Victor Wembanyama Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Marshall, Spurs, Pelicans, McCollum

November 23rd, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After a late-game defensive breakdown resulted in a frustrating two-point loss in Utah last Thursday, the Mavericks immediately watched film and held a post-game meeting, with “accountability, effort and unselfishness” among the themes, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

“We talked about a lot of things, and got a lot of things out in the open,” Mavericks forward P.J. Washington said, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “But the main thing is that we knew we were better than that, and that we had to be better going forward.”

“We needed to stop playing ‘I’ basketball and we needed to play ‘we’ basketball,” center Dereck Lively added, per Curtis. “That’s what we’ve been doing these past couple of games and it’s been working.”

As Lively points out, the Mavericks have turned things around since falling to 5-7 with that loss in Utah. The team will take a four-game winning streak into Miami on Sunday, having registered a pair of comfortable home victories over San Antonio and New Orleans along with two impressive road wins in Oklahoma City and Denver in the past week. While that loss to the Jazz has cost the Mavs a few spots in the tightly congested Western Conference standings, Washington is happy that something good came out of it.

“In a way I’m kind of glad that it happened,” he said. “Because you never want to lose like that. We all knew that we were capable of doing a lot of things better. We needed to be accountable to each other. So, that’s why we kind of talked about it right after the game.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

Mavericks forward Naji Marshall helped seal Friday’s win over Denver, playing clutch minutes in the fourth quarter with Klay Thompson on the bench, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda spoke to Marshall about adjusting to a new team this fall after spending four years in New Orleans and talked to some of Marshall’s new teammates about the impact the newcomer has had so far. “This is the most talented team I’ve been on,” Marshall told Afseth. “The coaches are great, the front office is amazing, and the training staff is incredible. I really have no complaints.”
Devin Vassell (sore left knee) will be unavailable for a fourth straight game on Saturday, but it appears Victor Wembanyama (bruised right knee) will make his return after missing the past three contests. After initially listing both players as questionable, the Spurs have ruled out Vassell and upgraded Wembanyama to probable, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
The Pelicans have lost 13 of 15 games since opening the season with back-to-back wins and now hold a 4-13 record. However, Zion Williamson remains optimistic that the team has time to turn things around, especially once more key players – including Zion himself – return from injuries. “We know the position we are in right now,” Williamson said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “It’s not a good one at the moment. We come in the gym every day in good spirits. We are going to figure it out.”
One injured Pelicans player who appears to be nearing a return? CJ McCollum. The veteran guard has been on the shelf since October 29 due to a thigh injury, but told reporters that he went through a contact practice on Saturday and hopes to suit up on Monday vs. Indiana (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic).

Spurs Notes: Paul, Barnes, Wembanyama, Vassell, Bassey

November 22nd, 2024 at 1:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The experience the Spurs gained when they added Chris Paul in free agency is paying off in close games, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. With the team’s three top scorers sidelined by injuries, Paul took over in the fourth quarter against Utah on Thursday night, going 4-of-6 from the field and dishing out three assists. McDonald notes that the Spurs are 3-3 in crunch-time games after losing a league-high 18 times in those situations last season, and Paul has been the obvious difference.

“I know clock management, I know the plays, the shots that I want to get,” Paul said. “The last three, four minutes of a game is a totally different game. You got a package that you want to go to. If your defense sucked all game long, you sort of lock in. That’s what I try to bring to the team.”

Paul has shown an ability to take over games throughout his 20 NBA seasons, with teammate Harrison Barnes calling him “one of the great closers in the game that we still have playing.” He has also brought a competitive edge to his young teammates that extends beyond the court.

“I think from Day 1, the way we approached things during the summer, the way we compete and practice on the plane, if it’s Connect 4, if it’s ping pong, whatever you do, you do it to win,” Paul said. “There’s competitive guys in that locker room.”

