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Lakers Notes: Play-In Picture, Vincent, Timer’s Error, Vanderbilt, LeBron

April 13th, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

There are countless ways the Western Conference standings could end up, but the Lakers‘ mission is clear heading into Sunday’s game, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Regardless of what else happens, L.A. can secure the No. 8 seed with a victory at New Orleans. That would avoid a potential meeting with the Warriors in the 9-10 matchup with both teams’ seasons on the line.

“Every game matters,” LeBron James said. “Every seed matters.”

The Lakers know that from experience after rising from the seventh seed to reach the Western Conference Finals last season. Woike notes that the worst-case scenario they face on Sunday would be losing to the Pelicans while Golden State and Sacramento both win, which would drop L.A. to No. 10. The Lakers could finish ninth with a loss if either the Warriors or Kings also lose.

Sunday’s game will be challenging because New Orleans, which has won four straight, is also highly motivated. A victory would ensure the sixth seed for the Pelicans, who are just one game ahead of Phoenix.

“They got a lot of weapons on both sides of the floor. And we have to be able to play the right way,” Anthony Davis said after a narrow win Friday at Memphis. “We can’t play how we played tonight, the turnovers and letting them get offensive rebounds and sloppy play. They’ll take advantage of it.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Gabe Vincent delivered his best game since returning from knee surgery to help L.A. avoid a costly loss to the Grizzlies, Woike adds. Playing for just the 10th time this season, Vincent logged 19 minutes off the bench and was a plus-27. “Gabe’s a winner. It’s that simple,” James said. “And as he continues to get his legs up underneath him, hopefully he has enough time, hopefully we continue to give him enough time to get his legs up underneath him. But he’s a winner. That’s why we brought him on.”
The NBA confirmed that a timer’s error added an extra 1:06 to Friday’s game, per Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Play was stopped for a shot clock violation with 1:14 left in the third quarter, but the game clock was reset to 2:20 without anyone catching the mistake. “The error was not noticed in real time by the teams, the referees, the game clock operator or the stats crew,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said. “While unfortunate, the error was not identified in time to resolve the situation in-game.”
There’s no clarity on Jarred Vanderbilt‘s status as the regular season winds down, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The power forward hasn’t played since February 1 because of a sprain in his right foot, and coach Darvin Ham offered only a brief update on his condition. “He had a good workout [Friday],” Ham said, “so we’ll see.”
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report examines how the Lakers would be affected if James decides to turn down his $51.4MM player option this summer.

Raptors Re-Sign Malik Williams For End Of Season

April 13th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

After his 10-day contract expired on Friday, Malik Williams has signed with the Raptors for the rest of the season, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. The new deal only covers Sunday’s game and doesn’t extend to 2024/25, Murphy adds.

Williams appeared in six games and made two starts for Toronto during his first 10 days with the team. He averaged 2.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per night while shooting 22% from the field. His best game was Wednesday against Brooklyn when he scored seven points and collected 14 boards in 24 minutes of action.

The 25-year-old center is playing in the NBA for the first time after going undrafted out of Louisville in 2022. He played one season in Poland before joining Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, for the start of this season. He averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 42 Showcase Cup and NBAGL regular season games with Sioux Falls.

Williams’ future with the organization is uncertain after the Raptors close the season tomorrow at Miami. The new contract suggests he made a positive impression on the front office, so he could be part of Toronto’s Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Nets Notes: Clowney, Claxton, Finney-Smith, Thomas

April 13th, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

The late-season emergence of Noah Clowney has the Nets believing he might develop into an effective power forward alongside Nic Claxton, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Clowney and Claxton have been seeing time on the court together lately in a Twin Towers look that Lewis notes is rare in Brooklyn since Sean Marks took over as general manager in 2016.

“I think the league is kind of [changing] — it’s not all about small-ball anymore,” Claxton said. “You see a lot of teams that have two bigs on the court. They have more size on the court. And that’s an area that we’ve really lacked in the past, so maybe that can fix our problems.”

At 19, Clowney is the league’s fourth-youngest player and he needed time to develop his game in the G League after being selected with the 21st pick in last year’s draft. He has appeared in just 22 NBA games and has only been used alongside Claxton in eight of those, but there are signs that they can work together. They combined for 12 blocked shots Wednesday against Toronto, and they’ve been the team’s best two-man combination at +22.8 heading into Friday night.

