Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Cunningham, Pacers, Cavs, Allen, Mobley

December 8th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons ended a 16-game losing streak to the Knicks with a 120-111 win at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Cade Cunningham, who signed a max rookie scale extension in the offseason, carried them to victory with a triple-double, the first time a Detroit player has performed that feat at MSG.

Cunningham told reporters after the game that feels as if he’s moving into the conversation for All-Star consideration.

“I believe I am,” Cunningham said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “Whenever I’m on the court every night, I feel like I’m the best player. I try to do whatever it takes to help my team win, and my teammates have made me look great this year. I’m just trying to help my team win and we’ll see what happens with it.”

In his last 10 games, Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 10.0 assists and 7.1 rebounds, Patterson notes.

We have more from the Central Division:

A 90-minute shootaround session paid dividends for the Pacers on Friday. They snapped a four-game losing streak with a 132-123 win in Chicago. “We spent a lot of time (Friday) morning and really had the longest shootaround that I’ve had since I’ve been here,” coach Rick Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “We just had a lot of things that we had to clean up. One of them was our offensive spacing and movement.”
The Cavaliers had made 40.5% of their threes heading into Sunday’s action, leading the NBA in that category. They are tops in the league from long range and have a 17-0 record when making 35% or more of their three-point tries. “It’s starting to be real, this deep into the season,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “You can qualify us as a super excellent shooting team.”
Jerome Allen returned to the Pistons‘ staff this season under J.B. Bickerstaff after previously serving under Dwane Casey. In between, Allen worked in a variety of roles at Detroit Mumford High School and Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press details Allen’s lasting impact at the school.
Cavs forward Evan Mobley rolled his left ankle on Sunday and was ruled out for the second half, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.

Pelicans Rumors: Ingram, Tax, Green, Missi, Health

December 6th, 2024 at 6:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Confirming a Michael Scotto report from earlier in the week, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) says Brandon Ingram spent the offseason seeking a maximum-salary contract extension (which could’ve been worth as much as $208MM over four seasons), while the Pelicans would have been comfortable with a deal more in the vicinity of $40MM per year.

Fischer also provides some details on the trade opportunities involving Ingram that the Pelicans explored over the summer, noting that the Kings initially had the forward on their radar before landing DeMar DeRozan and that the Cavaliers weren’t interested in a deal centered around Ingram and Jarrett Allen. While there were some talks with the Jazz, Fischer classifies those discussions as “preliminary,” suggesting Utah’s pursuit of Mikal Bridges got much further down the road.

A return to the Lakers has been mentioned by scouts as a possibility for Ingram, but Fischer says he’s been given no indication Los Angeles is seeking a reunion with their former No. 2 overall pick. The Lakers, according to Fischer, are more focused on adding more frontcourt depth and perimeter defense to their roster.

Given that there doesn’t appear – at this point, at least – to be a team eager to do a long-term, maximum-salary contract for Ingram, league sources expect the forward and his new reps at Klutch Sports to be open to lucrative shorter-term deals, Fischer writes, pointing to Fred VanVleet‘s three-year deal with Houston as an example. That contract is worth the max but features a third-year team option.

It’s still possible the Pelicans will be the team to work out a new agreement with Ingram, but there’s a ceiling on what they’re willing to pay him, Fischer adds.

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Executives around the NBA talk about the Pelicans making a move to get out of luxury tax territory as if it’s an inevitability, per Fischer. The team is currently operating about $1.4MM above the tax line, so it might be as simple as shedding a minimum-salary contract at the deadline, though a deal involving Ingram could also potentially get New Orleans out of the tax.
Fischer doesn’t expect New Orleans to make a head coaching change anytime soon, despite some speculation around the NBA about Willie Green‘s job security. “Ownership is loyal to their people,” a New Orleans figure tells Fischer.
People within the Pelicans organization have raved about how quickly rookie center Yves Missi is learning and progressing, according to Fischer, who compares it to the way that people in Dallas were talking about Dereck Lively last season. Nonetheless, Fischer has heard New Orleans remains in the market for frontcourt depth.
Although Zion Williamson, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Hawkins remain on the injured list, the Pelicans were as healthy as they’ve been since opening night on Thursday, with Ingram, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy all active together for the first time. The result – a hard-fought 126-124 win over Phoenix – was an encouraging one, as William Guillory of The Athletic writes. The Pelicans are still just 5-18, but Thursday’s game provided a glimpse of what the team thought it could be, with the first-time starting lineup of Ingram, Murray, McCollum, Jones, and Missi outscoring the Suns by 14 points in 11 minutes of action.

