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New York Notes: Claxton, Clowney, Anunoby, Hartenstein

March 23rd, 2024 at 1:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Nets center Nic Claxton only attempted three shots in Tuesday’s loss to Milwaukee, which was a season low, and the team would be wise to get him more involved before he hits unrestricted free agency this offseason, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required).

“I’m open a lot,” Claxton told the Post. “I’ve just got to keep putting myself in the right spots and hope that I get the ball.”

According to Lewis, Claxton has been Brooklyn’s most consistent player in 2023/24, and has shown improvement as a play-maker and in the pick-and-roll, with interim head coach Kevin Ollie calling the 24-year-old the team’s “hub.”

“He’s a great passer. He’s unselfish,” Ollie said of Claxton. “We run a lot of our backside action with him with the ball, some of our high frequencies of offensive possessions, of our (dribble hand-offs) with him handling it, and then him being able to hand it off to Dennis (Schröder) or Mikal (Bridges), then him rolling behind that and getting some lobs, which has been great.

“Him doing those different things has allowed us to play freer basketball. I’m gonna continue to allow him to do that. I allow him to push the ball up the court, take advantages there. I just want him to play unlocked basketball and continue to be our hub. But with freedom comes discipline, too. He has to take care of the ball and continue to do those certain things as well.”

However, as Lewis writes, if Claxton’s lack of touches continues, it’s possible he might begin to question his role and future with the Nets. According to Lewis’ sources, Claxton is expected to command $20MM+ annually on the open market this summer.

Here are a few more notes on the league’s two New York-based teams:

Rookie big man Noah Clowney had one of the better outings of his young career on Thursday vs. Milwaukee, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds while showcasing an ability to switch across multiple positions on defense, per Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily. The Nets were plus-10 in Clowney’s 14 minutes. He has only appeared in 11 games for an average of 9.1 MPG, having spent most of his rookie campaign in the G League with Long Island. While some fans have been clamoring for Clowney to play power forward instead of center, Kaplan says in the long run the 19-year-old’s overall development is much more important than the position he ends up playing in the future.
Knicks forward OG Anunoby was ruled out for his third straight game on Saturday vs. the Nets, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Anunoby is dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired elbow, with the team officially listing him out for right elbow injury management. It’s unclear when the impending free agent will return to action — he played three games last week before the elbow flared up, and while it’s reportedly improving, he continues to be sidelined for now.
He isn’t quite the defender Mitchell Robinson is, but Isaiah Hartenstein is a much better passer and he’s done an admirable job filling in as the Knicks‘ starting center, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). Another impending free agent, Hartenstein said he tries to make a positive impact no matter what his role is. “I tell everyone in the NBA you always have to sacrifice,” Hartenstein said. “Before, especially when we had Julius (Randle), we had all those guys, I had a kind of different role. Now I’m playing how I’m used to playing.”

Nemanja Bjelica Retires

March 23rd, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

Veteran forward Nemanja Bjelica announced his retirement from professional basketball via his Instagram on Saturday (hat tip to Sportando).

Bjelica played seven seasons in the NBA with the Timberwolves, Kings, Heat and Warriors, winning a title with Golden State in what would be his final NBA season in 2021/22.

“20 years… thank you basketball…,” Bjelica’s Instagram post reads.

Bjelica began his career in 2007 while playing with the Traiskirchen Lions in the Austrian League. He went on to be selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2010 draft but didn’t make his way to the NBA until 2015, when he signed with the Wolves.

Over the course of his career, Bjelica became well-regarded as a stretch four and reliable rotation piece. He had his two best statistical seasons of his career in 2018-20 while playing with the Kings, where he averaged 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 41.1% from three and starting in 137 of his 149 appearances.

Bjelica was traded from the Kings to Miami at the 2020 deadline and then signed with the Warriors in 2021. He averaged 6.1 points in the regular season (71 games, 16.1 minutes) to help the Warriors to the playoffs and eventually the title.

After leaving the NBA in 2022, Bjelica returned to Fenerbahce, where he had earned a EuroLeague MVP award in 2015. He was released after the season and then made the move to Crvena Zvezda in Serbia but didn’t play a game. Reports surfaced in October 2023 that Bjelica might retire, due in part to injury issues. Today’s news confirms that’s his plan.

In 449 career games (162 starts) in the NBA, Bjelica averaged 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 46.6% from the floor and 38.4% from beyond the arc.

