2023 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Miller, Henderson, Black, Early Entrants

March 16th, 2023 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Alabama freshman Brandon Miller has become a legitimate contender to be taken with the second pick in this year’s draft, writes Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. French center Victor Wembanyama remains a clear favorite as the top choice, but in conversations with NBA executives and scouts, Vecenie finds that teams are considering Miller alongside G League guard Scoot Henderson, who had been ranked second in most mock drafts since the season began.

Vecenie still has Henderson second on his list, calling him “an elite-level competitor with elite athleticism” and comparing him to Anthony Edwards and Derrick Rose. But Miller has steadily worked his way up NBA draft boards throughout the season while leading the Crimson Tide to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

The 6’9″ wing has drawn comparisons to Paul George while averaging 19.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He’s also shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three-point range and is viewed as a solid defender. Miller has improved his ability to create shots off the dribble and has shown an ability to score through contact that scouts had originally doubted. There are obvious questions surrounding the role he played in a January shooting, but Vecenie doesn’t believe that will affect his draft status as long as he’s not charged in the case.

There’s more on the NBA draft:

Miller gave brief answers during the SEC Tournament when he was asked about his involvement in the incident, but Alabama coach Nate Oats talked it more in depth with Kyle Tucker of The Athletic. “Based on everything we know, Brandon didn’t break any laws, he didn’t violate any school policy and he’s a fully cooperating witness,” Oats said. “Based on all that, we made the decision to let him keep playing.”
John Hollinger of The Athletic also touches on the Miller vs. Henderson debate, suggesting that Miller may be the best perimeter player in college basketball. Hollinger, who attended the SEC Tournament last week, identifies Arkansas as a team to watch in the NCAA Tournament, stating that the Razorbacks may have five players who will get drafted. Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black are considered potential lottery picks, and Hollinger sees Black as a candidate for the No. 4 pick, even though he hasn’t shot well in his freshman season.
Belmont senior guard Ben Sheppard will give up his final year of eligibility and enter the draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Sheppard was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and an All-Defensive team choice this year.
Real Madrid’s Eli Ndiaye, an 18-year-old center out of Senegal, has also declared for the draft, according to Givony (Twitter link).

And-Ones: I. Thomas, Noah, Spencer, NCAA Prospects

March 13th, 2023 at 1:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas signed 10-day hardship deals with the Mavericks and Lakers last season before catching on with the Hornets to finish 2021/22. He has yet to play in ’22/23, but has been “staying ready” and hasn’t given up hope of finding a new team.

“I’ve been talking to two teams the last couple of weeks,” Thomas told Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “Hopefully they make a decision by the end of this week or early next week. But I’ve been in contact with teams monthly.

“So that’s the thing with me, like, I know it’s close; I just have to find the team that really wants me to be on board and me to help in any situation possible. My agency and my representatives are just trying to figure it out. Obviously there’s a lot of overseas interest, but that’s just not even on my mind right now, so I don’t even want to dip into that. My ultimate goal is to have an NBA jersey. That’s all I want.”

Thomas knows he might not have a significant role going forward like he did earlier in his career, but he still believes he can contribute on and off the court, according to Bulpett.

“I think at this point in my career, that will probably be the role of being a vet presence, teaching guys how to be professional — and also knowing that if my name is ever called, I’m ready to produce,” Thomas said. “I’m only 34 years old, but I haven’t played much the last three years really, so I haven’t had no real pounding on my body. The surgery in 2020 fixed the hip problem, and my body’s really 31, 32; I’ve got years to be able to play at a high level. But that’s not what I’m chasing; I want to be able to play in the NBA and go out on my own. That’s really what I want. I want to be able to play two or three more years, and if my name is called, I know I can produce at a high level. I know that for a fact.”

