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Northwest Notes: Jackson, Nuggets, Towns, Edwards

November 6th, 2023 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray sustained a right hamstring strain on Saturday and has been ruled out for Monday’s contest against New Orleans. Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports expects Murray to miss a couple weeks, noting that the Nuggets are often cautious when it comes to managing injuries.

Murray being sidelined means Reggie Jackson, who had been the primary backup, will likely take over as starter. As Wind writes, Collin Gillespie and Jalen Pickett could be in line for minutes at point guard behind Jackson, with Gillespie getting the nod on Saturday.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

After winning their first championship in 2022/23, the 6-1 Nuggets once again lead the Western Conference and head coach Michael Malone says they aren’t resting on their laurels, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “I think we’re playing a very effective brand of basketball,” Malone said. “Our defense has been pretty good. Our offense, besides turning the ball over too much, has been very good. I’m always looking for improvement, so I think we can be playing so much better on both ends of the floor. But there has been no championship hangover from our guys coming into this season. There has been no thought that we can just turn it on because we’re the defending champs, and the guys deserve a lot of credit for that. They have understood the responsibility that comes along with winning a championship. And for most nights of the year, they have come out with that proper mindset and approach.”
The Timberwolves have the league’s best defense early on in 2023/24, but their offense looked sluggish until Saturday’s dismantling of the Jazz, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Karl-Anthony Towns, who had been in a shooting slump, finished with a season-high 25 points (on 7-of-14 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line), while Anthony Edwards had his most efficient scoring night as well (31 points on 13-of-19 shooting). Having both former No. 1 overall picks playing well at the same time may be the biggest key to unlocking Minnesota’s offensive upside, Krawczynski notes. “They’re both hard-wired scorers,” head coach Chris Finch said. “When they see it go in a couple of times, they want to see it go in 10 times in a row. That can be a good thing, but it also can be something you gotta watch. Tonight it felt good.”
Edwards admits his “selfish” play has been a detriment at times for the Timberwolves‘ offense, and he’s working on impacting the game beyond just scoring, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “Starting with myself, just can’t come out being selfish, worrying about however many points I wanna score,” Edwards said. “I think that’s the main thing with me. I be worried so much about scoring and how many points I got and how many points I’m tryin’ to get instead of just worrying about the little things — rebounding, boxing out, getting back on [defense]. … I think if I come out with the mentality of not worrying about points, we’ll be all right.”

Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum Named Players Of The Week

November 6th, 2023 at 2:41pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors guard Stephen Curry (Western Conference) and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (East) have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced (via Twitter).

A two-time MVP and four-time champion, Curry averaged 30.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.8 APG and 1.3 SPG on a sparkling .574/.523/.870 shooting line in four games last week (31.1 MPG), though he did struggle with turnovers (4.8 per night). He helped lead the Warriors to a 3-1 record (they are 5-2 overall).

Tatum, meanwhile, averaged 31.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG and 2.7 APG on a remarkable .589/.542/.941 shooting line in three games (31.7 MPG). The Celtics went 3-0 last week and are the league’s only unbeaten team at 5-0.

According to the NBA, Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Jerami Grant, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama were the other nominees in the West, while Scottie Barnes, Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre, Tyrese Haliburton, Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray and Cam Thomas were nominated in the East (Twitter links).

Pacific Notes: Harden, Westbrook, Wiseman, Kings

November 6th, 2023 at 11:55am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers view James Harden as a “ceiling raiser” and believed they had to make another significant addition after watching the Suns, Celtics and Bucks improve their rosters this summer, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

L.A. now has a tantalizing lineup if everyone stays healthy, teaming Harden with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, who are expected to start alongside Ivica Zubac when Harden makes his debut with the team tonight in New York. According to Youngmisuk, the Clippers are the fourth team in league history to have four players who started the season with at least five career All-NBA selections.

Even though coach Tyronn Lue plans to continue using Westbrook as his primary play-maker, the Clippers view Harden as someone who can boost their offense by creating his own shot or setting up open opportunities for Leonard and George. Harden led the league in assists with the Sixers last season and he’s averaged at least 10 per game in each of the past three years.

