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Rockets’ Sengun, Knicks’ Brunson Named Players Of The Week

January 8th, 2024 at 2:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Rockets center Alperen Sengun and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).

A third-year Turkish big man who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason, Sengun is a Most Improved Player award candidate, having become the focal point of Houston’s offense under new head coach Ime Udoka. Sengun helped lead the Rockets to a 3-1 record last week, averaging 24.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals in four games (31.4 minutes).

Brunson, meanwhile, is the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season, having previously won back in November. He helped New York to a 4-0 record to open January, averaging 27.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists in 36.6 minutes per contest.

According to the NBA, the other nominees in the West were Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Nikola Jokic, Lauri Markkanen, Domantas Sabonis and Anfernee Simons.

Jarrett Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Julius Randle, Pascal Siakam and Jayson Tatum were nominated in the East (Twitter links).

Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Flynn, Achiuwa, Thibodeau, Skapintsev

December 30th, 2023 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

When OG Anunoby decided to leave Klutch Sports this past offseason, he had meetings with several agencies and told prospective representatives that he would like a larger offensive role, one that would be commensurate with an annual average salary of $40MM, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Anunoby is earning $18.6MM this season and has the ability to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, at which point he’ll be in line for a substantial raise.

But the Knicks didn’t acquire the forward without a clear understanding of his contract situation, according to Fischer, who suggests that Anunoby may be more willing to sign a team-friendly deal with New York than he would have with another team. Sources tell Yahoo Sports that agents who met with the 26-year-old in the offseason got the impression he’d be willing to accept less than $40MM per year if he were to end up in New York.

As Fischer observes, it’s also worth noting that Anunoby ultimately ended up signing with CAA, an agency that works closely with the Knicks. One of Anunoby’s representatives is Sam Rose, the son of Knicks president Leon Rose.

Here’s more out of New York:

Posing 10 pressing questions for the Knicks in the wake of the Anunoby deal, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post explores the motivation for the move, considers whether Malachi Flynn or Miles McBride will become the backup point guard, and examines what to expect from Precious Achiuwa, among other topics.
It was apparent that the Knicks’ pre-trade roster had reached its ceiling, says Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post, arguing that the acquisition of Anunoby is exactly the sort of core shakeup the team needed. The deal also sets up the Knicks well for a follow-up trade, Vaccaro adds, given that the front office still has Evan Fournier‘s expiring contracts and all of its first-round picks to work with.
The newly acquired Knicks players won’t be active tonight in Indiana, but should be available for Monday’s game vs. Minnesota, assuming all goes well with their physicals, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau seems likely to hear from the NBA after criticizing the officiating following Friday’s loss to Orlando, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Thibodeau said that he was “sick and tired” of Jalen Brunson getting “hammered” and not earning foul calls. “Like, I watch. I send it in. I see it all. And they’re fouls. It’s plain and simple, they’re fouls and there’s no other way to say it, except they’re fouls. They’re fouls,” Thibodeau said. “No one drives the ball more to the rim than this guy does. And if you rake across his arm, you rake across his arm. And if you hit him in the head, you hit him in the head. Those are fouls. Those are fouls. [I’m] sick and tired of it.”
In a story for The Athletic, Mike Vorkunov takes a closer look at the journey that new Knicks two-way player Dmytro Skapintsev has taken from Ukraine to the G League to the NBA club.

Knicks Notes: Gibson, Quickley, Brunson, Randle

December 27th, 2023 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Taj Gibson wasn’t in the NBA two weeks ago, but now the 38-year-old big man is playing an important role for the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. With Mitchell Robinson possibly out for the season and Jericho Sims sidelined for another week or two, Gibson has become the team’s primary backup center. He played 15 minutes in the Christmas Day game against Milwaukee after Isaiah Hartenstein got into foul trouble and even spent time guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“Taj’s defensive activity was terrific,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “His hustle plays give us energy.”

Gibson is a long-time Thibodeau favorite, but he wasn’t expected to have such an active role when he signed with the team on December 15. Circumstances have forced him to become more than just a veteran presence on the bench, and he has averaged 9.5 minutes in the six games he has played.

