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Community Shootaround: OKC Thunder

December 3rd, 2023 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

For the last few seasons, the Thunder have been a paper tiger.

Top executive Sam Presti built a head-spinning stash of future draft picks through his wheeling and dealing. Oklahoma City is still owed 10 future first-rounders and even more second-round picks – it could easily create two additional teams in the next couple of years with all those selections.

The on-court performance began to perk up last season, as the Thunder collected 40 regular-season victories and won a game in the play-in tournament before getting eliminated by Minnesota.

Oklahoma City appears poised to make an even bigger mark this season. The Thunder sit second in the Western Conference and have won eight of their last 10 games.

Even a 30-0 Dallas run on Saturday didn’t deter the Thunder, as they emerged with a 126-120 victory.

A stable lineup, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has facilitated the hot start. Gilgeous-Alexander, a first time All-Star and All-NBA First Team selection last season, is once again filling up the stat sheet. He’s averaging 29.9 points, 6.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals while keeping his turnovers down (2.2).

After missing a full season due to foot issues, Chet Holmgren is making a strong case for Rookie of the Year. He’s posting quality numbers across the board – 17.6 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

Jalen Williams is also averaging 17.6 points and the lineup is filled out by Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort. Giddey gives the lineup another adept ball-handler – though he’s currently being investigated by law enforcement and the league for an alleged improper relationship.

Dort has had to sacrifice offensive opportunities after averaging 17.2 points per game two seasons ago but he’s still a key to their defense. Isaiah Joe is the team’s sixth man and rookie Cason Wallace has also made an impact.

That brings us to our topic of the day: What is the Thunder’s ceiling this season – can they make a deep playoff run? Should they trade some of the future draft picks from their stockpile for another impact player? If so, what do you think they need the most?

Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Jokic, Williams, Hendricks

December 3rd, 2023 at 7:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heavy is the head who wears the crown? According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, that’s what the Nuggets are experiencing. Jamal Murray was out an extended period, they had to play five games in seven days, and they are taking everybody’s best punch.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone was proud of the way his weary team hung around in a loss to Sacramento on Saturday. They don’t play again until Wednesday. “We can certainly use the break,” Malone said.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has been fined $2K for flopping, the NBA announced (via Twitter). Upon league office review, Jokic was assessed the flopping penalty after he fell backward while taking a shot in the fourth quarter against the Kings following minimal contact from Domantas Sabonis.
Jalen Williams has been an integral part of the Thunder’s early success this season, Rylan Stiles of ThunderousIntentions.com notes. Williams is tied with Chet Holmgren as the club’s second-leading scorer and has often carried the offensive load when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rests at the start of the second and fourth quarters, yet the contributions of the second-year lottery pick are often overlooked.
Jazz rookie lottery pick Taylor Hendricks hasn’t played much, but he flashed intriguing potential with Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk sidelined by injuries against Portland on Saturday, according to the Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden. While Hendricks posted modest stats in his 18-minute stint, he made notable defensive contributions, including a couple of blocks. “He was able to switch 1 to 4, and he was able to cause havoc, and that’s what we needed,” guard Collin Sexton said.

Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Knicks, Covington, Raptors

December 3rd, 2023 at 5:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics won’t have Kristaps Porzingis for their in-season tournament quarterfinal matchup against the Pacers on Monday. The big man has been ruled out due to a left calf strain, ESPN relays. Porzingis, who has 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in his first year with Boston, has already missed the last three games.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks are 12-7 but their December schedule will be a major test, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. They have to play Milwaukee three times and nine of their remaining 12 December games are on the road. Phoenix and both Los Angeles teams will be part of a West Coast trip and the last three road games including up-and-coming clubs Oklahoma City, Orlando and Indiana.
Forward Robert Covington is heating up in his second stint with the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Covington, who was part of the James Harden blockbuster trade with the Clippers, averaged 15 points and six rebounds in the last two games. “The more and more games I get under my belt, the more and more I’m going to get comfortable within the offense and defense,” said Covington, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
In a report on the Raptors’ first 20 games, The Athletic’s Eric Koreen opines that the team has looked nothing more than mediocre. Koreen suggests that their transition offense is their only real strength and they don’t have the depth, nor the draft picks, to get significantly better. If they don’t show real improvement over the next 20 games, the Raptors will have to be sellers at the trade deadline, Koreen adds.

