Kristaps Porzingis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Patterson, Lakers, KP, Lonzo

January 20th, 2021 at 7:47pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In his second year with the Clippers, reserve power forward Patrick Patterson is impressing his Los Angeles teammates and coaches with his preparation, according to Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register.

“Coming in every single day and getting (his) work in, condition-wise, shots, always putting in the extra time,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said of Patterson’s prep work, despite a limited on-court rule thus far. “Pat Pat has been doing a good job of playing five-on-five with the young guys, and just keeping his flow.”

There’s more out of the Western Conference:

Complacency may be the toughest adversary the reigning champion Lakers confront during the 2020/21 season, says Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Though the defensive-oriented champs have lost two games they led entering the fourth quarter this season after not dropping a single such game during 2019/20, their offensive output has improved notably, Goon opines.
Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis has been trending upward since his return to game action, according to Dwain Price of Mavs.com.
Fourth-year Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball has struggled to fit in on the hardwood during his second season with New Orleans, writes Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer. After failing to agree to terms on an extension by the deadline this season, Ball will be a restricted free agent this summer. Though he’s a savvy player and good defender, Ball’s jump shooting (just 38.7% from the floor) has limited his efficacy this season.

Southwest Notes: Alexander-Walker, Harden, Porzingis, Jackson

January 15th, 2021 at 7:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Continued improvement and consistency from Nickeil Alexander-Walker could make it more feasible for the Pelicans to move Lonzo Ball down the road, Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes. Alexander-Walker, a first-round pick in 2019, erupted for a career-high 37 points against the Clippers on Wednesday.

“The big measure for young guys is not what happens when everything is rolling your way,” Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s what happens when you’re having a frustrating night.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets defeated the Spurs in their first game since the James Harden trade and rookie forward Jae’Sean Tate said the team was determined to put up a unified front, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Houston also played without the most prominent player it acquired, Victor Oladipo, as well as injured guards John Wall and Eric Gordon. “There’s a lot of guys — on the team and coaching staff and the GM — everybody has so much to prove,” Tate said.
Kristaps Porzingis‘ season debut reinforced the feeling that he may be best suited at power forward, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News writes. Porzingis often played center last season when Dwight Powell injured his Achilles. The Mavericks are unbeaten this season since Willie Cauley-Stein became the starter at center. The Mavs are likely to keep Porzingis at power forward for the time being, Townsend adds.
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. vows that he’ll return to action this season, as he told Marc Spears of The Undefeated. He suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee in August. “I’ll be back this [season]. Who knows when, but it won’t be too long,” he said.

Kristaps Porzingis Set To Make Season Debut

January 11th, 2021 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

[UPDATE: Monday’s Mavericks/Pelicans game has been postponed.]

Barring a last-minute setback, Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis is poised to make his season debut on Monday night against the Pelicans, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Porzingis, who underwent surgery in October to repair the meniscus in his right knee, spent the offseason recovering from and rehabbing that injury, but wasn’t quite ready to go when the regular season got underway last month.

The 25-year-old had been a full participant in practice for the last two weeks as he worked on getting back up to game speed, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Over the weekend, he was upgraded to questionable for Monday’s game.

Porzingis’ return should provide a shot in the arm to a Mavericks team that is missing multiple players due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. After a slow start, Dallas has won its last three games to push its record above .500 (5-4).

Although he has battled health issues throughout his NBA career, Porzingis has been a standout contributor when he’s on the court. In his first full season in Dallas in 2019/20, he averaged 20.4 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 2.0 BPG in 57 games (31.8 MPG).

Southwest Notes: DeRozan, Gasol’s Homecoming, Wood, KP

January 9th, 2021 at 1:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Spurs wing DeMar DeRozan has added a three-point shot and built upon his passing game this year, all while taking a step back from lead ball-handling duties, according to Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer. In his 12th NBA season, DeRozan is shooting a career-best 42.9% from deep on 2.6 attempts per contest, while averaging a career-high 7.3 assists per game.

