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Injury Notes: Middleton, J. Johnson, Harden, Heat, Avdija

March 15th, 2024 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks forward Khris Middleton still isn’t quite healthy enough to return from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since February 6, head coach Doc Rivers said on Thursday, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links).

“He’s just not ready,” Rivers said. “He’s close, as I’ve said for, I don’t know, 10 games now, it feels like it, but he’s really close. I’ll stop there.”

After wrapping up a four-game road trip on Tuesday, the Bucks are back in Milwaukee for a two-game homestand and will have days off on Friday and Saturday between those two contests. Those off days could result in some practice time for Middleton, Rivers noted.

“It does help,” Rivers said. “We have two days off. And we may practice on both days, which is unusual to do, number one, and unusual that you have two days. But we feel like we may do it regardless, just to get him some time with the guys.”

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, who has missed the past three games due to a right ankle sprain, has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Friday’s game in Utah, tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There’s optimism Johnson will be available for that matchup with the Jazz, adds Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
Star forward Kawhi Leonard was available for the Clippers on Thursday after leaving Tuesday’s contest due to back spasms, but James Harden missed the game in Chicago due to a left shoulder strain. As Law Murray of The Athletic tweets, it snapped a streak of 59 straight appearances for Harden, his longest such run since 2017.
Injured Heat guard Tyler Herro and big man Kevin Love didn’t travel with the team to Detroit for Friday’s contest, the first of a four-game road trip, per Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. While Herro (right foot) and Love (right heel) could meet up with the Heat at some point during the trip, it doesn’t appear either player is on the verge of returning.
Wizards forward Deni Avdija left Thursday’s game vs. Houston following an awkward collision with Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (video link) and told Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link) after the game that his left knee is sore. However, he’s optimistic about his prognosis. “I feel like I kind of avoided something severe, and I’m happy about that,” Avdija said. “That’s all that matters.”

Atlantic Notes: Achiuwa, Hart, Anunoby, Porzingis, Celtics

March 14th, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa has impressed in the midst of several injuries to key players like Julius Randle, starting 18 straight games and averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per night. He returned to the bench as the team got healthier on Tuesday, but remained productive, registering 12 points, eight boards and two blocks against Philadelphia.

As observed by Newsday’s Steve Popper (subscriber link) and as we previously noted, it’s been a pleasant homecoming for Achiuwa, who moved to New York from Nigeria in eighth grade and played some high school ball there.

“It was a very, very cool moment for me,” Achiuwa said. “Inner city kid, growing up in the city, of course, hearing about the Knicks, seeing the games and stuff. Now, being able to represent the city on that platform is really huge. Seeing how the city accepted me and just me being there in that particular moment was very nostalgic in a way. It was a crazy moment for sure.

“This is the best I’ve played in a really really long time.”

While Achiuwa’s play is exciting, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes New York may soon have a difficult decision to make. Achiuwa’s a restricted free agent this offseason and while his current projected $8-10MM valuation is more than reasonable for his production, Mitchell Robinson, due $14.3MM next season, is under contract. Additionally, Isaiah Hartenstein, who has taken over the starting job in the wake of Robinson’s injury, will become an unrestricted free agent.

Assuming the Knicks re-sign OG Anunoby, bringing back both Hartenstein – who could get a contract with an annual value around $13-14MM – and Achiuwa would send New York into the luxury tax, Bondy observes. While those salary projections seem safe for now, Bondy writes, it’s possible each Hartenstein and Achiuwa get more money than expected in a relatively weak frontcourt free agent class.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau defied his own trend of playing one lead guard, two wings, a power forward and a center when he transitioned to a position-less lineup in Anunoby’s return, Bondy writes in a member-only New York Post article. As Bondy observes, Anunoby played alongside Josh Hart in the starting lineup, and that duo has the NBA’s best net rating among two players with at least 241 minutes together (+37.7). “I like that versatility, and we thought that was one of the big reasons why we wanted OG, was what he would bring to the team,” Thibodeau said. “So I think it’s a huge plus for us.“
Kristaps Porzingis missed his fourth straight game for the Celtics on Thursday, but head coach Joe Mazzulla gave a promising update on the star before the game, according to MassLive’s Brian Robb. “He’s progressing well,” Mazzulla said. “He was on the court today earlier, just working out with the guys. Don’t have an official timeline, but he’s getting better and better.“
Boston’s starters have gotten plenty of credit for the Celtics‘ success this season, but the bench has played a pivotal, yet understated role this year, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. The bench unit including Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet have outscored opponents by 219 points on the year, the best in the NBA. In-season addition Xavier Tillman has also been a key contributor as of late.
In case you missed it, the Sixers are signing Kai Jones to a 10-day contract. Get the details here.

