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Celtics’ Jay Scrubb Suffers Torn ACL

October 8th, 2023 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics reserve Jay Scrubb suffered a torn right ACL during practice on Saturday, the team’s PR department tweets.

Scrubb, a second-round pick in 2020, signed a two-way contract with Boston in mid-July after a strong Summer League showing. He averaged 16.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in those four games.

A 23-year-old guard, Scrubb finished last season with the Magic after signing a two-way contract in late March. He was waived in June.

Scrubb appeared in two games for Orlando late in the season, but spent most of his time in the G League. He averaged 22.2 points for the Lakeland Magic over 28 games, including 25 starts.

He previously played for the Clippers, appearing in a total 22 NBA games over two seasons.

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Heat Notes: Camp Standouts, Swider, Martin, More

October 8th, 2023 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined on Saturday, the Heat are one of four NBA teams currently carrying fewer than 14 players on standard contracts, meaning they could end up promoting one of their Exhibit 10 camp invitees or two-way players to the regular season roster.

So which of those players has made the strongest impression in training camp? When posed that question, Heat star Bam Adebayo singled out forward Cole Swider, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

“Cole is really, really showing he can really shoot the ball,” Adebayo said. “He can play on different types of teams. He can play with the young fellas, he also can play with Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love and be under control and learn how to flow in the offense.”

Head coach Erik Spoelstra also mentioned Swider as a camp invitee who has impressed. Dru Smith and R.J. Hampton, who are both on two-way deals, have been among the camp standouts too, according to Spoelstra.

Justin Champagnie, Drew Peterson, Alondes Williams, and Cheick Diallo are also on Exhibit 10 contracts, while Jamal Cain is Miami’s other two-way player.

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • In breaking down the potential regular season roster scenarios for the Heat, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel points out that carrying a 15th man would push team salary above the second tax apron. As such, the Heat are likely to open the season with just 14 players on standard contracts, but as long as they leave a 15-man spot open, they won’t be able to maximize their games for players on two-way contracts, Winderman notes. As we explain in our glossary entry, a team that isn’t carrying a full 15-man roster is limited to 90 total games for two-way players instead of 150 (50 per player).
  • Heat forward Caleb Martin doesn’t mind if he ends up as a starter or a reserve, though he admitted that he finds it easier to get into a rhythm if he has a set role rather than toggling back and forth, according to Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “The more I knew what I was going [to do role-wise going] into each game, that helped me a lot,” Martin said of how he was used last year.
  • Spoelstra was pleased with how the Heat’s training camp went this week, telling reporters that the team “got a lot accomplished” and that he likes the mix of returning players and newcomers on the roster, Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Spoelstra added that he feels good about the roster despite the offseason departures of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent. “I think we have, it just feels like we have more depth,” he said. “And it might be because it’s more functional positional depth, at specific positions.”
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Jarkel Joiner, Keaton Wallace Waived By Hawks

October 8th, 2023 at 3:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Training camp invitees Jarkel Joiner and Keaton Wallace have been waived by the Hawks, Atlanta announced in a press release.

Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that the two guards seem likely to next suit up with Atlanta’s NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.

Wallace spent most of his 2022/23 season with the Clippers’ G league affiliate, the Ontario Clippers. Across 49 NBAGL contests, he averaged 13.9 points, 4.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals with a shooting line of .463/.382/.745.

Joiner went undrafted out of North Carolina State this summer. During his final NCAA season in 2022/23, the 6’1″ guard averaged 17.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.3 SPG en route to a second-team All-ACC selection.

As Exhibit 10 signings, Joiner and Wallace will be eligible for bonuses worth up to $75K, should they remain with the Skyhawks for at least 60 days.

The Hawks’ preseason roster has now been trimmed to 18 players, with all 15 standard roster spots and all three two-way spots currently occupied.

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Alex Caruso Discusses Starting Role, DPOY Dreams, Play-In Finish, More

October 8th, 2023 at 2:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bulls guard Alex Caruso offered some clarity about which position he prefers to play in an extensive conversation with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

“The power forward one is not my favorite,” Caruso, who started at both the point guard and power forward positions at various points last year, told Johnson. “It took a toll on me the second half. It was rough. That’s one of the added benefits I think I bring to a team. I feel I’m pretty unselfish.”

Caruso addressed the possibility that he may not start games with the club this year.