The two-time All-Star also tells Bulpett he has interest in a coaching or front office role in the future once his playing days are done.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah recently spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about retiring from the NBA, his Cameroonian roots, and being an investor and ambassador of the Basketball Africa League, among other topics. “I’m very proud,” Noah said. “I’m very proud in being an investor in NBA Africa. I feel like this is opening up doors that I didn’t know were possible while I was playing. And I think that the future is very, very bright because Africa is not only shining right now, but they are [one of the] the youngest growing youth populations in the world. So. if you look at the numbers themselves, this league is just going to get better and better. It’s just so obvious.”
Felton Spencer, who played 12 NBA seasons from 1990-2002, has passed away at age 55, the University of Louisville announced (via Twitter). A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Spencer was the No. 6 overall pick in the 1990 draft, holding career averages of 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 640 games with Minnesota, Utah, Orlando, Golden State, San Antonio and New York. Our condolences go out to his friends and family.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report ranks the top 25 2023 NBA draft prospects competing in the NCAA tournament. At the top of the list is Alabama’s Brandon Miller, while Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh, who is known as a defensive difference-maker, rounds out the top 25.

2023 Draft Notes: Big Boards, Mocks, Thompson Twins

March 10th, 2023 at 5:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Villanova wing Cam Whitmore has been a polarizing prospect this season, with some scouts viewing him as having the highest upside among all college prospects, while some view him as more of a late lottery pick. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic believes the pace-and-space NBA game will better suit Whitmore’s explosiveness and shot creation ability, which has been somewhat hampered by the more congested college game.

Whitmore is ranked No. 5 on Vecenie’s latest top 100 big board ahead of the 2023 draft. Vecenie’s full top 10 is as follows (in order): Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans 92, France), Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite), Brandon Miller (Alabama), Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite), Whitmore, Ausar Thompson (OTE), Jarace Walker (Houston), Anthony Black (Arkansas), Gradey Dick (Kansas) and Cason Wallace (Kentucky).

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer recently updated his own 2023 big board, and there is a notable difference with Vecenie’s. While nearly all talent evaluators have Wembanyama and Henderson as the top two prospects, O’Connor ranks Miller No. 2 and Henderson No. 3. O’Connor is also high on Baylor’s Keyonte George, ranking him No. 8; he was No. 16 on Vecenie’s board. O’Connor also updated his mock draft for the first round, which can be found right here.
In an Insider-only story for ESPN, Jonathan Givony provides his latest two-round mock draft and takes a look at 12 prospects who are likely competing in their final college games due to a lack of team success. According to Givony, a couple of former top high school prospects may have hurt their stock more than they helped it this season. One is South Carolina’s Gregory Jackson II (No. 27 in the mock), who reclassified to 2023 and was the top recruit for ’24. The other is Emoni Bates (No. 52), who transferred to Eastern Michigan after a poor freshman season at Memphis. As Givony writes, both Jackson and Bates struggled with offensive efficiency, poor decision-making, and lackadaisical defense.
Twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson recently sat down for an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter video link). Both players are projected to go in the top 10 — in Givony’s mock, they’re selected back-to-back at Nos. 4 and 5.

The Second-Round Subplot In NBA’s Three-Team Race To The Bottom

March 8th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Following a recent hot streak by the Hornets, three clubs have separated themselves from the pack in the NBA’s race to the bottom. Barring a major surprise, the Pistons (15-51), Rockets (15-50), and Spurs (16-49) will finish as the NBA’s worst three teams.

Even if Charlotte (21-46) doesn’t pick up another win for the rest of the season, San Antonio would have to go 5-12 the rest of the way to tie the Hornets in the standings. That may not sound like a tall order, but it has taken the Spurs 31 games to get their last five wins.

Detroit and Houston would need six more victories to have even a remote shot at catching the Hornets — it has taken the Pistons 28 games to get their last six wins and the Rockets 33 games to do so.

Given that the Hornets have actually been quite competitive lately and no other team has fewer than 27 victories, we should be able to safely pencil in the Pistons, Rockets, and Spurs as the three teams who will have a 14% shot at the No. 1 pick in this May’s draft lottery.

Of course, even though the NBA’s worst three teams will have equal odds to land the No. 1 pick (and a top-four pick), it still pays to finish at the very bottom of the standings — the NBA’s worst team can’t fall out of the top five as a result of the lottery, whereas its third-worst team could theoretically slide all the way to No. 7.

However, there’s another intriguing subplot in this three-team “race.” The Rockets’ final place in the standings will have a major impact on where a pair of Eastern Conference clubs are drafting in the second round this June.

