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Grizzlies Notes: Jackson Jr., Bane, Brooks, Defense

December 10th, 2021 at 7:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies, 15-11, have won six of their past seven games and have been anchored by Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s strong two-way play in Ja Morant‘s absence. Jackson is averaging 21 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks on .510/.413/.750 shooting in the seven contests (28.7 MPG). Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes that it’s been a strange road recently without Morant, but the Grizzlies are thriving with their star player unavailable. Jackson gave a simple, quirky answer on what has led to his strong play.

“I’m just working on my reps, day in and day out, like staying on myself and not taking anything for granted, and drinking a lot more water,” Jackson said Thursday night after the Grizzlies’ latest win, a 108-95 victory over the Lakers. “Basically a combo of those two things, just work and water.”

“You just got to keep drinking water,” Jackson insisted. “And then we go home and get a good meal and drink some water. You know? It just tastes good.”

Vardon adds that starting wings Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane have also played key roles during the 6-1 stretch (Brooks is now sidelined due to health and safety protocols).

Here’s more from Memphis:

Bane, the 30th overall pick of the 2020 draft, has emerged as an early candidate for the Most Improved Player award. John Hollinger of The Athletic writes that Bane was lightly recruited out of high school and accepted his lone major scholarship offer from TCU. Bane was forced into a play-making role his senior year in college and thrived. “I needed that experience,” Bane said, per Hollinger. “My first three years I was really a 3-and-D guy, just space the floor, run the floor, offensive rebound and play hard. I needed to add that skill to my game, to show NBA teams that I could attack closeouts and make plays for other people when teams started running me off the (3-point) line.” In 26 games this season (29.0 MPG), Bane is averaging 16.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG with a stellar shooting slash line of .467/.402/.914.
Brooks was fined $25K for “aggressively confronting a game official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner” after he was ejected in Wednesday’s loss to Dallas, the NBA announced (Twitter link).
Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews.com explores how the Grizzlies have been winning with defense during their current seven-game stretch. As good as Morant is, Duncan writes, his primary replacements — Tyus Jones and De’Anthony Melton — are much better defenders, which gives Memphis a better point-of-attack defensively. Duncan also suggests that Jackson is coming into his own as a switchable, lengthy defender.

COVID-19 Updates: Ujiri, Brooks, Young

December 9th, 2021 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors president Masai Ujiri has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a team press release.

Ujiri believes he contracted the virus during a “Giants of Africa” meeting.

“On Sunday, Giants of Africa held our first in-person event since 2019,” Ujiri said in a statement. “It was organized in compliance with all current public health guidance – everyone who attended had to show proof of vaccination, and to wear masks when not eating or drinking. Unfortunately, after the gala, we learned of positive COVID-19 tests among our guests – and even though I am fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot, I also subsequently tested positive.

“I am now at home, observing the safety protocols by self-isolating for 10 days, monitoring for symptoms and undergoing testing, and I encourage everyone who attended to please do the same. We don’t want to live in fear of this virus, but COVID is a persistent enemy. Together, we’ll defeat it.”

Several others around the league have tested positive over the last 24 hours. Here’s a roundup:

Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks missed the team’s game against the Lakers after entering the league’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets. Brooks scored 15 points against Dallas on Wednesday before he was ejected. He’s averaging 17.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 2.8 APG.
Suns assistant Kevin Young has yet to return to the club after being placed under protocols, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Young has missed the last four games.
As we detailed earlier on Thursday, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has tested positive, Derrick Jones Jr. became the fifth Bulls player to enter protocols, and the Hornets will still be missing a handful of players on Friday due to protocols.

Southwest Notes: Alexander-Walker, Brooks, Wood, Poeltl

November 9th, 2021 at 5:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Like many of his teammates, Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has struggled out of the gate this fall, prompting Christian Clark of NOLA.com to take a look at his season thus far. The 1-10 Pelicans currently have the NBA’s worst record, and while a lot of that is a result of the extended absences of All-Star forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, Alexander-Walker’s slow start certainly hasn’t helped.

