Norvel Pelle Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Waive Jonah Bolden, Promote Norvel Pelle

February 7th, 2020 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

10:30am: The Sixers have officially waived Bolden and signed Pelle to his new contract, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

10:23am: The Sixers are making a change to the back of their roster, according to Derek Bodner of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the team will waive Jonah Bolden in order to sign two-way player Norvel Pelle to a standard contract.

Bodner adds (via Twitter) that Pelle’s new contract will be a multiyear deal. This season will be fully guaranteed, and next year’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains on the roster through July 6, a source tells Bodner.

Pelle, who turned 27 on Monday, has averaged 2.5 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 14 appearances (11.1 MPG) for the 76ers this season. The big man, a member of the NBAGL All-Defensive Team in 2019, has put up flashier numbers for the Delaware Blue Coats, recording 14.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 2.4 BPG in seven G League games (22.6 MPG) this season. He had reached his 45-day NBA limit and will now be permitted to rejoin the Sixers once his new deal is official.

As for Bolden, the 36th overall pick in the 2017 draft fell out of Philadelphia’s rotation entirely this season, logging just 14 minutes in four games for the club. He was under contract through 2022, but his salaries for the next two years are non-guaranteed, so the Sixers won’t be on the hook for any dead money beyond this season. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers on Sunday.

The 76ers won’t be able to sign a two-way player to replace Pelle, since the deadline to do so was January 15.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Raptors, Pelle, Anderson

January 23rd, 2020 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks management didn’t make any public statements during the preseason suggesting they expected to make the postseason, but Ian Begley of SNY.tv hears that the front office privately conveyed to players that anything less than a playoff spot would be a disappointment. According to Begley, Knicks players who can become free agents in 2020 were told they’d be judged more heavily on the team’s win-loss record than on their individual play.

As Begley explains, management may have been trying to motivate a roster that consisted of mostly young players or newcomers. If that was the plan, it has backfired, as the Knicks have fallen well short of those expectations.

Begley’s article is worth checking out in full for more details on the pressure the coaches and players have felt this season and how those preseason expectations influenced the decision to fire David Fizdale. In my view, if Steve Mills and Scott Perry legitimately believed the Knicks should be a playoff team, that should be more of an indictment of their ability to build and evaluate a roster than of the coaches’ or players’ performances.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

While there has been speculation since Kawhi Leonard‘s departure last summer that the Raptors could become sellers due to their expiring veteran contracts, their success this season has made that increasingly unlikely. President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri essentially confirmed as much this week when he said the Raps will “die trying” to defend their title, as Julia Kreuz of Sportsnet.ca relays. “If we do something (on the trade market), it’s out of the fact that we think this is giving us a chance, or a bigger chance, and right now I think we have that chance, if we continue to play ball and continue to figure it out,” Ujiri said.
Sixers two-way player Norvel Pelle reached his 45-day NBA limit when he was active on Wednesday night vs. Toronto, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pelle is unsure what’s next for him, suggesting he’ll leave that up to his agent and the team. If he’s not converted to a standard contract – perhaps after the trade deadline – he won’t be eligible to suit up for the 76ers until after the G League regular season ends in late March.
The Nets‘ and Raptors‘ G League teams swapped a pair of players with NBA experience, as the Raptors 905 traded swingman Justin Anderson to the Long Island Nets for big man Henry Ellenson. Ellenson was a two-way player for Brooklyn earlier in the season, while Anderson was on a 10-day contract with the Nets this month. Kelsea O’Brien of Raptors Republic first reported the deal (via Twitter).

Checking In On NBA’s Two-Way Contracts

January 16th, 2020 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

January 15 was the last day that NBA teams were permitted to sign players to two-way contracts this season. As such, the next time we see a two-way deal finalized will be this summer when the 2020/21 league year begins.