The Pistons and Spurs control their own second-round picks, but due to a series of trades, protections, and swaps, the Rockets’ second-round pick will be sent to either the Pacers or the Celtics. Indiana will get it if it lands at No. 31 or No. 32, while Boston would receive it if it’s No. 33 (or later). Whichever team doesn’t get Houston’s second-round selection would instead end up with the least favorable of the Mavericks’ and Heat’s second-rounders. As of today, that’d be Miami’s pick at No. 50.

[Note: Boston would have the ability to swap that second-round pick for Portland’s second-rounder, but Indiana wouldn’t.]

You’re almost definitely not going to find a franchise player in the early 30s of a draft, but the hit rate on those picks might be a little better than you think. From 2018-21, for instance, players selected in the 30-36 range included Jalen Brunson, Devonte’ Graham, Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Porter Jr., Nic Claxton, Cody Martin, Desmond Bane, and Herbert Jones.

The Pacers know first-hand the value of having an early second-round pick, having used the No. 31 selection in the 2022 draft to nab Andrew Nembhard. Head coach Rick Carlisle has expressed a belief that Nembhard will end up being a top-12 or top-15 player in the ’22 class.

If a team isn’t zeroed in on a specific player in that section of the draft, an early second-round pick could be used as a valuable trade chip that secures multiple future second-rounders or a veteran rotation player. Again, this is something the Pacers know from experience — it cost them four second-rounders to acquire the No. 31 pick in the 2021 draft. And in 2019, they were able to acquire T.J. Warren and three future second-rounders in exchange for that year’s No. 32 pick and a little cash.

Conversely, a pick in the range of No. 50 (which is where the less favorable of Miami’s and Dallas’ pick figures to end up) is more likely to be used on a two-way player. In terms of trade value, you’d be hard-pressed to get more than cash or perhaps a single far-off second-round pick.

Determining where Houston’s second-round pick will land obviously won’t be nearly as dramatic as learning which team wins the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, but the impact on the Pacers and Celtics won’t be insignificant. Boston will be rooting for the Rockets to finish the season strong, moving that pick to No. 33, while Indiana will be hoping for another extended losing streak in Houston.

Checking In On Traded 2023 First-Round Picks

March 7th, 2023 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

We still have nearly five weeks left in the NBA’s regular season, and play-in results, tiebreakers, and the draft lottery will further clarify what this year’s draft order will look like.

However, as the season enters its home stretch, we’re starting to get a clearer sense of which traded 2023 first-round picks will actually change hands (as opposed to falling in their protected range) and where those first-rounders will land. Here’s where things stand right now:

Picks that will be protected

Pistons‘ pick (top-18 protected) to Knicks
Hornets‘ pick (top-16 protected) to Spurs

The Pistons and Hornets are currently the bottom two teams in the Eastern Conference and appear unlikely to move any higher in the standings. There’s obviously no chance that they’ll end up picking the back half of the first round, so they’ll hang onto their first-round picks for at least one more year.

Once both of those picks are officially protected, the Pistons will owe the Knicks their 2024 first-rounder with top-18 protection, while the Hornets will owe the Spurs their 2024 first-rounder with top-14 protection.

Picks on track to change hands

Sixers‘ and Nets‘ picks (unprotected) to Nets and Jazz.
Bucks‘ and Clippers‘ picks (unprotected) to Clippers and Rockets.
Mavericks‘ pick (top-10 protected) to Knicks
Timberwolves‘ pick (unprotected) to Jazz.
Suns‘ pick (unprotected) to Nets.
Knicks‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Trail Blazers.
Cavaliers‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Pacers.
Celtics‘ pick (top-12 protected) to Pacers.
Nuggets‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Hornets.

Let’s work backwards and start with the obvious here. The Nuggets currently have the NBA’s second-best record, which would result in the No. 29 pick. The Celtics’ third-best record would give them the No. 28 pick. So Charlotte and Indiana, respectively, will definitely get those picks, but they’ll be pretty late in the first round.

Given the unpredictability that the play-in possibility injects into the playoff race, it may be a little early to lock in the Cavaliers and Knicks as automatic playoff teams, but they’re certainly trending in that direction. If the season ended today, Indiana would get the No. 26 overall pick from Cleveland and Portland would get the No. 23 selection from New York.

