Luka Doncic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Notes: Campazzo, Ntilikina, Luka, Dinwiddie, Wood, McGee

November 19th, 2022 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

When Luka Doncic sat out on Wednesday vs. Houston, it gave backup Mavericks guards Facundo Campazzo and Frank Ntilikina a rare opportunity to see the court. Both players, who were only on the floor in garbage time in the first 13 games of the season, established season highs in minutes, with Campazzo logging 23 and Ntilikina playing 12.

Although Dallas lost the game and the duo was a combined 3-of-11 from the floor, both Campazzo and Ntilikina had positive net ratings on the night, and head coach Jason Kidd said before the game that it would be a boon if the team could rely on one or both players to help reduce the workloads being carried by Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie.

“We’re looking for them to run the team,” Kidd said of Campazzo and Ntilikina, according to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “We got to get other guys involved, especially with Spencer and LD and the load they’re carrying now. We got to find other options to get them a little rest during the game than just running those guys 40 minutes every night.”

Doncic was back in the lineup for Friday’s blowout win over Denver, so Campazzo and Ntilikina weren’t part of the regular rotation. However, the one-sided nature of the game allowed Kidd to get them on the floor in the fourth quarter, limiting Doncic and Dinwiddie to 35 and 26 minutes, respectively.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Christian Wood earned praise on Wednesday from both his former head coach (Stephen Silas) and his current head coach. As Sefko details, Silas said he was “proud” of the way Wood has matured over the course of his NBA career, while Kidd lauded the big man for his willingness to accept a reserve role so far in Dallas. “He’s done everything that we’ve asked, he’s been great,” Kidd said. “You look at accepting his role, coming off the bench. He and Timmy (Hardaway Jr.) could easily start for us. But we felt like having those two coming off the bench is something that gives us the advantage. And C-Wood has done an incredible job.”
Even though Wood isn’t starting or finishing games, is he the perfect pick-and-roll partner the Mavericks have long sought for Doncic? Michael Pina of The Ringer explores that question, noting that the team has a 123.1 offensive rating with Doncic and Wood on the court together. That’s the 13th-best mark out of 539 duos who have played at least 150 minutes together this season.
JaVale McGee joined the Mavericks as a free agent this past summer after the team promised him its starting center job, but he was moved to the bench after just seven starts and hasn’t seen much action as of late. Fortunately, McGee is taking the demotion in stride, tweets Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “If they feel I shouldn’t be starting, I’ll cheer from the bench,” McGee said. “If they feel like I should start or however many minutes they think I should play, I’m going to play them my hardest.”

Health Updates: Cavs, Doncic, Zion, Connaughton, Banchero, Celtics

November 16th, 2022 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Cavaliers wing Dylan Windler has received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his injured right ankle, the team confirmed today in a press release.

According to the Cavaliers, Windler will miss approximately four-to-six weeks while recovering, with the ankle stabilized in a walking cast for the time being. Health issues have limited the former first-round pick to just 81 total appearances since he entered the NBA in 2019.

Meanwhile, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has officially been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Milwaukee, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. However, it sounds like Allen’s left ankle soreness, which sidelined him on Sunday, is no longer the primary issue — he’s listed on the official injury report as having a non-COVID illness.

Here are a few more health-related updates from around the NBA:

Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss a game for the first time this season on Wednesday, with the club opting to give him a rest night vs. Houston (Twitter link). Doncic is averaging a career-high 37.2 minutes per game and played 40 minutes in the first half of the team’s back-to-back set on Tuesday, so this decision had been expected, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will miss a second consecutive game on Wednesday due to a right foot contusion, the team announced. Head coach Willie Green‘s comments on Tuesday suggested that it isn’t a serious injury, so perhaps Williamson will be able to return on Friday vs. Boston.
It appears Bucks wing Pat Connaughton will likely make his regular season debut on Wednesday vs. Cleveland. Connaughton, who has been on the shelf due to a right calf strain, has been upgraded to probable, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Magic rookie forward Paolo Banchero will miss a fourth straight game on Wendesday vs. Minnesota due to a left ankle sprain, according to the team (via Twitter).
The Celtics will be without two key members of their backcourt on Wednesday vs. Atlanta, having ruled out both Malcolm Brogdon (right hamstring tightness) and Marcus Smart (right ankle inflammation), the team announced (via Twitter).