Tjarks notes that DeRozan is averaging 10 fewer touches a game this season than young Spurs guard Dejounte Murray. DeRozan has also closed games as a small-ball power forward, carrying over a sped-up, shooting-heavy offensive approach that coach Gregg Popovich first implemented during the 2019/20 season restart in Orlando.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

New Lakers center Marc Gasol, a three-time All-Star and the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year with the Grizzlies, had an interesting homecoming experience during a 108-94 defeat of Memphis this week, per Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Facing a FedExForum arena bereft of fans due to a raging pandemic, the 35-year-old big man noted that, “In your mind,” Gasol said, “the stands also are full.” Though Gasol was traded to the Raptors during the 2018/19 season en route to a title with Toronto, this marked his first game back at the arena where he became a star.
New Rockets star center Christian Wood struggled with going undrafted out of UNLV in 2015 and being waived by several NBA clubs before getting the security of the three-year, $41MM contract he signed with Houston during the 2020 offseason, as Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated details. “It showed me how hard I worked and how far I came from going from a minimum and non-guaranteed contract to being waived a number of times that I couldn’t even tell you,” Wood said.
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle has suggested that starting center Kristaps Porzingis could be close to his return for Dallas, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Carlisle indicated that Porzingis could return approximately a week from now “if all things continue to go well.”

Texas Notes: Burke, Spurs, KP, Wood

December 29th, 2020 at 7:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Mavericks reserve point guard Trey Burke has dealt with a variety of ups and downs in 2020, writes Dwain Price of Mavericks.com. Burke’s year had an ignominious start when the Sixers waived him before the coronavirus pandemic caused a 2019/20 season pause.

Burke was then dealt a blow when he contracted the COVID-19 before the 2019/20 NBA season restart. “Everyone knows about the corona situation – me coming down with corona and getting through that and getting to Orlando and helping the team produce,” Burke said. His subsequent performance in the Orlando restart for the Mavericks earned him a three-year, $9.45MM deal in the 2020 offseason.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

The Spurs have announced in a press release that they will keep fans out of the AT&T Center for the foreseeable future this season. “While we are confident in the plans and protocols we have in place, we are uncomfortable hosting fans at this moment as the COVID-19 numbers and data in our community continue to trend in the wrong direction,” team president R.C. Buford said in the statement.
Center Kristaps Porzingis took part in his first full-contact Mavericks team practice since an October right knee lateral meniscus surgery, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Head coach Rick Carlisle expects that Porzingis will likely return to the court for Dallas in January. “Sometime in the next couple of weeks isn’t far-fetched,” Carlisle said.
Despite an 0-2 start and some off-court pathos, new Rockets big man Christian Wood has impressed new head coach Stephen Silas thus far, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “Still trying to find his way, and we have to make sure he’s rolling and popping at the right time,” Silas said. “He started off really good hitting those three 3s early, but he’s got a little ways to go as well. We all do.” Wood is currently averaging 27.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 40.0 MPG for a depleted Rockets squad. He also has a stellar shooting line of .548/.571/.667.

Southwest Notes: Aldridge, KP, Harden, Grizzlies

December 20th, 2020 at 1:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge is comfortable being a veteran presence with San Antonio, writes Tom Orbsorn of the San Antonio Express-News. A 15-year NBA veteran (and seven-time All Star), the 6’11” Aldridge will earn $24MM in his final year under contract.

“It’s fun,” Aldridge commented about his role among a young Spurs team. “They bring a lot of energy and a lot of spark. I’m just watching them learn and grow and take steps everyday in practice and games, and it’s been fun to watch. They’re just going to get better and better.”

