Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Jokic, Winning, Jones, Sochan

January 5th, 2025 at 12:20pm CST by Rory Maher

The Spurs defeated the Nuggets in a close game in Denver on Friday, then the Nuggets returned the favor in Saturday’s overtime victory in San Antonio. Star big men Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic had spectacular showings in the back-to-back, with Wembanyama averaging 27.5 points, 20.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 blocks per game, compared to Jokic’s 43.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.0 steals.

According to ESPN.com, Jokic and Wembanyama expressed mutual admiration for each other after Friday’s matchup.

“I think he’s better this year than last year, and I think he’s going to get even better,” Jokic said of Wembanyama. “I think he’s a special player. I think he’s one of a kind and is going to be remembered forever.”

“Multiple-time MVP, soon to be MVP again,” Wembanyama said of Jokic. “Can’t ask for a better way to get better.”

Here’s more on the Spurs:

Wembanyama’s name is in the NBA record books for several statistical accomplishments not even halfway through his second season. Michael C. Wright of ESPN shares the top moments of the French center’s first 100 games.
As impressive as Wembanyama’s highlight reel already is, he says there’s only one thing that really matters to him, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link). “Some people care about highlights, but we care here about the record, the win or the loss,” said Wembanyama, who turned 21 years old on Saturday. “It is the only stat that matters.” After finishing last season with a 22-60 record, the Spurs are currently 18-17, the No. 9 seed in the West.
Point guard Tre Jones looks like he’s finally back to full strength after battling shoulder and ankle injuries for much of 2024/25, according to Orsborn (subscription required). Jones, who has missed 18 games thus far, played both ends of the recent back-to-back, finishing with nine points (on 4-of-6 shooting) and six assists in 18 minutes on Saturday. “Tre has been great,” Harrison Barnes said. “His ability to pick up the other team, the other point guard, apply pressure and then offensively he gives us another ball handler who’s able to get to the paint, able to find guys and get extra plays for us. He’s been great in that regard.”
Third-year forward Jeremy Sochan was sidelined for Friday’s contest, Orsborn notes in another subscriber-only story, but the back injury that kept him on the shelf turned out to be minor, as he was able to suit up on Saturday. Sochan will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.

Heat Notes: Butler, Adebayo, Rozier, Riley, Porter Jr.

January 4th, 2025 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler‘s standoff with the Heat is the NBA’s hottest story and has overshadowed everything else going on with the team, but Butler’s teammates will have to take the court without him beginning on Saturday vs. Utah as he begins serving his seven-game suspension. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays, Bam Adebayo spoke to reporters at today’s shootaround about the awkward spot he and his teammates find themselves in.

“It’s disappointing when you see the organization and a player going head to head like that,” Adebayo said. “But the rest of us got to figure out how to win games. So for me as captain, it’s worrying about the other guys and getting them locked in and ready to go to try to compete and win a game.”

Butler has been one of the Heat’s leaders since joining the team in 2019, but his days in Miami appear numbered. He won’t play in the next seven games and may have suited up for Miami for the last time. That means the rest of the roster has to prepare to move forward without him while leaning on its other veterans for stability.

“Obviously, we still have a great opportunity, a good basketball team. So we don’t want to get caught up in all the news that’s been going around,” Terry Rozier said. “But we have a great locker room. We got guys like (Kevin Love), a vet who’s always keeping guys on their toes and making guys laugh. We got a lot of great guys in there. So we move on and we’ll find out what’s best.