“I’ve talked to (head coach) Billy (Donovan) and some of the assistants about being more selfish at times,” Caruso said. “It’s almost putting a burden on the team when I’m not selfish at times, when I pass up shots or pass up opportunities to be aggressive or to speak up. So this starting stuff is what it is. I’d rather play late in the game than early in the game. When it counts, I want to be on the court.”

Caruso, who made an All-Defensive First Team for the first time in his career last season, did not start in Chicago’s first preseason game on Sunday, a 105-102 loss to a Bucks team missing stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton.

Their entire chat is well worth reading in full. Here are some highlights:

Caruso on his next goals for end-of-season hardware:

“The way [Defensive Player of the Year] is kind of voted on and based off of now is the interior has the upper hand on that just because of blocks and rebounds. I probably don’t have enough of those to be under consideration. But you never know. I might have an incredible year.”

On how the Bulls’ two big new signings, Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, can positively impact the team:

“We’ve already seen it. There was one play in practice today where me and Ayo (Dosunmu) got a stop and then Torrey got a block and Jevon got a strip and we got another stop. If we have me and Ayo and Drum (Andre Drummond) on that second unit and we add those two pieces, it’s going to be hard to get a good shot off against that second unit if we’re locked in. Once we do, we have multiple ball-handlers and can break out and run a little bit. I’m excited. They fit really well for the mentality that me and Ayo and Drum have played with the last couple years.”

On how he felt watching the Heat advance to the NBA Finals after narrowly beating Chicago during their play-in game:

“The playoffs are so matchup-based and Jimmy (Butler) was going crazy in that first round against the Bucks. That propelled them. Who knows what would’ve happened if we had won that game? I thought we played so well. It was almost the opposite of Toronto where I thought Toronto played better than us for two-and-a-half, three quarters and then we kind of won the game late. I thought we played better than Miami for the majority of that game and it was a better matchup for us. We had won the season series. And then they just made more plays and more shots down the stretch.

“Basketball is a make-or-miss league. But I don’t think back to that game as much as I do to four or five games during the season that we should’ve won. We should beat the teams that are under .500, definitely at home. And then you’re not even in the play-in game. And that didn’t sit well with me as I tried to sleep at night.”

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Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Lopez, Middleton

October 8th, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is already impressed with his new All-NBA teammate, point guard Damian Lillard, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic details.

“I feel like this is the first time in my career that I really don’t — I don’t want to say I don’t care because I care a lot — I don’t mind with my usage being [25%],” said Antetokounmpo, who had a career-high 38.8% usage rate last season. “I want him to be the primary point guard. He’s the point guard of this team.

“… So you got to give guys like him freedom, because he’s an artist, man,” Antetokounmpo continued. “He’s got to create art. And hopefully, when you’re next to him, you can also create your own art and then you create the art together.”

Neither Lillard nor Antetokounmpo is playing in Milwaukee’s ongoing preseason opener against the Bulls.

There’s more out of Milwaukee:

  • With All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday now on the rival Celtics and longtime head coach Mike Budenholzer no longer with the club, Bucks center Brook Lopez is set to pilot the team on that side of the ball, writes Nehm in a separate piece. Lopez, who finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, is adjusting to new first-time head coach Adrian Griffin. “I think the biggest thing is just pressuring the ball,” Griffin said. “We want to pressure the ball, one through five, and that’s a little different for Brook, who has kind of been the quarterback in the paint, but that’s going to be situational where we’re going to ask him to pressure the ball, but there are times where he’s going to be back.”
  • Everyone on the Bucks, including Khris Middleton, suited up for a 5-on-5 practice Saturday, Griffin informed gathered journalists, per Nehm (Twitter link). That said, Middleton joined Antetokounmpo and Lillard on the Bucks’ bench Saturday, and did not partake in the team’s preseason opener.
  • In case you missed it, you can vote on whether or not the Bucks will best their projected 54.5-win over/under for the 2023/24 season.
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Pacific Notes: Kings, Christie, Goodwin, Wainright, Warriors

October 8th, 2023 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

After helping the Kings snap their lengthy postseason drought in 2022/23, head coach Mike Brown will be tasked with turning Sacramento from a playoff team into a legitimate contender. Speaking to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Brown pointed to the ongoing development of rising young players like Keegan Murray as one potential path for improvement. He also praised the work that the front office did this offseason adding more depth to the roster.

