NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Blazers Convert Skylar Mays To Standard Contract

November 11th, 2023 at 1:25pm CST by Rory Maher

NOVEMBER 12: Mays’ promotion is official, the Blazers confirmed in a press release.

NOVEMBER 11: Trail Blazers guard Skylar Mays is receiving a promotion from his two-way deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Mays will be converted to a standard contract.

Portland’s backcourt has been hit hard by injuries early on in 2023/24, with Scoot Henderson (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring strain) and Anfernee Simons (thumb surgery) all missing time. In their stead, head coach Chauncey Billups turned to Mays on Wednesday at Sacramento and he played well, recording 18 points (on 8-of-15 shooting), 11 assists (against three turnovers) and two steals in 37 minutes of action.

As Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report observes (Twitter link), the Blazers have an open standard roster spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary to promote Mays. Converting him will make Mays eligible to appear in every game for Portland — players on two-way deals can only be active for up to 50 games, Highkin notes.

Mays, who played four years of college ball at LSU, was the 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft and spent his first two professional seasons with the Hawks. He was on two-way contracts until being promoted to Atlanta’s standard 15-man roster during the final week of the 2021/22 regular season.

The 26-year-old spent most of last season in the G League, but caught on with Portland at the end of ’22/23. He impressed the club in his six games, averaging 15.3 PPG on excellent .500/.462/.923 shooting splits, while also chipping in 8.3 APG, 3.2 RPG and 1.0 SPG. The Blazers signed him to a two-way deal on October 1.

Portland will reportedly use its newly created two-way opening to sign Jamaree Bouyea, as we detailed in a separate story.

Southeast Notes: Lowry, Haslem, Poole, Wright, Griffin

November 11th, 2023 at 11:35am CST by Tristan Tucker

With guard Tyler Herro out for at least the next two weeks, the Heat want to see a more aggressive version of veteran guard Kyle Lowry, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

Lowry has been effective for the Heat, averaging 6.9 points, 5.3 assists and 4,9 rebounds per game while leading the team in deflections and drawn charges. However, he’s only taking 5.8 shots per night, his lowest output since the 2008/09 season.

“At this point in his career, it’s all about winning,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s what I really love about Kyle. He’ll sacrifice points, he’ll sacrifice stats. He does so many other things that impact winning. With that said, I don’t want him to be an afterthought, either. His aggressiveness and finding those moments in between where he can create some chaos is one of the greatest strengths that he’s had over the course of his entire career.”

Lowry has just a 10.6 usage percentage, Chiang adds, which is not only the lowest of any Heat player this season but would also be the lowest in his career.

“But Kyle is smart and he knows his aggressiveness is important to our team,” Spoelstra said. “The aggressiveness comes from the attacks, getting in the paint. But also being a recipient behind the three-point line and aggressively hunting those open catch-and-shoot threes. That’s really important for our team. It’s part of his brilliance. He’s been able to find ways to be effective on the ball or off the ball, and that’s important for our team.”

Herro currently leads the Heat in shot attempts and points, so there’s plenty of production left to pick up for Lowry and the Heat’s other guards. Lowry, 37, is in the final season of a three-year, $85MM contract.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Udonis Haslem played for the Heat for 20 years, officially retiring after the conclusion of the 2022/23 season. Haslem stuck around Miami, helping players at practice and then taking on the role of vice president of basketball development. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, Haslem isn’t allowed to unretire and suit up for the Heat as a player now that he’s receiving a salary in a front office role, something the big man was unaware of. “I didn’t know that. But I don’t miss it. I wasn’t planning on that. I’m fine with that,” Haslem said.
Wizards guard Jordan Poole is taking what he learned from the Warriors to Washington, he told Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer in an interview. After winning a championship with the Warriors in 2022, Poole is getting the chance to help lead a team, something that always intrigued him, according to Fischer. “Obviously, I wanted to be in a position to have my own team, and then if it did come, how would I go about that?” Poole said. “Luckily, I’m able to do that so young, after learning from some of the best. It’s cool. It’s a smooth transition. We’re building everything from scratch, essentially. Building up a new foundation. Everything in Golden State was already established, so we kinda had to fit into the mold that they have there.“
Wizards guard Delon Wright exited Friday’s game against the Hornets with a left knee injury, according to the team (Twitter link). According to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins, Wright won’t play in Washington’s games on Sunday in Brooklyn or Monday in Toronto and will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury (Twitter link).
Following a promising rookie season in which he immediately impacted the Hawks rotation, AJ Griffin hasn’t played much in his sophomore year. Griffin averaged 8.9 points in 19.5 minutes across 72 games (12 starts) last year compared to 3.2 points in 9.2 minutes this year. Head coach Quin Snyder explained that Griffin is working on his defense. “I think not just AJ, we want growth from others,” Snyder said, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). “As I’ve said before, sometimes minutes are hard to come by with this group… I think he’s focused.”

