Austin Reaves

Pacific Notes: James, Harden, Durant, Kuminga

December 8th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James had appeared in all 23 of the Lakers‘ games this season until Sunday. The 39-year-old forward missed Los Angeles’ game against the Trail Blazers because of left foot soreness, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.

James played a season-high 43 minutes on Friday in an overtime loss at the Hawks. He racked up 39 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. He is averaging 23 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds per contest.

The four-time MVP was listed as probable earlier on Sunday before being downgraded to doubtful after the team’s walk-through.

“You don’t want him out of the lineup, that’s for sure, but he has an opportunity to get four days’ rest before we practice again,” coach JJ Redick said. “So, it could be really good for him.”

Austin Reaves missed his fifth straight game because of a left pelvic contusion.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Like James, Clippers guard James Harden sat out for the first time this season on Sunday. Harden was sidelined by a groin injury, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Harden scored a season-low five points against Minnesota on Wednesday, but is averaging 21.6 points, 8.5 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game on the season.
Kevin Durant is making good progress from his left ankle sprain, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “We feel like the reports that we’re getting back are very positive,” Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We’ll see how the next day or two go and I think re-evaluate him. It’ll be good for us to get back and give him some love. He’ll probably give us some love. It’s always good to be around Kevin. He’s good for our spirit.” The team stated on Wednesday that Durant would be out at least a week.
The Jonathan Kuminga era has begun for the Warriors, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic writes. Kuminga has been inserted into Golden State’s lineup at Draymond Green‘s expense in order to infuse that unit with another offensive jolt. “He’s a big weapon for us. … So we’ve got to lean into that. And it may not go well every night, but that’s what we’re trying to build,” Stephen Curry said. Kuminga will be a restricted free agent after the season.

Pacific Notes: Leonard, Lakers, Beal, Dunn

December 7th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard was able to work out and do some shooting at the Clippers‘ practice facility on Saturday, but there’s still no word on when he might be able to start playing, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Bill Simmons of The Ringer recently stated that Leonard is expected to be available by Christmas, but coach Tyronn Lue refused to offer a specific timeframe.

“(He’s) just doing all the things he’s supposed to. … He’s got to check all the boxes and do all the right things, not skip any steps,” Lue said. “So, when he completes that, then we’ll move on. … He’s getting better. He’s on the floor, he’s doing stuff, but he’s not ready to play.”

Leonard has been plagued by inflammation in his right knee dating back to spring. He was limited to two games in last season’s playoffs, then was sent home from the U.S. Olympic team because of concerns about his ability to play. The Clippers have managed to remain competitive without him — getting off to a 14-10 start that has them sixth in the West — but Leonard’s teammates are as eager as anyone else to see him playing again.

“I know everybody is excited for him to be back,” Amir Coffey said. “We see him getting on the court, going through drills, it’s a good sign.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers could use some reinforcements after ending a road trip with three straight losses, but help may not be coming for a while, notes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Austin Reaves missed the last four games with a bruised left pelvis and is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s contest against Portland. Jaxson Hayes has only played in one of the last 13 games due to right ankle injuries, and he’s expected to be reevaluated this week. Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood are still recovering from offseason surgery — Vanderbilt is expected to return sometime in early January, while Wood’s timeline is less clear. “There’s no cavalry. No one [feels] sorry for us,” Anthony Davis said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Just gotta continue to put our head down and grind and work.”
Suns guard Bradley Beal believes he has overcome the left calf strain that has caused him to be in and out of the lineup recently, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Beal played his second straight game tonight and logged more than 34 minutes. “Feel good, really good,” he said. “Progressing the right way. Minutes have been fine. Body is reacting fine postgame. Feel great.”
Suns rookie Ryan Dunn missed his second straight game with soreness in his left ankle, but coach Mike Budenholzer doesn’t believe it’s a long-term issue (Twitter video link from Rankin).

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Reaves, Vincent, Powell, Ellis

December 7th, 2024 at 11:19am CST by Tristan Tucker

After opening their four-game road trip on Sunday with a win in Utah, the Lakers lost three consecutive games, including blowouts in Minnesota and Miami and an overtime heart-breaker in Atlanta on Friday. LeBron James told reporters after the latest loss that L.A.’s lack of depth is being tested, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who notes that the Lakers’ bench was outscored 65-17 last night.