The Timberwolves’ and Suns’ picks have no protections, so they’re definitely changing hands — the only question is where they’ll land. Right now, Phoenix’s No. 21 pick would go to Brooklyn and Minnesota’s No. 18 pick would go to Utah.

The fact that the Mavericks’ pick is top-10 protected instead of lottery-protected means it could convey to the Knicks even if Dallas doesn’t earn a playoff spot. Right now, the Mavs are the seventh seed in the West and would owe the No. 17 seed to New York, but the playoff race is so tight and the play-in has such potential for fluctuation that Dallas’ pick could move a few spots in either direction.

The Nets will have the right to either their own pick or the Sixers’ pick, whichever is more favorable, with Utah receiving the less favorable of the two. Right now, that means Brooklyn would hang onto its own first-rounder (No. 22) while the Jazz would get Philadelphia’s pick (No. 27).

The Rockets won’t get to take advantage of their ability to swap their own pick for Brooklyn’s, but they have a second set of swap rights that should come in handy — Houston has the ability to swap Milwaukee’s first-rounder for the Clippers’ pick, with L.A. getting the less favorable of the two. That means if the season ended today, the Rockets would be in line for the Clippers’ first-rounder at No. 16, while L.A. would get the Bucks’ pick and move down 14 spots to No. 30.

One caveat here: If the Clippers’ first-round pick happens to land ahead of the Thunder’s pick, Oklahoma City would be able to swap its own pick for L.A.’s, then Houston could swap the Bucks’ first-rounder for OKC’s pick. For now though, that looks like a long shot, with the Clippers far better positioned than the Thunder in the Western playoff race.

Picks that remain the most up in the air

Bulls‘ pick (top-4 protected) to Magic
Wizards‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Knicks
Trail Blazers‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Bulls
Lakers‘ pick (unprotected) to Pelicans via swap rights

If the season ended today, the Bulls would be seventh in the draft lottery standings. That would give them a 31.9% chance to move up into the top four, meaning their pick would have about a two-in-three chance to go to Orlando. The Magic’s odds of acquiring the pick will increase if Chicago finishes the season strong.

If the Bulls manage to hang onto their pick this year, they’d owe the Magic their top-three protected first-rounder in 2024.

The Wizards are 10th in the East and have a decent chance to secure a play-in berth, but their odds of capturing a playoff spot are longer. If they lose in the play-in (or miss it entirely), they’ll keep their first-rounder rather than sending it to the Knicks, and would instead owe New York their top-12 protected pick in 2024.

The Trail Blazers are in a similar boat in the West, still in the play-in hunt but with increasingly long odds to actually make the playoffs. If they don’t get a first-round series in the postseason, they’ll hang onto their pick rather than sending it to the Bulls. Chicago will have to wait until Portland makes the playoffs to get that first-round selection, which remains lottery-protected through 2028.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans’ ability to swap first-rounders with the Lakers has been one of the most fascinating draft assets to monitor this year.

At one point in the first half, with Los Angeles off to an awful start and the Pelicans firing on all cylinders, it looked like New Orleans would be able to use that swap to move from the 20s into the top 10. Today, both teams have identical 31-34 records and have been trending in opposite directions. If that trend continues, New Orleans will end up keeping its own pick rather than swapping it for the Lakers’ first-rounder.

Ignite’s Leonard Miller Reiterates Plan To Enter Draft

March 6th, 2023 at 10:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller plans to enter this year’s draft, he told Libaan Osman of The Toronto Star.

Miller entered the week as the Ignite’s second leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, trailing only guard Scoot Henderson, the consensus No. 2 prospect in the draft. Miller also led the Ignite at 8.6 rebounds per game. Miller had 16 points and eight rebounds in the Ignite’s loss to Raptors 905 on Monday.

Miller could sneak into the lottery if his stock continues to trend upward. He’s currently ranked No. 22 on ESPN’s Best Available list and No. 4 among power forwards.

The Canadian-born Miller was considered a second-round prospect when he withdrew from last year’s draft. He decided against attending a U.S. college, instead signing with the Ignite in September. He first revealed his plans to enter his name in this year’s draft in late December when he was ranked No. 26 on ESPN’s big board.