“It’s tough because that’s one of your locker room guys, that’s one of your teammates,” Rozier added. “So it sucks to see that he won’t be around. But our main focus is to try to win games and control what we can control. Obviously, that’s out of our control with the guys in the locker room. But we got a lot of love for him and we wish him the best. We’re just trying to win games now.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Team president Pat Riley may want to reconsider his trademark candor in the wake of the Butler situation, suggests Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. After the Heat were eliminated from the playoffs, Riley reacted to Butler’s claim that they could have beaten the Celtics and Knicks if he hadn’t been injured by saying it’s best to “keep your mouth shut” if you’re not able to play. Riley has become known for direct statements during his long NBA career, but Winderman says that trait may have become counterproductive in player relations.
The Heat have given Butler special treatment for years, but now they’re calling his behavior “conduct detrimental” after he became unhappy about not receiving an extension, Winderman adds in a subscriber-only story.
Excessive pride from Butler and Riley has led to the current situation, but a change is also necessary because the current Heat roster isn’t good enough to compete for a title, argues Greg Cote of The Miami Herald.
Although Butler suggested during his comments to the media on Thursday that his role and his lack of “joy” playing basketball were the reasons for his dissatisfaction, it all comes down to money, contends Chris Mannix of SI.com. According to Shams Charania of ESPN (YouTube link), Butler – who was upset about not being offered a maximum-salary extension by the Heat during the offseason – wouldn’t want to sign that extension if it were offered now. That’s a moot point, since Miami certainly doesn’t intend to put it on the table at this point, but it’s a reflection of how much the relationship has deteriorated.
Exploring possible trade scenarios involving Butler, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald states (via Twitter) that Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., who would need to be included in any deal with Denver, was flagged by the Heat “long ago” for medical reasons. Porter, who had back problems earlier in his career, has been healthier in recent years, and Jackson notes that his talent would be “enticing,” though Miami’s appetite for taking on multiyear salary is unclear.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Hartenstein, Clingan, Jokic

January 4th, 2025 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With Karl-Anthony Towns no longer in Minnesota, rising Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is going through some growing pains this year, expressing frustration about receiving so much attention from opposing defenses, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

Edwards admitted that he’s sometimes not sure how to handle traps and double-teams and admitted that it’s “not fun” to have his scoring opportunities limited and the ball taken out of his hands. As Krawczynski details, Edwards’ “trademark spirit” seems to be lacking as of late, and it didn’t help matters that fellow stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum has big games in wins over Minnesota this week.

“He’s doing a really good job. It’s tough,” teammate Julius Randle said. “I know it’s frustrating. But that’s just the player that he is. He’s that special that nobody is going to guard him straight up. We gotta continue to try to help him out.”

As Krawczynski points out, players like Gilgeous-Alexander and Tatum are a few years ahead of Edwards on the developmental curve, so there’s plenty of optimism that the Timberwolves guard will eventually figure out how best to attack defenses by balancing his scoring and play-making.

“I think everybody has been playing good on my team besides me,” Edwards said. “I got to figure it out, figure out ways to help them. They have been hitting shots lately. I got to figure out a way to get myself involved in the offense by not letting the double-team take me out. I’ll figure it out.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

The Knicks tried their best to retain Isaiah Hartenstein over the summer, but the veteran center believes the outcome of his free agency – he signed with the Thunder, while New York replaced him by trading for Towns – has been “perfect” for both sides, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “I’m in a situation here (in OKC) where it’s going really good. They got a great center, one of the best centers in the league,” Hartenstein said before facing his old team on Friday. “So I think for both parties it was perfect. Knowing (Knicks president of basketball operations) Leon Rose, he’ll always find something. He’s been doing a great job, so he made the right adjustment.”
Besides helping to anchor the defense, Hartenstein has added a new dynamic to the Thunder‘s offense with his passing, as Rylan Stiles of SI.com outlines.
Speaking to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Trail Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan admitted that he’s still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game and that he may have hit the rookie wall “a little bit” during the first few months of his professional career. Head coach Chauncey Billups said he’s got to “do a better job” of putting Clingan in the best possible position to succeed, but noted that the team anticipated it would take the big man some time to get comfortable going up against the best players in the world. “He’s playing against players that are better than players he’s ever seen every single night, to be honest with you,” Billups said. “So the mobility of some of these guys and the versatility of some of these guys have been tough for him.”
Entering the 2024/25 season, Nikola Jokic was a 35.0% three-point shooter across nine years in the NBA. This season, the Nuggets center is making a league-leading 47.9% of his triples. Tony Jones of The Athletic takes a closer look at how Jokic’s work in the offseason and preseason helped the three-time MVP become an even more dangerous offensive player.

