Devin Vassell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Doncic, Brunson, Bamba, Vassell, Sochan, Popovich

April 4th, 2023 at 6:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the Mavericks seemingly headed for postseason elimination, Luka Doncic acknowledged that he misses former backcourt partner Jalen Brunson “a lot,” Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News reports.

“I mean, amazing guy, amazing player. For sure,” the Mavericks’ franchise player added.

Doncic describes the Mavericks’ season as “very disappointing” due to chemistry issues, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I think you don’t see that chemistry we had before — I mean, especially last year,” Doncic said. “I think that chemistry was at the top, everybody. But chemistry builds not just not right away. It’s a long process.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Lakers could have another frontcourt option as soon as Tuesday. They have upgraded Mohamed Bamba to doubtful for their game with Utah, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. Bamba has been sidelined since March 5 with a left ankle sprain. In a Late Night Lake Show podcast, Buha said he “would not be surprised if (Bamba is) back by the end of the week.” (video link).
Spurs swingman Devin Vassell has been out since March 26 with a knee ailment. Jeremy Sochan has been sidelined since March 22, also due to a knee issue. It’s likely both are done for the season. Sochan has far exceeded the number of games he played last season at Baylor, while Vassell is coming off surgery performed in January, so the Spurs are playing it cautious, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that hearing he’d been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame was an “out of body experience,” Orsborn writes. Popovich got the news Saturday in a phone call from Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo. “Sort of a phone call you never think about or expect,” Popovich said “It’s like somebody telling you the earth is flat, some weird feeling that you have, an out-of-body experience, because it’s not what you grow up thinking.”

Texas Notes: Mavericks, Hardaway, Irving, Rockets, Spurs

March 23rd, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite falling below .500, the 36-37 Mavericks remain intent on competing for a title this season, writes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com.

“The standings are going to change to the last game of the season,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “If we can get healthy and have everyone on the court, that gives us the best chance to win… We feel we have the pieces to be a championship team. We’re playing for a championship. But we just right now have to focus on the game that’s in front of us and that’s Charlotte.”

Over the past two weeks, Dallas has gone just 2-5, while slipping from the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference to No. 9. They have been without one or both of their two All-Star guards, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, in each of their past six games.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. are both questionable to suit up for the Mavericks in their next game, Friday against the Hornets, the team has announced (Twitter link). Irving is dealing with a sore right foot, while Hardaway continues to struggle through a non-COVID illness.
Two Rockets players may not be available for Houston on Friday against the Grizzlies, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Small forward Jae’Sean Tate will miss another game due to his sore left knee, while center Frank Kaminsky is considered questionable to play due to migraines.
Several key Spurs players will be sidelined Friday night against the Wizards, as the team continues to tank. Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News reports (Twitter link) that rookie Jeremy Sochan will be shelved with a sore knee and guard Romeo Langford will miss the action with an adductor injury. The team’s second-leading scorer, Devin Vassell, is questionable with a knee injury, as is center Zach Collins, who is dealing with a biceps bruise.

Spurs Notes: Vassell, Branham, Graham, Bassey

March 5th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs are more concerned with developing their young players than maximizing their lottery odds, writes Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. Some fans may have been dismayed to see back-to-back wins this week or Devin Vassell‘s return after missing two months following knee surgery, but the organization is committed to getting its young players on the court together to build a foundation for the future.

“I am not trying to tank,” Vassell said. “I am trying to win as many games as possible.”

Vassell is one of five recent first-round picks on the roster, and the Spurs want him to become a clutch-time scorer who’s capable of closing out games. He showed some of that prowess in his return Thursday against Indiana, pouring in 10 points in the third quarter as San Antonio pulled away.

“The shot-making is still there obviously,” assistant coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s tough in this league when teams have guys that can make shots when there is good defense and there is not really anything going offensively, and he did that for us.”

There’s more from San Antonio:

Malaki Branham had a breakthrough in February, leading all NBA rookies by averaging 16.8 points per game, Orsborn adds. The 19-year-old small forward hadn’t topped 7.8 PPG in any other month. “It’s a tribute to him and a lot of the young guys in this program,” Johnson said. “If they trust the process and put in the work, at some point the game usually slows down for them and they find some success.”
Devonte’ Graham has been given a green light to shoot since the Spurs acquired him at the trade deadline, and he took advantage Saturday with 28 points in 29 minutes, Orsborn notes in another Express-News article. “As an athlete, you always want opportunity to show you have talent and whatever the case might be,” Graham said. “(Coach Gregg Popovich) gives everybody confidence to just go out and play freely and play the right way.”
Charles Bassey has been excelling as the primary backup center since Jakob Poeltl was traded, Orsborn tweets. Bassey had 14 points and eight rebounds Saturday night and tied a career high by making seven shots from the field.

