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Nuggets Notes: Murray, Jokic, Gordon, Saric, Watson

October 20th, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

If they have any hope of winning their second title in three seasons, the 2o24/25 Nuggets need star point guard Jamal Murray to be the best version of himself, opines Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

Even though Murray has battled injuries in recent years and submitted an underwhelming performance for Team Canada in the 2024 Olympics, Denver moved forward on a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension with him during the offseason.

Murray was highly effective in his 59 healthy games last season, averaging 21.2 points, 6.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per contest.

With Murray, three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic, and forward Michael Porter Jr. all signed to maximum deals — and power forward Aaron Gordon likely in line for a raise on a potential extension — the Nuggets may be locked into their current core for a while.

There’s more out of Denver:

Far beyond the purview of the Nuggets’ fanbase in Denver, Nikola Jokic‘s greatness has reached international superstar levels, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Nuggets. The 6’11” big man’s superstardom was on display during a pair of recent preseason games in Abu Dhabi, when he was very much the star of the show.
New veteran Nuggets big man signing Dario Saric is already impressing teammate Aaron Gordon, per DNVR Sports (YouTube video link).“So excited to play with Dario,” Gordon said. “He’s a hell of a talent, so versatile. [He] does multiple things on the floor — can pass the ball, can shoot the ball, can score, can defend, can play big, can play small… I don’t think you guys understand how big of an impact that he will have on this team, playing that backup center, playing that backup four.”
Still dealing with a hamstring strain, intriguing young Nuggets reserve swingman Peyton Watson was able to fully partake in team practice Sunday for the first time in five weeks, reports Durando in another article. “We’ll see how that injury and how that muscle reacts to what he did today,” head coach Michael Malone said following the practice. “Because tomorrow, the hope is to introduce some more things offensively. … I want to blow it out tomorrow. We’ll be on the main court, which will be nice to finally get on the main court and play, maybe, three or four 12-minute quarters. And the hope is that Peyton feels good enough to be able to get through at least some of those (quarters) tomorrow.”

Sixers Notes: Martin, Star Trio, Arena

October 20th, 2024 at 3:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

One of the most underrated Sixers free agent additions of the summer was versatile three-and-D combo forward Caleb Martin. The veteran wing may not be a marquee name like nine-time All-Star Paul George, but he’s eager to prove his mettle as a multifaceted role player, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pompey notes that Martin could prove to be a crucial “glue guy” for the club as it seeks its first title in 42 seasons. Martin expressed enthusiasm about taking on a complementary role.

“That’s how you fit in,” Martin said. “That’s how you complete the pieces of the puzzle. If everybody’s got the same agenda, averaging 20 points, playing the most minutes, getting up the most shots, that’s not how you complete a team.”

Although he’s just 6’5″, the 29-year-old is projected to serve as Philadelphia’s starting power forward, as he did during much of his tenure with the Heat. Martin was a key member of Miami’s charmed 2023 playoff run, which saw the club reach the NBA Finals.

During his final season in Miami in 2023/24, Martin averaged a career-best 10.0 points per game on .431/.349/.778 shooting splits, along with 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest. He inked a four-year, $35MM deal with the Sixers this summer.

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

Health will be paramount for the Sixers’ new “Big Three” of All-NBA center Joel Embiid, George, and All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey, Pompey writes in another Inquirer story. Maxey exited Friday’s preseason finale against the Magic after bruising his right thumb, but that was viewed as a precautionary decision. George is dealing with a hyperextended knee and is questionable to play in the team’s regular season opener Wednesday. Embiid hasn’t scrimmaged with the team or played a single game during the preseason as the 2023 MVP looks to manage his health with an eye towards playoff glory. Pompey notes that Philadelphia plans to exercise caution with the 34-year-old George in addition to Embiid.
Critics of the Sixers’ impending new arena in downtown Philadelphia have asked who will truly benefit from the building’s construction, according to Jeff Gammage, Sean Collins Walsh, and Anna Orsol of The Philadelphia Inquirer. While $50MM from team ownership has been allocated for the community, those critics question just how that money will be doled out. “We still have negotiations to do, and working with the development team and administration to make sure those changes that we believe are necessary will be put into either the legislation or the [agreement for the new arena,” city councilman Mark Squilla said.
In case you missed it, Philadelphia waived four players ahead of the start of the regular season.

