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Rockets Notes: Green, Tate, Smith, Whitmore

March 24th, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets coach Ime Udoka considered lineup changes during the All-Star break that might have taken away Jalen Green‘s starting spot, but his show of faith in the third-year guard is paying huge dividends.

As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes, Green continued his scoring binge Saturday night, pouring in 41 points as Houston won its eighth straight game. The reigning Western Conference Player of the Week is averaging 27.8 PPG in March while shooting 51.4% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range, and the Rockets have moved back into the play-in race with a 10-1 record during the month.

“He’s on a hot streak, obviously,” Udoka said. “Just like people have slumps at times, people can go on runs like this. But the main thing is he’s stayed resilient and continued to be confident when things weren’t going great. And all it takes for a really good scorer is to see a few go through. Run off a game or two of hot shooting and it can kind of snowball like this. I’m proud of the way he fought through some adversity. It’s not easy with a newer team and some different demands from a coaching staff and doing different things to always stay the course and fight through it. And he’s done that. Great to see him come out on the other side.”

A little more than a month ago, there were doubts about Green’s long-term future in Houston. Feigen points out that he was scoring just 17.1 PPG midway through the season while connecting at 39.8% from the field and 32.3% beyond the arc. Udoka was frequently keeping Green on the bench for long stretches in the fourth quarter due to concerns about his shot selection and defensive effort. The No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft will be extension-eligible this offseason, so he’s picked a great time to play the best basketball of his career.

“He’s been the key to everything,” Fred VanVleet said. “Our confidence, our pace, our spacing, he’s guarding. When he’s on like that, that’s just another nuclear weapon you have out there that can go give you 30, 40 any time. It changes the way the defense is guarding, changes the defense, the matchups. He’s been huge for us. It’s a testament to him staying with it, working through what’s been an up-and-down year for him. He’s finding it.”

There’s more from Houston:

Saturday’s win was the 35th of the season for the Rockets, which triggered an automatic $500K bonus for Jae’Sean Tate, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Tate, who has been with the team longer than anyone on the roster, has a $7MM team option for next season and will be eligible for an extension this summer.
Jabari Smith could face further discipline from the league after being ejected for fighting with Utah guard Kris Dunn five seconds into the second quarter, according to an Associated Press story. Udoka notes that Smith and Dunn had an altercation in a January game that resulted in technical fouls for both players. “I think Dunn hit him with a shot, and then, they got wrapped up and threw a few punches,” Udoka said of Saturday’s skirmish. “Basically, nothing landed, but as soon as you throw a punch, you’re going to be ejected.”
Udoka said Cam Whitmore has resumed shooting as he works his way back from a sprained right knee, per Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire (Twitter link).

Clippers Notes: Westbrook, George, Harden, Tucker

March 23rd, 2024 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed a report that Russell Westbrook is close to returning from a fractured left hand, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Westbrook has been out of action since suffering the injury on March 1, but a source tells Turner that he could be back on the court for Monday’s game against Indiana. If he’s not ready by then, he’ll likely return Wednesday at Philadelphia or Friday at Orlando.

Lue didn’t confirm a specific timeline, but he told reporters, “Russ is doing well. He’ll play sometime next week.”

The Clippers have posted a 6-5 record since losing Westbrook, who is averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 58 games, mostly in a reserve role. James Harden said the team will benefit from Westbrook’s “veteran leadership, which helps us on the court. Also, he’s on the same mission we’re on, I mean, that’s to win a championship. So, glad to have him back.”

