NBA G League

Lakers Assign Rajon Rondo To G League

The Lakers assigned veteran point guard Rajon Rondo to their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, as he continued his rehab from a broken hand, the team announced in a press release.

Rondo suffered the broken right hand in mid-November and was expected to miss four-to-five weeks. We relayed last week that Rondo would see a hand specialist to determine the next step. He reportedly experienced normal swelling in his right hand earlier this month.

The former NBA champion appeared in 11 games this season prior to the injury, averaging 8.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 4.5 RPG and 1.2 SPG in 25.2 minutes per contest. Rondo began the year as the Lakers’ starting point guard as Lonzo Ball recovered from offseason knee surgery.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/16/18

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Warriors have recalled rookie guard Jacob Evans from their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced in a press release. Evans has appeared in 18 games for the Warriors this season.
  • The Pelicans announced in a press release that they have recalled Kenrich Williams from the Texas Legends. Williams has averaged 13.9 points per game across seven G League games this season.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/15/18

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Bucks have recalled forward D.J. Wilson from their Wisconsin affiliate, the team announced on its website. Wilson averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games with the Herd during his latest assignment.
  • The Pelicans recalled rookie guard Frank Jackson from the Texas Legends, according to a press release from the team. Jackson was assigned to play for the Legends last night and contributed 20 points in a win over Austin.
  • The Jazz assigned center Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, the team announced on Twitter. Bradley is averaging 14.8 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 12 G League games.
  • The Wizards sent first-round pick Troy Brown to the Capital City GoGo for tonight’s game, according to a tweet from the team.
  • The Warriors assigned Jacob Evans to their Santa Cruz affiliate, tweets Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Evans has seen little action in Golden State and is going to the G League to get some playing time.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/14/18

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Pelicans have assigned Frank Jackson and Kenrich Williams to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Since New Orleans doesn’t have an NBAGL affiliate of its own, Jackson and Williams will join the Texas Legends, Dallas’ affiliate, and are suiting up for the Legends tonight against Austin.
  • Rookie forward Jonah Bolden has been recalled to the NBA by the Sixers, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Bolden posted 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists on Thursday for the Delaware Blue Coats.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/13/18

Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/12/18

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • Veteran Knicks shooting guard Courtney Lee has been recalled from his rehab assignment with the Westchester Knicks and will rejoin the NBA team in Charlotte on Thursday, the team’s PR department tweets. Lee scored 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting in a G League outing on Tuesday. He was sidelined by a neck ailment during training camp.
  • Hornets forward Dwayne Bacon and guard Devonte’ Graham were recalled from the Greensboro Swarm after playing in an afternoon game, according to a team press release. In Wednesday’s game against Wisconsin, Bacon totaled 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 30 minutes while Graham notched 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 33 minutes. Both will be available to play against the Pistons tonight.
  • The Jazz recalled guard Grayson Allen, center Tony Bradley and forward Georges Niang from the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s PR department tweets. Allen and Niang combined for 31 points in a loss to Austin on Tuesday.
  • The Grizzlies assigned big man Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle for practice, then recalled him, the team’s PR department tweets. Rabb has played nine games with the Grizzlies this season.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/11/18

As we detailed earlier today in a full story, the Knicks assigned veteran wing Courtney Lee to the G League to get in some minutes and improve his conditioning. Lee struggled a little with his shot for the Westchester Knicks on Tuesday night, scoring 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting (1-of-9 on threes).

Here are the rest of today’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

Assignments:

  • The Jazz assigned Grayson Allen and Georges Niang to the Salt Lake City Stars in advance of the team’s game tonight against Austin, the team announced in a press release.
  • Rookie point guard Elie Okobo was assigned to the G League today by the Suns, as Gina Mizell of The Athletic relays (via Twitter). Okobo, who has been in and out of Phoenix’s rotation this season, started at the point for Northern Arizona tonight.
  • The Bucks assigned D.J. Wilson to the G League in advance of the Wisconsin Herd’s two-game road trip this week, according to the club (Twitter link). A first-rounder in 2017, Wilson still isn’t part of Milwaukee’s rotation, having played just two games for the Bucks this season.
  • Sixers rookie Jonah Bolden was recalled from the G League this morning, then re-assigned several hours later, per Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter links). Bolden has averaged a double-double in four G League contests, posting 15.5 PPG and 12.3 RPG in Delaware.