Miller had 19 points and eight rebounds in the G League Next Up game during All-Star weekend last month.

“It was one of the best experiences in my life,” Miller said. “I had a lot of fun. It was good to go in there and compete against all the rising stars that are going to change the league in years to come.”

Draft Notes: 2024 Class, Bronny, B. Miller, Wembanyama

February 22nd, 2023 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA evaluators have been underwhelmed by what they’ve seen so far from the top prospects among this year’s high school seniors, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link), who says the 2024 draft class doesn’t necessarily feature any players who are viewed as “sure-fire, elite” NBA prospects.

As Givony writes, 2023’s draft class is headed by two clear-cut top prospects in Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, and other recent drafts have also had a fairly well-defined top tier. However, that’s not the case so far for the 2024 class, since many of the best players in the group haven’t developed as rapidly as NBA teams have hoped.

Givony’s first 2024 mock draft has 6’10” Lithuanian guard Matas Buzelis coming off the board first, followed by Cody Williams, the brother of 2022 Thunder lottery pick Jalen Williams. Buzelis will play for the G League Ignite next season and should get the opportunity to take the reins for the Ignite with Henderson leaving for the NBA; Williams has committed to playing his college ball at Colorado.

In a somewhat surprising development, Givony has Bronny James, the son of Lakers star LeBron James, at No. 10 overall in his first ’24 mock. According to Givony, Bronny has emerged as perhaps the best perimeter defender of this year’s high school class, making major strides during the last 12-to-18 months while many of his peers have “flatlined.”

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

Alabama freshman Brandon Miller, widely considered to be a top-five prospect in the 2023 NBA draft class, allegedly brought the gun that was used in the killing of a woman on the Tuscaloosa strip last month, according to police testimony (link via Carol Robinson of AL.com). Miller’s former Alabama teammate Darius Miles and another man, Michael Davis, were arrested and charged with capital murder. While the gun belonged to Miles, Miller reportedly brought it to the scene at his ex-teammate’s request. Miller’s car, which was struck by two bullets during the shooting, was allegedly one of two vehicles blocking the victim’s car.
Miller has not faced any charges related to the shooting and Alabama head coach Nate Oats said the freshman forward is “not in any trouble,” per Mike Rodak of AL.com. However, it’s safe to assume that any NBA team that had been considering using a lottery pick on Miller in June will have to take a long, hard look at his alleged involvement in this incident.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Jonathan Givony and SI.com’s Jeremy Woo have shared excellent, in-depth profiles on super-prospect Victor Wembanyama, who is considered a virtual lock to be the first prospect drafted four months from today.
While Wembanyama has rightly received most of the hype, NBA teams have their eyes on several other rising prospects who possess a tantalizing mix of size and skill, as Seth Davis writes for The Athletic. “We’ve heard this term ‘small ball’ for a while, but what NBA teams were really trying to do was play ‘skill ball,'” broadcaster Stan Van Gundy said to Davis. “But if you can get size to go along with that skill, that’s going to make you even better. … I’m not saying they’re all going to be 7-3, but seeing guys 6-10 or bigger play like Victor are not going to be all that rare. Those guys are definitely the future of the game.”

And-Ones: Postseason Awards, Cacok, Grenades, Mock Draft

February 14th, 2023 at 9:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA and the Players Association have discussed a games played threshold regarding postseason awards, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reports.

The discussions are part of Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. The league has become increasingly concerned with load management, particularly regarding top players. Tying eligibility for awards to games played would be a way of discouraging them from taking nights off.

It’s believed the concept will be in the final CBA in some form, but negotiations are fluid. Only three of the top 12 vote-getters for the Most Valuable Player award last season played more than 68 games, Vorkunov notes.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA forward Devontae Cacok has signed with CSKA Moscow, according to a press release from the Russian club. Cacok had been playing for the Pistons’ G League club, the Motor City Cruise, where he averaged of 19.9 points and 9.7 rebounds in 31.2 minutes through 14 games. Cacok has appeared in 36 NBA games over the past three seasons with the Lakers and Spurs after going undrafted out of UNC Wilmington in 2019. He was waived by the Pistons this fall before joining their G League squad.
The unwritten rule discouraging passes from being thrown late in the shot clock for a teammate to take a low percentage shot is detailed by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Such passes are called “grenades,” since it forces a teammate to lower his shooting percentages. League-wide, players shot 29.7% last season on contested field goal attempts after receiving a pass with two seconds or less remaining on the shot clock, MacMahon notes.
With the trade deadline behind us, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes his latest swing at a two-round mock draft. Who goes after Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson? Wasserman has the Hornets selecting guard Amen Thompson with the No. 3 pick.