Rockets Notes: Eason, Thompson, Green, Sengun, VanVleet

December 4th, 2024 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Discussing the Rockets on the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reiterated a point he made last month, stating that rival teams believe Houston is poised to make a big trade, while the Rockets themselves are letting it be known that they’re in no hurry to pull the trigger on that sort of deal.

“You look at (their young players), you look at their draft assets, you look at where they are in the standings,” Windhorst said. “… It seems like they’re primed for a trade. And believe me, teams in the league believe the same thing. But the message that I have been told, and I think I was told it to spread the word, is that Amen Thompson and Tari Eason are untouchable.”

Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported a couple weeks ago that the Rockets aren’t looking to break up their core this season even if a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo is available. Tim MacMahon of ESPN said people in Houston have conveyed a similar sentiment to him.

“I’ve just spent some time around the Rockets and I was told by more than one person – very firmly, very adamantly – they will not change the core of that team this season,” MacMahon said. “Maybe they make a fringe rotation type of deal, but they are going to play this season out with the core of that team, is what they’re saying right now.”

As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps points out, the young player who seems most likely to be the centerpiece of a significant Rockets trade offer is Jalen Green, and he would be extremely difficult to move this season due to the poison pill provision, which – as a result of his recent contract extension – creates a significant disparity between his incoming and outgoing salary for matching purposes until July. With that in mind, it makes sense that Houston would prefer to wait until at least next summer to more seriously weigh its trade options.

Windhorst notes that the Rockets’ stance on certain players could change once they begin pursuing a trade in earnest.

“It’s also a negotiating position to say (Thompson and Eason are untouchable),” he said. “Because at the end of the day they are role players.”

“This is exactly what you do when you have 19 interesting trade assets, all these draft picks and all these young guys,” Bontemps added. “You say, ‘Hey, every good thing we’ve got, we’re not sure we’re going to do anything with any of those.’ And then you start to negotiate.”

Here’s more on the Rockets:

The Rockets are going to be “very selective” about cashing in their top trade chips, according to MacMahon, who said on the Hoop Collective podcast that the team will be seeking an “age-appropriate” star to add to its core. Noting that Houston would have had serious interest in Donovan Mitchell if he had emerged as a trade candidate instead of signing an extension with the Cavaliers, MacMahon said the Rockets know they need a “legitimate offensive engine” in order to become a real title contender.
Houston isn’t giving up on the idea that the offensive star they need could emerge from among the players currently on the roster, per MacMahon: “They’re not ruling out that Jalen Green could become that. I think they have some evidence that it’s possible from last season. They’re not ruling out that (Alperen) Sengun can continue developing. He’s still a young guy. … They’re not ruling that Tari Eason could become that.”
After his statement about Eason was met with skepticism by Bontemps, who questioned the third-year forward’s offensive ceiling, MacMahon further explained the Rockets’ position: “(Head coach) Ime Udoka, on the record, he was asked (last month), ‘Who does Tari Eason remind you of?’ He said, ‘A young Kawhi Leonard, who I’ve coached.’ A lot of that is just the defensive impact. Physically, he’s as close to Kawhi as you can get. The size, the hands, the athleticism, the defensive impact. … But they’re not ruling out that Eason could have a Kawhi- (or) Jimmy Butler-type of track. Now that’s pie-in-the-sky, top-end scenario. I’m just saying they’re not ruling out that possibility. … All those guys, they’re not ruling out they could emerge as the No. 1 offensive player. (But) most likely, it’s going to have to be a trade.”
While it’s probably not realistic to expect offensive stardom from Thompson, who has made just 14 career three-point shots, the Rockets remain very high on his upside due to his defense and athleticism. “We’ll see what Thompson becomes as a scorer, but they think he has to be a chance to be a hyper-athletic wing version of a Draymond Green, where you’re just wrecking things defensively,” MacMahon said.
In a story for The Athletic, Iko explores how Fred VanVleet‘s experiences during his final years in Toronto helped prepare him to take a step back this season in order to accelerate the development of the Rockets’ young players. VanVleet’s usage rate so far in 2024/25 is 19.6%, which would be his lowest mark since 2018/19.

Injury Notes: Cavs, Durant, Mann, George, Embiid, Reaves

December 4th, 2024 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (shoulder) and Darius Garland (head) appear to have avoided major injuries after suffering scares in Tuesday’s win over Washington, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

While Garland, who took a hit to the back of his head in the third quarter and sat out the rest of the game, may have to clear the NBA’s concussion protocol before he can play again, head coach Kenny Atkinson sounded optimistic about his status.

