“He’s been working extremely hard all year,” teammate Julius Randle said of the No. 8 overall pick. “And these past few games he’s got his number called and been ready for his moment.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
Trail Blazers second-year guard Scoot Henderson believes his team is ready to blossom, as he told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
“I think we’ll pan out to be one of the top teams in the league pretty soon with the young core that we have and the dogs on our team,” he said. “You’ve got Donovan Clingan, who’s shown little glimpses of what he can do, and Shaedon (Sharpe). I try to get those guys the ball, and I try to do my thing. My main thing is getting guys the ball, letting them rock out, and letting the world see their talent.
“I’m trying to be a leader on and off the floor and get to know the guys a little bit more. I think we’re a core that plays hard and is going to shock a lot of teams throughout the season.”
Portland has a lot of ground to make up, as the Trail Blazers are 8-16 after losing six of their last seven games.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan appears set to take on the court on Tuesday night for the first time in nearly a month, having been listed as probable for San Antonio’s NBA Cup game in Phoenix, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.
Sochan has been sidelined since November 4, missing the Spurs’ past 13 games due to a fractured thumb that required surgery.
The former ninth overall pick appeared to be taking an impressive step forward prior to the injury. In his six full games this season, he averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 32.2 minutes per night, with a 50.6% field goal percentage.
The Spurs have been playing well lately with rookie Stephon Castle starting in place of Sochan, having won five of their past six games, so we’ll see if Sochan reclaims his spot in the lineup upon his return or if acting head coach Mitch Johnson has him come off the bench.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
The Timberwolves, who fell to 8-9 on the season on Tuesday with a loss to Houston, have a Mike Conley problem, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.
As Katz outlines, Conley was an extremely valuable role player for Minnesota last season, organizing the offense and knocking down a carer-high 44.2% of his three-point attempts. So far this season, the veteran point guard has battled injuries and has seen his shooting percentages drop off to 31.9% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc.
Conley’s teammates still perform better on offense when he’s on the court to set them up, per Katz. The club has a +5.5 net rating during the 37-year-old’s 325 minutes this fall, compared to a -0.8 mark in the 501 minutes he hasn’t played. Minnesota has also lost all four games he has missed, so getting him healthy will help. But if the Timberwolves want to make another deep playoff run in 2025, they’ll likely need Conley to serve as a more reliable offensive threat than he has been so far.
As for the Wolves’ options when Conley is unavailable, they’ve tried using Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the point guard role, but both players are better fits off the ball, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. As Hine writes, the team’s best alternative to Conley at the point may be rookie Rob Dillingham, who enjoyed his best game as a pro on Tuesday, racking up 12 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Minnesota was a +26 in those minutes.
“He’s been working extremely hard all year,” teammate Julius Randle said of the No. 8 overall pick. “And these past few games he’s got his number called and been ready for his moment.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
The Trail Blazers have been waiting for Anfernee Simons to start taking over games with his scoring like he did in Saturday’s win at Houston, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Simons scored 15 of his team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter as Portland got a measure of revenge after dropping an NBA Cup game to the Rockets Friday night.
“It was amazing to see Ant make some shots and kind of carry us down the stretch,” coach Chauncey Billups told reporters.
It’s something that Billups and the Blazers were hoping to see more often, but Simons has been in a shooting slump for much of the season. Before Saturday, he was averaging 15.6 PPG while connecting at career-worst marks of 37.8% from the field and 30% from three-point range. Fentress notes that the team is 4-1 whenever Simons tops 24 points, but only 1-8 when he fails to reach 20.
“I’m proud of him, honestly,” Deni Avdija said. “He struggled a little bit offensively last game. But he bounced back. And that shows a lot about the player, especially their personality. And I feel like today, he showed what he’s made of. And hopefully, he’s going to continue doing it, being aggressive. And he’s big for our offense.”
There’s more on the Trail Blazers:
The Trail Blazers have picked up their 2025/26 team options for three players who are on rookie scale contracts, the team announced today in a press release.
The options exercised by Portland are as follows:
None of the decisions come as a surprise. Henderson and Sharpe project to be long-term cornerstones for the Blazers, while Murray showed some promise in his rookie season and has a salary not far above the veteran’s minimum.
Henderson, 20, had an up-and-down rookie campaign after being selected third overall in the 2023 draft. He finished last season with averages of 14.0 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game (62 games) and an underwhelming shooting line of .385/.325/.819. However, the Blazers remain confident that he’s capable of much more going forward.
