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And-Ones: Harding, Cooper, All-NBA, Kaba, Bronny

April 2nd, 2024 at 7:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stockton Kings head coach Lindsey Harding has been named the NBA G League Coach of the Year in a vote by G League head coaches and general managers, NBA Communications tweets. Harding is the first woman to win the Coach of the Year award in the NBA G League. She’ll receive the Dennis Johnson Trophy.

Harding was hired to coach Sacramento’s NBAGL affiliate last June. Harding spent the past four seasons as an assistant/player development coach with the NBA’s Kings.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Sharife Cooper has signed with China’s Liaoning Flying Leopards, according to Sportando. Cooper signed a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers in late February but didn’t play at all and didn’t receive a second 10-day contract. He has spent the bulk of this season with the Cavs’ G League team, the Cleveland Charge.
  • Who are the highest-paid players who have never received All-NBA honors? HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto ranks the top 50 in that category, with the Timberwolves‘ Mike Conley ($276.5MM), the Thunder‘s Gordon Hayward ($271MM) and the Celtics‘ Jrue Holiday ($259.4MM) topping the list.
  • Alpha Kaba, a 2017 draft-and-stash prospect, has signed with Valencia, the Spanish team tweets. The Rockets acquired the NBA rights to Kaba in a five-team trade last summer, though it appears unlikely that Kaba is planning on an NBA career. The big man had been playing with China’s Jiangsu Dragons.
  • Bronny James has entered the transfer portal, college basketball expert Dick Weiss tweets. Following an underwhelming freshman year at USC, Bronny is considered more likely to stay in college for another year than to be drafted in 2024. LeBron James‘ son posted averages of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 36.6% from the field in 25 games for the Trojans.
    [UPDATE: Weiss has since walked back his report on Bronny entering the transfer portal, tweeting that it’s not yet confirmed.]
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Injury Notes: Leonard, Barrett, Quickley, Mitchell, Ingram

April 2nd, 2024 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will miss the team’s game on Tuesday against the Kings due to right knee soreness, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

Leonard, who played 37 minutes and scored 23 points against the Hornets on Sunday, returned to Los Angeles on Monday for treatment. His status for Thursday’s game against the Nuggets is uncertain.

The fact that Leonard’s flared up is a troubling development for the Clippers, who are pointing toward to a deep playoff run. Leonard has appeared in 68 games this season, his most since the 2016/17 campaign. Norman Powell will move into the starting lineup in his place, Youngmisuk tweets.

We have more injury-related news to pass along:

  • RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are active for the Raptors’ game against the Lakers tonight, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Barrett hasn’t played since March 11 due to personal reasons and re-conditioning. Quickley has been out since March 17 for the same reasons.
  • The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, who has been battling a sore left knee, will miss Tuesday’s game against Utah, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. It’s the first game of a back-to-back, with Cleveland facing Phoenix on Wednesday. Mitchell has appeared in 51 games this season and is ineligible for postseason awards.
  • There’s optimism that Brandon Ingram will be back in action for the Pelicans next week, The Athletic’s said Shams Charania during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run It Back program (video link). “Brandon Ingram is going to be reevaluated at the end of the week, that’ll be the two-week mark, and the hope is by that three-week mark next week, he’s going to be back in the lineup,” Charania said. Ingram is working his way back from a left knee bone contusion.
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Joel Embiid Returns To Action After Two-Month Absence

April 2nd, 2024 at 6:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:05pm: Embiid is in the starting lineup, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

5:02pm: Sixers center Joel Embiid is expected to return tonight against the Thunder, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Embiid will be making his first appearance since Jan. 30 after undergoing knee surgery.

He was originally ruled out for Tuesday’s game but was upgraded to questionable earlier today. Embiid has been able to participate in numerous five-on-five scrimmages during the past week without any ill effects to his left knee.

The reigning MVP has been sidelined since January 30 when Jonathan Kuminga fell on his leg in a game at Golden State. He underwent surgery on February 6 and was given a one- to two-month prognosis to return.

Prior to the injury, Embiid was posting big stats across the board — 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. His return, barring a setback, gives Philadelphia renewed hope for a postseason run.

Without him, the Sixers have slipped to eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 2.5 games behind Indiana for the sixth spot, which would allow the Sixers to avoid the play-in tournament.

