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Northwest Notes: Jazz, Holmgren, A. Mitchell, Alexander

November 1st, 2024 at 12:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Following the Jazz‘s loss to San Antonio on Thursday in Utah, head coach Will Hardy had some pointed words for his club, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. The Jazz committed a ghastly 26 turnovers, with the Spurs stealing the ball nine times in the third period — the most thefts in a single quarter since 1996.

“This is not guaranteed. Being in the NBA is not guaranteed,” Hardy said. “There’s a lot of players who have established themselves, but they’ve had to fight to do so. You have to scratch and claw and battle to be an NBA player for a long time. I think the average NBA career is like under four years or something, and that’s because the league will just churn players in and out.

“And right now, I just don’t feel that desperation. I don’t feel that hunger on every play.”

Larsen points to a couple of bad plays by second-year guard Keyonte George as being emblematic of the team’s poor effort, and writes that none of Utah’s young players — aside from maybe Walker Kessler — should feel secure about their place in the NBA. The Jazz (0-5) are the only team in the league that has yet to win a game.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Chet Holmgren and the Thunder bested Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Wednesday in a marquee matchup between two of the league’s top young big men, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. Holmgren finished with 19 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 28 minutes, while Wembanyama recorded just six points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes. Both players downplayed any talk of a budding rivalry, with Holmgren saying Oklahoma City’s defense was key to the 105-93 victory. “We won tonight on the defensive end,” Holmgren said. “It wasn’t perfect on offense. I feel like we were very solid almost throughout the whole game on the defensive end.”
Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell has been receiving rotation minutes to open his rookie season, writes Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. The 22-year-old, who was selected No. 38 overall in June’s draft, turned in his best performance on Wednesday vs. San Antonio, finishing with 12 points (on 5-of-6 shooting), four rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes. “We play a lot of 5-on-5 at training camp, so there is a lot underneath the surface that you guys might not see, but we do,” Head coach Mark Daigneault said of Mitchell. “We take those minutes really seriously…he showed a capacity early, on both ends of the floor. As good as he was offensively tonight, he was really good defensively. He continues to make strides and get better defensively.”
It appears as though rookie Trey Alexander, who is on a two-way deal, is ahead of Jalen Pickett in the Nuggets‘ backcourt rotation, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. Pickett, a 2023 second-round pick who is on a standard contract, was recently assigned to the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s G League affiliate, while Alexander remains with the Nuggets.

Nuggets Rumors: Booth, Malone, Jokic, Murray, George, KCP

November 1st, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Rory Maher

In an interesting feature story, which is worth reading in full, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne explores the philosophical “disconnect” developing within the Nuggets as they try to capitalize on Nikola Jokic‘s remaining prime years.

As Shelburne writes, Denver has lost four veteran role players — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Reggie Jackson — from the team that won the championship in 2023. General manager Calvin Booth acknowledges those departures have created some internal tension between the players and coaching staff and the front office.

“There was this urge to compete, especially from the players and the coaches and even myself,” Booth told ESPN. “You want to win, especially coming off the heels of winning the championship. And that’s probably where the tension started.

“What are you guys trying to do? Are you trying to win? Are you trying to develop? I think everybody had the best intent going in. There was buy-in. But I think competition and the focus on that can distract you from the buy-in.”

Multiple sources tell Shelburne that the Nuggets have been discussing a contract extension with Booth for months, and a deal is expected to be reached soon. Booth has largely focused on finding young players on affordable contracts to build out the Nuggets’ depth due to the roster-building restrictions of the new tax aprons, but head coach Michael Malone has typically turned to more proven veterans.

Shelburne points to big man Zeke Nnaji as “perhaps the best example” of the disconnect between Booth and Malone. After the Nuggets signed him to a four-year, $32MM rookie scale extension last offseason, the 23-year-old Nnaji saw his minutes and effectiveness decline in 2023/24, and he has only played two minutes through the first four games of this season.