“James is a superstar,” George said. “Another play-maker. Another scorer, leader. Really happy to have him here. … It’s not every day you get a chance to get a guy of his ability that wants to come and play on this team. It was worth taking a swing on, and so we felt that he could help us.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

This marks the third pairing for Harden and Westbrook, who entered the league with Oklahoma City and spent the 2019/20 season together in Houston, Youngmisuk adds. They both requested trades after that season, but Clippers forward P.J. Tucker, who was also with that Rockets team, doesn’t believe the situation will carry over. “Russ and James (have known) each other for years, so they’re familiar with each other, playing with each other,” Tucker said. “I don’t know if it’s the same (experience this time), especially with Kawhi and PG. I think this team is kind of a totally different type of dynamic (for them).”
The Warriors‘ game in Detroit tonight will mark their first meeting with James Wiseman since he was traded in February, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State selected Wiseman with the second pick in the 2020 draft, but he was never able to earn a regular role. He’s in the same situation with the Pistons, having made one brief appearance in the team’s first seven games. “I know he’s not playing much, but it’s the challenge that he’s facing,” Stephen Curry said. “In terms of forcing them to play him. That’s the challenge. Knowing him, I know he’ll have extreme confidence in himself to figure it out, even if it’s not on the timeline he wants right now.”
Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee examines what’s gone wrong with the Kings, who are struggling to score after having the highest-rated offense in league history last season.

Joshua Primo Will Get Standard Contract With Clippers; Xavier Moon To Land Two-Way Deal

November 6th, 2023 at 10:17am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers will convert Joshua Primo‘s two-way contract to a standard deal, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The two-way opening will go to Xavier Moon, who was waived before the start of the season.

The new contract signifies a major turnaround for Primo, who was released by the Spurs last year for engaging in “inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.” The NBA imposed a four-game suspension, and Primo has yet to appear in a game for the 3-2 Clippers.

Primo has been undergoing therapy for his behavior, which allegedly included multiple incidents with Dr. Hillary Cauthen, a sports psychologist who worked for San Antonio during Primo’s time with the organization. Cauthen filed a lawsuit against Primo and the Spurs that accused the team of being “willing to tolerate abhorrent conduct” from players.

The 20-year-old wing was the youngest player in the 2021 draft when the Spurs selected him with the 12th pick. He appeared in 50 games as a rookie, making 16 starts and averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 19.3 minutes per night. He got into just four games during his second season before being waived.

The Clippers were down to 13 players after last week’s James Harden trade, so another move won’t be needed to add Primo to the regular roster.

Moon, a 28-year-old shooting guard, made brief appearances with the Clippers over the past two years, playing in 14 total games. He spent last season with the organization’s G League affiliate in Ontario and was named to the All-NBAGL Third Team.

Pistons Notes: Sasser, Ivey, Duren, Losing Streak

November 6th, 2023 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

It hasn’t taken long for Marcus Sasser to earn the trust of Pistons coach Monty Williams, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. After being eased into the lineup during the first week of the season, Sasser has seen an expanded role in the past three games and has responded by averaging 16.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 62.5% from the field. He also hasn’t turned the ball over in five games, which is rare for a rookie guard.

“I feel like the work I put in is just paying off,” Sasser said. “The travel and amount of games is new to me, so that is something I have to adjust to, knowing how to take care of my body. On the court, it’s not really surprising.”

Sasser’s hot start will eventually lead to difficult decisions for Williams about how to allocate playing time in a crowded backcourt, Edwards adds. Sasser is getting an expanded opportunity because of injuries to Alec Burks and Monte Morris, but it will be difficult to find minutes for all of them along with Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes and Jaden Ivey. For the moment, Sasser is taking advantage of his opportunity and may be on the verge of landing a starting role.

“He works his tail off,” Williams said after Sunday’s game. “He understands when to shoot, when to drive and he defends. There were times tonight when he was outmatched with a bigger guy, and he just kept fighting. He is the kind of player that we thought he was, and he’s just going to get better.”

There’s more from Detroit:

Williams offered an explanation for Ivey’s reduced role after being a full-time starter as a rookie, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Williams has placed an emphasis on defense and rebounding that Ivey hasn’t lived up to as much as the team’s other guards, but he said that frequently happens with young players. “He’s not the only guy that’s seen his minutes and all that reduced because of mistakes on the floor,” Williams said. “It’s happened with (Jalen Duren), it’s happened with Cade, it’s happened with everybody, because I think the standard that we have around here should be excellence. And you can’t have excellence if guys feel like they’re being gifted minutes. So it’s not just JI. Overall, we need guys to play to a certain level and hold them accountable to that every night.”
Duren’s inability to stay on the court has played a role in Detroit’s four-game losing streak, observes Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. Duren sat out Wednesday’s game against Portland with an ankle injury, was ejected late Thursday in a loss to New Orleans, then got tossed again Sunday against Phoenix after committing two flagrant fouls.
The current slump is presenting the first major challenge for the Pistons after a 2-1 start, states John Niyo of The Detroit News. The loss to the Suns, who were missing Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, marked the second straight against an undermanned opponent. “They were tougher than us,” Williams said. “They played harder than we did in stretches, pretty much most of the game. And the spacing certainly helps, but we just we had too many situations where we missed assignments. You don’t know an assignment on Kevin Durant, that’s a problem.”