There’s more on the Clippers:

L.A. is locked in a tight race with New Orleans for fourth place in the West and home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. However, Paul George tells Turner that the players aren’t too focused on how the Pelicans are doing. “We’re not looking at them,” he said. “I mean, it’s more so about us. We got to play well and not worry about, ‘We’re in the driver’s seat.’”
George has reached the 20-point mark in nine straight games, and more importantly, he’s fully healthy with the playoffs approaching, per Law Murray of The Athletic. “My body’s just been feeling great, which is allowing me to be aggressive and take the bumps and live in the paint,” George said. “So a lot of that has to do with just, you know, this time of the year. Feeling good, body starting to come together, and just conditioning. So that part feels good, but that’s just the emphasis period. Trying to find success in the paint, getting easy ones at the basket. And that point, jump shots start falling.”
Harden got a lot of reaction to his recent attempt to block a shot by teammate Kawhi Leonard (video link), and he believes it was necessary to inject some levity into the locker room, Murray states in a separate story. “Got to bring some excitement to the team, you know what I mean?” Harden said. “I think these last few weeks has been a fog for us. And I think every team goes through it. So I think just me just trying to create a good energy, a good vibe for this team. Maybe it would have been better if he made the shot, but it gives (us) something to laugh about … some excitement for us.”
P.J. Tucker had to leave Friday’s game with soreness in his right calf, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. He’s listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest against Philadelphia, the team he began the season with.

Northwest Notes: Trail Blazers, Henderson, Gobert, George

March 23rd, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers started five rookies in tonight’s game against Denver, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. The lineup consisted of Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray, Rayan Rupert, Toumani Camara and Duop Reath, marking only the second time that a team has started five first-year players since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970/71. The 2012 Warriors were the first, according to a tweet from the Blazers.

The move was necessitated by the team’s lengthy injury list, which grew even longer when guard Anfernee Simons had to leave Friday’s game in the third quarter after hurting his left knee. Coach Chauncey Billups told reporters that Simons will undergo an MRI on Sunday.

Deandre Ayton missed Friday’s game with tendinitis in his left elbow, which is also keeping him out tonight. Jerami Grant is already sidelined with a hamstring issue, and Malcolm Brogdon has been out of action since early February with elbow tendinitis. Billups expressed hope that Grant and Brogdon can return before the end of the season.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Friday marked Henderson’s best performance since suffering a groin injury during the Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend, observes Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (subscription required). The No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, who posted 24 points, five rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in the Trail Blazers‘ loss to the Clippers, talked about his experience with the “rookie wall.” “It’s a longer season now, so you kind of get that wall a little later,” Henderson said. “After 50 games in the G League, you’re like, ‘OK, let’s play another one.’ But when you hit 50 or 60 [in the NBA], it’s a little tougher now.”
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is determined to not let the pain from a sprained rib keep him out of the lineup, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “You got to embrace the pain sometimes. Sometimes the pain of watching hurts more than the pain of the injury itself,” Gobert said. “It is all about playing through that. As long as I can move, able to impact the game, I am going to be out there.”
The Timberwolves fired a team employee this week for stealing thousands of files, some of which contained “strategic NBA information,” according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Somak Sarkar was charged with felony third-degree burglary.
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune examines the high turnover rate for Jazz rookie guard Keyonte George and how it might impact his NBA future.

Atlantic Notes: DiVincenzo, Randle, Nets, Ramsey

March 23rd, 2024 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

With a short-handed lineup and a poor shooting day from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks relied on their complementary players to get past Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Donte DiVincenzo played “maybe his best game” since signing with New York last summer, according to coach Tom Thibodeau, scoring 31 points and closing out the victory with a 13-point fourth quarter.

“I wasn’t even paying attention to the score,” DiVincenzo said. “I was just trying to make the right play, be aggressive, and the right play they were giving me [was] space at the rim, and I took advantage of it. I didn’t know the score. I was just trying get stops and play the right way.”

The Knicks also got a huge effort from guard Miles McBride, who scored 26 points while playing all 48 minutes, and center Isaiah Hartenstein, who battled through Achilles soreness to contribute 17 points and nine rebounds.