Clark notes that Alexander-Walker has been one of the worst volume shooters in the league, connecting on 35.5% of his 15.4 field goal attempts a game, including 25.3% on his 7.9 three-point looks. Among players attempting at least 10 field goals per night, he currently ranks 114th out of 117 in true shooting percentage. Clark wonders if Alexander-Walker, and the Pelicans, would be better served by correcting the 6’6″ shooting guard’s shot profile (he shoots more from long-range than from within the arc) and attempting more shots inside the paint and fewer from the three-point arc.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

With stalwart Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks poised to return to the hardwood for Memphis for the first time since the 2021 playoffs, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian takes a look at how Brooks could spruce up the club’s defense. Brooks has been absent for the entire 2021/22 season to this point with a left hand fracture.
Though Rockets power forward Christian Wood seems to be irked about the club’s clear desire to tank in the short-term, he has made a point to express publicly that he wants to stick around, per Rahat Huq of The Houston Chronicle. “I’m here to stay in Houston through the good and bad,” Wood tweeted this week.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has revealed that he does not expect center Jakob Poeltl to return from the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols this week, per Tom Orsborne of the San Antonio Express-News. “I am not exactly sure” of the big man’s timetable, Popovich said. “They tell me every day, but I’m not a scientist. I listen to what they say, but I know he is not going to be ready for tomorrow or Friday.”

Injury Notes: Warren, Brooks, Barnes, LaVine, Giannis

November 4th, 2021 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

T.J. Warren‘s recovery from a left foot stress fracture has progressed slower than initially expected, but the Pacers forward is taking positive steps toward a return, writes David Woods of The Indianapolis Star. Warren is out of a walking boot and the results of the latest scan on his foot are promising, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.

Although Warren’s return isn’t imminent and he still has no set timeline, head coach Rick Carlisle suggested on Wednesday that the club can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s going to be weeks, not days. Weeks, but hopefully not months,” Carlisle said.

Warren was one of the stars of the NBA’s Orlando bubble in 2020, averaging 31.0 PPG in six regular season games at Walt Disney World, but he has been available for just four contests since the 2020/21 season began.

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

Dillon Brooks, who is recovering from a broken hand, was one of five Grizzlies players sent to the G League on Wednesday to participate in a simulated game, according to the team (Twitter link). The move is a sign that Brooks is nearing a return to action.
Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes will have his sprained right thumb reevaluated when the team gets back to Toronto on Thursday, per head coach Nick Nurse. (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). [UPDATE: Barnes has been cleared to return on Friday, tweets Lewenberg.]
Bulls guard Zach LaVine is prepared to deal with the pain from the minor ligament tear in his left thumb for “a while” and is still figuring out how to play through it, he said after Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia. K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago has the story, including quotes from LaVine.
Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s left knee, which he hyperextended in last season’s playoffs, is still bothering him, he acknowledged on Tuesday night (Twitter link via Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Antetokounmpo is playing through it for now, but the Bucks will likely do their best to manage his workload over the course of the season.

Dillon Brooks Has Fractured Left Hand, To Be Reassessed In 2-3 Weeks

October 12th, 2021 at 4:22pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Grizzlies have announced that swingman Dillon Brooks is still recovering from a left hand fracture and will be reassessed in 2-3 weeks.

According to the team, after normal imaging was conducted on players ahead of the 2021/22 season, the Grizzlies decided that Brooks should undergo further treatment for the hand to heal. The 25-year-old was originally sidelined for eight weeks earlier this summer after breaking his hand in two locations.

The 6’7″ wing out of Oregon averaged a career-best 17.2 PPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.2 SPG last season, to go along with 2.9 RPG, playing 67 out of 72 games for Memphis. He also posted a shooting line of .419/.344/.815.