“If we can figure out how to be real efficient offensively — because we know we can defensively — but if we can figure out how to do it offensively,” Clowney said, “then I think we can be real dangerous together.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

If the Nets view Clowney as a rotation player for next season, that could influence their offseason plans, Lewis adds. Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith have split time at power forward for most of the season, but both are undersized for the position and Clowney could make one of them expendable. Sources tell Lewis that the Nets turned down offers for Finney-Smith at the last two trade deadlines. He’ll turn 31 next month and is signed for $14.9MM next season with a $15.4MM player option for 2025/26.
Claxton, who’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that the chance to negotiate a new contract comes at a perfect time. “I feel great. I’m in a great situation,” he said. “These past couple of years have been really good. I somewhat gambled on myself with a shorter contract, and it’s all paying off.” Scotto views Claxton, who’s in the final season of a two-year, $17.25MM deal, as the top center on the free agent market. Claxton adds that “being a playoff team and winning games” will factor into his decision.
Cam Thomas believes his improved performance is a result of getting regular playing time (video link from Erik Slater of Clutch Points). Thomas more than doubled his scoring average in his third NBA season, bringing it to 22.5 PPG in 65 games. “You can’t really develop anywhere if you don’t play,” he said. “… So this year, I really took the reps I got and made the most of them. … First two years, I’m in and out of the lineup, I don’t know when I’m gonna play again. … This year, I’m playing.”

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Mamukelashvili, Branham, Graham

April 13th, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Victor Wembanyama‘s remarkable rookie season is officially over, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Wembanyama is listed as out for right ankle injury management on the Spurs‘ report for Sunday’s finale with Detroit.

After being the most anticipated draft pick in 20 years, the French big man made a powerful impact during his first NBA season, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a league-leading 3.6 blocks in 71 games. Lopez notes that he’s the first rookie to reach those numbers since blocks became an official statistic 50 years ago.

Coach Gregg Popovich indicated before Friday’s game that Wembanyama could be held out on Sunday, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, and that was before he played 37 minutes in a win over Denver. The Spurs have been careful with their prized rookie recently, resting him on the second night of a back-to-back last week.

“I know this has been in the air,” Wembanyama told reporters Friday night. “I mean, I felt it’s been in the air for some weeks, but I’m always going to fight to play.”

There’s more from San Antonio:

Sandro Mamukelashvili is making a strong case for a new contract, McDonald notes in the same piece. The backup big man wasn’t used much early in the season, but he has taken advantage of opportunities presented by injuries and is averaging 10.4 points and 10.1 rebounds over the past seven games, including a season-high 21 points on Friday. Mamukelashvili signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal after becoming a free agent last summer and is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I love being here,” he said. “I love being around the guys, connecting with them, learning, growing. I’m looking forward to the future and if it’s here, I’ll be very happy.”
Malaki Branham missed Friday’s game with concussion symptoms and won’t play Sunday either, McDonald adds. The second-year guard was struck in the head during Wednesday’s game at Oklahoma City.
Teammates were thrilled for Devonte’ Graham after his game-winning shot in the final second to beat the Nuggets, McDonald writes in a separate story. It has been a difficult season for the 29-year-old guard, who only appeared in 12 games before the All-Star break, but Popovich has been impressed by how he has remained sharp and has served as a leader for his younger teammates. “He busted his ass all year long,” Popovich said. “He was always ready. I’m sure he didn’t like (not playing), but he was always there for his team.”

Pistons Sign Jaylen Nowell To Second Hardship Deal

April 13th, 2024 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 13: Nowell’s signing is official, the Pistons announced in a press release.

APRIL 12: The Pistons will re-sign Jaylen Nowell to a second hardship contract following the expiration of his first 10-day deal, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Nowell’s initial contract will expire after Friday’s game, so Detroit figures to re-sign Nowell on either Saturday or Sunday in advance of Sunday’s regular season finale. Since it will be completed using a hardship exception, the deal will technically be considered a 10-day contact, but it will expire immediately after Sunday’s game.

A 24-year-old shooting guard who spent his first four NBA seasons with the Timberwolves from 2019-23, Nowell was on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies earlier in the season, but has spent most of the year out of the NBA. He has performed well for the Pistons since signing with the team last week, however, averaging 8.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game and making 57.9% of his field goal attempts across three appearances off the bench.