“It says a lot about them and I love the mental toughness of our team, the ability to persevere through things,” Thibodeau said. “When things aren’t going our way, just keep going, then make it go our way and then in the end, find a way to win, whatever it is that we gotta do, that’s what we have to do. And it’s a credit to them. That’s the makeup of these guys and their willingness to commit to play for the team first and put everything they have into it.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks forward Julius Randle still hasn’t been cleared for full contact as he works his way back from a dislocated shoulder, according to Ian Begley of SNY (video link). Randle has been in a holding pattern for several weeks, able to do everything except participate in contact drills.
Interim Nets coach Kevin Ollie was unhappy with his team’s level of competitiveness in today’s loss, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn collapsed in the fourth quarter while dropping its sixth straight game. “You have to counter-punch … talking, loose balls, offensive rebounding. It has nothing to do with talent and it has nothing to do with the ball going in. It’s those little things we have to get better on, we have to double down on. That’s the only way we’re going to win,” Ollie said. “I talked to them about that: How’s your stamina? Not just your wind, I mean from a competitive standpoint. That has to be there every single minute for us to win, and it wasn’t.”
Jahmi’us Ramsey‘s second 10-day contract with the Raptors will expire on Saturday night, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Lewenberg expects the 22-year-old shooting guard to be signed for the rest of the season, probably with a partial guarantee for 2024/25.

International Notes: All-Star Game, Embiid, Wembanyama, Canada

March 23rd, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an appearance with Gayle King and Charles Barkley on CNN (video link), Commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA will consider a U.S. vs. international format to revamp the All-Star Game. It’s one of several ideas that were brought up after last month’s All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, which concluded with the East defeating the West 211-186 in a contest that was low on competitiveness and defensive effort.

Silver called it “a great weekend, but it was not a basketball game,” and said changes to the format are being studied.

“I think maybe as opposed to trying to create a super competitive basketball game, which I am not sure the teams or the players really want, we should do different things and make it a celebration of basketball,” Silver said. “… “We are going to look at U.S. vs. international. I just think maybe we are past that point where we are going to play a truly competitive game.”

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

Joel Embiid opted to join Team USA in the Summer Olympics, assuming he’s healthy enough, but French basketball officials say they had serious discussions with the Sixers center before the decision was made, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Jean-Pierre Siutat, president of French basketball, and former NBA player Boris Diaw, general manager of the French men’s team, contend they had two meetings with Embiid regarding the possibility that he might play for France. “He said, yes, I want to (play), make the (passport),” Siutat said. “So I make the job, with the help of the government, to get a passport for him and for his son. And all the time, he said, ‘I want to play for the national team of France.’” Embiid disputes that version of events through a spokesman, claiming he never asked for a passport, Vardon adds.
Victor Wembanyama is setting the bar high as he tries to win a gold medal while playing at home in Paris, according to a Eurohoops story. “Any other result than the first place would be a failure since we could have done better,” the Spurs rookie said. “You shouldn’t have any regrets, but it’s a very achievable goal”.
Canadian coach Jordi Fernandez is looking to fill out his Olympic roster around a core group consisting of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dwight Powell and Dillon Brooks, notes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Jamal Murray is expected to join them if health permits, and international star Melvin Ejim could get a spot as well. Koreen expects Canada to search around the NBA for the remainder of its 12-man roster.

Heat Notes: Robinson, Herro, Jovic, Highsmith, Martin, Swider

March 23rd, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

If the Heat manage to reach the playoffs, they may head into the postseason with at least one starting position unsettled, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. It’s not clear who would start at shooting guard, especially if Duncan Robinson returns from his back issues before Tyler Herro recovers from his foot injury.

Jackson notes that lineups with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Robinson have fared better than those with Butler, Adebayo and Herro, but only slightly. Both Robinson and Herro provide floor spacing, which has been missing from Miami’s offense during their absence.

“You can’t replace a guy like Duncan who shoots from anywhere, and Tyler, who creates his own shot, and the leadership of (Kevin Love),” Adebayo said.