Central Notes: Beasley, Griffin, Lillard, Dosunmu, Duren

November 11th, 2023 at 9:55am CST by Tristan Tucker

Bucks guard Malik Beasley is trying to establish himself in a different role than he’s used to, Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. The 6’4″ Beasley hasn’t been known for his defense, but he’s taking on the challenge of trying to be more physical on that end and often finds himself squared off against a top perimeter player.

“Usually I’m one of the offensive guys, but we got four (of) those guys,” Beasley said. “So I just learn how to be physical. It’s a mindset. … If you notice, I start the game usually with one or two fouls to set the tone so that in the third or fourth quarter I can get away with it.”

Beasley, 26, is averaging 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in his first season in Milwaukee. He’s a career 37.9% shooter from distance and is connecting on a career-best 42.5% of his long-ball attempts this year. Beasley signed a minimum-salary contract to join the Bucks this offseason.

We have more from the Central Division:

After Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected on Wednesday against Detroit upon receiving two technical fouls, coach Adrian Griffin said he needed to do a better job of advocating for his players, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Then, on Thursday, Griffin was ejected for voicing his displeasure with a call involving Antetokounmpo. “The first technical foul was for an overt reaction to a non-call on Giannis Antetokounmpo,” official Kevin Cutler said after the game in a pool report, per Owczarski. “The second was for disrespecting an official with profanity and per rule, two technical fouls, that is an automatic ejection.“
Damian Lillard is listed as questionable for the Bucks for Saturday’s game against the Magic, tweets The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. He’s dealing with right calf soreness, which caused him to miss Thursday’s game.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan has historically run with nine-man rotations, but guard Ayo Dosunmu‘s play this season is forcing him to extend the rotation to 10 deep, according to The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley. While Dosunmu’s counting stats aren’t eye-popping, Cowley points out the advanced analytics show he’s one of the most valuable players in the rotation. “I usually [play] nine guys, but because Ayo had a good training camp and has played well in this early part you try and find minutes,” Donovan said. “The unfortunate part sometimes is the guy that is in the role that he’s in there’s not going to be a lot of minutes. There’s just sometimes not enough minutes to go around. [Dosunmu] has done a really good job taking advantage of the time that he has gotten.“
Pistons center Jalen Duren exited Friday’s matchup against the Sixers with a right ankle injury, according to the team (Twitter link). The same ankle injury has already forced the young center to miss two games this season. Head coach Monty Williams said Pistons staffers will discuss how to handle the injury moving forward, tweets Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “When a guy can’t finish a game, that’s something that we have to discuss,” Williams said.

Nets Notes: Simmons, Vaughn, Walker, Whitehead

November 11th, 2023 at 8:31am CST by Tristan Tucker

Reestablishing the relationship between Nets guard Ben Simmons and head coach Jacque Vaughn was a priority for Brooklyn this offseason, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears writes.

The Nets allowed Simmons to spend the offseason training in Miami, where he felt most comfortable, and Vaughn made sure to visit and connect with the former No. 1 overall pick several times.

“I had something to prove,” Simmons said. “So, whoever comes down, whoever doesn’t, I know who’s there for me. And he was down there. He came to check on me, which I really appreciate and that gave me more confidence. It was good to have him down there.”

Simmons, who said his relationship with Vaughn was “terrible” to start out, was upset with the lack of communication between the two parties and believed the head coach was frustrated by an injury situation that limited him to 42 games last season. After working on the relationship over the offseason, Vaughn handed the keys to the starting lineup over to Simmons, who ranks toward the top of the league in rebounds and assists.

