Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Reaves, Reddish, LeBron, Davis

November 11th, 2023 at 10:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Darvin Ham’s decision to change his starting lineup paid off Friday as the Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

Ham replaced Austin Reaves with Cam Reddish in a move designed to create a better situation for both players, Woike explains. Reddish doesn’t need the ball as much, which frees up LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell to handle the majority of the offense. Reaves has a greater license to create with the second unit, which he did Friday, making all four of his shots in the second half and dishing out five assists in the fourth quarter.

“I don’t think, in my mind, it’s a demotion. Because in my mind, I believe in what I do. And I believe that I will finish games and play the right way,” Reaves said. “… But I think if I come out and was playing fine or shooting the ball fine, I don’t think any of this would’ve happened.”

A string of dreadful early-game performances led to Ham’s move. Before Friday, L.A. had been outscored by 74 points throughout first quarters so far this season. Ham said the idea for a change came to him following Wednesday’s blowout loss in Houston and he told Reaves the next day, promising a plan similar to what Manu Ginobili used to do in San Antonio.

“He said all the right things. And I totally believe him. But he’s a prideful dude,” Ham said. “He’s been our starting two guard. It’s an adjustment. But I told him, one, it’s going to balance us out. And when you come in, you’re going to have your own crew. Ball’s going to be in your hands and you’re not going to have to take turns with Bron, D-Lo and AD. Number two, your minutes are not going to go down. … And number three, you’re going to finish the games for us. You’ll be in at the end.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Ham didn’t say how long the new starting lineup will last, but noted that he’ll have more rotation decisions whenever Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent return from injuries, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. In Buha’s view, the team needs to stagger the minutes for Reaves and Russell, who are similar players and weren’t effective together in the starting five.
James is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Portland after suffering a left calf contusion late in Friday’s contest, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The injury occurred when his shin collided with Kevin Durant‘s knee on a drive to the basket. “It never loosened up,” James told reporters after the game. “(It) pretty much locked up right then and there. So I tried to keep my composure, make sure I was OK and try to keep it stretched out and as loose as possible and play the game and be effective. Pretty sore right now. Obviously because the adrenaline is calming down and iced it, now it’s pretty sore.”
Davis said he felt good in his return to the court Friday after sitting out Wednesday’s game with left hip spasms (Twitter link from Spectrum SportsNet). “It took some time to kind of get into the game just with the shots and stuff, kind of just trying not to aggravate it,” Davis said. “But as the game kind of got going, I just stopped thinking about it and started playing. Felt it a couple times throughout the course of the game, but for the most part, it felt good.”

Lakers Notes: Reaves, Reddish, LeBron, Davis, Hayes, Problems

November 10th, 2023 at 10:25pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers made a fairly surprising change to their starting lineup on Friday in Phoenix, with Cam Reddish replacing Austin Reaves at shooting guard. The news was first reported by Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Reaves has had a slow start to the 2023/24 season, averaging 13.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.5 SPG while struggling with efficiency (2.6 turnovers and a .416/.278/.808 shooting line) through eight games (32.0 MPG). But Reddish isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire either, averaging 4.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .306/.125/.786 shooting in 20.3 MPG.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

LeBron James appeared to suffer a lower left leg injury in the first quarter on Friday, limping and exiting the contest following a spin move (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). ESPN has a video of the play (Twitter link), but it’s unclear what may have happened. While he missed the rest of the first quarter, James checked back into the game to open the second period, tweets ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
On a brighter note, Anthony Davis (left adductor/hip spasm) and Jaxson Hayes (left ankle sprain) were both available on Friday, per Price (Twitter link). Davis wound up missing one full game and half of another, while Hayes was sidelined for two games.
Injuries have been an issue for the 3-5 Lakers, with several rotation players missing time, including Jarred Vanderbilt (heel), who has yet to make his season debut. Following Wednesday’s blowout loss in Houston, which dropped the Lakers to 0-5 on the road, James said they lacked “cohesion,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I mean, we can’t build cohesion if we don’t have our unit,” James said. “It’s that simple. It’s just, we’re very depleted on the injury side.”
Still, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes, the team’s problems go beyond just injuries. L.A. has been historically inept in first quarters, posting a minus-74 point differential, the worst mark in league history through eight games. The Lakers have struggled with basic things like energy and effort, along with three-point shooting, rebounding and defense, says Buha.