Here’s more on the Nuggets, all courtesy of Shelburne:

For his part, Jokic declined to weigh in on any strain between the front office and coaching staff regarding the team’s roster construction, telling Shelburne, “That’s not my job.” However, forward Michael Porter Jr. says players are well aware that the team could look much different next offseason, depending on how the Nuggets perform in 2024/25. “If we don’t win it this year,” Porter told ESPN. “We all know they might have to break it up.”
A team source told Shelburne that guard Jamal Murray “was basically on one leg” by the end of last season’s playoffs, which saw Denver fall to Minnesota in the second round. After he struggled in the postseason and Olympics, the Nuggets signed Murray to a four-year, maximum-salary extension. They thought he’d enter training camp “with something to prove,” but sources tell Shelburne there has been some concern with his early-season struggles, particularly with his shot and conditioning level.
According to Shelburne’s sources, the Nuggets checked in on Paul George‘s availability this offseason while he was still a member of the Clippers, but Denver was unwilling to include former first-round picks Christian Braun, Peyton Watson or Julian Strawther in those talks, and the Clips had no interest in taking back long-term salary. Shelburne suggests Denver offered Porter and Nnaji for George.
Shelburne also hears from sources who say the Nuggets could have received either Tim Hardaway Jr. or Josh Green in a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks that would have sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Dallas. The Nuggets declined, and the Mavericks ended up trading both of those players in separate sign-and-trades involving Quentin Grimes and Klay Thompson, while Caldwell-Pope signed with the Magic as a free agent.

Bucks Notes: Losing Streak, Giannis, Lillard, Middleton

November 1st, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks lost their fourth straight game on Thursday night in dispiriting fashion. Facing a Memphis team playing on the second of a back-to-back with six players sidelined, including starters Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart, the Bucks — who had two days off and a practice leading into contest — struggled once again to make outside shots and to get back for transition defense following those misfires, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was one of the few bright spots for the Bucks, finishing with 37 points (on 17-of-22 shooting), 11 rebounds and four assists. The Bucks were even with Memphis during Antetokounmpo’s 34 minutes, and were outscored by 24 points in the 14 minutes he didn’t play. He said the early-season struggles have been “frustrating.”

“Losing, it’s frustrating,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we are doing the right things. Like (Wednesday) night we arrived in Memphis and we came together as a team, watched film. Not as eight, nine guys that play. We watched film, we talk about, like what can we do better? What we’re not doing as good, let’s keep one another accountable. We’re doing the right thing.

“Coming (Thursday) in shootaround and talking about it, talking about our offense, talking about our defense. Everybody is doing the right thing. I see it in everybody’s eyes. They’re willing to do the right thing to win games and sometimes it’s not going to go your way.

“This is part of the season it’s not going our way. But, losing two, losing three, losing four, losing five, losing six in row; losing one, it’s always frustrating. But, again, my dad used to say, ‘Why do (you) whine if you’re not going to give up?’ So I’m not going to give up.”

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Damian Lillard will be looking to move past a woeful night in Memphis, Owczarski notes, as the star point guard finished with just four points (tied for a career low) on 1-of-12 shooting. He was also repeatedly targeted by the Grizzlies on defense, tweets NBA analyst Zach Lowe. Lillard said he’s still trying to figure out how to make his mark in his second season with Milwaukee. “It’s hard, because I mean my entire career I’ve always been somebody who, like, if I can do one thing I can take over. I can take over a game,” Lillard said, per Owczarski. “I think I’ve joined a new team and my situation is different and I understand that it’s different, so I have to try to find a way to not just go back to what I’ve always done because it’s probably not always necessary. Or probably not necessary at all. So I think that’s probably the most difficult part is when things seem like it’s getting out of control or the going is getting tough, I’m able to put my hands on it a little bit more. I think just not really being in that role is a little bit more difficult. It’s more of a process to figure out for me.”
According to Owczarski, while head coach Doc Rivers was pleased with the team’s “spirit,” he was not happy with the transition or perimeter defense, with Ja Morant (26 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists) proving to be a major problem. “… The defensive transition was still awful tonight,” Rivers said as part of a larger quote. “And, so that’s on me. Like, everything’s on me until we get it right. We’ve got to fix this.”
Although he has yet to play 5-on-5, which Rivers has said is necessary before he can make his 2024/25 debut, veteran wing Khris Middleton told Eric Nehm of The Athletic he hasn’t experienced any injury setbacks following offseason surgeries on both ankles. “I feel good, just not good enough to play that’s all,” Middleton said. “That’s really all I can say at this point. And just working to get back on the court. I’m feeling better and better each day just not good enough to play yet.“
Lowe (Twitter links) and Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports are among the analysts raising red flags following Milwaukee’s poor start, though both acknowledge it’s still very early, with plenty of time for the Bucks to turn things around.

