Malaki Branham Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Notes: Branham, Paul, Vassell, Cissoko, G League

October 29th, 2024 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

It remains to be seen whether there will be a regular role for him once the Spurs‘ roster is fully healthy, but Malaki Branham continues to take advantage of an early-season opportunity and is making a case for consistent playing time, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

After providing the Spurs with 14 solid minutes on Saturday, Branham had his best game of the season in Monday’s five-point loss to Houston, scoring 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just under 17 minutes of action. His plus-22.6 net rating through three contests is easily the best mark of any San Antonio rotation player — the team’s overall rating is minus-6.0.

“He’s been a pro,” head coach Gregg Popovich said of the third-year guard. “He’s done what he needed to do at practice and shootarounds. He came in and was ready to go. A class act.”

Here’s more on the Spurs:

In an entertaining feature story for The Athletic, Fred Katz takes an in-depth look at Chris Paul‘s history of mentorship, speaking to former teammates like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges, and Cameron Payne about what they learned from the future Hall of Famer and exploring how the Spurs will benefit from his presence. “There has been a mentorship dynamic with everybody because Chris is Chris,” Popovich said. “His experience and his intelligence, as we know, is off the charts. … He talks to everybody on the court: big, little. (He’s) just been fantastic in that regard.”
The Spurs are sending Devin Vassell and Sidy Cissoko to Austin to participate in training camp with their G League team, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell is in the final stages of his rehabilitation following offseason foot surgery, while Cissoko hasn’t seen any game action yet this season for San Antonio and could use the reps.
Speaking of the Austin Spurs, they officially announced their training camp roster on Tuesday (via Twitter). Malachi Flynn, Jamaree Bouyea, and Jameer Nelson Jr. (the son of former NBA point guard Jameer Nelson) are among the notable names on the 14-man squad.

Western Notes: Jokic, Branham, Conley, Wallace

October 28th, 2024 at 7:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nikola Jokic was concerned about how the Nuggets performed in the preseason. Denver has also lost its first two regular season games but the superstar center says the offense simply isn’t clicking yet, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic.

“I think we are struggling to score,” Jokić said. “We have scored 87 and 104 points in our two games. That’s not enough. In today’s NBA, you have to score more points. I think the defense has been good, so that’s a positive. But we are just not scoring enough points. We aren’t making shots. Open looks aren’t going in. We just aren’t converting and executing the way we need to.”

Jones points out that Christian Braun is still settling in to the starting lineup, while Russell Westbrook, Dario Saric and second-year shooting guard Julian Strawther are trying to do the same on the second unit.

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With Spurs backup point guard Tre Jones sidelined by an ankle sprain, Malaki Branham has been thrust into the rotation, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes. Branham had seven points, two assists and two blocks in 14 minutes against Houston on Saturday. “We have so many guys on this team who can contribute,” forward Harrison Barnes said. “It’s about the next man staying ready and being professional. That’s one of the biggest things on our team.” The Spurs picked up the 2025/26 option on Branham’s contract earlier this month.
Timberwolves guard Mike Conley is experiencing some nagging wrist soreness, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Conley has been dealing with the issue for a few years and will need to address it after his playing days are over, Krawczynski adds. However, he won’t blame his poor shooting (20%) through the first three games on his wrist, since he’s navigated the issue successfully in the past.
Cason Wallace showed off his defensive prowess for the Thunder against Hawks star Trae Young in the fourth quarter on Sunday, holding Young without a fourth quarter field goal. Young also committed three turnovers during that portion of OKC’s 24-point win. “It’s a lot of fun being a competitor at one of the highest levels,” Wallace told Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. “Taking pride in not wanting to get scored on, especially in an iso situation.” Wallace was the 10th pick of the 2023 draft.

Spurs Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Wembanyama, Three Others

October 18th, 2024 at 6:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have exercised their rookie scale team options for the 2025/26 season on four players, including last year’s No. 1 overall pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, the team announced today in a press release. Here are the four options picked up by San Antonio:

Wembanyama (third year, $13,376,880)
Jeremy Sochan (fourth year, $7,096,231)
Malaki Branham (fourth year, $4,962,033)
Blake Wesley (fourth year, $4,726,328)

All four players already had guaranteed salaries for the 2024/25 season. Now they’re locked up for at least the next two seasons, with the salary figures above applying to the ’25/26 cap.