With that in mind, it’s worth checking in on where things stand with the current two-way players around the NBA. Let’s dive in…

All 60 two-way slots have been filled

For much of the season, the Suns only carried one two-way player. A handful of other teams also opened up two-way contract slots in recent weeks. However, all those openings have now been filled, as all 30 NBA teams are carrying a pair of players on two-way contracts. The full list can be found right here.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that those 60 slots will stay filled all season long. A two-way player can still be waived, though there will be little incentive to do so after January 20, when all two-way salaries for the season become guaranteed. A player on a two-way contract can still be promoted to a 15-man roster too — he just can’t be replaced with a new two-way player.

There are still players on two-way contracts who are candidates for standard deals

Some teams, including the Warriors (Damion Lee), Heat (Chris Silva), and Nets (Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot) added standout two-way players to their 15-man rosters via a standard contract or 10-day deal on Wednesday. That allowed those clubs to sign a replacement two-way player in advance of the January 15 deadline. But not every team with a two-way player in its rotation took that approach.

The Sixers, for instance, opted not to convert Norvel Pelle‘s two-way contract to a standard deal on Wednesday, preferring to prioritize roster flexibility as the trade deadline approaches, as Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com tweets.

Pelle only has a handful of days left on his 45-day NBA limit and head coach Brett Brown suggested the team plans to play him until he hits that limit (Twitter link via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps). At that point, Pelle will have to remain in the G League until the regular season ends or he receives a promotion to the 15-man roster.

Brandon Goodwin (Hawks), Ky Bowman (Warriors), Garrison Mathews (Wizards), Oshae Brissett (Raptors), and Kelan Martin (Timberwolves) are some of the other candidates to be moved to standard contracts before the season ends.

The league’s newest two-way players will get to spend up to 42 days in the NBA — sort of

As noted above, two-way players are generally limited to spending 45 days with their NBA clubs after the G League season begins and before it ends. However, players who sign two-way deals during the season get a prorated portion of those 45 days, depending on when they sign.

Guys like Marquese Chriss (Warriors), Jeremiah Martin (Nets), Ray Spalding (Hornets), and Paul Watson (Raptors), who finalized their two-way agreements on Wednesday, did so with 92 days left in the 177-day NBA season. As a result, they’ll get to spend up to 24 days (92/177ths of 45 days, rounded up to the nearest whole number) with their NBA teams before the G League regular season ends on March 28.

Once the NBAGL regular season is over, those players will no longer face NBA restrictions and can subsequently spend the season’s last 18 days (from March 29 to April 15) in the NBA.

So, in total, players like Chriss and the rest will be able to spend 42 days in the NBA if they remain on their two-way contracts for the rest of the season. They’ll just be limited to 24 days until the G League season concludes.

Not all two-way players will be free agents at season’s end

Based on reports this week, Kenny Wooten (Knicks) and Matt Mooney (Cavaliers) signed two-way contracts that span two years and won’t expire until the summer of 2021.

Those two-year deals are very team-friendly, since they give players limited leverage in the event they outperform their two-way contracts. But Wooten and Mooney aren’t the only players whose two-way pacts will run through next season. Bol Bol (Nuggets), Marial Shayok (Sixers), Kyle Guy (Kings), Amir Coffey (Clippers), and Devontae Cacok (Lakers) are also on two-year contracts.

Of the NBA’s 60 current two-way players, then, up to 53 have the opportunity to reach unrestricted or restricted free agency by this summer. Those seven players listed above, however, may still occupy two-way slots in 2020/21 without getting the chance to test the market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Two-Way Contract Situations To Watch This Week

January 13th, 2020 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

January 15 is the last day that NBA teams can sign a player to a two-way contract this season. After that date, teams can still waive two-way players or promote them to their 15-man rosters, but they can’t bring aboard new players on two-way contracts as replacements.

With that deadline looming, we could get a mini-flurry of activity related to two-way deals this week. While it’s impossible to predict which teams will simply choose to replace one two-way player with a new one, there are a few specific situations worth keeping an eye on, based on certain players’ performances or teams’ roster situations.