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Barnes, who was acquired in an offseason trade, has also played an important role in the Spurs’ surprising 8-8 start, McDonald adds. He posted season highs in scoring twice this week, pouring in 20 points Tuesday and 25 last night. “I think the beauty of our team is different guys can step up on any given night,” he said. “Before these last two games, I think I was shooting six shots a game. So I think the coaches just talked about being aggressive.”
Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell are expected to return soon after missing the past three games with what interim coach Mitch Johnson called “minor” knee injuries, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama bruised his right knee in a collision in a November 15 game. Vassell sat out that contest due to injury management following offseason foot surgery, but hasn’t been able to play since then due to pain in his left knee. “They are both trending in the right way, working on the court,” Johnson said. “Just need to get that final clearance.”
[Update: Both Wembanyama and Vassell are listed as questionable to play on Saturday.]
Charles Bassey is enjoying the chance to play while Wembanyama is out of action, Orsborn adds. The third-string center has averaged 23 minutes over the past three games and posted 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks Thursday night. “It is not easy playing behind Victor, with what he does offensively, what he does defensively, obviously how many minutes he gets,” Barnes said. “So for 11 games or however many games it was to be out of the rotation, not playing, and to come in now to be able to have these type of games to give us this lift, those are big things.”

And-Ones: H. Brown, All-Star Format, ‘Redrafted’ Players, More

November 21st, 2024 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA color commentator Hubie Brown will call one last game for ESPN this season before retiring, ESPN president Burke Magnus stated during an appearance on the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast (story via SI.com).

“I don’t mean to be purposely mysterious here, but we’re going to honor Hubie this year during the regular season at some point to be determined and send him off in style,” Magnus said. “I don’t think there’s a single human being who’s ever had a longer association with professional basketball.”

A two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Brown began calling games in the 1980s and has been with ESPN since 2004. He turned 91 years old in September.

We have a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

After reporting last week that the NBA is seriously considering turning the All-Star Game into a four-team tournament this February, Shams Charania of ESPN has provided more details on the format. According to Charania, the expectation is that the two semifinal games will have target scores of 40 points, while the final will have a target of 25 points. The idea is to emulate pickup games, with “quick-burst” contests and the winners advancing to the championship.
Defining a “redrafted” player as one who broke out with a second team rather than the club that drafted him, Mark Deeks of HoopsHype identifies nine of the NBA’s top redrafted players, including Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Raptors wing Ochai Agbaji, and Thunder swingman Isaiah Joe, among others.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report ranks the top 10 non-max contracts in the NBA this season, highlighting a few players who are still on rookie contracts (including recent Rookies of the Year Victor Wembanyama and Paolo Banchero) as well as a handful of veterans (such as Austin Reaves and Derrick White).
NBA insider Jake Fischer, formerly of Yahoo Sports, will be joining Marc Stein’s Substack, Stein confirmed today on Twitter.

Injury Notes: Nets, Knicks, Spurs, Heat, Rollins

November 21st, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets center Nic Claxton has returned to practice and will be listed as questionable to play on Friday in Philadelphia, the team announced today (Twitter link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).

Claxton has missed the past three games due to a back strain. The club announced last Friday that he would miss at least a week, but it sounds like he might not be out any longer than that.