Knicks’ Achiuwa Strains Hamstring, Will Be Reassessed in 2-4 Weeks

October 20th, 2024 at 1:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks forward/center Precious Achiuwa has strained his left hamstring and will be sidelined for at least the next two-to-four weeks, New York has announced (Twitter link). At that point, the 6’8″ big man will have the injury reevalauted.

It’s a big blow for New York’s frontcourt depth, compounding the health issues the team was already facing in that department to kick off its 2024/25 season. New York is already expecting to be without center Mitchell Robinson until at least January.

Losing Robinson and now Achiuwa means the Knicks will have to lean on deeper-bench options behind All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, with Jericho Sims seemingly the likeliest player to benefit from a major minutes uptick. Seven-foot rookie center Ariel Hukporti, the No. 58 pick in this year’s draft, could conceivably even get a look. Forwards such as OG Anunoby could also see action at the five in smaller lineups.

As James L. Edwards of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), the Knicks’ bench will be exceedingly green to start the year. Only three of the team’s healthy reserves have prior NBA playing experience.

New York first acquired Achiuwa as part of its trade for Anunoby midway through 2023/24. He proved his mettle as a talented two-way presence in the paint for a 50-win Knicks squad. Across his 49 contests with the team (18 starts), Achiuwa posted solid averages of 7.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.1 BPG and 0.6 SPG.

The Memphis alum earned a one-year, $6MM deal to stick with New York as a free agent this summer.

New York’s starting unit of Towns, Anunoby, All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson, three-and-D shooting guard Josh Hart, and newly acquired All-Defensive forward Mikal Bridges is shaping up to be one of the most fearsome in the entire league. With health-related challenges emerging early on, it remains to be seen how head coach Tom Thibodeau will balance a desire to lean heavily on his starters for early wins with the team’s bigger postseason aspirations.

Celtics Notes: Walker, Walsh, Scheierman, Potential Buyers

October 20th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Lonnie Walker IV didn’t survive the Celtics‘ final cuts, but the decision to part with him clearly wasn’t an easy one, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Walker faced long odds to earn a roster spot with an organization operating under the second apron, and his teammates were impressed by his effort during his time in Boston.

“I love Lonnie,” Luke Kornet said. “He’s a great player, honestly. His energy and his joy and passion and connection just he mainly possesses I think was awesome. I never had the opportunity to know him closely until these past few weeks, and he’s been great to have around and honestly a joy to play with and a joy to work with.”

Walker appeared in four preseason games, averaging 7.3 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds, and gave the Celtics a look at how he fits with the rest of the roster in case they consider bringing him back later. The price for keeping the 25-year-old free agent would have been around $11MM with tax penalties figured in, so management opted for the flexibility of having an open roster spot.

“He’s had a great approach,” coach Joe Mazzulla told Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “A guy that’s been around the league a long time and has seen different environments. Came in with his head down and just wanted to work and wanted to have an understanding of what it’s like, what it is to play our style of basketball on both ends of the floor. I thought he did a good job of executing that in the time that he had. I thought he did a great job being patient and executing the role we needed him to. And I thought he did a good job in the film room trying to get to the understanding of our system on both ends of the floor.”

There’s more from Boston:

Jordan Walsh is looking for an expanded role in his second NBA season, Himmelsbach adds in a separate story. Walsh has noticed more trust from his teammates since training camp began. “Trying to gain the respect of my teammates definitely boosted my confidence a lot more,” he said. “Now [Payton Pritchard] is passing it to me a little bit more, [Jayson Tatum] is giving me advice, passing to me a little more. So all those things made me feel like I’m really a part of this team and I can help. Those guys believe it, and I believe it.”
Sam Hauser doesn’t want Baylor Scheierman to get discouraged by a rough preseason, Terada states in another MassLive story. The first-round pick shot just 16.7% from the field and 17.6% from three-point range while averaging 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per night. “Those five games were his first NBA experience,” Hauser said. “It’s hard to really have expectations on anybody in that situation. That’s a tough spot to be in. I’m sure for himself he has high expectations. I try to remember my first preseason — I don’t think I played that well. So I keep trying to tell him to stay aggressive, keep shooting.”
Two more potential buyers for the Celtics have emerged, according to Michael Silverman and Shelly Leung of The Boston Globe. Robert Hale, who’s already a limited partner in the team, said he has “keen interest” in becoming majority owner, and Mark Bezos, founding partner of HighPost Capital private equity group and half-brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is considering a bid as well, a source tells the authors.

