Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Justin Jackson (UNC)

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/29/17

November 29th, 2017 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Knicks sent Joakim Noah and Damyean Dotson to the G League today, then recalled them after the conclusion of the Westchester Knicks’ day game (Twitter links). Dotson scored 23 points in the loss to Maine, while Noah chipped in with nine points, five boards, and four assists.
  • Troy Williams has been re-assigned to the G League by the Rockets, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Williams figures to suit up tonight for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers against the Texas Legends.
  • The Kings have assigned a trio of players – Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson, and Justin Jackson – to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. The Reno Bighorns don’t play again until Saturday, so it’s not clear if the three youngsters will stick around that long, or if they’re just on assignment for practice purposes.
  • After helping the Delaware 87ers earn a win on Tuesday, rookie guard Furkan Korkmaz has been recalled to the NBA by the Sixers, per a press release from the team. Korkmaz had just 14 points on 3-of-12 shooting for Delaware last night, but was a team-best +19.
  • The Pacers have sent rookie center Ike Anigbogu to the G League, the club announced today. Anigbogu has played just 17 total minutes for Indiana so far this season, so assignments to the G League give him an opportunity to get more reps.
Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Kings Notes: Jackson, Kuzma, Papagiannis, Mason

November 25th, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

First-round pick Justin Jackson is falling out of the Kings’ rotation with DNPs in two straight games, and Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee explains why in a mailbag column. Sacramento has opted for a smaller starting lineup with two point guards, free agent addition George Hill and rookie De’Aaron Fox. Garrett Temple has moved to small forward, where he shares time with Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield.

That has cut into the minutes for Jackson, who started five games earlier in the season. Coach Dave Joerger has been using veteran Vince Carter off the bench ahead of Jackson, and the power forward minutes Jackson used to get are now going to Skal Labissiere and Willie Cauley-Stein. Jackson hasn’t performed terribly, averaging 6.7 points in about 19 minutes per night, but it looks like his playing time is going to be limited as long as Joerger relies on his veterans.
There’s more out of Sacramento:
  • The Kings could have solved their small forward problems by taking rookie sensation Kyle Kuzma in the draft, Jones states in the same piece. Sacramento brought Kuzma in for a pre-draft workout and saw his performance at the combine, but opted for Jackson with the 15th pick and Harry Giles at No. 20. Jones says fans should watch Giles in action before criticizing the pick. Giles is being held out until at least January because of his injury history with both knees.
  • Second-year center Georgios Papagiannis can expect to spend most of this season in the G League, Jones adds. Joerger wants the 20-year-old to get plenty of playing time, which won’t happen with the NBA squad, where he is behind Kosta Koufos and Zach Randolph. Jones thinks Papagiannis will get a chance to show the Kings what he can do once the G League season ends. He was the 13th pick in the 2016 draft, but played just 22 games for Sacramento last season and four so far this year.
  • Before earning his way into the Kings’ rotation four games ago, rookie point guard Frank Mason endured a lot of slights in his basketball career, Jones writes in a separate story. A second-round pick out of Kansas, Mason provides a defensive tenacity the team has lacked. “Even if they didn’t need a tough guy to come off the bench, that’s still who I am,” Mason said. “That’s what I bring to the team and I’ll continue to be that way and play that way forever.”
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Pacific Notes: Jackson, Jersey Sponsorship, Clippers

September 24th, 2017 at 7:57pm CST by Austin Kent

The Kings enter training camp with one of the more interesting rosters in the NBA. Only one of the club’s three first-round picks from the 2017 NBA Draft, however, makes sense as a starter on opening day. Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes that Justin Jackson boasts the length and offensive awareness to make an impact out of the gates.

In particular, Jones writes that Jackson impressed the Kings’ coaching staff with how quickly he picked up the team’s offensive and defensive schemes. The fact that he doesn’t need the ball to be effective on offense is another bonus, too.

