New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Claxton, Raptors, Knicks, Towns

October 30th, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on the NBA’s announcement that the Sixers were fined $100K for violating the league’s player participation policy, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon of The Athletic attempt to parse the somewhat vague language of the NBA’s statement, which said the team was penalized not for resting Joel Embiid but for “public statements inconsistent with Embiid’s health status.”

One league source told The Athletic duo that Embiid didn’t re-injure his surgically repaired left knee during the Olympics, but that there were concerns about the stability of the knee and the possible risk of further damage if he had played last week. In other words, the big man is dealing with a legitimate knee issue despite the team’s insistence that there were no offseason setbacks.

One significant factor in the league’s decision to fine the Sixers was the team’s messaging that the playoffs were a top priority and that the regular season wasn’t, per Amick and Vardon. Sixers president Daryl Morey, head coach Nick Nurse, and Embiid all spoke publicly this fall about their plan to rest the star center frequently – including in back-to-back sets – in order to ensure he’s ready to go for the postseason.

We have more from around the Atlantic:

Nets center Nic Claxton, who is still ramping up his conditioning after missing the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, will sit out Wednesday’s game against Memphis, the second of a back-to-back set, writes Ted Holmund of The New York Post. Claxton hasn’t experienced any setbacks, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez. “It’s basically part of the return to play with his minutes, back-to-back, being cautious with his body and this was part of the plan,” Fernandez said. “So he did a great job. He played those, those extra minutes at 26 (on Tuesday vs. Denver). Right now, we need a good rest and recovery, and then we’ll take the next step. So again, very, very happy with him.”
After officially announcing their training camp roster on Monday, the Raptors 905 – Toronto’s G League affiliate – made a trade to acquire Charlie Brown Jr.‘s returning rights, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. The deal sent the rights to Marques Bolden and three future G League draft picks, including a 2025 first-rounder, to the Osceola Magic in exchange for Brown, who was cut by Charlotte earlier this month.
The Westchester Knicks (New York’s G League affiliate) also announced their training camp roster this week. The squad has no shortage of players with NBA experience, including forwards T.J. Warren, Chuma Okeke, and Matt Ryan, guard Landry Shamet (who is rehabbing a dislocated shoulder), and center Moses Brown.
The Knicks essentially never ran plays on offense for big men Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein over the past couple seasons, so they’re still trying to figure out how best to get new center Karl-Anthony Towns involved on that end of the court. Peter Botte of The New York Post takes a look at those efforts.

Atlantic Notes: Nets Big Lineup, Simmons, Towns, Barnes

October 29th, 2024 at 6:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have experimented with a bigger lineup and thus far, the results are promising, Bridget Reilly of the New York Post notes. The frontcourt of Nic Claxton, Ziaire Williams and Noah Clowney has posted a plus-24.3 net rating.

“It’s great because Noah was committed to shoot the three. Ziaire will let it fly. And if you look at those three guys it’s like a lot of length, size,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We’ve been talking about how small we’ve been, but right now, you see those three guys on the court and you’re like, wow, there’s no room. They’re flying around. Their effort has been amazing. They’re long, so very, very happy to see those guys working well together and doing the right things for the team.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Ben Simmons didn’t suit up for Tuesday’s game against Denver. Simmons was ruled out on Monday due to lower back injury management, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. The former No. 1 overall pick has posted modest stats in three outings this season — 5.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Simmons, who is making over $40MM this season, will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
What does Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson think of the Knicks’ acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns? A whole bunch, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “What an incredible pickup for the Knicks. I mean, as soon as I saw that, I said they are championship contenders, because he’s that good,” Atkinson said. “I think he’s really improved. His defense has improved since his first couple of years [in the NBA]. Heck of a player.”
The Raptors won’t have their top player against the Hornets on Wednesday. Scottie Barnes didn’t travel with the team on Tuesday to Charlotte. He’s undergoing medical assessments after taking an elbow to his right eye in the fourth quarter of Monday’s loss to Denver, Marc J. Spears of ESPN tweets. His condition will be updated on Wednesday.

Atlantic Notes: Schröder, Sixers, Holiday, Towns

October 28th, 2024 at 1:37pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nets acquired guard Dennis Schröder at the trade deadline last season and he’s established himself as an efficient producer in Brooklyn. Across 32 outings with the Nets, he has averaged 15.2 points and 6.1 assists per game while connecting on 42.8% of his shots from beyond the arc. In just three games this season, he’s shooting a scorching 55.6% clip from three (6.0 attempts) and averaging 20.7 PPG as a full-time starter.