Southwest Notes: Jackson Jr., Anderson, Doncic, Bassey

November 13th, 2022 at 5:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaren Jackson Jr. is close to making his season debut for the Grizzlies, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Jackson was listed as doubtful to play against Washington on Sunday, then was declared out. He was listed as out for all previous games this season as he rehabbed from foot surgery. Jackson recently started playing in 5-on-5 situations during practice.

Memphis’ backcourt of Ja Morant (ankle) and Desmond Bane (toe) also missed the game, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post tweets.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Former Grizzlies forward Kyle Anderson signed with the Timberwolves as a free agent this summer but the veteran forward is rooting for his former team when they’re not playing his current one, Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. “They’ve taken it to a whole new level. Those guys put the work and they work very hard so I’m always happy for them on their journey for sure, watching from afar,” Anderson said. “So it’s pretty awesome to see them do big things.”
Luka Doncic‘s usage rate is higher than any other player in the league, prompting Tim Cato of The Athletic to consider whether Doncic can keep going at this pace. The Mavericks star admitted after a loss this week, “I’m just feeling more tired on the court these last two games than anything,” and his shooting percentages in the fourth quarter are much lower than in any other quarter. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today explores the same topic, noting that Doncic is playing a career-high 36.9 MPG and has a usage rate of 39.14%, which would be the third-highest all-time behind Russell Westbrook’s 41.65% in 2016/17 and James Harden’s 40.47 in 2018/19.
With Zach Collins out approximately a month with a leg fracture, Charles Bassey has an opportunity to get rotation minutes at center for the Spurs, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News points out. “He kind of looks the part,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He doesn’t look like a deer in the headlights or anything like that.” Bassey signed a two-way contract with San Antonio in late October.

Texas Notes: Wood, Doncic, Garuba, Spurs

November 10th, 2022 at 8:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is off to a high-scoring start for Dallas, but it hasn’t entirely translated to team success for the 6-5 club. Seth Partnow of The Athletic explores whether Doncic may be carrying too big a burden for the Mavericks in the team’s heliocentric offense.

Through 11 games, Doncic is averaging 33.6 PPG for the club. Partnow notes that so much of the Mavericks’ offensive attack revolves around Doncic, operating as the team’s primary play-maker and scorer, that he is already showing signs of exhaustion late in games. Partnow writes that the effects of handling so much of the team’s offense are even visible in the second halves of recent games, when Doncic’s output subsides somewhat.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

Mavericks reserve center Christian Wood missed his second consecutive game tonight due to a left knee sprain, the team announced (via Twitter). Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News writes that Wood injured his knee in the second half of the team’s 96-94 win against the Nets on Monday, and did not travel with Dallas for its back-to-back road games against the Magic and Wizards, both losses.
Rockets backup big man Usman Garuba, who played for Spain in the EuroBasket tournament earlier this year, spoke with Toni Canyameras of Mundo Deportivo about his current role in Houston. “They told me that if I played as in the EuroBasket, with that intensity, I would be playing minutes and it is what I am doing, trying to give everything on the court and improving, knowing that I can give more and improve and be ready for everything,” Garuba said. The 6’8″ 20-year-old is averaging 3.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, and 0.4 BPG through the team’s first 10 contests.
Young Spurs swingmen Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell have been struggling to convert their jump shots in key moments recently, but both players are hoping to learn from their misses, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “I’ll be in the gym tomorrow,” Vassell said after missing an overtime buzzer-beater try against the Grizzlies last night. “Don’t worry about it.” Both players are averaging over 20 PPG for the first time in their NBA careers, having become primary focal points in San Antonio’s offense.