“He’s come in and I think he has a little bigger role than he thought he was going to have originally,” Josh Hart said. “But he’s been great being able to get in and play his style. Obviously he’s been with Thibs for a long time. So he knows the system but, ability to rebound, his communicating, which is huge for us.”

There’s more from New York:

Immanuel Quickley continues to see reduced minutes in Thibodeau’s rotation, notes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Quickley was only on the court for 22 minutes Monday, even though the Knicks outscored the Bucks by 14 points while he was playing. Thibodeau replaced Quickley with RJ Barrett as his closing lineup continues to evolve. “[It’s] part of having a good team, and one thing is we all cheer for each other,” Barrett said. “We know every game can be somebody else’s night. You get in there, you do your job and you cheer for the next man.”
Jalen Brunson is likely headed to his first All-Star game and will get plenty of consideration for All-NBA honors, says Fred Katz of The Athletic. Brunson has raised his game since coming to New York and is in the midst of his best season, averaging 26.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists per night while shooting 48% from the field and 45.9% from three-point range.
In an interview with Shams Charania for Stadium (video link), Julius Randle talks about his complicated relationship with Knicks fans and how much he wants to give them an NBA title. “New York has definitely been the most challenging,” Randle said. “… I want to win so bad. There’s nothing more that I want to do other than win a championship here in the city.”

Knicks Notes: Barrett, Bucks, Brunson, D. Murray

December 25th, 2023 at 7:24pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks forward RJ Barrett broke out of a shooting slump in Monday’s home victory over Milwaukee, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Barrett, who had converted just 36.7% of his field goal attempts over the past six games leading into Monday, set the tone early with 14 points in the first quarter, ultimately finishing with 21 on 8-of-14 shooting in 28 minutes.

“I got into a good rhythm early in the game, helped us get a lead,” Barrett said. “After that, it was kind of trying to play the game and listen to what the game was telling me to do.”

Barrett, 23, is in the first season of a four-year, $107MM+ rookie scale extension.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

The Christmas Day win snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Bucks, with three of those losses coming in 2023/24, notes Braziller of The New York Post. The Knicks had just been defeated by Milwaukee on Saturday. “[It meant] a lot, just because obviously we struggled against this team throughout this year, so the fact that we came up with a win today, it’s special,” said Jalen Brunson, who scored a game-high 38 points. “I liked the way we had a lead and no matter how much they cut the lead down we stayed poised and figured out a way to keep it.”
Brunson’s performance today was a reminder of his “elite ability,” according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who takes a look at the connection between Brunson and Adrian Griffin. The Bucks head coach played with Brunson’s father Rick in the CBA and coached with the elder Brunson in Chicago. “He’s tough because he has all the nuances,” Griffin said of Jalen. “He knows how to draw fouls. He can shoot the 3 off the dribble. He has a pull-up off the bounce, and then he can finish at the rim. He’s a very high IQ player.”
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, “some prominent members” of the Knicks view Hawks guard Dejounte Murray as an “ideal trade target.” However, there’s a significant hurdle to a deal coming together: Murray’s agent is Klutch Sports Group’s Rich Paul, who is “reluctant to do business” with New York. As Begley writes, Paul would help facilitate a move if Murray specifically asked to be traded to the Knicks, but otherwise prefers not to deal with them. That could change if the Knicks agree to an in-person meeting with Paul to work out their differences, Begley reports.

And-Ones: MVP Poll, All-Stars, Basketball Day, Bazley

December 21st, 2023 at 2:26pm CST by Rory Maher

After finishing runner-up to Nikola Jokic in 2020/21 and ’21/22, Sixers center Joel Embiid won his first MVP award last season. And he’s arguably been even better through the first third of the ’23/24 season, averaging career highs in multiple categories, including points (35.1), assists (5.9) and free throw percentage (89.3%).

In the first MVP straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN (subscriber link), Embiid is the clear frontrunner, receiving 63 first-place votes and 848 points. However, several top players are in the mix, with Nuggets center Jokic (630 points), Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (352), Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (340) and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (306) rounding out the top five.

12 total players received at least one top-five vote in the informal poll, which features 100 media members and mimics the NBA’s scoring system. Embiid made it clear he’d welcome more hardware.