“He looked fine in the locker room,” Atkinson said of Garland, per Fedor. “Doesn’t look like anything that’ll hold him out. He gave me the thumbs up, and I don’t think he’ll miss any time at all. I think he’s fine.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Suns star Kevin Durant exited Tuesday’s win over San Antonio shortly before halftime and didn’t return due to a sprained left ankle, per ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. Head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters after the game that Durant had yet to undergo an MRI and that he didn’t have any information yet on whether the veteran forward will miss time. “I think he stepped on somebody’s foot in transition, and I think at halftime it stiffened up,” Budenholzer said. “We will have to evaluate him again in the morning, see how he feels coming out of it, see how he does overnight. I don’t really know a whole lot more than the report at halftime.”
Clippers guard/forward Terance Mann fractured the middle finger on his left hand in Tuesday’s win over Portland, according to the team (Twitter link via Mark Medina of Sportskeeda). The Clippers indicated that Mann will be reevaluated on Wednesday, so we should have more information on his outlook once that evaluation has been completed.
After playing a season-high 37 minutes and scoring 29 points in Tuesday’s win over Charlotte, Sixers forward Paul George will sit out Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando, tweets ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. That’s no surprise, given that it’s the second night of a back-to-back and George has dealt with a knee injury this season. As for Joel Embiid, the Sixers’ star center has also been ruled out for the Orlando game, but he’s getting back on the court and starting his ramp-up process, says Bontemps.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who has missed the past two games with a left pelvic contusion, was a partial participant in today’s shootaround and is still considered questionable to play in Wednesday’s game vs. Miami, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Knockout Round Matchups Set For NBA Cup; Games Scheduled For Non-Quarterfinalists

December 4th, 2024 at 6:27am CST by Luke Adams

Following the conclusion of the group play games in the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the eight teams advancing to the knockout round have been set, and the quarterfinal games have been scheduled.

After the Warriors, Rockets, and Hawks previously clinched spots in the knockout round, the Thunder, Mavericks, Bucks, Knicks, and Magic joined them as a result of Tuesday’s outcomes. The quarterfinal matchups are as follows, per the NBA (Twitter links):

Eastern Conference:

Orlando Magic (No. 4) at Milwaukee Bucks (No. 1): Tuesday, December 10 (7 pm ET)
Atlanta Hawks (No. 3) at New York Knicks (No. 2): Wednesday, December 11 (7 pm ET)

Western Conference:

Dallas Mavericks (No. 4) at Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1): Tuesday, December 10 (9:30 pm ET)
Golden State Warriors (No. 3) at Houston Rockets (No. 2): Wednesday, December 11 (9:30 pm ET)

While those four games will be played in the home team’s arena, the winners will advance to a neutral site for the final four. The semifinals (Dec. 14) and final (Dec. 17) will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The quarterfinal and semifinal results will count toward each team’s regular season record, whereas the final won’t. A team that loses in the quarterfinals will play the other quarterfinal loser in its conference in newly scheduled regular season games to make sure those clubs get the full 82.

Meanwhile, the 22 teams who did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup have each had two regular season games added to their initial 80 to fill that mid-December gap on their schedules.

Here are the newly added games for those clubs, according to the league (Twitter link):

Thursday, December 12:

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (7:30 pm ET)
Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat (7:30 pm ET)
Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans (8 pm ET)

Friday, December 13:

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers (7 pm ET)
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers (7 pm ET)
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves (8 pm ET)
Brooklyn Nets at Memphis Grizzlies (8 pm ET)
Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls (8 pm ET)
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets (9 pm ET)
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz (9:30 pm ET)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers (10 pm ET)

Sunday, December 15:

New Orleans Pelicans at Indiana Pacers (5 pm ET)
Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards (6 pm ET)
Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs (7 pm ET)
Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns (8 pm ET)
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30 pm ET)

Monday, December 16:

Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets (7 pm ET)
Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons (7 pm ET)
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors (7:30 pm ET)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets (7:30 pm ET)
Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings (10 pm ET)
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 pm ET)

Udoka, Atkinson Earn Coach Of The Month Honors

December 3rd, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ime Udoka of the Rockets and Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers have been named the league’s Coaches of the Month for games played in October and November, NBA Communications tweets.

Udoka took Western Conference honors as Houston finished November with a 14-6 record, the second-best mark in the conference. Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), Tyronn Lue (Clippers) and JJ Redick (Lakers) were the other Western Conference nominees (Twitter link).