And-Ones: All-Star Voting, NBAGL Standouts, Diamond Sports, Rookies

January 3rd, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

MVP candidates Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks and Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets are the leading vote-getters in their respective conferences in the first All-Star fan voting results announced by the NBA on Thursday (Twitter link).

Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James are the other stars who rank among the top three frontcourt players in their respective conferences. In the backcourt, LaMelo Ball and Donovan Mitchell lead the way in the East, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are the top vote-getters in the West.

Fan voting counts for 50% of the total to determine All-Star starters, with players and the media each getting 25%. The fan vote will close on January 20.

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

What do Trey Burke, T.J. Warren, and Jaylen Nowell have in common? They’re NBA veterans who are thriving this season in the G League and making strong cases for call-ups as the 10-day contract window for 2025 opens on Sunday, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes. Smith and Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) also identify some other G League players who deserve to be considered for NBA promotions, with Valley Suns guard Jaden Shackelford topping Murphy’s list.
Diamond Sports Group announced on Thursday that it has exited bankruptcy and will be known as Main Street Sports Group going forward, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The company that was once $9 billion in debt has reduced that figure to $200MM, Vorkunov adds. Diamond Sports Group’s regional sports networks – once known as Bally Sports and now branded as FanDuel Sports Network – broadcast games locally for 13 NBA teams.
Kelly Iko and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic discuss their impressions of some of the notable members of the 2024 rookie class from the Southwest Division, including Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Grizzlies teammates Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells, and Rockets guard Reed Sheppard. Vecenie explains that he’s not worried about Sheppard’s slow start because it’s rare for one-and-done rookies to make an impact for a team like Houston, the West’s No. 3 seed.

Latest On Jimmy Butler

January 3rd, 2025 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Both sides are angry in the Jimmy Butler standoff, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll be traded by the February 6 deadline, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Butler’s comments after Thursday’s game about hoping to “get my joy back from playing basketball” came after a conversation earlier in the day between his representatives and Heat officials, sources tell the authors. Butler was upset because he and his agent believed the team was implying he didn’t play hard in Wednesday’s game against New Orleans, which he finished with nine points and four rebounds in 25 minutes as he returned to the lineup after missing five games with an illness.

Team representatives contend Thursday’s meeting was a “macro level discussion” that addressed concerns over Butler’s behavior as trade rumors have intensified over the last few weeks.

Butler and his agent are claiming that the team threatened to suspend him after the Pelicans game, Jackson tweets, but Heat officials deny that ever happened.

With Butler’s future in Miami almost guaranteed to end following this season, if not earlier, Jackson and Chiang see three potential resolutions. The most immediate is a trade before next month’s deadline, but the authors point out problems with each of Butler’s preferred destinations.

If he’s sent to the Warriors, Miami would almost certainly have to take back Andrew Wiggins‘ contract, paying him $28.2MM and $30.2MM over the next two years. Jackson and Chiang note that the Heat’s projected tax bill of more than $15MM comes in part from giving large salaries to Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier. Another big contract for a non-All Star would worsen the team’s financial position, with Bam Adebayo on a max deal and Tyler Herro averaging $30MM per season.

The same issue exists with the Suns, as the authors state that Miami has “no interest” in taking on Bradley Beal, who is still owed $160MM. However, they believe the equation could change if Kevin Durant decides to ask out of Phoenix amid a disappointing start to the season.

Butler has also reportedly expressed a desire to join the Rockets or Mavericks, but Jackson and Chiang note that Houston has denied interest in taking on older players, while Dallas doesn’t have enough trade assets to interest Miami.

The Nuggets could emerge as another possibility by offering Michael Porter Jr., the authors state. However, they caution that he has also never been an All-Star and is owed $38.3MM and $40.8MM over the next two seasons. A third team would be necessary to complete most of these deals, but Detroit at $14MM is currently the only option with cap space.

Butler could also be traded this summer, either by picking up his $52.4MM player option or declining it and working with the team on a sign-and-trade. The issue there would be that most teams aren’t in position to absorb Butler’s salary outright and would have to send out contracts in order to accommodate him.

If Miami isn’t interested in what Butler’s suitors have to offer, a third or fourth team might be necessary to take on that unwanted salary. Jackson and Chiang project that up to 11 teams are in position to create cap room during the offseason to help facilitate a trade.