Here are a few two-way contract situations to watch this week:

The Suns, Cavaliers, and Heat

The Suns and Cavaliers are currently the only two teams not carrying a pair of players on two-way contracts, while the Heat are expected to join them tomorrow.

Phoenix has only had one player (Jared Harper) on a two-way contract all season long, but it would still be a surprise not to see the team add a second two-way player by Wednesday. Cleveland, meanwhile, just waived Levi Randolph on Sunday, while Miami is poised to promote Chris Silva to the 15-man roster, opening up a two-way slot for each club.

Damion Lee / Ky Bowman (Warriors)

Rotation players Lee and Bowman have been two of the most likely candidates for promotions all season long. The Warriors have a pair of open roster spots, but based on their hard cap, they only have the flexibility to promote one of their two-way players for now.

Lee is expected to be first in line, as we heard when Golden State waived Marquese Chriss last week. A deal appeared imminent at that time, but nothing has been completed yet, even now that Lee has reached his 45-day NBA limit. It’s possible the two sides are still haggling over the length of the contract (the Warriors could offer as many as four years), but the team may just be taking its time to maximize its financial flexibility below the hard cap.

Assuming Lee is promoted by Wednesday, as expected, Golden State figures to add a new two-way player to pair with Bowman, who may get a promotion of his own later in the season. The Dubs’ new two-way player would be able to spend up to 24 days in the NBA before the end of the G League season.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Nets)

Keith Smith of RealGM suggested on Sunday (via Twitter) that the Nets will likely move Luwawu-Cabarrot to the 15-man roster in the coming days, on either a standard contract or a 10-day deal.

Brooklyn won’t technically have a roster spot open until Justin Anderson‘s 10-day pact expires on Wednesday night, but could terminate that contract a day or two early in order to promote Luwawu-Cabarrot and sign a new two-way player by Wednesday’s deadline.

Norvel Pelle (Sixers)

Teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on Pelle, who only has a few NBA days left on his two-way deal, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links).

If the Sixers intend to promote Pelle, it’d be in their best interests to do it by Wednesday in order to sign a new two-way player to replace him. However, it remains unclear whether or not that will happen. After guaranteeing Trey Burke‘s salary last week, Philadelphia has a full 15-man roster and would probably have to release a player like Jonah Bolden, Raul Neto, or Kyle O’Quinn to make room for Pelle.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Siakam, Gallinari, C’s, Sixers

January 10th, 2020 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

While some pundits still believe the Raptors might target future assets at the deadline, that’s clearly not the plan, according to Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star, who argues that the team should prioritize upgrading its roster and securing its spot among the Eastern Conference contenders.

Before the Raptors make any roster changes, it would benefit the front office to see the team’s full roster in action, something that hasn’t happened much this season. Currently, four of Toronto’s top six players in minutes per game – Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Norman Powell, and Fred VanVleet – are sidelined, but the club may begin to clear its injured list soon.

Siakam, Gasol, and Powell all took part in practice on Friday on a limited basis, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski hears that there’s hope Siakam could be back in the lineup within the next week or so. A Sunday return would be a bit ambitious for Siakam or Gasol, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said today, but Powell is on track to be back on Sunday (Twitter link via Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca).

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Danilo Gallinari is among the potential trade targets the Celtics have monitored, a source tells Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Pincus lays out how Boston could acquire a player like Gallinari or Andre Drummond, but since it would almost certainly involve moving Gordon Hayward or a package headed by Marcus Smart, I’m skeptical the C’s will seriously pursue either player.
The Sixers were victorious on Thursday in the first game of what could be a multi-week absence for Joel Embiid, but Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports argues the team should still be worried about not having its star center active. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Bobby Marks point out (via Twitter) that Norvel Pelle only has five NBA days left on his two-way contract and will have to return to the G League soon if Philadelphia doesn’t open up a 15-man roster spot for him.
After Kawhi Leonard denied having any offseason interest in the Knicks, the club found a way to put a positive spin on those comments, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. According to Berman, Kawhi’s uncle Dennis Robertson was in touch with the Knicks in the summer and wanted Leonard to listen to the team’s pitch. The Knicks claimed they canceled their scheduled meeting because they felt they were long shots for Leonard and believe the forward’s recent comments validate that decision, Berman notes.