The Pistons qualified for a hardship exception because they have four players (Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, Quentin Grimes, and Stanley Umude) who are out for the season. That allows them to carry an extra player beyond the 15 on their standard roster, but they won’t have any form of Bird rights on Nowell this offseason as long as he’s signed to a hardship contract and not a standard deal.

Matt Ryan Gets Standard Contract From Pelicans

April 13th, 2024 at 4:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have converted Matt Ryan‘s two-way contract to a standard deal, the team announced (via Twitter).

No details were provided on whether Ryan’s new contract will extend beyond the rest of this season, but the signing makes him eligible for postseason play. New Orleans had been carrying an open roster spot, so no corresponding move was necessary.

The 26-year-old forward has appeared in 27 games in his first season with the Pelicans, averaging 5.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per night while shooting 43.4% from the field and 45.1% from three-point range. He underwent elbow surgery in December that sidelined him for a significant part of the season.

New Orleans claimed Ryan off waivers in October, inheriting the two-way contract he signed with Minnesota shortly before the start of training camp. He also had brief stints with the Celtics and Lakers earlier in his career.

The move leaves the Pelicans with a full 15-man roster, along with Dereon Seabron and Malcolm Hill as two-way players. The deadline for signing two-way contracts was in March, so New Orleans won’t be able to fill Ryan’s spot.

Raptors Notes: Trent, Quickley, Porter, Draft Pick, More

April 13th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Last June, after Gary Trent Jr. picked up his player option for 2023/24, there were reports suggesting that he and the Raptors were nearing an agreement on a multiyear extension. That deal never come to fruition, so Trent played out the year on an expiring contract and is on track to reach unrestricted free agency this summer.

As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes, it’s unclear whether or not Trent will continue his career in Toronto or head elsewhere once he becomes a free agent. According to Grange, it appears both sides are open to extending the relationship, but they’ll have to agree on a salary and a role, with the latter perhaps representing the more difficult discussion.

“To be honest, it’s really not my choice,” Trent said when asked about potentially staying with the Raptors. “They gotta want me, so I could say I want to come here, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t want me here. So again, at the end of the day, I would love to be anywhere I’m wanted, anywhere I can help contribute towards winning, anywhere that can see me as part of their future or sees me as part of something they got going on that would be great to be a part of.”

No player has appeared in more games (70) for Toronto this season than Trent, who averaged 13.7 points per game with a .393 3PT%. He’s wrapping up a three-year, $52MM deal that paid him approximately $18.6MM in 2023/24, and the Raptors will hold his Bird rights in the offseason, giving them the ability to go over the cap to re-sign him or to sign-and-trade him to a new team.

Here’s more from out of Toronto:

Immanuel Quickley has solidified his place in the Raptors’ future and positioned himself for a nice payday as a restricted free agent this summer, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who suggests a salary in the range of $25MM annually seems likely for the 24-year-old.
In addition to being investigated by the NBA, Raptors big man Jontay Porter is also the subject of an inquiry by the Colorado Division of Gaming, who have asked sportsbooks in the state to look into whether they have any accounts connected to Porter and whether those accounts wagered on any “NBA affiliated games.” David Purdum of ESPN has the story.
As a result of Friday’s loss to Miami, the Raptors are locked into sixth place in the draft lottery standings, meaning they’ll have a 45.8% chance of keeping their first-round pick, which will be sent to San Antonio if it’s not in the top six. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, the front office has privately insisted it doesn’t have a strong preference either way — a top-six pick would put Toronto in position to add another building block to its young core, but the 2024 draft class is considered weak, and losing the pick now rather than rolling it over to 2025 would free up all the team’s future first-rounders to trade.
From a lawsuit implicating him in stealing data from a division rival to a betting scandal involving one of his players, Darko Rajakovic has had to deal with an unprecedented amount of chaos in his first season as a head coach. As Lewenberg details for TSN.ca, Rajakovic’s players praised him for the way he has handled that drama and the job he has done amidst a major roster upheaval.
Once known for their strong player development program, the Raptors have had fewer under-the-radar success stories in recent years, but Javon Freeman-Liberty‘s progress as a rookie two-way player this season is a step in the right direction, says Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. Freeman-Liberty received a lightly guaranteed minimum salary for 2024/25 when he was promoted to the 15-man roster last month.

Community Shootaround: Playoff Seeding Battles

April 13th, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

With all 30 NBA teams enjoying a day off on Saturday, we have just one day of regular season games remaining in 2023/24, with 15 games on Sunday’s slate.