If Miami could trade Butler without taking back salary in return, it would leave the team with a trade exception equal to whatever Butler will be making in the first season of his new contract, along with a non-taxpayer mid-level exception worth $14.1MM and the $5.1MM bi-annual exception. They would have 10 players under contract — possibly 11 if Keshad Johnson exercises his $1.9MM player option — at a total cost of about $141MM, roughly $13.6MM below the projected salary cap.

The final option is for Butler to sign elsewhere in free agency, but the authors consider that less likely because only Brooklyn currently projects to have enough cap room to offer a deal in his desired salary range without the Heat’s help.

Northwest Notes: Westbrook, Gordon, Avdija, DiVincenzo

January 2nd, 2025 at 12:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Following Monday’s victory in Utah, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone lavished praise on nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook, who finished with a “perfect” triple-double: 16 points (7-of-7 from the floor, 2-of-2 from the line), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and zero turnovers, with Denver outscoring the Jazz by 23 points in his 33 minutes.

“He came in, and this is a guy who’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Malone said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “One of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. And what I admire so much about him aside from the leadership and toughness he brings every single day, is he’s got no ego.

“He (says), ‘I’m playing with that guy. I’m gonna play through him. I’m gonna make (him) better. And if I do that, that means I’m doing my job to help this team win.’ And he came here for one reason. That’s to help us win a championship. He hates to lose. And that’s what I also love about him. He’s built the right way. I’ll go to war with Russell Westbrook any day.”

ESPN has more details on Westbrook’s big night, with the former MVP becoming just the third player in league history to record a triple-double without missing a shot or turning the ball over (Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis are the others).

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Prior to Wednesday’s win over Atlanta, Malone said starting forward Aaron Gordon will miss at least a couple more games for the Nuggets, tweets Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports. Malone added that there’s currently no return timetable for Gordon, who remains out after aggravating a calf strain. Gordon missed 10 games earlier in the season with the injury and has now missed the past four contests.
After being traded from Washington to Portland in the offseason, fifth-year forward Deni Avdija started his Trail Blazers tenure in a shooting slump, averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal on .346/.233/.813 shooting in his first 13 games (24.9 minutes per contest). However, over his past 19 games, Avdija has scored in double figures 17 times, averaging 16.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.0 APG and 0.8 SPG on .505/.424/.776 shooting (28.1 MPG). “I feel like I’m being more aggressive and consistent in my shooting and driving, finishing around the rim, and just playing hard and competing,” Avdija told Grant Afseth of RG.org. “As I mature, I have more experience knowing when to make the right play, passing, and everything.” Avdija, who turns 24 years old on Friday (happy birthday), also told Afseth he’s looking forward to playing for his home country of Israel at the 2025 EuroBasket tournament this summer; Israel qualified in November, Afseth notes.
In an extensive interview with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo admitted he found himself thinking about how well he played for the Knicks last season and found it difficult to move on after being traded to Minnesota right before training camps opened. The 27-year-old credited an unlikely source for helping change his mentality and rediscover his “joy and love of the game” over the past couple weeks — Dennis Schröder reached out to DiVincenzo for tips on getting acclimated after being traded to Golden State (DiVincenzo’s former club). Then the veteran guard gave DiVincenzo some advice of his own. “He was just straightforward with his words,” DiVincenzo said. “He said that it’s hard. You just have to go out and do it. No matter where you’re at, just be you and just go do it. You look yourself in the mirror and be like, all right, the situation is the situation. Let last year go. This year is this year.”

And-Ones: Bryce James, Draft Assets, Randle, Bailey, Boban

January 1st, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bryce James, the youngest son of Lakers star LeBron James, has officially committed to play his college ball at Arizona for 2025/26, per Tobias Bass and Brendan Marks of The Athletic.

The 17-year-old senior guard is considered a three-star recruit, and is currently ranked as the No. 257 player among his graduating high school class. The 6’5″ wing was also fielding offers from Ohio State and Duquesne.