“We’re a deep team,” Brown said. “You have to give [general manager] Monte McNair and [assistant GM] Wes Wilcox credit with the team they assembled. I like our group. The depth should help us going forward this year in a lot of different ways.

“I also like our players’ renewed focus on the defensive end of the floor and their ability to understand that we can take a big jump in that area. Not only do they want to do it. You can feel it by the way they are working and by the way they are talking about it so far. You couple the depth with the group’s understanding and hunger to be better on the defensive end of the floor, you feel like you have a pretty positive outlook.”

The Kings added more shooting to their roster this summer by trading for Chris Duarte and signing Sasha Vezenkov and will hope to get more reliable production out of the backup center spot with their addition of JaVale McGee.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Second-year guard Max Christie, out to prove he deserves a spot in the Lakers‘ regular season rotation, had a strong showing in Saturday’s preseason opener, scoring 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. “He’s a guy that can be one of our most versatile basketball players on the roster,” head coach Darvin Ham said of Christie, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “He can guard multiple positions, from the one to the three and some fours. I want him to be aggressive in that manner and take on those challenges. And then offensively, the same thing. He can catch and shoot with the best of them. And I want him to be comfortable shooting that three.”
  • Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (right hamstring tightness) and forward Ish Wainright (right calf strain) are out for Sunday’s preseason opener vs. Detroit, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. While neither player is on a fully guaranteed contract, Goodwin’s regular season roster spot appears more secure than Wainright’s, so his late start to the preseason is noteworthy.
  • Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area explores how a thorough evaluation of the roster and an assessment of the flaws on display during last season’s playoff loss to the Lakers led to many of the Warriors‘ most significant roster moves this summer.
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2023/24 NBA Over/Unders: Central Division

October 8th, 2023 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2023/24 NBA regular season around the corner, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2022/23, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’23/24?

We’ll keep our series going today with the Central Division…

Milwaukee Bucks

Cleveland Cavaliers

Indiana Pacers

Chicago Bulls

Detroit Pistons

Previous voting results:

Northwest

  • Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (52.0%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (44.5 wins): Over (53.1%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (44.5 wins): Under (53.6%)
  • Utah Jazz (35.5 wins): Over (55.5%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (28.5 wins): Under (50.9%)
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Raptors Notes: Coaching Staff, Poeltl, Trent, Dick

October 8th, 2023 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

New Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic clarified the roles that several of his assistants will have this season, explaining that Pat Delany is his lead assistant and defensive coordinator, Jama Mahlalela will oversee the offense, and James Wade will be focused on analytics, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).

In the second row of the bench, Mike Batiste will work with the Raptors’ big men, Jim Sann will work primarily with the team’s younger players, Ivo Simovic and Vin Bhavnani will focus on scouting, and Mery Andrade and Drew Jones will be player development coaches, Lewenberg adds (via Twitter).

Here’s more on the Raptors:

  • After signing a new four-year, $78MM contract with the Raptors this offseason, Jakob Poeltl won’t just be asked to set screens and be a rim-runner on offense. Rajakovic would like to run more of the offense through Poeltl this season, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. “Jakob is a great pick-and-roll player, but we’re going to use Jakob with the ball in his hands, we want to cut around him,” Rajakovic said. “He’s a really good passer, very unselfish player, so we’re going to be trying to play through him even more.”
  • Based on the Raptors’ lineups in scrimmages, it looks like the starting five will be Dennis Schröder, Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Poeltl, tweets Lewenberg. That would make Gary Trent Jr., who has started 128 of 153 games since arriving in Toronto, part of a second unit that also figures to feature Jalen McDaniels, Chris Boucher, and Malachi Flynn.
  • It remains to be seen whether veterans like Garrett Temple and Otto Porter Jr. will crack Toronto’s regular rotation, but they’re already providing value as veteran leaders for youngsters like No. 13 overall pick Gradey Dick, Lewenberg details in a TSN.ca story. “That’s the real OG,” Dick said of Temple. “Him, Otto, those guys are huge mentors to me right now. I can’t tell you the age gap between us; I can probably be their son. … I think it’s huge, [having] a guy that’s been in the league that long, learning the ropes from him and just trying to take everything that he says and put it into my game.”
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Pacific Notes: Beal, Suns, Kuminga, Reddish

October 7th, 2023 at 11:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns made another blockbuster trade this offseason, acquiring three-time All-Star Bradley Beal from the Wizards. The 30-year-old guard has dealt with injuries the past couple seasons, appearing in just 90 of 164 regular season games.