Recalls:

  • After helping lead the Memphis Hustle to a Monday victory with 25 points and 10 boards, Ivan Rabb was recalled to the NBA today by the Grizzlies, according to the club (Twitter link).
  • The Hawks recalled Daniel Hamilton from Erie, as Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Hamilton posted back-to-back double-doubles for the BayHawks during his latest G League stint.
  • 2018 first-round pick Troy Brown was recalled to the NBA by the Wizards, the team announced today (via Twitter). Brown has averaged 18.3 PPG on 47.5% in four NBAGL games this season.
  • The Pelicans have recalled Frank Jackson from the G League, per a team press release. New Orleans doesn’t have its own affiliate, so Jackson had been with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ NBAGL squad.
  • The Bucks recalled Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd today, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Wood has appeared sparingly in just six games for Milwaukee in 2018/19.

Abdur-Rahim Named G League President

Former NBA All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim will take over as president of the G League next month, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The move will become official January 11 as he replaces Malcolm Turner, who has been hired as the new athletic director at Vanderbilt, adds Adam Johnson of Two Ways and 10 Days (Twitter link).

G League officials confirmed the move this morning (Twitter link), with Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum explaining why Abdur-Rahim was selected.

“Shareef’s unique experiences as a player, team executive and member of the NBA’s Basketball Operations Department make him a fantastic fit to be the next president of the NBA G League,” Tatum said. “He is well prepared to build on the tremendous progress that the NBA G League has made under Malcolm, who deftly oversaw a pivotal period of expansion and transition. We thank Malcolm for his lasting contributions to the NBA and the NBA G League and wish him the best at Vanderbilt.”

Abdur-Rahim played 12 NBA seasons with the Grizzlies, Hawks, Trail Blazers and Kings before retiring in 2008. He was an assistant coach in Sacramento for two seasons and was promoted to an assistant GM role. In 2013, Abdur-Rahim became GM of the G League Reno Bighorns and later joined the NBA league office as VP of basketball operations.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/10/18

Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • In what might be the most significant G League assignment of the season, the Warriors sent All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to their affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced. Cousins is rehabbing from a torn Achilles and is hopeful to return within three-to-four weeks. We relayed Cousins’ assignment and his comments after Monday’s practice.
  • The Rockets recalled Isaiah Hartenstein from their G League affiliate in Rio Grande, per Mark Berman of FOX 26. Hartenstein (Twitter link). The 20-year-old center has appeared in 21 games this season, averaging 2.1 PPG and 1.6 RPG.
  •  The Celtics recalled Robert Williams from their G League affiliate Maine Red Claws, the team announced (Twitter link). Williams has appeared in nine games with Boston on the season and was drafted by the team 27th overall in June.
  • The Bulls assigned Antonio Blakeney to their G League affiliate Windy City Bulls, the team announced (Twitter link). Blakeney has appeared in 24 games with Chicago this season but only played four of their past seven.

DeMarcus Cousins To Practice In G League This Week

Injured Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is expected to practice on Monday with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter links). According to Spears, Cousins will likely scrimmage with the NBAGL club and participate in every aspect of practice that he wants to.

Logan Murdock of The Bay Area News Group adds a little more detail on the Warriors’ plan for Cousins, who is coming back from an Achilles tear, writing that the big man will likely practice with Santa Cruz again on Wednesday.

Santa Cruz doesn’t have a game on its schedule until Friday, and it’s not clear if Cousins will play in that contest – or any others – with the G League squad. However, head coach Steve Kerr explained last week that the team wants the four-time All-Star to at least get in some practice time in the NBAGL.

“We don’t practice much just like any other NBA team since we have so many NBA games,” Kerr said. “He needs more intense and focused practice time. Hopefully, he can get some of that in Santa Cruz.”

There’s still no set timetable for Cousins’ return to the court for Golden State, but we heard a couple weeks ago that he and the team are targeting a post-Christmas return. The Warriors, who hold the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference despite Cousins, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green all missing time with injuries, won’t rush back their prized free agent signing.