Southwest Notes: Porter, Morant, Kyrie, Jones, Vassell

March 3rd, 2023 at 7:49am CST by Luke Adams

After returning on Wednesday from a 20-game absence due to a toe injury, Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. admitted that he still wasn’t 100%, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. However, Porter considers it important to play during the final stretch of the season to try to carry some positive momentum into the offseason.

“There’s definitely going to be some tolerable pain going on,” Porter said. “I want to play. This is the best I can get it. Can’t get it 100 percent, so I will play.

“Just the passion and love I’ve got for the game. I’ve been away, been trying to do everything I can to get back on the court. Twenty games later, I’m at this point. This is the best I can get as far as my toe. The pain’s not too bad. I can play through it.”

As Feigen observes, injuries have prevented the Rockets from getting an extended look at their young core together this season, so the hope is that they can stay relatively healthy down the stretch. The starting lineup that Houston employed on Wednesday – Porter alongside Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, Alperen Sengun, and Kenyon Martin Jr. – is probably the one the team would like to lean on down the stretch, but it has been used just four times so far this season.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, whose alleged involvement in a pair of off-court incidents had been previously reported, has been accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, according to reporting from Molly Hensley-Clancy of The Washington Post. The Post’s report also stated that the 17-year-old who was punched by Morant last summer during a pickup game claimed that the Grizzlies star went into his house and reemerged with a gun visible in his waistband. Morant’s lawyer and agent put out statements on Twitter vehemently disputing that claim, but didn’t address the incident involving the security guard.
On Thursday, two days after expressing a need to scale back the pressure he’s putting on himself with his new team, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving scored 40 points to complement Luka Doncic‘s 42 in a victory over Philadelphia. The Mavs are still just 2-4 in games the two stars have played together, but are confident that the wins will come, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “They’ve got to work through the kinks,” head coach Jason Kidd said of his backcourt duo. “But I think at the end of the day, we’ll be happy with what we have.”
The Spurs got two of their top rotation players back on Thursday, as Tre Jones (left foot soreness) returned from a five-game absence, while Devin Vassell (left knee surgery) played for the first time since January 2. Both players were on minute limits, but had positive plus-minus ratings in a victory over Indiana, with Vassell scoring 18 points in 23 minutes. “It’s refreshing, man,” Spurs center Zach Collins said, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “These guys mean so much to our team. We’ve had a lot of guys hurt, one through 15. But Tre and Devin were starters for us. To get them back, is going to make the game a lot easier for us.”

Injury Notes: AD, Schröder, Isaac, Embiid, Simons, Vassell

March 1st, 2023 at 10:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said star big man Anthony Davis was held out of Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City for precautionary reasons and it had been planned for “weeks,” writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

“He’s frustrated as hell,” Ham said of Davis. “He wants to be out there, but he also understands the process of us managing his foot the right way. And again … it’s a stress reaction, so anything could set that thing off. The more stress you put on it, the more it’s gonna react. I’m not saying it flared up or anything. He’s absolutely playing pain-free. It’s just something we’re monitoring that we want to be extra careful and cautious about.”

The Lakers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so that likely played a significant factor in the team’s thinking. Point guard Dennis Schröder, who was starting in place of the injured D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain), sprained his left ankle on Wednesday night, but he had the ankle retaped and was able to return to the game, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links).

Schröder had called Wednesday’s matchup with the Thunder a “must-win” game, per Goon (via Twitter), and he toughed out the injury and finished with a game-high 26 points, six assists, two steals and was plus-16 in the six-point victory.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Magic big man Jonathan Isaac missed his third straight game on Wednesday night with a right hamstring/adductor strain, but he did rejoin the team in Milwaukee and was able to go through parts of Tuesday’s practice, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). Price reports that the Magic are “operating with an abundance of caution” due to the amount of time Isaac has missed the past few years. The 25-year-old has played 11 games thus far in ’22/23.
Sixers star Joel Embiid was ruled out of Wednesday’s game in Miami due to left foot soreness, tweets Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. Despite missing their best player, the Sixers trounced the Heat by 25 points. It’s worth noting that it was the front end of a back-to-back, so the Sixers were likely just being cautious with Embiid; they play in Dallas on Thursday.
Anfernee Simons returned to the Trail Blazers‘ starting lineup on Wednesday night, the team announced (via Twitter). The fifth-year guard was dealing with a Grade 2 right ankle sprain, but he returned to action fairly quickly; he was technically out 15 days, but only missed three games due to the All-Star break.
Spurs guard/forward Devin Vassell is listed as probable for Thursday’s home game against Indiana, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell has been sidelined since January 2 after undergoing a left knee procedure. His potential return was anticipated, as coach Gregg Popovich previously said the team was hoping he would return on Thursday.

