Russell Westbrook

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Westbrook, Cancar, Murray

November 20th, 2024 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

After a pair of dismal performances in New Orleans and Memphis during the first two games of a Nikola Jokic-less road trip, the Nuggets bounced back on Tuesday, securing a 12-point victory in a rematch with the Grizzlies. It was a group effort, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, with Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Christian Braun, and Russell Westbrook among those who had strong showings and made up for the absence of the three-time MVP, who has been out for personal reasons.

“We’re not always going to have the luxury of being able to rely on one person,” Nuggets forward Peyton Watson said prior to the game. “… Without him, our mindset should change. I don’t think that it should stay the same. I think we should all take it upon ourselves that we have more responsibility. … I think that’s something that’s a privilege, being able to be in these situations and be counted on and have the pressure on us.”

Head coach Michael Malone, who said before the game that he wasn’t sure whether or not Jokic would be available when the Nuggets return home on Friday to host the Mavericks, also stressed the importance of learning to win when the superstar center isn’t available.

“All we talked about all day long is: ‘We’ve lost two in a row, and don’t waste on energy on who’s not here; we have enough talent in the room to get the job done,'” Malone said, per Durando.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

Westbrook finished Tuesday’s win with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists, making him the first player in NBA history to reach 200 career triple-doubles (story via ESPN.com). “It’s hard to put into words,” teammate Julian Strawther said of the accomplishment. “Two-hundred triple-doubles is a lot. I don’t even know if I’ve got 200 career games.” It’s possible Westbrook’s record will eventually be broken by a current teammate — Jokic ranks fourth on the league’s all-time triple-double list with 136.
Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar exited Tuesday’s game in the second quarter due to a left knee sprain and didn’t return, as Durando details for The Denver Post. It’s the same knee in which he tore his ACL last summer. Asked after the game if there’s any fear of another tear, Malone said he had yet to speak to the medical staff. “I would hate to be premature with any speculation in terms of what happened,” the Nuggets’ coach said. “When I spoke to him at halftime, he was in good spirits. He seemed to be fairly pain-free. It just felt a little uncomfortable when he came down. So we’ll get with our training staff, and we’ll kind of get a better idea of what’s going on with that. And hopefully it’s nothing major and we can get him back out there, because I thought Vlatko with that second unit was really, really effective.” Prior to the injury, Cancar had scored five points and grabbed four rebounds in 11 minutes of action.
Murray, who signed a four-year, maximum-salary extension this offseason, had struggled entering Tuesday’s game, averaging 17.3 points per game on 39.9% shooting (30.2% on three-pointers). The standout guard enjoyed one of his best nights of the season in Memphis on Tuesday, pouring in 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Speaking to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Murray said he’s fully healthy and just needs to be more assertive offensively. “I take full accountability,” Murray said of his recent slump. “It’s not easy when you aren’t playing well. It hasn’t been easy with guys like Nikola and Aaron (Gordon) out. We were fully capable of winning these last games. But, for me, I have to play better. I have to take account for that. It starts with me.”

Northwest Notes: Caruso, Hendricks, George, Collins, Westbrook

November 7th, 2024 at 9:32am CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Alex Caruso, acquired from Chicago in an offseason trade, has been a non-factor offensively for the Thunder through eight games. He’s averaging just 2.6 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 23.7% from the field. He’s also averaging just 4.8 shot attempts in 19.9 minutes.

Caruso, a defensive ace, isn’t worried about his limited contributions on offense.

“I just try to do whatever the team needs to win,” Caruso told The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi. “The last couple years in Chicago, we had guys out. I was on the ball a little more as a lead guard, but here we got Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), we got Dub (Jalen Williams). Even Cason (Wallace)’s on the ball a little more. We got a lot of options. So for me, it’s just about figuring out how I help us win games. Right now, it’s not taking 10 shots a night.”