Amazingly, through 81 games, only three playoff seeds have been determined — the Celtics own the No. 1 seed in the East, the Clippers control No. 4 in the West, and the Mavericks are No. 5 in the West.

We also know that the Bulls are locked into the No. 9 spot in the East and will host the No. 10 Hawks in one of next week’s play-in games.

Besides that though, 15 of the 20 total top-10 seeds in the two conferences remain up for grabs, with much to be determined based on Sunday’s results.

Here’s a look at the matchups to watch and the scenarios in play on Sunday:

Western Conference

Battle for the No. 1 seed:

The Nuggets were in the driver’s seat for the top spot in the West, but as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, they fell victim to another monster night from Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama on Friday, blowing a 23-point lead and falling all the way to third place in the conference standings as a result of a disappointing loss in San Antonio.

The Thunder and Timberwolves are now tied with Denver in the standings. All three teams have 56-25 records, but Oklahoma City holds the three-way tiebreaker, with Minnesota taking the second spot over the Nuggets for now. Their Sunday matchups are as follows:

Phoenix Suns at Minnesota Timberwolves
Denver Nuggets at Memphis Grizzlies
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder

If all three teams win or all three lose on Sunday, the current order in the standings (OKC at No. 1, Minnesota at No. 2, and Denver at No. 3) will remain as is. Here are the other scenarios in play on Sunday:

A Timberwolves win paired with either a Nuggets loss or a Thunder loss would give Minnesota the No. 1 seed, since the Wolves hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over both teams.
The only scenario in which the Timberwolves would fall to No. 3 would be if they lose and the Thunder and Nuggets both win. That’s not inconceivable, given that Minnesota has the toughest matchup of the three — the Suns still have something to play for, whereas the Mavs’ playoff seed is assured and the Grizzlies are lottery-bound.
A Thunder win will ensure they claim the No. 1 seed unless the Nuggets lose and the Timberwolves win. The Thunder can fall to No. 3 only if they lose and the Nuggets win, regardless of what happens with Minnesota.
The Nuggets can only claim the No. 1 seed it they win and the Timberwolves and Thunder both lose. They could move up to No. 2 with a win as long as one of OKC or Minnesota loses. Otherwise they’ll place third.

The final top-six spot:

It’s down to the Pelicans and the Suns for the No. 6 spot in the West. Whichever team misses out on the final guaranteed playoff spot will finish seventh and will host the No. 7 vs. 8 play-in matchup.

New Orleans (49-32) has a one-game lead over Phoenix (48-33), but the Suns hold the tiebreaker edge. The Suns’ only path to No. 6 is to pick up a win in Minnesota while the Pelicans lose at home to the Lakers. Either a Pelicans win or a Suns loss would lock New Orleans into No. 6 and Phoenix into No. 7.

Given that both the Wolves and Lakers still have something to play for on Sunday, this outcome is far from certain.

The Nos. 8 through 10 seeds:

The Lakers (46-35), Kings (45-36), and Warriors (45-36) could each end up anywhere from No. 8 to 10 in the West depending on how the final day’s games play out.

The drop-off from each spot to the next is significant — the eighth-place team will only have to win one of two play-in games to earn a playoff berth and would get the second game at home if it loses the first one on the road. The ninth-place team would have to win two play-in games – one at home and one on the road – just to earn the No. 8 playoff seed, while the 10th-place team would need to win a pair of play-in contests on the road to claim that No. 8 seed.

The Lakers control their own destiny due to their one-game lead on Sacramento and Golden State, but they also have the most difficult matchup of the three teams on Sunday. Those games are as follows:

Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans
Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors

New Orleans pulled out a big win over Golden State on Friday in a game that Klay Thompson said “stings a lot,” per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The Pelicans won’t be letting their foot of the gas on Sunday as they look to secure a top-six seed, so a Lakers loss is in play.

If the Lakers do lose and both the Kings and Warriors win, Sacramento would move up to No. 8 and Golden State would move up to No. 9, sending L.A. to No. 10. That’s the only scenario in which the Lakers could slip to tenth place. A win would earn them the No. 8 spot, as would all three teams losing. They’d drop to No. 9 if they lose and just one of the Kings or Warriors wins.

The Kings are in relatively good shape. A win over the lottery-bound Blazers, which seems like a relatively safe bet, will assure them of at least the No. 9 spot. They’d fall to No. 10 only if they lose and Golden State wins.

