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Central Notes: Middleton, Hayes, Mathurin, Cavaliers

October 5th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Khris Middleton is recovering from an offseason knee surgery but is close to returning to full practices, according to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Middleton got the surgery after the Bucks‘ first-round playoff loss and has been working out individually.

The 32-year-old wing has been through the recovery process before, missing the first 20 games of the 2022/23 season due to left wrist surgery. He dealt with further injury issues throughout the rest of the season, missing 18 straight games at one point. However, this injury is different, and he’s planning on being up to full speed right when he gets back, rather than last year when he had to ramp up his activity gradually, according to Owczarski.

“I feel like I’m in a great space mentally, body feels great, knee feels great, so I don’t think this is something we should have to manage going down the road,” Middleton said.

According to Owczarski, the plan is for Middleton to be ready when the Bucks open the regular season on Oct. 26 against the Sixers, but that isn’t set in stone.

“Sometimes things change but so far I’ve been on pace with everything that I’ve been doing,” Middleton said. “So, we’ll go over the schedule again, see where I’m at, see how I feel and just keep track of things that way. I don’t want to set a hard date of when I’ll be out there because it’s all about feel and comfort. And they’ve been doing a great job of just making sure every step of the way I’ve been feeling great and feeing like myself. And so far I have been.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Pistons guard Killian Hayes hasn’t had the smoothest first three years in the NBA after being drafted with the seventh overall pick 2020. Hayes has averaged a respectable 8.4 points and 5.3 assists across his first three years, but he hasn’t been an efficient scorer, shooting just 37.6% from the floor across that time, leading to a somewhat inconsistent role. The 22-year-old guard made strides last season, and now, it seems as though he’s in line for another potential jump. Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets that Monty Williams gave Hayes some praise. “Killian has been terrific in camp,” Williams said. “His leadership is showing in various ways. I like big guards who defend, and he plays the right way … I tell him if you compete every day, you’re going to stand out.“
Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin had a strong rookie season, showcasing elite athleticism on the defensive end in stints, and the team is hoping those flashes can turn into nightly occurrences, Akeem Glaspie of IndyStar writes. In order for him to step up and take a role in Indiana’s starting lineup, Mathurin will have to continue to improve on defense, Glaspie adds. According to head coach Rick Carlisle, the starting five will be determined in training camp.
The Cavaliers had an impressive year last season, earning the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and winning 51 games. However, Cleveland bowed out of the playoffs in the first round, losing 4-1 to the Knicks. The Cavaliers took steps to address their issues in the offseason, starting with spacing, signing players like Max Strus and Georges Niang. According to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor (Twitter link), guard Darius Garland is already noticing the changes. “You definitely feel the spacing, the floor is more spaced out,” Garland said, “It’s not as crowded anymore. You can see the difference. Just get used to having those shooters on the backside and kick it out to them.“

Pelicans Notes: Ingram, Daniels, Zion, Robbins

October 5th, 2023 at 9:33pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Without a true point guard in the starting lineup, the Pelicans are planning to lean on Brandon Ingram more as a primary play-maker in the 2023/24 season, Christian Clark of NOLA.com writes. Ingram had a career average of 3.8 assists per game prior to last season, when he averaged 5.8 APG across 45 appearances.

Clark writes that the Pelicans were impressed by Ingram’s growth as a play-maker last year. He didn’t have a triple-double in the first six seasons of his career, but wound up having two in an eight-day span in March. In the final 25 games of the season, he averaged 6.5 assists per night.

“You can put the ball in his hands, and he makes great decisions,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Finding his teammates. Then his ability to score. We want to explore that more this season.”

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum isn’t a true point guard, but has been playing in that role for New Orleans since his arrival. Like Ingram, McCollum has had career-high assist numbers in New Orleans, averaging 5.8 APG as a Pelican. However, New Orleans missed the playoffs last season and could be looking to switch things up.

“With [Ingram] having the ball in his hands and [Zion Williamson] running into a screen, what is the defense going to do?” Green said. “Vice versa. If [Williamson] has the ball, here comes [Ingram]. Here comes [McCollum]. We are playing around with different ways we can attack.”