Rookie guards Devin Vassell, drafted with the No. 11 pick out of Florida State, and Tre Jones, drafted with the No. 41 pick out of Duke, are the latest additions to the Spurs’ youth movement.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Star Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis has been medically cleared to participate in non-contact defensive work and 5-on-0 play for the first time this season, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Porzingis will start practicing and travel with the team during the club’s upcoming road trip to Phoenix and L0s Angeles to open up the regular season, though he won’t play until January.
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas has said that reports of All-NBA guard James Harden‘s various possible trade destinations have not distracted the club, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The superstar has been linked to the Nets, Sixers, and Heat, among other clubs, as he hopes for a trade. “He has been committed since he’s been here,” Silas said. “He’s been great in practice, good to talk to, listening, trying, asking good questions, pulling me aside and telling me the things that he sees.”
With COVID-19 cases spiking in Memphis, the Grizzlies will not host any fans in person for games at their home court, the FedEx Forum, to start the regular season, according to a team press release.

Southwest Rumors: Harden, Westbrook, Grizzlies, Porzingis, More

December 1st, 2020 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets still expect to begin the season with former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook on their roster, despite a handful of November trade rumors, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during an appearance on Complex’s Load Management podcast.

Although there’s no momentum toward a trade involving either player, Charania dropped a couple interesting tidbits during his podcast discussion about the Rockets stars, mentioning that the Warriors “made a call” about Harden and that the Cavaliers talked to Houston about Westbrook. Based on Charania’s comments, it doesn’t sound like any traction was gained in either case.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Grizzlies are currently carrying 17 players on guaranteed contracts, meaning a couple of those players will have to be traded or released before the start of the regular season. Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian suggests that Mario Hezonja and Marko Guduric appear to be the most likely odd men out.
Confirming a previous report, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle reiterated today that Kristaps Porzingis (knee) won’t play until at least January, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Carlisle did say that Porzingis’ rehab is going well and that the big man is doing “light court work.”
Mavericks rookie guard Tyrell Terry will receive $4.6MM in guaranteed money on his four-year contract, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. While we don’t know the exact terms of Terry’s deal, it sounds like his first three seasons will be guaranteed.
The three-year, minimum-salary contract that second-rounder Tre Jones signed with the Spurs is fully guaranteed for the first two years, as Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports details (via Twitter).

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Pelicans, Lewis Jr., Mavericks

November 29th, 2020 at 7:35pm CST by JD Shaw

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently compared Luka Doncic‘s style of play and charisma to that of one the most entertaining and successful point guards in league history — Magic Johnson.

Doncic, 21, is coming off a breakout season that saw him average 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists on 46% shooting. He also led his team to the seventh-best record in the West at 43-32, losing to the Clippers 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs.

“He [Doncic] can pass the ball, see from the top, get where he wants from the court. Knows how to pass to guys on time and on target,” Cuban said in an appearance on the Danger Show (as relayed by Dan Cancian of Newsweek.com).

“Clutch player in crunch time. [He] will take on responsibility against anybody, anytime. Great teammate. Fun Kid. Magic will light things up with a smile, Luka’s the same way for the Mavs. He’s got that charisma that Magic has.”

Here are some other notes from the Southwest Division tonight:

William Guillory of The Athletic explores how much spacing could be a concern for the Pelicans this year. New Orleans has transformed its roster ahead of the 2020/21 season, hiring head coach Stan Van Gundy and his staff, inking Brandon Ingram to a multi-year extension and acquiring Steven Adams to bolster the frontcourt. The team possesses the talent needed to reach the playoffs next season, though it remains unclear whether it has enough shooting to be a legitimate contender.
Pelicans rookie Kira Lewis Jr. is a student of the game at just 19 years old, Christian Clark of Nola.com writes. Lewis was drafted by the team with the No. 13 pick this month, having spent the past two seasons at Alabama. “He’s a student of the game,” former AAU coach Cory Underwood said. “That’s why he’s going to find a way to succeed in the NBA somehow, someway. He’s been doing things like that since he was young. A lot of guys now, you’ll find NBA guys. The Anthony Edwards thing was a big thing. He said he doesn’t watch basketball. A lot of kids don’t watch basketball. Kira Lewis watches basketball.”
Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News examines the five biggest issues the Mavericks will face entering training camp, beginning with a pair of questions related to Kristaps Porzingis. The team still doesn’t have a concrete timetable for Porzingis’ return from injury, with team president Donnie Nelson recently giving an early-January target range for the 25-year-old. The club must also determine whether he’ll primarily play power forward or center this season.