Southeast Notes: Daniels, Banchero, Burks, Salaun

October 20th, 2024 at 10:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Hawks guard Dyson Daniels welcomed a fresh start to his NBA career after being traded from New Orleans this summer, writes Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Daniels was selected with the eighth pick in the 2022 draft, but he wasn’t satisfied with the progress he made during his two seasons with the Pelicans.

“I think I feel like in New Orleans, I was kind of bottled up a little bit, and it was hard to try to find myself and find whatever I wanted to do,” Daniels said. “I was so focused on basketball, making sure I’m there every time, I’m giving 100% that I was, I was kind of tense and not relaxed. It was always stressful. So just to be able to get out of there, have a new beginning in Atlanta, new team. I love the coaching staff. Love everyone here. Great city, great food, great people here. So, I’ve really enjoyed the move so far.”

Daniels mainly came off the bench in New Orleans, but he started all four preseason games he played with the Hawks and appears to be a good fit alongside Trae Young. He averaged 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists and connected at 38.1% from three-point range after shooting just 31.2% from beyond the arc with the Pelicans. Although it was an encouraging performance, Daniels is happy that the preseason is finally over.

“I’m ready for the season, now,” he said. “I hate the build-up. I hate preseason. I hate all that stuff. I just like playing games. So I’m ready to step foot on the floor and have an impact, be out there picking up full-court defense, playing off Trae, knocking down shots, getting to the rim, just being that kind of that all guy. Trae’s gonna get a lot of attention. So it’s about running the ball, making the right reads, right decisions coming up, slipping out screens, setting good screens. But I’m just looking forward to playing a basketball game, so it’s gonna be fun.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Coming off an All-Star season, Magic forward Paolo Banchero might be ready to reach new heights, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Head coach Jamahl Mosley talked about the “poise” that Banchero has displayed since camp opened, and the third-year forward agreed he’s approaching the game differently. “It’s just a certain level of comfort,” Banchero said. “After my second year, especially playing in the playoffs, it just showed me a different way that I can be effective. Combining my first two seasons and just looking back, watching so much tape over the summer, I played a lot on the ball my first two years and I learned that if I’m able to mix up playing on and off the ball — screening, flashing, posting up and just trying to not just give the defense one dose of something, just try to mix it up, pick my spots, and be a little more strategic with my approach — it makes the game a little easier.”
Changing teams is a routine experience for veteran swingman Alec Burks, who joined his eighth NBA club when he signed with the Heat this summer, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Winderman adds that Burks became a priority for Miami after losing Caleb Martin in free agency. “The way they develop their guys, no matter their age, no matter the years, they just make everybody better,” Burks said in explaining why he joined the Heat. “I think that’s what I’ve learned so far, is their development of any type of player.”
Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer examines rookie Tidjane Salaun‘s chances of earning a spot in the Hornets‘ rotation.

Central Notes: Trent, Sheppard, Giddey, Bulls

October 20th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Arthur Hill

Gary Trent Jr. probably could have gotten a better offer elsewhere, but he chose to sign a veteran’s minimum contract with the Bucks for the chance to win a title. In an interview with Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda, Trent talked about what attracted him to Milwaukee and indicated that he hopes this season will be the start of an extended future in the city.

“It’s a great opportunity. I’m 25, and I still have years left to grow,” Trent said. “This is a great place to find a home base and be part of something long-term. It’s an excellent organization with great players, a solid front office, and good energy, so it’s been great so far.”