Norvel Pelle Signs Two-Way Contract With Sixers

July 2nd, 2019 at 8:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 2: The Sixers have issued a press release formally announcing Pelle’s two-way contract.

JULY 1: The Sixers have signed center Norvel Pelle to a two-way contract, his agent BJ Bass told Hoops Rumors’ own JD Shaw (Twitter link). We initially reported last week that Pelle would get a two-way deal with Philadelphia.

Pelle, who went undrafted in 2014, played for the G League Delaware Blue Coats last season. The 6’11” big man was named to the NBAGL All-Defensive Team. Pelle, 26, also made a number of stops overseas during his career.

Haywood Highsmith previously occupied one of the team’s two-way contracts before being waived last week. Highsmith will join Philadelphia’s Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Atlantic Notes: Pelle, Sixers, Thomas, Siakam

June 27th, 2019 at 9:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Hoops Rumors’ own JD Shaw hears that the Sixers will sign center Norvel Pelle to a two-way contract (Twitter links).

Pelle, who went undrafted in 2014, played for the Delaware Blue Coats last season. The big man was named to the NBAGL All-Defensive Team for his play in the G League.

Haywood Highsmith previously occupied one of the team’s two-way contracts before being waived earlier in the week. Shaw adds that Highsmith will join Philadelphia’s Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

David Heller, who had been a partial owner of the Sixers, is no longer part of the team, Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report relays (Twitter link). “We can confirm that David Heller has sold his interest in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). David will always be a friend to this organization. We appreciate his time, effort, energy, and partnership…and wish him well in his future endeavors,” the Sixers said in a statement. The circumstances surrounding Heller’s departure are unclear, but sources close to the front office tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that he was forced out. The 76ers strongly denied that characterization, Pompey notes.
Isaiah Thomas is not in the Celtics‘ plan this offseason, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe writes. Boston appears likely to lose Kyrie Irving, though the organization is reportedly a leading contender for Kemba Walker.
Blake Murphy of The Athletic explores whether the Raptors should ink Pascal Siakam to an extension this summer. Siakam’s long-term future in Toronto isn’t in question; it’s just a matter of whether to sign him to an extension before the season or wait until next summer to handle his contract situation in restricted free agency.

NBA Announces 80 Players For G League Elite Camp

May 7th, 2019 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has announced in a press release that 80 players are set to participate in its G League Elite Camp next week in Chicago from May 12-14. The event will include 40 prospects who are eligible for this year’s draft, as well as 40 standout prospects from the 2018/19 G League season.

Heading into this spring, the NBA revamped its G League Elite Camp, which in past years has simply showcased some of the NBAGL’s top performers. That aspect of the event will still exist, but G League players will only participate in the first two days of the event.

The second half of the event will feature 40 draft-eligible prospects who aren’t among the 60 prospects invited to the actual draft combine. The list of participants was determined by an NBA team vote, and those prospects will work out and scrimmage during the final two days of the event — there will be no overlap with the G League portion of the event.

As this week’s announcement confirms, a select number of draft-eligible prospects participating in the G League Elite Camp will also be invited to attend the combine itself, which takes place from May 15-19 in Chicago.