In a Q&A with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link), Beal says he’s fully healthy entering 2023/24.

“In year 12, this is probably the best I’ve felt for sure in the last three to four years,” Beal told Rankin. “And that’s all a testament to being able to get back to my routine in the summer. Granted I’ve had injuries in the past couple of summers. I had the birth of my child. I had COVID one summer. It was all over the place.

“Now I have a legit clean slate. Crazy new environment. New threads. New everything and now I have a legit chance to work on my body, work on everything through the offseason to make sure I’m in the right place starting today. I feel amazing. My body is in a great spot. My mental is in a great spot. Like I said earlier, just the focus is in between the lines.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

  • Unsurprisingly given his reputation, new Suns head coach Frank Vogel has placed a high emphasis on defense this season, Rankin writes in another subscriber-only story for The Arizona Republic. “Be a physical, defensive-minded team,” Beal said of Vogel’s training camp message. “That’s going to come first. We know what our abilities are on offense, but if we’re not willing to guard, defend and get in the stance and hold each other accountable at that end, we’re wasting our time.”
  • Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga ahead of Golden State’s first preseason game against the Lakers, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “(Kuminga has had) a really good (week of) camp…He’s asking more questions,” Kerr said. “Really engaged. Pleased with the way he’s growing.” Kuminga had a strong performance in the game, Slater adds (via Twitter), notching 24 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 24 minutes.
  • Lakers wing Cam Reddish, who signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with L.A. in free agency, exited the preseason opener against the Warriors with a right ankle sprain and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). The former lottery pick missed all four of his field goal attempts and was a team-worst minus-22 in 18 minutes in the Lakers’ loss.
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Nuggets Notes: Booth, Jokic, Strawther, Jackson, Holiday

October 7th, 2023 at 10:16pm CST by Rory Maher

In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth discussed a number of topics, including his roster-building philosophy within the financial constraints of the new CBA, maximizing the team’s championship window, attempting to repeat in 2023/24, and more.

While Booth says the Nuggets will certainly miss departed veterans Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Ish Smith, he expressed confidence that Denver has players who can contribute off the bench, such as Christian Braun, Justin Holiday and Peyton Watson.

“Justin has been polished and has been around for a while,” Booth said. “I know he didn’t shoot the ball the best last season, but I feel like he has taken on the challenge to make sure he has a good year. He played fantastic in the intrasquad scrimmages. He made shots. He’s in the right spots. He guards.

“For Christian, the game has slowed down. He’s a two-way player. He brings athleticism, strength to the game, and the ability to make a shot. Christian will automatically start in Bruce’s role. He started in the scrimmages [on Friday]. Naturally, with more minutes and responsibilities, that opportunity for growth will be there.

“Justin Holiday is a pro. But guys like Peyton Watson, he’s seeing the game slow down and learning how to be a professional off the court, having a routine that he sticks to and getting work in. Let the chips fall where it may after you put the work in because a 21-year-old kid is going to make mistakes. The game is going to look fast for him. At other times, it’s going to look like he’s a master with everything. We have to roll with the punches with him because he’s a really talented kid.”

Here are a few more notes on the defending champions:

  • Finals MVP Nikola Jokic appears to be at ease entering ’23/24, which should bode well for the Nuggets, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. “I think our biggest concern with Nikola was just him being homesick,” head coach Michael Malone said. “We all like to be home with our friends and our family, and for him, his horses. Since he’s been back, we haven’t seen any signs of him being down in the dumps. He’s becoming an even better leader, not always just vocal, but with body language. He’s in a good place, and because of that, the team is in a good place. And it’s hard not to be. We’ve had a great run. We won a championship. And we’ve worked hard this week.”
  • Rookie wing Julian Strawther and veteran point guard Reggie Jackson recently sat down for interviews with Adam Mares and Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (YouTube link). Strawther, Denver’s 2023 first-round pick (29th overall), says the Nuggets’ unselfishness and team play has stood out in his first NBA training camp. “I feel like that’s what really sets us apart from the rest of the league is just, everyone is so bought in,” he said. “And it’s kind of like a lost art today in basketball. Everybody’s kind of playing for themselves around the league.”
  • Jackson and Holiday may have earned rotation roles with strong performances in training camp, Wind writes for DNVR Sports. Forward Braxton Key, who is on a two-way contract, also had some good moments in the portion of Friday’s scrimmage that was open to the media, according to Wind.
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