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Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks underwent surgery on his right leg on Wednesday, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake City Tribune tweets. He suffered a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle in the second half of Utah’s game at Dallas on Oct. 28. Hendricks’ injury occurred on a non-contact play as he was running into the offensive lane. Utah has not released a timetable for his return.
The Jazz recorded their first win of the season on Monday, thanks to Keyonte George‘s career night. The second-year guard had 33 points, nine assists and two turnovers in 39 minutes, Larsen notes. With Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) and Hendricks out, John Collins played exclusively at power forward and looked much more comfortable, making 12-of-17 shots for 28 points while grabbing 13 rebounds. Collins failed to mesh well with Markkanen and Walker Kessler last season because he wasn’t as involved in screens and thus couldn’t take advantage of mismatches, Larsen adds.
Russell Westbrook has averaged 25 points, six rebounds and six assists in two Nuggets victories this week. Yet coach Michael Malone has high praise for another aspect of Westbrook’s game, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “I think defensively he’s been a rock star,” Malone said. “And what I love about Russell Westbrook: 17-year vet, leopards don’t change their spots, but he is trying so hard to be disciplined. He’s trying to do the things we’re asking him to do, and I appreciate that so much. Because a lot of times at 17 years in, you are who you are. But he cares, man. He is so invested in this team and what he’s bringing to this team, and he’s so hard on himself. I can coach a guy like Russell Westbrook any day.” Westbrook signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with Denver during the summer — the deal includes a second-year player option.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Murray, Jazz, Sexton, SGA

November 3rd, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Concerns about the Nuggets‘ depth appear to be justified so far, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Although Christian Braun has played well in his promotion into the starting five, the team has been left with a lot of questions off its bench.

Part of the problem is unfamiliarity, Durando adds. Julian Strawther has been added to the rotation, while Michael Porter Jr. is adapting to a new staggered role that has him seeing more time with the second unit. Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric were offseason additions in free agency, and Peyton Watson missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury.

“Too early to be trying to figure out if and what doesn’t work,” Westbrook said. “You don’t know what’s gonna work. You’ve gotta give a healthy dose of kind of seeing what’s what, and then you go from there.”

Rebuilding the bench was an offseason priority after the Nuggets seemed to run out of gas in the playoffs as coach Michael Malone had to lean heavily on his starters. That pattern is already repeating itself, as Durando points out that the starting unit logged 104 minutes together in the first four games.

“We’ve gotta figure something out with that bench unit,” Malone said after an overtime win in Brooklyn this week. “And it’s a fine line of, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta give it time, but how much time can you give it before you start looking at different options?’ And that’s kind of what we’re still evaluating. … Plenty of basketball to be played. I always make sure I challenge myself and ask myself, ‘Am I helping Russell Westbrook and Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson and Dario Saric?’ So it’s not just on those players. It’s on myself to try to figure that out.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is likely to be sidelined a few more days after entering concussion protocol following Friday’s game, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Post. “I think he did some cardio tonight,” Malone said Saturday. “We’ll see how he reacts to that, but I think the usual timeline is maybe five to seven days, but, once again, he took a really nasty hit, so we’ll be smart about that. … As much as we want Jamal back, his well-being is a lot more important.”
Poor shooting is behind a historically bad start for the Jazz, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah is the NBA’s only winless team at 0-6 and has dropped its last five games by a combined 110 points, making it the worst stretch in franchise history. They rank last in the league in three-point shooting and are 29th in two-point percentage.
Jazz guard Collin Sexton suffered a fracture to his left ring finger on Thursday, but he plans to keep playing by taping it to another finger, Larsen adds. “From all accounts, Collin doesn’t feel pain,” coach Will Hardy said.
During Saturday’s visit to Los Angeles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has developed into an MVP candidate in Oklahoma City, reflected on the 2019 trade that sent him from the Clippers to the Thunder, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “I had a great year here when I was here,” he said. “Their front office made a trade that they thought was best for their team. Same with the Thunder. Then the last five years I’ve tried to focus on my development and the team’s development. I’ve tried to be the best basketball player I can be for the Oklahoma City Thunder. And I’d say it worked out in my favor.”

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Randle, Wolves, Thunder, Blazers

October 30th, 2024 at 10:08am CST by Luke Adams

One key reason the Nuggets were unable to defend their title last season was a lack of roster depth, which forced head coach Michael Malone to lean too heavily on his starters. Malone found himself falling back into old habits in Monday’s overtime win over Toronto as he tightened his rotation down the stretch and played all his starters at least 39 minutes in the first game of a back-to-back set.