Here are the list of draft-eligible prospects who are expected to participate in the 2019 G League Elite Mini Camp, per the NBA:

Tyus Battle (Syracuse)
Bennie Boatwright (USC)
Phil Booth (Villanova)
Oshae Brissett (Syracuse)
Bryce Brown (Auburn)
Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State)
Chris Clemons (Campbell)
Amir Coffey (Minnesota)
Tyler Cook (Iowa)
Jarron Cumberland (Cincinnati)
Aubrey Dawkins (Central Florida)
Javin DeLaurier (Duke)
Mamadi Diakite (Virginia)
CJ Elleby (Washington State)
Tacko Fall (UCF)
Robert Franks (Washington State)
Jared Harper (Auburn)
Ethan Happ (Wisconsin)
Dewan Hernandez (Miami)
Amir Hinton (Shaw (NC))
DaQuan Jeffries (Tulsa)
Sagaba Konate (West Virginia)
Matur Maker (Mississauga Prep (Canada))
Terance Mann (Florida State)
Caleb Martin (Nevada)
Cody Martin (Nevada)
Luke Maye (North Carolina)
Trey Mourning (Georgetown)
Andrew Nembhard (Florida)
James Palmer Jr. (Nebraska)
Josh Perkins (Gonzaga)
Reggie Perry (Mississippi State)
Jalen Pickett (Siena)
Myles Powell (Seton Hall)
Justin Robinson (Virginia Tech)
Marial Shayok (Iowa State)
Max Strus (DePaul)
Lindell Wigginton (Iowa State)
Kenny Wooten (Oregon)
Justin Wright-Foreman (Hofstra)

Here are the 40 G League players set to participate in the G League Elite Camp:

Josh Adams (Raptors 905)
Jaylen Barford (Greensboro Swarm)
Amida Brimah (Austin Spurs)
Jared Brownridge (Delaware Blue Coats)
Antonius Cleveland (Santa Cruz Warriors)
Charles Cooke (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
Cody Demps (Stockton Kings)
Aaron Epps (Northern Arizona Suns)
Abdul Gaddy (Oklahoma City Blue)
John Gillon (Greensboro Swarm)
Kaiser Gates (Windy City Bulls)
Isaac Haas (Salt Lake City Stars)
Johnny Hamilton (Grand Rapids Drive)
Dusty Hannahs (Memphis Hustle)
Zak Irvin (Westchester Knicks)
Peter Jok (Northern Arizona Suns)
Matt Jones (Stockton Kings)
Marcus Lee (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
Zach Lofton (Grand Rapids Drive)
Tahjere McCall (Long Island Nets)
Brandon McCoy (Wisconsin Herd)
MiKyle McIntosh (Raptors 905)
Jordan McLaughlin (Long Island Nets)
Jaylen Morris (Erie BayHawks)
Mychal Mulder (Windy City Bulls)
Malik Newman (Canton Charge)
Retin Obasohan (Northern Arizona Suns)
Chinanu Onuaku (Greensboro Swarm)
Norvel Pelle (Delaware Blue Coats)
Darel Poirier (Capital City Go-Go)
Billy Preston (Texas Legends)
Desi Rodriguez (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario)
Kenneth Smith (Grand Rapids Drive)
Richard Solomon (Oklahoma City Blue)
Emanuel Terry (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
Juan Toscano-Anderson (Santa Cruz Warriors)
Dakarai Tucker (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
Andrew White III (Maine Red Claws)
Thomas Wimbush (Long Island Nets)
Todd Withers (Grand Rapids Drive)

NBA G League Announces 2018/19 All-NBAGL Teams

April 3rd, 2019 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

After being named the G League’s Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2018/19 season on Monday, Raptors 905 big man Chris Boucher – now a member of the Toronto Raptors – headlines the All-NBA G League first team, as the league announced today in a press release.

Boucher was joined on the All-NBAGL first team by teammate Jordan Loyd, as well as Capital City Go-Go guard Jordan McRae, Long Island Nets big man Alan Williams, and Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario center Angel Delgado. All four players are currently on two-way contracts with NBA teams.

That’s a common theme for this year’s All-NBAGL teams, as most of the 15 players named to the three squads aren’t currently NBA free agents, having signed two-way or NBA contracts.