Wembanyama’s option decision was a no-brainer coming off a rookie campaign in which he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks in 29.7 minutes per game, earning All-Defensive First Team honors and finishing as the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. It seems pretty safe to assume the Spurs will also pick up his 2026/27 team option next fall and then offer him a maximum-salary extension in the summer of 2026.

The other option decisions weren’t quite as obvious, though Sochan and Branham played regular rotation roles in their age-20 seasons in 2023/24 and took steps forward in their development. Sochan looked more comfortable after being moved out of the point guard position midway through the season, while Branham improved his three-point percentage to 34.7%.

Wesley has played the most limited role of any of these four Spurs during the early stages of his NBA career, averaging just 14.4 minutes per game in 61 outings last season. He also hasn’t proven to be a reliable option on offense, with a career shooting line of .398/.299/.639. But he’s one of the team’s strongest defenders and earned praise from veteran forward Harrison Barnes during training camp for his play on that side of the ball.

Sochan, Branham, and Wesley will all be eligible for rookie scale extensions during the 2025 offseason.

We’re tracking all of the 2025/26 rookie scale team option decisions right here. They’re due by October 31.

Southwest Notes: Edey, Rockets, Branham, Wesley, Williamson

October 6th, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zach Edey, three-point shooter? The former Purdue big man only attempted two shots beyond the arc during his illustrious college career and made one. But the Grizzlies don’t want their lottery pick to feel like he’s restricted to the paint as a pro. He participated in a three-point shooting contest during an open practice on Sunday and showed a good stroke.

“When it’s opportunities to be out on the perimeter, whether it’s trailing the play or he just so happens to kind of move himself out there, I want him to feel like he’s got the green light,” said coach Taylor Jenkins, per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I don’t want to restrict him by any means. I want to see what he’s capable of.”

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The Rockets will play two preseason games in three days, facing the Jazz on Monday and Thunder on Wednesday. They’re viewing those contests as a measuring stick to see how much progress they’ve made during training camp, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I just want to go out, play hard, win, win the preseason games and get good momentum going into the season,” Jalen Green said. “The same way we’re playing here, we have to go out and play there.”
The Spurs have an Oct. 31 deadline to pick up the contract options on guards Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley for the 2025/26 season. Wesley admits the pressure is on to perform well in training camp — if those options aren’t picked up, he and Branham will be looking at free agency next offseaason. “Everybody knows it’s a contract year,” Wesley told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “We’re trying to win, trying to get better. There’s a lot of pressure.”
After losing starting center Jonas Valanciunas in free agency, the Pelicans didn’t bring in an obvious replacement. New Orleans will employ smaller lineups, mainly with Zion Williamson as the de facto center, quite often this season, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes. “The fact of the matter is we are going to have a ton of games where we don’t have a traditional center on the floor,” coach Willie Green said. “That’s going to happen. We have to get accustomed to playing that way for a good bulk of the game.”

Spurs Notes: Sochan, Barnes, Collins, Wembanyama

October 2nd, 2024 at 7:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jeremy Sochan is happy that last season’s point guard experiment is over, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. With limited choices to handle the lead guard spot last fall, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich assigned those duties to Sochan, even though the 6’8″ power forward had never tried the position before.

“Playing my normal position is going to be great,” Sochan said at media day. “I’m not going to be thinking as much. It’s going to come more natural.”

The unexpected change not only bogged down the Spurs’ offense, it took some of the fun out of the game for Sochan, who was coming off an appearance on the All-Rookie team. He expressed frustration with the change and often looked lost on the court. He was moved back to power forward in December, but Orsborn states that the psychological damage from being out of position lingered throughout the season.

San Antonio signed Chris Paul during the summer, so there’s no chance that Sochan will be running the offense again. Orsborn observed that he seemed much more relaxed as he showed up at media day with a bright pink hairstyle.