Another injured Nets center is also inching closer to a return. According to the club, Day’Ron Sharpe has begun one-on-one workouts with coaches and the plan is for him to be integrated into team activities within the next seven-to-10 days. Sharpe has been on the shelf since training camp due to a left hamstring strain.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau provided some injury updates on Wednesday ahead of a victory over Phoenix, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays. Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) is expected to be cleared to practice during the team’s current five-game road trip, while Mitchell Robinson (ankle) has started shooting but hasn’t yet been cleared to practice or run. Bondy says Robinson is more likely to return sometime in the new year than in December and adds that Miles McBride (knee) is considered “a true day-to-day” and could return as early as Saturday in Utah.
Victor Wembanyama (right knee contusion) and Devin Vassell (left knee soreness) will each miss a third consecutive game on Thursday when the Spurs take on Utah, but the team considers both players day-to-day and doesn’t view either issue as serious, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I don’t feel like it will be too extended of a time,” acting head coach Mitch Johnson said. “Minor stuff. … Both of them want to be out there very badly.”
Jaime Jaquez (ankle), Terry Rozier (foot), and Josh Richardson (heel) didn’t participate in the Heat‘s practice on Thursday, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Rozier underwent an MRI on his sore right foot, which has been an issue throughout the season and caused him to miss Monday’s game vs. Philadelphia, but that MRI came back clean and he’s aiming to return to action on Sunday vs. Dallas, according to Winderman and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter links).
The Bucks are now listing Ryan Rollins‘ injury as a “left shoulder dislocation” rather than “left shoulder instability,” but head coach Doc Rivers expects the two-way guard to try to rehab the injury and play through it rather than undergoing surgery, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. “I’m able to do things on it. So it’s kind of one of those decisions like, are you willing to endure some of the pain of it. Pain tolerance, honestly,” Rollins said, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Are you willing to play through it? Is it important enough for you to play at this moment? A bunch of variables went in to it. I feel like I’m good enough to play though for right now.”

Injury Notes: Banchero, Jokic, Wemby, Grizzlies, Knicks

November 19th, 2024 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Magic announced on October 31 that Paolo Banchero had been diagnosed with a torn right oblique, they said he would be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks. However, the expectation was that he would likely be sidelined well beyond that window.

So when will we see Banchero back on the court? If it’s up to the All-Star forward, he’ll make his return in about a month.

“This isn’t from the medical team or anything, but the way I feel and I’ve been feeling, I think before Christmas,” Banchero said, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter video link). “Maybe that’s a week before, a couple days before. I think I can get back before Christmas.”

As Banchero acknowledged, the decision will ultimately be up to the Magic’s medical team, so he’ll defer to the experts if they’re not ready to clear him by Christmas.

Orlando lost its first four games after Banchero went down, but has hit its stride as of late, picking up six straight victories and moving into third place in the Eastern Conference at 9-6.

We have more injury updates from around the NBA:

Last season’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year will both remain sidelined on Tuesday. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic isn’t injured, but will miss a third consecutive game for personal reasons as his team visits Memphis, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Meanwhile, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama – who missed Saturday’s loss to Dallas – won’t be available vs. Oklahoma City due to a right knee contusion, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.
Grizzlies center Zach Edey (left ankle sprain) will miss a game for the first time this season on Tuesday, joining star guard Ja Morant (right hip subluxation; pelvic muscle strains) on the inactive list vs. Denver. As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal details, Grizzlies two-way guard Cam Spencer – who has been out all season due to an ankle injury – is inching closer to making his debut, having been cleared for five-on-five action.
Knicks guard Miles McBride has missed the past three games due to what the club is calling right knee inflammation. As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post notes, McBride hyperextended that knee last month, though the Knicks didn’t confirm that the two issues are related. Bondy also provides an update on Precious Achiuwa (hamstring strain), citing a source who is optimistic the big man will be cleared to begin practicing with the team on its five-game road trip that begins Wednesday in Phoenix.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Doncic, McCollum, Missi

November 18th, 2024 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have officially listed Victor Wembanyama as doubtful for Tuesday night’s game against the Thunder due to a bruised knee, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. San Antonio had indicated after practice the star center would be listed as questionable, according to Orsborn.

Wembanyama sat out Saturday’s loss at Dallas after suffering the injury in a collision with the Lakers’ Anthony Davis on Friday night. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 22.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks in his second season.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic is listed as questionable to play against the Pelicans on Tuesday due to a right knee contusion, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets. Doncic logged a season-low 28 minutes against the Spurs on Saturday.
Pelicans guard CJ McCollum practiced on Monday but didn’t go through any contact drills, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets. McCollum hasn’t played since Oct. 29 due to a thigh injury. He has already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game.
Could Yves Missi be the answer for the Pelicans at center? William Guillory of The Athletic explores this question. The 21st overall pick in this year’s draft has posted double digits in rebounds in three of the last four games and has shown versatility on defense. Missi has also proved to be a quick learner. “It’s great for him to get these minutes and these experiences early in the season. It’s going to pay off huge for him as we progress throughout the year,” coach Willie Green said. “We expect this is going to pay off for him in the long run.”

