 73 on ESPN’s board) is also testing the draft waters, making the announcement via Instagram. The senior forward started all 33 of his games this season for the first time in his collegiate career, averaging 9.8 points, 5 rebounds and 1.2 steals on .409/.324/.700 shooting. Mayer won a championship with the Bears in 2021. Per Mike Schmitz of ESPN, Mayer is a tall (6’9″), energetic and fluid shot-maker, but loses focus defensively and needs work as a decision-maker.
Duke guard Jeremy Roach will return to school for his junior season, he announced on Instagram. The former five-star recruit averaged 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists on .410/.322/.763 shooting for the Blue Devils this season. He played a key role in the team’s run to the Final Four, averaging 11.8 points, 2.8 boards, 4 assists and 1.4 steals in five NCAA tournament games.
SMU senior Kendric Davis, who’s testing the waters and is on our list of early entrants, has decided to transfer to Memphis if he doesn’t stay in the draft, he announced via Twitter. The point guard averaged an impressive 19.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals on .439/.372/.868 shooting in 32 games for the Mustangs in 2021/22.

Heat’s Kyle Lowry Suffers Left Hamstring Injury

April 22nd, 2022 at 9:36pm CST by Rory Maher

9:36: Head coach Erik Spoelstra said Lowry has a hamstring injury of unknown severity and will undergo additional testing on Saturday, per the team (Twitter link).

9:01pm: Heat point guard Kyle Lowry suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter of Game 3 against the Hawks on Friday night, which caused him to leave the game and not return, the team announced (via Twitter).

As John Hollinger of The Athletic notes (Twitter link), Atlanta forward De’Andre Hunter landed on Lowry’s foot while the two were away from the ball, causing the guard to hop off the court. It’s unclear at this time if the injury will impact his availability going forward, but the fact that he had to leave the game early isn’t a great sign.

Lowry is in his first season with Miami after a hugely successful nine-season stint with Toronto. He’s a six-time All-Star and won a championship with the Raptors in 2019.

In 63 regular season games this season (33.9 minutes), the 36-year-old averaged 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.1 steals with a .440/.377/.851 shooting slash line. Those numbers have dipped a bit through the first two games of the Miami/Atlanta playoff series, with Lowry averaging 9.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.5 BPG on .375/.300/.800 shooting.

With Lowry potentially sidelined, Miami will likely rely on backups Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent for additional minutes and play-making duties.

The Heat ultimately lost a nail-biter to the Hawks in Game 3, 111-110. Miami now leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Sunday in Atlanta.

Hornets Notes: Borrego, Kupchak, Assistants, Jordan

April 22nd, 2022 at 8:41pm CST by Rory Maher

Although Hornets owner Michael Jordan signed off on the decision to fire former head coach James Borrego, a source told Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer that president of basketball operations and general manager Mitch Kupchak was the driving force behind the move.

An embarrassing 29-point play-in tournament loss to Atlanta after suffering a 27-point defeat to Indiana in last season’s play-in was one reason Kupchak decided to move on from Borrego, according to Boone. The team’s poor defense — Charlotte was ranked 22nd in the regular season and gave up 132 points to Atlanta — was another.

The players also weren’t receptive to Borrego’s messages of late, per Boone, which was likely another factor that Kupchak considered before making his judgment.

The move stunned many people around the league, including an NBA agent who represents a Hornets player.

“I’m shocked,” the agent told Boone. “I’m kind of surprised. I thought he did a good job.”

Here’s more on the Hornets:

League sources told Boone that all of the assistant coaches who worked under Borrego will remain on staff until the new head coach is hired, and the new hire will determine whether to retain them or not.
It’s clear that Charlotte no longer accepts losing after relieving its coach, and at minimum a playoff berth should be expected going forward. With that in mind, Matthew Stephens of The Charlotte Observer explores a few potential candidates for the opening, including former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
Borrego’s firing is the latest example of Jordan’s failing as an owner, argues Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer. Since Jordan became a minority partner in 2006, he has had final say in the team’s basketball operations. In that 16 year-span, the Hornets have won zero playoff series, and only made it to the postseason three times, Fowler notes.

New York Notes: Knicks, Randle, Offseason, Simmons

April 22nd, 2022 at 6:53pm CST by Rory Maher

Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News lists five offseason questions facing the Knicks, including whether the team will try to acquire free agent guard Jalen Brunson. New York has long been rumored to be interested in Brunson, and with his strong playoff performance so far — he’s averaging 32.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 5.0 APG on .507/.412/.850 shooting through three games — he should command a substantial contract.

Bondy also wonders whether the Knicks will pursue Donovan Mitchell or Bradley Beal this summer, among other questions facing the franchise.