The complete list of the 2018/19 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players currently on a 15-man NBA roster are marked with an asterisk (*), while players on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).

All-NBAGL First Team:

Chris Boucher (Raptors 905) *
Angel Delgado (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
Jordan Loyd (Raptors 905) ^
Jordan McRae (Capital City Go-Go) ^
Alan Williams (Long Island Nets) ^

All-NBAGL Second Team:

Isaiah Hartenstein (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) *
Walt Lemon (Windy City Bulls) *
- Note: Lemon wasn’t on an NBA contract for most of the season, but was recently called up by the Bulls.
Yante Maten (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
Johnathan Motley (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
Theo Pinson (Long Island Nets) ^

All-NBAGL Third Team:

P.J. Dozier (Maine Red Claws) ^
Amile Jefferson (Lakeland Magic) ^
Kalin Lucas (Grand Rapids Drive) ^
Duncan Robinson (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
Christian Wood (Wisconsin Herd) *
- Note: Wood spent most of the season on the Bucks’ roster, but was recently released and claimed off waivers by the Pelicans.

NBAGL All-Rookie Team:

Chris Chiozza (Capital City Go-Go) *
- Note: Chiozza wasn’t on an NBA contract for most of the season, but was recently called up by the Rockets.
Angel Delgado (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
Yante Maten (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
Theo Pinson (Long Islands Nets) ^
Duncan Robinson (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^

NBAGL All-Defensive Team:

Kadeem Allen (Westchester Knicks) ^
Chris Boucher (Raptors 905) *
Amida Brimah (Austin Spurs)
Gary Payton II (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
Norvel Pelle (Delaware Blue Coats)

The All-Defensive team is the only squad that features players who are currently NBA free agents — Brimah and Pelle haven’t been on an NBA roster this season, while Payton only briefly spent time with an NBA team, signing a 10-day contract with the Wizards in January.

Atlantic Notes: Butler, Pelle, Carroll, Lin

March 6th, 2019 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite the bizarre way their time together in Minnesota ended, Jimmy Butler insists he still has a good relationship with former Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau, relays Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Butler was campaigning for a trade prior to the season, when he reportedly engaged in outlandish behavior at a Wolves practice. Butler wound up getting dealt to the Sixers and Thibodeau was fired shortly afterward, but Butler said they have remained on good terms.

“I’m sure Thibs would tell you like I tell you. I’ll take all the blame. I’m sure he’ll say he’ll take it too,” said Butler, who added that Thibodeau called him before tonight’s game. “Somebody got to point the finger at somebody. But like I tell everybody, Thibs is a big part – and you can tell I’m smiling – because it’s the truth, he’s a big part of who I am today as a player.

“He gave me an opportunity after not letting me play at all my first couple of years [with the Bulls]. But then he saw something in me, and he let me rock a little bit. That’s my guy. He’s always in my ear talking to me about the game. To tell you the truth, believe it or not, he talked to me about life. He does.’’

There’s more tonight from the Atlantic Division:

Power forward/center Norvel Pelle has played well for the Sixers‘ G League team in Delaware and may get a shot at the NBA, tweets Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philly. A Sixers official said Pelle was given a workout today so the team could take a closer look at what he can offer. Injuries have left Philadelphia in need of frontcourt help.
The Nets have benefited from DeMarre Carroll‘s willingness to accept a reserve role, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Carroll had started all but five games in his first five years in the league and has Brooklyn’s second-highest salary at $15.4MM, but he agreed to the move to help the team. “It was an opportunity for me to see how I can impact the game, watching it from the side first,” he said. “I think that was the biggest thing, to get used to it, to get comfortable to it and embrace it. That’s what I tried to do.”
The addition of Jeremy Lin hasn’t worked out for the Raptors so far, says Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Lin has missed all 17 of his 3-point shots since coming to Toronto and is shooting 30% overall. Smith notes that the return of injured guard Fred VanVleet should help the bench unit, but that’s still projected to be a couple of weeks away.