Western Notes: Jazz, Snyder, Vassell, Fox, Wiggins

February 24th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz won’t seek any compensation from Atlanta if the Hawks move forward with Quin Snyder and hire him as their new head coach, reports Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.

As Walden explains, Snyder technically resigned from his position as the Jazz’s head coach last June rather than being fired. Because Atlanta may hire Snyder before his contract with Utah would have expired, the Jazz would be entitled to seek compensation in the form of draft assets or cash before allowing him to officially join the Hawks.

However, according to Walden’s source, the Jazz are comfortable with simply severing ties with Snyder and allowing him to accept whichever job best suits him without holding up the process.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

According to head coach Gregg Popovich, the Spurs are hoping swingman Devin Vassell will be able to return to action on March 2, the team’s next home game (Twitter link via Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News). Vassell has been out since January 2 after undergoing a left knee procedure.
Losing took a toll on De’Aaron Fox, who endured five consecutive sub-.500 seasons upon entering the NBA and saw the Kings‘ record-setting playoff drought reach 16 seasons. However, the team’s success this season has rejuvenated Fox, who admits that he’s “a lot happier,” per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Now, Fox and his teammates are determined to make sure that the Kings’ strong play this season isn’t a “one-off,” as he explained during the All-Star break. “It’s great that this is the first year that it happens, but we kind of want to make this an annual thing,” Fox said.
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, who didn’t play in the last game before the All-Star break due to a family issue, remains away from the team for personal reasons. He missed Thursday’s contest and has been ruled out for Friday’s too. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter links), head coach Steve Kerr was unable to provide additional details or a return timeline for Wiggins.

Southwest Notes: Jones, Langford, Vassell, Bassey, Grizzlies, Green

February 17th, 2023 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s optimism that the Spurs will get some key players back shortly after the All-Star break, head coach Gregg Popovich said on Wednesday (Twitter link via Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News). According to Popovich, Tre Jones, Romeo Langford, and even Devin Vassell are all getting close to returning.

Jones has missed six of the Spurs’ last seven games due to left foot soreness, while Langford has been out since January 23 with a left adductor injury. As for Vassell, he underwent a procedure on his left knee in early January and has been on the mend since then. All three players were part of San Antonio’s starting five before being sidelined.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Charles Bassey‘s new four-year contract with the Spurs has matching $2.6MM cap hits in its first two seasons, both of which are fully guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned. Bassey’s third- and fourth-year salaries are each $2.5MM and are non-guaranteed. His third-year salary would become guaranteed if he remains under contract through August 1, 2024 and his fourth-year salary would be guaranteed if he stays under contract through August 1, 2025.
When Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. were named All-Stars for 2023, it the first time in franchise history that two Grizzlies players had made the All-Star team in the same season. As Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, the achievement serves as validation for the franchise that the right core pieces are in place, even if the club is still working on the complementary parts.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic examines Jalen Green‘s development and explores how important the growth of the former No. 2 overall pick is in the Rockets‘ long-term plans. As Iko details, Houston wants to take a significant step forward next season — adding another lottery talent in the draft and having up to $60MM+ in cap room will help, but the team also needs its own young players to take a leap.

Western Notes: LeBron, Warriors, Mavs, Vassell

February 11th, 2023 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Medical imaging conducted on LeBron James‘ injured left foot this week didn’t show any damage, but the Lakers star will miss a second consecutive game due to what the team is calling left ankle soreness, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The Lakers have officially ruled out James for Saturday’s contest vs. Golden State.

Chris Haynes said on his latest #thisleague UNCUT podcast with Marc Stein that LeBron’s foot issue was bothering him quite a bit during Tuesday’s game against Oklahoma City, when he broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record.

“I was told LeBron was severely struggling with that foot injury he has,” Haynes said. “It’s something that’s been nagging him for a few weeks already, but it gets to points where it just gets unbearable, and he plays through it. … The way it was explained to me is that might be something that lingers all season long.”