We have more on the Pelicans:

Heading into his second season in the league, Dyson Daniels wants to become one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, Clark writes in a separate story. Daniels was respectable in his rookie year in that regard, with Clark noting that he guarded some of the league’s premier ball-handlers at a high level at times. Clark adds that the 6’8″ guard is poised to become a major rotation piece, but the key for him to do so is to grow on the offensive end. “We know Dyson is solid defensively,” Green said. “Now, it’s just about creating an offensive identity. And being a solid basketball player for us. We know he can do it.“
In an interview with Green posted to the Pelicans’ Twitter account, the coach said that the Pelicans will look to use Williamson at the center position more this season, as ESPN’s Andrew Lopez observes (Twitter link). The Pelicans averaged 1.16 points per chance when Williamson acted as the team’s screener last season, according to Lopez, which ranked top five among players with 150 screens or more.
Center Liam Robbins was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right fibula, according to a release from the team. There is no current timetable for his return. The Pelicans signed Robbins to an Exhibit 10 deal this offseason and, with one open two-way contract slot, it looked like the Vanderbilt product was primed to compete for one of those spots. Now, the injury makes it an uphill battle. However, if Robbins is waived, he’ll be eligible for a $75K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with New Orleans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.

And-Ones: Star Trade Requests, Tavares, Intriguing Players, Win Projections

October 5th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Tristan Tucker

In the past decade or so, the NBA has seen its fair share of superstar trade requests, the majority of which have been granted. Kevin Durant requested a trade out of Brooklyn last year, and we’ve watched the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Anthony Davis, to name a few, ask to be moved. For years, the norm was that those players gave a list of teams they’d prefer to be traded to, with that usually being honored.

Damian Lillard and James Harden are the latest players to demand trades from teams. However, unlike all those that came before them, Lillard wasn’t sent to his previously preferred destination (Miami), and Harden remains on the Sixers’ roster into training camp. Howard Beck of The Ringer opines that these two situations, in particular, prove that the NBA’s so-called “superstar empowerment era” has its limits. According to Beck, front offices and league executives see this as a good thing.

One Eastern Conference executive said “teams are taking back control,” according to Beck, with another longtime general manager saying “it is a significant event that [Lillard] didn’t land where he wanted.”

These executives aren’t against player empowerment, Beck says, but the widespread trade requests by superstars have been destabilizing to teams’ progress. There have been 14 trade requests by players Beck defines as superstars in the last five years, including three from Harden.

Ultimately, the “one team or nothing” approach looks to be the point where some clubs will draw the line, Beck reasons. While it worked out last season for the Suns, who had Mikal Bridges to send to Brooklyn in the Durant move, it diminished the market in the case of Lillard. “I think his chances of ending up in Miami would have been much greater [if he opened up the request to more teams],” one agent said to Beck.

We have more odds and ends from the basketball world:

In an annual survey of EuroLeague general managers conducted by BasketNews, more than half (53.8%) predicted that Real Madrid center Edy Tavares would be the next EuroLeague player to go to the NBA. Last year, general managers picked Vasilije Micic to move to the NBA, and he eventually did, signing with the Thunder this offseason. Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report tweets that the Trail Blazers had interest in Tavares this offseason, but a significant buyout kept him in Madrid. The BasketNews report states that Portland actually submitted an offer, but with Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams on board, it’s unclear if they’ll continue to have interest. James Nnaji, Guerschon Yabusele, Marko Simonovic and Khalifa Diop also received votes. Tavares previously holds 13 games of NBA experience with Atlanta and Cleveland from 2015-17.
In an annual piece (ESPN+ link), ESPN’s Zach Lowe names his five most intriguing players to watch out for in the 2023/24 season. Lowe avoids superstars, rookies and second-year players for the most part in his rankings. LaMelo Ball, Devin Vassell, Josh Giddey, Ayton and Immanuel Quickley are the five names Lowe selects to watch out for, with each having a chance to take their respective teams to the next level. I highly recommend reading the piece in full, as Lowe provides detailed breakdowns on each player.
Following up on his piece about teams likely to overachieve, The Athletic’s John Hollinger broke down five teams that he believes will fall short relative to Vegas win total over/unders. Hollinger expects the Kings and Thunder to win fewer than 44.5 games, the Magic to win fewer than 36.5 games and the Bulls to finish with below 37.5 wins. Of note, Hollinger also doesn’t think the Suns will reach their projected total of 52.5 wins, despite adding Bradley Beal and depth in the offseason. Hollinger reasons that health is a concern and that while he thinks they are certainly contenders in the postseason, the regular season might be bumpy.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Butler, Richardson, Ellington

October 5th, 2023 at 6:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Even with Joel Embiid manning the paint for Team USA, Heat center Bam Adebayo is still expecting to be on the national team’s roster, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Adebayo told reporters that he’d already received an invite from Team USA to be on the roster for next year’s Olympics.

If he remains healthy, Adebayo plans to play for Team USA in Paris after winning a gold medal with the Americans in Tokyo in 2021. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is an assistant under national team head coach Steve Kerr and is looking forward to coaching Adebayo in the event, according to Chiang.

“I think it’s awesome for Bam,” Spoelstra said. “I think it’s continuing to help establish him as one of the ultimate winners in this league. He was one of the most impactful players in USA Basketball, and we understand why. I don’t even know what his stats were in the Olympics. But in talking to everybody at Team USA, they felt like he was a must for that roster because of everything he does on both ends of the court and because he’s such a winner.”

Adebayo is entering his seventh season in the NBA and holds career averages of 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds.

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The NBA implemented new rules impacting teams resting healthy players this offseason. Though Jimmy Butler is defined as a star player who is subject to these rules, he says it will have “zero” effect on how many games he plays in the regular season, Marc Berman of The Palm Beach Post writes. “I’m going to play the games that I am healthy and I’m going to go out there and help my team win,” Butler said. Butler also said he didn’t care about any postseason awards. Players must now play in a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards, like MVP.
After sending Josh Richardson out in the trade that brought Butler to Miami in 2019, head coach Erik Spoelstra always thought his return was inevitable, Chiang writes in a separate story. Spoelstra was right, as Richardson signed with the Heat this offseason. “It almost happened a couple times,” Richardson said. “But all the chips didn’t fall in place. But I mean, when I left, me and Spo talked about it, that it was going to happen eventually. It’s just one of those things.“
Even though Wayne Ellington played with nine franchises during his 13-year career, Miami left a lasting impression on him, Chiang writes in another story. That’s why Ellington decided to come back to the Heat as a player development coach, replacing Anthony Carter, who left to join the Grizzlies’ staff. “When I got here, I really bought into what the culture was about, I really bought into what the coaching staff was preaching and I put the work in and I saw that change and it helped me become who I thought I could be as a player,” Ellington said.

Sixers Notes: Harden, Clippers, Embiid, Team USA

October 5th, 2023 at 5:45pm CST by Tristan Tucker

One of the biggest league-wide storylines of the summer was James Harden‘s trade request following his opt-in with the Sixers. Drama ensued over the following months, with tensions becoming so volatile that Harden called president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar” publicly in August.

However, after skipping Philadelphia’s media day on Monday, for which he was fined, and the first day of training camp on Tuesday, Harden showed up to Sixers training camp on Wednesday. As we relayed, there was no drama at training camp on Wednesday, nor was there any on Thursday, writes The Ringer’s Seerat Sohi.

Sohi details the summer of opposition between Harden and Morey, writing that Harden may have ended his holdout due to Philadelphia’s history of fining players for non-attendance, just as they did with Ben Simmons two years ago.

Exploring how the partnership got to this point, Sohi writes that Harden’s relationship with Morey began to deteriorate shortly before free agency, with Harden’s representatives wishing to engage in contract talk. But having been stripped of draft capital last offseason for tampering, Morey didn’t wish to have that happen again, and remained silent, according to Sohi. Harden spent the summer waiting to hear from Morey, Sohi writes, but didn’t.

Rumors swirled about Harden’s future well before free agency, with the 34-year-old guard tied to the Rockets, with whom he won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in 2017/18. However, according to Sohi, new coach Ime Udoka “was not a fan” of Harden, leaving Harden feeling as though he was running out of options and thus, looking to the Clippers, where he ended up demanding a trade to.

Before Harden picked up to his player option, his camp felt as though the Sixers would short-change him on a possible contract, writes Sohi. Seeing as Houston wasn’t a viable option for the star guard, Sohi writes that Harden’s camp felt as though Morey wished to get Harden to agree to a short, team-friendly deal, just as he did last summer. For now, Harden’s request stands as the Sixers approach their first preseason game on October 8.

We have more from the Sixers:

In a separate story regarding the Harden and Morey fallout, Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic corroborate Sohi’s piece, asserting that Harden joined the Sixers for camp to avoid fines. However, the pair also write that Harden is taking part because he believes a potential deal with the Clippers is still in the works. Los Angeles is “going to great lengths” to trade for Harden, according to Charania and Amick, attempting to move pick swaps for additional draft capital to strengthen their offer. Charania and Amick write that the Clippers offered an unprotected first-round pick, a pick swap and matching salaries for Harden in July, but the Sixers want more, particularly eyeing Terance Mann and multiple first-round picks.
For Joel Embiid‘s part in the Harden/Morey drama, Sohi writes that the franchise center is open to waiting to see what Morey can build and understands why it may take a while to build a contending team. Embiid has been through this before, Sohi writes, taking part in the “Process Era,” though that was well before his emergence as a superstar and league MVP.
Embiid committed to play for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics on Thursday. Embiid was picking between the United States, France and Cameroon’s Olympic teams, and he explained his decision to play for the Americans to media on Thursday, as relayed by PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck (Twitter link). “It was tough,” Embiid said. “Obviously, I love all three options. … “My son is American, and you add that to the fact that I’ve been here for such a long time, I feel like for the past few years … every decision has been based off of family.”

Wolves Notes: Conley, Milton, Edwards, Offense

October 5th, 2023 at 4:16pm CST by Rory Maher

When veteran point guard Mike Conley was traded to Minnesota last season, he thought he would have a fairly limited offensive role for the Timberwolves. Instead, they wanted him to help guide the offense by not only managing the game, but being an aggressive scorer as well, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“That kind of stuff is like alright, they need me,” Conley said after a recent training camp practice. “To win I have to do this. It just gave me a little bit more extra motivation to go out there and be myself, kind of get back to what I’m good at.”

As Krawczynski notes, the Timberwolves don’t have a long-term answer at point guard, with Conley turning 36 next week and in the final year of his contract. Still, the team hopes to keep the former All-Star for the rest of his career.

“When we got Mike, our goal was for this to be the last spot,” president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. “You never know how things are going to develop. And certainly, we didn’t get Mike for just to be a short-term thing. When you get a person as special as Mike is, you want to be sure that he doesn’t leave here.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Minnesota has “high hopes” for free agent addition Shake Milton, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, who tweets that the Wolves want to see Milton attempt more three-pointers in 2023/24. After the combo guard finished with 12 points (on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep) and four rebounds in 20 minutes on Thursday during Minnesota’s preseason win over Dallas, head coach Chris Finch said the team has been pleasantly surprised with Milton thus far. “We’ve talked a lot about him internally, being so happy and surprised, even better than we thought he could be,” he said, per Krawczynski (Twitter link).
Star guard Anthony Edwards sustained a minor ankle sprain in Wednesday’s practice which kept him out of action Thursday, but the team hopes it’ll just be a one-game absence, tweets Krawczynski. “Just being super cautionary right now with that,” Finch said. “We hope to have him back and playing on Saturday.”
After finishing last season ranked just 23rd in the league in offense, the Wolves plan to switch up some of their schemes in ’23/24, Hine writes for The Star Tribune. Finch prefers a free-flowing, read-and-react style, but the team sometimes struggled without structure and defined play calls in ’22/23, Hine notes. “We got to be able to give them the blueprint,” Finch said. “And that is, ‘These basic structures are going to help us.’ And maybe through muscle memory they will just gravitate to the right spots.”

Spurs Notes: Vassell, Defense, Jones, Birch, Bassey

October 5th, 2023 at 2:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Spurs guard Devin Vassell recently signed a five-year, $135MM+ rookie scale extension. As Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only story, Vassell’s contract is the largest in team history.

While some may have been surprised by the price tag, his teammates say Vassell doesn’t get enough recognition.

“If you really watch the league, the players in this league, the coaches, they all respect Devin,” said second-year forward Jeremy Sochan. “I feel like he is underrated, but he is a special player, too.”

After being limited to 38 games in 2022/23 due to a knee injury, Vassell spent the offseason focused on weight training to improve his conditioning and withstand the rigors of an 82-game schedule. Vassell thinks the added muscle will help improve his finishing at the basket as well, according to McDonald.

Head coach Gregg Popovich believes Vassell is on the right track, both now and going forward.

“He wants to prove himself, both as a player and a leader,” Popovich said. “He has already taken some big steps.”

For his part, the 23-year-old wing says he’s focused on helping the Spurs reclaim their status as a perennial playoff team and bringing a sixth championship to San Antonio.

“This is where I want to be,” Vassell said, per McDonald. “Now all I am trying to do is win, get championships and put some more banners up there.”

Here’s more from San Antonio:

No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama has made an instant impact in training camp with his defense, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link). “I came off a handoff and thought I had a wide-open three,” said forward Doug McDermott. “All of a sudden an arm comes out of nowhere and takes the ball. He’s pretty special. He’s going to dominate on that end of the floor.” Still, after finishing with the worst defense in NBA history last season, the Spurs know they can’t just rely on their prized rookie to lift them up. As Orsborn writes, Keldon Johnson struggled defensively in 2022/23, but he believes he has become an “elite defender” this offseason. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot this summer,” Johnson said. “I put a lot of hard work and time into my body and my craft in basketball. So, I’m ready. I’m excited to prove all the doubters wrong.”
Point guard Tre Jones, who signed a two-year, $19MM+ deal in free agency to return to the Spurs, started 65 of his 68 games last season. However, Popovich was noncommittal when asked if Jones will start in 2023/24, tweets Orsborn. “We haven’t made any decisions on who is where,” Popovich said.
Even after waiving Cameron Payne and Reggie Bullock, the Spurs are still facing a roster crunch, with 16 players on guaranteed contracts. Two players who might be battling for the final roster spot are centers Khem Birch and Charles Bassey, who both dealt with knee injuries last season. According to Orsborn, Popovich said the two big men have been full participants in practices thus far (Twitter link).

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 10/5/2023

October 5th, 2023 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 1:00 pm Central time (2:00 pm Eastern).

Click here to read the transcript, and join us on Tuesday for our next live chat, hosted by Dana Gauruder.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Chats

Nuggets Notes: Braun, Holiday, Porter, Malone, Title Defense

October 5th, 2023 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Maher

In a lengthy interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Nuggets wing Christian Braun discussed a number of topics, including an opportunity for an expanded role in his second season following the free agency departure of Bruce Brown. When asked how Denver could mitigate the loss of Brown, Braun said he’s ready to step up to the plate.

“I was fortunate enough to learn a lot from him and from KCP (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope),” Braun said. “I was fortunate enough to be around guys who are similar to me in a lot of ways. Bruce and I are similar in a lot of ways, but we’re also different. We bring different things to the court, whether it’s defensive intensity, transition scoring or being a pest. We’re similar, so I think I can fill that role pretty easily.

“Obviously, he’s a great player and did a lot of great things for us in big moments, too. So there is definitely some expanding to my game that I need to do. But with watching him and his effort every night, I think that’s a big reason why he was so good. That’s also something that I’m really good at, so I think I will fit into that role well.”

As far as his goals for 2023/24, Braun said he’s more focused on helping the Nuggets defend their title than earning individual accolades.

“My goals stay the same,” Braun told Medina. “We’re no individual. We’ll make sure we win as a team. We’ll emphasize on starting off on the right foot, get the No. 1 seed and make sure everybody knows our goal is the same. We’re not satisfied with one. We’re trying to turn this thing into a dynasty. We’re trying to turn it into something consistent every year so that we’re consistently fighting for a championship every year.

“It’s not about my individual goals. I do know I’m going to have a bigger role this year. But I know what comes with that. I know we’ll compete for a championship for the next few years.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

Veteran wing Justin Holiday is already making an impact with his new team and is pleased with his decision to join the Nuggets in free agency, writes Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. “My game is made for the way the Denver Nuggets play,” Holiday said. “This organization is a championship-caliber organization. Obviously, they just won, but how they do things, what they expect from us, and that’s something I appreciate. After the organization, the players. No egos. You’ve got the best player in the world, the best few players in the world, and guys are cool on the court. They put you in actions with them.” Holiday signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with Denver this offseason.
Forward Michael Porter Jr. sustained a left ankle sprain during Wednesday’s practice and left the gym in a walking boot, Wind adds in the same story. A source tells Wind that the Nuggets aren’t concerned with the injury, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Porter rests a few days for precautionary reasons.
After the Lakers said they were motivated by Denver’s trash talk after being swept in the Western Conference Finals, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone dismissed any friction and is focused on the present, not the past. “Oh, they’re talking about us? That was what, four months ago?” Malone said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “I can’t speak for anybody in L.A., but if they’re still worried about us, that’s on them. This is a new season, a new challenge, and it was a hell of a series against them. I know it was a 4-0 sweep, but all those games seemed like they went down to the wire. We have tremendous respect for that team. I have tremendous respect for Darvin Ham as a coach and the job that he did. But yeah, I don’t listen to any of that stuff. I don’t know what they’re saying, and if we’re on their minds, then I guess that’s on them.”
The Nuggets are focused on defending their championship by maintaining their strong work ethic and team play, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “If we want to try and be the team that can repeat, and the team that can be a dynasty, we have to have a standard of excellence each and every day,” Malone said. “And it’s going to be my job to hold the guys accountable when we’re not playing well.”

Pistons Notes: Stewart, Bagley, Wiseman, Livers, Thompson

October 5th, 2023 at 11:27am CST by Arthur Hill

It didn’t take long for new Pistons coach Monty Williams to identify Isaiah Stewart as one of his team leaders, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Stewart appears to be locked in as Detroit’s starting power forward heading into his fourth season. He is one of the team’s top defenders, and Williams believes his teammates respond to his approach to the game.

“It’s his character, it’s his toughness, but more importantly he works, and guys respect work,” Williams said. “In this culture, when you walk into this gym and you’re not working, you stand out. And he leads it. He and Jalen (Duren) have led the charge. Those guys are on the floor every day together getting sweat equity in, and it sends a message to the team.”

Stewart will see time at center as well as power forward this season, and he’s working to improve his jump shot so he can help to space the floor. The front office showed its belief in Stewart this summer by giving him a rookie scale extension worth up to $64MM, and Sankofa notes that he’s the only one of the team’s three first-round picks from 2020 to be extended.

“It made sense for us,” general manager Troy Weaver said of the new contract. “You always want to have a player or players on the team who are symbols for what you want to be about, and he’s that on and off the floor. Who he is as a person and what he brings to practice, what he brings as a teammate.”

There’s more from Detroit:

With Stewart and Duren projected as starters, Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman are competing for one rotation role in the frontcourt, Sankofa adds in a separate story. Both are former No. 2 overall picks who weren’t able to find success with their original teams, and the Pistons were willing to give them a second chance when they became available. Williams called it a “tough spot” for Bagley and Wiseman because they both have the talent to succeed. “Bags has a body of work. Wise is still young and learning,” Williams said. “They both have enough ability to command that spot. We’re just going to wait and see who steps up and takes it.”
Isaiah Livers was in the competition for power forward minutes before suffering a sprained ankle that will cause him to miss six to eight weeks, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic. The rotation that Williams uses to start the season will likely be adjusted when Livers returns.
Williams’ emphasis on defense gives rookie Ausar Thompson a chance to earn a starting spot, adds Edwards, who observes that Thompson may already be the team’s top defender. Bojan Bogdanovic and Jaden Ivey are at the greatest risk of being replaced, but Edwards notes that moving either to the bench would take scoring punch away from the starting lineup.

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