According to ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater (Twitter link), Schröder’s continues to signal that he’s interested in staying in Brooklyn long term.

“When I first got traded here, they texted my mom, texted my wife, sent them flowers,” Schröder said. “I love things like that. My teammates from the first day were talking to me, and they made me feel comfortable. That’s all you can ask for. The front office and all those guys, social media guys, everybody is just cool and making sure the players are straight. That’s the reason why I can see myself being here long-term.

“… But it’s a business at the same time, and whenever a decision is made, I just go with it and always remind myself that it’s the best league in the world. So it doesn’t matter where [I’m playing]. Even if I get traded, I always gotta see the positive side of it. But I want to stay here.”

Schröder is under contract through the rest of this season for about $13MM. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers are determining their identity without stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, writes The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “We’ve got a lot of pulling it together, figuring out who we are and all that kind of stuff,” head coach Nick Nurse said before Sunday’s first victory of the season. “I know everybody wants to win yesterday, right? But understand, it’s not that easy to do.” Neither Embiid nor George are participating in five-on-five drills yet. Andre Drummond is holding down the middle with Embiid out, while players like KJ Martin, Jared McCain and Guerschon Yabusele have seen some extended run off the bench.
Boston swung for the fences last year by making moves to add Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, the latter of which came just before the season. The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes that the team’s faith in Holiday led to the Celtics‘ 18th title, and they’ll continue to rely on him in their efforts to repeat. “When Jrue’s at his best, he’s not thinking,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He’s just instinctually reacting and he can change a defensive possession and change an entire game.“
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau coached Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota, helping lead the Timberwolves to a playoff appearance that ended a 13-season drought in 2017-18. However, the Wolves got out to a 19-21 start in the following season and Thibodeau was out. Now, according to Newsday’s Barbara Baker, Thibodeau is excited about getting the chance to coach an older, wiser version of Towns. “You can have a player young in their career and they tend to want to get themselves established first,” Thibodeau said. “As they mature and get older, they realize it’s very difficult to do it individually. You have to do it collectively.“

New York Notes: McBride, Towns, Claxton, Fernandez

October 28th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Miles McBride is a player development success story for the Knicks and has a chance to be the team’s first Sixth Man of the Year in more than a decade, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The fourth-year guard didn’t play much in his first two seasons, but he got coach Tom Thibodeau’s attention by improving his game behind the scenes. He emerged as a rotation member last season and has become a vital part of the second unit following the team’s offseason moves.

“From the front office down to the coaching staff and my teammates, there has been a lot of belief in me,” McBride said. “It gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and do what I do.”

After trading RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto last year, New York signed McBride to a three-year, $13MM extension that’s turning out to be a team-friendly contract. Edwards notes that the organization’s faith in McBride made it easier to part with Donte DiVincenzo last month in the deal for Karl-Anthony Towns.

“Every time he was called upon, he was ready,” Thibodeau said. “I think it was a byproduct of the work ethic. When he went down to the G League, he played really well. Anytime he was thrust into the rotation, he played really well in those situations.”

There’s more from New York City:

Towns appreciates having more chances to play in front of his family after the Knicks acquired him from Minnesota, per Ethan Sears of The New York Post. His father still coaches in New Jersey at the school where Towns once played. “It’s special to be around family more often,” Towns said. “My niece and nephew being able to be at more of my games and being able to see them grow up on my off-days. It’s really special. Definitely special to be back home.”
Nic Claxton is still coming off the Nets‘ bench after missing the preseason with a hamstring injury, but he looks close to reclaiming his starting job, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Claxton played a season-high 22 minutes Sunday night, helping to control Giannis Antetokounmpo while posting 10 points, 11 boards and two blocks. “I’m still finding [my rhythm]. I’m still finding it,” Claxton said. “It’s gonna take some time. But I felt better today being out there just helping out trying to just make something positive happen on every single possession. And I did that.”
The Nets gave Jordi Fernandez his first win as an NBA head coach on Sunday, Lewis adds in a separate story. It was extra special because his family flew in from Spain to watch the game. “You have to enjoy this moment, because there’s only one time that you’re the head coach when you win a [first] game,” he said. “On the other hand, I also feel like what’s the next step, and we’ve got to move on to the next thing. I want to be in this league, I want to be with this club for a long time.”

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Walker, Claxton, Hart, Raptors

October 27th, 2024 at 4:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate, officially announced their training camp roster this weekend ahead of the 2024/25 NBAGL season. The roster features several players who were in camp with the NBA team earlier this month, including Ron Harper Jr., Jay Scrubb, Tristan Enaruna, and Dmytro Skapintsev.

However, there’s one notable absence among the players waived by the Celtics during the preseason: Lonnie Walker.

Walker’s contract with Boston included a $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus that he could earn by spending at least 60 days with Maine, and he said in September that he was “perfectly fine” with the idea of playing in the G League. But it appears as if he’s still weighing his choices.

While playing in the G League may be the most logical path back to the NBA for Walker, there are other options available to him this season. The veteran wing was rumored last week to be drawing interest from Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Nets center Nic Claxton, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury during the preseason, has come off the bench in the first two games of the regular season and has been on a strict minutes limit, logging 15 minutes on Wednesday and 20 on Friday. That limit will increase again on Sunday, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. As Lewis writes in a full story, it sounds like head coach Jordi Fernandez will only reinsert Claxton into the starting five once he’s been cleared for a starter’s workload. “Obviously, you can be creative. But if you go to starter minutes, then it’s somewhere around low 30s, because I think if you do more, health is an issue,” Fernandez said. “But for me, starters usually play starting at 24 all the way to 33-34, that range.”
Josh Hart struggled to find his fit in the Knicks‘ new-look starting five during the preseason, but those frustrations haven’t carried over to the regular season, writes Andrew Crane of The New York Post. After scoring 20 points on Friday in the team’s first win of the season, Hart made light of his preseason comment about feeling “lost” on offense. “I was just having fun with y’all, man,” he told reporters. “I knew I was going to be solid. It was preseason. I have a good feel for everybody. I think we’re all really getting into a rhythm offensively and, more importantly, defensively — playing with each other, seeing where everyone likes the ball and those kind of things. I’m good.”
A lawsuit filed by ex-Clippers strength and conditioning coach Randy Shelton against his former team opens an old wound for Raptors fans, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The suit alleges the Clippers conducted an extensive recruitment of Leonard during his time in Toronto that “leapt well beyond the bounds of the NBA constitution” and included sending then-assistant GM Mark Hughes to about 75% of the Raptors’ games in 2018/19. Leonard, whose desire to play in Southern California was widely known, left Toronto for L.A. in 2019 immediately after winning a title with the Raptors.

Knicks Notes: Towns, Bridges, Hart, Robinson

October 26th, 2024 at 8:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Playing his first home game at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, Karl-Anthony Towns looked to be well worth the price the Knicks paid to acquire him from Minnesota, writes Andrew Crane of The New York Post. Towns was the centerpiece of the offense as New York dismantled Indiana by 25 points. He finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks, a steal and 10 free-throw attempts while appearing comfortable operating under coach Tom Thibodeau’s system once again.

“I just always want to impose a lot of energy into the game and amplify my teammates,” Towns said, “and I thought that was a good opportunity [with the dunk] to get some energy instilled to us — and the crowd obviously was bringing a lot of energy.”

The Knicks were successful with Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein in the middle last season, but they haven’t had a center who can score like Towns for a long time. Jalen Brunson is excited about the potential for the offense as team chemistry continues to improve.

“I’m learning a lot,” Brunson said of playing with Towns. “He has so much gravity on the floor when he’s out there. People have to respect that. Obviously, he’s one of the best shooters in the league.”

There’s more from New York:

Mikal Bridges seems to have calmed any fears about his jump shot, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. There were concerns about Bridges’ shooting mechanics heading into the season, but he went 8-of-12 from the field on Friday and scored 21 points. “No one is gonna shoot great for 82 games,” Thibodeau said. “Oftentimes, you’re in preseason and just trying to work through things and get in a rhythm, and you’re trying to figure out a new system and new teammates. And each day, that gets better and better. But if you think logically, this guy has shot almost 38% from three for his career. Me, I’d bet on that.”
The Knicks displayed resiliency after getting blown out by Boston on opening night, notes Chris Herring of ESPN. The defense was much more aggressive, forcing a rare scoreless night by Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. “Whenever you get your butt kicked on national TV in the NBA, it means you have to step it up,” Josh Hart said.
A source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that Robinson is still expected to return from ankle surgery in December or January, but that timetable could change. Robinson hasn’t talked to reporters since undergoing the operation in May, but he updated his condition Thursday in a livestream video on social media. “You seen what happened when I rushed to come back? I was back out,” Robinson said. “At this point, I gotta make sure I’m good for life, too. C’mon, now. Let’s not be selfish here. … But we’re going to be good. We’re going to be all right. We’re going to be okay. Promise you, we’re going to be straight.”