“Mismatching with lineups, we’re trying to figure out ways, obviously,” James said. “So it’s very challenging. We don’t have much room for error. … It’s big, big, big, big pieces.”

Austin Reaves, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt were all inactive on Friday. Reaves, the biggest absence on the road trip in terms of point production, returned to L.A. before Friday’s game to receive treatment for a pelvic bruise. He has averaged 16.7 points and 4.8 assists this season across 19 games (all starts).

“He’s like a connector for our offense, but he’s also a scorer and a play-maker,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

The Lakers rank in the bottom five in the league in bench points and are going to have to stick with what they have for the time being.

“There’s no cavalry,” Anthony Davis said. “No one feels sorry for us. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Just got to continue to put our head down and grind and work. Try to get back in the win column on Sunday against Portland. … No game’s going to be easy for us, so we got to go take the win.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Redick switched things up on Friday by starting Gabe Vincent over D’Angelo Russell. Vincent delivered in his second start of the season by recording 12 points and five assists, The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price writes. Those 12 points were Vincent’s most in a Lakers uniform and he’s averaging 9.0 PPG with a 37.5% three-point rate in his last four games. “I just tried to compete on both ends like I always do,” Vincent said. “The ball was in my hands a little more. I tried to create where I could. I tried to find guys where I could. Tried to take care of the ball. I was trying to win. I’m about winning, so I’m pretty frustrated with the loss. But it happens.” Vincent dealt with injury issues for most of last season, but appears to be rounding into form.
Clippers guard Norman Powell is playing like an All-Star and a Most Improved Player candidate in his 10th season, averaging 23.9 PPG on a scorching 50.7% three-point clip. He has got the Clippers firmly in the Western Conference playoff picture. Powell recently spoke to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto about his ascent, championship experience and his personal battles on and off the court. “I thought about quitting basketball a few times,” Powell said. “I don’t think people really get to hear the dark moments that you go through. I’ve talked about being at the forefront of mental health, and guys like Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan talk about how important it is. People don’t really get to see that side of things.” I recommend checking out the interview in full here.
After some inconsistent showings in recent games, the Kings scored a season-high 140 points on Friday. Keon Ellis didn’t play on Tuesday and only saw two minutes of action on Thursday, but was inserted back into the rotation on Friday and was a +32 with four steals in 21 minutes. Coach Mike Brown explained Ellis’ playing time fluctuation, according to The Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman. “Starting Malik [Monk], he’s going to command more minutes,” Brown said. “We’re trying to play Kevin [Huerter] more. We’re trying to be a little bigger with Isaac [Jones] and Jae [Crowder]. So there hasn’t been a ton of minutes. Now, I can take minutes away from one of those guys to try to get him out on the floor. But it’s just, right now, it’s a minutes thing, based on who I’m playing.“

Injury Notes: Cavs, Durant, Mann, George, Embiid, Reaves

December 4th, 2024 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (shoulder) and Darius Garland (head) appear to have avoided major injuries after suffering scares in Tuesday’s win over Washington, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

While Garland, who took a hit to the back of his head in the third quarter and sat out the rest of the game, may have to clear the NBA’s concussion protocol before he can play again, head coach Kenny Atkinson sounded optimistic about his status.

“He looked fine in the locker room,” Atkinson said of Garland, per Fedor. “Doesn’t look like anything that’ll hold him out. He gave me the thumbs up, and I don’t think he’ll miss any time at all. I think he’s fine.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Suns star Kevin Durant exited Tuesday’s win over San Antonio shortly before halftime and didn’t return due to a sprained left ankle, per ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. Head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters after the game that Durant had yet to undergo an MRI and that he didn’t have any information yet on whether the veteran forward will miss time. “I think he stepped on somebody’s foot in transition, and I think at halftime it stiffened up,” Budenholzer said. “We will have to evaluate him again in the morning, see how he feels coming out of it, see how he does overnight. I don’t really know a whole lot more than the report at halftime.”
Clippers guard/forward Terance Mann fractured the middle finger on his left hand in Tuesday’s win over Portland, according to the team (Twitter link via Mark Medina of Sportskeeda). The Clippers indicated that Mann will be reevaluated on Wednesday, so we should have more information on his outlook once that evaluation has been completed.
After playing a season-high 37 minutes and scoring 29 points in Tuesday’s win over Charlotte, Sixers forward Paul George will sit out Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando, tweets ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. That’s no surprise, given that it’s the second night of a back-to-back and George has dealt with a knee injury this season. As for Joel Embiid, the Sixers’ star center has also been ruled out for the Orlando game, but he’s getting back on the court and starting his ramp-up process, says Bontemps.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who has missed the past two games with a left pelvic contusion, was a partial participant in today’s shootaround and is still considered questionable to play in Wednesday’s game vs. Miami, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Lakers Notes: James, Vincent, Russell, Jackson, Knecht

December 2nd, 2024 at 8:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers notched a one-point win over Utah and it was an old-school game of sorts for LeBron James. His usage rate is down noticeably this season but coach JJ Redick put the ball in his hands regularly in the second half and he attempted 14 fourth-quarter shots.

“We really slowed things down in the second half and tried to get the matchup we wanted for LeBron to just handle in that pick-and-roll,” Redick said, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “And truthfully, that was the best offense we were going to generate. So whether we missed or made it, we just kept going to that. I thought we got some clean looks that could have given us a little bit more of a cushion. But I liked our execution offensively.”

We have more on the Lakers:

Gabe Vincent, thrust into the lineup on Sunday due to the absence of Austin Reaves (left pelvic contusion), scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. It was Vincent’s first double-digit scoring outing in his 30 regular-season games as a Laker, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register notes. Vincent joined the Lakers as a free agent on a three-year, $33MM contract prior to last season.
Vincent’s stint as a starter didn’t last long. D’Angelo Russell replaced him in the lineup against Minnesota on Monday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets.
Los Angeles will likely look to include Vincent as a salary filler with draft pick compensation in trade talks, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reports. The Lakers could potentially dangle Vincent and future second-round picks in a deal for Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, a coveted Lakers target, Scotto adds.
The Lakers announced last month that they’ve commissioned a statue of former coach and player Pat Riley on their Star Plaza. It’s expected to be a prelude to an eventual announcement about a statue for another former coach, Phil Jackson, Marc Stein reports in a Substack article. Riley coached the Lakers to four championships in the 1980s, while Jackson coached the Lakers to five.
The Lakers have been searching for years to find a dead-eye shooter to complement James. They may have finally found that player in rookie wing Dalton Knecht. “We, as a front office, have sort of chased in theory the exact player he is, a movement shooter,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “And then not only is he a movement shooter, but a movement shooter with athleticism, which is a really unique combination.”

Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Huerter, Crowder, Reaves, Booker

November 30th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings are optimistic that DeMar DeRozan will be back on the court for Sunday’s game against San Antonio, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. After missing the past two games with lower back muscle inflammation, DeRozan was a full participant at today’s practice and is listed as probable on the team’s injury report.

Anderson points out that DeRozan’s early-season battle with injuries has been one of the reasons for the team’s slow start. He missed three games earlier this month with tightness in his lower back, then returned for three games before the back issue flared up again on Monday. DeRozan has been an important cog in the offense when healthy, averaging 22.6 points per game in his first season in Sacramento.

The short-term outlook is less promising for Kevin Huerter, who wasn’t able to practice today, Anderson adds. The veteran guard had to leave Friday’s loss to Portland after rolling his ankle, and he’s considered doubtful to play in Sunday’s contest.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

In an interview with Sean Cunningham of KTXL (Twitter video link), Jae Crowder talks about the chance to resume his NBA career with the Kings. Crowder admits being disappointed that he wasn’t invited to training camp after auditioning for the team in September, but he’s grateful that the opportunity eventually came. “I thought I had a good week here,” he said of the preseason workout. “I was connecting with the guys in a great way, especially the younger guys latched on to me. … I felt like I did my job in the sense of just being a veteran when I came in the gym, and I just tried to play the right way and give myself a chance to be on this team.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves suffered a left pelvic contusion, but no structural damage, on a hard fall in Friday’s game against Oklahoma City, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times (Bluesky link). Reaves was injured when he landed on his back after being hit by Isaiah Hartenstein and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on a drive to the basket. Reaves stayed in the game to shoot his free throws, but went to the locker room shortly afterward. Woike adds that he traveled with the team on its four-game road trip and will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Utah.
Before tonight’s meeting with the Suns, Warriors coach Steve Kerr once again singled out Devin Booker for adjusting his game to complement the other elite players on the U.S. Olympic team (Twitter video link from PHNX Sports). “It’s not easy for a guy to adapt his normal role of go-to-guy, scorer and then to be asked to be a defender, connector and then thrive in that role,” Kerr said, “and then become a star when we needed him to become a star.”

And-Ones: H. Brown, All-Star Format, ‘Redrafted’ Players, More

November 21st, 2024 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA color commentator Hubie Brown will call one last game for ESPN this season before retiring, ESPN president Burke Magnus stated during an appearance on the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast (story via SI.com).

“I don’t mean to be purposely mysterious here, but we’re going to honor Hubie this year during the regular season at some point to be determined and send him off in style,” Magnus said. “I don’t think there’s a single human being who’s ever had a longer association with professional basketball.”

A two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Brown began calling games in the 1980s and has been with ESPN since 2004. He turned 91 years old in September.

We have a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

After reporting last week that the NBA is seriously considering turning the All-Star Game into a four-team tournament this February, Shams Charania of ESPN has provided more details on the format. According to Charania, the expectation is that the two semifinal games will have target scores of 40 points, while the final will have a target of 25 points. The idea is to emulate pickup games, with “quick-burst” contests and the winners advancing to the championship.
Defining a “redrafted” player as one who broke out with a second team rather than the club that drafted him, Mark Deeks of HoopsHype identifies nine of the NBA’s top redrafted players, including Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Raptors wing Ochai Agbaji, and Thunder swingman Isaiah Joe, among others.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report ranks the top 10 non-max contracts in the NBA this season, highlighting a few players who are still on rookie contracts (including recent Rookies of the Year Victor Wembanyama and Paolo Banchero) as well as a handful of veterans (such as Austin Reaves and Derrick White).
NBA insider Jake Fischer, formerly of Yahoo Sports, will be joining Marc Stein’s Substack, Stein confirmed today on Twitter.

Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Butler, Reaves, Kessler, Giannis

November 1st, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is the headliner among the six players named by Sam Amick and John Hollinger of The Athletic as possible trade candidates to watch over the course of the 2024/25 season.

League sources tell Amick there was a “significant” gap between Kuminga and the Warriors when they discussed a possible rookie scale extension prior to the season, with Golden State’s offer topping out at around $30MM per year, while the fourth-year forward sought at least in the range of $35MM annually.

The two sides were unable to agree to an extension, putting Kuminga on track for restricted free agency in 2025. While he and the Warriors could finalize a new deal at that time, rival executives believe Golden State is “more willing than ever” to put the former No. 7 overall pick in a trade package, according to Amick, though he cautions the return would have to be significant.

Heat swingman Jimmy Butler is one name to keep an eye on, says Amick, citing league sources who say the Warriors registered some interest in the 35-year-old. Butler is extension-eligible and holds a player option for 2025/26, but reportedly plans to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors from around the NBA:

Lakers guard Austin Reaves is a favorite of both team owner Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and has been made virtually untouchable in past trade discussions, Amick writes. The former undrafted free agent is a developmental success story, is on a team-friendly contract, and has another fan in new head coach J.J. Redick, but if the Lakers hope to make a trade for a star, they may have to have another internal discussion about how strong their hold on Reaves will be, according to Amick.
Walker Kessler is among the other possible trade candidates listed by Amick and Hollinger, with Amick suggesting that Jazz head coach Will Hardy has pushed the third-year center hard in the hopes of advancing his development and getting a clearer sense of whether he’s a long-term keeper in Utah. The Lakers are among the teams that have registered interest in Kessler, and while the Jazz are open to listening, a team source tells Amick that they wouldn’t be interested in a deal centered around D’Angelo Russell and draft picks.
The Bucks‘ slow start this season has led to a surge in trade speculation about star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. There has been no indication that Antetokounmpo will seek a change of scenery and it’s extremely unlikely Milwaukee would consider moving him if that doesn’t happen, but Bill Reiter of CBS Sports says rival executives are increasingly hopeful about the two-time MVP’s potential availability. The Nets have had interest in Antetokounmpo for years, a league source tells NetsDaily, but it’s safe to assume that could be said of many teams around the league, so Brooklyn would have plenty of competition if Giannis ever lands on the trade block.

Injury Notes: Embiid, George, Reaves, Suns, Murray

October 22nd, 2024 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers will be without two members of their “big three” when they open their season on Wednesday vs. the Bucks, the team announced today. As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Joel Embiid and Paul George have both been ruled out for that game.

Embiid didn’t play at all during the preseason due to left knee management. In addition to being ruled out for Wednesday’s opener, the star center will also miss Friday’s game in Toronto and Sunday’s in Indiana before being reevaluated this weekend. However, the former MVP is expected to ramp up his return-to-play activities and will scrimmage this week, so it sounds like the isn’t far off from making his season debut.

As for George, he’s said to be recovering well after hyperextending his left knee during the preseason. He’ll also ramp up his on-court activities this week and hasn’t been ruled out for any games beyond Wednesday’s vs. Milwaukee. The plan is for the star forward to be reassessed later this week.

While it’s a somewhat discouraging sign for 76ers fans that two of the team’s three stars will be on the shelf for the start of the season, the team has repeatedly expressed a desire to play it safe with Embiid and George this season in the hopes of having them at full strength for the postseason, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the team isn’t rushing them back for the first of 82 regular season games.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Lakers guard Austin Reaves missed some time during the preseason with an ankle injury, but he said on Monday that the ankle feels great now and that he’s good to go for the club’s opener vs. Minnesota on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).
Suns swingman Grayson Allen missed the team’s final four preseason contests due to a sore right Achilles, but he said he “did just about everything” in practice on Monday and hopes to be active when Phoenix’s season tips off on Wednesday vs. the Clippers, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Meanwhile, Suns guards Josh Okogie and Damion Lee are battling hamstring issues. “I think Damion is close,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Josh is a little bit behind those guys.”
Dejounte Murray isn’t injured, but his status for the Pelicans‘ opener on Wednesday vs. Chicago is up in the air since he’s away from the team due to a family emergency, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Head coach Willie Green said the team is “hopeful” Murray will be available to make his Pelicans debut on Wednesday.

Lakers Notes: Vanderbilt, Reaves, Olivari, Trade Market

October 12th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jarred Vanderbilt probably won’t play during the preseason, but the Lakers remain hopeful that he’ll be ready when the regular season tips off on October 22, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The team is bringing Vanderbilt along slowly after he had surgery on both feet in May, and he continues to make progress toward being available for opening night. Head coach J.J. Redick told reporters after Saturday’s practice that Vanderbilt hasn’t experienced any complications since training camp began.

“He’s following our ramp-up protocol,” Redick said. “He has not done any contact work. He has not participated in any non-contact practice. But we’re still trying to target the beginning of the season. Our ramp-up process, we’re on, sort of, target. So it remains to be seen if he’ll be available. But no setbacks. And he just continues to work his way back.”

Vanderbilt became an immediate starter after being acquired from Utah at the 2023 trade deadline and played an important role as the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals. Injuries limited him to 29 games last season, and his return could be vital for Redick as he installs new defensive schemes.

“We’ve had some fun with one of our zones,” Redick said. “We haven’t practiced it, but we’ve used it in a game a couple times. We have another version of a zone that features [Vanderbilt]. I’m looking forward to experimenting with that. Probably won’t get to experiment with it in the preseason.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Austin Reaves missed Thursday’s game with soreness in his right ankle, but Redick doesn’t believe it’s a long-term concern, Price adds. He was a non-contact participant in today’s practice and could return for Tuesday’s matchup with Golden State.
Quincy Olivari, who’s in camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, made a strong impression on his teammates and coaches Thursday night, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The rookie guard out of Xavier put up 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in the fourth quarter and helped to spark a 20-0 run. Olivari said it was a “fairly easy decision” to join the Lakers, even though there’s not a roster spot available, especially after he was recruited following the draft by Nick Mazzella, general manager of the team’s South Bay affiliate in the G League. “He takes the game very seriously,” Redick said. “He’s a player who, I talk about care factor, he’s a player who has a care factor for doing it the right way and wanting to execute whatever vision you give him. I’m excited that he’s in our program, I really am. We look at him as a coaching staff in very high regard.”
The Lakers are exploring the trade market in hopes of adding another center, Shams Charania of ESPN said Friday in his debut appearance on NBA Today (video link). Charania didn’t mention any potential targets, but he pointed out that Christian Wood continues to recover after having knee surgery last month, while two-way player Christian Koloko still hasn’t received medical clearance to return to the league, even though Lakers doctors remain confident it will eventually happen.

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