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Month: November 2024

De’Aaron Fox Receives Inaugural Clutch Player Award

April 18th, 2023 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has been named the inaugural recipient of the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Fox topped the other finalists, the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan and the Heat’s Jimmy Butler. The award is named after Hall of Famer and Lakers legend Jerry West.

Fox received 91 of 100 first-place votes. according to an NBA press release. He finished with a total of 460 points, far ahead of runner-up Butler, who garnered one first-place votes and 104 points. DeRozan didn’t have any first-place votes while placing third with 77 points. Seven other players received first-place votes but the Warriors’ Stephen Curry was the only one in that group to get two first-place votes.

“When I took the job I didn’t know how consistently he would be in the clutch,” Sacramento coach Mike Brown said of Fox, per NBA.com’s Shaun Powell.

Fox led the league in clutch scoring with a league-best 194 points in 39 games. Clutch time is defined as minutes when the scoring margin is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining in a game.

Fox shot 52.9 percent from the field and 86.0 percent from the foul line in those situations. He added 20 assists and 10 steals as Sacramento went 22-17 in those close games. That helped the Kings secure the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

DeRozan scored 159 points in 33 games in those situations. He shot 47.1 percent from the field and 89 percent from the foul line while grabbing 30 rebounds and dishing out 16 assists.

Butler also found himself in 33 of those games and scored 151 points. He shot 50.5 percent from the field and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. He added 32 rebounds, 19 assists, six steals and five blocks.

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New CBA Notes: Combine, Buyout Market, All-Defense, Tournament

April 18th, 2023 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Confirming and fleshing out reporting from Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, Jonathan Givony of ESPN says that the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will require every draft-eligible prospect who is invited to the combine to attend and participate. If they don’t, they’ll be ineligible to be drafted that year and would be required to attend and participate in the next year’s combine in order to make themselves draft-eligible.

Exceptions will be made in certain instances, Givony writes. For instance, a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child) won’t be required to attend the combine. However, they would have to complete certain combine requirements at a later date.

As Givony explains, “participating” in the combine will mean undergoing medical examinations, sharing medical history, participating in strength, agility, and performance testing, taking part in shooting drills, receiving anthropometric measurements, and conducting interviews with teams and the media.

While those aspects of the combine will be mandatory, invitees won’t be forced to compete in 5-on-5 scrimmages at the event, Givony notes. Typically, the top prospects in the draft class forgo those scrimmages — players who are graded as potential second-round picks or undrafted free agents are more inclined to take part to try to improve their stocks.

Here’s more on the new CBA:

  • According to Givony, the NBA and NBPA intend to agree on a methodology to rank the top 10 prospects in a draft class — the medical records for those prospects will be distributed to clubs on a more limited basis. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
  • Prospects who forgo college in favor of signing professional contracts with programs like the G League Ignite, Overtime Elite, or the NBL Next Stars will no longer automatically become draft-eligible during the calendar year when they turn 19, Givony reports. Those players now won’t become draft-eligible until they enter of their own accord or until the calendar year when they turn 22.
  • As part of the new CBA, teams that are above either tax apron won’t be permitted to sign “buyout” players during the season, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. According to Smith, a “buyout” player will be defined as anyone waived that season whose pre-waiver salary exceeded the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. If that rule had been in effect in 2022/23, the Clippers (Russell Westbrook), Suns (Terrence Ross), and Nuggets (Reggie Jackson) wouldn’t have been able to sign those players.
  • Like the All-NBA teams, the All-Defensive teams will become positionless in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, reports Dan Feldman of the Dunc’d On podcast (Twitter link). As Feldman observes, that’s probably better news for forwards and centers than it is for guards.
  • Commissioner Adam Silver spoke a little bit on Tuesday at Sports Business Journal’s World Congress of Sports conference about the NBA’s new in-season tournament, explaining the thinking behind it and providing some new minor details. “The players will be wearing different uniforms,” Silver said, according to Mike Vorkunov and Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. “Maybe the court will look different. You’ll know that it’s not just a regular-season game.”
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Griffin: Pelicans Envision Offseason Tweaks, Not “Huge” Moves

April 18th, 2023 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

It was a tale of two seasons in New Orleans, where the Pelicans got off to a 23-12 start buoyed by an All-Star performance from Zion Williamson, then played sub-.500 ball the rest of the way following Williamson’s hamstring injury and lost in the first round of the play-in tournament.

