Thomas Bryant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thomas Bryant, Bradley Beal Back For Wizards

January 12th, 2020 at 1:13pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Center Thomas Bryant will be returning to game action for the Wizards this afternoon against the Jazz, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz (Twitter link).

Bryant, who had started all of his previous games for Washington this season, will be coming off the bench in his first NBA game since December 1, according to Hoops Rumors’ Chris Crouse (Twitter link). Crouse notes that Wizards All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal, who has missed his team’s last five games, will return as well.

Before the 22-year-old Bryant suffered a right foot stress reaction in December, he had been enjoying his best season as a pro. The No. 42 pick in 2017, Bryant logged just 15 games for the Lakers in the 2017/18 season. Los Angeles waived Bryant in 2018.

In 2018/19, the Wizards took a flyer on Bryant, and he blossomed in his sophomore season following the injury flameout of nominal starting center Dwight Howard, who missed all but nine games in DC. Bryant averaged 10.5 PPG and 6.3 RPG for the Wizards during his age-21 season, convincing the Wizards to re-sign him this past summer to a three-year, $25MM contract.

Bryant is averaging career highs of 13.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 2.7 APG in 28.4 MPG across Washington’s newly sped-up offense. The Wizards sport the third-fastest offense in the NBA.

Beal, who signed a two-year, $72MM extension with the Wizards this fall that will pay him through the 2022/23 season, had been enjoying a career year for Washington, too. He is averaging career highs of 27.8 PPG, 6.6 APG, and shooting 83.1% from the free-throw line. Beal is also averaging 4.8 RPG.

Wizards Notes: Culture, Bryant, Smith, Mathews

January 8th, 2020 at 5:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The culture in Washington has changed dramatically from last season and Ish Smith believes the team the Wizards could be on a similar path to the one the Nets are on, as he told Hoops Rumors and other media in attendance after the team’s recent win over the Celtics.

“Brooklyn, I thought, did a great job of it last year. They’ve been doing a great job over the last two years – they haven’t had any true superstars, but now they do,” Smith said. “They’ve just been playing hard and guys have emerged out of nowhere.

“You look at Joe Harris; Joe Harris wasn’t a household name, now he is one. Spencer Dinwiddie, I can go down the line, all of those guys who played really, really well and held down the fort – and they made it to the playoffs last year. Obviously, D’Angelo [Russell] was a household name and everybody knew who he was, but I thought Brooklyn had laid that [foundation] down. We’re just trying to play hard, try to play smarter. We’re embodying who Coach [Scott] Brooks is. Coach Brooks is a fighter and that’s who he was his whole career. I think we’re doing a great job of doing that these last few games.”

The Wizards have had a stockpile of injuries and players without much brand recognition have stepped up. Here’s more on the unique squad out of Washington:

The front office would like to promote Anzejs Pasecniks, who is on a two-way deal, to the 15-man roster, though good luck guessing which player would be waived if that happens. Gary Payton II‘s contract for the season became fully guaranteed on Tuesday, which makes the Wizards roster 15-for-15 in guaranteed contracts.
Thomas Bryant could make his return to the court this weekend. The Wizards play the Hawks on Friday and the Jazz on Sunday.
Wizards guard Jordan McRae spoke about how Smith, has impacted the club “Ish [Smith] is doing what Ish does. We’ve been going through droughts where we can’t score. Him being the point guard, him being the leader that he is, he’s taken it upon himself,” McRae said. We recently detailed how Smith is channeling his inner Steve Nash for the Wizards.
Brook said there is no update on Garrison Mathews, who is dealing with an ankle sprain, Fred Katz of The Athletic relays on Twitter.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/2/20

January 2nd, 2020 at 8:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

The Wizards have assigned center Thomas Bryant, forward Davis Bertans, and rookie point guard Justin Robinson to their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Robinson, an undrafted Virginia Tech alum in 2019, has played in nine games for the Wizards thus far. Bryant and Bertans were sent to the Go-Go on rehab assignments to practice, and the Wizards note that the big men will be recalled back to the NBA today.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Bryant, Washington, Martin

December 27th, 2019 at 3:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards may play it safe with regards to Bradley Beal‘s injury, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports writes. Beal left Thursday’s contest against the Pistons with lower right leg soreness and while it doesn’t sound like it will be a debilitating injury, it makes sense for the 9-21 Wizards to be as cautious as possible with their franchise star.

