- Spurs backup center Zach Collins has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who notes that the 26-year-old “took a spill” in Sunday’s overtime victory over Brooklyn. In a related move, the Spurs have recalled big man Dominick Barlow from a G League assignment ahead of Tuesday’s game vs. Dallas (Twitter link via McDonald).
As Victor Wembanyama‘s rookie season nears its end, his teammates are still learning how to unlock all the elements to his game, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama turned in another remarkable performance Sunday night, posting 33 points, 15 rebounds, seven blocks and seven assists while leading a late rally in an overtime win over Brooklyn. He put the Spurs ahead to stay on an alley-oop dunk with 38.5 seconds left to play and then preserved the victory by blocking a shot off the backboard.
Coach Gregg Popovich singled out guard Devin Vassell, who had eight assists, two of which resulted in Wembanyama slams. Because Vassell frequently initiates the offense, developing chemistry with Wembanyama will be vital for the team’s future.
“Every one of them is always aware of where he might be on the court and trying to figure out where he’s got to go, and be more efficient in getting it to him here or there,” Popovich said. “It’s an experience where they’ve got to be in those situations. But Devin’s going to have the ball a lot for us, so him understanding how to play with Victor is really important.”
There’s more on the Spurs:
- San Antonio also got a huge performance from Keldon Johnson, who was back at full strength after dealing with a stomach virus earlier in the week, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Johnson came off the bench to score 24 points in 34 minutes and contributed several clutch baskets. “He’s a big energy guy,” Popovich said. “He knocks down some threes here and there, takes big shots. He might not be shooting 40% on the year, but he takes shots that are important because of time and score and that kind of thing. And he’s an aggressive young man. He puts some meat on people.”
- After Friday’s game against Denver, Popovich talked about his efforts to develop Blake Wesley into a defensive stopper, Orsborn adds in a separate story. The second-year guard has embraced the role and enjoys challenges like matching up with Jamal Murray. “The more you do it, the more consistent you will be,” Wesley said. “Me getting stops and then running out in transition, that’s my game. When I do that, I play better, I play free. It’s all about being aggressive.”
- The NBA hasn’t selected the teams for its international games next season, but it’s expected that the Spurs and Pacers will play in Paris, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Wembanyama is thrilled about the prospect of returning home. “I’m looking forward to it very much,” he said. “Obviously it’s going to be probably the game or the games that are going to be very important for me because of course it’s me coming back from where I come from, especially might be in my city or around the city. So it’s going to be very special. Also, it is going to allow me to see maybe my family in the middle of the season, which doesn’t happen often. So it’s great.”
Although Victor Wembanyama is anxious for the Spurs to become a contending team, he knows that building a roster capable of vying for a title is a “tricky” task that requires patience, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
“I’m eager for us to win,” Wembanyama said. “But, at the same time, we have to be patient and trust the process. Of course, it’s our job to make it happen as soon as possible.”
As Orsborn details, Wembanyama also hinted that he might be involved in the Spurs’ roster-building process going forward.
“More and more, I’m part of the strategy for the future,” he said.“… I learned throughout the year more and more about how it actually works. It’s a big, big challenge for the front offices to not screw everything up and to build something for the future.”
Despite a strong rookie season for Wembanyama, the Spurs have a 14-53 record this season and project to be one of the three teams that will have the best odds for the No. 1 overall pick. San Antonio could also hold a second top-10 pick in this year’s draft, since the Raptors’ first-rounder will be sent to the Spurs if it falls outside the top six.
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show (YouTube link) on Friday, Bucks star Damian Lillard referred to Wembanyama as “special” and suggested it may just be a matter of time before he’s a prime contender for MVP awards. “I think how competitive he is is what surprised me the most,” Lillard said (hat tip to Cody Taylor of The Rookie Wire). “And that’s what makes me think that very soon I can see him being the best player in the league.”
- Asked this week about whether he expects to complete his new five-year contract with the team – or perhaps even stick around beyond that – Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t willing to speculate about his own future, according to Orsborn (subscription required). “I don’t think about where I’m going to be in four years,” Popovich said. “I think about what we have to do at practice tomorrow.”
- Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan is on track to play for Poland’s national team in this summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament, according to a report from Eurohoops, which relays an announcement from the Polish Basketball Federation. Poland will have to beat out Angola, The Bahamas, Finland, Lebanon, and Spain to claim a spot in the Paris Olympics.