Trent took a severe pay cut for his seventh NBA season, playing for about $2.6MM after coming off a three-year, $51.8MM contract in Toronto. The Bucks reportedly made a strong recruiting pitch after losing Malik Beasley in free agency, and Trent is excited about the chance to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

“I get to play with two players who are in the top 75 in NBA history,” Trent said. “Their approach to the game every night can only uplift everybody around them and put a certain focus on their mindset. It’s about rolling with that and figuring it out together.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Ben Sheppard was a valuable member of the Pacers‘ second unit last season, but it won’t be easy to earn the same level of playing time in a crowded rotation, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Bennedict Mathurin will soak up a lot of the bench minutes as he returns from injury, and Sheppard will be competing for time at the wing spots with Mathurin and Jarace Walker, two high lottery picks. “I just say every chance I get to step on the floor I’m just trying to showcase the player that I am,” Sheppard said. “I’m just a team player, a high IQ player that just plays the right way. I feel like every time I go out there, I don’t need to do anything outside of my skill set.”
There’s still a gap between the Bulls and Josh Giddey as Monday’s deadline for rookie scale extensions nears, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Johnson notes that the team’s recent practice has been to let the final year play out and re-sign players as restricted free agents, as it did with Coby White and Patrick Williams.
Strong performances from White and Zach LaVine, along with an encouraging return by Lonzo Ball, give the Bulls reasons for optimism, Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune notes in a recap of the preseason. However, there are concerns about Williams, who had to leave two preseason games with wrist and ankle injuries.

Checking In On Roster Situations Around The NBA

October 20th, 2024 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the majority of the NBA teams made their roster cuts on Saturday and didn’t wait until Monday’s deadline to set their regular season rosters.

Completing those moves on Saturday will ensure the players on non-guaranteed contracts clear waivers on Monday, before the regular season begins. If a team had waited until Monday to waive a player on a non-guaranteed deal, he wouldn’t clear waivers until Wednesday, and the team would be on the hook for two days’ worth of his salary.

After Saturday’s flurry of roster moves, here’s where things stand around the NBA…

Teams whose rosters are within the regular season limits

Of the NBA’s 30 teams, 29 have rosters that comply with the league’s regular season roster limits, which state that clubs can’t carry more than 15 players on standard contracts or three on two-way contracts.

The following 14 teams are right at the limit, carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-ways:

Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Milwaukee Bucks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards

Just because these rosters look ready for the regular season doesn’t mean they’re fully locked in. It wouldn’t be be a surprise if one or more of these teams makes a minor tweak before Monday’s regular season roster deadline. That could be as simple as swapping out one two-way player for another.

The following 11 teams are carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-ways:

Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
New Orleans Pelicans
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings

Several of these teams are in luxury tax territory or have minimal flexibility below the tax line, so they’ll open the season with an open roster spot to either keep their projected tax bill in check or maintain some financial flexibility. That’s not the case for all of them though. The Rockets are well clear of the tax, for instance, and could comfortably make a roster addition if they want to.

Four more teams are within the regular season limits. Those teams are as follows:

Charlotte Hornets: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.
Detroit Pistons: 14 players on standard contracts and one on a two-way deal.
New York Knicks: 12 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
Orlando Magic: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

The Hornets, Pistons, and Magic will likely fill their open two-way slots sooner rather than later. In fact, Detroit already has its eye on a pair of players – Alondes Williams and Cole Swider – for its openings. There are no cap savings generated by keeping a two-way slot open, so I’d bet on Charlotte and Orlando adding one more two-way player in the coming days.

The Pistons also have an open spot on their 15-man roster and it’s perhaps no coincidence that they’re also the only team in the NBA with cap room still available. Carrying a 15th man, even one on a non-guaranteed contract, would slowly eat into that cap room, which is a scenario they probably want to avoid in order to maximize their ability to accommodate salary-dump trades during the season.

The Knicks are facing one of the NBA’s most restrictive hard cap situations, with just $3.58MM in wiggle room below that second-apron threshold, which they can’t surpass at any point during the 2024/25 season. They can’t even carry two more minimum-salary veterans, so the expectation is that they’ll sign a veteran to a minimum deal and promote a two-way rookie to the standard roster — Ariel Hukporti is the top candidate, and would count against the cap for the rookie minimum ($1,157,153) instead of the veteran minimum ($2,087,519), allowing the Knicks to remain below the hard cap.

The Knicks are permitted to carry just 12 players on standard contracts for up to 14 days at a time and for up to 28 total days during the regular season. It looks like they’ll probably use those first 14 days during the season’s first two weeks, meaning they won’t have to add 13th and 14th men until the first week of November.

Teams that still have moves to make before Monday’s deadline

Only one NBA team has yet to make the necessary cuts to get within the regular season roster limits:

Minnesota Timberwolves: 16 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

As a result of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, the Timberwolves are carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts and one (PJ Dozier) on a partially guaranteed deal. Dozier is assured of receiving at least $1MM of his minimum-salary contract, which counts on Minnesota’s books for about $2.09MM.