The fact that Jackson may be the only Kings rookie ready to break the starting lineup right away is merely a product of circumstance. Jones notes that De’Aaron Fox could still be instrumental in his first season with the club, despite the fact that he’ll likely cede starts to veteran George Hill.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Earlier this week, the Lakers announced that they had come to terms on a jersey sponsorship deal with Wish, John Lombardo and Terry Lefton report for the Sports Business Journal. The team specifically sought a sponsor that would appeal to a younger audience and did so with the company behind one of the fastest growing e-commerce apps available.
  • It won’t be easy for the Clippers to maintain their status as a 50-win team in the Western Conference, Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register rights. This offseason the roster saw a substantial amount of turnover.
  • The Warriors are heavily favored to repeat as NBA champions after maintaining the bulk of their historically successful core, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes. Many other teams, however, made dramatic moves to try to catch them.
Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

And-Ones: Rookies, All-Stars, Breakouts

August 6th, 2017 at 6:02pm CST by Austin Kent

A number rookies appear poised to outperform their draft slot, Mike Schmitz of ESPN Insider writes, including one Dennis Smith Jr. whose impressive summer league performance and prime situation with the Mavs have already been discussed ad nauseam.

The scribe makes compelling cases for five other breakout candidates, however, ranging from Jazz lottery pick Donovan Mitchell to the Lakers‘ Kyle Kuzma, selected 27th overall. Schmitz cites Mitchell’s length and defensive ability, arguing that the wing will work his way into Utah’s still-relevant rotation.

Schmitz also speculates that Justin Jackson will thrive with the Kings considering that he’s a poised perimeter option that doesn’t need the ball in his hands on offense.

Although the profiles are hidden behind Insider’s paywall, they discuss the upside and various situation’s that these first-year players find themselves. In addition to the abovementioned, John Collins of the Hawks and Nets big man Jarrett Allen are also featured.

There’s more from throughout the NBA:

  • In a comprehensive account of Darko Milicic‘s life after basketball, ESPN’s Sam Borden revealed that Milicic had made up his mind about never playing in the NBA again when he left the Celtics. It was said, at the time, that he was returning to be with his ailing mother.
  • It may be early to speculate about the 2018 NBA All-Star Game but that didn’t stop A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England from stringing together a potential squad. Familiar faces make up the starting lineup but new additions Jimmy Butler and Paul George make the case for qualifying as a reserve ever more difficult for the players in the conference.
  • With a new season comes new opportunity and David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders has pieced together a summary of Pacific Division players that he thinks may be able to take the next step in 2017/18.
Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

Kings Sign First-Round Pick Justin Jackson

July 6th, 2017 at 5:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Kings have signed Justin Jackson to a rookie scale deal, according to NBA.com. Jackson will take home nearly $13.5MM over the next four years, assuming he signed for the standard 120% of the rookie scale.

Sacramento traded down from the No. 10 pick in order to select Jackson with the No. 15 selection as well as Harry Giles with the No. 20 overall selection. Outside of their draft night trade, the Kings also nabbed De’Aaron Fox with the No. 5 overall pick and Frank Mason III with the No. 34 overall pick.

Jackson spent three seasons at UNC where he helped lead the team to a national title last year. As a junior, he earned the ACC Player of the Year award in a season where he scored 18.3 points per game while pulling down 4.7 rebounds.

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Kings Notes: Fox, Post Draft Grades, Private Jet

June 24th, 2017 at 9:17am CST by marksuleymanov

The Kings got their man when they selected De’Aaron Fox with the fifth overall pick in Thursday’s draft but even if the team had the first pick, the result may have been the same. Per Sean Cunningham of ABC 10 (via Twitter), general manager Vlade Divac said that Sacramento “most likely” would have taken Fox first overall.

“It was a guy that we all loved and in some way,” he said, according to The Sacramento Bee’s Ailene Voisin. “If we had the No. 1 pick, he would’ve been our guy. De’Aaron is our future.”

The Kentucky guard averaged 16.7 PPG and 4.6 APG in 36 collegiate contests this past season and was rumored to be taken anywhere from second overall to sixth overall. Despite working out for several teams, Fox told FOX Sports’ Aaron Torres that the vibe around the team was special and that he felt his presence could lead to bigger things.

“I know they really want a point guard, I know they need one,” Fox said. “They have the young pieces, and in a few years I do think we could be competing for championships.

Here are additional notes surrounding the Kings:

Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0

Blazers Acquire No. 10 Pick, Draft Zach Collins

June 22nd, 2017 at 9:05pm CST by Luke Adams

9:05pm: The trade is now official, according to the Blazers. The Kings used the 15th and 20th picks on Justin Jackson and Harry Giles, respectively.

