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Pacific Notes: Russell, Hood-Schifino, Harden, Curry

November 2nd, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell is buying into a changed role under new head coach J.J. Redick, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Price notes that Redick said before the season that he wants Russell to have a “career year.” However, that may not show up on the stat sheet as Anthony Davis is serving as the centerpiece of the offense and Austin Reaves is handling the ball more often.

Russell had his best game of the season Friday at Toronto, posting 19 points, six assists and three rebounds. But his usage rate has fallen to 16.8%, which is sixth on the team, after being at 22.2% last season. He’s operating less frequently in the pick-and-roll as Redick has him playing off the ball and spotting up for jump shots.

“He’s bought into what we’re trying to do,” Redick said. “He recognizes that his pick-and-roll usage will be down. And what he’s told me and what I think he has certainly lived out in reality is that he just wants to win. He wants to be on the winning team. He’s been bought in. We’ve had no issue sort of with anything with him. He’s gonna get it going. We’re gonna figure out ways to hopefully maximize all our guys. It’s very early. I’m not worried about D-Lo.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers declined their third-year option on Jalen Hood-Schifino, but he may still have a place in the team’s long-term plans, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). The decision was made to create more financial flexibility for the offseason, and the organization wants Hood-Schifino to continue developing his game in the G League. “I still believe in Jalen,” Redick said. “We haven’t given up on him.”
James Harden insists he’s not too old to be carrying the Clippers at age 35, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Harden is averaging a career-high 6.2 turnovers per game, but he told reporters that’s a result of high usage rather than fatigue. “You seen the usage rate, it’s going to happen. Like turnovers are going to happen,” he said. “I try to, but some of the passes that I thread, a lot of them are successful and some of ’em aren’t. So just trying to find a balance of when to throw and when not to.”
Stephen Curry missed his third straight game tonight with a sprained left ankle, but the Warriors guard was able to go through his normal shooting routine before the contest, so it appears he’s close to returning, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Spurs Notes: Paul, Wembanyama, Defense, Popovich

November 2nd, 2024 at 8:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul loves sharing his knowledge with younger players, and he has found an attentive group of students in his new Spurs teammates, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. According to Orsborn, Paul started his lessons shortly after signing with San Antonio this summer. He rounded up some teammates in Las Vegas and offered instructions throughout the five-on-five scrimmage.

“He’s like a player-coach,” Sandro Mamukelashvili said. “He is always so encouraging. Having him is such an advantage. He never says something that doesn’t make sense.”

The 39-year-old point guard has been around the NBA long enough to know that there are various ways to get through to different players. For instance, Orsborn relays that Paul didn’t offer any advice to Victor Wembanyama after he was held to six points in Wednesday’s loss at Oklahoma City. Wembanyama responded with one of the best games of his career the next night at Utah.

“Everyone you see in the league is always learning more,” Paul said. “(Wembanyama) has already been a pro for a long time. You give advice here and there, but he is going to be one of the greats.”

There’s more on the Spurs:

Wembanyama’s line against the Jazz included 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks, making it the 23rd 5×5 performance in league history, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. He joined Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrei Kirilenko as the only players to accomplish the feat twice. “It tells me that I need to get my standards up,” Wembanyama said afterward. “It tells me that I’m able to help my team in all of those areas and that this should be a consistent thing. As I’ve said before, I thought this was a game that we must have. So I was glad that I was able to help my team in every area.”
The Spurs are responding to coach Gregg Popovich‘s training camp emphasis on improving the defense, Orsborn adds in a separate story. They forced 25 turnovers against Utah, the highest total for the franchise in nine years, and recorded nine steals in the third quarter while holding the Jazz to 14 points. “We’re not ready to be a top-five defensive team by any stretch of the imagination, but we know that is the focus and we have played good defense throughout the season,” Popovich said. “We picked up where we left off from last year. I am really impressed with their understanding and enjoying what the defense can do for them.”
Popovich is missing tonight’s game with Minnesota due to an illness, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson is taking his place on the sidelines.

Isaiah Jackson To Have Surgery For Torn Achilles Tendon

November 2nd, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pacers center Isaiah Jackson will undergo surgery on Monday after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Jackson had to be carried off the court in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game against New Orleans after collapsing with a non-contact injury to his right calf, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Indiana is already without backup big man James Wiseman, who tore his left Achilles tendon on opening night. He underwent surgery last week, and a recovery timeline is still being determined.

With Jackson and Wiseman both unavailable for at least most of the season, Dopirak expects Obi Toppin and two-way rookie Enrique Freeman to see increased minutes as the backups to starting center Myles Turner.