Mavs Notes: Powell, McGee, Dinwiddie, Campazzo, Doncic

November 5th, 2022 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As speculated, the Mavericks made a change to their starting lineup for Friday’s game vs. Toronto, replacing center JaVale McGee with Dwight Powell. Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters before the game that it wouldn’t necessarily be a permanent move.

“This is something for us to look at,” Kidd said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). “(Powell) has been playing extremely well. … We’ll take it one game at a time for now.”

McGee signed with the Mavericks as a free agent this past offseason after being promised the starting center job, but the team has performed better with Powell manning that spot in the early going this season. That didn’t change on Friday.

Against the Raptors, both Powell (plus-8) and McGee (plus-6) had positive on-court ratings in the same game for just the second time this season. The first time it happened, on October 22, Dallas blew out Memphis by 41 points. On Friday, the Mavs won by just a single point.

Here’s more out of Dallas:

Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie alleged that veteran referee Tony Brothers referred to him as a “b–ch ass motherf—er” during Friday’s game. As MacMahon writes in a full ESPN.com story, Dinwiddie, who protested when Brothers called him for a technical foul, said that a teammate informed him of Brothers’ comment. “I’m not even mad at the language,” Dinwiddie said. “Everybody has said things before when they are upset or feeling sensitive or hurt. That’s fine. Just say it to my face. … I would like to not be called a b–ch ass motherf—er to my teammates.”
Speaking to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News, veteran point guard Facundo Campazzo said he was close to resuming his career in Europe when he received an offer from the Mavericks. “When the Mavs’ offer came, I mean, I didn’t hesitate. I just said yes at the first question they did, and that’s it,” Campazzo said. “I was in Argentina with my family and said, ‘OK, we are moving to Dallas.’ That was a Thursday, and they asked me if I can fly Friday, the next day. I said, ‘I need a little bit more time. I have to move a lot of things,’ so we flew in that Saturday and stayed in the hotel and started this journey.”
Luka Doncic made NBA history on Friday by becoming the second player to ever start a season by scoring at least 30 points in each of his first eight games. Wilt Chamberlain was the only other player in league history to accomplish the feat, according to Caplan.

Mavericks Notes: Wood, Doncic, Campazzo, Hardy

October 23rd, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks big man Christian Wood is emerging as an early favorite for the Sixth Man of the Year award, writes Dwain Price of Mavs.com. Wood, acquired in an offseason trade with Houston, torched the Grizzlies for 25 points and 12 rebounds Saturday night and became the first player ever to reach 25 points in each of his first two games with Dallas.

“He’s being himself and I think he’s getting comfortable each day as you see on both ends,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We need him to score. We’re not asking him to do anything that he hasn’t done in the past in other places.”

Wood was a full-time starter during his two years in Houston, so there were questions about whether he could adjust to returning to a bench role. It hasn’t mattered so far, as Wood has totaled 50 points and 20 rebounds in just 49 minutes on the court.

“I’m just trying to play hard and do the best I can in the role that I’m in, and that’s really about it,” he said. “I’m motivated coming off the bench or starting – either way. I’ve said that before. This team trusts me and their trust is even getting better with me in terms of offensively and defensively.”

There’s more from Dallas:

Luka Doncic is making an early statement in the MVP race, according to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. Doncic was dominant in Saturday’s showdown with Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, scoring 21 points in the first eight minutes on his way to a 32-point night that also included 10 assists, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. “He’s playing the game at a different level right now,” Kidd said. “It’s kind of like he picked up where he ended last season, playing at an extremely high level for us. I thought his defense was [also] incredible tonight. One of the best defensive performances I saw — and he’ll tell you, too.”
Facundo Campazzo, who signed with the Mavericks this week, remained inactive Saturday as the team tries to recalibrate his work visa, Caplan tweets. The Mavs hope to have everything finalized by Tuesday.
The Texas Legends used a first-round pick in Saturday’s G League draft to add Amauri Hardy, the older brother of Mavericks rookie Jaden Hardy, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. They were teammates last season with the G League Ignite. “I feel like it helps me a lot, having my family close to me,” Jaden Hardy said. “It’s going to be like home for me. It’s giving me that home feeling.”