The Warriors’ only path to No. 8 would involve a Golden State win combined with Lakers and Kings losses. That might be a long shot, so it’s perhaps not surprising that head coach Steve Kerr left the door open to possibly resting some key veterans on Sunday to make sure those banged-up players are ready for the first play-in game next week (Twitter link via Slater).

Eastern Conference

Battle for the No. 2 seed:

The reeling Bucks (49-32) have lost seven of their last 10 games, opening the door for either the Knicks (49-32) or Cavaliers (48-33) to steal away the No. 2 seed.

Still, Milwaukee remains at the front of this race. The Bucks own the tiebreaker over the Knicks, so they just need a win – or for all three teams to lose – in order to clinch No. 2. Unfortunately, they’re missing superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and have the most challenging matchup of any of the three contenders for No. 2. Sunday’s games are as follows:

Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando Magic
Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks
Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers

The Magic continue to battle for a top-six seed in the East, whereas the Bulls are locked into No. 9 and the Hornets are a non-playoff team.

If the Knicks and Cavaliers win and the Bucks don’t, New York would move up to No. 2, Cleveland would take No. 3, and Milwaukee would slide all the way to No. 4. The Bucks could salvage the No. 3 seed even if they lose, as long as at least one of the Knicks or Cavs also lose.

A worst-case scenario for the Knicks would be a three-team tie, which would occur if they and the Bucks lose and the Cavs win. In that case, Cleveland would be No. 2 and New York would slip to No. 4.

Mayhem in the No. 5-8 range:

No section of the standings is more up in the air entering Sunday’s action than the fifth through eight seeds in the East, where four teams – the Magic (46-35), Pacers (46-35), Sixers (46-35), and Heat (45-36) – could all still finish anywhere from No. 5 to 8.

Before we try to untangle this convoluted knot, let’s take a look at the relevant Sunday games:

Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando Magic
Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat

All four clubs are at home, but some of these matchups are more favorable than others. The Nets and Raptors are lottery teams who don’t have anything to play for, so it’s hard to imagine them upsetting the Sixers or Heat, respectively. That will put pressure on the Magic and Pacers, who would hang onto the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds if they both win on Sunday.

As detailed above, Milwaukee is trying to clinch the No. 2 seed and will be motivated to beat Orlando. Atlanta is locked into No. 10, but knocking off Indiana could benefit the Hawks, who will need to beat one of these teams to make the playoffs, assuming they make it past Chicago. Atlanta might prefer seeing the Pacers instead of the Sixers or Heat in a play-in battle next week — beating Indiana on Sunday would increase the odds of that.

There are too many scenarios in play here to run through them all, but here are a few worth mentioning:

The Sixers would move up to No. 5 if they beat Brooklyn and the Hawks beat Indiana.
The Pacers would move up to No. 5 if they beat Atlanta and the Bucks beat Orlando.
The Heat can only get to No. 5 if they win and the Magic, Pacers, and Sixers all lose, resulting in a four-way tie. They could move up to No. 6 if they win, the Magic lose, and one of the Pacers or Sixers lose.
The Magic would fall to No. 8 if they lose and the Heat and Pacers win, regardless of what happens in the Sixers game. Orlando could also end up at No. 8 if Miami is the only one of these teams to win and they end up in a four-way tie.
The only scenario in which the Pacers could fall to No. 8 is if they lose and the Magic, Sixers, and Heat all win. Like the Magic, they’ll clinch a top-six playoff berth with a win.

The full table of Eastern Conference scenarios can be found right here, per the NBA, while all the Western outcomes are here.

We want to know what you think. How do you expect Sunday’s games to play out? Which teams will take the No. 1 seed in the West and the No. 2 seed in the East? Which clubs will claim the final playoff spots in each conference? And which team of the Lakers, Kings, and Warriors will end up in the 7-8 game instead of 9-10?

Head to the comment section below to make your predictions!

Budenholzer, Fernandez, Young Finalists For Nets’ Coaching Job

April 13th, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Budenholzer, Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, and Suns assistant Kevin Young are finalists for the Nets‘ head coaching job, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Nets, who parted ways with Jacque Vaughn in February and replaced him with interim head coach Kevin Ollie, opted not to wait for the end of the season to begin their head coaching search. NetsDaily reported earlier today (Twitter link) that Brooklyn’s search process has been ongoing for more than a month and is believed to have been “extensive,” which Charania confirms.