“Obviously we found ourselves in a game (Monday) night that we kind of shortened our rotation up a little bit in the second half, feeling the pressure of trying to get the first win of the season,” Malone said before Tuesday’s game vs. the Nets, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “And when you look at the box score after the game, especially going into the second night of a back-to-back in Brooklyn, you have your starters all at or near 40 minutes. And that’s not sustainable. We can’t do that. Game three, it was cool, man. Let’s get our first win, kind of take a deep breath. But that’s not sustainable.”

Several key Denver players also logged major minutes on Tuesday as the team once again required overtime to get past a non-playoff opponent. Nikola Jokic helped seal the victory with 29 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists in nearly 41 minutes of action.

Still, it was evident Malone was trying to avoid overextending his starters — four of the five played fewer minutes on Tuesday than they had on Monday, with Russell Westbrook stepping up off the bench to contribute 22 points and five assists in his best game as a Nugget so far.

“It’s hard to win in this league,” Westbrook said. “People think it’s easy, man. It’s hard. Especially when you’re a team that’s won year after year and always been in the running for NBA championships. It’s hard. We’ll get everybody’s best shot. We’ve gotta be prepared for it. However we’ve gotta get wins right now, we’ll take them.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about the impact the preseason trade to Minnesota had on him and his family and how his adjustment period is going so far. Randle admitted that he was “really thrown off” by the timing of the deal but was happy about his destination. “We had training camp in two or three days. My mindset was ready to go to Charleston for (Knicks) training camp,” he said. “It took me like a night or two (to accept it). The next morning. I was extremely happy because I forgot everything else and thought about the basketball side … It’s not that I was thinking I couldn’t get traded. I kind of had an idea (trade talks) were going on, but I think it would happen more during the season or closer to the trade deadline because the summer already passed.”
The Timberwolves had the NBA’s No. 1 defense last season, but they’re still figuring things out on that end of the court following their offseason roster changes, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes in the wake of a 120-114 Wolves loss to Dallas. “We do feel like we have some physicality now in Donte (DiVincenzo) and Julius. It gives us a little bit more defensive versatility too,” head coach Chris Finch said. “That’s not to say we have all the answers right now even in that. We’re still trying to figure out some defensive chemistry.”
No NBA team is winning the turnover battle more effectively so far this season than the Thunder, who have forced the most opponent turnovers per game on defense (20.7) while committing the second-fewest per game on offense (10.7). Zach Kram of The Ringer takes a closer look at how replacing Josh Giddey with Alex Caruso in Oklahoma City’s rotation has helped make an already strong defense even better in the early going.
The Rip City Remix (the Trail Blazers‘ affiliate) and the Grand Rapids Gold (the Nuggets‘ affiliate) are among the G League teams to recently announce training camp rosters. Former lottery pick James Bouknight‘s headlines the Remix’s roster, while the Gold’s squad includes former Bulls two-way player Andrew Funk.

Western Notes: Rockets, KD, Butler, LeBron, Nuggets, Kings

October 27th, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Confirming recent reporting from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story that the messaging out of Houston suggests the Rockets are unlikely to make a major in-season trade in 2024/25.

Still, Stein has spoken to multiple rival teams who are “hesitant to dismiss Houston’s trade ambitions so readily.” Those clubs believe the Rockets’ front office will continue to keep an eye out for possible deals for impact players, since they’re eager to return to the upper tier of the Western Conference.

Although the Suns aggressively shot down Kevin Durant trade speculation over the summer, Stein writes that there’s still a “strong belief” around the league that the Rockets remain interested in the star forward and would be ready to pounce if he becomes available within the next year or two.

According to Stein, rival teams also “increasingly” mention Houston as a potential suitor to watch if the Heat ever consider trading Jimmy Butler, who was identified multiple times during the offseason as a potential target of interest for the Rockets.