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Grizzlies, D. Green, Doncic

October 19th, 2022 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

Having extended Kevin Porter Jr. earlier this week, the Rockets now have all but one of the players on their current 15-man roster locked up through the 2023/24 season, observes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. While not every player’s salary is guaranteed in ’23/24, Boban Marjanovic is the only Houston player who has a standard contract that doesn’t cover at least the next two seasons.

“Stability is always good,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said of the team’s situation. “It feels good to have the guys we have. I love our group. The guys that have been here with Eric (Gordon) and J.T. (Jae’Sean Tate) and K.J. (Martin) and then the new guys from last year and now the new guys from this year, it does seem like we’re moving in the right direction as far as solidifying who we’re going to be.”

Even with so many players locked up beyond this season, the Rockets can create a significant chunk of cap room next summer, since most of the roster will be earning salaries between $2-10MM. Only Gordon, whose $20.92MM cap hit is non-guaranteed, and Porter, who will earn a guaranteed $15.86MM, have eight-digit salaries in 2023/24.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Can the Grizzlies continue to ascend the ranks of the Western Conference’s contenders without making any major roster additions? Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explores where Memphis stands in the West, noting that the team is coming off another quiet offseason and hasn’t signed an outside veteran free agent since 2019.
As he continues to recover from an ACL tear, Grizzlies wing Danny Green will appear on ESPN as an analyst this season, Cole writes in a separate story for The Commercial Appeal. Green, with an eye toward his post-retirement plans, agreed to a deal for 15 TV appearances, according to Cole. “When I’m done playing, it’s something that I always wanted to venture out into,” Green said. “This an opportunity to build a résumé and can get some reps.”
With Mavericks star Luka Doncic entering the season as the betting favorite to be named the NBA’s 2023 Most Valuable Player, Tim Cato of The Athletic takes a look at Doncic’s potential path to winning the award. In Cato’s view, as long as Doncic puts up his usual huge numbers, he would be a strong candidate for MVP if Dallas wins 50 games and “overwhelmingly likely” to win the award if the team gets to 55 or more victories.

Texas Notes: Langford, Sengun, Doncic, Campazzo

October 18th, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Romeo Langford beat out Joe Wieskamp for the last spot on the Spurs’ roster and Langford is looking to establish a career foothold, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News writes.

“I feel like I have a new start with an organization that believes in me and wants to see me succeed and will do everything they can to help me be better off and on the court,” Langford said.

Langford appeared in just four games for San Antonio last season after being included in the Derrick White deal with Boston. He has a $5,634,257 salary this season and could be a restricted free agent next summer if San Antonio extends a qualifying offer.

We have more on the Texas teams:

Rockets second-year center Alperen Sengun might be more effective coming off the bench, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle explains. Sengun could showcase more of his offensive moves if he’s on the second unit, while Bruno Fernando is more suited for the rebounding and pick-and-roll responsibilities with the starting unit. “It’s always important for (Sengun) to touch the ball when he’s on the floor because that’s his strength,” coach Stephen Silas said. “I’m intentional about making sure that he gets the ball when it’s necessary and sometimes when he hasn’t had a touch.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd believes Luka Doncic could turn another corner during the fifth season of his career, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com writes. “He will understand the league better,” Kidd said. “With his talent, he’s always going to make his teammates better. He’s (one of) if not the best player in the world. It could be where things are a little clearer where he can see things a lot better and understand what teams are trying to do.”
Facundo Campazzo was officially added to the Mavericks roster on Tuesday via a one-year contract and the former Nuggets guard is grateful to get another NBA job, as he told Sefko. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity,” he said. “I was training hard, as much as I could in Argentina. I just tried to be ready for any chance in the NBA. The opportunity came now and I love it.”