And-Ones: 2023 Draft, M. Leonard, TV Rights, Elam Ending

February 6th, 2023 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The latest installment of Jonathan Givony’s 2023 NBA draft stock watch at ESPN (Insider link) highlights a series of Duke prospects, with big man Kyle Filipowski coming in at No. 14 on Givony’s big board, followed by center Dereck Lively II at No. 24 and swingman Dariq Whitehead at No. 26.

Whitehead’s stock has slipped since the start of the season, according to Givony, who notes that the freshman has struggled to be effective when healthy and ranks dead last among ESPN’s top 100 prospects in two-point field goal percentage (39.7%).

Jeremy Woo of SI.com also takes stock of where a few 2023 draft prospects stand, writing that UCF forward Taylor Hendricks is solidifying his place as a first-rounder and identifying Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin as a possible sleeper.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Free agent center Meyers Leonard spoke to Jeremy Schaap of ESPN’s Outside the Lines about his efforts to make it back to the NBA, discussing the work he has done to educate himself about antisemitism since uttering a slur on a video game stream nearly two years ago. Leonard also said that he suffered nerve damage when he underwent ankle surgery in April 2021 and spent much of the last two seasons rehabbing shoulder and ankle injuries.
Bill Shea of The Athletic explores how the collapse of the regional sports network model will affect the NBA as it negotiates its next media rights deal. It’s safe to assume the NBA’s next agreement will include a major streaming element, according to Shea, who observes that other leagues like the NFL, MLS, and MLB have established partnerships with companies like Amazon and Apple in recent years.
With the “Elam Ending” gaining some momentum in the G League, Jake Uitti of HoopsHype spoke to the creator, Nick Elam, about why he believes in the idea and what it was like to see the NBA adopt the concept for its All-Star Game, beginning in 2020.

Nets Notes: Simmons, Warren, Marks, Rupert, O’Neale, Claxton

January 29th, 2023 at 7:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets’ Ben Simmons, who is dealing with left knee soreness, is questionable to play Monday against the Lakers, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. T.J. Warren, who has a left shin contusion, is listed as doubtful.

Simmons didn’t play in the 122-115 win over the Knicks on Saturday after suffering the injury against Detroit on Thursday. Warren also missed Saturday’s game after playing on Thursday. Both are considered day-to-day.

We have more on the Nets:

GM Sean Marks has been traveling far and wide to scout a point guard, Nets Daily relays. Marks has reportedly twice scouted 18-year-old French point guard 6’7” Rayan Rupert, who plays for the New Zealand Breakers. Marks, who watched Rupert play in Australia and New Zealand, was accompanied on the trip by Nets director of player evaluation, B.J. Johnson. Rupert is currently ranked No. 18 on ESPN’s big board of 2023 prospects.
They traded with Utah for Royce O’Neale this summer and it’s worked out well, according to another Nets Daily story. He’s leading the team in minutes played while enjoying a career year. “[He’s] a guy that you trust at the end of the game, who’ll take the right shot, who’ll make the right decision at the end of the game, who doesn’t mind playing on both ends of the floor,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “He has the trust of his coaching staff, his teammates and he’s in the right spot.” O’Neale’s $9.5MM contract for next season is only partially guaranteed at $2.5MM but they’re likely to fully guarantee it, considering his value to the team.
Nic Claxton is enjoying the intra-city rivalry with the Knicks, especially since his team has won nine straight against them, Zach Braziller of The New York Post writes. “It does feel like a rivalry just because you felt the energy in there (Saturday),” he said. “We’re here at Barclays and they had a lot of fans and it was definitely a good atmosphere. But me, I’ve never lost to the Knicks since I’ve been in the league, I don’t think. It’s always fun playing the Knicks.”