Spurs Notes: Paul, Castle, NBA Cup, Wembanyama

November 16th, 2024 at 7:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs point guard Chris Paul reached another milestone Friday night, handing out the 12,000th assist of his career, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. John Stockton may be out of reach at 15,806, but Paul is closing in on Jason Kidd’s second place total of 12,091. At age 39, Paul attributes his longevity to staying in top shape and studying the game.

“It’s training all day and all night,” he said. “The late-night massages. It’s getting up in the morning. It’s eating right. It’s training while you’re on vacation. It’s watching film day in and day out.”

Listed at 6’0″, Paul is by far the shortest player to reach 20 NBA seasons, McDonald adds. That list mostly includes big men, along with a few hyper-athletic wings. One of them is Paul’s close friend LeBron James, who met him after the game and discussed what it’s like to be in the twilight of their careers.

“Me and ‘Bron talked about it a little bit,” Paul said. “We don’t know how much longer it’s going to be, but I have so much gratitude for this game and the things I’ve been able to do and learn over the years.”

There’s more from San Antonio:

James also talked briefly to Stephon Castle after the game ended, which made a strong impression on the rookie guard, McDonald states in a separate story. After the Lakers pulled out a narrow victory, James shared some advice on a few reads that Castle could have made. “I’ve been watching him since I was a kid,” Castle said. “So for him to come up to me and talk to me for even that little bit, it really meant a lot. … I really respect him and appreciate him for coming up and saying that to me. He didn’t really have to.”
Friday’s losses left the Spurs and Grizzlies as the only teams without an NBA Cup win since the tournament was introduced last season, McDonald adds in the same piece. San Antonio will get three more chances, hosting Oklahoma City on Tuesday and then traveling to Utah on November 26 and Phoenix on December 3.
Victor Wembanyama will miss Saturday’s game at Dallas with a right knee contusion, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Zach Collins will replace him in the starting lineup.

Wizards Notes: Poole, Wembanyama, Stock Watch, Rookies

November 15th, 2024 at 8:18pm CST by Rory Maher

After a forgettable first season with the Wizards, Jordan Poole is off to a much better start in year two, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Despite losing Wednesday’s game in San Antonio, Poole was terrific, recording 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting, six assists, two rebounds and two steals.

As Shankar notes, Poole opened last season as the starting shooting guard, but after struggling for much of 2023/24, head coach Brian Keefe moved him to the bench to be a primary play-maker. Poole returned to the starting lineup as point guard late last season when Tyus Jones was injured, and he’s happy to have more on-ball opportunities again in ’24/25.

“I think [this game] is the perfect example [of the benefits of switching to point guard],” Poole said after Wednesday’s 42-point outburst.

Through 10 games (30.7 MPG), the 25-year-old is averaging 22.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.3 SPG and 0.7 BPG, with an efficient shooting line of .457/.444/.923. Several of those statistics represent career highs.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

In the draft lottery in 2023, the Wizards were one ping-pong ball away from landing the No. 1 overall pick and the chance to select French phenom Victor Wembanyama. On Wednesday, he showed them what they missed by pouring in a career-high 50 points on 18-of-29 shooting, including going 8-of-16 from long distance, Shankar writes for The Post. While they have some promising young talent, Washington lacks a clear-cut star to build around like Wembanyama, Shankar notes.
Poole and second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly are among the Wizards whose stock is up through 10 games, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who says Alex Sarr and Kyle Kuzma are trending in the opposite direction early on in ’24/25. Washington’s 2-8 record is actually good thing for the future, Robbins adds, as the team needs to secure another high lottery pick for a 2025 draft class that is viewed as having plenty of high-end talent.
Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network shares some early statistical trends for the Wizards’ trio of rookie first-round picks — Sarr, Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George.

