- Kenneth Lofton Jr.‘s four-year contract with the Grizzlies is guaranteed for next season and is worth a total of $6,927,014, but it’s non-guaranteed for 2024/25 and includes a team option in 2025/26, Hoops Rumors has learned. He received a $1MM salary for 2022/23, which was well above his prorated minimum. The remaining three years are at the minimum salary. Lofton had his two-way contract converted over the weekend.
Taylor Jenkins of the Grizzlies and Doc Rivers of the Sixers were named the NBA’s March/April Coaches of the Month for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter).
Jenkins’ 14-8 record in March and April was the West’s second-best mark behind the Lakers (14-6). The Grizzlies’ head coach perhaps earned extra marks for dealing with some Ja Morant-related drama and Brandon Clarke‘s season-ending injury during that time.
Meanwhile, no NBA team won more games in March and April than Rivers’ Sixers, who went 15-7 to lock up the No. 3 seed in the East.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Reggie Perry, a 2020 second-round pick who appeared in 36 games for the Nets, Trail Blazers, and Pacers from 2020-22, has signed with South Korea’s LG Sakers, the team announced on Instagram (hat tip to Sportando). Perry is headed overseas after spending most of the 2022/23 season with the Raptors 905 in the G League.
- The NBA announced in a press release that the league set a new single-season record for total attendance in 2022/23, establishing new high water marks for both league-wide attendance (22,234,502) and average attendance per game (18,077). Both of those records were previously set in 2017/18.
- In a pair of tweets, Bobby Marks of ESPN identifies several of the players who earned bonus money by achieving regular season incentives, led by Knicks forward Julius Randle ($2.4MM) and Celtics wing Jaylen Brown ($2.1MM)
- Is the concept of “voter fatigue” a myth? For the most part, yes, as Howard Beck explains in an interesting piece for GQ Sports.
- Agent Raymond Brothers – who represents Markelle Fultz, Immanuel Quickley, and Precious Achiuwa, among others – has left Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports and returned to his former agency, IAM Sports, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Brothers said in a statement that he holds Roc Nation in the “highest regard” and wishes them well.
- The two-way contracts recently signed by RaiQuan Gray (Nets), Dereon Seabron (Pelicans), Jacob Gilyard (Grizzlies), and Xavier Sneed (Hornets) all include a second year.
Now that they know they can’t count on having Steven Adams back for the playoffs, the Grizzlies must embrace the new identity they’ve been establishing without Adams – and his offensive rebounding and screen setting – available, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
As Cole outlines, that means Jaren Jackson Jr. may face more challenging defensive assignments in the postseason and that everyone will have to help out on the glass, including guards Ja Morant and Desmond Bane.
Cole also suggests that the Grizzlies should look to take advantage of the added versatility of their Adams-less lineups, since having David Roddy, Xavier Tillman, or Santi Aldama on the court makes the team more switchable on defense.
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Jackson believes he should win this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award, telling Tim MacMahon of ESPN that he wants it “bad.” However, while Jackson’s ability to protect the rim and anchor the Grizzlies’ defense was his greatest asset during the regular season, his scoring on offense might ultimately determine how high the team’s ceiling is this spring, according to MacMahon, who notes that the big man averaged 22.7 points per game on 51.1% shooting in the nine games Morant missed in March.
- Writing for the Commercial Appeal, Cole looks back at the Grizzlies’ decision to select Ziaire Williams at No. 10 in the 2021 draft. Williams spent much of the 2022/23 season playing in the G League and battling injuries. Meanwhile, Trey Murphy – whom the Pelicans selected with the No. 17 pick they received from Memphis in the trade that also included the No. 10 pick, Adams, and Jonas Valanciunas – has enjoyed a breakout year in New Orleans, averaging 20.4 points per game on .506/.453/.903 shooting in his last 18 games.
- In an exclusive report, Gus Garcia-Roberts and Molly Hensley-Clancy of The Washington Post provide more details on the off-court incidents that Morant was involved in during the past year and suggest that local police didn’t investigate those incidents as thoroughly as they could have. The Post’s duo identified and interviewed the teenager who was punched by the Grizzlies guard in a pickup game and spoke to a shoe salesman at a Memphis mall who said he was shaken up after allegedly being threatened by Morant.