And-Ones: Draft Rankings, Holland, Sarr, In-Season Tournament

November 6th, 2023 at 9:06am CST by Arthur Hill

With the college basketball season tipping off today, Jonathan Givony of ESPN has posted his top 25 prospects for the 2024 NBA draft, putting G League Ignite forward Ron Holland at the top of the list. Givony notes that Holland was already being hyped before impressive performances in exhibition games against Perth and in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, where he averaged 20.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals.

Scouts like Holland’s competitiveness, his ability to attack in the open court and the improvement he has shown as an outside shooter, Givony adds, but he needs to work on his shot selection and decision making. Givony also cautions that Holland isn’t viewed as a definite No. 1 pick like Victor Wembanyama was this year, and the ratings could change throughout the season.

Second on Givony’s list is Australian big man Alexandre Sarr, who also impressed scouts this summer. He totaled 43 points, 18 rebounds, 12 blocks and four assists in two games against the G League Ignite and provides a combination of mobility, skill and defensive versatility that’s rare in a 7-footer.

Rounding out Givony’s top five are USC point guard Isaiah Collier, Kentucky swingman Justin Edwards and French forward Zaccharie Risacher.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his full mock draft, with Holland and Sarr also holding the top two spots. G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis is third in Wasserman’s rankings, followed by Connecticut shooting guard Stephon Castle and Duke point guard Tyrese Proctor. Another notable prospect, USC freshman Bronny James, is listed at No. 43 because of concerns over his health after he suffered cardiac arrest during a July workout.
In a discussion of Australian basketball, Kane Pitman, Olgun Uluc and Peter Hooley of ESPN discuss whether Sarr should consider wrapping up his NBL season by Christmas to start preparing for the draft. Sarr’s Perth Wildcats are off to a slow start, and it doesn’t appear his role on the team is likely to expand.
The NBA’s new in-season tournament was inspired by soccer’s FA Cup, which has captivated fans for a century and a half because of its unpredictable nature, notes Richard Sutcliffe of The Athletic. Players and coaches are optimistic about what the tournament can grow into, adds Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I’ve been a part of (the) conversations since they first happened,” said Warriors guard Chris Paul, the former president of the National Basketball Players Association. “I think the in-season tournament has an opportunity to be something big for the league. … As players, as the league and everything, you (are) always trying to continue to grow the game. I think this is a good way.”

Steve Kerr To Step Down As Team USA Coach After 2024 Olympics

November 6th, 2023 at 7:55am CST by Arthur Hill

Steve Kerr doesn’t plan to coach Team USA beyond the 2024 Olympics, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Kerr intends to follow the same path as Gregg Popovich, guiding the U.S. team through the World Cup and the Olympic Games before turning over the reins to someone else.

“To me, it’s a two-year; it’s a cycle,” Kerr said. “Pop coached a World Cup and the Olympics, now it’s my turn to pass the baton. I think that’s kind of how it should be. Frankly, it’s a huge commitment too. I guess I think it was different the last go-around with Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) and Jerry (Colangelo), when they were really establishing this culture and this system where guys had to commit for a couple years. Made sense for Coach K to stay on. But I think where we are now, one cycle and you move on.”

Kerr, who played for the gold-medal-winning American team in the 1986 world championships, signed on as a coach in 2019, serving as an assistant to Popovich as the U.S. finished seventh in the World Cup. He remained on the staff for the Olympics in 2021, when Team USA picked up its fourth straight gold.

Kerr took over as head coach for this year’s World Cup, which saw the Americans drop three of their final four games for a fourth-place finish. The performance was disappointing, but it still qualified the U.S. for the Olympics next summer.

Vardon notes that candidates to replace Kerr who are currently on the Team USA staff include Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and Gonzaga coach Mark Few. The next World Cup will be played in Qatar in 2027, followed by the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Prominent players such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker and Joel Embiid have already expressed a desire to represent the United States in the 2024 Games. Kerr told Vardon that he hasn’t had an “in-depth conversation” about the possibility yet with Curry because they’re both focused on the Warriors’ season.

The process of selecting the 12-man team for next summer is just beginning, Vardon adds. Kerr admits that USA Basketball can’t turn down players with the status of James, Durant and Curry, but the amount of available talent is bound to lead to difficult decisions. Vardon notes that Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Draymond Green are among the other All-Stars who have expressed interest in joining the team.

Kerr said USA Basketball officials will begin sorting through their options “over the next couple of months.” There’s no set date to form a preliminary roster, but they want to let players know fairly soon whether they’re being considered.