- The Spurs hosted the Nuggets in Austin on Friday night and will play another game in the city (vs. the Nets) on Sunday. As Mike Monroe of The Athletic writes, in explaining the thinking behind the “I-35 Series,” Spurs CEO R.C. Buford likened the region to the Bay Area. “We have a market that isn’t in the top 10 in the country,” Buford said. “(But) when we connect our San Antonio and Austin markets we become one of the major players in the professional sports community. … Between Monterrey (Mexico), south Texas, central Texas and Austin, it’s the fastest-growing economic region in North America. So, we want to come meet our fans where they are. We’ve got great fans and have a community in Austin that’s been a part of our team and culture for years. It’s really just being the Bay Area — Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara, San Francisco — that’s what this is. It’s 60 miles that separates us. How do we connect that?”
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is the heavy betting favorite to be named this season’s Defensive Player of the Year. However, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, who is leading the NBA in blocked shots despite averaging just 28.8 minutes per game, is considered a likely finalist for the award in his rookie year.
Responding in French to a reporter from his homeland on Thursday, Wembanyama said that Gobert has earned the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024, but suggested he intends to supplant his fellow Frenchman as the favorite in future seasons, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
“I know that Rudy has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved,” Wembanyama said. “Let him win it now, because after that, it’s no longer his turn.”
Wembanyama is one of the most talented rim protectors to enter the NBA in years. Besides racking up blocked shots, he frequently uses his 7’4″ frame and eight-foot wingspan to force opposing players to alter their shots.
“He makes guys think about shooting layups that are usually just gimmes, easy shots, little bunnies around the rim,” teammate Tre Jones said. “He’s making guys question it, dribble out. And it’s been some of the best players in the league. We all see his dominance on the defensive end and it’s only going to get better.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has a “deep desire” to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics this summer, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back (Twitter video link). Irving has previously won gold medals at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics with Team USA, but wasn’t one of the 11 players identified a couple weeks ago as a virtual lock or a “strong candidate” to be part of this year’s team. Still, that group could change in the coming months.
- Brandon Ingram is best known for his abilities as a scorer, but his Pelicans teammates and coaches are impressed with the strides he has made as a defender, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Trey Murphy said that Ingram has made “humongous steps” on defense and is “taking those steps to become a two-way superstar.”
- Veteran guard CJ McCollum spent the first eight-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career in Portland, but he has found a new home in New Orleans with the Pelicans, both on and off the court, as William Guillory details for The Athletic. “I’m serious about my commitment to New Orleans. I don’t do this for play-play,” McCollum said. “This place holds a special place in my heart, and my family feels the same way.”
Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama looked like he was hitting the so-called “rookie wall” early in February when he posted a 5-of-16 performance and a 15-point, one-rebound game within days of each other, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez writes. However, Wembanyama shut down all talk about any potential slump when he put up a triple-double with blocks against the Raptors just before the All-Star break.
Since then, he’s had one of the finest stretches of his young career, averaging 22.5 points, 11.7 boards, 4.9 assists and 4.9 blocks in his last 11 games. Lopez writes that Wembanyama is focused on ending the season on a high note.
“How important is it? It’s the whole point,” Wembanyama said. “Coach said it again tonight in the locker room. It’s our job and this is what we’re here for, to win as soon as possible but also in the long run. So there is no other option.”
In the past month, Wembanyama has posted that aforementioned triple-double, recorded a 5×5, and is on pace to lead the league in blocks. Lopez writes his teammates have become used to his absurd stat lines.
“There’s still moments where we’re like, ‘Oh, what was that? We ain’t never seen that before.’ But I think overall, we’ve seen so much of what he’s done and what he can become and what he is going to become that it’s kind of normal for us now,” teammate Jeremy Sochan said. “We just know he can do way more than he’s doing right now, and what he’s doing right now is unbelievable.”
According to Lopez, there are no plans to shut down Wembanyama for the rest of the season even though the Spurs have nothing to play for after being eliminated from postseason contention.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Rockets bench players Reggie Bullock, Jock Landale and Jae’Sean Tate are embracing a next-man up mentality after recent injuries to Cam Whitmore and Alperen Sengun, writes Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner. “We talk every day. We just talk about opportunity,” Bullock said of discussions between him, Landale and Tate. “We know that we are the guys that need to be able to step up with guys that’ve been out, and we all got that same mindset of going out and take whatever needs to be done to help the team win.” All three players saw a spike in playing time on Tuesday against San Antonio.