Bulls Notes: Bitim, White, Phillips

March 14th, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Bulls rookie Onuralp Bitim has been a pleasant surprise, emerging in the rotation after having his contract converted from a two-way to a standard deal. He stood out with 10 points and six rebounds against Cleveland on Feb. 28 and scored 17 against Dallas on Monday. In a conversation with Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, Bitim said he tries to emulate the game of Manu Ginobili.

“He’s a very rare talent, definitely,” Bitim said of Ginobili. “But I love his basketball IQ on offense, on defense, how he passed the ball, shot the ball, drove the ball. But, yeah, like you said, he’s definitely a rare talent.”

Bitim is primarily known as a shooter, but he’s trying to stick in the league by showcasing other aspects of his game.

“I was a very good scoring player in Europe and also a good pick-and-roll player,” Bitim said. “I know how to read defenses because that’s what they have been teaching us since a young age. That’s why I think a lot of European players in the NBA know how to read defenses and how to read the games because they’re teaching us at a young age. But right now, I’m trying to just help my team. Whatever they need. If I need to defend, I need to defend. If I need to shoot, I need to shoot. If I need to take a rebound, I need to do that.”

Mayberry goes over a handful of other topics with Bitim, including his transition from Europe to the NBA and his early playing days.

We have more from the Bulls:

Coby White went through a tumultuous start to his career after being selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 draft, averaging 12.6 points per game through the first four years of his career, including a career-low 9.7 points last season. In need of a breakout season, White has delivered, increasing his scoring average to 19.5 PPG in his fifth year and becoming a frontrunner for Most Improved Player. SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell explores how White attacked this past summer, detailing his close work with trainer Johnny Stephene.
An MRI on White revealed a left hip strain, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) and the injury wasn’t as serious as it initially looked. According to Wojnarowski, White missed Thursday’s game, but could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson details how White, the NBA’s leader in minutes at 2,242, avoided a major injury and is day-to-day. “He was in some pretty significant pain right when it occurred and then he was in pain afterward,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “When you see a guy go down with that kind of force on top of him, you worry about this thing could be a lot worse. In some ways, we escaped a bullet there so to speak that it wasn’t something more significant or severe.“
Rookie forward Julian Phillips missed Chicago’s Thursday game against the Clippers due to right foot soreness, according to Johnson (Twitter link). Phillips is averaging 4.1 points in his last eight games, including an 11-point outing against Dallas.

And-Ones: Stackhouse, Schröder, 2024 Mock, Mayo, Adams

March 14th, 2024 at 8:52pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse, a former NBA player and assistant coach, is not expected to return as the Commodores’ head coach, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein (Twitter link).

According to fellow college insider Jeff Goodman (Twitter link), Stackhouse’s buyout for Vanderbilt was “extremely high.” As Goodman points out, Vanderbilt signed Stackhouse to a contract extension after the team played its way to the NIT quarterfinals last season.

Stackhouse finishes his coaching career at Vanderbilt with a 70-92 record in five seasons with zero NCAA Tournament appearances. Before being hired Vanderbilt, Stackhouse was an assistant coach for the Raptors in the 2015/16 season and the Raptors 905’s head coach from 2016-18. He was also an assistant for the Grizzlies in the ’18/19 season. He has been linked to NBA head coaching jobs in the past.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Nets point guard Dennis Schröder, 30, isn’t planning to stop playing professional basketball anytime soon, according to Eurohoops.net. Schröder sees himself playing for at least another decade and eventually returning to play in Germany at the tail end of his career. The same goes for his stint with the German national team, according to Eurohoops. “I have the feeling that I want to stay there for a long time, like Dirk Nowitzki back then,” Schröder said. “I can realistically assess if and how I can still help the team.”
With conference tournament play underway, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman provided his latest 2024 NBA mock draft. Alexandre Sarr to the Wizards, Zaccharie Risacher to the Pistons and Reed Sheppard to the Spurs are his top three projected picks. Indiana’s Kel’el Ware and UConn’s Stephon Castle are some of the biggest risers, while potential top pick Nikola Topic falls to seventh to the Spurs in Wasserman’s mock.
Former NBA players O.J. Mayo and Jaylen Adams are signing in China with the Liaoning Flying Leopards, according to Sportando. Mayo had been previously playing in Egypt, while Adams just wrapped up the NBL season in Australia. Mayo, the third overall pick in 2008, played eight NBA seasons (2008-16), averaging 13.8 points. Adams has two seasons of NBA experience, playing with Atlanta (2018/19) and Milwaukee (’20/21), averaging 2.7 points in his career.