The Pacers have an open roster spot to add another big man, but they have to consider the luxury tax implications of a new contract, since they’re operating within $2MM of the tax line. Wiseman’s deal only carries a $500K guarantee, but it’s likely to become fully guaranteed for $2.2MM due to his injury.

Jackson is in his fourth season with Indiana after being acquired in a draft-night trade in 2021. He had appeared in five of the team’s first six games, averaging 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 60.9% from the field in 16.8 minutes per night.

The 22-year-old will be a restricted free agent next summer if the Pacers decide to extend a qualifying offer.

Hornets Notes: G. Williams, M. Williams, Miller, Richards

November 2nd, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hornets coach Charles Lee talked about the need to develop “emotional maturity” following a late-game skirmish in Friday’s loss to Boston, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The altercation started when Grant Williams ran into former teammate Jayson Tatum while the Celtics were pushing the ball up court (Twitter video link from NBC Sports Boston). Williams was ejected from the game with a Flagrant 2 foul and may face further discipline from the league office.

“It was a transition opportunity and I was trying to make a play on the ball. I did reach across his body and when you slow down the replay, it looks like I make a play and then I kind of go after it,” Williams explained. “J.T. is one of my closest friends always. There was no intention of trying to harm him in any way. So, it was just one of those plays where in full speed he passes the ball, which probably makes it worse because that’s when I reach for the ball. The ball is already out of his hand. … You seen me raise my hand, say I fouled him.”

Williams added that he wanted to apologize to Tatum immediately after the play occurred. But the teams were immediately sent back to their respective benches, and Williams was tossed out of the game before he could say anything to Tatum.

“We all know J.T. is my guy. Nothing intentional,” Williams added. “He got up quick and by the time I got up, there was a ruckus and they brought us to our benches. I’ll talk to him tonight or (Saturday). He knows. We probably don’t even have to talk. He knows it wasn’t intentional or malicious by any means.”

There’s more from Charlotte:

There’s still no timetable for injured center Mark Williams, Boone adds in the same piece. It’s been five weeks since Williams was diagnosed with a strained tendon in his left foot, and he hasn’t been able to scrimmage or take part in any full team drills. “He’s engaged and observing all practice activities and film,” Lee said, “and even (Friday) at shootaround, he’s sitting next to me, trying to talk through the game plan and stuff. So, he’s doing all he can to make sure he’s soaking up all the information and terminology and when he comes back, he’s going to be ready to hit the ground running. But for now, he’s just kind of doing individual work. And the next phase of his return-to-play plan, he’ll do some group-type activities. And then once we get to practices and things like that, I think we’ll update further.”
Brandon Miller will return to action tonight for the first time since leaving the season opener with a glute strain, Boone states in a separate story. However, Seth Curry will miss the contest with a right knee injury and Nick Richards, who has been starting at center in place of Williams, will be sidelined after leaving Friday’s game with a sore shoulder. “Nick has been a big part of what we’ve done these first five games. I’ve been very happy with him and his ability to kind of dominate the paint,” Lee said. “He’s altered a lot of shots, and I think he’s helping us with his pick-and-roll coverage and understanding the different gaps to be in in center field and create some indecision for ball-handlers. He’s done a great job defensively, and then offensively, he’s created a ton of advantages for all of our scorers, all of our ball-handlers.”
Jared Weiss of The Athletic examines whether Miller, LaMelo Ball and the rest of the young Hornets can create an identity as a team. Weiss also talks to president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson about the unique approach he took in becoming the third team in the Karl-Anthony Towns deal, acquiring three players through sign-and-trades and effectively using the room exception as a trade exception.

Community Shootaround: Early-Season Trends

November 2nd, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA season tipped off just 11 days ago, which means it’s still far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions about anything that’s happened so far.

Still, a quick glance at the standings reveals some expected outcomes. The defending-champion Celtics are off to another strong start, at 5-1. The Thunder, widely projected to be the top team in the West, are the only undefeated club left in the conference at 5-0.

On the other end of the spectrum, projected lottery teams like the Trail Blazers (2-4) and Jazz (0-5) sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, while the Raptors and Pistons (both 1-5) bring up the rear in the East.

There are a few records that are a little more surprising, however. We figured the Cavaliers would be among the East’s contenders, but they’ve been even better than expected in the early going — their 6-0 mark is the NBA’s best record.

Other would-be contenders in the East, like the Pacers (2-4) and Bucks (1-4) are off to far slower starts. Milwaukee’s performance, in particular, has been troubling, given the underwhelming way their season ended in 2023/24. Damian Lillard‘s fit doesn’t look any smoother in his second year with the Bucks than it did in the first, and the team badly needs a healthy Khris Middleton, who has yet to make his season debut after missing 74 games across the past two seasons.