Brooks has missed all of the Grizzlies’ four preseason contests thus far as a result of a sore right thigh.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Vaccinations, Temple, Harrison, Brooks

September 27th, 2021 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing reporters at the Pelicans‘ Media Day on Monday, star forward Zion Williamson expressed a desire to remain with the franchise for the foreseeable future.

“I love it here. I love the city of New Orleans,” Williamson said, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). “I don’t wanna be anywhere else.”

An offseason report suggested that some of Williamson’s family members want him out of New Orleans, while a more recent story suggested he and Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin aren’t on particularly great terms. However, after dismissing the idea that he wants to leave the Pelicans, Williamson also downplayed the idea that there’s any frostiness between him and Griffin.

“It’s all love with me and Griff,” Williamson said. “… We’re both competitors, we both want to win. Do we disagree on some things? Yes. But no one agrees on everything.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Griffin said today that there are one or two players left on the Pelicans‘ roster who remain unvaccinated, while Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said his team is 100% vaccinated (Twitter links via William Guillory of The Athletic and Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News). Meanwhile, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd estimated that his players are about 90% vaccinated, adding that the goal is to get that number to 100% by opening night (Twitter links via Callie Caplan and Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News).
Veteran Pelicans guard Garrett Temple said he’s interested in getting into coaching or front office work after he retires, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Temple added that his preference would likely be a front office role, since coaching can be “finicky.”
Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News shares an in-depth profile of new Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison, detailing the long path Harrison took to becoming Dallas’ lead basketball decision-maker.
Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks will be a full participant in training camp, head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said today (Twitter link via Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian). Brooks was out for eight weeks this summer after breaking his hand in two spots, tweets Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian.

Charania’s Latest: Simmons, Markkanen, Blazers, Brooks

August 30th, 2021 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Sixers have told teams they’re comfortable bringing back Ben Simmons for the 2021/22 season, rival executives are skeptical, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who says those execs think it’s just a matter of time before Simmons is moved. All signs continue to point to Simmons’ career in Philadelphia coming to an end, Charania writes.

Still, while the Sixers have held “expansive” discussions with multiple teams, they haven’t gotten close to completing a deal yet. The Timberwolves and Raptors are two teams in the mix for the three-time All-Star, per Charania. However, sources tell The Athletic that the Wolves’ assets may not appeal to Philadelphia and they might need to find a third team to get something done, while Toronto’s proposals haven’t piqued the 76ers’ interest yet.

As has been reported previously, the Sixers’ dilemma is complicated by the fact that they’d love to use Simmons as the centerpiece in a Damian Lillard offer, but the Trail Blazers‘ point guard appears set to open the season in Portland as he continues to evaluate the team’s present and future, writes Charania.

Here are a few more highlights from Charania’s latest article for The Athletic:

Although the Bulls never seemed focused on signing Lauri Markkanen to a long-term deal, the high asking price they set in sign-and-trade negotiations sent a message to executives around the league that they valued him and weren’t willing to lose him for nothing, writes Charania. According to Charania, the second-round pick the Bulls received from the Cavaliers in the Markkanen trade had been a sticking point in negotiations.
Markkanen “fully expected” to be signed-and-traded to the Spurs in the Bulls‘ acquisition of DeMar DeRozan, but Chicago is believed to have pulled him from that package, sources tell Charania.
Before getting involved in the Markkanen deal to acquire Larry Nance from Cleveland, the Trail Blazers had interest in Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks, sources tell Charania. One report suggested that Memphis was willing to listen on inquiries about Brooks.