New York Notes: Randle, Brunson, Vaughn, Simmons, DSJ

December 3rd, 2023 at 4:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Two-time Knicks All-Star power forward Julius Randle continues to thrive for New York despite dealing with lingering knee soreness, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. He has played in all 19 of the team’s games thus far this season after appearing in 77 of 82 last year.

“You almost come to expect that from him. If he can go, he’s going,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And I love that about him. He wanted to get out there, and he warmed up early to see how he would feel. And then he got with the medical people. But Julius, he gives you what he has. He doesn’t take days off.”

New York even wanted Randle to rest the knee earlier this week, Bondy notes, but Randle rejected the idea. He’s averaging 20.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 5.5 APG for New York.

“[I’ll play] all the time,” Randle said. “I think it’s more we just love to play. It’s not really about load management. We just love to play basketball. Me personally, I love to play basketball, so if I can play I’m going to play.”

There’s more out of the City That Never Sleeps:

Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson has developed a gift for drawing charges, writes Bondy in a separate piece. He has already drawn 30 offensive fouls thus far this season. Bondy notes that he could be en route to a new NBA record. “Obviously I’m not meeting anybody at the rim. So I know I can impact the game that way,” Brunson told Bondy. “So whatever it takes to win, honestly. I find myself in that position and if I bail out, I’m bailing out on my teammates. So I got to be willing to take the contact and pray for the best.”
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn is helping a young, talented team develop at a pace that’s perhaps quicker than pundits may have anticipated, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber exclusive). Third-year shooting guard Cam Thomas is enjoying a breakout season and looks like a potential candidate for Most Improved Player honors if he can keep this output up. He’s currently averaging 26.1 PPG on .464/.343/.846 splits, along with 3.9 RPG and 2.3 APG.
Oft-injured Nets forward Ben Simmons is still weeks away from returning to the lineup for Brooklyn, but reserve point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has returned, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Simmons has missed 12 straight contests with a lower back impingement. Smith had been dealing with a strained lower back for six games.

Luke Kennard Set To Rejoin Grizzlies In 2-3 Weeks

December 3rd, 2023 at 2:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Grizzlies shooting guard Luke Kennard, who has been sidelined since November 14 with a left knee bone bruise, is progressing toward a return to the 5-14 club.

Memphis has revealed (Twitter link) that the team expects the 6’5″ wing back in the lineup within the next two or three weeks.

Across his eight available games, the 27-year-old has averaged 8.3 points per night on .362/.370/1.000 shooting to go along with 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. The veteran Duke product is averaging 21.5 minutes per game off Memphis’ bench.

Kennard’s floor-spacing acumen would be a welcome boon to the Grizzlies’ depleted offensive attack. He’s a career 43.5% three-point shooter on an impressive 4.4 attempts per game. His 37% conversion rate this season arrives on a robust 5.8 three-point tries per contest.

Memphis needs all the available bodies it can get. Seven other Grizzlies are currently unavailable, including the suspended Ja Morant. The club has leaned on hardship exception signings for help. Earlier today, word broke that Memphis would be signing guard Jaylen Nowell to a second 10-day contract.

Central Notes: Weaver, Crowder, White, DeMar

December 3rd, 2023 at 1:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pistons are currently mired in a league-worst 17-game losing streak. If Detroit isn’t able to somewhat right this ship, even while clearly headed for the lottery this year, general manager Troy Weaver should be fired so a new front office can thrive, opines Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press.

Windsor writes that the Pistons are currently on a 7.5-game win pace for the rest of the season, which would shatter the current record for a full 82-game NBA slate.

Given that the club will have lots of space under the league’s projected salary cap next summer, through which it could add veterans and make significant transactions to improve, Windsor submits that Weaver should not be in a decision-making role with the Pistons at that juncture — barring some kind of growth this year.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Following a November 14 surgery to correct a partial tear in his left adductor, Bucks reserve forward Jae Crowder is on the mend, having resumed individual on-court work within the last week, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “When I touched the ball, I was like, ‘All right, I’m getting close,’” Crowder said. The 33-year-old combo forward was a solid two-way contributor for Milwaukee when healthy this year. In his nine healthy games, he’s logging 8.1 PPG on .532/.416/.583 shooting splits, along with 3.9 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.8 SPG.
Bulls starting point guard Coby White is enjoying an excellent start to the season for a struggling 7-14 Chicago club. His willingness to shoot from distance early and often has played a part in the team’s current two-game mini-win streak, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The 6’5″ guard is averaging 15.0 PPG on .427/.403/.846 shooting splits, 4.2 APG, 3.1 RPG and 0.9 SPG. He’s connecting on a career-best 40.3% of his career-most 7.1 three-pointers per night.
Bulls All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan seems to be rediscovering the passing game that he developed during his three-year stint with the Spurs, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. To wit, he notched a season-most 10 dimes during Chicago’s surprise 124-118 win over the Pelicans on Saturday. “Just being unselfish, pushing the pace,” DeRozan said of his — and the team’s — approach to the victory.