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The Lakers‘ hot start continued on Saturday as they pushed their record to 3-0 with an impressive comeback win over Sacramento. Four-time MVP LeBron James keyed the fourth quarter surge by becoming the first player since play-by-play tracking began in 1996 to record at least 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 100% shooting in a quarter (Twitter link via ESPN’s Matt Williams). “Just when you think he’s slowing down, man, he continues to show the world why he’s the greatest,” Anthony Davis said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “To go on that stretch, he actually looked to the bench and was trying to come out the game. We told him, ‘You’re not coming out.’ He comes out and hits another three. He never ceases to amaze any of us because we just know what he’s capable of and what he’s able to do.”
The sample size is minuscule, but in 21 minutes together so far, lineups featuring both Nuggets point guards – Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook – have an 82.2 offensive rating and a minus-28.9 overall net rating. Head coach Michael Malone remains confident those units can work, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “Jamal’s a guard. He’s been a one. He’s been a two,” Malone said prior to Denver’s second game. “In college, he was a two. It’s just that, for his Nuggets tenure, Jamal has been a guy that can be a starting one, and he can play with a point guard in the second unit. I think Russ and Jamal have a lot of potential to be really good together.”
The Stockton Kings (Sacramento’s G League affiliate) have officially announced their training camp roster for the 2024/25 season. Veteran forward Terry Taylor, former first-round pick Skal Labissiere, NBA camp invitee Boogie Ellis, and Shaquille O’Neal‘s son Shareef O’Neal are among the notable names on the squad.

Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Clippers, Jokic, Malone, Fouls

October 27th, 2024 at 1:47pm CST by Rory Maher

Russell Westbrook‘s debut with the Nuggets — a 15-point home loss to the Thunder on Thursday — wasn’t ideal. The former league MVP recorded six points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks in 21 minutes, but he shot just 2-of-10 from the floor (1-of-6 from three-point range) and 1-of-4 from the foul line, and Denver was outscored by 24 points when he was on the court.

As Law Murray of The Athletic writes, Saturday’s five-point home loss to the Clippers was a reminder of why L.A. wanted to move on from Westbrook over the offseason. Although he made some impressive defensive plays, including two steals and one block, he went 0-of-8 from the floor, only scoring two points on a pair of free throws, with one rebound and two assists. The Nuggets were minus-13 in his 19 minutes.

Kris Dunn, whom the Clips acquired for Westbrook in a sign-and-trade with Utah (Westbrook was subsequently waived by the Jazz; that’s how he signed with the Nuggets), finished with 11 points (on 4-of-6 shooting) and six rebounds in 19 minutes. Denver’s bench unit — Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson and Dario Saric only scored 11 points (on 3-of-18 shooting) and had five rebounds in 58 combined minutes.

That’s not to say the Clippers didn’t appreciate Westbrook’s time with the team. According to Murray, the nine-time All-Star is “beloved by many” members of the organization, and he had some great games in the 2023 postseason. But after trading for James Harden last fall, Westbrook’s on-court fit became awkward at times, and he struggled mightily in the 2024 playoffs vs. Dallas. Paul George — Westbrook’s strongest internal supporter — leaving for Philadelphia in free agency also played a factor in the Clippers trading Westbrook, Murray notes.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic raised concerns about Denver’s outside shooting following the loss to Oklahoma City. On Saturday, he nearly single-handedly got the Nuggets back into the game by converting a career-high seven three-pointers and scoring a game-high 41 points, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. However, the Nuggets failed to hold a slim lead down the stretch, and were torched by Clippers guard Norman Powell, who scored 22 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Michael Malone took responsibility for Powell’s fourth-quarter explosion, Durando adds. “Norman Powell kicked our (butts) in the fourth. … We continued to foul jump-shooters. Lack of discipline there,” Malone said. “That’s concerning because the same guys are making the same mistakes over and over. And if a guy is considered a run-off, we can’t let him keep shooting 3s. … But as I told our team, when a guy has a fourth quarter like that, it’s on me to make sure that we’re doing something to get the ball out of his hands. And I didn’t do that. So I take ownership for that, and I have to do a better job.”
Will the Nuggets benefit if NBA referees continue calling fewer fouls like they did at the end of last season? Durando explores that topic in a subscriber-only story for The Denver Post.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Caruso, Holmgren, Randle

October 25th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Offseason concerns about the Nuggets‘ shooting played out in an opening-night loss to Oklahoma City, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Denver shot 7-of-39 from beyond the arc and scored just 87 points as the Thunder pulled away in a battle of two of the West’s elite teams. Nikola Jokic admitted there are offensive issues that have to be worked out.

“We are not a good shooting team, I think, except probably (Michael Porter Jr.) and Jamal (Murray),” Jokic told reporters. “All of us are kind of streaky. Not streaky, you know, but just average shooters.”

OKC opted to throw frequent double teams at Jokic while daring players such as Christian Braun, Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson to beat them from the outside, Jones adds. He notes that the Nuggets only got 16 points from their bench and often looked slower and less athletic than the Thunder.