Recap Of 2025/26 Rookie Scale Option Decisions

November 1st, 2024 at 7:24am CST by Luke Adams

Decisions on rookie scale options for the 2025/26 season were due on Thursday — any team that wanted to exercise a third- or fourth-year option on a player for next season was required to do so by October 31.

As is typically the case, a huge majority of those options were picked up. Even for top picks, who are paid higher salaries due to the NBA’s rookie scale, those third- and fourth-year options are relatively team-friendly. So unless a player has fallen well short of his team’s expectations, it generally makes sense to lock in his salary for the following season at this point.

However, not every player with a 2025/26 team option had it exercised by Thursday’s deadline. A player who had his option declined will now be on track to reach unrestricted free agency during the summer of 2025, assuming he’s not waived before then. At the end of the season, his team won’t be able to offer him a starting salary that exceeds the value of his declined option.

Listed below are the players who had their options turned down, followed by the players whose options were exercised. If a player had his option picked up, his ’25/26 salary is now guaranteed and he won’t be eligible for free agency until at least 2026.

Declined options:

Johnny Davis, Wizards (fourth year, $6,746,229)
AJ Griffin, Rockets (fourth year, $5,967,137)
- Note: Griffin’s fourth-year option was declined when he was bought out and waived.
Jake LaRavia, Grizzlies (fourth year, $5,163,127)
David Roddy, Hawks (fourth year, $4,831,766)
MarJon Beauchamp, Bucks (fourth year, $4,781,276)
Wendell Moore, Pistons (fourth year, $4,574,283)
Patrick Baldwin, Wizards (fourth year, $4,420,156)
Jalen Hood-Schifino, Lakers (third year, $4,064,640)

We saw more rookie scale options turned down this season than usual, which is perhaps a side effect of the NBA’s new tax apron system that has teams more wary than ever of carrying extraneous salary.

It’s also a little unusual to see so many players remain on their teams’ respective rosters after having their options declined. A year ago, for instance, five of the six of the players who didn’t have their rookie scale options exercised ahead of October’s deadline were waived outright, resulting in their options being declined as part of the transaction. That only happened with Griffin this year, and only because he chose to step away from basketball.

Among the players whose fourth-year options were declined, Davis, Moore, and Baldwin were the least surprising decisions. I was half-expecting one or more of them to be cut during the offseason or preseason. I also wasn’t shocked to see the Hawks and Bucks pass on Roddy’s and Beauchamp’s options, respectively. Neither player has established himself as a reliable rotation piece, and Milwaukee especially has luxury tax penalties to consider — the Bucks are better off replacing Beauchamp’s $4.8MM salary with a minimum-salary contract in 2025/26.

I didn’t view LaRavia as a lock to have his option picked up, but I thought the Grizzlies might pull the trigger on it, since he’s playing rotation minutes in the early going this season. That decision looks like it’s as much about roster flexibility as it is financial flexibility — Memphis has about $157MM in guaranteed money on its books for next season, which is well below the luxury tax line, but that’s for 12 players. Not locking in LaRavia’s contract gives the club some more room to maneuver with those last few roster spots.

Of all these option decisions, the Lakers declining Hood-Schifino’s was the biggest eyebrow-raiser. It’s rare for a player to have his third-year option turned down just a year after being made a first-round pick. It’s even rarer when it’s a player who was drafted as high as Hood-Schifino (No. 17). The Lakers have their cap situation to consider, and clearing Hood-Schifino from the books for 2025/26 could created some additional spending flexibility, but it’s a tacit acknowledgment from the front office that its top 2023 pick was a miss.

Exercised options:

Fourth year:

Note: These players will become eligible for rookie scale extensions in July of 2025. If they’re not extended, they’ll be on track for restricted free agency in 2026.

Paolo Banchero, Magic ($15,334,769)
Chet Holmgren, Thunder ($13,731,368)
Jabari Smith, Rockets ($12,350,392)
Keegan Murray, Kings ($11,144,093)
Jaden Ivey, Pistons ($10,107,163)
Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers ($9,187,573)
Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers ($8,399,983)
Dyson Daniels, Hawks ($7,707,709)
Jeremy Sochan, Spurs ($7,096,231)
Ousmane Dieng, Thunder ($6,670,882)
Jalen Williams, Thunder ($6,580,997)
Jalen Duren, Pistons ($6,483,144)
Ochai Agbaji, Raptors ($6,383,525)
Mark Williams, Hornets ($6,276,531)
Tari Eason, Rockets ($5,675,766)
Dalen Terry, Bulls ($5,399,118)
Malaki Branham, Spurs ($4,962,033)
Christian Braun, Nuggets ($4,921,797)
Walker Kessler, Jazz ($4,878,938)
Blake Wesley, Spurs ($4,726,328)
Nikola Jovic, Heat ($4,445,417)
Peyton Watson, Nuggets ($4,356,476)

These 22 players who had their fourth-year options exercised, along with the seven listed in the section above who had their fourth-year options declined, were drafted in the first round in 2022.

The 30th first-round pick in that class was TyTy Washington, who was waived by the Thunder in August 2023. Washington had both his third- and fourth-year options declined as part of that transaction last summer.

Third year:

Note: Teams will have to make fourth-year option decisions for 2026/27 on these players by October 31, 2025.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs ($13,376,880)
Brandon Miller, Hornets ($11,968,800)
Scoot Henderson, Trail Blazers ($10,748,040)
Amen Thompson, Rockets ($9,690,600)
Ausar Thompson, Pistons ($8,775,000)
Anthony Black, Magic ($7,970,280)
Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards ($7,275,600)
Jarace Walker, Pacers ($6,665,520)
Taylor Hendricks, Jazz ($6,127,080)
Cason Wallace, Thunder ($5,820,240)
Jett Howard, Magic ($5,529,720)
Dereck Lively II, Mavericks ($5,253,360)
Gradey Dick, Raptors ($4,990,560)
Jordan Hawkins, Pelicans ($4,741,320)
Kobe Bufkin, Hawks ($4,503,720)
Keyonte George, Jazz ($4,278,960)
Jaime Jaquez, Heat ($3,861,600)
Brandin Podziemski, Warriors ($3,687,960)
Cam Whitmore, Rockets ($3,539,760)
Noah Clowney, Nets ($3,398,640)
Dariq Whitehead, Nets ($3,262,560)
Kris Murray, Trail Blazers ($3,132,000)
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Mavericks ($3,007,080)
Marcus Sasser, Pistons ($2,886,720)
Ben Sheppard, Pacers ($2,790,720)
Nick Smith Jr., Hornets ($2,710,680)
Brice Sensabaugh, Jazz ($2,693,760)
Julian Strawther, Nuggets ($2,674,200)
Kobe Brown, Clippers ($2,654,880)

As usual, nearly every player from the 2023 draft class had his third-year option picked up, with 29 of 30 exercised. As noted above, Hood-Schifino was the only player from 2023’s first round who is on track to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

For a team-by-team breakdown of this year’s rookie scale option decisions for the 2025/26 season, along with full stories on each decision, you can check out our tracker.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Grizzlies’ LaRavia, Pistons’ Moore Have 2025/26 Options Declined

October 31st, 2024 at 11:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have opted not to exercise Jake LaRavia‘s rookie scale team option for the 2025/26 season, according to Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).

LaRavia is currently earning $3.35MM in his third NBA season. His fourth-year option would have been worth $5,163,127, but the Grizzlies will turn it down, putting the forward on track for unrestricted free agency next summer.

As Hill explains, Memphis is “encouraged” by the progress LaRavia has made and have interest in retaining him beyond the current season, but want to retain some roster and cap flexibility. The Grizzlies already have 12 other players on guaranteed contracts for 2025/26.

LaRavia, who will turn 23 on Sunday, has appeared in 75 NBA regular season games since being drafted 19th overall out of Wake Forest in 2022. He has averaged 6.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 17.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .393/.335/.780.

LaRavia was one of four players selected by the Grizzlies in the 2022 draft. Memphis has since traded David Roddy and waived Kennedy Chandler, making No. 47 overall pick Vince Williams the team’s most successful selection in that class — Williams was elevated from his two-way contract to the standard roster last season, agreeing to a four-year deal with the Grizzlies.

The deadline for teams to exercise 2025/26 rookie scale team options was 11:59 pm Eastern time on October 31. Pistons wing Wendell Moore was among the other players who had his option declined, confirms Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Detroit had five players with rookie scale options for ’25/26 and announced on Oct. 21 that they’d exercised four of those options. That was a very strong signal they weren’t picking up the fifth one, Moore’s, which was worth $4,574,283.

A former No. 26 overall pick, Moore was acquired from the Timberwolves by the Pistons in a salary-dump deal during the offseason and has essentially only ever played garbage-time minutes at the NBA level, logging just 229 total minutes in 55 appearances.

Like LaRavia, Moore will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025 if he plays out his current contract. The teams that have those players on their rosters at season’s end will be prohibited from offering them starting salaries exceeding what their options would have been worth.

You can view all of this year’s rookie scale option decisions right here.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Raptors, Barnes, Queta, Watford

October 31st, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star Joel Embiid has participated in multiple 5-on-5 scrimmages in recent days as he takes steps toward making his season debut, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania.

According to Charania, with the 76ers not in action again until Saturday, the expectation is that Embiid will be evaluated ahead of that game vs. Memphis after working out on Thursday and Friday. The former MVP has missed the first four games of Philadelphia’s season, but hasn’t yet been ruled out for Saturday’s contest against the Grizzlies.

The Sixers were fined $100K this week for inconsistent statements about Embiid’s health status. Pressed on Wednesday about the team’s lack of transparency, head coach Nick Nurse declined to offer any specific details about where things stand for the big man or Embiid’s co-star Paul George, who has yet to make his 76ers debut due to a bone bruise in his knee.

“They are making progress,” Nurse said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “They’re going to have workouts tomorrow, Friday. We hope to have a better indication where they are by then. I’ll update you then.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca and Eric Koreen of The Athletic write, the orbital fracture that will sideline star forward Scottie Barnes for at least the next few weeks will make it even more difficult for the Raptors to evaluate their core, which has been hit hard by injuries this fall. However, there are some silver linings, Lewenberg and Koreen note. The Raptors will have more minutes available for their younger players and are increasingly unlikely to be on the hook for an extra $45MM for Barnes, who would become ineligible for an All-NBA spot if he misses at least 18 games this season. The five-year rookie scale extension he signed in July would be worth a projected $269MM instead of $224MM if he earns All-NBA honors in 2024/25.
Neemias Queta provided the Celtics with some quality minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana, pulling down nine rebounds as Boston outscored Indiana by 18 points in his 14 minutes of action. While Queta has played sparingly behind Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman so far this season, Brian Robb of MassLive.com makes the case that – with Kristaps Porzingis still out for a while – the time may be right for the Celtics to take a more extended look at Queta, who signed a three-year contract with the team in July and may be better suited for certain matchups and situations than Kornet or Tillman.
Nets forward Trendon Watford, on the shelf since early October due to a left hamstring strain, has been upgraded to probable for Friday’s game vs. Chicago, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. It’s unclear whether Watford will be part of Jordi Fernandez‘s rotation, but he should soon be available to make his season debut if needed.

Paolo Banchero Out Indefinitely With Torn Oblique

October 31st, 2024 at 8:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic forward Paolo Banchero will be sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a torn right oblique, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Banchero – who was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s game due to a right abdominal strain – will be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks. His return to play will depend on how he responds to treatment, Charania adds.

The Magic have put out a press release (via Twitter) that formally confirms Charania’s report.

It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Banchero, who appeared to be taking another leap forward after earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2022/23 and making his first All-Star team in ’23/24.

After averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in 35.0 minutes per game across 80 starts last season, the former No. 1 overall pick had increased those averages to 29.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 5.6 APG in his first five outings this season. He set a new career high on Monday when he went off for 50 points in a win over Indiana.

Even if he makes a speedy recovery, Banchero is unlikely to return until at least December, which will almost certainly make him ineligible for major end-of-season awards, including an All-NBA spot, as a result of the league’s 65-game rule. He only missed 12 total games in his first two NBA seasons.

The Magic, meanwhile, will have to get by without their top scorer and one of their best play-makers for the foreseeable future. Franz Wagner, who is considered questionable to suit up on Friday to due to an illness, will be in line for more minutes and more offensive responsibilities.

Moritz Wagner, Jonathan Isaac, Caleb Houstan, and Jett Howard are among the other candidates for increased roles with Banchero unavailable.

Wizards Notes: Coulibaly, Brogdon, Kuzma, George

October 31st, 2024 at 8:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Second-year Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly had the best game of his young NBA career on Wednesday, scoring 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting while also contributing nine rebounds and three steals in a 13-point win over Atlanta. Washington outscored the Hawks by 23 points during his time on the court.

It was the second time in the first four games of the season that Coulibaly established a new career high in points — he scored 23 on Saturday vs. Cleveland, exceeding last season’s high of 21.

“I feel like (confidence) is the main thing,” Coulibaly said of his strong start to the season, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. “Basketball is, for me, probably 60 percent basketball skills and 40 percent confidence. … I’m really confident right now, and I’m playing well.”

Coulibaly, who turned 20 in July, was the seventh overall pick in 2023, making him the first player drafted by the current Wizards front office led by Michael Winger and Will Dawkins. The team envisions him as a long-term cornerstone and head coach Brian Keefe is eager to give the youngster more responsibilities as long as he continues to show he can handle them.

“We want to put the ball in his hands more,” Keefe said. “… We think he’s a play-maker, he can get on the rim, he forces a lot of pressure.”

Here’s more on the Wizards:

Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, who underwent thumb surgery earlier in October, spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since going under the knife (Twitter video link via Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network). Brogdon said he has talked to former teammates who suffered the same injury, including Anfernee Simons and Caris LeVert, and that those conversations helped reassure him that the recovery process shouldn’t extend too far into the season. “I think the biggest thing I’ve taken away from talking to a few guys that have done it is, ‘Don’t let it get in your head, don’t get too down, because you’re going to be right back,'” Brogdon said. “So this will be a quick turnaround.”
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma will remain sidelined for the team’s Mexico City game on Saturday vs. Miami due to his groin strain, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The injury, which occurred on Monday, kept Kuzma out of action for Wednesday’s win.
Rookie guard Kyshawn George, one of the Wizards’ three first-round picks, said he has grown from 6’5″ to 6’8″ over the past 15 months or so, tweets Hughes. George added that he thinks he’ll get to 6’10” before he stops growing.
In case you missed it, the Wizards are declining their 2025/26 rookie scale team options on Johnny Davis and Patrick Baldwin, making them the only team to turn down multiple rookie scale options by this year’s October 31 deadline.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Jones, DeRozan, Hield, Clippers

October 31st, 2024 at 7:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns didn’t have a traditional point guard in their starting lineup for most of the 2023/24 season, deploying shooting guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as their primary ball-handlers. While Booker tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPN that “we were willing to learn and do it,” Beal admits the adjustment to the new role wasn’t a smooth one.

“They were using me more as a facilitator than a scorer and honestly, that kind of f—ed with my head,” Beal told ESPN. “Literally this whole summer, I had just had a whole reflection, just like, ‘Who are you?’ I had to have a real talk with myself, you know. I took some time to look at myself in the mirror to answer: ‘What do I need to do better? Who am I?’ And then just get back to that.”