“I have a pretty good chance [at another MVP],” Embiid told Bontemps. “I mean, if I have a chance to be in the conversation, why not? I want it all. I’m not shy about it. I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Oh, I don’t care about this.’ Anything that I can get my hands on, I want it.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

All-Star fan voting is underway, prompting Zach Harper of The Athletic to choose his starters to this point in the season. Out West, Harper has Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic in the backcourt, with LeBron James (Lakers) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) joining Jokic in the froncourt. For the East, Harper selects Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Antetokounmpo, and Embiid.
In a press release, the NBA announced its celebrations for the first-ever World Basketball Day, which was established by the United Nations earlier this year during the World Cup. It will be observed annually on December 21 — the day Dr. James Naismith first introduced the game of basketball at the Springfield YMCA in 1891.
Former first-round pick Darius Bazley is attempting to make his way back into the NBA through the G League after being waived by the Nets prior to the season. Playing for the Delaware Blue Coats (the Sixers‘ affiliate), Bazley had a huge game at the Winter Showcase on Wednesday, recording 43 points, 18 rebounds, three steals and six blocks in the victory over the Texas Legends (Twitter link via the NBAGL).

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Gibson, Randle

December 16th, 2023 at 9:38am CST by Tristan Tucker

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson‘s three-point shot is the key to New York’s ability to win games, writes the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. Overall, Brunson is shooting a career-best 46.0% on 6.8 attempts per night from beyond the arc. When the Knicks win, Brunson shoots 57.4% from deep, but when they lose, he shoots just 27.4%.

Bondy breaks down what Brunson’s threes have looked like this season in victories and defeats. Generally, entering Thursday, Brunson was getting more open looks in wins than in losses, including 37% of his threes in wins being “wide open” (compared to 32% in losses).

Like clockwork, Brunson had a historic night from downtown in a 17-point victory against the Suns on Friday. Brunson scored a career-high 50 points in the win, 35 of which came in the second half, where he shot 12-for-12 from the floor and 8-for-8 from three-point range in the period.

Brunson’s overall 9-for-9 performance from three tied the NBA record for the most three-point attempts in a game without a miss (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Fred Katz). Latrell Sprewell did it for the Knicks in 2003.

We have more from the Knicks:

Immanuel Quickley returned from a brief injury absence on Dec. 13, playing just 18 minutes against Utah as Tom Thibodeau continues to navigate his guard rotation. He wasn’t concerned about the lack of minutes, writes Bondy. “Just whatever minutes you get, go out there and be effective,” Quickley said. “Whatever minutes I get — whether 15, 20, 25. I played 55 [in an overtime game] last season. Whatever minutes I get, go out there and help the team win.“
The Knicks are happy to have veteran big man Taj Gibson back in the fold after signing him on Friday. Gibson, 38, spent three seasons with the Knicks before joining the Wizards last year. With Mitchell Robinson sidelined due to injury, it made sense for Gibson to come back, writes Newsday’s Steve Popper. Gibson also spoke about his future upon arriving with the Knicks. “I’m still considering [coaching],” Gibson said. “But it has to be the right situation. I want to be somewhere where I can learn, brighten my future. This is a bright spot for me, being around the coaching staff who I can learn from. Just top to bottom, this is just family for me.“
After a sluggish start to the season that saw him shoot just 31.6% from the field and average 16.5 points per game, Julius Randle has improved his efficiency and turned his season around, writes Bondy in a separate story. Randle’s stated goal before the season was to become a more efficient player, which didn’t seem likely after his start to the year, but he’s shooting 60.0% from the floor and 41.2% from three over the last eight games while averaging 28.0 PPG. “Just playing to my strengths and understanding spots on the court where I can get high-percentage shots where I can either get a high-percentage shot or they double me and I can kick out and play-make for my teammates,” Randle said. “So I understand who I am as a player. While I can shoot the ball and make a ton of 3s, I understand who I am as a player, what my strengths are.“

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Brunson, DiVincenzo, Trade Options

December 11th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has been ruled out for tonight’s game with inflammation in his left ankle and will undergo further testing, writes Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. Robinson injured the ankle in the first half Friday at Boston. He had an X-ray – which was negative, according to coach Tom Thibodeau – and was able to play five minutes in the third quarter before sitting out the rest of the game.