The Heat have tried several options this season at power forward, although Jackson points out that Nikola Jovic has started the last 14 games when he’s been available. However, Haywood Highsmith has been more productive with Butler and Adebayo, and Caleb Martin has also seen significant minutes alongside the two stars. Coach Erik Spoelstra seems to be committed to using Jovic as the starter because of the overall effect he has on the offense.

“The one thing I do know is they both have great skill levels,” Spoelstra said. “And it’s almost inverted with us, when two bigs can handle. They both can pass. They both can make plays. They can both finish at the rim. And they both feel very comfortable just being facilitators.”

There’s more from Miami:

Robinson has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with Cleveland, but his back is feeling much better, Jackson states in a separate story. Robinson got a positive report from a back specialist after being sent home early from a road trip on Monday. “Thankful it’s not too serious,” he said. “Big thing is making sure [to] calm it down. It’s flared up right now. I’m trying to play as soon as I possibly can. Itching to be back out there. As soon as I get the clear and OK, I’ll be back out there. Taking a couple days helps a lot. The recovery and treatment has helped as well as other things.”
Friday’s game with the Pelicans was much calmer than the teams’ February meeting, which resulted in four ejections and five suspensions, Jackson adds. Spoelstra said before the game that he didn’t expect any bad feelings from the scuffle to carry over. “It’s all behind us,” he said. “This was nothing compared to the ’90s.”
Making his 12th appearance of the season on Friday night, two-way small forward Cole Swider went 4-of-6 from three-point range and scored 14 points in 18 minutes. Earlier this week, he told Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel that he’s ready to help fill the need for outside shooting. “This is what a two-way is for, is for moments like this when Duncan’s out, Tyler’s out,” Swider said.

Sixers Notes: Harden, Maxey, Harris, Oubre

March 23rd, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The James Harden trade saga is a distant memory for the Sixers as they prepare to face the Clippers on Sunday, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Harden began the season with Philadelphia, but he demanded a trade after a falling out with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey over what Harden considers to be broken promises in contract negotiations. After publicly blasting Morey multiple times, disrupting training camp and threatening to hold out, Harden was shipped to L.A. in a November 1 deal.

“I don’t know if anybody’s even mad anymore,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Are they?”

In addition to a reunion with Harden, this weekend in Los Angeles is providing a homecoming for two of the players the Sixers received in the trade, Pompey adds. KJ Martin told reporters he still considers the city to be his home, and Nicolas Batum spoke to a group of French media members following Friday’s game with the Lakers. Robert Covington didn’t make the trip as he rehabs a bone bruise in his knee, and Marcus Morris was traded again in February and later signed with Cleveland.

One Sixers player who’s especially excited to face Harden is Tyrese Maxey, who said he learned a lot during the time they were teammates.

“I tell him all the time [that] he did a lot for me in his short time here,” Maxey said. “Not just for my basketball skills, but for my basketball mind and my basketball confidence. I’m already a confident person. But when James Harden — as somebody who’s an MVP, scoring champ, assist champ, all those things — believes in you [and] he wants you to go out there be ultra-aggressive, even when he’s on the court and Joel (Embiid)’s on the court, you can’t do anything but appreciate that.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

With Harden gone and Embiid sidelined due to meniscus surgery, Maxey is seeing much different looks from opposing defenses than he did at the start of the season, observes Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. Teams are focusing their coverage on Maxey, who said he studies other players to see how they deal with it. “I watch a little bit of Donovan Mitchell, a little bit of Jalen Brunson and a little bit of Kyrie Irving when he was in Boston,” Maxey said. “I’ve watched guys that were either primary or secondary scorers that have gotten trapped, blitzed and different things like that. … They’re able to manipulate the defense and get their teammates open.”
In a separate story, Tobias Harris talked to Medina about the ups and downs he has faced this season and the challenge of trying to remain competitive without Embiid. “The big thing is weathering the storm and figuring out ways that we can get better and continue to build off the positives on what we’ve been able to show,” Harris said. “We have to hold the fort down until we get the big fella back and all of our pieces are all together. Hopefully we get (De’Anthony) Melton back as well.”
Kelly Oubre has embraced Bruce Lee’s “be water” philosophy as he adapts to a constantly changing role, Pompey adds in another piece.