“I thought it was important for me to reestablish our relationship from the way it was introduced,” Vaughn said. “[2022/23] was during a pretty tumultuous season with expectation, trauma and chaos, and we both were involved in it. And for me to hopefully let him know that [there were] no hard feelings my way. I was trying to set a standard for the program and that’s my responsibility as a coach and to let him know what my expectations were for him going forward and that I am pulling for him at the same time.“

We have more from the Nets:

Simmons is day-to-day with a hip injury, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. He has missed two consecutive games. “He received treatment, and he’ll continue to receive treatment,” Vaughn said. “[We’re] just not in the place where all parties around feel comfortable with him playing at the levels that he’s been playing it.“
Lonnie Walker IV is off to a career-best start after signing a minimum-salary contract with the Nets in the offseason. In eight games, Walker’s averaging 16.8 points while shooting 53.8% from the floor and 46.3% from deep in just 22.4 minutes a night. “Just genuinely understanding just the game [and] kind of slowing it down,” Walker said of the difference in his play this season (via the New York Post’s Dan Martin). “I used to always play 100 percent going too fast without really analyzing the game.” With Cam Thomas sidelined for at least two weeks, Walker could continue to see his usage and playing time increase.
Brooklyn first round pick and former five-star recruit Dariq Whitehead dealt with a lingering foot injury through the draft process and offseason. The youngest draft pick in Nets history made his professional on-court debut in the G League, starting for Brooklyn’s affiliate Long Island Nets on Friday, according to Nets Daily (Twitter link). He finished with five points and four rebounds in his return to the court.

Lakers Notes: Reaves, Reddish, LeBron, Davis, Hayes, Problems

November 10th, 2023 at 10:25pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers made a fairly surprising change to their starting lineup on Friday in Phoenix, with Cam Reddish replacing Austin Reaves at shooting guard. The news was first reported by Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Reaves has had a slow start to the 2023/24 season, averaging 13.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.5 SPG while struggling with efficiency (2.6 turnovers and a .416/.278/.808 shooting line) through eight games (32.0 MPG). But Reddish isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire either, averaging 4.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .306/.125/.786 shooting in 20.3 MPG.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

LeBron James appeared to suffer a lower left leg injury in the first quarter on Friday, limping and exiting the contest following a spin move (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). ESPN has a video of the play (Twitter link), but it’s unclear what may have happened. While he missed the rest of the first quarter, James checked back into the game to open the second period, tweets ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
On a brighter note, Anthony Davis (left adductor/hip spasm) and Jaxson Hayes (left ankle sprain) were both available on Friday, per Price (Twitter link). Davis wound up missing one full game and half of another, while Hayes was sidelined for two games.
Injuries have been an issue for the 3-5 Lakers, with several rotation players missing time, including Jarred Vanderbilt (heel), who has yet to make his season debut. Following Wednesday’s blowout loss in Houston, which dropped the Lakers to 0-5 on the road, James said they lacked “cohesion,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I mean, we can’t build cohesion if we don’t have our unit,” James said. “It’s that simple. It’s just, we’re very depleted on the injury side.”
Still, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes, the team’s problems go beyond just injuries. L.A. has been historically inept in first quarters, posting a minus-74 point differential, the worst mark in league history through eight games. The Lakers have struggled with basic things like energy and effort, along with three-point shooting, rebounding and defense, says Buha.

Pacific Notes: Paul, Warriors, Ellis, Fox, Lyles, Kings

November 10th, 2023 at 8:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Logan Murdock of The Ringer takes an in-depth look at the Warriors‘ Chris Paul experiment, writing that the future Hall-of-Famer was eager to acclimate to his new team as soon as Golden State acquired him over the summer. The 38-year-old point guard is coming off the bench for the first time in his career, which he says is a work in progress.

“It’s figuring it out,” Paul told Murdock. “It’s going to be a process, but at the same time, you want to win in the process.”

According to Murdock, Paul’s first few months with the team have “brought harmony” to the Bay Area, as opposed to the poor locker-room chemistry of last season. Paul has been a connector both on and off the court, with several members of the organization showing appreciation for his leadership and elite basketball IQ.

“He connects all the lineups,” Stephen Curry told Murdock earlier this month. “He’s a gamer, a competitor, he lives and breathes basketball. And even at his age, he knows how to influence games with his brain and his IQ.”

Paul’s contract for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed, so his future with Warriors is uncertain. However, as Murdock writes, the 12-time All-Star has made an excellent first impression.