Thibodeau didn’t provide any details on the upcoming tests for Robinson and declined to estimate how much time he might miss. “Until we get the report, it’s just speculation,” Thibodeau told reporters.

Robinson posted a message about the injury on Snapchat (Twitter link from New York Basketball), writing, “Been battling stuff my whole life; some days I feel like I take 10 steps ahead, and others feel like I took 20 steps back; even when I do what I’m supposed to god throws these battles at me that feel like they’re unbeatable no matter what I do I know. I shouldn’t be letting this stuff get to my mental but over time it just takes over. Always going to be an uphill battle.”

Injuries have plagued Robinson throughout his career, Sanchez points out, as he has managed to play 72 games only once in his six years in the NBA. He was limited to 59 appearances last season, missing two and a half weeks with a knee injury in November and then undergoing surgery on a fractured right thumb in January, which kept him out for 14 games.

There’s more from New York:

The outlook is more positive for Jalen Brunson, who suffered an ankle sprain late in Friday’s game and limped off the court, Sanchez adds. Brunson made an appearance Saturday at a Villanova game and appeared to be walking normally. He was able to practice Sunday and Thibodeau expects him to play tonight, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Donte DiVincenzo saw a reduced role in the offense as he moved into the starting lineup Friday night, Sanchez adds in a separate story. Spending more time on the court with ball-dominant teammates, DiVincenzo took just six shots and scored six points in 22 minutes. “I didn’t really feel a difference to be honest with you,” he said. “I’m just a basketball player. Put me with any lineup, I’m gonna be me. I’m gonna cut, I’m gonna shoot some shots, I’m gonna play defense. No matter what unit I’m with, that’s who I am and what I’m going to continue to be.”
There was a lot of talk in the national media this week about the Knicks’ need for a star player, but Steve Popper of Newsday doesn’t believe anyone who might currently be available would make a difference. He questions how Chicago’s Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan or even Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns would get their normal usage rate with the current roster in New York.

New York Notes: Brunson, Grimes, Barrett, Sharpe, Simmons

December 9th, 2023 at 8:29am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks made a lineup change by choice on Friday. They may need to make another out of necessity.

Jalen Brunson turned his ankle in the final minute of the Knicks’ 10-point loss to Boston when he stepped back with his left foot and landed on Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, according to The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.

The game was already decided but coach Tom Thibodeau said he didn’t regret having starters on the court at the time. No details emerged after the game about the severity of Brunson’s injury.

We have more from the New York teams:

Quentin Grimes had 13 points in 19 minutes after being replaced in the lineup by Donte DiVincenzo, who was limited to six points in 22 minutes. Grimes believes, after meeting with Thibodeau, that coming off the bench could be the best thing for him, Bondy writes. “He kind of let me know to try to get me a better rhythm, get me in a better flow, try to get me how I was playing last year,” Grimes said. “He felt like it was the best thing to do and I agree with him. It’s a good thing. I’ll definitely have the ball more, knowing I’m going to get more opportunities. It could be a better situation for me.”
RJ Barrett, responding to comment by TNT analyst Kenny Smith that the Knicks never have the best player of the court when facing the East’s elite, said the team doesn’t need to make a blockbuster trade. “First, we were never going to be good. Now, we’re good, and now, we’re not good enough,” Barrett said, per Bondy. “I think we do, for not having the best player, we do very well for ourselves.”
Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe had his most productive outing this season in a blowout win over Washington on Friday with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes. Sharpe, a third-year player on a rookie deal, isn’t lacking for confidence. “Nobody can really stop me on the glass, for real. Just realizing I’m a dog on the glass. I’m going to go at you every play and you’re gonna have to stop me every play,” Sharpe told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “I just know that if the big guy is gonna block it, more as likely it’s a little guy trying to box me out, and he’s ain’t gonna box me out. So you’re gonna need about three dudes to hit me, and I’m still gonna get the board then.”
Ben Simmons is feeling better after getting an epidural injection for his lower back and the Nets guard has moved to the next stage of his rehab, agent Bernie Lee told Lewis. “It definitely has helped. And just like time and progression has helped him as well,” Lee said. “He’s been doing well, slowly taking steps. He’s starting to move around a little bit now. He’s starting to be able to run on some underwater treadmill stuff. So he’s starting to get around and move.”