Although the Lakers will be without James on Saturday vs. Golden State, they’ll get a chance to see several of their newly acquired players in action, with D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Davon Reed all expected to be available, according to McMenamin. Mohamed Bamba is still serving a suspension that he earned while he was with the Magic.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears from a source that the Warriors actually have until Sunday evening, not Saturday evening, to finalize a decision on whether or not to nix their four-team trade with the Trail Blazers, Pistons, and Hawks due to Gary Payton II‘s failed physical. However, Kawakami notes that the Warriors probably don’t want to drag out the situation any longer than they have to and could make their call sooner.
Speaking on Friday to reporters, including Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison discussed the Kyrie Irving trade, why he doesn’t think the team needs another ball-handler, and whether the club will be looking to add one more free agent. “We’re going to look at it closely,” Harrison said of the buyout market. “If there’s something we think can help strengthen our bench, then we’ll definitely do it, for sure.” Dallas is reportedly considered a frontrunner to sign Terrence Ross if and when he’s bought out by Orlando.
Spurs wing Devin Vassell told Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link) on Friday that there’s still no “set date in stone” for his return from a left knee procedure, but he said it definitely won’t happen until sometime after the All-Star break.

Health Updates: Luka, LeBron, Bam, Smart, Vassell, Bol

January 9th, 2023 at 4:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Luka Doncic is listed as questionable for Tuesday’s contest at the Clippers, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter). The star guard is dealing with left ankle soreness.

Doncic is one of the NBA’s best players and a leading MVP candidate, so obviously his potential absence would be detrimental to the team’s chances — Dallas has gone 0-4 this season without him, including Sunday’s loss at Oklahoma City.

The 23-year-old is having a remarkable season. Through 37 games (36.9 MPG), he’s averaging a league-leading 34.0 PPG, plus 8.8 RPG, 8.7 APG and 1.6 SPG on .499/.355/.742 shooting. The points, steals, FG% and 3PT% are all career highs, as is his 61.3 true shooting percentage.

The Mavs are currently 23-18, the No. 4 seed in the West.

Here are some more health updates from around the NBA:

After previously being downgraded to questionable with left ankle soreness, Lakers star LeBron James has now been ruled out for tonight’s matchup at Denver, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. In his 20th season, the reigning Western Conference player of the week is averaging 29.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.7 APG and 1.0 SPG on .510/.295/.756 shooting through 31 games (35.9 MPG).
Heat center Bam Adebayo has a right hand injury, which is why he sat out the final 5:11 of Sunday’s loss to Brooklyn, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscriber link). Adebayo said he’s actually been dealing with it for a few days, but the injury was aggravated in the first half. “I don’t know how he’ll feel tomorrow,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There was a really hard hand contusion in the first half and he tried to gut it out in the second half, and you could see he was basically playing with one hand. It was just extremely sore. So I had to make that tough call and take the decision out of his hands in the fourth quarter and we’ll just evaluate him tomorrow.” Adebayo said X-rays were negative, and an MRI on Monday revealed a wrist contusion, but nothing more serious. He’s officially listed as questionable for Tuesday’s contest vs. the Thunder, according to Chiang (Twitter link).
Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been ruled out of Monday’s game against Chicago, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Smart is dealing with a left knee contusion. Fellow guards Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon should see an uptick in minutes with Smart sidelined.
The Spurs didn’t announce a timeline for Devin Vassell‘s return following knee surgery, but head coach Gregg Popovich said on Friday that the third-year guard is expected to be back later this season. “I’m thinking maybe a little after the All-Star break,” he said, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
Forward Bol Bol has cleared the league’s health and safety protocols and will rejoin the Magic for Tuesday’s contest at Portland, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). Bol will ultimately miss four games after entering the protocols last Tuesday — he’s out for tonight’s matchup at Sacramento. The 23-year-old is having a breakout fourth season for Orlando, averaging 12.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 1.6 BPG on .588/.388/.739 shooting through 37 games (32 starts, 26.1 MPG).

Spurs’ Devin Vassell Will Have Left Knee Scoped

January 5th, 2023 at 5:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Spurs guard Devin Vassell is set to have his injured left knee scoped, the team has announced in a press statement.

The third-year guard sat out San Antonio’s 117-114 loss to the Knicks Wednesday with knee soreness, and has missed three of the team’s last four games due to the issue. Head coach Gregg Popovich had previously claimed the injury would make Vassell’s status day-to-day.

San Antonio indicates that Vassell is set to go under the knife on January 11 in New York, with Dr. Riley J. Williams scheduled to operate on the pesky joint.

Through 29 games thus far in 2022/23, the 6’5″ wing is averaging a career-high 19.4 PPG on .445/.404/793 shooting splits. He is also chipping in 4.0 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.2 SPG as the second-leading scorer for the 12-26 Spurs.

Though a recovery timeline has yet to be established, losing Vassell for any extended period will hamper the on-court product for San Antonio. Given that the Spurs have appeared open to trying their lottery luck this summer, the club may ultimately not mind a lengthy absence for one of its biggest contributors.

Reserve wing Romeo Langford started in Vassell’s stead last night against New York, and could be in line for a major uptick in minutes and touches as Vassell recuperates.