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Paul, Wiggins, Harden, Westbrook, Beal

December 3rd, 2023 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Extension talks between the Warriors and Klay Thompson have been “dormant” since training camp and likely won’t get serious until after the season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown (video link).

That means there’s a decent chance Thompson will become a free agent on June 30, but Wojnarowski notes that’s typical of the way Golden State handles its most prized assets. Draymond Green was allowed to reach free agency before he signed his latest deal, the team didn’t come to an agreement with former general manager Bob Myers before his contract expired, and there hasn’t been an extension yet with head coach Steve Kerr.

Thompson is earning $43.2MM in the final year of his current contract and will be eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $220MM. The Warriors will almost certainly be unwilling to offer him anything close to the full amount because of his age and declining production. Thompson will turn 34 in February and is averaging just 15.7 PPG this season while shooting 40.6% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins missed the Warriors‘ game on Saturday, but they’re both expected to return soon. Paul, who suffered a lower left leg nerve contusion earlier this week, was able to go through his normal pre-game shooting routine, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wiggins, who hurt his right index finger in a car door, also warmed up before the game and expects to be able to play in a couple of days, Slater adds (Twitter link).
James Harden offered words of encouragement to Russell Westbrook during the Clippers‘ game on Saturday, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Westbrook has shifted to a sixth-man role and has seen his playing time decline since Harden was acquired in a trade last month. Westbrook played just 19 minutes Saturday, and Harden could sense that he was getting upset. “I told him to just stay with it. It’s a long season and I know it’s probably frustrating for him because his minutes are fluctuating,” Harden said. “But I think all of us are trying to figure out how we want to play our different lineups and see who works better with who and things like that.”
Suns coach Frank Vogel said Bradley Beal is in a “workload and then see how his back responds type of phase” as he rehabs his low back strain, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Beal, who has only played three games this season, is scheduled to have his condition reevaluated this week.

And-Ones: In-Season Tournament, Point Differential, Cole

December 3rd, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

While most of the league has gotten back to business as usual, the eight teams that advanced in the NBA’s first-ever in-season tournament are focused on the knockout round and a trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals and title game, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Single-elimination games will start Monday with the Pacers hosting the Celtics and the Pelicans meeting the Kings, and will continue Tuesday with Knicks-Bucks and Lakers-Suns matchups.

“I just want to make every appeal I can to our fans that we need the loudest building possible,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “To show you that no good deed goes unpunished, we draw the team with the best record in basketball. But we do get to play them at home. So that’s something important. We need our building to be as loud and raucous as it possibly can and we need to throw a game out there that’s exceptional.”

The new tournament falls at a perfect time on the NBA calendar, notes Sam Amick of The Athletic. It brings added stakes to numerous early-season games and ends six days before December 15, which marks the unofficial start of trading season as most free agents who signed during the summer become eligible to be dealt. Ten days later marks the Christmas Day showcase, which Amick points out is when much of the general public typically starts paying attention to the league.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

The NBA may have to address the point-differential issue before next year’s tourney, Amick adds in the same piece. Having it as the primary tie-breaker led to unusual strategy in several late-game situations on Tuesday, and Knicks guard Josh Hart said it “messes with the integrity of the game a little bit.” Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team needed a 13-point win at Sacramento to reach the final eight, talked with reporters before the game about a scenario where it might be advantageous to let the Kings force overtime and try to dominate the extra session. He also made it clear that he wouldn’t pursue that strategy. “I’ll let (commissioner) Adam Silver answer,” Kerr said. “He gets to decide what we should do. I don’t know. It’s a very interesting question.”
The Athletic’s NBA staff examines the most pressing concerns for all 30 teams, from the top of the league, where the Celtics have to be worried about frontcourt depth in light of Kristaps Porzingis‘ injury history, to the bottom, where the Pistons might be forced into upending their roster sooner than expected.
Veteran guard Norris Cole has joined the G League Ignite, tweets Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Cole, 35, won two titles with the Heat but has been out of the NBA since 2017.