It sounds as if the Wolves would like to keep Dozier, which will likely make veteran forward Keita Bates-Diop the odd man out. Bates-Diop was a throw-in the Towns trade and wasn’t at practice on Saturday.

If they waive Bates-Diop, Minnesota will be on the hook for his full $2,654,644 guaranteed salary, along with the accompanying tax penalties, so the front office may continue to explore the trade market to try to find a taker for him (or a separate deal) in order to avoid that scenario. The Wolves will have to get down to 15 players on standard contracts and finalize their regular season roster by 4:00 pm Central time on Monday.

Reported Exhibit 10 signings that never materialized

A couple weeks ago, we checked in on the reported Exhibit 10 deals that had yet to be finalized, noting that most of them would still become official before opening night.

As expected, that was indeed the case. Of the 11 players we highlighted, nine ultimately signed Exhibit 10 contracts as reported and were subsequently waived. A tenth player, Boo Buie, didn’t complete his anticipated deal with the Suns, but inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks instead.

That leaves just one reported Exhibit 10 agreement that wasn’t completed — former Missouri guard Sean East II never ended up signing with the Lakers.

East and the Lakers could still technically finalize that deal on Sunday or Monday, but that doesn’t seem likely, since the team would take on a cap charge by signing and waiving East this late in the offseason. With just $45K in breathing room below the second tax apron, the Lakers are unlikely to be so cavalier about making even a small addition to their team salary.

Hoops Rumors’ roster resources

We consistently maintain and update a number of lists and trackers that are designed to help you keep tabs on NBA rosters. They’re all up to date following Saturday’s cuts.

Those resources, which can be found on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site or on the “Features” page within our mobile menu, include the following:

2024/25 NBA Roster Counts
2024/25 Non-Guaranteed Contracts By Team
2024/25 Two-Way Contract Tracker
2024 NBA Free Agent Tracker: This tracker will no longer be updated once the regular season begins, but includes every offseason free agent signing, including all the players who were signed-and-waived in recent days.
2025 NBA Free Agents By Position/Type
2025 NBA Free Agents By Team

Pacific Notes: Olivari, Bronny, Warriors, McLaughlin

October 19th, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before his new two-way contract with the Lakers became official, rookie point guard Quincy Olivari got to play in front of his childhood basketball hero Friday night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Warriors star Stephen Curry, who sat out due to a sprained finger, talked to Olivari after the game and presented him with autographed sneakers.

“I used to sleep under that jersey,” Olivari told reporters. “I just wanted to be like him so bad. So just to be able to meet him, him be able to have some respect for me and for us to talk in the back — he gave me a pair of his shoes and signed them. Like, that meant the world to me.”

The 23-year-old Olivari has been a pleasant surprise in training camp after going undrafted out of Xavier. He shot 57.1% from the floor during the preseason and capped it off with a 22-point performance Friday night.

“I just want a job in the NBA,” he said. “Like, it’s the only thing I’ve wanted since I was like 5 years old, and my dad always said my biggest gift is my energy. Energy can never be created or destroyed, only transferred. So I bring energy to whatever team wants me, and I bring every group up.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Friday also marked the best preseason showing for second-round pick Bronny James, who posted 17 points, four rebounds, three steals and a block, McMenamin adds. He points out that James also got off to a slow start in Summer League, but improved as he saw more game action. “[It gives me] just a little bit of confidence going into the season even though I might not be in that rotation, might not be playing, but just going into practice, maybe G League games with that confidence in myself to go out there and play my game,” James said.
At Thursday’s practice, Curry aggravated a finger injury he suffered last week, but he’s expected to be ready when the Warriors begin their season Wednesday at Portland, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Coach Steve Kerr had hoped to get some clarity about his starting and closing lineups on Friday, but he suggested he may try several combinations early in the season. “I suppose both could change. I suppose both could change from one night to the next,” Kerr said. “I’d like to get a consistent starting five — and a consistent closing five. But it has to reveal itself.”
There’s some concern in Sacramento after the Kings wrapped up their first winless preseason in 33 years, observes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. One positive is Jordan McLaughlin, who seems to be fully recovered from an ankle sprain earlier in the preseason. “I feel solid,” said McLaughlin, who joined the team in free agency this summer after five years in Minnesota. “I’m still getting my legs back and getting my wind back from being hurt, but so far, so good, and I’m just looking forward to growing in this system.”