NBA GMs High On Cavs’ Offseason Moves, Bucks’ Title Chances

October 4th, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers‘ acquisition of Donovan Mitchell made their offseason the most successful of any NBA team, according to the league’s general managers. In his annual survey of the NBA’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 41% of the GM respondents picked Cleveland as having made the best offseason moves, while 59% chose the addition of Mitchell as the move that will have the biggest impact.

The Timberwolves and Jazz were on opposite ends of one of the summer’s other blockbuster trades, but the two clubs tied for second (along with the Sixers) in the GM vote for which teams made the best overall offseason moves. Minnesota’s trade for Rudy Gobert was the second-leading vote-getter for the offseason’s most impactful single acquisition, earning 31% of the vote.

The team viewed by the majority of GMs as the title favorite for 2023 didn’t earn any votes for having the best offseason. According to Schuhmann, 43% of the poll respondents picked the Bucks to win next year’s Finals, with GMs apparently betting on continuity in Milwaukee. The Warriors (25%), Clippers (21%), and Celtics (11%) also received votes.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

NBA general managers expect the Clippers – who will have Kawhi Leonard back – to be the most improved team in 2022/23. L.A. received 41% of the vote, with the Cavaliers and Pelicans at 17% apiece.
The Celtics‘ trade for Malcolm Brogdon earned the most votes (28%) for the summer’s most underrated acquisition. The Sixers‘ signing of P.J. Tucker and the Clippers‘ addition of John Wall were the runners-up, with 14% each.
Asked which team has the most promising young core, NBA GMs overwhelmingly chose the Cavaliers (41%) and Grizzlies (38%). The Pistons (10%) were the only other club to get multiple votes.
NBA GMs view Magic forward Paolo Banchero as the best bet to win Rookie of the Year (79%) and also chose him as the 2022 draftee most likely to be the best player in five years (31%), narrowly edging Thunder big man Chet Holmgren (28%). As for the steal of the draft, GMs were split between Pistons big man Jalen Duren and Rockets forward Tari Eason (14% apiece), among many others.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic was picked as the favorite to win MVP, earning 48% of the vote from NBA GMs. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks came in second with 34%.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Mavericks, Doncic, Spurs

September 23rd, 2022 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Pelicans didn’t make any major offseason changes to a team that posted a 36-46 record in 2021/22, their expectations for the coming season are higher than ever. Zion Williamson is set to return from a foot injury that has sidelined him since last summer, CJ McCollum will be spending his first full season in New Orleans, and the team’s young contributors like Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Trey Murphy all have a year of NBA experience under their belts.

During a speech this week at the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club, Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin said he’s excited to see how the team will respond to its increased expectations, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com relays.

“What’s going to be really exciting for us is we have an incredible amount of talent,” Griffin said. “We have more talent than I’ve had almost anywhere I’ve been, including teams that won a championship. But this talent has never had to win a game when they were supposed to win a game. That’s really the next step in our evolution.

“… Last year, we won games at the end of the season when nobody thought we were any good,” Griffin added. “It’s a whole lot easier to be the hunter than the hunted. We were good last year. We get an opportunity now to prove that we’re actually a good team. That’s a super-exciting time in the growth and evolution of a franchise. We never get these moments back.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Speaking to ESPN’s Malika Andrews during an NBA Today appearance (video link), Luka Doncic said he doesn’t think the Mavericks need another All-Star player to be a legit title contender. “No, I think we have great players on our team,” he said. “There’s plenty of very underrated guys that I think should be talked about more. So I don’t think (we need another All-Star). I think we have a great team.”
The Spurs issued a press release today announcing several changes to their front office and coaching staff. Notably, the team has promoted Dave Telep to vice president of basketball operations, named former NBA center Greg Stiemsma a player development assistant, and hired longtime WNBA star Candice Dupree as a player development coach.
Another noteworthy former player is moving into an important role at the G League level for the Spurs. Ex-NBA guard Brent Barry has been named the general manager of the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s NBAGL affiliate, the club announced today.