“It’s been cool, man,” Paul said. “In anything, as you get older, you learn things, you appreciate things more, and I think more than anything, we’re competitors before anything. So I’m excited to see what we all can do.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

The Warriors are tired of comparing this season’s team to the 2022/23 group, but Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic says it’s impossible not to notice the difference. Despite dropping Wednesday’s game to sit with a 6-3 record, Golden State battled the defending champion Nuggets to the wire in Denver, displaying a toughness that was often missing last season, Thompson writes. The Warriors have gone 5-2 on the road amid a tough early schedule, a “stark contrast” to the team’s 11-30 road record in ’22/23.
Second-year guard Keon Ellis, who is on a two-way contract with the Kings, received his first career start in Wednesday’s victory over Portland, which snapped a three-game losing streak, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Ellis replaced former lottery pick Davion Mitchell in the starting lineup, with both players filling in for De’Aaron Fox, who continues to be sidelined with a right ankle sprain. Ellis will start again on Friday, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320 and TheKingsBeat.com.
Prior to Friday’s game against OKC, Kings head coach Mike Brown told reporters, including Ham (Twitter link), that Fox and Trey Lyles are making progress in their recoveries, but there’s no return timetable for either player. Lyles, who is battling a left calf strain, has yet to make his season debut.

Sixers Notes: Depth, Newcomers, Embiid, Maxey, Harden

November 10th, 2023 at 6:55pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers look like one of the league’s deepest teams and have a “different vibe” this season under new head coach Nick Nurse, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“The other day at practice, we had three teams out, running through the plays,” Tobias Harris said. “We were on the sidelines, me, Joel [Embiid] and Tyrese [Maxey] were saying like we have 15 guys who can be in the rotation. With that means a lot of responsibility with guys just being professional and ready.”

As Pompey notes, newcomers Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington were in the rotation during Wednesday’s victory over Boston, with Batum part of the closing group.

Forward Marcus Morris, another newcomer acquired in the James Harden trade, has only played six minutes in one appearance this season. Nurse said he hopes to get a better look at the veteran forward (Twitter video link via Pompey).

“I want to see him, definitely,” Nurse said. “I still think he’s got a spot in the rotation. He of all the people has played the least, so it’s just a little trickier with him. Just kind of waiting for our moment to give him a chance and see how he looks out there.”

Here are a few more notes out of Philly:

Gina Mizell of The Philadephia Inquirer (subscriber link) details how the four players acquired in the Harden deal — Batum, Covington, Morris and KJ Martin — have quickly acclimated to their new team. They’ve been going through film sessions, walk-throughs and scrimmages, with player development assistant Rico Hines leading the way. “It’s totally been a village in here,” Hines told Mizell, “with everybody helping [those players] get accustomed to whatever we’re trying to get accomplished. We’ve got a big picture in mind, and that’s what we’re trying to do. Just get a little better every day. Those guys see that. They feel that.”
After the Sixers defeated Boston on Wednesday and claimed the top spot in the East, reigning MVP Joel Embiid said the team has “a long way to go” but is “on the right path,” writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “There’s so many things that could’ve been better today,” Embiid said. “Taking care of the ball. Missed quite a few shots. Tyrese, he missed a lot of shots that he’s been making. We were not as efficient as we’ve been. But it happens. But, then again, I also like the effort and the intensity defensively, just being together, following the game plan.”
Maxey has repeatedly mentioned how much he appreciated James Harden as a mentor and teammate. Harden’s fondness for Maxey is quite evident as well, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “He works extremely hard; good things are definitely going to come his way,” Harden said. “He listens, he puts the work in, as a young guy in this league that’s all you can ask for. As he gets more reps at that scoring, play-making role, he’ll figure things out, you know, in a good way, how different teams are gonna guard him. I’m extremely and overly proud of him; he gets an opportunity to showcase his game. … I know he’s gonna have a really good year.”

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Conley, Wolves, K. George

November 10th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The final chapter of Damian Lillard‘s fruitful 11-year relationship with the Trail Blazers was a somewhat acrimonious one, with both sides taking criticism for how they handled Lillard’s trade request this offseason. When the star guard asked out of Portland, he demanded to be sent to a specific team (Miami), and the Blazers responded by taking months to make a deal and ultimately sending him somewhere else (Milwaukee).

Still, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is confident that time will heal any wounds that this summer’s saga created, as he tells Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.