The Cavaliers posted an NBA-best 17-3 mark in October and November, earning Atkinson Eastern Conference accolades. Jordi Fernandez (Nets), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), Jamahl Mosley (Magic) and Tom Thibodeau (Knicks) were the other nominees in the East.

Central Notes: Pistons, Mitchell, Buzelis, Ball

December 3rd, 2024 at 5:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA Cup might not be a big deal for some teams, but the Pistons are energized by the possibility of making the knockout round. They host the Bucks on Tuesday and the winner will prevail in East Group B of the tournament. They are both 3-0 heading into the contest.

“Guys are into it,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “The vibes are good, guys are excited, they’re looking forward to the opportunity. Like we talked about, we want to give our guys a chance to play meaningful basketball and see what that feels like, and for some of our guys this is the most meaningful basketball that they’ve been able to play. It’s a great opportunity for us, great experience for us.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 second-half points on Sunday as the Cavaliers bounced back from two losses to Atlanta by defeating the Celtics. Mitchell said it was the type of game that the Cavs, who trailed by double digits in the second half, might not have won in the past, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I think that just speaks to the growth of our group,” Mitchell said. “I think you go back to when I first got here, obviously we’re younger, we’re not as familiar with each other, [and we’d] kind of fold in those situations. You’re just seeing the growth, and that’s the biggest thing I feel like is for us just continuing to build … if we continue to grow and continue to learn from these different things, that’s really what it’s about. That’s what tonight was. We could have easily been like, ‘All right, turning the ball over, different things, not getting stops, offense kind of bogged down.’ But who were we when we hit adversity? And that’s what I’ve been saying. It’s great to learn through these wins, but when we face adversity, who are we going to be? And that’s what you’re continuously seeing from this group. We’ve been trying games and different things, and so I’m proud of the way we fought.”
Matas Buzelis scored a season-high 20 points, a great sign from the lottery pick. Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Buzelis and the other young players on the roster have to continue to earn their minutes, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune writes. “They’ve got to get playing time. But they have to understand it’s not free candy,” Donovan said.
Lonzo Ball is on a minutes restriction but the Bulls guard has made an impressive impact in limited playing time. He has the best plus-minus rating on the roster, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic notes. “I know it’s only a very small sample size, but if you look at his plus-minus on the floor, it’s crazy for the amount of time he’s gotten,” Donovan said of Ball, a free agent after the season.

Injury Notes: Sochan, Embiid, Henderson, R. Williams, Wade

December 3rd, 2024 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan appears set to take on the court on Tuesday night for the first time in nearly a month, having been listed as probable for San Antonio’s NBA Cup game in Phoenix, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

Sochan has been sidelined since November 4, missing the Spurs’ past 13 games due to a fractured thumb that required surgery.

The former ninth overall pick appeared to be taking an impressive step forward prior to the injury. In his six full games this season, he averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 32.2 minutes per night, with a 50.6% field goal percentage.

The Spurs have been playing well lately with rookie Stephon Castle starting in place of Sochan, having won five of their past six games, so we’ll see if Sochan reclaims his spot in the lineup upon his return or if acting head coach Mitch Johnson has him come off the bench.

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

Sixers star Joel Embiid remains listed as out for Tuesday’s game in Charlotte due to left knee injury management and personal reasons, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team hasn’t provided any sort of timeline for Embiid’s return, but this will be the fifth consecutive contest the big man has missed.
Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson underwent an MRI this week on the quad injury that has forced him to miss three games, including the past two, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. However, that MRI didn’t show anything more than a contusion, so Henderson is considered day-to-day and is listed as questionable to play in Los Angeles on Tuesday vs. the Clippers. Blazers center Robert Williams, however, didn’t make the trip to L.A. and will miss a fourth straight game while he remains in the concussion protocol, Highkin adds.
Cavaliers forward Dean Wade, who has been unavailable for the past six games due to a left ankle sprain, is listed as questionable to play vs. Washington on Tuesday and was in attendance for today’s shootaround, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter links). According to Fedor, Wade – whose +12.9 net rating ranks second among Cavs players – wanted to play on Sunday vs. Boston and went through a 3-on-3 workout on Monday in the hopes of showing Cleveland’s training staff that he’s ready to return.

Southeast Rumors: Richards, Martin, Micic, Capela, Nance, Hunter, Anthony

December 2nd, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Nick Richards has drawn trade interest from a number of teams across the NBA, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says the Hornets center is viewed as an intriguing target due to his solid play as a starter and his team-friendly contract, which includes a $5MM salary this season and a $5MM non-guaranteed cap hit for 2025/26.