Sharpe has been bitten by the injury bug in the past year. He was limited to 32 games last season due to health issues, including core muscle surgery, and is currently on the shelf due to a shoulder ailment. He averaged 15.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .406/.333/.824 shooting when healthy last season.
Murray averaged 6.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.3 APG in 62 games (21.7 MPG) as a rookie, with a shooting line of .396/.268/.661.
Sharpe will now become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2024 offseason, while the Blazers will have decisions to make on fourth-year options for Henderson and Murray by October 31, 2025.
Trail Blazers backup center Duop Reath remains a potentially integral part of Portland’s crowded big man rotation, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.
The 6’11” big man is the only rostered Blazers center who’s a proficient three-point shooter. During his rookie season in 2023/24, the 28-year-old stepped up in the absence of an injured Robert Williams III, assuming primary reserve duties behind starter Deandre Ayton.
Across 68 contests (20 starts), Reath averaged 9.1 points on .461/.359/.742 shooting splits, along with 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.5 steals per night. His 35.9% long range conversion rate arrived on 3.6 attempts, pretty good for a guy playing just 17.9 minutes per game.
Though Williams is injured again, the former All-Defensive Second Teamer will likely still leapfrog Reath when healthy, as Portland no doubt hopes to find a new trade home for him at some point. Former Connecticut standout Donovan Clingan, the Trail Blazers’ prized lottery draft pick this summer, seems likely to earn some run, too.
“That’s the benefit of the team,” Reath said of the Portland centers’ various skill sets. “Everybody’s good at what they’re good at. (Clingan) is huge. Great rim protector. You’ve got me, who can stretch the floor a little bit. Everybody is just different. So, coach can use whatever he needs that game, that day.”
There’s more out of Portland:
Thunder big man Jaylin Williams has been ruled out for the remainder of training camp and the preseason due to a right hamstring strain, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman.
Upon his return, Williams is poised to back up a crowded frontcourt that is composed of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Coach Mark Daigneault was especially complimentary of what Williams brings to the table.
“Those guys are really, really verbal players,” Daigneault said. “Defensively especially, that position has to be the most vocal on the court. [Williams] is a very bold communicator in his coverages.”
Williams will be reevaluated after the preseason, per Lorenzi.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
After undergoing knee surgery last fall that ended his season early and limited him to just six appearances in 2023/24, Trail Blazers center Robert Williams has been taking part in five-on-five scrimmages in recent weeks and expects to be ready for the start of the season, writes Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. While Williams may be held out of some activities during training camp and the preseason, he’s excited about nearing the end of a long recovery process.
“I’m in a great space right now,” Williams said on Monday. “Trying to stay on top of everything physically and mentally. It’s been a long seven months. A long fight back. But I’m just ready to get back on the court, man. You saw me smiling when I came in here. At one point, I couldn’t even walk, you feel what I’m saying? So I’m just ready to get back out there and show what I can do.”
Williams has been slowed by injuries over the course of his NBA career, having played more than 35 regular season games just twice in six years. However, he has made a significant on-court impact when healthy, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team in Boston in 2022. The big man, who will turn 27 this month, expressed confidence in his chances of returning to that level.
“I feel like I’m there,” he told reporters, per Highkin. “I’ve been playing five-on-five a lot over the past month. But it’s been a nonstop grind since I hurt myself last year. Starting then, from the rehab process to getting back out on the court, everything I went through, it’s been a long grind. I feel like I’m ready.”
Here’s more on the Trail Blazers:
The Trail Blazers will wear a band on their jerseys throughout the 2024/25 season to honor the late Bill Walton, according to a team press release. Walton passed away on May 27 at the age of 71. All of Portland’s jerseys will feature a tie-dye band along the top of the left side with his “32” number in white. As a Trail Blazer, Walton was a two-time All-Star (1977 and 1978) and led the Blazers to the NBA championship in 1977.
We have more on the Trail Blazers:
Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson has signed with Klutch Sports and CEO Rich Paul as his representative, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
The third pick in last year’s draft, Henderson is eligible for a rookie scale extension in the summer of 2026. How he develops over the next two seasons will determine his earning power.
Henderson appeared in 62 games last season, including 32 starts. He averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 assists per contest, but shot just 38.5% from the field and 32.5% on 3-point tries.
We have more on the Trail Blazers: