Devin Booker Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Henderson, Ayton, Caruso, Daigneault, Jazz

November 22nd, 2023 at 9:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Scoot Henderson, the third pick of this year’s draft, will return to action on Wednesday against Utah, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups told reporters, including Aaron J. Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link).

Billups added that Henderson will come off the bench and be on a minutes restriction, though he declined to specify the number, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. Henderson has been out of action since November 1 after spraining his right ankle.

Unfortunately, just as Henderson was about to return, center Deandre Ayton was a late scratch due to back soreness. Duop Reath, who’s on a two-way deal, will start in Ayton’s place, according to Highkin (Twitter link).

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Speaking of Ayton, the Trail Blazers big man faced his former team on Tuesday in Phoenix. After the game, Suns guard Devin Booker said he had a “challenge” for the former No. 1 overall pick. “He played extra hard tonight,” Booker said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I saw that. My challenge for him is to play like that every night.” Ayton’s inconsistent effort level has been called into question throughout his career.
Bulls guard/forward Alex Caruso isn’t surprised by Mark Daigneault‘s success with the Thunder, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Daigneault coached Caruso while the two were with the Oklahoma City Blue — the Thunder’s NBA G League affiliate — back in 2016/17. “He coaches and talks exactly the same as he did with the Blue,” Caruso said. “He was always keeping us in really good perspective of how to play and how we were going to be successful. I really enjoyed playing for him.”
Jazz head coach Will Hardy said the team needs to play harder, pass the ball and make fewer excuses after Tuesday’s blowout loss to the Lakers, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “I mean, the only two things that I care about are: play hard and pass,” he said. “And we’re at a point now where if you’re not willing to do both of those things you cannot play for the Utah Jazz. I think we have had pockets where that’s been our identity. And we’ve had pockets where we have wavered in both departments. I think the biggest thing right now is we just need more of a consistent focus on those two things and those two things only.” Hardy’s comments are worth reading in full for Jazz fans. Utah is now 4-10.

Pacific Notes: Harden, Westbrook, Mann, Booker, Green

November 18th, 2023 at 10:34am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers picked up their first win since acquiring James Harden, beating the Rockets on Friday on a game-winning shot from the 10-time All-Star. According to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, the win goes beyond simply snapping a win streak, as it shows Harden is becoming more comfortable in his new home.

“I’m getting real close,” Harden said. “I’m getting close to myself every game I feel like I’m improving.”

The win also showed a glimpse of what the Clippers can be when they’re at full strength, with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Harden all having their fair share of moments. On top of that, their victory comes off the heels of Russell Westbrook approaching coach Tyronn Lue about coming off the bench to help stabilize the team.

“He wanted to do that, which [is] an ultimate sacrifice for a guy of his caliber,” Lue said. “For things he’s done in this league, the things he’s done for this team. So shout-out to Russ for wanting to do that. It’s a huge part of what we’ve talked about, just sacrificing wanting to win at a high level.”

Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times further explored Westbrook’s move to the bench, writing that the lineup change is here to stay. Westbrook finished with just 17 minutes played, his fewest since joining the team. Norman Powell, P.J. Tucker and Daniel Theis, the latter of whom made his Clippers debut, also joined Westbrook off the bench. According to Greif, his teammates didn’t know about the change until he walked onto the practice court on Friday in the white jerseys worn by reserves.

“We just got to get him used to it and get him accustomed to doing that, and it’s tough, it’s tough to go from starting to off the bench or from off the bench to starting, especially with the caliber player that he is,” Lue said. “So we just got to get him comfortable, make sure we got the right guys on the floor with him.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Lue put Clippers guard Terance Mann in the starting lineup over Westbrook instead of other options like Tucker. He explained the decision on Friday. “We kind of went back and forth with T-Mann and P.J, but I think T-Mann can take the responsibility of guarding point guards every night … you can kind of put him on those guys to start the games and so we don’t have to wear PG and Kawhi down to start the games every single night,” Lue said (Twitter link via Justin Russo). “And so that’s why it kind of made sense to us.“
Suns superstar guard Devin Booker is averaging a career-high 10.3 assists through his first four games, including a single-game career high of 15 on Friday against the Jazz. Even though the sample size is small, he’s looking much more comfortable as a distributor. His previous career-best average was 6.8 in 2018/19. The Suns brass is talking about him like a point guard. “He’s our most vocal guy,” head coach Frank Vogel said (Twitter link via PHNX Suns). “He’s really taken the reins of that this year with this team, and even more so on the floor as the point guard running the show.“
Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended after engaging in a physical confrontation with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, and the last couple times Green has been involved in drama, frustrations in the locker room were tangible, according to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II. However, his teammates are completely behind him this time, knowing he’s looking out for them on the court. The events that led to Green’s suspension began with Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels getting into an altercation with Green later stepping in. “We’ve got his back,” Gary Payton II said. “And we gon’ hold him down until he gets back.” According to Thompson, Green apologized to his team and knows he took it too far.

Devin Booker To Return On Wednesday

November 15th, 2023 at 7:14pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 15, 7:14pm: While Booker will return on Wednesday, Beal has been downgraded from probable to out due to his back issue, tweets Rankin. That means the regular season debut of the Suns’ big three will be postponed by at least one more game.

OCTOBER 15, 8:50am: Booker will be available on Wednesday and the Suns’ big three will play together for the first time this season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

OCTOBER 14: Suns guard Devin Booker is expected to return on Wednesday from the right calf strain that has sidelined him for the past five games, sources tell Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

According to Rankin, Bradley Beal is also expected to be available on Wednesday vs. Minnesota despite tweaking his back in Sunday’s game against Oklahoma City.

Assuming both Booker and Beal are formally cleared to play, it will be the first time that the Suns’ new big three is in action since the regular season began.

With Booker and Beal both on the shelf for much of the season so far, Phoenix has stumbled out of the gate, losing six of its first 10 games despite Kevin Durant‘s usual All-NBA production. Durant has put up 30.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.6 rebounds per game on .498/.429/.851 shooting, while Beal has been limited to three appearances and Booker has played just twice.

Grayson Allen, Josh Okogie, and Keita Bates-Diop have all been frequent starters during the season’s first three weeks, but as long as Phoenix’s big three is available alongside center Jusuf Nurkic, there will only be room for one of them in the starting five as of Wednesday. Allen, who has yet to come off the bench this season, is probably the best bet to hang onto his starting spot.

Eric Gordon, who missed Sunday’s game due to a shoulder injury he sustained on Friday, is also aiming to be back on Wednesday, Rankin adds.

Pacific Notes: Curry, Clippers, Theis, Barnes, Suns

November 14th, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry has been ruled out of the team’s in-season tournament game on Tuesday vs. Minnesota due to right knee soreness, per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.

In the last meeting between the two teams on Sunday, Curry took a hard fall following a drive to the net in the fourth quarter (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). Although he remained in the game, the veteran guard was seen rubbing his right knee after that play.

Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Curry is believed to have a sprain in the affected knee. He’s undergoing more testing to determine the severity of the injury, but the initial expectation is that he shouldn’t be out for long, per Charania.

As we detailed on Monday, the Warriors have been relying heavily on Curry on offense this season and will need some of their other players to step up with the two-time MVP unavailable. Dario Saric is the only other player on the roster who has scored at least 20 points in a game this season, according to Andrews.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

There’s a “growing belief” that the Clippers will add Daniel Theis to their roster soon, writes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, citing a league source. As Agness acknowledges, Theis would likely need to reach a buyout agreement with the Pacers to get to Los Angeles, since the Clippers aren’t well positioned to trade for him. L.A.’s interest in the veteran center was previously reported.
The Kings got a boost on Monday when De’Aaron Fox returned from a five-game absence to lead the team to a 132-120 win over Cleveland. Fox was one of four starters to score at least 20 points, but the fifth starter – Harrison Barnes – continued to struggle, contributing just four points for a second straight game. Head coach Mike Brown isn’t worried about Barnes, praising the forward’s performance on defense, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “I think he struggled at the beginning of the season, too, and so for me, as long as he continues to show consistency, especially defensively, I’m fine with it,” Brown said. “He’s taking the right shots and all that other stuff, so I kind of like where he is knowing — and I’m sure he feels the same — that he can play much better, especially offensively, and he will.”
While expecting Devin Booker‘s presence to heal all that ails the Suns may be unrealistic, the star guard can immediately help the team with his scoring, play-making, and defensive communication, says Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Booker is reportedly on track to return from his right calf strain on Wednesday.

Pacific Notes: Booker, Wiggins, Kerr, Green, Plumlee

November 12th, 2023 at 4:21pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Suns guard Devin Booker continues to progress from his right calf strain injury, which has sidelined him for the past four games, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. He could return at some point this week.

“[Booker is] increasing his work on the floor with his shooting, the intensity, speed and intensity of it, but still not ready yet,” Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel said.

Phoenix has struggled without Booker in general, but has really had difficulty during the minutes All-Star forward Kevin Durant has sat. As Rankin notes, the Lakers went on a 19-2 run against the Suns on Friday with Durant on the bench, en route to an eventual 122-119 comeback victory.

Although Phoenix is just three weeks into the 2023/24 season, the team’s issues are already at least somewhat concerning, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. Phoenix has blown three fourth quarter leads already this year, and fissures seem to be appearing with regards to the team’s chemistry among its new players, plus its lackluster defense. Booker remains doubtful for Sunday’s matchup against the Thunder, Rankin writes in a separate piece.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Despite forward Andrew Wiggins‘ early-season struggles, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will not consider removing the swingman from his starting five, reports Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). Through 10 games, the 6’7″ swingman is averaging just 11.0 PPG on .411/.167/.529 shooting.
The Warriors were frustrated by a retroactively called technical foul that caused the ejection of power forward Draymond Green in a 118-110 loss to the Cavaliers, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Referees assessed Green his second technical foul minutes after a confrontation with Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell. “I am the same person that got suspended from the [2016] NBA Finals for flagrant fouls that were all called from after the game,” Green told Andrews. “Nothing surprises me.”
Clippers reserve center Mason Plumlee will be reassessed in four weeks as he continues to recover from an MCL sprain, per Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune (Twitter link). The 6’11” big man is reportedly expected to miss “multiple months” with the ailment.

Injury Notes: Booker, Nets, Celtics, Fox, Magic

November 10th, 2023 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Devin Booker (calf) remains unavailable for Friday’s in-season tournament game vs. the Lakers, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic tweets.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Suns are optimistic about getting Booker back at some point during their three-game home stand, which begins tonight. While Charania suggested a Friday return was a possibility, it appears that’s not in the cards — Phoenix’s home stand continues with games on Sunday (vs. Oklahoma City) and Wednesday (vs. Minnesota) before the club heads back out on the road.

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

Nets wing Cameron Johnson (calf) will be available on Friday in Boston for the first time since opening night, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links). However, Ben Simmons will remain on the shelf for a second consecutive game due to left hip soreness.
Celtics big man Al Horford, who didn’t play both ends of back-to-back sets last season, will be held out of Friday’s game, which is part of the team’s first back-to-back of 2023/24, notes Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, Horford’s frontcourt partner Kristaps Porzingis says he intends to play both Friday and Saturday, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston is listing Horford as out due to right knee injury management.
Kings star De’Aaron Fox will be unavailable for Friday’s in-season tournament game vs. Oklahoma City, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee tweets. It’s the fifth straight contest Fox has missed as a result of his sprained right ankle.
While Magic wing Gary Harris missed his third consecutive game due to a right groin strain on Thursday, Markelle Fultz returned from the left knee ailment that cost him three games and reclaimed his spot in the starting lineup (Twitter link). Orlando didn’t appear to have any restrictions on Fultz during the Mexico City showcase — his 29 minutes were right in line with season average.

Suns Notes: Beal, Booker, Bates-Diop, Goodwin

November 9th, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns didn’t consider exceeding Bradley Beal‘s minutes restriction when Wednesday’s game at Chicago went into overtime, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Beal was making his season debut after missing the team’s first seven games with a back injury, so there was no chance he was going to play more than 24 minutes, even with the game in doubt.

“I can be hard-headed and go play 30 minutes when I know I’m not supposed to,” Beal said. “But how will I feel after that? Probably not the greatest. So that’s why I lean on our staff and our doctors to be the voice for me. Because I’ll be hard-headed and go out there and play.”

Beal posted 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in his first regular season contest since being acquired from Washington in an offseason trade. Even on a subpar shooting night that saw him go 3-of-12 from the field, he showed the benefits he can provide for Phoenix’s offense.

“Just somebody else the defense is scared of,” Kevin Durant said. “Somebody who can score at all three levels. Brad going downhill is a problem. So, as much as we can get him going downhill and also just setting him up in iso so he can beat his man will be great for us. Tonight, he just got his feet wet. He’s on a restriction minute-wise, but as he comes off of that he’s going to be more and more confident. We’ve just got to give him the ball more.”

There’s more on the Suns:

Devin Booker worked out before Wednesday’s game, but there’s no indication of when he might play again, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. A report on Wednesday suggested that Booker may be able return from his right calf strain as soon as Friday, but coach Frank Vogel said he’s “making progress, but no firm timetable.”
Keita Bates-Diop‘s overtime heroics showed why Vogel has been trusting him as a starter for the past three games, Rankin adds in a full story. The 27-year-old forward, who was added in free agency this summer, sparked the Suns’ late comeback by drilling a three-pointer with 1:06 left in overtime to cut the Bulls’ lead to one point. He also forced DeMar DeRozan to take a difficult shot on Chicago’s final possession.
Jordan Goodwin wore a mask in Wednesday’s game after suffering a jaw contusion Sunday in Detroit, Rankin tweets.