Beal is questionable for Saturday’s contest vs. the Knicks. Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Thomas Bryant said he doesn’t have an exact return date, but he is “very, very close” to returning, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets. Bryant practiced with the Wizards today and will practice with the Capital City Go-Go on Saturday.
Isaiah Thomas said he apologized to a lot of people in the Wizards organization for the incident with fans in Philadelphia, including owner Ted Leonsis, Hughes tweets. Thomas served a two-game suspension for the incident.
It sounds like PJ Washington will make his way back into the lineup for the Hornets, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. The rookie has missed the past few weeks with a broken finger.
In a separate piece, Bonnell details how Cody Martin has been exceeding expectations for the Hornets. Charlotte selected the small forward with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Coach Steve Clifford said Al-Farouq Aminu had a “setback” this week in his recovery from a knee injury, John Denton of NBA.com tweets. The Magic signed Aminu to a three-year deal this offseason.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/26/19

December 26th, 2019 at 8:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

Thomas Bryant, who has been sidelined since December 1 with a foot injury, was assigned to and then recalled from the Capital City Go-Go by the Wizards today, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Bryant apparently participated in a practice with Washington’s G League affiliate.
The Knicks assigned veteran swingman Reggie Bullock to the G League, where he practiced with the Westchester Knicks, according to the club (Twitter link). Bullock, who underwent surgery in July for a cervical disc herniation, is nearing his regular season debut.
The Bucks assigned big man Dragan Bender to their G League affiliate, the team announced (via Twitter). Bender, who has averaged 20.2 PPG in six NBAGL contests this season, will be active for the Wisconsin Herd on Friday when the club faces Lakeland.

Southeast Notes: Smith, Young, Adebayo, Magic

December 4th, 2019 at 10:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Big man Jason Smith said he’s interested in returning to the Wizards if they want him, Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington relays. Smith made the comment on a Wizards Postgame Live broadcast. Washington’s frontcourt has been depleted by injuries, including a foot ailment to starting center Thomas Bryant that will sideline him for at least three weeks. The 33-year-old seven-footer played 20 games last season, including 12 with the Wizards.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Luka Doncic and Trae Young were essentially traded for each other on draft night 2018 but the Hawks guard doesn’t mind the comparisons, he said in an ESPN interview. “We’re going to be compared throughout our whole careers,” Young said. “That’s fine, that’s what it’s going to be — it happened on draft night, and I don’t think it’ll stop until we’re both retired.”
The Heat want center Bam Adebayo to be more aggressive offensively, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. Adebayo is averaging 14.2 PPG while averaging nine shot attempts and 5.7 free throw attempts.
Trading for DeMar DeRozan doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Magic, Josh Robbins of The Athletic opines. The Magic are reportedly interested in DeRozan but he can become an unrestricted free agent by declining his $27.7MM player option this summer, Robbins notes. Giving up a good young player like Aaron Gordon for DeRozan would be too risky unless the veteran guard made a commitment to stay with Orlando. A trade with the Warriors for guard D’Angelo Russell would be more feasible, though the Magic’s interest level in doing that is unknown, Robbins adds.

Thomas Bryant Out At Least Three Weeks With Foot Injury

December 3rd, 2019 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards center Thomas Bryant is expected to be sidelined until at least Christmas, with the team announcing today in a press release that he has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right foot. According to the Wizards, Bryant will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

Bryant, 22, had a modest breakout season a year ago after being claimed off waivers from the Lakers by the Wizards. He had been building on last year’s success in the early going in 2019/20, averaging career bests in PPG (13.9), RPG (8.5), APG (2.7), and a handful of other categories through 18 games (all starts).

With Bryant sidelined, the Wizards find themselves somewhat shorthanded at the five. Veteran big man Ian Mahinmi has been unable to take the court so far this season due to an Achilles injury, while Moritz Wagner missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and is out tonight as well.

Wagner should see heavy minutes at center when he’s ready to return. Until then, the team may rely more heavily smaller lineups, with forwards like Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura as the bigs. A roster move is also possible, though Washington doesn’t currently have an open spot.

Wizards Notes: Starting SF, Bryant, Wall

October 16th, 2019 at 7:58pm CST by clarkcrum

Who will be the starter at small forward for the Wizards when the regular season opens up one week from today? According to the candidates laid out by Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, the race is down to three – Isaac Bonga, Admiral Schofield, and Jordan McRae – after Justin Anderson was waived earlier today.