Jones suggests that coach Michael Malone may need to consider breaking up his starting five and using Porter off the bench to provide a shooting threat for the second unit. However, Malone doesn’t sound ready to make drastic changes after one loss.

“The bottom line is that I have to figure out a way to get Julian (Strawther) going,” he said. “I have to figure out a way to get Dario Saric going. So you definitely have to take a lot of factors into account. I think the more our guys play together, the better off we will be.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Alex Caruso‘s impact on the Thunder‘s defense was evident in his first game, observes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Even though he went scoreless in 19 minutes, Caruso repeatedly found ways to disrupt Denver’s offense. Coach Mark Daigneault said that during a walkthrough after the morning shootaround, Caruso was already his most knowledgeable player on how to attack the Nuggets. “He’s on the side and he’s calling out what we should be doing,” Daigneault said. “Contact switch. Rotate this way. His fingerprints are all over everything.”
Chet Holmgren got bigger and stronger during the offseason, which should be helpful as he spends more time at center, Slater adds. Free agent addition Isaiah Hartenstein is out until at least December with a broken left hand and backups Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams are also currently sidelined. “I think it’s a testament to what he’s done with his body,” Daigneault said. “He just played minute for minute with Jokic, who is very physical, and didn’t flinch, almost got stronger … What he did minute for minute with Jokic is not to be taken lightly.”
After looking tentative in his Timberwolves debut, Julius Randle was back in All-Star form Thursday night with 33 points, five rebounds and four assists in a win at Sacramento, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. It was only Randle’s second game since injuring his shoulder last winter, and that type of production shows why the Wolves were willing to part with Karl-Anthony Towns to acquire him from New York. “We told him this morning, don’t fit around us, we’re going to fit around you,” Anthony Edwards said. “He showed us today.”

Northwest Notes: Bates-Diop, Banton, Clingan, Murray, Westbrook

October 19th, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Luke Adams

As our roster count page shows, the Timberwolves are the only one of the NBA’s 30 teams whose roster is not ready for the regular season after a busy day of transactions. Minnesota is still carrying 16 players on standard contracts, whereas the other 29 clubs have 15 or fewer players on standard deals.

The Wolves don’t need to finalize their opening night roster until Monday evening, but an absence at practice on Saturday provided a pretty strong hint about which direction they’re leaning, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who tweets that forward Keita Bates-Diop wasn’t in attendance and appears to be the odd man out.

Nothing’s official yet, but Bates-Diop was a throw-in for salary-matching purposes in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, so it makes sense that he’s not in Minnesota’s plans. Removing him from the roster would allow the club to hang onto PJ Dozier, whose salary is partially guaranteed.

Still, since Bates-Diop’s $2,654,644 salary for 2024/25 is fully guaranteed, the Wolves are likely reluctant to simply waive him and eat that money, especially given how far over the luxury tax line they are. They may continue trying up until Monday’s deadline to find a taker for Bates-Diop on the trade market — they’d probably have to attach a second-round pick to make a deal.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton is expected to make the team’s opening night roster, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. Barring a last-minute surprise, Banton will see his partial guarantee increase from $217,533 to $1,098,485 as a result of starting the season with the team. The other half of his $2,196,970 salary would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond January 7.
Trail Blazers lottery pick Donovan Clingan had a big night in his first start of the preseason on Friday, Highkin writes for his Rose Garden Report Substack. The rookie center, who isn’t expected to play big minutes in a crowded Blazers frontcourt, racked up 14 points, four blocks, and an eye-popping 20 rebounds (10 offensive) in just 24 minutes of action, with Portland outscoring Utah by 30 points during that time. Head coach Chauncey Billups said Clingan is still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, but praised the big man’s rebounding and rim protection. “Those two things, he’ll be pretty elite at,” Billups said. “He’ll only get better.”
Jamal Murray‘s performance in Thursday’s preseason finale likely calmed some nerves in Denver, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. After dealing with some knee pain and shooting just 32% from the floor through three preseason appearances, the Nuggets guard poured in 25 points in 29 minutes in Thursday’s victory, showing that he’s ready for the regular season after a tough 2024 postseason and Olympic Games.
In a column for The Denver Post, Sean Keeler examines what Denver is hoping to get this season from free agent addition Russell Westbrook, suggesting that the former MVP can be an important “agitator” for the Nuggets and help them play with more of an edge.