Western Notes: Booker, Vassell, Jazz Starters, Jackson

November 8th, 2023 at 7:16pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns are optimistic that Devin Booker might return for the team’s upcoming homestand, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter video link via The Rally).

As Charania notes, Phoenix has home games on Friday, Sunday and next Wednesday. According to Charania, Friday is a possibility.

Booker has battled three different injuries this fall, with the latest being a right calf strain. He has appeared in just two of the Suns’ eight games thus far in 2023/24.

Fellow guard Bradley Beal made his Suns regular season debut on Wednesday after battling a back injury.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

After previously being listed as doubtful, Spurs guard Devin Vassell returned to action on Wednesday in New York, as first reported by Charania (via Twitter) and later confirmed by the team (Twitter link via Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News). However, Vassell did not return to the starting lineup: second-year guard Malaki Branham will continue in that role for now. Vassell missed the past two games with a left adductor strain.
Jazz center Walker Kessler is out at least two weeks with an elbow injury. Instead of replacing him with another big man, head coach Will Hardy decided to make a couple changes to the team’s starting lineup on Wednesday vs. Indiana. Rookie Keyonte George replaced Talen Horton-Tucker at point guard, while second-year wing Ochai Agbaji started at small forward, as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News relays. “Keyonte has played really well,” Hardy said. “I think he’s shown a very quick learning curve on both ends of the floor.” Jordan Clarkson remained the starting shooting guard, with Lauri Markkanen (power forward) and John Collins (center) each sliding up a spot in the frontcourt.
G.G. Jackson, who is the youngest player in the NBA, likely won’t see many minutes for the Grizzlies. In fact, he’s only played one minute over their first seven games. However, the second-round pick is expected to have an expanded role with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League club, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I kind of got a little bit more lenience, so I got to become comfortable,” said Jackson, who is on a two-way contract.

Bradley Beal To Make Suns Regular Season Debut On Wednesday

November 8th, 2023 at 6:10pm CST by Luke Adams

November 8: Beal will play on Wednesday but he’ll be on a minutes restriction, Vogel told reporters, including Rankin (Twitter video link).

November 7: Suns guard Bradley Beal is getting closer to making his regular season debut for his new team, having gone through a full practice on Tuesday, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Beal, who appeared in just two preseason games and has missed Phoenix’s first seven regular season contests due to back issues, has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game in Chicago. Rankin suggests the former Wizard is “on course” to play vs. the Bulls, barring a setback.

“He got some good work in yesterday, he got some live work in today,” head coach Frank Vogel said (Twitter video link via Rankin). “He looks good, we’ve just got to make sure we see how he feels from the work today, see how his body responds to it.”

Vogel added with a smile that it was “awesome” to see Beal go through a full practice after the three-time All-Star was limited in workouts for weeks.

“It’s great to see him doing his thing in a Suns uniform and soon our fans will get a chance to see that as well,” Vogel said.

While Beal is seemingly on the verge of suiting up for the Suns, Devin Booker has already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game due to his right calf strain and his return doesn’t appear imminent. According to Rankin, Vogel said that Booker didn’t take part in practice at all today except for some light shooting at the end of the session.

Injury Updates: Lakers, Vassell, Booker, J. Murray

November 5th, 2023 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers were missing a few rotation players for Saturday’s 19-point road loss to Orlando. Prior to the game, head coach Darvin Ham offered updates on those injured players, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays (via Twitter).

According to Ham, the Lakers anticipate having Rui Hachimura (concussion) and Taurean Prince (left patellar tendonitis) back “sooner rather than later,” whereas the return of Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) figures to come “later rather than sooner.” Ham added that rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, who is dealing with a right patella contusion, is “still a few weeks out.”

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

The Spurs got good news on Devin Vassell, who underwent an MRI this week on a groin injury. According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the fourth-year swingman was diagnosed with a mild left adductor strain and will be considered day-to-day. While Vassell has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. Toronto, it sounds like he may not miss as much time as initially feared.
Suns guard Devin Booker has been downgraded to out for Sunday’s game in Detroit, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. As Bourguet notes (via Twitter), Booker is now dealing with a right calf strain after already battling a toe injury and a left ankle sprain this fall. He has been limited to just two regular season appearances so far.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray left Saturday’s win over Chicago in the second quarter due to right hamstring tightness. While the team has yet to issue a formal update on Murray’s status going forward, head coach Michael Malone expressed some concern about the nature of the ailment, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link) writes. “You always worry about those types of injuries, because they can stick around for a while,” Malone said. “So we have to be smart about it.”