- After being out since Feb. 12 with an injury, Grizzlies two-way guard Scotty Pippen Jr. returned to the lineup on Wednesday against Charlotte. He scored nine points and 10 assists in his return. As Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole observes (Twitter link), due to the amount of time he missed with injury, the Grizzlies don’t have to worry about Pippen hitting his games played limit per his two-way deal and will likely lean on him moving forward. Pippen was eligible to be active for up to 26 games after signing his two-way on Jan. 16 and the Grizzlies played 27 times since then, so he wouldn’t have been eligible for all of their games anyway.
- Key Grizzlies players Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke did some “extensive” work this week with Memphis’ G League affiliate, the Hustle, according to Cole (Twitter link). Clarke is now back to playing five-on-five after suffering an Achilles injury last season. Cole expects Bane to be back within the next couple games and Clarke to be back before the end of the month.
Gregg Popovich is the only active NBA head coach who also holds the title of president of basketball operations. But when he was asked on Tuesday about the Spurs‘ offseason plans and whether Victor Wembanyama‘s strong rookie season would accelerate the club’s rebuild, Popovich didn’t offer any real hints, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
“I don’t pretend to know what we’re going to do,” he said. “We have a lot of possibilities ahead of us, whether it’s money in the bank or draft picks or being creative trade-wise. All those things are on the table. But aren’t they for every team? I don’t know why we’re any different. We’re just younger.”
There has been some speculation that Wembanyama’s rapid development might make the Spurs feel more urgency to build a competitive roster around the rising young star, but Popovich made it clear that he and general manager Brian Wright aren’t feeling any pressure from team ownership to make win-now moves.
“If your organization is unable to understand that rebuilding takes time, then you just never get there,” Popovich said. “We’re fortunate because we’ve always had under the leadership of the Holt family the ability to do what we think has been best. So we’re always grateful for that.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Spurs big man Sandro Mamukelashvili got a rare chance to play a rotation role on Tuesday vs. Houston, logging double-digit minutes for just the second time in the past two months. After recording six points, five rebounds, and three assists in 11 minutes, Mamukelashvili earned praise from Popovich for his performance. “Sandro was exceptional,” Popovich said, per Orsborn. “He moved well without the ball. He pursued rebounds. He was really good for us tonight.” The 24-year-old will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
- The Pelicans have quietly emerged as one of the NBA’s best teams since the calendar turned to 2024, according to Danny Chau of The Ringer, who suggests they’ve flown under the radar in part because their stars have been merely very good rather than transcendent. Buoyed by excellent depth, New Orleans has a 20-11 record since January 1 and the team’s +7.9 net rating during that time is comfortably the best mark in the Western Conference.
- Tim Cato of The Athletic poses four burning questions that he believes could define the rest of the Mavericks‘ season, starting with which of the team’s players can be relied upon in the postseason. As Cato details, Dallas has leaned on reserves like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber a little less as of late, with Dante Exum taking Hardaway’s place as the first player off the bench.
- The Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan is developing a reputation as an agitator and he has an admirer in a player who often gets under opponent’s skin — the Warriors’ Draymond Green, according to Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News. “Not caring what anybody thinks, that’s a skill in this league,” Green said. “Jeremy, he don’t give a (bleep). You can tell.”
Ticket holders for the Spurs’ game against the Warriors on Monday got some good news on Sunday. Victor Wembanyama is not on the injury report, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets.
Wembanyama has missed the last two games due to a gimpy ankle. Second-leading scorer Devin Vassell, who is dealing with a left hip contusion, is listed as probable.
We have more on the Spurs:
- Dominick Barlow, who had his two-way contract upgraded to a standard deal earlier this month, delivered a big performance at Golden State on Saturday with the star rookie sidelined, supplying 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. “Props to him,” Jeremy Sochan told Jeff McDonald of the Express-News. “He just got an NBA contract so we’re all very proud of him. He helped us a lot, just scoring, playing good defense and just in general playing well.”
- Devonte’ Graham got a rare opportunity to play meaningful minutes on Saturday and contributed eight points in 12 minutes to the victory, McDonald notes. “Devonte’ hasn’t played much,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He came in and gave us a real boost.” Graham’s $12.65MM contract for next season is partially guaranteed for $2.85MM, so he appears likely to be traded or waived this summer.