In the West, several of the clubs led by former MVPs (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James) are off to strong starts, with the Suns (4-1), Warriors (4-1), and Lakers (4-2) holding top-four spots in the standings entering Saturday’s action. New head coaches Mike Budenholzer and J.J. Redick seem to be making a positive impact in Phoenix and Los Angeles, respectively, while Golden State’s depth has been a major asset so far.

On the other hand, after an underwhelming offseason in which they lost starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency and faced questions about the fit of newcomer Russell Westbrook and the health of Jamal Murray, the Nuggets are just 2-3 and required an overtime period to beat Toronto and Brooklyn. Nikola Jokic has been playing at his usual MVP level, but he’s not getting enough help, and Westbrook (.244 FG%, .200 3PT%) and Murray (.370 FG%, .304 3PT%) have done little so far to answer those offseason questions.

Again, with the caveat that the sample size is small, we want to hear your takeaways from the first week-and-a-half of the season.

Which fall trends are you taking seriously and which ones do you expect to be short-lived? Which struggling teams and players should be worried and which ones just need more time to hit their stride? Which clubs off to strong starts are legitimate and which ones do you expect to come back down to earth?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Northwest Notes: Markkanen, Braun, Alexander-Walker, Avdija

November 2nd, 2024 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has been ruled out for a second consecutive game, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who tweets that Markkanen will be unavailable on Saturday in Denver. Utah’s leading scorer also missed Thursday’s loss to San Antonio after exiting Tuesday’s game vs. Sacramento early due to low back spasms.

According to Larsen (Twitter link), Markkanen doesn’t anticipate a lengthy absence, indicating today that he believes he’ll return to action at some point during the team’s current road trip. That trip will include stops in in Chicago (on Monday), Milwaukee (Thursday), and San Antonio (next Saturday) before Utah returns home on November 12.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Christian Braun has impressed the Nuggets in his new starting role so far this season, but he blamed himself for helping to spark a late Timberwolves rally on Friday, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. He and Rudy Gobert were each assessed with a technical foul following a brief dust-up instigated by Braun’s celebration of a big dunk over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year (Twitter video link). The Wolves, down by eight points at the time with 5:14 left, ended up winning by three. “Momentum changed like that, after the tech,” Braun said, suggesting he views the incident as a learning experience. “… It should have been a positive, and then I get the tech, and that turns it to a negative. … I’ve gotta be smarter after I make that play. Get back on defense.”
Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has come a long way since being sent to Minnesota at the 2023 trade deadline as a throw-in alongside Mike Conley, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who takes a closer look at Alexander-Walker’s impact after he helped Minnesota steal a win from Denver on Friday. The 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
After being acquired in an offseason trade, Deni Avdija is off to a miserable shooting start with the Trail Blazers, making just 33.9% of his field goal tries, including 14.3% of his three-pointers, in his first six outings. As Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian writes in a subscriber-only story, Avdija – who had a key blocked shot late in Wednesday’s one-point win over the Clippers, is making an effort to help the team in other ways during his shooting slump. “I feel like I’m still trying to get in rhythm with everything,” he said. “Opening the season a little bit on the slow start for me personally but I’m trying to contribute with other things.”

11 Players Affected By Poison Pill Provision In 2024/25

November 2nd, 2024 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The term “poison pill” doesn’t actually show up in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, but it’s used colloquially to refer to a provision in the CBA that affects players who recently signed rookie scale contract extensions.

As we explain in our glossary entry, the so-called poison pill provision applies when a player who signed a rookie scale extension is traded before the extension takes effect.

In that scenario, the player’s incoming value for the receiving team for matching purposes is determined by averaging his current-year salary and the salaries in each year of his new extension. His current team, on the other hand, simply treats his current-year salary as the outgoing figure for matching purposes.

For instance, Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is earning a $5,424,654 salary in 2024/25, but signed a five-year, $185MM extension that will begin in ’25/26.

Therefore, if Houston wanted to trade Sengun this season, his outgoing value for salary-matching purposes would be $5,424,654 (this year’s salary), while his incoming value for the team acquiring him would be $31,737,442 (this year’s salary, plus the $185MM extension, divided by six years).

Most of the players who signed rookie scale extensions aren’t realistic candidates to be traded anytime soon. But even in the event that a team does want to look into trading one of these recently extended players, the gap between the player’s incoming trade value and outgoing trade value could make it a real challenge to find a deal that works for both sides — especially if a team is operating in or near tax apron territory.