In his scouting report, Marks notes that James is less physically strong and athletic than his older brother Bronny James was at the point in their respective prep careers. The 20-year-old Bronny is currently a rookie with Los Angeles following a one-and-done season with USC. Marks believes that Bryce will need significant developmental time in head coach Tommy Lloyd‘s system.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

In a fresh ranking of each NBA team’s draft assets, Bobby Marks of ESPN calls the Thunder’s cadre of picks the best across the league. Oklahoma City boasts 13 first-round pick across the next seven seasons, including all seven of its own future picks. Marks ranks the Nuggets’ future draft equity as the worst pick portfolio in the league. Denver has just four incoming first-round selections available over the next seven years, and none available to trade due to protections.
A pair of former NBA players were involved in a recent three-team G League trade. According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), the Kings‘ NBAGL affiliate, the Stockton Kings, traded for guard Chasson Randle from the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves‘ affiliate. Stockton shipped out forward Drew Timme to the Nets‘ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Long Island, meanwhile, sent former NBA wing Amari Bailey to Iowa.
Boban Marjanovic‘s agent, Misko Raznatovic, has confirmed (Twitter link) a prior report that his client is signing with the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. The 7’4″ big man, who last played for the Rockets in 2023/24, logged nine pro seasons in the NBA. In 331 career regular season games (25 starts), Marjanovic averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per night. He kicked off his 2024/25 run with Turkish club Fenerbahce, but was released earlier this month.

Scotto’s Latest: C. Johnson, Nuggets, Bulls, Ingram, Pelicans, Poeltl

December 31st, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The “growing belief” around the NBA that it will take more than one first-round pick to pry forward Cameron Johnson away from the Nets due to his strong play this season and the team-friendly descending/flat structure of his contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Johnson has base salaries of $22.5MM this season, $20.5MM in 2025/26, and $22.5MM in ’26/27.

However, Johnson’s deal also includes significant unlikely incentives of $4.5MM this season, $4.1MM next season, and $4.5MM in ’26/27. Those incentives count against the apron, complicating matters for a potential suitor right up against a hard cap, such as the Warriors.

Golden State and Brooklyn discussed Johnson before agreeing to their Dennis Schröder trade, but those conversations were always considered exploratory and Jonathan Kuminga‘s name wasn’t part of them, says Scotto. Among Pacific playoff hopefuls, the Kings may be a more serious suitor for Johnson, having long expressed interest in him, Scotto notes.

Here are a few more interesting tidbits from Scotto:

There’s “growing pessimism” that the Nuggets and Bulls will make a deal centered around Zach LaVine and Michael Porter Jr., league sources tell HoopsHype. As Scotto explains, Chicago doesn’t want to take on Zeke Nnaji‘s four-year contract and doesn’t want to have to give up assets to get a third team to take it. However, Denver may have to include Nnaji for salary-matching purposes and might not have the draft capital necessary to incentivize a third team to acquire him.
Confirming a previous report that the Jazz and Pelicans briefly discussed Brandon Ingram before he made it clear he didn’t want to sign long-term in Utah, Scotto says the two teams “kicked around” the idea of a package that would’ve included John Collins and draft compensation before talks fizzled out.
Scotto also confirms that the Pelicans will look to duck out of luxury tax territory by moving a player or two prior to February 6. Assuming New Orleans is able to open up a roster spot and has enough room below the tax line, the team would like to promote two-way player Brandon Boston to its standard roster, Scotto adds.
Although Toronto hasn’t made starting center Jakob Poeltl via trade, teams around the NBA are monitoring the situation in case that stance changes before February 6, Scotto writes. The Raptors believe Poeltl, who is under contract through at least 2026, fits with their young core, according to Scotto, who suggests an inflection point could come this summer, when the big man becomes extension-eligible again.
In case you missed it, we rounded up a few more of Scotto’s latest rumors in a separate story focused on Pacific teams.

Pacific Rumors: Finney-Smith, Lakers, Kings, Fox, Clippers

December 31st, 2024 at 3:34pm CST by Luke Adams

After acquiring him from Brooklyn, the Lakers would like to hang onto three-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith long-term, says Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. However, Scotto hears that the early expectation is that Finney-Smith will decline his $15.4MM player option for the 2025/26 season in order to test free agency.