- The Spurs used one of the picks they acquired from Boston in the Derrick White trade to draft Blake Wesley. Wesley, who turns 21 on Saturday, has received steady playing time off the bench and San Antonio still has high hopes for him, according to Mike Finger of the Express-News. “He’s definitely got the explosiveness of a (Russell) Westbrook,” big man Zach Collins said.
A series of disabled player exceptions granted to teams earlier in the 2023/24 season will expire on Monday if they go unused.
The deadline to use a disabled player exception is typically March 10, but when that deadline falls on a weekend, it gets pushed to the next business day, which means teams have until March 11 this season to take advantage of their DPEs.
We go into more detail on who qualifies for disabled player exceptions and how exactly they work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, if a team has a player suffer a season-ending injury prior to January 15, the exception gives that team the opportunity to add an injury replacement by either signing a player to a one-year contract, trading for a player in the final year of his contract, or placing a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract.
Here are the teams whose DPEs will expire if they aren’t used on Sunday or Monday:
- Chicago Bulls: $10,232,559 (Lonzo Ball) (story)
- Portland Trail Blazers: $5,785,715 (Robert Williams) (story)
- San Antonio Spurs: $1,300,000 (Charles Bassey) (story)
- Note: The Denver Nuggets also applied for a DPE worth $1,117,180 for Vlatko Cancar‘s ACL tear; it’s unclear whether or not that request was granted.
The trade deadline has passed and no players are currently on waivers, so there’s essentially just one way left for those teams with disabled player exceptions to use them: signing a free agent. However, that appears unlikely, given that the Bulls, Trail Blazers, and Spurs (as well as the Nuggets) have full rosters and haven’t shown any signs that they intend to make changes within the next 36 hours or so.
In other words, those exceptions will – in all likelihood – expire without being used.
The Grizzlies are the only team to use a disabled player exception so far this season. In a trade with Houston last month, Memphis took Victor Oladipo‘s $9.45MM expiring contract into the $12,405,000 disabled player exception that was granted as a result of Ja Morant‘s season-ending shoulder injury.
The Grizzlies traded Steven Adams to the Rockets in that deal, forfeiting a second disabled player exception (worth $6.3MM) that they received as a result of Adams’ season-ending knee injury — a DPE can’t be used after the team trades away its injured player. However, using the Morant exception to absorb Oladipo’s salary rather than matching it using Adams’ outgoing salary allowed the club to generate a new traded player exception worth Adams’ cap charge ($12.6MM).
A league source who spoke to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area said there’s an expectation Stephen Curry will likely miss seven-to-10 days (Twitter link). The Warriors‘ two-time MVP rolled his right ankle late in Thursday’s loss to Chicago and was unable to return to the game, with an MRI reportedly coming back clean.
If that timeline is accurate, Curry would likely miss at least three games, and possibly a fourth next Saturday vs. the Lakers. We won’t know that for sure until we see how the 35-year-old heals over the coming days, but Curry has already been ruled out for Saturday’s contest vs. San Antonio, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Lakers superstar LeBron James will be sidelined for Friday’s home game vs. Milwaukee, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays. The 39-year-old has been dealing with left ankle soreness for several weeks, and will miss his ninth game of the season against the Bucks after previously being listed as questionable. Prior to the game, head coach Darvin Ham said James was experiencing “severe soreness” in the ankle and is considered “day-to-day,” per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links). The ongoing injury will reportedly have to be managed for the remainder of the season, though there’s an expectation that James won’t need to miss extended time.
- After spraining his right ankle against Houston on Tuesday, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama missed Thursday’s loss in Sacramento and has been ruled out for Saturday’s contest in San Francisco, but head coach Gregg Popovich thinks the Rookie of the Year frontrunner will be ready to go for Monday’s home game vs. Golden State, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter links). As Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes (subscriber link), Wembanyama rode in a van back to San Antonio to be evaluated — in part due to its proximity to Houston — instead of traveling on the road trip. The Spurs are 0-7 thus far this season without their best player.
- Knicks star Jalen Brunson was able to return to action on Friday vs. Orlando after missing Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta with a knee contusion, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The All-Star point guard sustained the injury less than a minute into Sunday’s victory over Cleveland, but it thankfully turned out to be relatively minor. Brunon, 27, has missed five games thus far in 2023/24, putting him in strong contention for a spot on his first All-NBA team.