Southwest Notes: Porzingis, Jackson Jr., Winslow, Metu

November 19th, 2020 at 9:49am CST by Arthur Hill

There’s no timetable for Kristaps Porzingis to return to action following knee surgery, but he’s optimistic about his recovery, tweets Dwain Price of Mavs.com. Porzingis underwent a procedure in October to repair the meniscus in his right knee and won’t be available when the season starts.

“The only thing I know is that I’m recovering well, and that’s the most important thing,” he said. “We’ll see. I would like to start as soon as possible and I’m doing all the things necessary to do that.”

Porzingis hurt his knee in the first game of Dallas’ playoff series against the Clippers and played two more games with the injury. The Mavericks hope he will be cleared to resume on-court activities by January 1.

“I think I’m pretty close to being able to get some shots up,” Porzingis said. “We’re just taking it easy, we’re taking our time, but I’m pretty much there and I can’t wait to start doing more stuff. But I have to be smart, I have to be patient.” (Twitter link)

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks tried to get a higher pick in the first round of last night’s draft, but weren’t able to work out a deal, tweets Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. General manager Donnie Nelson said the team also had opportunities to move down, but didn’t want to pass up Josh Green with the 18th pick.
The Grizzlies will have to start the new season without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Justise Winslow, writes Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman confirmed that both players aren’t fully recovered from injuries that sidelined them last season. Winslow, who had an injured hip, is expected back before Jackson, who underwent knee surgery in August. “I would say that Justise is going to return early this season. It might not be day one, but no setbacks,” Kleiman said. “He’s been in our facility in Memphis, working out twice a day, doing an awesome job in his rehab and we’ll be excited to have him early in the season.”
Spurs center Chimezie Metu has changed agents, signing with Wasserman’s Darren Matsubara, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Kristaps Porzingis To Miss Start Of 2020/21 Season

November 16th, 2020 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis, who underwent surgery last month to repair the meniscus in his right knee, won’t be ready for the start of the 2020/21 season, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said today during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.

“We’re going to make sure that that’s 100 percent before we put him out there, so that’s going to be into the season before we are able to have him join us,” Nelson said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Nelson told ESPN that the Mavs are targeting January 1 as the date when Porzingis would be cleared to begin on-court activities. The 25-year-old will need some time to get up to speed after resuming basketball activities, so he may end up missing the first few weeks of the shortened season.

Porzingis suffered his knee injury in Game 1 of this year’s playoffs against the Clippers, though he was able to play two more games after that and the team didn’t announce the diagnosis of a torn meniscus until after Game 5.

Health problems have been an issue for Porzingis throughout his NBA career — he has missed double-digit games in each of his five professional seasons and was sidelined for the entire 2018/19 season due to a torn ACL. When he has been on the court, Porzingis has been a standout contributor for the Knicks and Mavs. In his first full season in Dallas in 2019/20, he averaged 20.4 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 2.0 BPG in 57 games (31.8 MPG).

Meanwhile, Nelson also addressed the health of Dallas’ other recovering big man during today’s radio appearance, telling 105.3 The Fan that Dwight Powell is expected to be able to participate at least in a limited capacity when training camp begins, as MacMahon relays.

“We’re not going to rush, we’re going to do it the right way, but we’re pretty optimistic that he’ll be able to join us out of the gates,” Nelson said of Powell, who is returning from a torn Achilles.