While it’s unclear if Finney-Smith could exceed that $15.4MM figure in terms of average annual salary on a new contract, he could certainly secure a larger overall guarantee with a new multiyear deal.

According to Scotto, besides the Lakers, other teams that had interest in Finney-Smith before the Nets traded him to Los Angeles included the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Kings, and Pacers. That doesn’t necessarily mean all of those clubs will be in the mix if and when Finney-Smith reaches free agency, but they could be some of the potential suitors to watch.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the Pacific:

The next item on the Lakers‘ wish list is a backup center, according to Scotto, who says Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas is still very much a potential target for Los Angeles. As they peruse the market for a big man, the Lakers are expected to dangle Gabe Vincent and their remaining second-round draft capital, sources tell Scotto. The team still controls its own 2025 second-round pick, as well as the Clippers’ 2025 second-rounder.
Teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on the Kings to see if they’ll end up making a panic trade in the hopes of turning their season around, Scotto writes, reporting that Nets forward Cameron Johnson has been a consistent target for Sacramento. The biggest question among rival executives, Scotto says, is whether the Kings would entertain the idea of a De’Aaron Fox trade. There’s a sense from some around the league that Fox would have to request a trade for Sacramento to seriously consider moving him, Scotto adds.
League sources tell HoopsHype that Clippers two-way player Jordan Miller is a strong candidate for a promotion to the 15-man roster if the team can open up a spot for him. In that scenario, San Diego Clippers standouts Tosan Evbuomwan or RayJ Dennis would be among the contenders for the newly opened two-way slot, Scotto writes.

Northwest Notes: Murray, Jazz Rookies, Sensabaugh, Holmgren

December 30th, 2024 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

After signing a four-year, maximum-salary extension during the offseason, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has faced some criticism in recent months for a slow, inconsistent start to the season. However, after averaging 17.8 points per game on .402/.337/.782 shooting in his first 13 outings, Murray has registered 22.2 PPG on .481/.407/.905 shooting in his last 11, including a season-high 34 points in Saturday’s win over Detroit.

“If people are gonna talk about me not making shots, then so be it,” Murray said after that performance, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “I know what I’m capable of. I know what I do. There’s a reason why I’m here, and there’s a reason why I’ve been able to win with this team and be here for years and be able to develop chemistry and all that. So I just let people talk. That’s what they do best.”

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who told reporters that Murray’s best stretch of the season has come in the past “seven to eight games,” noted that the standout guard often gets off to slow starts in the fall before finding his rhythm and producing like an All-Star. Malone stressed that he remains fully confident in Murray and added that he hopes the 27-year-old is tuning out his critics.

“I know that everybody is really riding Jamal Murray really hard right now. That’s not gonna do him any favors, man,” Malone said. “The guy cares. He wants to play better. He wants to help this team. His heart’s in the right place. And supporting him will go a long way. And that’s why I tell guys, don’t look at the damn phone. I don’t give a damn what you guys say about me. And he shouldn’t either.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

The lack of progress so far this season from Jazz rookies Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier is an issue, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who points out that Williams and Collier rank 331st and 332nd in both PER and BPM out of the 332 players who have logged at least 200 minutes so far this season. While it’s good news for Utah’s draft position that the duo hasn’t been more productive, Williams’ ineffectiveness on offense and Collier’s shooting and turnover issues are becoming concerning, Hollinger opines.
The Jazz did see some positive player development in Saturday’s loss to Philadelphia, with Brice Sensabaugh scoring a season-high 20 points and turning in one of the best games of his career, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required). Sensabaugh isn’t a defensive asset, but performance like Saturday’s suggest he may have enough offensive potential to make up for that, Larsen writes.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren‘s recovery from his pelvic fracture is “testing his patience,” according to head coach Mark Daigneault, who says Holmgren wants to be working out and playing, but still needs to fully heal. “I’m not going to give you guys the blow-by-blow of what he’s doing, but you don’t go from like crutches to playing,” Daigneault said on Sunday (Twitter link via Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman). “So there’s going to be a progression, and he’s going to go through that, and he’s right where he should be right now.”