RJ Barrett Away From Raptors Due To Death Of Brother

March 14th, 2024 at 7:41pm CST by Tristan Tucker

RJ Barrett is presently away from the Raptors as he deals with the death of his younger brother, Nathan Tyler Barrett, Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reports (Twitter link). He had been listed as out for Wednesday’s game against Detroit due to personal reasons.

“It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the loss of our beloved son and brother, Nathan Tyler Barrett, who passed away on Tuesday, March 12, surrounded by his family, church and friends,” a statement from the Barrett family reads. “While our family is devastated by this great loss, we will continue to cherish the memories and time spent together. Nathan was a God-fearing young man of strong character. He was thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, creative, admirable, and driven.

“During this difficult time, our family would like to ask for privacy but greatly appreciates the outpouring of love, support, and prayers that we have been receiving. Though his time with us was brief, he will live forever in our hearts.”

RJ Barrett, who was traded from New York to Toronto in the OG Anunoby deal in December, has played very well for his hometown team, averaging 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 33.7 minutes per game across 27 appearances, with a shooting line of .553/.417/.592. It’s unclear how long he might be away from the Raptors.

Our best wishes and condolences go out to the Barrett family.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Rockets, Pippen, Bane, Clarke

March 14th, 2024 at 6:31pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama looked like he was hitting the so-called “rookie wall” early in February when he posted a 5-of-16 performance and a 15-point, one-rebound game within days of each other, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez writes. However, Wembanyama shut down all talk about any potential slump when he put up a triple-double with blocks against the Raptors just before the All-Star break.

Since then, he’s had one of the finest stretches of his young career, averaging 22.5 points, 11.7 boards, 4.9 assists and 4.9 blocks in his last 11 games. Lopez writes that Wembanyama is focused on ending the season on a high note.

“How important is it? It’s the whole point,” Wembanyama said. “Coach said it again tonight in the locker room. It’s our job and this is what we’re here for, to win as soon as possible but also in the long run. So there is no other option.”

In the past month, Wembanyama has posted that aforementioned triple-double, recorded a 5×5, and is on pace to lead the league in blocks. Lopez writes his teammates have become used to his absurd stat lines.

“There’s still moments where we’re like, ‘Oh, what was that? We ain’t never seen that before.’ But I think overall, we’ve seen so much of what he’s done and what he can become and what he is going to become that it’s kind of normal for us now,” teammate Jeremy Sochan said. “We just know he can do way more than he’s doing right now, and what he’s doing right now is unbelievable.”

According to Lopez, there are no plans to shut down Wembanyama for the rest of the season even though the Spurs have nothing to play for after being eliminated from postseason contention.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Rockets bench players Reggie Bullock, Jock Landale and Jae’Sean Tate are embracing a next-man up mentality after recent injuries to Cam Whitmore and Alperen Sengun, writes Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner. “We talk every day. We just talk about opportunity,” Bullock said of discussions between him, Landale and Tate. “We know that we are the guys that need to be able to step up with guys that’ve been out, and we all got that same mindset of going out and take whatever needs to be done to help the team win.” All three players saw a spike in playing time on Tuesday against San Antonio.
After being out since Feb. 12 with an injury, Grizzlies two-way guard Scotty Pippen Jr. returned to the lineup on Wednesday against Charlotte. He scored nine points and 10 assists in his return. As Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole observes (Twitter link), due to the amount of time he missed with injury, the Grizzlies don’t have to worry about Pippen hitting his games played limit per his two-way deal and will likely lean on him moving forward. Pippen was eligible to be active for up to 26 games after signing his two-way on Jan. 16 and the Grizzlies played 27 times since then, so he wouldn’t have been eligible for all of their games anyway.
Key Grizzlies players Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke did some “extensive” work this week with Memphis’ G League affiliate, the Hustle, according to Cole (Twitter link). Clarke is now back to playing five-on-five after suffering an Achilles injury last season. Cole expects Bane to be back within the next couple games and Clarke to be back before the end of the month.