Southeast Notes: Poole, Banchero, Harris, Bridges

March 23rd, 2024 at 3:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Wizards guard Jordan Poole has been a frequent target of criticism on social media for errors he makes, sometimes edited to make him look worse and sometimes not, but he understands that the platforms amplify outrage, and he doesn’t pay attention to it, writes Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports.

“I get what it’s for, but you can be overwhelmed with that stuff,” he said. “I can’t do anything about it, right? Just live with it. That’s our generation’s challenge.”

That doesn’t mean Poole is ignorant of what some people think about him. It has been a rough adjustment in his first season with Washington, which hasn’t gone as he or anyone else had hoped on the court. Yet Poole’s confidence remains unshaken, Weitzman notes.

“Everything that I’ve done [in my career] has essentially worked,” Poole said of the outside criticism. “So there’s no need to change anything. Just find ways to get a little bit better, wherever I can.”

Martenzie Johnson of Andscape recently published an interesting profile of Poole as well, writing that the 24-year-old’s brash, flashy game stands in stark contrast to what he’s like off the court — an introspective, process-oriented person who’s a diligent worker and very private. Based on how he plays, you’d think Poole enjoys attention, but the opposite is true, according to Johnson.

Poole has been playing better since becoming the primary play-maker off the bench, both authors note, averaging 19.8 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.9 RPG and 1.1 SPG on .434/.374/.884 shooting over his past 16 games (29.0 MPG), though he’s recently been starting at point guard in place of the injured Tyus Jones, who will miss his fifth straight game on Saturday with a back injury. Poole is questionable for Saturday’s contest vs. Toronto with a right hip contusion, the team announced (via Twitter).

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Magic forward Paolo Banchero had his second career triple-double in Thursday’s victory over New Orleans, and head coach Jamahl Mosley praised the former No. 1 overall pick after the performance, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter video link). “He reads what the defense is doing, he adjusts as the game is going on and then he finds his time to pick, time to attack,” Mosley said as part of larger quote. “That’s growth of a young man but it’s also what an All-Star does, it’s what great players do.”
Magic guard Gary Harris exited Thursday’s contest with right foot soreness and did not return, per the team (Twitter link). Harris had been questionable for Saturday’s game against Sacramento with a right plantar fascia strain, Beede tweets, but he was ruled out this afternoon, the Magic announced (via Twitter). Harris, who is on expiring $13MM contract, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The 29-year-old veteran has been limited to 94 games over the past two seasons due to various injuries.
Forward Miles Bridges missed all of last season after pleading no contest to a felony domestic violence charge. He remains close with his college head coach, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, who believes Bridges has found a good home with the Hornets, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “I think it would be good for him,” Izzo said of Bridges potentially re-signing with the Hornets. “That’s what he is — he’s a pretty loyal guy and I don’t think he’s just chasing the money. He’s had a chance to leave already probably, you know? And I talk to him about it. It’s almost refreshing. He’s kind of an old school throwback, young school guy. And if he just gets everything else straightened out, which he will, I think it’s going to be special.” Bridges will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason after signing a one-year qualifying offer in 2023.

New York Notes: Claxton, Clowney, Anunoby, Hartenstein

March 23rd, 2024 at 1:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Nets center Nic Claxton only attempted three shots in Tuesday’s loss to Milwaukee, which was a season low, and the team would be wise to get him more involved before he hits unrestricted free agency this offseason, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required).

“I’m open a lot,” Claxton told the Post. “I’ve just got to keep putting myself in the right spots and hope that I get the ball.”