Wolves Notes: Gobert, Towns, Reid, Alexander-Walker

December 3rd, 2023 at 9:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Rudy Gobert‘s decision to play Saturday with an aching left hip is reflective of the Timberwolves‘ philosophy, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Players are held out when they’re injured — Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels both missed the game — but when it’s just a matter of soreness, they reject the idea of load management and find a way to get on the court.

“There’s going to be points in the season where you’ve got to play these types of games,” coach Chris Finch said. “If you’re always resting guys, then you don’t have the resiliency to go battle through that, so I think it’s important.”

Gobert played a vital role in picking up a hard-fought win at Charlotte. He made 10 of 12 shots from the field, including eight dunks, collected 12 rebounds and had three blocks, including a late one on a Miles Bridges shot that helped to seal the game.

“Just being dominant, just being aggressive,” Gobert said. “My teammates did a great job finding me early in the game, and I just tried to be a force.”

There’s more on the Wolves:

Chemistry between Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns was an issue last year, but it has been noticeably better this season, Krawczynski adds. Two of Gobert’s baskets Saturday night came on lob passes from Towns, and Krawczynski notes that Minnesota has a plus-24.3 net rating over its last seven games in the minutes the two big men have played together.
Finch brought a new wrinkle to his rotation against the Hornets, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. For part of the fourth quarter, the Wolves had reserve big man Naz Reid on the court alongside Gobert and Towns — Finch suggested that they were his best players on the night. Towns posted 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Reid shot 9-of-14 and scored 23 points. “Naz was a huge lift off the bench,” Finch said. “It broke my heart to pull him out, to be honest.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker seemed like a throw-in when he was acquired in the Mike Conley trade in February, but he has become an important part of the Wolves’ success, Krawczynski states in a separate story. Alexander-Walker has been moved at the last two trade deadlines, but he feels like he has found a home. “I want to credit Minnesota as an organization — and Finch — for giving me opportunities to play through mistakes,” he said. “I’ve made mistakes this season and they’ve kept me out there. So now, that confidence, being in the present is resonating.”

Pistons Notes: Weaver, Gores, Lineup Change, Bogdanovic

December 3rd, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons dropped their 17th straight game Saturday to fall to 2-18, but the organization is still emphasizing patience instead of panic, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Sources tell Sankofa that ownership is unlikely to make major front office changes with so much of the season remaining, which means general manager Troy Weaver will have more time to fix the current mess.

Still, Sankofa cites concern throughout the franchise as no one expected this season to start so badly. Coming off the worst three-year stretch in team history, the Pistons thought they were ready to take a step toward contention. Instead, they have the worst record in the league and are just 4-41 since February 12.

Sankofa traces everything that has gone wrong in Detroit, including management’s decision to be conservative with its offseason cap space while counting on the development of young players to make the team better. The Pistons traded for Monte Morris, who was supposed to bring veteran leadership to the backcourt, but he hasn’t played yet and may be sidelined through January with a quad strain. Joe Harris was acquired to add shooting, but injuries have limited him to seven games and he’s connecting at just 36% from the field.

There’s more from Detroit:

There’s nothing to be gained by firing Weaver now, but owner Tom Gores will have no choice if things don’t improve over the rest of the season, contends Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press. Windsor argues that Weaver hasn’t done anything in his three-plus years with the organization to justify letting him run another draft or oversee the considerable money the Pistons will have to chase free agents next summer.
Coach Monty Williams made a lineup change Saturday night, using guards Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes as starters, per Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. Williams explained that the move was made partially to match up with Cleveland’s small backcourt, but he likes the way his three guards have been performing together. Curtis notes that Cunningham played off the ball more frequently for the second straight game and showed better decision making with his shooting.
The Pistons got a much-needed addition Saturday night with the season debut of Bojan Bogdanovic, who had been sidelined with a strained right calf. Bogdanovic said he suffered the injury shortly before training camp and had another setback that kept him out longer than expected, tweets James L. Edwards of The Athletic.