Here’s more on the two teams based in New York:

The Knicks should part ways with Julius Randle this summer, opines Tommy Beer of BasketballNews.com. After becoming an All-Star, receiving a second-team All-NBA nod, and being named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2020/21, Randle had a tumultuous third season in New York. He was fined multiple times, had several incidents with the team’s fans, his numbers were down across the board, and his defense declined. Beer believes New York would still get a quality player in exchange for Randle, though he admits the team would undoubtedly be selling low on the talented forward.
Although they currently don’t have any cap space, the Knicks do have pathways to reshape their roster this summer, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), who breaks down the team’s options in his offseason guide.
Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link) explores how the Nets might use Ben Simmons if he returns to action against Boston — perhaps in Game 4. Lowe believes Simmons would initially come off the bench, and his addition would help Brooklyn’s defense, rebounding, and transition offense. A frontcourt featuring Simmons and Kevin Durant would provide more versatility than the team currently has at its disposal, Lowe notes.

Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Morris, Oladipo

April 22nd, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Jimmy Butler‘s 45-point outburst on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Heat‘s series vs. Atlanta was reminiscent of the big performances he turned in during Miami’s 2020 run to the NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble. However, Butler said after the game that he’s a different player now than he was then, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“I’m not as ball-dominant as I was in the bubble,” Butler said. “We got a point guard, and that’s Kyle (Lowry), and I love him being a point guard. I just get to go out there and try to score. And if I can’t score, pass the ball. We’re a different team; I’m a different player.”

While Butler may feel as if he has changed as a player since two years ago, the Heat will welcome more playoff outings that resemble what he did in 2020, as opposed to a repeat of 2021, when he averaged 14.5 PPG on 29.7% shooting in a four-game sweep at the hands of Milwaukee.

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, the more games Butler has like Tuesday’s, the better the Heat’s decision to sign him to a new long-term, maximum-salary contract extension last offseason will look. That deal is expected to pay Butler a salary exceeding $50MM in 2025/26, his age-36 season.

Here’s more on the Heat:

In an in-depth feature for ESPN, Israel Gutierrez details Tyler Herro‘s growth over the last two seasons, from his struggles in 2020/21 to his probable Sixth Man of the Year win in 2022. Within the story, the Heat guard dismissed the rumors that surfaced a year ago about the team being concerned by his so-called celebrity lifestyle. “There were so much rumors floating around my name,” Herro said. “The lifestyle stuff, the girls, and saying I’m getting caught up in that, which was never true.”
Markieff Morris has recovered from the neck injury he suffered when he was hit from behind by Nikola Jokic in November, but the way that situation played out still doesn’t sit well with head coach Erik Spoelstra, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Markieff’s story has been probably frustrating,” Spoelstra said, “Something that shouldn’t have happened, and it’s only a one-game suspension for that, and he had to miss months of time. It makes no sense, but he’s handled that with great grace and class.”
Joe Vardon of The Athletic takes a look at the Heat’s “high-class” problem of having a roster so loaded with contributors that they pulled Duncan Robinson from their starting five and removed Morris and Victor Oladipo from the rotation entirely. Spoelstra still expects to lean on Morris and Oladipo at some point in the postseason, per Winderman. “You see how quickly things can change,” Spoelstra said, pointing to Caleb Martin‘s emergence in Game 2 vs. Atlanta. “All of sudden Caleb played and had really significant and important minutes in that second half. I anticipate the same thing will happen for Vic and Markieff.”

Kings To Interview Mike D’Antoni, Mark Jackson, Others

April 22nd, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings will interview former NBA head coaches Mike D’Antoni and Mark Jackson for their open head coaching position, sources tell Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Sacramento has also received permission to interview former coaches Mike Brown and Steve Clifford, as well as Celtics assistant Will Hardy and Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Of the former head coaches, D’Antoni currently serves as an advisor to Pelicans head coach Willie Green, Jackson is an ABC/ESPN broadcaster, Brown is an assistant with the Warriors, and Clifford is a consultant for the Nets.

The Kings have done their homework on a wide range of candidates and narrowed their list down to a smaller group, according to Charania and Amick, though the above list of candidates isn’t necessarily complete, tweets Sean Cunningham of ABC10 in Sacramento.

The Kings will begin conducting virtual interviews with candidates next week, according to James Ham of ESPN 1320, who tweets that in-person meetings will take place after that first round of Zoom interviews.

Sacramento is in the market for a new head coach after firing Luke Walton near the start of the 2021/22 season and then opting not to retain his interim replacement, Alvin Gentry, last week.

When word first broke that the Kings weren’t bringing back Gentry, Wojnarowski said they would consider candidates who have previously turned lottery teams into playoff clubs. D’Antoni (Phoenix), Jackson (Golden State), Brown (Cleveland), and Clifford (Charlotte and Orlando) all technically fit that bill.

Ham, Lee, and Hardy don’t have head coaching experience, but have all interviewed for head coaching positions in recent years. Ham and Lee reportedly received consideration from multiple teams in 2021, while Hardy was in the mix for multiple jobs in 2020.

Load More Posts