According to Lewis, Claxton has been Brooklyn’s most consistent player in 2023/24, and has shown improvement as a play-maker and in the pick-and-roll, with interim head coach Kevin Ollie calling the 24-year-old the team’s “hub.”

“He’s a great passer. He’s unselfish,” Ollie said of Claxton. “We run a lot of our backside action with him with the ball, some of our high frequencies of offensive possessions, of our (dribble hand-offs) with him handling it, and then him being able to hand it off to Dennis (Schröder) or Mikal (Bridges), then him rolling behind that and getting some lobs, which has been great.

“Him doing those different things has allowed us to play freer basketball. I’m gonna continue to allow him to do that. I allow him to push the ball up the court, take advantages there. I just want him to play unlocked basketball and continue to be our hub. But with freedom comes discipline, too. He has to take care of the ball and continue to do those certain things as well.”

However, as Lewis writes, if Claxton’s lack of touches continues, it’s possible he might begin to question his role and future with the Nets. According to Lewis’ sources, Claxton is expected to command $20MM+ annually on the open market this summer.

Here are a few more notes on the league’s two New York-based teams:

Rookie big man Noah Clowney had one of the better outings of his young career on Thursday vs. Milwaukee, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds while showcasing an ability to switch across multiple positions on defense, per Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily. The Nets were plus-10 in Clowney’s 14 minutes. He has only appeared in 11 games for an average of 9.1 MPG, having spent most of his rookie campaign in the G League with Long Island. While some fans have been clamoring for Clowney to play power forward instead of center, Kaplan says in the long run the 19-year-old’s overall development is much more important than the position he ends up playing in the future.
Knicks forward OG Anunoby was ruled out for his third straight game on Saturday vs. the Nets, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Anunoby is dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired elbow, with the team officially listing him out for right elbow injury management. It’s unclear when the impending free agent will return to action — he played three games last week before the elbow flared up, and while it’s reportedly improving, he continues to be sidelined for now.
He isn’t quite the defender Mitchell Robinson is, but Isaiah Hartenstein is a much better passer and he’s done an admirable job filling in as the Knicks‘ starting center, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). Another impending free agent, Hartenstein said he tries to make a positive impact no matter what his role is. “I tell everyone in the NBA you always have to sacrifice,” Hartenstein said. “Before, especially when we had Julius (Randle), we had all those guys, I had a kind of different role. Now I’m playing how I’m used to playing.”

Nemanja Bjelica Retires

March 23rd, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

Veteran forward Nemanja Bjelica announced his retirement from professional basketball via his Instagram on Saturday (hat tip to Sportando).

Bjelica played seven seasons in the NBA with the Timberwolves, Kings, Heat and Warriors, winning a title with Golden State in what would be his final NBA season in 2021/22.

“20 years… thank you basketball…,” Bjelica’s Instagram post reads.

Bjelica began his career in 2007 while playing with the Traiskirchen Lions in the Austrian League. He went on to be selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2010 draft but didn’t make his way to the NBA until 2015, when he signed with the Wolves.

Over the course of his career, Bjelica became well-regarded as a stretch four and reliable rotation piece. He had his two best statistical seasons of his career in 2018-20 while playing with the Kings, where he averaged 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 41.1% from three and starting in 137 of his 149 appearances.

Bjelica was traded from the Kings to Miami at the 2020 deadline and then signed with the Warriors in 2021. He averaged 6.1 points in the regular season (71 games, 16.1 minutes) to help the Warriors to the playoffs and eventually the title.

After leaving the NBA in 2022, Bjelica returned to Fenerbahce, where he had earned a EuroLeague MVP award in 2015. He was released after the season and then made the move to Crvena Zvezda in Serbia but didn’t play a game. Reports surfaced in October 2023 that Bjelica might retire, due in part to injury issues. Today’s news confirms that’s his plan.

In 449 career games (162 starts) in the NBA, Bjelica averaged 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 46.6% from the floor and 38.4% from beyond the arc.

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