“Sooner or later, talks will be had,” Billups said. “Emotion will be down and that will heal itself. I really believe that. At the end of the day, what Dame did for the organization has never been done before. He’s gonna go down as the greatest. And also what this organization did for Dame was incredible. They had an incredible two-way relationship for the entire time.”

While there may be some fences in need of mending between Lillard and Portland’s front office – including general manager Joe Cronin – Billups says he stayed out of the team’s trade talks and has remained close with Lillard, who was a friend even before Billups was hired by the Blazers.

“We’ve had several [conversations], even when [the trade discussions] first started,” Billups told Goodwill. “I already knew, even however this goes, it’s not gonna change our relationship, our friendship. We talk about very personal things, we talk about hoop at times. And we’ve talked several times since it’s been over. I’m happy for him.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Even if Rudy Gobert‘s strong early-season play continues, it’s hard to imagine the trade that sent him from Utah to Minnesota ever looking like a big win for the Timberwolves, given what they gave up to get him. But Wolves fans should feel good about the other trade the team made with Utah last season, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune, who says point guard Mike Conley has been an ideal fit in Minnesota. “If you heard the reports about Mike Conley before he came here, you’d have thought he was broken down and had to be wrapped in bubble plastic everyday,” head coach Chris Finch said. “That has certainly not been the case. I think he’s exceeded our expectations by a long mile — on and off the floor.”
Multiple scouts who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype are confident that the Timberwolves‘ hot start this season is sustainable. “Anthony Edwards is a top-10 player in the NBA right now,” one scout said. “He’s the real deal and plays both sides of the ball. Minnesota has two top-10 NBA defenders: Rudy Gobert, with his rim protection, and Jaden McDaniels, one of the best defenders on the perimeter. People forget they played Denver tough the last few games of their series. I think they can be a real threat in the West.”
Keyonte George‘s first career start – which came Wednesday on the day he turned 20 – was “the best birthday present you could ever ask for,” he said this week. It also felt like the start of a new era for Utah’s backcourt, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who points out that a notable former Jazz point guard, Deron Williams, also made his first start in his ninth career game 18 years ago. Expecting George to emulate Williams’ ascent to stardom is probably unfair, but his teammates were impressed by how the rookie responded to the promotion. “(It) was a really good showing in terms of Keyonte at the point, running the show, playing his role,” Jordan Clarkson said. “He’ll have big games scoring points, big games getting assists, it was our first time having him out there, and it was really big time for him.”

Largest Trade Exceptions Available This Season

November 10th, 2023 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

As the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline approaches, it’s worth keeping in mind which teams hold traded player exceptions that could come in handy to grease the wheels on an in-season deal.

As we explain in our glossary, a traded player exception allows a team to take on salary in a trade without sending out any salary in return. The amount of the exception (plus $250K) is the amount of salary the team is permitted to take back without salary-matching – either in a single deal or in multiple trades – for one year.

For instance, a team with a $10MM trade exception could acquire a player earning $4MM and a player earning $6.25MM without having to worry about sending out any outgoing salary.

In recent years, sizable traded player exceptions have served as wild cards that helped accommodate both pre-deadline and offseason deals. For example, after creating a $17MM trade exception when they sent Davis Bertans to the Thunder and moved down a couple spots in the 2023 draft lottery, the Mavericks used that TPE to acquire Richaun Holmes along with an additional first-round pick later in the night.

Many trade exceptions expire without being used, but as our tracker shows, there are many sizable ones available this season that could be useful when trade season begins in earnest.

Here are the 20 most valuable trade exceptions around the NBA for now, along with their expiry dates in parentheses:

Atlanta Hawks: $23,019,560 (7/8/24)
Brooklyn Nets: $19,928,571 (7/8/24)
Brooklyn Nets: $18,131,946 (2/9/24)
Washington Wizards: $12,354,400 (6/24/24)
Washington Wizards: $9,800,926 (7/8/24)
Miami Heat: $9,450,000 (7/8/24)
Portland Trail Blazers: $8,778,377 (9/27/24)
Portland Trail Blazers: $8,300,000 (2/9/24)
Memphis Grizzlies: $7,492,540 (7/8/24)
Miami Heat: $7,243,842 (7/8/24)
Philadelphia 76ers: $6,831,413 (11/1/24)
New York Knicks: $6,803,012 (7/8/24)
Brooklyn Nets: $6,802,950 (7/8/24)
Phoenix Suns: $6,500,000 (7/17/24)
Boston Celtics: $6,202,500 (7/12/24)
Washington Wizards: $5,379,250 (6/24/24)
Phoenix Suns: $4,975,371 (2/9/24)
Dallas Mavericks: $4,953,980 (7/8/24)
Miami Heat: $4,700,000 (2/7/24)
Houston Rockets: $4,510,000 (10/17/24)