And-Ones: West Playoffs, Tavares, EuroLeague Players, Ignite, Draft

March 23rd, 2024 at 11:07am CST by Tristan Tucker

Much of the NBA’s Western Conference could be in turmoil this offseason, The Athletic’s John Hollinger writes. There are multiple teams that are all in on their stars but are in or hovering just above play-in territory in the West, including the Warriors, Lakers, Mavericks and Suns. Those four teams could all be in the play-in while being over next year’s projected luxury tax and with numerous first-round picks depleted from their assets.

The Clippers are another team in a different, but similar dilemma. While they were in contention for the No. 1 seed at one point this season, they’re now 5.0 games back, are deep in the tax, don’t control a first-rounder until 2030, and their best players are 32, 33 and 34 years old. Paul George, meanwhile, hasn’t signed a max extension yet and could be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines his player option.

The Timberwolves and Nuggets are happy right now given their placement in the standings (and Denver’s 2022/23 title) but are both in win-now mode.

While this is the case every year in both conferences, the stakes feel extremely high given the repercussions each team could face if they bow out of the playoffs early. Many of the aforementioned teams don’t have the cap flexibility or the assets to make significant moves to bolster their chances, Hollinger points out. For some teams, their current iteration is the best chance they’ll have at a title for some time.

The Pelicans, Thunder and Kings are the only three of the top 10 who, at least on paper, have the wherewithal to make obvious and meaningful external improvements/acquisitions this offseason, Hollinger opines. With seven of the conference’s top 10 teams all in, or nearly there, on their current builds, this postseason will be a pivotal one.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA and current Real Madrid center Edy Tavares is exploring his NBA options before he becomes a free agent this offseason, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews tweets. According to Urbonas, Tavares is looking for a substantial role on a competitive NBA team and is looking for an annual salary that approaches the mid-level exception, worth roughly $12.5MM. Tavares received a multiyear offer from the Trail Blazers last offseason but his buyout clause got in the way. Now set to be a free agent after averaging 9.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in EuroLeague, he’ll likely receive massive offers to stay in EuroLeague, which could dissuade NBA teams from signing him.
Tavares headlines a list from Urbonas of 10 EuroLeague names who could make the jump to the NBA this offseason. Tarik Biberovic is one young name making waves, shooting 57.1% from three as of late. He was selected by the Grizzlies in the second round of the 2023 draft and could eventually find his way stateside. A similar article from HoopsHype’s Dionysis Aravantinos explores the same topic, with Gabriele Procida and Markus Howard among the names discussed. Of note, Urbonas writes that Mario Hezonja, who once criticized the NBA, is intending to return to the league at some point and is aggressively exploring the market.
With news that the G League Ignite is shutting down after the season, several of the team’s young players are left in limbo in regards to their future options, Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek writes. Thierry Darlan, Babacar Sane and London Johnson are among players who could test the NBA draft waters and go to the combine but aren’t facing pressure to stay in the draft. Meanwhile, Dink Pate signed a two-year deal with the Ignite and doesn’t qualify to play college ball next year, so he would need to either play overseas, sign with a different G League team, or join Overtime Elite.
With March Madness underway, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie and The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor all published mock drafts for the 2024 class. Both Scotto and O’Connor have Alexandre Sarr as the No. 1 pick, while Vecenie gives Zaccharie Risacher that honor. O’Connor moved Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard up to the second slot and Vecenie has him going fourth, but Scotto has him at No. 8. UConn’s Stephon Castle is mocked sixth in Vecenie’s and O’Connor’s drafts but is 15th in Scotto’s. Providence’s Devin Carter (10th in O’Connor’s) and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski (ninth in Scotto’s) are among the other notable differences between the various mocks.

Bulls Sign Javonte Green To 10-Day Deal

March 23rd, 2024 at 10:20am CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 23: Green has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Bulls, according to a press release from the team.

MARCH 22: The Bulls plan to sign free agent wing Javonte Green to a 10-day contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

It will be a reunion between the two sides, as Green spent parts of three seasons with Chicago, most recently in 2022/23. The 30-year-old was limited to 32 games last season due to a knee injury, which required surgery.

Green signed a training camp deal with Golden State in October, but was waived a few days later. He has appeared in 10 regular season games with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz in ’23/24, averaging 12.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .489/.355/.824 shooting in 22.2 MPG.