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 26th, 2024 at 4:01pm 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.

Of those 540 potential roster spots, 524 are currently occupied, leaving 16 open roster spots around the NBA. Three of those open roster spots belong to a single team, while 13 other clubs have one opening apiece.

[RELATED: 2024/25 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s the full breakdown:

Three open standard roster spots

New York Knicks

As we’ve previously discussed in stories about the Knicks, teams can only keep two or more spots on their standard rosters open for up to 14 days at a time, so New York will have to add two players to reach the 14-man minimum by November 5 at the latest.

The Knicks’ roster situation is further complicated by the fact that they don’t have enough room below their hard cap to fit two veteran minimum-salary contracts, meaning at least one of the two players they add to the standard roster will have to be a rookie whom they drafted.

Rookie big man Ariel Hukporti is the frontrunner to receive a promotion from his two-way contract, but it remains unclear who will join him by Nov. 5. Landry Shamet was the favorite to fill the other spot, but won’t be considered until he recovers from his dislocated shoulder. Matt Ryan has been rumored as a potential target, but it might make more sense to have him fill the two-way slot that Hukporti vacates.

One open standard roster spot

Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
New Orleans Pelicans
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Cavaliers, Warriors, Heat, Pelicans, Sixers, and Suns are all over the tax line, while the Pacers, Grizzlies, and Kings 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, meanwhile, still have about $10.2MM in cap room, which could come in handy in an in-season trade. They could add a 15th man if they want to, but they probably won’t do so unless there’s a specific target they really like, since bringing someone else on board would cut into their remaining cap space.

Of all the teams in this group, the Rockets may be the best bet to add a 15th man sooner rather than later, since they’re well above the cap and well below the tax, so there are no concerns related to finances or spending flexibility. Still, they have a deep roster, so there’s no point in filling that roster spot with someone who will just sit on the bench. The Rockets might keep it open unless they get bitten by the injury bug or have their eye on a specific prospect they want to develop.

One open two-way roster spot

Orlando Magic

In past seasons, a team without a G League affiliate of its own might be slow to fill its two-way contract slots, but all 30 NBA clubs now have affiliates in the NBAGL, so there’s no real excuse not to carry a full complement of two-way players.

With training camps set to get underway on Monday for G League teams and the season tipping off on November 8, it wouldn’t surprise me if Orlando fills its lone two-way opening within the next week or two.

And-Ones: Franchise Valuations, Breakout Candidates, Bitim, More

October 26th, 2024 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

Forbes has released its NBA franchise valuations for 2024, and according to Justin Teitelbaum and Brett Knight, the Warriors are the league’s most valuable team for a third straight season, with an estimated valuation of a whopping $8.8 billion. The Knicks ($7.5 billion), Lakers ($7.1 billion), Celtics ($6 billion), and Clippers ($5.5 billion) round out Forbes’ top five.

As Teitelbaum and Knight detail, franchise valuations are up 15% as a whole from last year’s estimates, with an average of $4.4 billion for the league’s 30 teams. Forbes projects that none of those 30 clubs would sell for less than $3 billion if it were put on the market today, with the No. 30 Grizzlies coming in at a valuation of exactly $3 billion.

According to Forbes, new and renovated arenas – which have led to an increase in local revenue via premium seating and sponsorship revenue – have helped spur growth across the league. Teitelbaum and Knight suggest that the Warriors’ total revenue during the 2023/24 season reached $800MM.

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

John Hollinger of The Athletic published an 11-player list of prime breakout candidates on Friday, naming Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Raptors forward RJ Barrett, Hornets guard Tre Mann, and Rockets jack-of-all-trades Amen Thompson as a few of the players he believes are poised for big seasons.
Relaying reporting out of Turkey, Dario Skerletic of Sportando writes that forward Onuralp Bitim is believed to be drawing interest from Anadolu Efes in the EuroLeague after being waived by the Bulls last week. Bitim made his basketball debut with Anadolu Efes earlier in his career and also spent time with multiple other clubs in his native country of Turkey before signing a two-way contract with Chicago in the summer of 2023. He averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 23 NBA games (11.7 MPG) last season.
Grizzlies center Zach Edey sits atop the rookie power rankings published by Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link). Woo’s list, which ranks players based on their potential to make an immediate impact in 2024/25, also has Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, Spurs guard Stephon Castle, and Wizards big man Alex Sarr in the top five.
Ben Golliver of The Washington Post takes a look at the new court designs for this season’s NBA in-season tournament and explains why last season’s issue with slippery surfaces shouldn’t be a problem this time around.