Those Hawks and Nets trade exceptions are big enough to be genuine assets, but I wouldn’t expect either club to make full use of them during the season. Both Atlanta and Brooklyn are about $8-10MM away from the luxury tax line and would move even closer to becoming taxpayers if certain players on their rosters earn bonuses currently considered unlikely.

Neither team is close enough to title contention to warrant becoming a taxpayer this season unless it’s for a major, major acquisition, so don’t count on either the Hawks or Nets using a TPE to bring in a $15MM role player with no outgoing salary.

The luxury tax looms as an issue for some of the other teams on this list as well, but there are some intriguing TPEs to keep an eye on. Would-be contenders like the Sixers, Celtics, and Suns may consider using their exceptions to try to fortify their benches ahead of the postseason, while a rebuilding team like the Wizards – with nearly $30MM in breathing room below the tax – could be a dumping ground for an unwanted contract — as long as that contract comes attached to a draft asset or two.

Teams like the Lakers and Pelicans, who are just narrowly over the tax threshold and could duck below by trading a single player, are potential trade partners to watch for Washington.

It’s worth noting that some of these exceptions may be used in a deal that could otherwise be completed using salary matching. For instance, a team with a $10MM trade exception that swaps one $8MM player for another could use the exception to take on the incoming player and create a new $8MM exception using the outgoing player.

Raptors Notes: Siakam, Barnes, Dick, Winslow

November 10th, 2023 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

While fellow Raptors forwards Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby seem to have adjusted quickly to new head coach Darko Rajakovic‘s offensive system, Pascal Siakam has taken longer to get going this fall. That’s why Siakam’s 31-point, 12-rebound showing in a road victory over Dallas on Wednesday was such an encouraging sign, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

Prior to Wednesday’s win, Siakam had averaged just 15.4 PPG and 6.1 RPG on 41.2% shooting in Toronto’s first seven games, well below his averages in recent years. Rajakovic, who spoke before Wednesday’s game about his belief in Siakam, predicted that a breakout was coming.

“It’s the start of the year, it’s a different style of play, he’s going through adjustments, but at the same time he is really trying to do the right thing. He’s trying to move the ball, he’s trying to find his teammates and that kind of took away a little bit from his aggressiveness,” the first-year coach said, per Grange. “The last two days I’ve talked to him like, ‘You better be aggressive first.’ Aggressive to score, aggressive to attack the rim, to shoot the ball. … I think very soon, hopefully tonight, he’s going to take off.”

It’s a big year for both the Raptors and Siakam, who will be an unrestricted free agent next July if he doesn’t sign an extension before then. With Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. among the team’s other key players eligible for 2024 free agency, Toronto will have to use this season to determine which pieces are long-term keepers.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Barnes’ strong start to the season seemed “inseparable” from Siakam’s struggles, according to Danny Chau of The Ringer, who says that figuring out whether those two forwards can coexist and thrive alongside one another is atop Toronto’s 2023/24 to-do list.
In a pair of articles for The Athletic, Eric Koreen takes a closer look at the Raptors’ developmental plan for lottery pick Gradey Dick and considers which of the club’s early-season trends should be taken most seriously. Koreen notes that Toronto ranks in the bottom third of the league in both defensive rebounding and free throw attempts, and suggests those trends may be difficult to reverse.
When he decided to play in the G League this season, Justise Winslow viewed the Raptors’ organization as a good fit for his skill set, given the team’s fondness for lengthy, versatile forwards, writes Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. One of the Raptors 905’s affiliate players, Winslow is still rehabbing an ankle injury from last season and won’t be available when the team’s season gets underway on Friday, though he’s doing contact drills and is enthusiastic about nearing the end of the rehab process. “I’m doing really well, man,” Winslow said. “Attacking this rehab process every day, you know, doing things that help me mentally stay in a good place and, you know, find peace and stay patient within the journey. So, it’s been a really good process.”

Load More Posts