Green, who went undrafted in 2015 out of Radford and spent four years playing professionally in Europe before catching on with Boston in 2019, averaged 6.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 0.9 SPG on .547/.360/.780 shooting in 97 games with the Bulls from 2021-23 (46 starts, 20.6 MPG). He’s known as a strong athlete and defender who plays bigger than his size, somewhat similar to Gary Payton II.

The Bulls currently have a full 18-man roster, but Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams have been ruled out for the season, and rookie Julian Phillips is expected to miss at least two weeks with a foot issue. That means Green will almost certainly be signed via the hardship exception.

As a four-year veteran, Green will earn $124,425 over the course of his 10 days with the Bulls.

Southwest Notes: Irving, Ingram, Jackson, Wembanyama

March 23rd, 2024 at 9:35am CST by Tristan Tucker

Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving is strictly adhering to his daily fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News writes. That made it all the more impressive that he hit a buzzer-beating shot to knock off the defending champion Nuggets on Sunday after not intaking food or drink for over nine hours.

Since Ramadan began, the Mavericks are 3-1 and Irving is reaching new heights while averaging 27.8 points, 8.5 assists, and 6.5 per game rebounds despite 12 hours each day without eating or drinking, Townsend writes.

“Ramadan is a special time,” Irving said. “… It’s a difficult journey. To be able to play 48 minutes and do it without having a drink or any food in my stomach is nothing short of a miracle.”

Irving converted to Islam in 2021, meaning this is the fourth spring he’s fasting for. Teammates, coaches and staff members, including assistant God Shammgod, have been actively supporting the star guard during Ramadan.

“Kai’s been with other organizations where things sometimes have been misunderstood,” Shammgod said. “So it’s my job to make sure he has a gateway to the coaches, to the organization. And have an understanding from both sides.”

Ramadan concludes on April 9 and the Mavericks will have played 14 games during that stretch of time.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans star forward Brandon Ingram‘s improved defense and play-making has helped the team achieve one of the best seasons in franchise history. Ingram unfortunately suffered a knee contusion on Thursday and is out for at least two weeks. However, as The Athletic’s William Guillory relays, the Pelicans should be relieved it isn’t worse, considering he may be in position to return ahead of the postseason. Ingram had appeared in 63 games this season, averaging 20.9 points and 5.8 assists. As Guillory observes, if Ingram doesn’t return before the postseason, he’ll still be eligible for any postseason awards despite not reaching 65 games because he was available for 85% of his team’s games at the time of injury.
GG Jackson continues to establish himself as an integral piece of the Grizzlies‘ future after slipping to the No. 45 pick in the 2023 draft and starting the year on a two-way deal, Michael Wallace of Grind City Media writes. Jackson is averaging 23.6 points while shooting 37.3% on 9.6 three-point attempts per game in his last seven outings, including a career-high 35-point showing on Wednesday. “We always knew it wasn’t a talent thing for him – it’s about carrying yourself as a pro each and every day,” Desmond Bane said of Jackson’s development. “He’s got a lot of great people to learn from in our locker room, and he’s taking full advantage of it.“
Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama said he’s going to be sharing his input on San Antonio’s future and is thankful the team wants it, according to NBA.com’s Michael C. Wright (Twitter link). The Spurs will be consulting their franchise player on their offseason moves and the direction they go.

Lakers Notes: Vanderbilt, Hachimura, Wood, Prince, Reddish, Offense

March 23rd, 2024 at 8:19am CST by Tristan Tucker

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has tinkered with the team’s starting lineup over the course of the season, but no matter what he tried, he was having difficulty finding one that stuck. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Ham planned to start Jarred Vanderbilt as the fifth starter alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves in early February, but injuries to James and Davis sidetracked that plan.

Then, shortly after, Vanderbilt suffered a foot injury and hasn’t played since Feb. 1. A player with a unique skillset who helped propel last year’s late-season run, Vanderbilt’s absence was and is a big blow to the Lakers. According to Buha, there is internal optimism that Vanderbilt will return before the regular season ends next month.

Someone needed to step up in Vanderbilt’s absence and, so far, the Lakers have seen success with Rui Hachimura taking over the fifth starter spot from Vanderbilt and Taurean Prince, the latter of whom has been a starter for most of the year. The Lakers moved to 12-5 with Hachimura in the starting five next to James, Davis, Russell and Reaves after beating the Sixers on Friday.

“I’ve been telling them, like, this is who we are,” Hachimura said. “We’ve been trying a lot of different things, some lineups and all this stuff, but this is the lineup we had in the playoffs and that’s how we won, so it’s simple. … It’s just that we know, we’re just really comfortable playing each other.”