According to Charania, Ollie received consideration for the permanent job, as did several other outside candidates, including Heat assistant Chris Quinn and Pelicans assistant James Borrego.

However, the franchise appears to have zeroed in on Budenholzer, Fernandez, and Young as its finalists. Sources tell The Athletic that team owner Joe Tsai will hold in-person meetings with all three candidates, with a final decision to be made sometime in the not-too-distant future.

A two-time Coach of the Year, Budenholzer compiled a 484-317 (.604) regular season record across 10 seasons as an NBA head coach from 2013-23 — five in Atlanta and five in Milwaukee. He also owns a 56-48 (.538) overall postseason record and won a championship with the Bucks in 2021. Budenholzer was an assistant in San Antonio when Nets general manager Sean Marks joined the Spurs’ front office in 2012.

Fernandez, who technically holds the title of associate head coach on Mike Brown‘s staff in Sacramento, served as an assistant in Denver from 2016-22 before making the move to the Kings. He has long been considered a future NBA head coach and led the Canadian national team to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’ll coach the Canadians at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.

Young is another veteran assistant who has been promoted to associate head coach and has received NBA head coaching consideration in recent years. He reportedly interviewed with the Rockets, Bucks, Raptors, and Suns a year ago. Young was an assistant with the Sixers from 2016-20 before spending the last four seasons in Phoenix.

The Nets are one of three teams in the market for a permanent head coach, along with the Hornets and Wizards.

Southeast Notes: Avdija, Jovic, Heat Struggles, Clifford

April 13th, 2024 at 1:03pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Wizards forward Deni Avdija signed a four-year, $55MM extension with the team last offseason. The fact that a new front office regime – rather than the one that drafted him – offered him that contract was a shot of confidence for Avdija, signaling the franchise’s belief in the former No. 9 overall pick, The Washington Post’s Ava Wallace writes.

Avdija, 23, has rewarded that faith with his best professional season yet, averaging career bests of 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while connecting on a career-high 50.9% of his shots from the field and 37.8% of his three-pointers. Avdija explained that getting that contract from the Wizards last year felt like a weight removed from his chest and allowed him to focus on basketball.

“Deni’s been great,” interim coach Brian Keefe said. “Growth has been tremendous. We’ve put the ball in his hands to make plays for himself, for others. The rebounding has been great. We’re going to keep pushing Deni to do more because we think he can be — do — more.”

In an otherwise poor season, Avdija has been a bright spot for the Wizards and looks like a centerpiece going forward as the club navigates a rebuild. Amid uncertainty, he led Washington in starts this season and recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in the home finale on Friday.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

When the Heat first inserted 20-year-old Nikola Jovic into the starting lineup this season, it was seen as more of an experiment than a long-term solution, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes. Flash forward to April, and Jovic has held firm on a starting spot as the Heat approach the postseason. He’s averaging 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 39.5% from three in his last 25 starts and has provided the team with a stretch big who can run the floor next to Bam Adebayo. “He’s improved in so many of the areas. It started with his work ethic,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I often have to remind myself that Niko is 20.” With Tyler Herro healthy, it’s possible Miami switches up its lineup in the postseason, but Jovic will likely remain a part of the rotation, starter or not.
Injuries and an inefficient offense continue to be a thorn in Miami’s side this season, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The Heat entered Thursday with the fifth-most missed games in the NBA due to injury — and the most of any team with a winning record. Josh Richardson, Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier are among the key rotation pieces currently absent for the Heat, and it doesn’t help that they’ve scored fewer than 100 points in a game 18 times this year, going 2-16 in such outings. “Ultimately, we have to figure out a way that we can try to play somewhat the same identity on the offensive end game to game,” Herro said. The Heat are left to scramble for answers whenever Jimmy Butler and/or Adebayo have an off night, according to Chiang.
Steve Clifford‘s tenure with the Hornets is ending, but the veteran coach isn’t taking his foot off the gas pedal even with his team long eliminated from the postseason, per The Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone. “We have good, young guys that can continue to grow,” Clifford said. Regardless of the lack of postseason appearances and the amount of injuries over the course of his second stint with Charlotte, Clifford is thankful for getting a second chance to coach this team. He’s set to move into a consultant position under the guidance of vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson after the season. “The consulting thing is tricky,” Clifford said, “… you have to pick your spots and figure out what areas you can most help in.“

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