Nets Notes: Claxton, Finney-Smith, Johnson, Milton, Fernandez

October 19th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Several Nets players sat out Friday’s preseason finale, but the team expects Nic Claxton and Dorian Finney-Smith to be ready when the season tips off Wednesday in Atlanta, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Claxton has been dealing with hamstring soreness, and coach Jordi Fernandez has been careful not to overextend him throughout the preseason.

“Nic is close. We’re still aiming for the first game of the season,” Fernandez said. “He’s done a good job. He’s working hard. So we expect him to play the season opener.”

Finney-Smith was held out after landing on his back on a collision in Wednesday’s game, but his coach doesn’t believe it will affect his status for opening night.

“Hard fall. Nothing serious. Just precaution,” Fernandez said. “He’s one of the guys that he still would go and run through the wall, and you’ve got to tell him to rest because his body is sore.”

Day’Ron Sharpe remains sidelined with a strained left hamstring and Bojan Bogdanovic is still recovering from offseason surgeries on his left foot and wrist. They both missed the entire preseason, and Lewis says neither one is close to returning.

There’s more from Brooklyn:

Cameron Johnson displayed his versatility this week, handing out six assists while running the offense out of the high post in Wednesday’s game and then scoring 32 points in 32 minutes on Friday, Lewis adds in the same piece. “I expect to do it all season,” Johnson said. “I think interchangeability is what we’re looking for.”
The Nets need to find a reliable backup point guard for nights when Dennis Schröder and Ben Simmons aren’t both available, Lewis states in a separate story. One option is Shake Milton, who was acquired from New York in the Mikal Bridges trade and has been given a chance to run the offense during the preseason. “Not really an adjustment at all,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been doing that since I got in the league, being on the ball and off the ball, so being able to do whatever the team needs me to do is honestly more important. That’s just how you’re able to create opportunities, whether it’s on the ball and creating for myself or others or off the ball, getting aggressive, just whatever needs to be done.”
Fernandez is focused on building relationships in his first season as an NBA head coach. He explains his philosophy to Lewis in another piece for the New York Post.

Knicks Notes: Hart, Bridges, Towns, Payne

October 19th, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Hart played an important role in the Knicks‘ playoff run, but now he’s trying to figure out how he fits into the team’s revamped lineup, writes Steve Popper of The New York Post. Offseason trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns have raised the talent level, but it may take some time for all the pieces to come together.

“There’s a couple days we have until Boston (in the season opener),” Hart said after Friday’s preseason loss to Washington. “So whether that’s trying to get a rhythm with that starting unit or we give somebody else a look and my role changes and comes off the bench and go with that unit. So just trying to figure out right now; I pretty much have no idea. But we’ll see what happens in Boston.’’

It’s been a particularly rough adjustment for Hart, whose first quarter layup on Friday night represented his only points in four preseason games. He took just seven shots in that span, which is a sign that he might be deferring more than ever with two new stars on the team.

“[Jalen Brunson] and KAT’s our engine,” Hart said. “I feel like we played pretty well this preseason. So I’m cool with that. I just think we can just figure out a way where we can be our best selves or whatever — roles or minutes.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

It has also been a rough preseason for Bridges, who has been misfiring since making an offseason change to his shot mechanics, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Bridges is trying to eliminate a hitch in his shot and rediscover the comfort he had at Villanova, but the early results haven’t been good. He missed all 10 of his three-point attempts on Friday and shot just 11% from beyond the arc in four games. “When I came out of college, I kind of tweaked it a little bit,” Bridges said. “And then my second year in the league, I had the hitch and tried to build back from that ever since. So just trying to get it right.”
In an appearance on the Roommates Show podcast with Hart and Brunson (video link), Towns said he learned about the trade to New York four minutes before Shams Charania broke the news on Twitter. Towns added that he respects Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly for coming to his house and telling him about the deal in person, but he was caught off guard because he was expecting to retire in Minnesota.
Cameron Payne gave a fake name and incorrect date of birth to police when they were called to investigate a disturbance involving his girlfriend in June in Scottdale, Arizona, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. The police bodycam footage can be viewed here.

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