Nuggets Notes: Towns, Saric, Gordon, Westbrook

October 13th, 2024 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Karl-Anthony Towns now a member of the Knicks, the Timberwolves no longer present major matchup problems for the Nuggets, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.

Denver was eliminated by Minnesota in last season’s playoffs in part because of the Timberwolves’ big man duo of Towns and Rudy Gobert. The Nuggets’ starting lineup had scored 125.9 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, Durando notes, but that number dropped to 102.6 in the second-round series. Oklahoma City now rates as the toughest matchup for Denver as it attempts to win two titles in three seasons.

We have more on the Nuggets:

Dario Saric was added in free agency on a two-year, $10.6MM deal. The Nuggets were intrigued by his versatility, Durando writes. “I think backup five, backup four, can play with Nikola (Jokic) at times, no doubt,” coach Michael Malone said. “If we go big, play him with a guy like DeAndre Jordan. … What you love about Dario is he’s been a three-man, he’s been a four, and later in his NBA career he’s been a backup five, a small-ball five. Very skilled. Can handle it. Can pass. Can shoot. Bigger than people realize. Strong, physical. I’m excited to explore all the options that Dario will afford us.”
Aaron Gordon believes the Nuggets improved in the offseason with Saric and Russell Westbrook in the fold. “We got better,” Gordon told Matt Brooks of Nuggets.com. “I hate losing [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] and Jeff Green, but I like our additions.”
In case you missed it, the Nuggets picked up the contract options of three key players last week. Get the details here.

Northwest Notes: Hartenstein, Avdija, Westbrook, Nuggets, Jazz

October 4th, 2024 at 9:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters this week for the first time as a member of the Thunder, Isaiah Hartenstein said all the right things about his potential role, as Rylan Stiles of SI.com relays.

There has been plenty of debate in Oklahoma City this summer about whether the team’s major free agent addition will start or come off the bench, given the presence of Rookie of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren at center. For his part, Hartenstein sidestepped that discourse, telling the media that he trusts head coach Mark Daigneault‘s judgment in managing the lineup and rotation.

“Whatever he does, he’s a really versatile coach. I mean, you watched last year. Some games the guys who would start would start the second half,” Hartenstein said. “(I’m) just being here and doing whatever the team needs to win. If that’s coming off the bench or starting, I’m just here to help the team win. That’s the main thing.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Having been traded from Washington to the Trail Blazers in July, Deni Avdija admitted it initially felt “kind of weird” to join a new team, but added that he’s adjusting quickly, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. “They’ve embraced me, they love me and they want me to get better,” Avdija said. “And I feel like that’s what you need as a new guy joining the team. I feel like my teammates support me, coaches. I feel at home.” Head coach Chauncey Billups referred to Avdija as a “Swiss Army knife-type of dude,” lauding the forward’s play-making, passing, screening, and shooting while noting that the plan is to use him “all over” the court.
The addition of Russell Westbrook represents the “ultimate chemistry experiment” for the Nuggets, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who says the move has the potential to blow up — or to help Denver win another title. Westbrook shot just 3-of-10 from the floor in his preseason debut on Friday in Abu Dhabi, but had 12 points and eight assists in 19 minutes, with Denver outscoring Boston by four points during that time. “I thought Russ had some good moments out there,” head coach Michael Malone said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “Obviously playing downhill, putting pressure on the defense, getting his teammates involved. So overall for his first game after a week or so of practice, I think there are gonna be some positives, and like everybody else in that locker room, there are plenty of things that we can clean up as well.”
Although Christian Braun started at shooting guard on Friday, Malone said that both Braun and Julian Strawther will get an opportunity to play with the Nuggets‘ starters during the preseason, tweets Durando.
Reporting throughout the offseason indicated the Jazz plan to lean heavily on their young players in 2024/25, which will serve the dual purpose of letting Utah thoroughly assess its recent first-round picks while also potentially lining up the club for another high first-round pick next June. Head coach Will Hardy‘s comments this week reinforced the notion that winning games isn’t “the absolutely priority” for the team this season, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “Going into this season, I think our vision is very clear: This is an opportunity for us to really invest in our youth,” Hardy said.

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