1:48pm: The Grizzlies have officially announced their series of roster moves, including a two-way deal for guard Jacob Gilyard, which was first reported by Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
An undrafted rookie in 2022, Gilyard spent the season with the Memphis Hustle in the G League and led the NBAGL in assists per game (9.7). He’ll occupy the two-way slot previously held by Lofton, while Lofton moves into the 15-man roster spot that had been held by Chandler.
12:39pm: The Grizzlies are promoting rookie two-way forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. to their standard roster, and will sign him to a four-year, $7MM contract, Lofton’s agent Mike George informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).
Lofton was recently named the 2022/23 G League Rookie of the Year. With the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, he averaged 20.2 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.2 SPG and 0.6 BPG across 17 games, including 15 starts.
The 6’7″ power forward has appeared in 23 games for the Grizzlies proper, posting modest averages of 3.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG and 0.9 SPG in 5.9 MPG.
Woj notes that Lofton is being inked to Memphis’ standard 15-man roster in part to address the absence of center Steven Adams, who is reportedly likely to miss the entire 2023 postseason due to the lingering effects of his right knee injury. Adams is one of two key big men unavailable for the Grizzlies — reserve power forward Brandon Clarke tore his Achilles in early March.
Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian tweets that Lofton, who would have entered restricted agency this summer if not for his new deal, has impressed the Grizzlies with his development thus far this season.
To carve out roster space for Lofton, Memphis is releasing rookie guard Kennedy Chandler, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Chandler, 20, was selected with the No. 38 pick in the 2022 draft out of Tennessee. As Charania notes, Chandler had been on a long-term agreement with the club, and should now garner significant attention on the waiver wire or as a free agent if he manages to clear waivers.
Herrington adds (via Twitter) that Chandler flashed promise with his ball-handling and defense this season, and may be a better fit on a team that will have more patience as he develops. The 51-30 Grizzlies are clearly prioritizing win-now pieces.
Memphis will be on the hook for Chandler’s guaranteed cap hits in 2023/24 ($1.72MM) and ’24/25 ($2.02MM) if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
Starting Grizzlies center Steven Adams will likely miss Memphis’ entire postseason run, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Adams has been sidelined for Memphis since suffering a PCL sprain in his right knee in late January. Last month, he received a stem cell injection to treat the ailment and was ruled out for another four weeks.
As Tim MacMahon of ESPN notes, the Grizzlies initially expected Adams to miss three-to-five weeks with the injury.
Memphis had high expectations for the 29-year-old coming into the season, and accordingly had signed him to a two-year, $25.2MM extension during training camp. The 6’11” Adams had been an integral part of the Grizzlies’ defensive identity when healthy this season, averaging 8.6 PPG on 59.7% shooting from the field, 11.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 BPG and 0.9 SPG.
The Grizzlies will miss not only his rebounding acumen, impossible screens and defense around the rim, but also his solid play-making from out of the high post.
Memphis, the No. 2 seed in the West at 51-30, will need to lean more heavily on Adams’ backup, Xavier Tillman, who has performed ably in his stead. Across his 29 starts sans Adams, Tillman is averaging 9.7 PPG and 6.7 RPG.
Rookie two-way forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. is being elevated onto Memphis’ standard roster to help address the loss. The Grizzlies are also without key reserve big man Brandon Clarke for the 2023 postseason due to a torn left Achilles tendon.
Following a review, the NBA has rescinded a technical foul that attendant referees had previously assessed Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane, the league has announced (Twitter link).
Bane was whistled for the infraction midway through the third quarter of Memphis’ eventual 138-131 overtime loss to the Pelicans Wednesday. He punched the air after he failed to snare an offensive rebound (Twitter video link), hardly tech-worthy behavior.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has revealed that San Antonio intends to play in Austin every year moving forward to help grow its brand, per Tom Orsbron of The San Antonio Express News. “The bottom line is the Spurs organization just wants to expand the territory,” Popovich said. “We live here in this region, all the way from Mexico all the way to up here, and we’d like to spread that experience we’ve had with the Spurs to another area, and to do that we have to make the effort to be seen and to get up here and to play some games. And I think we will do that every year now. I don’t think, I know, and this is the start of it.” San Antonio is playing twice at the Moody Center in Austin this season, against the Trail Blazers today and Timberwolves Saturday.