Injury Notes: Davis, Hayes, Jones, Herro, C. Thomas

November 8th, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Rory Maher

After previously expressing optimism that he wouldn’t miss additional time with the injury, Lakers big man Anthony Davis was ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Houston due to left hip spasms, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

The Lakers were also without reserve center Jaxson Hayes, who is dealing with a left ankle sprain, McMenamin adds.

Davis initially sustained the injury on Monday against Miami, exiting the game in the third quarter. Sources tell McMenamin the Lakers are hopeful Davis will be back in action for Friday’s matchup in Phoenix.

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

The Pelicans were extremely shorthanded on Wednesday, with multiple rotation players sidelined for various reasons. A third starter — wing Herbert Jones — was ruled out ahead of the matchup vs. Minnesota due to a right fibula contusion, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. With so many players injured, all three of the team’s two-way players (Matt Ryan, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Dereon Seabron) received first-quarter minutes, with Robinson-Earl getting a starting nod, Guillory adds (via Twitter). Robinson-Earl just signed his two-way deal with the Pelicans last week.
Heat guard Tyler Herro is off to a strong start in 2023/24, but unfortunately he sustained a right ankle sprain in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game vs. Memphis and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the team announced (via Twitter). Bally Sports Heat has the video (Twitter link), with Herro landing on Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s foot following a floater in the lane. Herro was unable to put weight on his leg after the injury and hopped to the locker room.
Another player off to a terrific start this season is Nets guard Cam Thomas. Unfortunately, he suffered a left ankle sprain on Wednesday vs. the Clippers and missed the remainder of the game, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links), who adds that Thomas will undergo an MRI on Thursday. The 2021 first-round pick rolled his ankle after stepping on P.J. Tucker‘s foot (Twitter video link via Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily).

Injury Notes: Harris, Rozier, Middleton, Plumlee, Rose, Hachimura

November 7th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons, who have been hit by a wave of injuries in the early going, got some more bad news on Tuesday. Joe Harris has an AC sprain in his shoulder and will be reevaluated in 10-to-14 days, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.

Detroit had six other players out on Monday against Golden State due to injury or illness. Harris, acquired from Brooklyn during the offseason, has averaged a modest 3.4 points in 14 minutes this season. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $75MM contract.

We have more injury-related news:

Hornets starting guard Terry Rozier will miss at least the next two games. He underwent an MRI which confirmed a left adductor strain, the team’s PR department tweets.
Bucks forward Khris Middleton will have the night off against the Pistons on Wednesday due to right knee injury management, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.
Clippers backup center Mason Plumlee has been diagnosed with a left knee MCL sprain, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Adrian Wojnarowski. Plumlee is undergoing further evaluation, but he’ll miss at least the next two games.
Derrick Rose has missed the last three games due to left knee soreness and he’s “week-to-week,” according to coach Taylor Jenkins, as Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal relays. He’s among eight Grizzlies players who will be sidelined when Memphis faces Miami on Wednesday, the team’s PR department tweets. John Konchar (hip strain) is listed as doubtful.
Rui Hachimura is listed as probable by the Lakers for their contest against Houston on Wednesday after missing four games while in concussion protocol, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register tweets.

Pacific Notes: James, Bates-Diop, Curry, Mann

November 7th, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers were unhappy enough about the officiating in their one-point loss to Miami on Monday that they complained to the league office, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

They were particularly upset about non-calls involving LeBron James, believing Heat defenders were allowed to get away with illegal contact. He only shot four free throws. Coach Darvin Ham spoke about it after the game.

“I see Bron shooting four free throws and the amount of times he attacked the rim, the amount of times he was slapped on the arm, which I could see plain as day, for that not to be called, man … he’s not flopping,” Ham said.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Keita Bates-Diop is providing the Suns’ starting lineup with a little more size, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic notes. Bates-Diop’s presence at power forward allows Kevin Durant to slide to the small forward spot. “He’s giving good length and defense and rebounding,” coach Frank Vogel said. Bates-Diop was signed to a two-year, veteran’s minimum contract this summer that includes a player option.
Stephen Curry will turn 36 in March and he could become the oldest player to win the Most Valuable Player award if he keeps up his current pace, Kendra Andrews of ESPN notes. Curry is averaging 30.9 points on 55.1% shooting from the field, 46.5% from beyond the arc and 94.4% from the free throw line. “The sky is the limit,” Klay Thompson said. “He might change the narrative of what it looks like to be elite till you’re 40. LeBron is doing the same and Steph is following suit.”
Terance Mann is listed as questionable to play against Brooklyn on Wednesday due to an ankle injury. When Mann is available, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer believes the Clippers wing should start ahead of Russell Westbrook. He would provide better defense, spot-up shooting, and cutting in a starting unit in need of those qualities, O’Connor opines.