Southwest Notes: Pippen, Smart, V. Williams, Mavericks, Popovich, Wembanyama

November 13th, 2024 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s extra motivation for Grizzlies point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. any time he faces the Lakers, writes Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Pippen signed a two-way contract with L.A. in 2022 after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt. He only appeared in six NBA games that season, but starred with the team’s South Bay affiliate in the G League. He returned to South Bay the following season before Memphis signed him in January of this year.

“It’s been full circle,” Pippen said. “When I was over there (in L.A.), not really much opportunity.”

The Grizzlies are 2-0 since Ja Morant was sidelined with a hip injury and Pippen took his place in the starting lineup. He’s making the most of the opportunity, posting a triple-double in his first start with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists last Friday and following that with 17 points and four rebounds on Sunday.

In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Pippen expanded on his time with the Lakers, saying he didn’t get much feedback from the people in charge.

“I was kind of in the dark with that,” he said. “I didn’t really know what they wanted from me and what they expected from me. Once I left there, I felt like it was a feeling that they didn’t want me there and that I didn’t have a future there. I didn’t really get too much dialogue on why I wasn’t there.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Grizzlies welcomed Marcus Smart back tonight after he missed two weeks with a sprained right ankle, per Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (Twitter link). Vince Williams, who hasn’t played yet this season due to a stress reaction in the upper portion of his left tibia, has “looked fantastic” in workouts this week and may be ready to return Friday, Wallace adds (Twitter link).
The Mavericks need to solve their problems with late-game execution, observes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavs have dropped three straight games by three points or less, leaving them in 12th place in the West when they could be near the top. “In the last two minutes, we have to get better,” coach Jason Kidd said. “The last three games, the last two minutes, we’ve turned the ball over. We haven’t been rebounding the ball. We can’t maintain offensive rebounds.”
In a session with reporters before Wednesday’s game, Spurs general manager Brian Wright said coach Gregg Popovich is “doing well” in his recovery from a mild stroke, relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Wright also talked about the emotional toll on players and staff members from watching their leader deal with a medical emergency. “Coach Pop has been the leader of this organization for the last three decades, right?” Wright said. “And we all have come across or know people that just have a different aura, different presence about them, and clearly he’s one of those people. When we walk into the building each and every day, we feel that leadership, we feel that presence. And so not having him, there’s clearly a void and we miss him.”
In Wednesday’s win over Washington, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama scored 50 points for the first time in his NBA career. He’s the fourth-youngest player in league history to reach that mark, as well as the tallest, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.

Western Notes: Wembanyama, Thompson, Booker, Reddish, Russell

November 12th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Victor Wembanyama enjoyed his best game of the season against Sacramento on Monday. The second-year Spurs star racked up 34 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. He knocked down half of his 12 three-point attempts and the team’s interim coach wants him to keep hunting shots after a slow offensive start to the season.

“He makes shots every day,” Mitch Johnson said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “He missed really good shots to start the year, and I understand why it’s a talking point. But I don’t think we ever wavered on him not making shots. I think it is just the percentages evening out at this point.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

Klay Thompson feels even better now about his decision to move on from the Warriors and join the Mavericks, he told Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Thompson says it was a necessary move mentally as well as career-wise. “Honestly, it’s rejuvenated me and done something I needed bad just for my mental and my career,” Thompson said. “So, I really feel the love here, and I feel highly valued that I can do great things.” Thompson is averaging 13.8 points in 3o.1 minutes per night while starting 10 games.
Devin Booker is still adjusting to Mike Budenholzer‘s rotation patterns. With past coaches, Booker often played the entire first quarter. That hasn’t happened this season — Budenholzer prefers to utilize his players in shorter bursts, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic notes. “Probably the last eight years of my career, I played the first 12 minutes,” the Suns star guard said. “Trying to find a rhythm, but at the same time, set guys up. It’ll come.”
The Lakers are off to a 6-4 start and the Orange County Register’s Khobi Price offers 10 observations through the team’s first 10 games. He notes Cam Reddish has made the most of his increased playing time since being added to the rotation last week and that bench scoring has jumped since D’Angelo Russell was moved to the second unit.