The “poison pill” provision applies to 11 players who signed rookie scale extensions in 2024. Here are those players, along with their outgoing salaries and incoming salaries for trade purposes:

Player	Team	Outgoing trade value	Incoming trade value
Cade Cunningham	DET	$13,940,809	$37,827,796
Jalen Green	HOU	$12,483,048	$29,454,095
Evan Mobley	CLE	$11,227,657	$37,375,604
Scottie Barnes	TOR	$10,130,980	$37,192,825
Jalen Suggs	ORL	$9,188,385	$26,614,731
Franz Wagner	ORL	$7,007,092	$36,672,177
Moses Moody	GSW	$5,803,269	$10,825,817
Corey Kispert	WAS	$5,705,887	$11,951,177
Alperen Sengun	HOU	$5,424,654	$31,737,442
Trey Murphy	NOP	$5,159,854	$23,431,971
Jalen Johnson	ATL	$4,510,905	$25,751,818

Once the 2025/26 league year begins next July, the poison pill provision will no longer apply to these players. At that time, the player’s ’25/26 salary would represent both his outgoing and incoming value.

Until then, the gap between those outgoing and incoming figures will make it tricky for several of these players to be moved, though it affects some more significantly than others.

The difference of nearly $30MM between Wagner’s incoming and outgoing trade figures, for instance, means there’s essentially no chance he could be dealt to an over-the-cap team in 2024/25 — given that the Magic have no desire to move Wagner, that’ll be a moot point, but it’s still worth noting.

On the other hand, the much smaller divide between Moody’s incoming and outgoing salaries makes a trade involving him a more viable option, though the Warriors will have a hard cap to deal with that could complicate matters in they event they look to include Moody in a deal.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Hard Caps Loom As Potential Obstacles For At Least Three NBA Teams

November 2nd, 2024 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Over half of the NBA's 30 teams face some sort of hard cap for the rest of the 2024/25 league year. A total of 14 clubs are hard-capped at the first tax apron ($178,132,000) as a result of moves they made on the trade market or in free agency, while three more are hard-capped at the second tax apron ($188,931,000).

Those teams won't be permitted to surpass their respective hard caps for any reason for the rest of '24/25, and it's entirely possible - likely, actually - that more clubs will join them on that list as they finalize in-season signings and trades in the coming months. Just a couple weeks ago, the Grizzlies became the 17th team to get hard-capped when they used a portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Scotty Pippen Jr.

[RELATED: How NBA Teams Become Hard-Capped]

However, in most cases, a hard cap doesn't actually serve as a material obstacle for a team. For instance, the Hornets are currently hard-capped at the first apron, but their team salary for apron purposes is more than $16MM below that threshold.

While the Hornets could take on some additional salary in a pre-deadline trade, it's extremely hard to imagine a scenario in which they surpass the luxury tax line ($170,814,000), let alone approach their $178MM+ hard cap. Certainly, Charlotte's front office should be aware of that hard cap over the course of the season, but it shouldn't be a front-of-mind concern that would prevent the team from pulling the trigger on any moves it realistically wants to make.

Not every team can afford to approach its hard cap like the Hornets though. For a handful of clubs, the hard cap will be a day-to-day consideration that affects a team's ability to sign a free agent, make a trade, or even carry a full 15-man roster.

Let's take a closer look at which teams have to be most aware of their hard caps over the course of the 2024/25 league year.

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Atlantic Notes: Williams, Achiuwa, K. Johnson, Nets Lineup

November 2nd, 2024 at 11:53am CST by Tristan Tucker

A Grant Williams foul on Celtics star Jayson Tatum resulted in an ejection for the former Boston forward on Friday night (video link via NBA.com). Teammate Jaylen Brown took offense to the foul – ruled a flagrant two – and approached Williams after the hit, questioning his motives, according to The Athletic’s Jay King.

“It was for sure intentional,” Brown said. “What are we talking about here? Did y’all see the same play that I’m seeing? He hit him like it was a football play, like (former NFL linebacker) Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is. Grant knows better than that.”

Williams said he was trying to make a play on the ball and that the collision looked worse than it actually was. The Hornets forward said “if [Tatum] had prepared and actually turned his head to the left,” it wouldn’t have looked as gnarly.

“It was just a hard foul,” Williams said. “And we play them again tomorrow. It’s nothing crazy or beyond the means. We all know JT’s my guy, so nothing intentional.”

Celtics players weren’t so sure. Both Brown and Derrick White chided Williams for the play after the game. While the Hornets forward called Tatum one of his closest friends in the league, Brown made it clear there was nothing friendly about Williams’ play.

“Actions speak loud,” Brown said. “So it is what it is. We got the win, we’ll move on, but there’s no place in the game for that. I thought JT and him was friends. I guess not.”