With Bradley Beal and Ish Smith set in the backcourt and rookie first-rounder Rui Hachimura and big man Thomas Bryant likely to start up front, it’s down to Bonga, Schofield, or McRae to join that foursome in the starting lineup with both Troy Brown Jr. and C.J. Miles out injured.

“It’s still open,” head coach Scott Brooks said. “We got a lot of guys that are fighting for opportunities and, like I said, it’s not just talk — it’s wide open. Especially with all of the injuries, it’s really wide open.”

As Buckner notes, the Wizards should really opt to go with Bonga or Schofield if they are serious about a youth movement. But McRae is a scrappy veteran used to fighting for a roster spot, so it will be interesting to monitor the small forward position moving forward in Washington.

There’s more from the Wizards:

As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes, the Wizards’ best chance to improve on defense lies with the aforementioned Bryant. The 22-year-old youngster hasn’t been much of a rim protector previously, but he possesses some natural abilities that suggest he has the potential to become one. Said Bryant, “I have to be one of those guys to make a big difference. A big man can be the anchor for the defense. I have to take that responsibility to heart every day, whether it’s in practice or the game.”
In another piece for NBC Sports Washington, Hughes relays that injured point guard John Wall suffered another infection after his Achilles surgery that delayed him getting out of his walking boot. “For me to be where I’m at right now, with all the setbacks and infections and then finding out my Achilles was ruptured and then going through another infection, it was like ‘man, when can I ever get past that point of just getting out of the boot and walking?'”
And in yet another article, Hughes writes how Wall is embracing his role as an assistant coach while out injured. Wall says this season will give him an idea of whether he wants to get into coaching someday. “I think this year will tell me whether I can be a coach or not… I think you have to have a lot of patience and you’ve gotta know how to interact with every player. Every player’s attitudes and character and mood swings are totally different. I learned from when a coach tried to coach me when I was young and I wasn’t the guy to coach.”

Southeast Notes: Johnson, Turner, Jones, Wizards

October 4th, 2019 at 7:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

James Johnson‘s agent Mark Bartelstein said his client has been absent from the Heat’s training camp because of his weight rather than his conditioning, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Johnson hasn’t been allowed to participate in camp until he reaches that weight goal set by Heat president Pat Riley. Bartelstein said Johnson passed the team’s conditioning test and will return to the team “shortly,” Jackson adds. Johnson has a $15.3MM salary this season with a $16MM player option next season.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce wants to take advantage Evan Turner‘s versatility, Kevin Chouinard of the team’s website tweets. Turner will serve as the backup point guard and will also be employed as a small-ball power forward along with playing the wing. Turner was acquired from the Blazers for Kent Bazemore.
Forward Jemerrio Jones is trying to gain a role with the Wizards via his rebounding and hustle, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington details. Jones, who played six games with the Lakers last season as a rookie, has a $1,416,852 salary, but less than $200K is guaranteed. “I go hard in the paint,” he said. “[Fans] are going to like the hustle in me. You gotta pay people to play hard now, but it’s in me.” Jones was acquired in the three-team blockbuster that brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.
Thomas Bryant inspires his other young Wizards teammates to exceed expectations, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post writes. Bryant, who was cut loose by the Lakers, earned a three-year, $25MM contract after replacing injured Dwight Howard as the starting center last season. “The opportunity that he got, making the best of getting cut, it’s incredible for me to observe,” second-year center Moritz Wagner said. “I’m very happy to do this with him together.”

Wizards Re-Sign Thomas Bryant

June 30th, 2019 at 5:38pm CST by JD Shaw

JULY 7: The Wizards have formally announced Bryant’s new three-year deal, issuing a press release to confirm the signing.

“Re-signing Thomas was our top priority this offseason and we’re extremely excited to have him with us as he takes the next step in his development,” Wizards interim head of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “His overall attitude, work ethic and team-first mentality embody the type of environment that we are working to create and sustain within the Wizards organization.”

JUNE 30: The Wizards have agreed to a three-year, $25MM contract with center Thomas Bryant, his agent, Todd Ramasar, tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Bryant is coming off an impressive season with the team, holding per-game averages of 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 20.8 minutes. At just 21 years old, he remains one of the league’s most intriguing prospects at the center position, set to enter his third NBA season in the fall.

Washington also has the free-agent situations of Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker and Tomas Satoransky to worry about in the coming days, with Portis and Parker currently operating as though they won’t return with the team, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link).

The Wizards dealt with several injuries to core players this season, finishing with a 32-50 record and failing to make the playoffs.