Northwest Notes: Ayton, Murray, Wolves, Jazz

March 14th, 2024 at 5:22pm CST by Rory Maher

After an uneven first few months with his new club, Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton has been living up to his self-styled nickname (“DominAyton”) over the past several weeks, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report.

“I think we’ve unlocked him,” head coach Chauncey Billups said. “We’re getting the best version of him. He’s been a monster.”

As Highkin writes, since January 24 — a stretch that covers 16 games for Ayton — the Bahamian center has averaged 20.0 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 0.9 BPG while shooting 63.2% from the field and 94.7% from the free throw line in 33.5 MPG. In Wednesday’s victory over Atlanta, the 25-year-old scored a season-high 33 points (on 15-of-20 shooting) and pulled down 19 rebounds, the second time in three games he’s had at least 30 points and 19 boards.

“Coming into these games, I’m trying to do everything,” Ayton said, per Highkin. “Not only do my requirements, my role for this team, but do a lot more. That’s where I’m at. I’m more dominant. People like to laugh at it, but it’s the truth.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray doesn’t hold any individual awards, but he knows he’s respected and feared by his opponents, he told Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports. “Of course,” Murray said when asked if he thought he was one of the best players in the league. “And I strive to be the greatest. I want to be the best player ever. Obviously, if you don’t shoot high, then you’re never going to get there. I think (Nikola) Jokic is the greatest player right now. And I try to be a close second.” A brilliant postseason performer, the 27-year-old said he has his sights set on the award his teammate Jokic won last year: Finals MVP.
With Karl-Anthony Towns out at least four weeks following knee surgery, it’s natural that people would begin to question the Timberwolves‘ status as a postseason contender, despite their excellent season to this point — they’re currently 45-21, one game back of the top-seeded Nuggets. According to Chris Mannix of SI.com, Minnesota is embracing being an underdog. “We got a team full of dogs, man,” said point guard Mike Conley. “We got guys who want the opportunity that we have. It’s all uphill and people are doubting and that’s where we work best, I think. We’re just going to go out there and do what we do, block the noise out and kind of hold it down until he gets back and be ready to go.” The Wolves have gone 2-2 since Towns was injured.
The Jazz provided injury updates on three injured players on Wednesday, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links). Rookie forward Taylor Hendricks (toe sprain) was a full practice participant yesterday, while Lauri Markkanen (right quadriceps contusion) was a partial participant. Hendricks has missed the past three games, while Markkanen has missed four straight. Jordan Clarkson (right groin strain) did not practice. Larsen speculates that Hendricks could return on Friday vs. Atlanta, but the other two players may take a little bit longer to return.

Raptors Sign Jahmi’us Ramsey To Second 10-Day Deal

March 14th, 2024 at 2:32pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have officially signed Jahmi’us Ramsey to a second 10-day contract, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportnet.ca.

As Murphy observes, Ramsey will be ineligible to sign a third 10-day deal with Toronto, so the team will have to decide if it wants to retain him for the remainder of the season on March 24.

Ramsey made two appearances for the Raptors during his first 10 days with the club, averaging 3.0 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 12.5 MPG. He also played two games for the Raptors 905, their NBA G League affiliate.

A former second-round pick (43rd overall in 2020) who played one season of college basketball at Texas Tech, Ramsey spent his first two NBA seasons with the Kings prior to being waived in February 2022. He appeared in 32 games with Sacramento, averaging 3.1 PPG in just 7.1 MPG.

Ramsey has spent the past two seasons playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s NBAGL affiliate. In 30 Showcase Cup and regular season games with the Blue in 2023/24, the 22-year-old shooting guard has averaged 20.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.1 SPG on .531/.406/.699 shooting in 29.5 MPG.

When Ramsey’s first 10-day deal expired overnight, the Raptors had an opening on their standard roster, which means they didn’t need to waive anyone to re-sign him. Ramsey will make $116,075 over the next 10 days.