“You don’t want a player like that to be in their own head too much,” teammate Tre Jones said. “It kind of takes them out of their game and their natural abilities.”

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Popovich has been trying to acquire Harrison Barnes ever since they were together on Team USA in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Popovich finally got his chance this summer as part of the three-team trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento. “He’s a leader, a great teammate,” Popovich said. “He just goes on to the next play, whether it was a turnover or he makes a three. He’s not impressed or depressed. He just goes out and plays.”
Zach Collins tore the labrum in his right shoulder during the final game of last season, but he was ready for the first day of training camp, Orsborn states in a separate story. “It was perfect timing because I had such a long summer to get right,” Collins said. “The shoulder has felt great for a while now. The worst part about being injured is missing games, sitting on the sidelines and not being out there with the guys. Luckily, none of that is going to happen.”
Victor Wembanyama reported to camp five pounds heavier and a little more muscular than he was when last season ended, Orsborn adds in another piece. Wembanyama had an active offseason, working out for two months in San Antonio before joining the French Olympic team.“Weight will come with strength,” he said. “It’s just a result of the good work we have done all summer. I am really satisfied with the summer we just had here.”
Julian Champagnie and Malaki Branham appear to be the most likely candidates to take Devin Vassell‘s spot in the starting lineup while he recovers from foot surgery, according to Orsborn. Champagnie started 59 games last season, while Branham made 29 starts.

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Mamukelashvili, Branham, Graham

April 13th, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Victor Wembanyama‘s remarkable rookie season is officially over, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Wembanyama is listed as out for right ankle injury management on the Spurs‘ report for Sunday’s finale with Detroit.

After being the most anticipated draft pick in 20 years, the French big man made a powerful impact during his first NBA season, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a league-leading 3.6 blocks in 71 games. Lopez notes that he’s the first rookie to reach those numbers since blocks became an official statistic 50 years ago.

Coach Gregg Popovich indicated before Friday’s game that Wembanyama could be held out on Sunday, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, and that was before he played 37 minutes in a win over Denver. The Spurs have been careful with their prized rookie recently, resting him on the second night of a back-to-back last week.

“I know this has been in the air,” Wembanyama told reporters Friday night. “I mean, I felt it’s been in the air for some weeks, but I’m always going to fight to play.”

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Sandro Mamukelashvili is making a strong case for a new contract, McDonald notes in the same piece. The backup big man wasn’t used much early in the season, but he has taken advantage of opportunities presented by injuries and is averaging 10.4 points and 10.1 rebounds over the past seven games, including a season-high 21 points on Friday. Mamukelashvili signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal after becoming a free agent last summer and is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I love being here,” he said. “I love being around the guys, connecting with them, learning, growing. I’m looking forward to the future and if it’s here, I’ll be very happy.”
Malaki Branham missed Friday’s game with concussion symptoms and won’t play Sunday either, McDonald adds. The second-year guard was struck in the head during Wednesday’s game at Oklahoma City.
Teammates were thrilled for Devonte’ Graham after his game-winning shot in the final second to beat the Nuggets, McDonald writes in a separate story. It has been a difficult season for the 29-year-old guard, who only appeared in 12 games before the All-Star break, but Popovich has been impressed by how he has remained sharp and has served as a leader for his younger teammates. “He busted his ass all year long,” Popovich said. “He was always ready. I’m sure he didn’t like (not playing), but he was always there for his team.”

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, McDermott, Branham, Barlow, Gray

March 5th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne declared during an NBA Today segment on Monday (Twitter video link) that Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama is “ready to win” and questioned how patient the Rookie of the Year frontrunner will be as the front office looks to build out the roster around him.

However, Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link) pushed back against the idea that Wembanyama will be urging the team to accelerate the roster-building process.

“I say this without an ounce of exaggeration or hyperbole: I talk to people about the Spurs every day. And of all those people, there is one who is, by far, the most forward-thinking and relentlessly patient when it comes to the plan,” Finger wrote. “It’s the 20-year-old kid. And it’s not close.”