Several rival executives who spoke to HoopsHype believe it would take at least two second-round picks to acquire Richards, Scotto writes, and there’s also uncertainty about how willing Charlotte would even be to trade him, since ostensible starting center Mark Williams has been sidelined for nearly a full year due to back and foot issues. If the Hornets can’t trust Williams to be available, they may be reluctant to part with an important frontcourt depth piece like Richards.

Exploring other potential trade candidates in Charlotte, Scotto identifies wing Cody Martin and guard Vasilije Micic as two more players to watch.

After a couple injury-plagued seasons, Martin has been healthy and effective so far in 2024/25. According to Scotto, the Hornets spoke to the Cavaliers during the offseason about a possible Isaac Okoro sign-and-trade that would have sent Martin and multiple second-round picks to Cleveland, but Okoro ended up re-signing with the Cavs.

As for Micic, while he’s playing a more significant role right now due to injuries to LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann, he’s Charlotte’s third-string point guard when both of those players are healthy, having fallen firmly behind Mann on the depth chart. That makes him potentially expendable for the Hornets, and his pseudo-expiring contract (his 2025/26 salary is non-guaranteed) could make him an appealing target for a team in need of point guard depth.

We have more from around the Southeast:

According to Scotto, executives scouring the center market believe Hawks center Clint Capela may be a trade candidate this season, with potential unrestricted free agency looming in 2025. Sources tell HoopsHype that the Knicks, Grizzlies, and Pelicans are among the clubs that did due diligence on Capela during the 2024 offseason before going in different directions at center.
Hawks reserves Larry Nance Jr. and De’Andre Hunter are also viewed as potential trade candidates, Scotto reports. That’s especially true of Nance, who is on an expiring deal, has played inconsistent minutes in Atlanta, and is considered a good locker room presence. As for Hunter, his three-and-D skill set is valued, but Scotto suggests teams have some questions about his durability and may be reluctant to take on his contract, which has two years and $48MM+ still left on it after this season.
The Magic‘s offseason addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, along with an increased role for second-year guard Anthony Black, has resulted in several NBA executives viewing Cole Anthony as a viable trade candidate, Scotto writes. After averaging 26.5 minutes per game in his first four years in Orlando, Anthony is logging just 9.8 MPG so far this season.

Wizards Rumors: Kuzma, Valanciunas, Brogdon, Davis, Baldwin, Coulibaly

December 2nd, 2024 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards view Kyle Kuzma as a team leader who can help the team stay competitive and assist in the development of some of the young players on the roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. But Scotto says teams around the NBA view Kuzma as a potential trade candidate due to his skill set, the team-friendly declining structure of his contract, and the fact that he probably doesn’t fit Washington’s long-term timeline.

The Mavericks nearly traded for Kuzma at last season’s trade deadline, but the Wizards reportedly brought that opportunity to the forward, who decided to pass on it. As Scotto writes, the Pacers had some interest in Kuzma before they acquired Pascal Siakam and the Kings have also been connected to him over the past couple seasons.

While it’s unclear if any of those clubs would circle back to Kuzma at this point, Scotto hears that the Bucks, Warriors, Lakers, Heat, and Cavaliers are among the other teams that have kept tabs on the 29-year-old.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon are among the Wizards’ veteran trade candidates being monitored by rival teams, says Scotto. According to Scotto, Valanciunas has provided the sort of veteran mentorship to No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr that Washington hoped for, going up against the rookie big man in practice and teaching him things on both sides of the ball.
While the Wizards have a few trade candidates to watch, Scotto suggests that second-round picks may not move the needle much for the front office, especially if they come attached to bad contracts. Washington has already stockpiled several extra second-rounders and turned down offers consisting of second-round picks for Tyus Jones at last season’s deadline, Scotto adds.
Johnny Davis and Patrick Baldwin Jr., both of whom are on expiring contracts after having their 2025/26 team options declined in October, were shopped on the trade market prior to the season and are potential salary fillers for in-season deals, per Scotto.
Although Bilal Coulibaly has taken a step forward in his second NBA season, the 20-year-old is still adjusting to being relied upon as a two-way threat, according to Varun Shankar of The Washington Post, who notes that the Wizards forward’s offensive production has slipped following a hot start. “It’s been a lot thrown at me,” said Coulibaly, who has averaged 8.8 points per game with a .377/.208/.667 shooting line in his past nine games after putting up 17.0 PPG on .575/.387/.828 shooting in his first eight. “But I got to go through it because that’s what I want to do in my future, in the near future. I want to be a great two-way player. … I’ll take it.”