Ben Simmons Undergoes Second Back Surgery

March 14th, 2024 at 1:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons underwent a successful microscopic partial discectomy on Thursday to alleviate the nerve impingement in his lower left back, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).

The former No. 1 overall pick is expected to make a full recovery ahead of training camp in the fall, the club added.

This is the second time Simmons has undergone back surgery in the past two years. His first surgery, a microdiscectomy back in May 2022, was to alleviate the pain and symptoms from a herniated disc on the right side of his spine.

A former three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive team member who also made the All-NBA Third Team in 2019/20, Simmons’ career has been derailed by injuries the past few seasons. After a lengthy holdout with Philadelphia, he was traded to Brooklyn in February 2022, but never played for the Nets in 2021/22.

Last season, Simmons averaged 6.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 6.1 APG and 1.3 SPG in 42 games (26.3 MPG), later admitting he hadn’t fully recovered from his first back surgery. Entering the ’23/24 campaign, the 27-year-old was far more optimistic, but was limited to just 15 games (23.9 MPG) after sustaining the nerve impingement in early November. He averaged 6.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 5.7 APG in those appearances.

Simmons was officially shut down for the season a week ago, as he was consulting with specialists and considering treatment options for the nerve impingement in his lower back. Obviously, it was decided that undergoing another surgery was the best course of action.

Simmons will be entering the final year of his current maximum-salary contract in ’24/25. He’s on track to earn $40,338,144 before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency.

Southeast Notes: Micic, Wizards, Vukcevic, Jovic, Herro

March 14th, 2024 at 12:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets guard Vasilije Micic is one of the more unusual NBA rookies in recent memory. A two-time EuroLeague champion and two-time EuroLeague Final Four MVP who also won the regular season MVP for 2020/21, the 30-year-old signed a three-year deal with Oklahoma City last summer.

Despite his excellent international résumé, Micic struggled to crack the Thunder’s deep rotation, and he was sent to Charlotte at the trade deadline. According to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, the Serbian veteran said he’s still trying to find his footing in the NBA.

“I’m still trying to find myself,” said Micic. “It’s a mix of what’s really happening. We have a lot of injured players and it’s something that opened a lot of room for me in terms of minutes. But at the same time I’m at the age of, now, 30 and I’ve kind of shaped my game already. And I’m coming from five years of playing … the same way.

“So, it’s not an easy to adjust to fit in the team that needs more of a creator or passer — whatever it is. And I’m just trying to find the mix to still be aggressive, to still be capable of also scoring. But at the same time playing the right way.”

Micic had the best game of his NBA career in Wednesday’s victory over Memphis, recording 25 points (on 9-of-10 shooting), eight assists and two steals in 30 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in seven straight games, averaging 15.4 PPG, 6.4 APG, 2.9 RPG and 1.3 SPG over that span (31.3 MPG).

Here’s more from the Southeast:

After winning two straight games, the Wizards had a “soft, all-too-often listless performance” on Tuesday against an injury-plagued Memphis team, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Forward Kyle Kuzma, who started at center with Marvin Bagley III (lower back spasm) and Richaun Holmes (left big toe sprain) injured, didn’t mince words after the loss. “We disrespected the game,” Kuzma said. “We disrespected ourselves. … It also just boils down to professionalism and giving a f— a little bit. And tonight, we just didn’t. Anybody (on the Grizzlies) could go score. Anybody could lay the ball in. We were playing selfish on both ends. Just wasn’t good tonight from all of us.”
2023 second-round pick Tristan Vukcevic spent most of this season playing in Europe, but he just signed a two-year contract with the Wizards. A league source tells Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link) that the 21-year-old big man received $2,424,892 for the remainder of 2023/24 via the mid-level exception, and Washington holds a team option at the same rate for ’24/25. Vukcevic reportedly had a buyout worth seven figures, which explains why his salary is far above the norm for a second-rounder. Dionysis Aravantinos of HoopsHype takes a closer look at the young Serbian’s game and what he could bring to the Wizards.
With Tyler Herro and Kevin Love injured, Heat forward Nikola Jovic has received extended playing time the past few weeks. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel examines whether Jovic will stick in the rotation once Miami gets back to full strength. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Wednesday there’s still no return timeline for Herro, who has missed nine consecutive games with a foot injury (Twitter link via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press). “He’s doing everything he needs to do,” Spoelstra said.