Armed with plenty of cap flexibility and an excess of draft picks this offseason, the Spurs will be well positioned to continue adding talent to their young core, but there’s no indication that the club will be looking to consolidate several of its assets in a win-now move quite yet.

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Ahead of the Spurs’s game against the Pacers on Sunday, Zach Collins admitted that he was sad to see former teammate Doug McDermott go at last month’s trade deadline, though he appreciated that McDermott landed in a favorable situation. “I talked to him the day it happened and just told him I was going to miss him and that it was really fun playing with him,” Collins said, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “But I am happy for him that he got to go (to a playoff contender). In the playoffs you need shooting, and he is going to be really valuable for them.” McDermott was unable to suit up against his old team on Sunday due to a calf injury.
A full-time starter for the Spurs in November and December, Malaki Branham had been coming off the bench since January 2. However, he earned a rare start on Sunday and took full advantage by scoring 18 points and handing out six assists, much to the delight of his teammates, Orsborn writes (subscription required). “I don’t have words to say how excited I am for him,” Keldon Johnson said. “I’m happy for him and the way he stepped up tonight. We really needed it and it was big.”
After having been promoted to the Spurs’ standard roster from his two-way contract, Dominick Barlow earned praise from head coach Gregg Popovich for having improved “pretty dramatically” since joining the team, according to Orsborn. “He is someone who plays in a solid manner,” Popovich said. “You don’t see him making mistakes really. He is not really a shooter. He is a pretty good defender and he goes to the boards pretty well, runs well. So, all those kind of basic things he puts together and plays a game that kind of complements everybody else.”
RaiQuan Gray‘s new two-way contract with the Spurs will cover two years, running through next season, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.

Southwest Notes: J. Smith, Eason, McCollum, Spurs, Grizzlies

January 27th, 2024 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets forward Jabari Smith will miss a fourth consecutive game on Saturday due to a sprained left ankle, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston will also continue to be without forward Tari Eason, who has been hampered by a lower left leg injury for the entire season. Eason has appeared in 22 games, but has been sidelined since January 1 and his return isn’t imminent.

“He’s been doing a little bit here and there, getting shots up, just not doing the contact,” head coach Ime Udoka said of Eason earlier this week, per Feigen. “He’s feeling better. We still don’t have a definite date (for Eason to return) but the fact he’s getting out here, getting shots up, moving, it’s a good sign. It’s more week-to-week. We were giving him a few weeks initially. He’ll be reevaluated soon, and we’ll go from there.”

According to Feigen, Eason is expected to begin contact work next week and ramp up from there.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Nearly two years after the Pelicans acquired CJ McCollum from Portland, William Guillory of The Athletic explores how the veteran guard has adjusted to a new city, a new team, and a new role, which continue to evolve. McCollum has served as more of a floor spacer than a point guard this season. “I think originally we approached it as, ‘Yeah, (CJ’s) the smallest player (in our starting lineup), so he’s the point guard,'” Larry Nance Jr. told Guillory. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. He can be, but he doesn’t have to be. We can run offense through (Brandon Ingram), (Zion Williamson) or a bunch of other people in the lineup. That was one of the biggest realizations for our team and for CJ. We don’t have a Tyrese Haliburton who sets the table for everybody. We have a lot of guys who are good at passing and seeing the court. We can run the offense through a few people and that makes us harder to defend.”
Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News passes along a couple Spurs updates, writing that Blake Wesley appears to have taken over Malaki Branham‘s role as the backup point guard and tweeting that Victor Wembanyama is confident he’ll be available for the second end of the team’s back-to-back set on Saturday after playing on Friday. Wembanyama hasn’t played in both games of a back-to-back since November.
Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal takes a look at how the Grizzlies may approach the trade deadline, noting that the team currently has something of a roster logjam, with 14 of the 15 players on standard deals also under contract for next season. Xavier Tillman is the only one who is on track for free agency, while Luke Kennard has a team option — the other 13 have guaranteed salaries.

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Coulibaly, Murray, Wesley, Branham

January 20th, 2024 at 9:49am CST by Tristan Tucker

Childhood friends Victor Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly will play each other in the NBA for the first time on Saturday night as the Spurs and Wizards clash. The former Metropolitans 92 teammates both expressed excitement for the matchup, according to Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News.