7:36pm: The Trail Blazers and Kings have agreed to a trade involving draft picks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Wojnarowski reports that Portland will send the 15th and 20th overall selections to Sacramento in exchange for the No. 10 pick.

Having acquired the 10th overall pick, the Blazers will use the selection to draft former Gonzaga big man Zach Collins, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

[RELATED: Complete 2017 NBA Draft Results]

The Kings had already used the No. 5 overall pick to select point guard De’Aaron Fox, but had a second top-10 pick as a result of February’s DeMarcus Cousins trade with the Pelicans. Sacramento will turn that selection into two more mid-first-rounders, and the team is now a candidate to use one of those picks on a draft-and-stash prospect.

As for the Blazers, they entered the night with three first-round picks. In this deal, they’ll send out their own pick (No. 15) and the Grizzlies’ first-rounder (No. 20), which they acquired in February in a trade with the Nuggets.

Portland will still have the No. 26 pick and will add a promising young big man in Collins with the No. 10 pick, leaving prospects like Malik Monk, Donovan Mitchell, and Luke Kennard for teams picking outside of the top 10.

Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Notes: Jackson, Bako, Collins

June 18th, 2017 at 8:01pm CST by Austin Kent

The Hornets worked out a handful of possible first-round draft picks Sunday, including familiar face Justin Jackson. Alongside video footage of Jackson following the workout, Diedra Laird of the Charlotte Observer writes that club additionally auditioned Bam Adebayo, Luke Kennard and more.

Jackson, a North Carolina product, is being forecast as the No. 19 overall pick in NBADraft.net‘s latest mock draft. Duke product Kennard, on the other hand, has been projected as the No. 12 pick. Adebayo, out of Kentucky, is currently forecast to go No. 17 in that same mock.

Although the Hornets will pick earlier than any of those projections at No. 11, it’s reasonable that they could elect to take a flyer on a blue chip prospect that played their college basketball in state.

There are more pre-draft workout notes from around the league:

Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0

Pre-Draft Workouts: Hart, Smith Jr., Kennard, Adebayo

June 17th, 2017 at 1:33pm CST by Joshua Fischman

It’s that time of the summer, days until the NBA draft, when your favorite team is doing its due diligence and working out every prospect and his brother. Here is the latest in pre-draft workout news:

Retweet 8 Share 0 Send via email0

Central Notes: Korver, Williams, Workouts

June 16th, 2017 at 5:58pm CST by Austin Kent

There’s a better chance that the Cavaliers bring mid-season trade acquisition Kyle Korver back for 2017/18 than buyout season bargain Deron Williams, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. In response to a reader’s question, Vardon broke down the circumstances of their respective pending free agencies.

Because they gave up a first-round pick to acquire him, the Cavaliers hold Korver’s Bird Rights. That means, of course, that they can go above the salary cap to retain him, something outright inevitable given that they’re operating with the league’s highest payroll. Bringing Korver – who led the league in 3-point percentage at age 36 – back is a cost effective way of keeping offensive weapons on board for next season.

Williams, in contrast, will be limited in the size of contract he can land with the Cavaliers, a figure certainly less than what he drew on the open market with the Mavs last offseason. Despite his having been waived by Dallas in February, his eventual playoff struggles with Cleveland and the staggering fact that he’ll make $5.5MM for the next three years thanks to a stretch provision dating back to his time with the Nets, Vardon says he’s “unlikely” to sign with the Cavaliers for just their $5.1 exception.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Bucks worked out a handful of guards Friday, including Donovan Mitchell (projected to be drafted at No. 14 by NBADraft.net) and Justin Jackson (No. 19). A report on Milwaukee’s official website has the details.
  • The Pistons spent time Friday working out a number of deep sleepers, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. The scribe notes facetiously that the names aren’t likely candidates to go 12th overall. With no second-round pick, Detroit could be auditioning eventual free agent options.
  • The Pacers will bring John Collins (projected to be drafted at No. 13 by NBADraft.net) and Harry Giles (No. 22) in for a workout Saturday, the team writes on its official site, as well as several others.
  • A combination of age and limited financial flexibility could make it difficult for the Cavaliers to improve this offseason, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes. Marks notes that even if the club looked elsewhere than Kyle Korver and Deron Williams, they’d only have minimum contracts and the mid-level exception at their disposal.
Retweet 7 Share 0 Send via email0