Despite falling short of their preseason expectations, the Pelicans don’t believe any major roster changes will be necessary this offseason, according to executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin.

“I know we feel like the bones of this franchise are really sound,” Griffin said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “What we do to get to the next level and make this exactly what we need to be, I can’t tell you right now.

“Have we seen enough to know unequivocally that it worked when we were No. 1 in the West? No. But we’ve seen enough to know we’re close. We’re in and around it. I think it’s tweaks more than it’s huge moves. But I also know we’re open-minded if something significant has to happen.”

The Pelicans will have some free agency decisions to make during the offseason, with Josh Richardson (unrestricted) and Jaxson Hayes (restricted) among the players on track to reach the open market. But New Orleans’ core players are all locked up for the foreseeable future — Brandon Ingram through 2025, CJ McCollum through 2026, and Williamson through 2028 – and the team won’t have cap room this summer.

The front office could turn to the trade market if it decides to make more than minor tweaks to the roster. The Pelicans control all of their future first-round picks, including this year’s lottery selection, as well as the Lakers’ unprotected 2024 first-rounder and the Bucks’ unprotected 2027 pick.

While a blockbuster deal using those picks may not be in the cards this offseason, Griffin believes those assets put the team in a “strong position” to continue fortifying its roster going forward, writes Clark.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Griffin said. “We might not be moving as quickly as you would like it to happen. But as long as we grow from what we learn, nothing is fatal. This only gets bad if you try to go too far too fast and put yourself in a position you can’t get out financially. We are really, really well positioned to be sustainable in the future with an incredibly talented core of young players that care about one another and care about winning in this city. They want to be here and want to win here.”

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Southeast Notes: Brey, Hawks, Murray, Herro, Magic

April 18th, 2023 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Brey, the longtime head coach at Notre Dame, will be joining Quin Snyder‘s Hawks coaching staff for the 2023/24 season, sources tell Tom Noie of The South Bend Tribune. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN has since confirmed the news.

Noie’s report suggests Brey will be an assistant coach for the Hawks, though Wojnarowski says his specific role hasn’t yet been finalized and won’t be until sometime after Atlanta’s season ends.

Brey coached the Fighting Irish from 2000-23, stepping down from his position earlier this year. He previously served as an assistant coach at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski from 1987-95. Snyder played his college ball for the Blue Devils from 1985-89, so his relationship with Brey dates back approximately three-and-a-half decades.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • The Hawks hope to re-sign Dejounte Murray when he reaches free agency in 2024 — a quick playoff exit this spring won’t do them any favors from a recruiting perspective, writes Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. Murray brushed off comments about his contract situation, but agreed with the suggestion that money wouldn’t be the most important factor in his decision. “Winning,” Murray said. “Winning. That’s it. Winning. That’s it. Winning.”
  • Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, including Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links), Heat sharpshooter Tyler Herro said that he’ll undergo surgery on his broken right hand this Friday. Herro added that, based on his recovery timeline, he has been told the earliest he could potentially return would be for the NBA Finals. While Miami won Game 1 of its series with Milwaukee, the Heat are an extreme long shot to make that sort of playoff run.
  • The Magic finished six games out of a play-in spot this season and 11 games back of the No. 6 seed in the East, but they’ll be “very upset” if they’re not a playoff team next season, according to guard Markelle Fultz. Many of Fultz’s teammates agree with that sentiment, as Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “Guys don’t like to look at it as, ‘We got to make the playoffs,’ or ‘We got to win a (title)’ to be successful,” Wendell Carter Jr. said. “But we’re at a pretty good point where we can say that now. Guys want to win now. That comes with winning — making it to the playoffs.”
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Andre Jackson, Zach Edey Among Draft’s Latest Early Entrants

April 18th, 2023 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

UConn junior guard Andre Jackson has opted to enter his name in the 2023 NBA draft pool and will test the waters, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Jackson, who started 31 of 36 games for the national champions in 2022/23, averaged just 6.7 points per game with a modest .432/.281/.646 shooting line. However, he chipped in 6.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, and 1.1 SPG while playing strong defense.