“Wemby is more than a teammate,” Coulibaly said. “That’s like my brother.”

The two French stars met each other when they were about 10 years old and joined the same youth team shortly thereafter, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins writes. Neither talked much about making the NBA, but they knew it was a goal they shared.

“At the time, it was just dreams and something crazy,” Wembanyama said. “But we happened to both make it here, and I’m just so proud of him. It is going to feel weird, for sure.”

Wembanyama is, of course, one of the most hyped prospects in basketball history. He’s living up to the billing so far with averages of 19.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Coulibaly is impressing in his own right, averaging 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per night while shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc as one of the youngest players in the NBA.

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Even though Wembanyama is having a statistically impressive individual season, the Spurs are not — they’re stacking losses at a rapid rate. Wembanyama said the season has been “challenging,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, but he still has faith in his team in the long run. “I know it’s not going to be easy,” Wembanyama said. “I know it’s going to take some time before we can be contenders for the title. I was ready for anything and I’m still ready to do any sacrifice and I’m patient. I’m patient, but for nothing I’ll ever lose time. I’m patient, but I’m not wasting time. I trust us for the long term, but I’m always ready for anything.“
The Spurs should jump at the chance to reacquire Dejounte Murray, argues Mike Finger of San Antonio Express-News. Finger suggests that, with some core players already in place and an excess of first-rounders on hand, the Spurs probably won’t draft players with all of those future picks. A trade will likely be necessary down the line to find a running mate for Wembanyama, even if it isn’t for Murray, says Finger. Beyond that, San Antonio’s biggest need is at point guard and the Spurs wouldn’t have to give up as much as they got when they traded Murray to Atlanta in exchange for three first-round picks and a pick swap in 2022. For what it’s worth, Murray said he would “welcome” the chance to play for his old team again.
Guard Blake Wesley may be leapfrogging Malaki Branham in the team’s rotation. Wesley played slightly more than Branham in San Antonio’s past three games, getting roughly double the time on the floor in the Spurs’ Friday loss to Charlotte. That playing time culminated in Wesley scoring nine points against the Hornets. “[Wesley]’s making us give him minutes, with his aggressiveness on both ends really,” head coach Gregg Popovich said (Twitter link via Jeff McDonald). Branham didn’t play in the second half against Charlotte, McDonald observes. Branham started most of late November and all through December for the Spurs, but is seeing his playing time diminish as of late.

Spurs Notes: Jones, Wembanyama, Wesley, Collins

January 16th, 2024 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tre Jones came off the bench the first two-and-a-half months of the season, but he has returned to the Spurs lineup as the starting point guard. Jones has started the past six games and racked up a season-high 12 assists in a 10-point loss to Atlanta on Monday. Jones is averaging 6.3 assists per game in those starts.

“Tre’s a guy who is going to get everyone organized,” forward Doug McDermott told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “It’s been a big thing for our offense, playing a little faster right out of the gate.”

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Victor Wembanyama likes being coached hard, which makes him an ideal fit for the Spurs. Wembanyama feels his growth is tied to coach Gregg Popovich holding him accountable, McDonald writes in a separate story. Wembanyama bounced back after a scoreless first half against the Hawks by scoring 26 points. “I like to be coached,” Wembanyama said. “I like to be threatened to be sent to the G League if I don’t play the right way. I like when there are consequences to my mistakes.”
Blake Wesley has received rotation minutes lately, with 12 appearances in the past 13 games heading into Wednesday’s contest at Boston, according to McDonald. Wesley has cut into the playing time of Malaki Branham. “He’s in a kind of difficult position with the roster that we have right now and not knowing how much he’ll play or if he’ll even play,” Jones said. “I’m just trying to tell him to stay ready and be patient. He’s doing a great job. He’s a professional.”
Reserve center Zach Collins is getting close to returning from the right ankle sprain that has sidelined him for the past eight games. He could return as early as this weekend, as McDonald writes. “It’s feeling better,” Collins said. “I maybe just need a couple more games.”