G League Notes: Knicks, Shamet, Ryan, Bronny, Knox, More

October 25th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers‘ G League affiliate, announced on Friday (via Twitter) that they’ve traded the No. 2 pick in Saturday’s NBAGL draft to the Westchester Knicks in exchange for the No. 3 pick and the returning rights to two players (forwards Troy Baxter Jr. and Milhan Charles).

As a result of the deal, the Knicks’ G League team now holds the top two picks in Saturday’s draft, and Marc Stein (Twitter links) reports that there’s an expectation Westchester will use those selections to nab veteran wings Landry Shamet and Matt Ryan, both of whom are draft-eligible in the NBAGL this fall.

As Stein explains, the Knicks want Landry Shamet to be able to rehab his dislocated shoulder within the organization and have been eyeing Ryan as a potential roster addition at the NBA level. Having both players at Westchester wouldn’t stop another NBA team from poaching them, but it would put the Knicks in good position to promote one or both of them to the NBA squad at some point this season.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), there’s still optimism within the organization that Shamet will be able to avoid surgery on his right shoulder injury.

Here are a few more G League notes ahead of Saturday’s draft:

Lakers guard Bronny James will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip from October 28 to November 6 and then will begin bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G League, according to Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who share more details on the Lakers’ plans for the rookie. The NBAGL’s fall “Tip-Off Tournament” begins on Nov. 8.
The Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s affiliate, acquired the returning rights for Kevin Knox in a three-team trade with the Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers) and Westchester Knicks, per a press release. Knox had been in camp with the Warriors, but his contract didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, so it didn’t appear he was planning to join the team’s G League affiliate. Santa Cruz’s trade suggests that may happen after all.
The San Diego Clippers acquired Tosan Evbuomwan‘s returning rights along with the No. 31 pick in Saturday’s G League draft from the Motor City Cruise (Pistons) in exchange for this year’s No. 12 pick and a 2025 first-rounder (Twitter link). The deal ensures that Evbuomwan, who was signed and waived by the Clippers last week, will be eligible for his $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus as a returning rights player for L.A.’s affiliate.
The Texas Legends (Mavericks) have traded the returning rights for guard Mike Miles to the Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves) in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 international draft pick, the team announced in a press release. Miles averaged 10.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 21.4 minutes per game across 29 appearances for the Legends last season.

Atlantic Notes: George, Embiid, Knicks, Hauser, Queta

October 24th, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Sixers star Paul George is continuing to progress well in his recovery from a bone bruise in his knee, but he will not be available for Philadelphia’s upcoming two-game road trip, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The next update on George’s availability will come early next week, per Charania.

Earlier Thursday, head coach Nick Nurse said both George and Joel Embiid were participating in “most of the action” at practice (Twitter link via The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey). The duo did not participate in the five-on-five scrimmages but were doing some live work.

As we previously relayed, the NBA officially launched an investigation into Embiid’s player participation. He has already been ruled out for the first three games of the year. Without George or Embiid in the season opener, the Sixers lost by 15 points to Milwaukee. They next travel to Toronto and Indiana.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The new-look Knicks were the talk of the offseason after making massive swings by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges via trade. However, they were defeated by 23 points in the opener against the Celtics, allowing 132 points. According to the New York Post’s Peter Botte, the Knicks are aiming to recovery quickly, starting at the defensive end. “That’s championship-level basketball. For us, it was a punch in the mouth and we gotta respond,” guard Miles McBride said. “Obviously, it’s a long year. Can’t overreact to one game, but I don’t think that’s how you go into a year and set the tone.“
Bridges acknowledged that the Knicks know they’re a work in progress, according to SNY Knicks (Twitter video link). “It’s not going to be right away,” Bridges said. “It’s going to take time and building. You can be a mediocre, a solid to okay team, but that’s not what we’re striving to be. We have to continue and get better every day.” The Knicks made the second round of the playoffs last year but struggled with injuries through the end of the year.
Celtics wing Sam Hauser, who played 24 minutes in the season opener and scored 10 points, missed Boston’s Thursday game against the Wizards, observes Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link). He’s dealing with lower back soreness.
Neemias Queta made a case for more minutes in the Celtics‘ win over the Wizards on Thursday, Brian Robb of MassLive writes. Queta scored 12 points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes played, holding his own against Washington’s bigs. As Robb writes, the 25-year-old could help ease Al Horford‘s workload with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined.