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Heat Notes: Hampton, Cain, Jovic, Love

December 29th, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Rory Maher

Guard R.J. Hampton, who is on a two-way contract, made his first start with the Heat on Thursday, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes (via Twitter), Hampton became the 14th player to make at least one start for Miami through 31 games in 2023/24.

It was just the fourth NBA appearance this season for the former first-round pick, who finished with seven points, three assists and two rebounds in the victory over Golden State. Hampton finished with a positive plus/minus (+8) in his 25 minutes.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Hampton, Jamal Cain and Nikola Jovic have spent most of the season in the G League, but they all made key contributions on Thursday with several players injured, Chiang writes for The Miami Herald. Cain, another two-way player, recorded seasons highs in points (18 on 7-of-14 shooting) and rebounds (six) while tying his season high with two steals. Jovic, the Heat’s 2022 first-round pick, had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 20 minutes. “The three young guys in particular, it’s not easy,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They go often times weeks without playing, but they have to stay ready, as UD [Udonis Haslem] always says, to be ready. And then they also have to improve. So they can’t just be the same players they are because they’re trying to prove themselves and really establish themselves in this league.”
Winderman takes a look at Jovic’s up-and-down second season, with the 20-year-old learning a new position (center) with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate.
Big man Kevin Love has primarily come off the bench in his first full season with Miami, which is a role he grew accustomed to with Cleveland, per Winderman (subscriber link). Love enjoys the freedom of being a reserve. “You’re playing free,” Love said of getting to enter without expectation of a specific niche. “I’m on the perimeter, I’m low, I’m catching the ball in different spots, I get to play pretty free within it. So, for me, it’s been finding myself shooting the ball. But as far as being effective and finishing, I feel like I can do that every night, even if I’m not scoring the ball.”

Atlantic Notes: Finney-Smith, Nets, Embiid, Celtics

December 29th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets made a change to their starting lineup on Friday night against Washington, with Dorian Finney-Smith replacing Cam Thomas, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Head coach Jacques Vaughn suggested earlier this week that Finney-Smith was likely to return to the starting five.

Thomas is Brooklyn’s leading scorer, averaging 22.8 points per game. However, he also takes 18.8 shots per game, and doesn’t provide much in terms of rebounding (2.8 RPG) or play-making for others (2.3 APG). He has improved defensively in his third season, but it’s still not a strong point.

As Lewis wrote earlier this week, it was seemingly inevitable that Vaughn would make the change, because the Nets have struggled mightily with Thomas starting and have thrived with Finney-Smith playing alongside the other four starters — Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Nic Claxton.

Finney-Smith can’t create his own shot like Thomas, but he’s bigger, a far superior defender, plays within the flow of the offense, and has been scorching hot from deep in 2023/24, averaging 44.8% from three on 5.5 attempts per night.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Joel Embiid — the reigning MVP and current Eastern Conference Player of the Week — will miss the Sixers’ back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links). Saturday will mark Embiid’s fourth straight absence. He’s been dealing with a right ankle sprain, which he sustained last Friday vs. Toronto. Nicolas Batum (right hamstring strain) is also out Friday, but he’ll be back tomorrow against Chicago, Pompey tweets.
The Celtics are shorthanded for Friday’s game against Toronto, with Al Horford (rest), Kristaps Porzingis (left calf — injury management) and Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain — injury management) all out, relays Jared Weiss of The Athletic (via Twitter). It’s the second end of back-to-back for Boston, which defeated Detroit in overtime on Thursday.
Jay King of The Athletic considers what moves the Celtics might make ahead of the trade deadline, noting that Boston has a $6.2MM trade exception acquired in the Grant Williams sign-and-trade. Considering how well the team has performed to this point, King doesn’t think the Celtics will make a major deal, but suggests a smaller move around the edges could make sense if it doesn’t negatively impact the locker room.

Warriors’ Gary Payton II To Return On Saturday

December 29th, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors swingman Gary Payton II will be active for Saturday’s game against Dallas, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Kendra Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). Payton will be on an unspecified minutes restriction, per Andrews.

Payton has been sidelined since November 28, having missed the past 13 games with a right calf strain. He practiced on Wednesday, but missed Thursday’s loss to Miami. In 14 games this season (17.3 MPG), he has averaged 5.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .479/.320/.667 shooting.

A 6’2″ guard whose athleticism and defensive skills allow him to slide up to forward at times, Payton has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, including being limited to just 22 games in 2022/23. The 31-year-old was a key member of Golden State’s championship run in ’21/22.

It will be interesting to see how Kerr handles the rotation tomorrow. Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins are among the players who could see fewer minutes, assuming Payton plays.

Payton is earning $8.7MM this season and holds a $9.1MM player option for ’24/25. The Warriors have had an up-and-down season thus far and are currently 15-16, the No. 11 seed in the West.

Charles Bediako Tears Meniscus, Cut By Spurs

December 29th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

4:00pm: Bediako’s agent Daniel Green has revealed that the big man tore his left meniscus and is now slated to be on the shelf for the next six-to-eight weeks, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

3:11pm: Two-way center Charles Bediako has been cut by the Spurs, according to a team press release.

San Antonio initially inked the seven-footer to a two-way contract after he went undrafted out of Alabama this past summer. He averaged 7.7 PPG and 6.9 RPG for San Antonio’s Austin NBAGL affiliate across 11 games.

Bediako was an All-SEC Tourney and SEC All-Defense honoree, averaging 6.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG,, 1.7 BPG, 0.7 APG and 0.6 SPG in two years for the Crimson Tide.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, salaries for two-way players are not fully guaranteed until January 7.

Bediako’s departure now leaves a two-way slot open on the Spurs’ roster next to shooting guard David Duke Jr. and power forward Dominick Barlow. How San Antonio opts to move forward with that opening remains to be seen.

Los Angeles Notes: Kawhi, Harden, Christie, Davis

December 29th, 2023 at 3:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

According to Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, star wing Kawhi Leonard practiced for “a little bit” on Thursday, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Leonard, 32, has been inactive for the Clippers’ last three games due to a hip injury, and is considered questionable against the Grizzlies Friday night.

When healthy, Leonard has looked like his All-Star self this season. The two-time Finals MVP is averaging 24.4 points per game on .521/.429/.877 shooting, along with 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks per night.

There’s more out of the City of Angels:

Clippers star point guard James Harden is maintaining an approach of consistent, positive communication on the floor, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “You see after practice James is grabbing six guys every day and just going through pick-and-roll drills, how he wants the bigs to screen it,” Lue said. Carr notes that Harden’s two-man game with starting center Ivica Zubac is also doing well. “I don’t think there was one point where it clicked,” Zubac said. “We do it a lot at the facility and we do it a lot in the games and all that repetition game after game helps and we’re still not there yet. He still gets mad at me sometimes when I slip out or if I don’t flip a pick. I still sometimes don’t know what he wants so there’s still a lot of room for improvement, but with repetition and with games it’s going to get better.”
In a Thursday blowout win over the Hornets, second-year Lakers shooting guard Max Christie earned rotation minutes for the first time since December 15, observes Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). Christie made an instant impact on both ends of the floor, scoring 10 points while making 3-of-4 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws. He also chipped in seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal while registering a +18 during his 24 minutes of action. Though 12 of those 24 minutes happened during a garbage time fourth quarter, Christie was also a key contributor during the 12 meaningful rotation minutes he logged.
After helping propel his team to a 133-112 demolition of the Hornets, Lakers star center Anthony Davis discussed the club’s intriguing versatility and mentioned that he believes the team’s recent starting lineup will stick, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Head coach Darvin Ham is currently starting LeBron James at point guard, Taurean Prince at shooting guard, Cam Reddish at small forward (he was injured Thursday), Jarred Vanderbilt at power forward, and Davis at center. “I think that’s going to be the lineup,” Davis said. “And that first group — me, Bron, TP [Prince], Cam, Vando — we just got to keep logging minutes and keep figuring it out, especially on the defensive end. We’re all five defensive-minded players and we like playing defense so we’ll keep figuring out these schemes and how we can be better, and then, offensively, we’ll just figure it out.”

And-Ones: Kohl, Holland, Sellers, G League, Goodwin

December 29th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Bucks owner and Wisconsin senator Herb Kohl passed away this week at age 88, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, who takes a look back at Kohl’s legacy in Milwaukee. Part of that legacy, Nehm notes, involves selling the Bucks to Marc Lasry and Wes Edens and ensuring that they would keep the franchise in Milwaukee.

“His goal was to make sure that if we bought the team, that the team stayed in Milwaukee. That was the requisite for us owning the team,” Lasry told Nehm. “He cared deeply about the city, about the people and he cared deeply about the Bucks.”

In order to keep the Bucks in town, the team needed to build a new arena to replace the aging Bradley Center. While Lasry and Edens received some public funding and paid a portion of the arena cost themselves after spending $550MM on the franchise, an extra $100MM from Kohl helped push the project over the finish line.

“In an extraordinary gesture, he basically gave to us, towards the building of the arena, a $100 million gift,” Edens said. “And I think it’s one of the most extraordinary acts, philanthropically sports-related that I’m aware of, maybe the most. He gave us $100 million. … And I think that his $100 million was really the pivotal amount at the time. And had that not happened, then it was very likely the Bucks would be in Las Vegas or Seattle or wherever else they might be. So it’s extraordinary.”

“It was very important to him for us to keep the team in Milwaukee,” Lasry added. “He ended up giving us $100 million to build a new arena. And we had said to him, ‘Is there anything you want? Should we name it the Kohl Center? Is there anything you want us to do?’ And he was like, ‘No, no, this is for the community. This isn’t about me. This is about what’s good for Milwaukee.'”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

In a conversation with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, G League Ignite prospect Ron Holland compared himself to NBA players Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Brown and explains why he believe he’s the top player in the 2024 draft class. Holland was atop ESPN’s 2024 draft rankings earlier this year, but has since slipped to No. 6.
John Hollinger of The Athletic considers which teams will emerge as buyers and sellers in the coming weeks, noting that it would create some clarity if one team from the trio of the Bulls, Hawks, and Raptors begins pulling away with the No. 10 seed in the East, forcing the other two to become sellers.
Within the same Athletic story, Hollinger observes that the annual G League Showcase in December used to provide teams with an opportunity to scout potential call-up candidates, but with so many of those players now on two-way contracts, the NBAGL talent pool isn’t as deep as it once was. Teams these days are more inclined to use the Showcase to get a closer look at players who are already on NBA contracts in order to gain more information for future transactions, per Hollinger. Still, Brandon Goodwin, the MVP of the event, is one notable free agent who boosted his stock at the Showcase and looks like a candidate for a 10-day deal next month, Hollinger adds.

Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart To Miss 10-14 Days With Toe Sprain

December 29th, 2023 at 1:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart apparently is worse for wear two weeks after incurring a right great toe sprain during Detroit’s December 15 loss to the Sixers. According to a press release from the team, Stewart will be shelved for the next 10-to-14 days to recuperate from the injury.

After initially missing two games on Dec. 16 and 18, Stewart had been attempting to play through the toe injury. He returned for three games before sitting out Thursday’s loss to Boston.

It’s troubling news for the Pistons, who are currently riding the worst single-season losing streak in NBA history, with 28 losses and counting. Stewart, 22, has been the club’s starting power forward all season. Through his 28 healthy games, he has posted averages of 10.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.6 blocks across 30.7 minutes per night.

Marvin Bagley III and Kevin Knox are candidates to start in Stewart’s place, while fellow No. 2 lottery pick James Wiseman could get increased run off the bench.

Detroit has ostensibly winnable contests on its docket in the immediate future, with sub-.500 teams on the schedule for two of the next three games. The Pistons will match up with the 12-18 Raptors on Saturday and then have a date with the 13-19 Jazz on January 3. But not having one of their best frontcourt players available could certainly hurt the Pistons’ chances of securing their first victory since October.

Bradley Beal Set To Return For Suns

December 29th, 2023 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Bradley Beal is ready to return from the right ankle sprain that has sidelined him since December 15, with the Suns confirming today (via Twitter) that he’ll be available for Friday’s game vs. Charlotte. He was previously listed as questionable.

The Suns initially announced on Dec. 18 that Beal would be reevaluated in two weeks, indicating they expected him to be out until January. However, the 30-year-old expressed a desire to beat that recovery timeline and it appears he’ll achieve that goal, returning just 11 days later.

Given that Kevin Durant and Devin Booker aren’t on the Suns’ injury report, tonight’s game against the Hornets should be the third time this year that all three stars are available.

The trio made its debut on Dec. 13 vs. Brooklyn and played together vs. the Knicks two days later, though Beal left that game in the first quarter due to his ankle injury. Both of those contests were Suns losses, so Durant, Booker, and Beal are still seeking their first win together.

Beal, who was sidelined earlier in the season due to back issues, averaged 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game with a .433/.400/.696 shooting line in his five appearances prior to his Dec. 15 injury. He and the Suns will be hoping to string together some wins and move up the Western Conference standings — the team currently holds the No. 10 spot at 15-15.

Western Notes: Watson, Lakers, Nance, Rose

December 29th, 2023 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made a late decision to start Peyton Watson in place of injured forward Aaron Gordon on Thursday and the second-year wing responded in a major way, scoring a career-high 20 points and making four three-pointers as Memphis gave him room on the perimeter, as Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post details.

“They didn’t guard him early but he stayed with it and he didn’t lose confidence,” Malone said. “That can mess with you, but I thought Peyton did a really good job. I think he knows we have faith and confidence in him, and let’s be honest, Peyton Watson knows he’s a huge part of our future.”

Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link) referred to it as a “statement decision” by Malone to insert Watson into the starting five over Justin Holiday, who had started the previous four games that Gordon missed.

Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link) adds that the club had planned to approach that spot in the lineup on a game-by-game basis until Gordon gets healthy, but suggests Watson may have earned the role going forward with his performance on Thursday.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

After linking Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale to the Lakers in the offseason, Jovan Buha of The Athletic said this week in an episode of Hoops Tonight (YouTube link) that Los Angeles still has trade interest in the two Nets forwards. NetsDaily passes along Buha’s comments and explores whether a deal between the two teams is realistic.
Ankle, groin, and rib injuries sapped Larry Nance Jr. of much of his athleticism earlier in the season, but the Pelicans big man is now feeling as good as he has “in years,” he tells Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Nance, who played on Thursday for the first time since November 27, pointed to a dunk over Walker Kessler as an example of the type of play he wasn’t making a month or two ago. “It just felt good to get back to who I am,” Nance said. “Earlier in the season, I would have got that drop-off and tried to throw up some B.S. hook or some floater. I can make it. But that’s not who I am. That’s not what this team needs from me.”
Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose is loving being back in Memphis after spending a single college season with the Memphis Tigers 16 years ago, writes Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Rose and his family had never bought a home in any of the cities he previously played in, but they did so in Memphis this year, with the 35-year-old hoping to stick around for the foreseeable future. “When I did leave (after college), I always wished that I stayed a little bit longer,” Rose said. “That’s crazy, like all the times we’ve had chances to purchase spots and our first purchase was in Memphis.”

Early Check-In On Traded 2024 First-Round Picks

December 29th, 2023 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

As our list of traded 2024 first-round picks shows, 14 teams have dealt their first-rounders in next year’s draft (either with protections or without) and another two clubs have surrendered swap rights to their picks. That means over half of 2024’s first-rounders could theoretically be changing hands, with more potentially on the move as a result of in-season trades.

In actuality, due to protections on several of those traded picks or the fact that certain swap rights won’t be exercised, several of the first-rounders that could change hands won’t do so. It’s still too early to say with certainty which picks will be on the move and which will stay put, but with the NBA season past the one-third mark, we’re starting to get a clearer picture.

Here’s an early look at the traded 2024 first-round picks:

Picks that will change hands

Nets‘ pick (unprotected) to Rockets
Lakers‘ pick (unprotected) to Pelicans
Clippers‘ pick (unprotected) to Thunder

These three picks don’t include any protections, meaning it’s a lock they’ll change hands. The only source of drama is where exactly they’ll land.

The Brooklyn pick looks like the best asset of the three — the Nets are currently tied for the 11th-worst record in the NBA, which means their pick would be in the lottery unless they earn a playoff spot via the play-in tournament.

The Lakers, currently eighth in the West, have the NBA’s 16th-best record, so their pick would come in around No. 15, though that could move in either direction if they end up in play-in territory. It’s also worth noting that the Pelicans have the option of deferring that pick to 2025 — if it stays around the middle of the first round, I expect New Orleans would have a hard time passing on it.

The Clippers are tied for the NBA’s eighth-best record, so their first-rounder would be at either No. 22 or 23 if the season ended today.

A Thunder pick (conditional) to Pacers

The Thunder owe the least favorable of their four first-round picks to Indiana, so it’s a sure thing that the Pacers will get a pick from Oklahoma City — we’ll just have to wait to find out which one it’ll be.

That group of first-rounders controlled by the Thunder includes their own selection, the Clippers’ pick (unprotected), the Rockets’ pick (top-four protected), and the Jazz’s pick (top-10 protected). If the season ended today, the Pacers would receive OKC’s own first-rounder at No. 25.

Picks expected to be protected

Pistons‘ pick (top-18 protected) to Knicks

While it’s not technically official yet, there’s no viable scenario in which the 2-29 Pistons will give up their first-round pick this season. They’ll keep that selection and will instead owe New York their 2025 first-rounder with top-13 protection. Based on how Detroit has looked this season, the Knicks probably won’t be holding their breath to get that pick before at least 2026 (when it’s top-11 protected) or 2027 (top-nine protected).

Wizards‘ pick (top-12 protected) to Knicks
Hornets‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Spurs
Trail Blazers‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Bulls

The Wizards, Hornets, and Trail Blazers haven’t been quite as bad as Detroit, but they’re each among the NBA’s bottom five teams so far and have shown little indication that a play-in push is around the corner.

Barring a huge surprise, the Wizards will keep their 2024 pick and owe the Knicks their top-10 protected first-rounder in 2025; the Hornets will keep their 2024 selection and owe San Antonio their top-14 protected first-rounder in 2025; and the Blazers will hang onto their pick in 2024 and owe Chicago their lottery-protected first-rounder in 2025.

Picks still up in the air

Raptors‘ pick (top-six protected) to Spurs

Toronto is tied for the seventh-worst record in the NBA right now, so the pick the Raptors owe to San Antonio could turn out to be a worst-case scenario for them by landing at No. 7 or No. 8. If the Raptors end up not making the playoffs, they’ll be rooting hard to move up into the top four on lottery night.

Jazz‘s pick (top-10 protected) to Thunder

The Jazz are currently the ninth-worst team in the league. If they finish the season that way, they’d hang onto their pick unless two teams below them in the lottery standings leapfrog them. It will be interesting to see how aggressively the front office sells off pieces this season in an effort to keep that first-rounder — or whether that will even be necessary.

Warriors‘ pick (top-four protected) to Trail Blazers
Rockets‘ pick (top-four protected) to Thunder
Mavericks‘ pick (top-10 protected) to Knicks
Kings‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Hawks

In all likelihood, the Houston, Golden State, Dallas, and Sacramento picks will change hands, but it’s not a lock yet. If the Warriors (currently at No. 11 or 12 in the draft order) and Rockets (No. 14) end up in the lottery, there’s always a chance they could jump into the top four.

The Mavs and Kings, meanwhile, look like probable playoff teams, but there are a lot of contenders in the West, so if those teams don’t secure a top-six seed, anything could happen in the play-in tournament. For now, Sacramento and Dallas hold the fifth and sixth seeds in the Western Conference standings.

Suns‘ swap rights to Wizards or Grizzlies
Bucks‘ swap rights to Pelicans

Assuming they keep their top-12 protected pick, which is a safe bet, the Wizards would have the opportunity to swap first-rounders with the Suns. And if Washington passes on that chance, the Grizzlies would get the same opportunity.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Wizards will get to exercise that right, and I would’ve said the same thing about Memphis a week or two ago. Suddenly though, the gap in the standings between the Suns (15-15) and Grizzlies (10-20) doesn’t look insurmountable — it’s not entirely out of the question that Memphis will catch Phoenix and take advantage of the chance to swap first-rounders.

The gap between the Suns and Grizzlies is actually smaller than the one between the 23-8 Bucks and the 18-14 Pelicans. While we can’t rule it out yet, it seems unlikely that New Orleans will surpass Milwaukee in the standings and get to use the ability to swap picks with the Bucks.

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