Buha further explores why it took so long for the Lakers to get back to lineups featuring Hachimura, which had success last postseason. As Buha explains, Vanderbilt’s preseason injury caused the team to pick between Hachimura and Prince for early-season starter, and Prince won out due to his professionalism and consistency. Prince’s ties to Ham also helped keep him in the lineup for as long as he was.

But with the team floundering and lineups featuring Prince next to the stars continuing to be outscored, the team made the move to Hachimura. So far, the new starting group is outscoring opponents by 42 points and has a plus-8.0 net differential.

We have more from the Lakers:

In the same article, Buha writes that while Christian Wood is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with his knee injury, there’s a chance he can make a return for the Play-In Tournament or the playoffs, if the Lakers make it. Wood is averaging 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds this season.
Prince missed Friday’s game against the Lakers due to personal reasons but he’s expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday against the Pacers, according to Buha (Twitter links). Prince is averaging 9.0 points and shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc in 66 appearances (49 starts) this season.
After he’s been in and out of the lineup due to injury over the past couple months, the Lakers are optimistic that Cam Reddish will be available and able to help the team during the final stretch of the season, The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price writes. Reddish has missed 19 of the last 24 games due to a sprained right ankle after originally suffering the injury on Jan. 23. Ham expressed confidence he’ll be able to help sooner than later. “He should be able to find his rhythm pretty quickly,” Ham said of Reddish. “Obviously, there’s gonna be a little bit of rust and it’s always like that when you’ve been out of the lineup. But for the most part, the things he needs to do to help us win, he should be able to fall right back in the pocket pretty smoothly.“
The Lakers are running more sets and organized offense, leading to the second-best offensive rating in the league over the past two months, Price observes in a separate article. L.A. is continuing to put forth solid halfcourt offensive displays and are thriving in games with controlled offense. “Getting off to good starts, when the offense gets stagnant, we can run a few sets to get the ball popping again,” Russell said. “It’s vital for us. We’ve got a lot of guys, a lot of talent, can easily get in ‘Hero Mode’ and it can hurt us as a team. So just keeping that ball popping. Having everybody trust the pass. It’ll be contagious, making us hard to guard.“

Celtics Notes: Holiday, Hauser, Pritchard, White

March 22nd, 2024 at 9:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Boston has all but secured the No. 1 seed in the East, holding an 11-game lead on second-place Milwaukee with 12 games left on the team’s schedule.

As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes (subscription required), the Celtics have been resting some of their top players over the past week to be cautious — for example, Jayson Tatum missed Friday’s game vs. Detroit with what was officially called a right ankle impingement, but there’s no indication it’s anything serious.

However, veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who missed his third straight game on Friday with a sprained right AC joint in his shoulder, does not fall into that category. Holiday tells Himmelsbach he’s been experiencing “dead arm” following a hard screen from Wizards center Richaun Holmes last Sunday (Twitter video link).

The two-time All-Star has been getting treatment for the injury, which requires rest to heal, per Himmelsbach. While Holiday says he’s starting to feel better, there’s no timeline for his return. Despite the team’s sizeable lead in the standings, he’s eager to get back on the court.

“I still want to play,” Holiday said. “That’s part of the reason I play basketball. But it’s also keeping rhythm. Sometimes when you’re out for a long time you break rhythm, but I feel like I’ve been in a good groove and I want to continue to play.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Backup forward Sam Hauser missed a couple games with an ankle sprain he sustained vs. Washington, but he returned to action in Friday’s victory, Himmelsbach adds in the same story. The third-year sharpshooter says he was relieved the injury wasn’t more serious. “It didn’t feel great, that’s for sure,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect or how it was going to feel in the days to come, but it’s felt pretty good throughout the week.”
Giving Payton Pritchard a four-year, $30MM rookie scale extension last offseason is looking like a shrewd decision by the Celtics, according to Brian Robb of MassLive, who says the fourth-year guard has outperformed that deal this season, though the extension doesn’t begin until 2024/25. “Payton’s been great, and I’m not surprised, to be honest,” Jaylen Brown said. “Some guys just got a certain mentality they carry themselves with. Payton is somebody you don’t worry about. Even in the lowest of times he’s a hard worker and his mindset is phenomenal in terms of a relentless, never-give-up warrior-type mentality. So you put him out there, I’m not surprised at anything we’re seeing now. It’s just now the work is coming to fruition.” Pritchard has been logging major minutes of late with Holiday injured and is arguably playing his best basketball of the season.
Guard Derrick White met the 65-game criteria for postseason awards on Friday, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. White earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team in 2022/23 and is having another excellent campaign. White has three pending bonuses, Marks notes — the 29-year-old will earn $250K if he makes another All-Defensive team, $500K if he makes at least 185 threes (he’s currently at 172), and $500K if he appears in 70 games.
Robb of MassLive lists four takeaways from Friday’s blowout victory, including a big night for Brown, who finished with 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting.