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Draft Notes: Two-Day Format, Sandfort, Penda, Early Entrants

April 2nd, 2024 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will hold a two-day draft for the first time this year, but the concept has been batted around for over a decade, according to Jeremy Woo of ESPN, who hears from a team source that a group executives first presented the idea to the league in 2011. Extending the second round to give teams more than two minutes per pick was one important reason for the change, as Woo details.

“Way more second-round picks would be traded every year, except (due to the lack of time between picks) no one knows who has them,” one Eastern Conference executive told Woo. “A team makes a trade, then another trade. I’m spending 10 minutes hunting down picks, and by the time you find out where it is, it’s too late to make a deal.”

“… The second round is not fun. Chaos. Insanity. Not how we should be running our business. This will solve that. We didn’t need a second day, we just needed a longer second round — but I understand we can’t start at 3 p.m. or finish at 3 a.m., so this is a good solution.”

The second round of the draft will get its own day this June and there will be four minutes per pick instead of two. The hope is that, in addition to giving front offices more time to consider their options – including potential deals – the second night of the draft will allow the league’s broadcast partners to better spotlight the 28 players being selected in round two.

“The second round has become more and more important,” NBA head of basketball operations Joe Dumars told ESPN. “Rosters have expanded, and you’re seeing a larger influx of talent into the league, a lot of times from the second round. (The one-day format) was not doing justice for the second-round picks and the teams.”

While it remains to be seen exactly how adding an extra day to the draft may change teams’ strategies, sources who spoke to Woo suggested they wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more action than usual during the final few picks of the first round – as teams look to land players before rivals get a chance to reset their boards – and the first few picks of the second round, after clubs have had 24 hours to consider their options.

Here’s more on the NBA draft:

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Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of The Month

April 2nd, 2024 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Month, while one of his former teammates – Knicks guard Jalen Brunson – has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

It’s the second consecutive Player of the Month award for Doncic, who has strengthened his case for MVP consideration in recent weeks as the driving force of a streaking Mavs team that has moved into fifth place in the West. Doncic is the second player to earn Player of the Month honors twice this season, joining Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

Doncic won the award for March by averaging a triple-double – 32.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.1 assists – through 14 games, with a .470/.381/.781 shooting line. The Mavericks lost the first three of those games but have won each of the last 11 contests in which Doncic has been active.

Brunson has earned Player of the Week honors three times in 2023/24, but this is his first Player of the Month award of the season. He helped the banged-up Knicks hang onto a top-four seed in the East in March by putting up 28.8 PPG and 5.8 APG in 13 games (30.9 MPG) on .481/.376/.813 shooting.

Those per-game averages include a March 3 contest in Cleveland that Brunson exited due to a knee injury after just 47 seconds. Not including that game, the Knicks’ point guard averaged over 31 points per contest for the month.

The other Player of the Month nominees in the Western Conference were Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Green, Nikola Jokic, and Domantas Sabonis, according to the NBA (Twitter link). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, and Pascal Siakam were also nominated in the East.

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Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller Named Rookies Of The Month

April 2nd, 2024 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Hornets forward Brandon Miller have been named the NBA’s Rookies of the Month for a third straight time, the league announced today (via Twitter). The top two picks in the 2023 draft also earned the honor in both January and February.

The Western Conference Rookie of the Month, Wembanyama is now the overwhelming favorite to win this season’s Rookie of the Year award. In 12 games in March, he averaged 23.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 3.8 blocks in 31.6 minutes per game, making 47.3% of his field goal attempts.

Miller, the Eastern Conference’s winner, hasn’t received nearly the same level of attention that Wembanyama has in his first professional season, but he has quietly put together a strong debut season in Charlotte. In 14 games in March, he averaged 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 33.4 minutes per contest, with a .362 3PT%.

Last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Miller is a strong candidate to join Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren as Rookie of the Year finalists and looks like a lock for the All-NBA Rookie first team.

Holmgren, Keyonte George, Amen Thompson, and GG Jackson were the other Rookie of the Month nominees in the West, per the NBA (Twitter link), while Jaime Jaquez, Gradey Dick, and Miller’s teammate Vasilije Micic were nominated in the East.

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Pacers’ Tshiebwe Named NBAGL Rookie Of The Year

April 2nd, 2024 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

First-year big man Oscar Tshiebwe, who is on a two-way contract with the Pacers, has been named the NBA G League’s Rookie of the Year for the 2023/24 season, according to an announcement from the league.