“You want everybody excited about the prospect (of playing for Team USA); that’s the first sign of, hey, we’re taking this really seriously. A lot of guys are dying to play. Obviously, (USAB managing director Grant Hill) has to lead the way in terms of building our strategy, and we haven’t made any decisions,” Kerr said. “It’s highly likely that guys who want to play may not be … whether it’s established guys or guys who have been with us and guys who just played and played really well this last go-around, no matter how you slice it, you can only take 12, so it’s very, very difficult, and it’s a painful process because, you know, you get really attached to guys.”

Injury Notes: Murray, Fox, Gilgeous-Alexander, Fultz, Beal

November 5th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray departed their game against Chicago on Saturday after just 10 minutes. He’s been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and won’t be available for Denver’s contest against New Orleans on Monday, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets.

We have more injury-related updates:

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox won’t play against Houston on Monday due to an ankle injury, according to James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com (Twitter link). It’ll be the third straight game that Fox has been out of the lineup.
Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his second straight game on Monday due to a left knee sprain, Brad Rowland tweets.
Magic guard Markelle Fultz, who’s dealing with left knee soreness, is listed as questionable to play on Monday against Dallas, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. Fultz has missed the last two games. Gary Harris (strained right groin) has already been ruled out.
Bradley Beal could make his Suns debut as early as Wednesday against Chicago, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Beal has been sidelined since training camp due to a back ailment.

Atlantic Notes: Batum, Claxton, Harden, Barrett

November 5th, 2023 at 8:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nicolas Batum is expected to make his Sixers debut on Monday when they face the Wizards, Chris Hayes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets.

Batum was included in the James Harden blockbuster. He’s been away from the Sixers for personal reasons but returned to Philadelphia over the weekend. Batum was a rotation player for the Clippers for three-plus seasons and averaged 18 minutes pere game this season before the deal.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets center Nic Claxton suffered a high left ankle sprain in the regular season opener and admits he’s exasperated by the lingering injury, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Claxton has shed a walking boot, but has yet to return to action. “It’s been frustrating, especially getting hurt the first game of the season, and even the way to the way I did it. But it’s coming along. I’m day-to-day now, just trying to keep myself in a good space, keep supporting my teammates,” he said. “After a couple days … I saw it was taking a little bit longer than I expected and everybody expected. Like I said, it’s frustrating but it’s an 82-game season, so what can you do? I’m not going to put myself in harm’s way. I’m just taking it day-by-day.”
Harden will make his Clippers debut against the Knicks and Jalen Brunson believes they could be an offensive juggernaut, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post relays. “Another weapon for them,” Brunson said. “They have a lot of great players over there. Really impressive résumés and all that stuff, and their careers have been nothing short of spectacular. So, it’s a lot of firepower. We’ve just gotta be ready to go.”
Knicks wing RJ Barrett has missed the last two games with knee soreness. Coach Tom Thibodeau indicated that Barrett could return on Monday. “He said he’s feeling a lot better,” Thibodeau said. Barrett is averaging 21 points this season.

Northwest Notes: KCP, Porter Jr., Jazz, Thunder

November 5th, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has set a goal of making the All-Defensive Team, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando writes.

“I feel like I’ve been snubbed a couple years from that. Or even just being mentioned,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve even been mentioned in that category, and now it’s a goal this year. I’ll make some noise, so they can’t ignore me.”

Coach Michael Malone typically assigns KCP to guard the opponent’s top guard. He already held Desmond Bane and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to poor shooting performances this season.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Speaking of the Nuggets and defense, Malone awarded Michael Porter Jr. with the team’s defensive player of the game “chain” for the way he blanketed Luka Doncic on Friday, Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com relays. “Part of it is experience,” he said. “Playing against certain players, just being out there on the floor more over the years, you naturally get better. Part of it has to do with how I feel physically. My ankle doesn’t feel 100%, but I’ve kind of figured out how I should be playing guys on defense in ISO situations. And that’s not crowding them. It’s using my length. I think it’s just something you get better with over time.”
The Jazz have the league’s worst half-court defense in the early going and the Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen opines that the players simply aren’t taking enough pride at that end of the floor. The Jazz allowed 123 points in just 95 Minnesota possessions on Saturday. “We’ve got way too many moments where we’re not doing a good job on the ball. We’re not doing a very good job with secondary defenders. The activity has been pretty lackluster in general,” coach Will Hardy said.
The Thunder assigned Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann to the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue. According to Thunder beat writer Brett Dawson (Twitter link), the Blue held a scrimmage on Sunday and it allowed that trio to get in some five-on-five work.