- The rebuilding Rockets are hoping to improve enough to take the next step in their evolution in 2023/24, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “We’re definitely on the right track and we’re beating some teams that are trying to make a playoff run,” forward Jae’Sean Tate said. “Our record might not say it, but things around here are definitely different and trending in the right direction.” The team is 20-60 this year.
- Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram is evolving as a star and team leader, opines William Guillory of The Athletic. Across his past 10 games, during which New Orleans has gone 8-2, Ingram has been averaging 28.8 PPG, 8.7 APG, 6.3 RPG, and 0.6 SPG.
- Due to the Rose Rule language included in his rookie scale extension, Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant would earn a projected $233,160,000 if he makes an All-NBA team again this season, compared to $194,300,000 if he doesn’t. Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commericial Appeal takes a look at Morant’s chances of making one of the three All-NBA teams, writing that the star’s eight-game suspension shouldn’t be held against him from a merit standpoint, as he has already appeared in more games than last season. However, Morant faces stiffer competition with so many guards having strong seasons, and if he does make it, which is far from a lock, he might be the sixth and final guard selected, according to Giannotto.
Ja Morant watched Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. raise their play to another level during his suspension, but the Grizzlies still need Morant to take over games in clutch time, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Cole notes that when Morant returned to the team, he talked to coach Taylor Jenkins about how he could alter his game so he wouldn’t take anything away from Bane and Jackson.
Morant is averaging 22.5 points and 7.3 assists since he resumed playing while shooting 43% from the floor and 20% from three-point range. Cole points out that all those numbers are below Morant’s averages for the season and observes that his tendency to overdribble may come from trying to figure out his new role in the offense.
“For me, it’s getting used to pretty much not being the main option,” Morant said. “Just finding my spots. We got Jaren and Des who have took over that role for us. For me, just getting them the ball and then when I get my chance, just take it.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Mavericks‘ postseason hopes are in jeopardy after Sunday’s loss in Atlanta wrapped up a 1-4 road trip, notes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. At 37-42, Dallas is a game behind the 10th-place Thunder and will need some help to reach the play-in tournament. “We know the situation we’re in,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re playing catch-up. And we got to find a way to win. Right now, we’re coming up short. We need to win games and unfortunately we’re not winning right now.”
- The Mavericks may have larger concerns in the offseason because their franchise player, Luka Doncic, appears so “despondent,” Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated says in a podcast with Chris Mannix (video link). Doncic hasn’t jelled with Kyrie Irving since he was acquired in February, and Dallas faces the unpleasant choice of giving Irving a huge contract in free agency or having Doncic play next season with a below-average roster.
- Kelly Iko of The Athletic addresses the Rockets‘ coaching situation, suggesting it’s not certain that Stephen Silas will be replaced after the season ends. He says it’s possible Silas will be brought back for another year with more veterans on the roster, although the front office will explore other options such as Ime Udoka, Frank Vogel or Nick Nurse if he becomes available.
First-year forward Kenneth Lofton Jr., who is on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies, has been named the G League Rookie of the Year for the 2022/23 season, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Lofton has appeared in just 19 games and averaged only 5.5 MPG at the NBA level in his first professional season after signing with the Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana Tech. However, he played a major role for the Memphis Hustle, the team’s G League affiliate.
In 17 regular season games for the Hustle, Lofton averaged a double-double (20.2 PPG, 10.5 RPG) despite logging a modest 28.6 minutes per night. He shot 53.9% from the floor and also chipped in 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. Lofton’s performance helped the Hustle secure the No. 2 seed in the NBAGL’s Western Conference with a 23-9 record.
Lofton will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer, since his two-way contract only covers the 2022/23 season.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), Warriors two-way guard Lester Quinones and Rockets two-way forward Darius Days finished second and third, respectively, in Rookie of the Year voting.
Quinones averaged 21.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 4.8 APG in 31 G League regular season games (32.0 MPG) for the Santa Cruz Warriors, while Days put up 24.4 PPG and 9.7 RPG on .486/.371/.857 shooting in 29 contests (35.6 MPG) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.