Recognizing that a more traditional point guard would help maximize the offensive abilities of the Suns’ stars, the front office entered free agency this summer looking to address the position using its limited resources. Phoenix was able to land Monte Morris on a minimum-salary contract, then improbably signed Tyus Jones to a similar deal.

As Shelburne writes, Jones received interest from teams like the Wizards, Pistons, Spurs, and Nets, and could have signed for $8-12MM per year if he had been willing to join a lottery-bound club. Faced with a decision on whether to go for the money or to take a discount to join a contender and revisit free agency in 2025, Jones opted for the latter route after San Antonio signed Chris Paul.

Through four games with the Suns, Jones has been his usual efficient self, running the offense, knocking down three-pointers, and taking care of the ball. He has made 37.5% of his outside shots and has compiled 24 assists to just three turnovers.

“Tyus makes our life so much easier,” Beal told Shelburne. “I have a lot more weight off my shoulders. We can just go do what everybody knows us for.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

DeMar DeRozan‘s ability to get to the free throw line and make his foul shots has helped make an already-dangerous Kings offense even better, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento finished dead last in the NBA last season with a 74.5% free throw percentage, but ranks second so far this season at 82.8%. DeRozan is 26-of-31 (83.9%) from the line through four games.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy, whose team fell to the new-look Kings on Tuesday, said his first thought was “oh no” when he learned Sacramento had acquired DeRozan this past offseason, according to Anderson. “That’s a whole different thing to have to prepare for,” Hardy said. “(De’Aaron) Fox, (Domantas) Sabonis (and) the up-tempo style was already enough of a problem to gameplan for and prep your team for. … It’s like pitching in baseball. You can’t throw a fastball every pitch. I think having that change of pace with DeMar, a change in style, is going to be beneficial for them as they go throughout the season.”
Buddy Hield, who joined the Warriors on a four-year, $37.8MM contract this offseason, has given his new team exactly what it was looking for from him, says Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Hield leads the NBA with 24 made three-pointers and has knocked down 50% of his attempts in his first five games. “He knows what he does well,” Brandin Podziemski said prior to Wednesday’s win in New Orleans. “Obviously, he’s shown that for the first four games. He knows what’s made him a bunch of money in this league and has helped him win.”
The San Diego Clippers’ roster for training camp includes a handful of players with NBA experience, with forward Braxton Key, forward Tosan Evbuomwan, and guard Nate Darling among those in camp with the Clippers‘ G League affiliate.

Injury Notes: Bane, Smart, Banchero, LaVine, Towns, More

October 31st, 2024 at 5:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies‘ injury list continues to grow, as the club has ruled out Desmond Bane (right oblique strain) and Marcus Smart (right ankle sprain) for Thursday’s contest vs. Milwaukee after they sustained injuries in the first game of their back-to-back set on Wednesday against Brooklyn (Twitter link).

Head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters, including Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link), that both players underwent imaging on Thursday, but that the team is still waiting to get the results and to speak to doctors about the severity of the injuries.

As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes tweets, oblique strains like the one Bane suffered typically cost players multiple games — the average time missed with an oblique strain, according to Stotts’ injury database, is 11.6 days (4.2 games).

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Magic forward Paolo Banchero is off to a hot start this season, averaging 29.0 points and 8.8 rebounds in his first five games, but he may not be able to suit up on Friday in a postseason rematch. According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), Banchero has been diagnosed with a right abdominal strain and is listed as questionable to play vs. Cleveland.
Further testing confirmed that Zach LaVine has sustained a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network, who tweets that the Bulls guard is considered questionable to play against Brooklyn on Friday.
On the heels of his best game of the season, Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns is being listed as questionable for Friday’s game in Detroit due to a sprained left wrist.
Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (right shoulder strain) and guard CJ McCollum (right adductor soreness) will be reevaluated on Friday in New Orleans, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link), but the duo has already been ruled out for tomorrow’s game vs. Indiana, the club announced in a press release.
Thunder forward Kenrich Williams, who underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his knee in September, is making progress toward a return. He was assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue on Wednesday to practice with the Thunder’s G League affiliate, according to the team.

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