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Defense

March 22nd, 2024 at 7:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo played his 65th game of the season on Thursday vs. Brooklyn, which means he’s now eligible for all the major postseason awards, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).

A two-time MVP and seven-time All-NBA member, Antetokounmpo has an excellent case for additional hardware in 2023/24. He’s averaging 30.7 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.2 SPG and 1.0 BPG in 35.0 MPG. 6.4 assists per game represents a career-high, and he’s also shooting a career-best 61.4% from the field.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Antetokounmpo had missed the previous two games with a hamstring issue. He discussed the injury following Thursday’s victory, according to Eurohoops. “My goal was to play 82, but when the goal falls apart, you gotta fall back to the second one,” Antetokounmpo said. “There’s a bigger goal here to capture, and you have to think about the bigger picture. I could play through the pain, but it’s not smart in the long run.”
Damian Lillard has never been known for his defense, but he made some key plays on that end in crunch time last night, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I think, in my career, I haven’t been known as a defender, but down the stretch of games, I’ve always been able to have a moment or do what I needed to do at the end of a game defensively,” Lillard said. “And it’s not always going to result in a steal. … But tonight, it just happened to be steals. And when you’re on a team of this caliber, I think is important for everybody to just do whatever you got to do for us to win, because we don’t have anything else to play for other than to win. So, I think it’s going to happen in a lot of different ways. And tonight, that’s just how it happened.”
Head coach Doc Rivers discussed the team’s recent “slippage” defensively prior to Thursday’s game, as Nehm relays (via Twitter). Rivers noted that while being without Antetokounmpo obviously played a factor, the team’s guards also need to do a better job navigating screens, as too many perimeter players have been getting into the paint with little resistance.

Russell Westbrook Expected To Return Next Week For Clippers

March 22nd, 2024 at 4:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers guard Russell Westbrook is expected to return to action next week, possibly as soon as Monday against Indiana, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

The 2017 MVP sustained a left hand fracture on March 1 and underwent surgery a few days later. Potentially returning in under four weeks certainly seems like a quick recovery, and Wojnarowski suggests Westbrook is progressing ahead of schedule (Twitter link).

Westbrook has primarily come off the bench in 2023/24, averaging 11.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.1 SPG on .452/.268/.677 shooting in 58 games (22.6 MPG).

Los Angeles has gone 5-5 in 10 games thus far without Westbrook, and he will provide a jolt of energy, play-making and rebounding to the Clips’ backcourt once he returns.

The nine-time All-NBA member had appeared in every game for L.A. prior to the injury. Third-year guard Bones Hyland will likely be removed from the rotation again when Westbrook comes back.

The Clippers are currently 43-25, the No. 4 seed in the West.

Pistons’ Stanley Umude Out For Season With Fractured Ankle

March 22nd, 2024 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Pistons wing Stanley Umude will miss the remainder of the 2023/24 season after sustaining a hairline fracture of his right ankle on Wednesday vs. Indiana, the team announced in a press release.

Umude’s injury will not require surgery and he’s expected to make a full recovery, per the Pistons.

A second-year guard/forward, Umude spent most of this season on a two-way contract with Detroit before the team converted him to a standard deal last month. The Pistons hold a minimum-salary team option on the 24-year-old for ’24/25.

Umude appeared in 24 games in ’23/24, averaging 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds with a strong .440/.453/.906 shooting line in a small sample size (12.8 MPG). Amid injuries to several rotation players, including Ausar Thompson (blood clot) and Isaiah Stewart (right hamstring strain), who are also done for the season, Umude had started the past two games, playing a career-high 34 minutes on Monday vs. Boston.

Simone Fontecchio (left great toe contusion), Taj Gibson (right hamstring soreness) and Quentin Grimes (right knee contusion) are the other Pistons who have been ruled out for Friday’s rematch with the Celtics.

Tosan Evbuomwan, Evan Fournier and Troy Brown are among the players who could receive more playing time on the wing for a shorthanded Detroit squad.