An undrafted free agent out of Kentucky, Tshiebwe has only appeared in eight NBA games as a rookie, but had a monster season for the Indiana Mad Ants in the G League, where he began the Showcase Cup in the fall by racking up 33 points and 22 rebounds in his first ever NBAGL outing.

Over the course of 33 total Showcase Cup and regular season games, Tshiebwe averaged 16.4 points per contest and pulled down 532 total rebounds, including 201 offensive boards, setting a new team record. He also established a new high-water mark for rebounds per game in a G League season, averaging 16.2 in 23 regular season appearances.

Tshiebwe was busy at All-Star weekend in Indianapolis in February, competing in both the G League Up Next game and the Rising Stars event.

Because Tshiebwe’s two-way contract with the Pacers only covers a single season, he’ll become eligible for restricted free agency this summer, so Indiana will need to sign him to a new contract in order to keep him around beyond 2023/24.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), Clippers two-way guard Jordan Miller was the runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting, with Sixers two-way guard Ricky Council IV placing third.

Miller averaged 20.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 30.3 minutes per game with a .491/.355/.829 shooting line across 39 total Showcase Cup and G League regular season outings for the Ontario Clippers.

Council, meanwhile, put up 23.8 points per game on .473/.380/.775 shooting to go along with 5.3 RPG and 1.9 APG in 27 Showcase Cup and regular season contests for the Delaware Blue Coats.

Council will also be a restricted free agent this summer, while Miller is on a two-year deal and will remain under contract for 2024/25.

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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2024 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2023/24 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running for Teammate of the Year honors.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

None of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award have earned the honor in the past, so the 2023/24 winner will be a first-timer. Mike Conley won the award last year for a record fourth time.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2023/24. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Like Conley with the Sportsmanship Award, last season’s Teammate of the Year – Jrue Holiday – has the record for most times winning the award (three), but isn’t among the finalists for 2023/24. Of this season’s 12 finalists, the only one to take home the award in the past is Conley, who claimed it in 2019.

The Teammate of the Year finalists finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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Central Notes: Turner, Portis, Lillard, Vucevic, Bulls

April 2nd, 2024 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers‘ blowout win over Brooklyn on Monday was marred to some extent by an injury sustained by starting center Myles Turner. As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes, Turner dislocated his right index finger late in the first half. After shooting a pair of free throws left-handed, he headed to the locker room and didn’t return to the game.

Head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after the victory that Turner underwent X-rays, which were negative, so the finger doesn’t appear to be fractured. However, it’s unclear whether the big man will be able to play through the injury or if he’ll have to miss some time.

Turner has started 72 of the Pacers’ first 76 games this season, averaging 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 27.1 minutes per night. Reserve center Isaiah Jackson started three of the four games Turner missed, while Jalen Smith subbed in for the other. Both Jackson and Smith would be candidates for increased roles if Turner is unavailable for any games going forward.

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Bucks big man Bobby Portis has built a strong case for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season due to his versatility, energy, leadership, and strong production off the bench, argues Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, as Nickel notes, the award has gone to a shooting guard in 11 of the last 12 years. “I’ve wanted to win it. I’ve been talking about it for, like, five years,” Portis said last week. “Yeah. But they never vote for me though. Because I’m a big man and it is not cool; they told me it’s more of a guard award.”
  • Damian Lillard has been ruled out for the Bucks‘ game in Washington on Tuesday due to a right groin strain, tweets Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Lillard also missed Sunday’s contest in Atlanta, though that was said to be for personal reasons.
  • Nikola Vucevic‘s three-point percentage has dipped noticeably in the first season of a three-year contract — his 28.6% mark is his worst since he started regularly attempting outside shots seven years ago. However, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan praised the veteran center for his play this season and indicated he doesn’t believe the 33-year-old’s skills are diminishing. “He’s a consummate professional, he’s incredibly reliable, he’s durable, he’s available, which is the most important thing,” Donovan said. “I know he’s a much, much better shooter than he has shown this year. I really believe that.”
  • Despite losing to Atlanta on Monday, the Bulls clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Even if they don’t win another game, the Bulls can’t finish worse than 36-46, while the 11th-place Nets can’t do better than 35-47.
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