Pacific Notes: Harden, Plumlee, Davis, Santos

November 7th, 2023 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

James Harden‘s debut with the Clippers was spoiled by the Knicks, who pulled out a 111-97 win on Monday in New York. But Harden said after the game that he sees “unlimited possibilities” for what he, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook can do together, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

Harden, who admitted that he felt “kind of weird out there” playing in his first game since the spring after not having a training camp with his new team, scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and handed out six assists in 31 minutes of action.

As Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports writes, it looks like Harden will defer primary play-making duties to Westbrook to open games, then sub out early before returning to spearhead the team’s second unit. Despite Monday’s loss, head coach Tyronn Lue was pleased with what he saw from his club’s newest guard.

“He did a good job his first game in a while,” Leonard said, per Youngmisuk. “And it takes time to get his legs under him as far as conditioning. But he did a great job to me, got everybody involved running pick-and-roll very well.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Clippers reserve center Mason Plumlee had to be carried off the court by a pair of team staffers following a collision with Julius Randle on Monday, Youngmisuk notes. The original diagnosis for Plumlee is a left knee sprain, but he’ll undergo further evaluation on Tuesday before the team officially announces a recovery timeline.
Lakers big man Anthony Davis dealt with spasms in his left hip on Monday and had to leave the team’s loss to Miami late in the first half. However, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, Davis said he’s “very optimistic” that the hip issue won’t force him to miss additional time. “Everything’s going to be fine,” Davis said. “I’ll be ready to go for Wednesday, for sure.”
Although he’s getting a three-year deal and a spot on the Warriors‘ standard roster, forward Gui Santos is expected to continue spending much of his time in the G League with Santa Cruz, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN, who says Santos will split his team between the NBA and NBAGL squads.

L.A. Notes: Harden, Clippers, Hayes, Prince, Vincent, Lakers

November 5th, 2023 at 5:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

James Harden will be on some sort of minutes restriction in his Clippers debut on Monday against the Knicks, Adam Zagoria relays in a NJ.com story.

“There will probably be something,” coach Tyronn Lue said of limiting Harden’s minutes. “We don’t want to just jump right into it and play him crazy minutes, so we’ll just talk to the medical staff and just see what’s best.”

Harden will also have to adjust to being off the ball on a majority of possessions when he’s sharing the backcourt with Russell Westbrook.

“That’s what we talked about the last two or three days, is just when they’re on the floor together, just making sure James is off the ball and let Russ be more of the point guard,” Lue said.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

Jaxson Hayes is listed as questionable for the Lakers’ road game against the Heat on Monday due to a sprained left ankle, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register tweets. Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Jarred Vanderbilt are already listed as out due to a variety of injuries. However, Taurean Prince is not on the injury report after missing the last two games due to a knee injury.
Vincent won’t be able to play against his former team because of a knee injury, but he indicated he wanted to return to Miami during free agency. Vincent’s stock rose during the postseason, putting him out of the Heat‘s price range, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I think I had a good playoff run, and I think that changed my value,” Vincent said. “I think once that changed, it just became more difficult. I think Miami wanted me to be there. I think I was naturally looking to return to the team I just had a Finals run with and the team I had been with for the last three or four seasons. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work out. But my value had changed.” Vincent joined the Lakers on a three-year, $33MM deal.
The Lakers have been outscored 117-54 in second-chance points through six games and coach Darvin Ham says it’s simply a matter of effort and positioning, Price writes. “You can’t scheme rebounding,” Ham said. “You’ve got to want to get the ball. Plain and simple. The shot goes up, if your opponent is in your area, you’ve got to get hits, put bodies on bodies and be the most aggressive one to the ball. That’s it. There’s no play I can draw up to get more rebounds.”

Injury Updates: Lakers, Vassell, Booker, J. Murray

November 5th, 2023 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers were missing a few rotation players for Saturday’s 19-point road loss to Orlando. Prior to the game, head coach Darvin Ham offered updates on those injured players, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays (via Twitter).

According to Ham, the Lakers anticipate having Rui Hachimura (concussion) and Taurean Prince (left patellar tendonitis) back “sooner rather than later,” whereas the return of Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) figures to come “later rather than sooner.” Ham added that rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, who is dealing with a right patella contusion, is “still a few weeks out.”