Southwest Notes: Anderson, Brooks, Forbes, Pelicans

August 26th, 2021 at 7:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies have not engaged in trade talks with the Cavaliers regarding Kyle Anderson and Dillon Brooks, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. A report out of Cleveland suggested that the two forwards were available on the trade market for the right price. Memphis does have a major roster logjam at the moment with 18 players on guaranteed contracts, as noted in our latest roster count.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Whether or not they’ve engaged in talks with the Cavs, the Grizzlies would be wise to explore the market on Brooks, according to Evan Sidery of Basketball News. Brooks’ value is at an all-time high after a playoff series in which he averaged 25.8 PPG, but he may not be the best No. 2 scoring option during Ja Morant‘s prime years. Brooks will be a free agent after the 2022/23 season and Memphis may not want to commit to him long-term.
Bryn Forbes strongly considered re-signing with the Bucks before signing up for a second stint with the Spurs, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. Forbes declined a player option in order to become a free agent. He’s thrilled to return to the Spurs. “I still had good relationships with everyone here,” he said. “They know what I can do. … When I had the opportunity to come back, I was immediately excited.”
The New Orleans Times Picayune trio of Christian Clark, Scott Kushner and Rod Walker believe the Pelicans have improved enough to make the playoffs next season. They also discuss the Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade with the Bulls and the acquisition of Devonte’ Graham from the Hornets.

Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson Available On Trade Market

August 22nd, 2021 at 6:41pm CST by JD Shaw

Grizzlies forwards Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson are said to be available on the trade market for the right price, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Brooks and Anderson have both been with the Grizzlies for quite some time – Brooks since 2017/18 and Anderson since 2018/19 – and played significant roles for the team last season. Brooks, who is under contract for two more years and $23.6MM, averaged 29.8 minutes per game, while Anderson, who is on an expiring $9.9MM deal, saw 27.3 minutes per contest.

Memphis currently has 17 guaranteed contracts, and that number could increase to 18 once the team’s trade with Minnesota (Patrick Beverley for Jarrett Culver and Juan Hernangomez) becomes official. In addition to Culver and Hernangomez, the team also recently acquired Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu.

The franchise must open one roster spot to complete its deal with Minnesota, so a player with a guaranteed contract could be traded, waived, or bought out to accommodate the one-for-two swap. The Grizzlies, who also have two players on two-way deals and Yves Pons on an Exhibit 10 contract, can carry up to 20 players in the offseason, but will have to trim their roster to 15 (plus two-ways) once the regular season begins.

Since Brooks and Anderson are productive wings on team-friendly contracts, Memphis would only move either player in a favorable deal — not just to address the club’s roster crunch.

Along with Brooks and Anderson, the Grizzlies boast a relatively young core consisting of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., among others. They finished last season with a 38-34 record and claimed the final playoff spot in the West.

Southwest Notes: Graham, Brooks, McDermott

August 10th, 2021 at 7:48pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Pelicans’ newest point guard, Devonte’ Graham, is coming to New Orleans with an open mind, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

Graham has bounced between roles during his three years in the league, and he’s using that experience to stay flexible with his new team.

“I do whatever is needed from the coaching staff,” Graham said. “You guys followed me with the Hornets. I started, I came off the bench. I played the one, I played the two. Whatever role they need from me, I’m going to do that to try to help the team win.”

The 26-year-old added that he’s already worked out with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is presumed to be penciled in as the starting shooting guard next to Graham when the season starts. Alexander-Walker had a breakout last season when he averaged 19 PPG, five RPG and three APG in 13 games as a starter towards the end of the season, including two 30-point outbursts.

We have more from around the Southwest Division:

Graham also reflected on his time with the Hornets, and holds no hard feelings for how the business side played out, writes Jonathan M. Alexander for The Charlotte Observer. “Their development program, the G League helped me a lot,” Graham said. “I just tried to get better at something every summer. One day it was threes, another day it was passing. I just tried to do something little every summer.”
Grizzlies starting shooting guard Dillon Brooks suffered a hand injury during an offseason workout, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com. Wallace adds that Brooks, who is currently in a brace, is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in September.
Doug McDermott calls joining the Spurs a dream come true, writes The San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Orsborn. “Growing up watching all those (Spurs) teams win championships, I always kind of modeled my game after being a guy in this type of system,” he said. The veteran wing is hoping that his off-ball movement can open up the floor for the Spurs’ many young guards to attack the rim.