As expected, Rockets forward Jabari Smith returned to action on Friday vs. Minnesota in the team’s first game after the All-Star break. Smith had been out since January 1 due to a fractured hand.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Smith had started each of his first 188 NBA regular season games, but he came off the bench on Friday for the first time in his professional career. As Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle writes, head coach Ime Udoka explained before the contest that he wanted to take advantage of having Tari Eason available on the first end of a back-to-back and didn’t want to throw Smith into the deep end in his first game action in over seven weeks.
“Tari (is) coming off some really good games and getting him to the minutes where we want him to be,” Udoka said. “But it was just a little bit everything. I think easing (Smith) back into it a little bit, not really conditioning-wise, but you see how he looks in this game and everything’s kind of open moving forward.”
While Eason, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Dillon Brooks made up Houston’s starting five on Friday, Udoka will have some decisions to make once Smith has gotten back to full speed and Fred VanVleet returns from his right ankle injury. The Rockets’ coach said that he hasn’t yet decided what his starting lineup will look like when everyone’s healthy, according to Lerner.
Here are a few more items of interest from around the Western Conference:
- Trail Blazers forward Matisse Thybulle, who has yet to play this season due to knee and ankle injuries, has started doing some light 3-on-3 contact work, but hasn’t yet been cleared for 5-on-5 scrimmages, according to head coach Chauncey Billups (Twitter link via Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report). Billups indicated that he isn’t sure how far away Thybulle is from making his season debut.
- The Warriors provided an update on Jonathan Kuminga‘s recovery from his right ankle sprain this week, announcing (via Twitter) that he returned to practice on Wednesday. Kuminga has been sidelined since January 4 and head coach Steve Kerr previously stated that he expected the forward to miss the “first few” games after the All-Star break.
- According to reporting from Meridian Sport (hat tip to Eurohoops), the Nuggets are hiring former Serbian guard Nenad Miljenovic. It’s unclear what sort of role Miljenovic will have in the organization – Eurohoops refers to it as a “front office’ position – but he has a clear connection to Denver’s franchise player, having spent two years as Nikola Jokic‘s teammate with Mega Basket in Serbia from 2013-15.
- In their first game after the All-Star break, the Suns made many of the same mistakes that resulted in six losses in seven games ahead of the break, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Star forward Kevin Durant showed some frustration in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s loss to San Antonio – Phoenix’s fourth in a row — with the Suns’ defense struggling to get stops, barking at head coach Mike Budenholzer, “You need somebody who can guard,” according to Rankin.
Booker does not look like the player he was a few yrs ago. Durant has to be frustrated at this point.
KD is going to Houston for Jabari, Cam Whitmore, filler and picks
Houston wants Book not KD, they are not stupid
Jalen Green is the 2 for Houston. Rockets don’t need or want Booker ……
If KD gets moved, he could end up in Bklyn again.
Houston doesn’t have filler other than Van Vleet. Not possible.
After they miss the play in KD gone…
Had no idea Thybulle was still in the nba
POR extended him when nobody else was bidding lols. Its crazy how expensive that team is when its sooo bad.
For all of you here. Who think defense doesn’t matter. Who think no one plays defense in NBA. Who don’t understand what defense means. Who don’t understand what making stops mean.
The Suns gave highest team salary in NBA. Yet right now are out of playoffs ………… 2Way Sport ….
Explanation
The Suns rank 14th in the league for turnovers caused by steals, and 28th for forcing turnovers.
They’ve committed 5th-most offensive fouls in the NBA this season.
The Suns have a defensive rating of 117.3 this season.
Some say the Suns’ defense has been atrocious, and that the offense and roster are redundant.
Others say the Suns have a high powered offense but a questionable defense.
Additional information
In a poll, 69% of respondents said the Suns are capable of playing better defense.
Some say the Suns’ defense needs to improve for the team to contend.
Some say the Suns’ defense and rebounding have been so poor that they’ve had a sub .500 record through the All-Star Break.
Even AI kniws the Suns !!!!!!!!!!!!