Injury Notes: Mobley, Embiid, Brunson, Little, O. Porter

December 8th, 2023 at 10:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley missed his first game of the 2023/24 season on Friday due to left knee soreness. The third-year forward/center also didn’t participate in the team’s shootaround, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link), who reports that Mobley could miss multiple games with the injury, though that depends on how he responds to treatment.

The Cavs’ next game is Monday in Orlando, so Mobley will have a couple more days to determine how he’s feeling, Fedor notes. Forward Dean Wade started in Mobley’s place during Friday’s victory in Miami.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Reigning MVP Joel Embiid will be reevaluated on Saturday after sustaining a left leg injury in the Sixers‘ victory over Atlanta on Friday, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Embiid grabbed at his knee after falling on a drive, Vorkunov adds, but he was able to play through it while favoring his left leg.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson sustained an injury to his lower left leg after stepping on Payton Pritchard‘s foot with 21 seconds remaining and the Knicks down 12 to Boston, per New York Basketball (Twitter video link). The team’s leading scorer was able to head to the locker room under his own power, but had a noticeable limp. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said he didn’t regret having Brunson in the game, despite the loss being all but guaranteed (Twitter link via Stefan Bondy of The New York Post). Brunson didn’t speak to the media afterward, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
Suns wing Nassir Little took a hard fall in the first quarter of Friday’s contest vs. Sacramento and appeared to be woozy after the incident, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Little was later ruled out of the remainder of the contest, as he’s being evaluated for a concussion. He could be sidelined for multiple games if he did indeed sustain a concussion.
Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. exited Friday’s game with a left foot contusion. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca observes (via Twitter), that’s the same foot that caused Porter to miss most of last season after he had surgery. This injury hopefully isn’t serious, however, as X-rays were negative, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Trade Rumors, Towns, Quickley, Grades

December 8th, 2023 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Knicks have conveyed to potential trade partners that they want to acquire a star, they don’t expect one to become available during the 2023/24 season, Fred Katz writes for The Athletic.

Katz, like Ian Begley of SNY.tv, has heard from league sources that New York hasn’t expressed any serious interest in Bulls scorers Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who are presumably a tier or two below the level of player the Knicks would ideally like to land in any major trade. Sixers center Joel Embiid is one example of the kind of star who would interest New York’s front office, but Philadelphia’s success this season has reduced the likelihood that the Knicks will get a chance to make a play for Embiid anytime soon, Katz notes.

At this time last year, the Knicks had already been in touch with some teams to gauge Immanuel Quickley‘s potential trade value, but things have been quiet so far this season, Katz continues. Still, some people within the Knicks’ front office believe a “too-many-guys situation could be brewing,” sources tell The Athletic, so a consolidation trade at some point this season is a possibility.

Here’s more on the Knicks, including some additional trade-related chatter from Katz:

The Knicks checked in on Karl-Anthony Towns earlier this season, but didn’t make an offer for the Timberwolves big man and haven’t made a “serious run” at him in recent years, Katz writes. Towns has frequently been cited as a possible trade target for the Knicks due to his connections to executives Leon Rose (a former CAA agent) and Gersson Rosas (Minnesota’s former head of basketball operations), but the Wolves are off to a 16-4 start and presumably won’t be looking to make significant roster changes.
Teams around the NBA are curious to see how the Knicks will handle Quickley, who will be a restricted free agent in 2024, says Katz. According to Begley, when Quickley and the Knicks talked about a rookie scale extension prior to the season, the two sides couldn’t agree on the structure of a potential deal. They didn’t discuss incentives, but at least one offer made by New York included a team option on the final season, Begley adds. Just two of the 14 players who signed rookie scale extensions this year – Isaiah Stewart and Cole Anthony – agreed to deals that included team options.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required) hands out his grades for the first quarter of the 2023/24 season, awarding Jalen Brunson an A and giving both Quickley and Julius Randle a B-plus. Josh Hart (C-minus) and Quentin Grimes (D-minus), who have voiced concerns about their respective roles, didn’t fare as well.