According to Wojnarowski, team executives believe Jackson’s play in the NCAA tournament boosted his stock and view him as a borderline first-round pick if he remains in the draft. The junior is currently the No. 30 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2023.

In addition to Jackson, Purdue center Zach Edey also announced today that he’ll test the draft waters without forgoing his remaining college eligibility (Twitter link).

Unlike Jackson, who is considered a promising NBA prospect despite underwhelming scoring numbers at the college level, Edey was an NCAA star, earning National Player of the Year honors after averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game across 34 starts as a junior for the Boilermakers.

However, there are questions about Edey’s NBA ceiling due to his lack of lack of agility and versatility on defense, Jonathan Givony of ESPN writes in his scouting report. The 7’4″ Edey still ranks 49th overall on ESPN’s board, but is referred to by Givony as a “Boban Marjanovic-style player” unless he can add some range to his jump shot.

Finally, Adam Flagler, who won a national championship with Baylor in 2021, is also declaring for the 2023 draft, per Givony (Twitter link). The redshirt senior guard only ranks 74th overall on ESPN’s board, but is coming off a strong 2022/23 season in which he posted 15.6 PPG and 4.6 APG while making 40.0% of his three-pointers.

Flagler has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, but neither Givony’s report nor his own Instagram announcement indicates whether he plans to forgo that final year or keep the door open to return to school. When he withdrew from last year’s draft, his comments strongly hinted that he planned to go pro in 2023.

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Injury Notes: Giannis, Morant, Hart, Randle, Payne

April 18th, 2023 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

After previously stating that X-rays on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s back injury came back negative, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Monday that an MRI also came back clean, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

The Bucks haven’t made any official announcements yet about Antetokounmpo’s availability for Game 2 on Wednesday, but Budenholzer told reporters on Monday that the superstar forward was making progress despite still being sore.

“He’s getting some treatment and I think we’ll just continue to monitor him for the next day or two,” Budenholzer said. “Probably fortunate that there are two days between games, so I think still mostly positive, mostly optimistic, but we’ll see how he feels over the next day or two.”

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

  • The status of Grizzlies star Ja Morant for Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers remains up in the air due to his hand injury. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on NBA Today on Monday (Twitter video link) that there’s “significant doubt” about Morant’s ability to play in Game 2. Shams Charania of The Athletic hears that tests on Morant’s hand revealed no breaks and that his availability could end up being a question of pain tolerance. The All-Star guard referred to his pain level on Sunday as a 10 out of 10.
  • One day after listing Josh Hart as doubtful for Game 2 due to a left ankle sprain, the Knicks have upgraded him to questionable (Twitter link). Knicks forward Julius Randle also provided a positive update on his own ankle sprain, telling reporters that he’s feeling no ill effects after playing in Game 1, though he admitted that his conditioning isn’t yet where he wants it to be (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).
  • Suns guard Cameron Payne, who was limited to 48 games this season due to injuries and didn’t play in Game 1 on Sunday, has been listed as questionable for Tuesday’s Game 2 due to low back soreness, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
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Pistons To Interview Jerome Allen For Head Coaching Job

April 18th, 2023 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons will interview veteran assistant Jerome Allen for their head coaching vacancy, reports Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The meeting will take place at some point this week.

A former player who was drafted by the Timberwolves in 1995, Allen transitioned into coaching in 2009 after a long professional career that saw him play in France, Turkey, Italy, Spain, and Greece in addition to the NBA. He was a member of Dwane Casey‘s coaching staff in Detroit for each of the past two seasons.

Allen, whose coaching career began with the Penn Quakers from 2009-15, served as an assistant in Boston under Brad Stevens from 2015-21 and left the Celtics for the Pistons when Stevens transitioned to a front office position. Casey is now making that same transition in Detroit, though it sounds like his role will be far less hands-on and high-ranking than Stevens’ in Boston.

Allen has received some NBA head coaching interest in recent years, having reportedly interviewed with the Jazz in 2022 and the Celtics and Trail Blazers in 2021.