Williams jokingly said after the game that he was preparing to have his former Celtics teammates over to his house after the game, but that they probably wouldn’t take him up on the offer anymore. Friday’s game served as a reunion for more than Williams. Former Celtic Kemba Walker is on Charlotte’s coaching staff, while Hornets head coach Charles Lee served as Joe Mazzulla‘s assistant last year.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks big man Precious Achiuwa is making good progress from his hamstring strain, but head coach Tom Thibodeau says he’s still not practicing, according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “He’s doing a little more on the court,” Thibodeau said. “Once a guy can start doing stuff on the court, then usually he’ll travel with us. Sometimes it’s better to keep him back [in New York] because we can do more rehab stuff at the facility.“
The Nets received a spark off the bench from Keon Johnson in a Friday win over the Bulls, Bridget Reilly of the New York Post writes. In just five second-quarter minutes, he hit five shots in a row, including a pair of three-pointers and a dunk. Johnson, who finished with a season-high 12 points in just nine minutes on the night, is on a minimum-salary contract that’s partially guaranteed ($700K) for this season and includes a team option for next season.
Nic Claxton hasn’t been starting for the Nets as he recovers from an offseason injury that held him out of the preseason. But as the New York Post’s Brian Lewis writes, head coach Jordi Fernandez is going to have to make some tough calls when it comes to who remains in the lineup when the team is fully healthy. The Nets have six players who have a case to start: Claxton, Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons. Out of those options, Johnson, Finney-Smith or Simmons are probably the likeliest candidates to move to the bench. “I mean, whatever. Personally, I feel like if I’m at full strength, then I’m a starter,” Simmons said. “That’s just what goes. But, yeah.“

Heat Notes: Rotation, Smith, Adebayo, Butler, Jaquez

November 2nd, 2024 at 10:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat are fluctuating between a nine- and 10-man rotation to start the season, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson and Thomas Bryant have been the biggest fixtures in the second unit. Beyond those three, Haywood Highsmith, Alec Burks and two-way player Dru Smith are next up in the rotation, with their playing time varying from game to game.

Smith, in particular, stood out in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks. Even before the game was out of reach, he played over Highsmith and Burks (who each received DNPs). Smith recorded two points, four rebounds and three blocks in 16 minutes.

“I thought he was really good in the first half,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Smith playing over Highsmith and Burks. “Some of that defensive pressure and the spark, that kind of shifted momentum and that made those minutes, not just Dru but that second unit. But that didn’t necessarily happen in the second half with that unit.”

Smith played among the second unit often in the preseason. His role may change when Josh Richardson is healthy for the Heat, but they’ve also clearly been impressed by the guard, who has spent most of his professional career in their development system since going undrafted in 2021. He’s a candidate to be converted to a standard deal at some point in the season.

We have more from the Heat:

Despite an offseason push to run a more efficient offense after finishing in the bottom 10 in offensive rating the past two seasons, the Heat are struggling again in the early going, Chiang writes. It’s early and the Heat have only played four games, but Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler haven’t been offenesive sparks. Neither player is averaging more than 16.8 points per game and their efficiency is largely down. Adebayo signed a three-year max extension this offseason, while Butler will reportedly play out this year of his deal before opting out to enter free agency in 2025. The Heat know they need to get their stars more involved. “We just got to know where the ball got to go. We got to find our guys, put them in a spot to be successful,” Butler said. “I think we got to be better at that. Seeing the mismatches, knowing when somebody ain’t have the ball for a minute and give it to them and let them attack.”
Being healthier than last season has provided Miami with its own set of unique challenges, Chiang writes in a separate post. Tyler Herro and 2024 trade deadline acquisition Terry Rozier are still learning to play together. “We have the benefit now of having everybody healthy and ready to go,” Spoelstra said. “These are good challenges to have is to figure out how to be aggressive. Everybody wants to make it work. If you have more weapons, sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get on the same page. But we will, guys have great intentions.“
As the Heat prepare to tip off in Mexico City, they have a player with ties to Mexico who’s taking it all in. Even after just one season, Jaquez has established himself as a star in Mexico, Chiang writes in another piece. “I think my ultimate goal is to share the game I love with people around the world,” the Mexican-American forward said. “I know it speaks loud to people knowing that I have Mexican heritage and to be able to play down there in front of all those fans, especially those young kids. It’s going to be inspiring for them just to be able to see that. Hopefully we get a new generation, a new wave of great Mexican, Latino basketball players who want to follow this and pursue it as their passion.” According to Chiang, Jaquez hasn’t decided if he’ll represent USA Basketball or the Mexican national team moving forward.

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