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

The Spurs got good news on Devin Vassell, who underwent an MRI this week on a groin injury. According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the fourth-year swingman was diagnosed with a mild left adductor strain and will be considered day-to-day. While Vassell has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. Toronto, it sounds like he may not miss as much time as initially feared.
Suns guard Devin Booker has been downgraded to out for Sunday’s game in Detroit, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. As Bourguet notes (via Twitter), Booker is now dealing with a right calf strain after already battling a toe injury and a left ankle sprain this fall. He has been limited to just two regular season appearances so far.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray left Saturday’s win over Chicago in the second quarter due to right hamstring tightness. While the team has yet to issue a formal update on Murray’s status going forward, head coach Michael Malone expressed some concern about the nature of the ailment, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link) writes. “You always worry about those types of injuries, because they can stick around for a while,” Malone said. “So we have to be smart about it.”

Heat Notes: Highsmith, Herro, Love, Vincent

November 4th, 2023 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Haywood Highsmith made his first start of the season Friday night as coach Erik Spoelstra continues to experiment with forwards to fit alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in the Heat’s frontcourt, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson notes that Highsmith is the fifth player to fill that role in Miami’s last 11 meaningful games, with Kevin Love, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez also getting opportunities as starters.

Highsmith scored 10 points and stood out defensively on Friday as the Heat outscored the Wizards by 10 points in his 22 minutes on the court. He told Jackson that he’s determined to become a rotation player in his third season with Miami.

“Now that I’m here, I’m here to stay and trying to be an NBA player for a long, long time,” Highsmith said. “Trying to get more minutes and create a role for myself in this league and putting everyone on notice that I’m here to stay.”

There’s more from Miami:

Tyler Herro has shown improvement on defense this season, Jackson adds. In four games guarding Mikal Bridges, Cade Cunningham, Jordan Poole and Cam Thomas, Herro has held them to a combined 8-of-22 from the field. “I’m not a bad defender,” Herro said. “I’m trying to tell you guys that. If you watch the game, I’m decent. I am getting better. I was our best defender at Kentucky. … I have speed and quickness. I can read plays before they happen.”
Love didn’t play at all Friday, but his role on the team won’t diminish, Jackson states in a separate story. Spoelstra indicated to reporters that the lineup change may be temporary and emphasized that he wasn’t blaming Love for the team’s 1-4 start. “I hated having to make that move because Kevin brings so much from a connection and spirit and leadership standpoint,” Spoelstra said. “This is just a move for now. K-Love is going to have a role for us. It’s just for right now, just to stabilize, a move I felt was best for the time being. And we’ll see what happens. I will continue to evaluate until we get our game to whatever we need to get it to.”
Gabe Vincent expected to re-sign with the Heat after last season’s run to the NBA Finals, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. However, the three-year, $33MM offer he received from the Lakers was too good to turn down. “I had an opportunity to perform the way I did in the playoffs, and I think that changed drastically what my offseason looked like,” Vincent said.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

November 4th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters. The Grizzlies have been granted an extra roster spot after moving Ja Morant to the suspended list, so let’s call it 541.

Of those 541 potential roster spots, 527 are currently occupied, leaving just 14 open roster spots around the NBA. Four of those open roster spots belong to two teams, while 10 other clubs have one opening apiece.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s the full breakdown:

Two open standard roster spots

Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers

As we’ve previously discussed, teams can only carry two open spots on their standard rosters for up to 14 days at a time, so the Warriors and Clippers will each have to add a 14th man soon.

That deadline is coming up very soon for the Warriors, who have had two open roster spots since the start of the season on October 24. The Clippers, who just dipped to 13 players following their two trades on Thursday, will have a little more time to decide on their next roster move.

I wouldn’t expect either team to be in any rush to add a 15th man, since both clubs are well above the luxury tax line.

One open standard roster spot

Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Portland Trail Blazers

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Lakers, Heat, and Pelicans are all over the tax line, while the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves don’t have much breathing room below it. Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but they’ll be in no rush to do so yet.

The Pistons are well below the tax, however, while the Trail Blazers have more than enough flexibility to sign a 15th man without getting too close to tax territory. Both teams should be on the lookout for players who would make good candidates to fill those openings.

One open two-way roster spot

Phoenix Suns

It’s no coincidence that Phoenix, the only NBA team without a G League affiliate of its own, is also the only club carrying just a pair of two-way players instead of three.

With no NBAGL team where they can send players for developmental purposes, the Suns will be less motivated to carry a full complement of two-way players, since it’s unlikely they’ll need three of them to regularly contribute at the NBA level unless their standard roster is beset by injuries.