The Pistons’ list of interviewees is now up to eight reported names — two of them, Allen and Rex Kalamian, were assistants on Casey’s staff.

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Bulls’ Derrick Jones Plans To Pick Up 2023/24 Player Option

April 18th, 2023 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls forward Derrick Jones doesn’t have to officially make a decision on his player option for the 2023/24 season until June, but he tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that he’s “for sure” planning to exercise that option.

Jones signed a two-year, $6.56MM contract with Chicago last summer that includes an opt-out decision after year one. If he opts in, he’d earn a guaranteed $3.36MM salary in ’23/24.

“Like I told coach (Billy Donovan) and everybody else, I’m locked in for two years. I didn’t sign for two years for no reason. So I’m here for two years,” Jones said. “I just gotta sit down with my agent and talk to him, figure things out. But I don’t see why not. I got no other plans, yet.”

Jones, 26, appeared in 64 games for the Bulls this past season, averaging 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds and shooting .500/.338/.738 in 14.0 minutes per night. With the exception of his three-point percentage, those numbers were all down from the ones he posted during his first year in Chicago in 2021/22. However, he continues to enjoy his time with the organization.

“I just love being with these guys,” Jones told Johnson. “I know my role isn’t always what I want it to be. I’ve been through a few injuries that might’ve set me back a little bit. I feel like a healthy DJ for all 82 is very special. But I feel like I’ve played well when given minutes. I’ve done everything I can do with the role that I was given. Sometimes, I need to be a little more aggressive offensively. But defensively, I just do what I do.”

Given his modest role and production in 2022/23, Jones might only be in line for a minimum-salary contract, which would be worth a projected $2,669,586, if he opts for free agency. Picking up the option would give him a little more financial security, whether or not he’s in the Bulls’ plans going forward (his expiring deal could make him a trade candidate). Still, he believes he’s capable of showing more than he has so far in Chicago, particularly on the defensive end.

“I just love guarding,” Jones said. “That’s one thing I learned in my career: Defense wins championships. I want to be All-Defensive team one day. I feel like I could do it. I just need the right opportunity and proper amount of minutes.”

Jones isn’t the only Bull with a $3.36MM player option for 2023/24. As our list of free agents by team shows, veteran center Andre Drummond will have to make a decision on an identical option.

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And-Ones: Pate, Ignite, Awards, Combine, Players’ MVP Pick

April 18th, 2023 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Dink Pate, a 6’8″ point guard and a five-star recruit, has signed with the G League Ignite, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Having just turned 17 in March, Pate will be the youngest known professional basketball player in U.S. history, according to Givony, who notes that the youngster won’t be draft-eligible until 2025. That means he’s committing to spending two seasons with the Ignite, like Scoot Henderson did from 2021-23.

According to Pate, he considered the possibility of committing to a college program and was leaning toward Alabama over Arkansas, but believes he’ll have a better opportunity to continue developing his game with the Ignite.

After graduating high school a year early, Pate intends to move to Las Vegas later this month and begin training at the Ignite’s practice facility with new teammates Matas Buzelis and London Johnson, per Givony. Buzelis is a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, while Johnson currently projects to be a first-rounder.

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

  • After naming Jaren Jackson Jr. the Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, the NBA will announce another major postseason award winner for each of the next three evenings (Twitter link). Newly added award Clutch Player of the Year is due up on Tuesday, followed by Coach of the Year on Wednesday and Sixth Man of the Year on Thursday.
  • According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter links), the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will make it mandatory for prospects who receive an invite to the draft combine to attend and do what’s required of them there (that will likely include medical testing but not scrimmages). A player who declines a combine invite without an excused absence won’t be draft-eligible until the following year, says Pincus.
  • The Athletic’s NBA writers polled 108 current NBA players on a series of NBA-related questions, including their MVP pick, their title prediction, and much more. Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic have compiled the results, which include Sixers star Joel Embiid (50% of the vote) comfortably beating out Nikola Jokic (25.5%) as the players’ MVP choice; Hawks guard Trae Young getting the most votes (14.5%) for the NBA’s most overrated player; and Bucks guard Jrue Holiday earning the nod as both the best individual defender (28.7%) and most underrated player (17.5%).
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